'An Ember in the Ashes' by Sabaa Tahir

Amazon / Goodreads

AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and pulse-pounding read. Set in a rich, high-fantasy world with echoes of ancient Rome, it tells the story of a slave fighting for her family and a young soldier fighting for his freedom.

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. 

Wow. Just wow. This is a stunning story. It really draws you in. 

The characters were good. Solid characters. I enjoyed rooting for the main characters Laia and Elias. 

Elias is loyal. And strong. And brave. Gosh. You would think Elias is the whole package. Why hasn't he got a fiancée yet is a reason I don't know. But gosh. Elias is amazing. He's badassery times infinity. He fights. And it's not just that. Anyone can be a fighter. But he's one of the top, maybe the best, fighter around. I mean...whoa. And then you discover his layer of loyalty. And that is pushed to the limits with, of course, the Trial of Loyalty. But he sticks by his friendships. By the people he cares for. I think Elias does seem a bit too perfect. Thank goodness he tried to desert. (That takes down his Perfect(ly impossible character) Factor down a few notches.) Elias is solid. A good character. Strong and brave. Loyal. Determined. A hero of sorts. 

Laia is determined. At first, I didn't like her. She seemed...weaker? I don't like comparing book characters to book characters, but she was an odd contrast to Elias the Mr. Macho-Mask-Man. I was confused by this. Until she starts spying. And that is when you see her true personality. (Or...unleashed personality? I'm not sure.) She becomes this determined girl. Who loves her brother to death. Who is cautious. And absorbs the pain. Just because of her brother. And then I started liking her because of it. She wasn't weak but strong. She wasn't a punching bag anymore. Laia turned into this brave person. (And...maybe she became a woman then.) My major problem with her, and this goes for Elias as well, is the -shudder- love triangle. (Technically, it's a love angle. But...shush. Don't tell.) I'll discuss this later, though. 

Helene is loyal. And she's a female version of Elias. Strong. Quick. She's loyal to the Empire. Which irks me. She also is loyal to Elias, though. Best friends or something more, it doesn't matter. They're close. Very so. And I think I want a bond like that. (Not the complex 'He's making me blush' stuff. No no. The great friendship stuff.) But calling her just the female Elias is not exposing her entire being. She's strong. A great fighter. Clever. And she catches on quickly. Helene isn't my favorite. She IS more Mask-like than Elias or the other Masks. (Faris. Leander. Etc.) She will do what she has to to protect Elias or help aid the Empire. Helene would have been a great rebel if she was a Scholar not a Martial. 

Keenan isn't the best with qualities. He's the rebellious type. Not in the way you would think, though. But I love that he changes. Loyal to the rebellion. Then...well. You can pick up on my drift from there. He becomes someone else. Because of Laia. And that, dear readers, is something amazing. 

The plot...stunning. Betrayals. Surprises. Spying. Fight scenes. The Trials. It was a wild ride. I was glued to my book. I couldn't help myself. The story was so captivating. I loved the plot. It switches from Elias to Laia. And it's the same pattern. Some stories don't keep up with the pattern. This one does. And I appreciated that. You can't expect anything. Everything seems to be a surprise. You can't predict anything. The plot is a roller coaster. And you can't see the end or what happens next. And I admit without shame that I got a bit of a rush from this story. 

The action was amazing. It's was fast-paced and exciting. The fight scenes were fantastic. Oh good graciousness. They were amazing. I love that the characters were good fighters, great fighters even. They kept the fight scenes great. The scims clashed. Smack smack. Clang clang. Daggers. Dodges. Punches. Kicks. Ducks. Gosh. It was exciting. Exhilarating. 

The romance wasn't bad. I saw chemistry. Elias and Laia...they had that weird skin-tingly thing. The sloppy, romantic kiss thing. Yeah. Romance isn't something I like about books. I prefer the action. But the romance in this book...I'm not sure what to say about it. It's not bad, I'll say that for sure. The characters are cautious. And they aren't reckless. They don't just randomly kiss. It's cautious. Slow. Maybe passionate. The romance isn't bad. It's not something I would ship. But it's not bad. 

I didn't like the love rectangle. But that can slide for now. Why? The rest of the story makes up for it. But seriously? Four people? Love square? I can barely stand love triangles. This is just pushing it. Really. 

I love that it's based off of Rome. I'm a fan of Rome. The Roman Empire is fascinating. The strategy. The mythology. I love how the Roman Empire is completely in this society of Martials and Scholars. The Illustrian society. And the tough training regime. The setting is great. I can see the Roman Empire echoed in the setting. 

And that's amazing. 

The ending...a cliffhanger. Wow. I can't right out what will happen. That's terrible for me. The author made the last words echo with me.

Freedom. That's truly something to worry about. Who is free? What is freedom? 

Everything that happened in the last chapters...they were fast. They were action-y. Amazing chapters. I enjoyed reading them. 

Weather:

Sunny with no clouds

5/5

'Through Fire and Sea' Nicole Luiken: Blog Tour

Through Fire & Sea

by Nicole Luiken 

Release Date: 05/05/15

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Mirror mirror, hear my call…

In the Fire world, seventeen-year-old Leah is the illegitimate daughter of one of the realm's most powerful lords. She's hot-blooded—able to communicate with the tempestuous volcano gods that either bless a civilization or destroy it. But then Leah discovers she's a Caller, gifted with the unique—and dangerous—ability to “call” her Otherselves in mirror worlds. And her father will do anything to use her powers for his own purposes.

In the Water world, Holly nearly drowns when she sees—and interacts with—Leah, a mirror image of herself. She’s rescued by Ryan, a boy from school with a secret he’d die to protect. Little do they know, his Otherself is the son of a powerful volcano god at war in the Fire world…and he’s about to fall.

As Leah and Holly's lives intersect, the Fire and Water worlds descend into darkness. The only way to protect the mirror worlds is to break every rule they've ever known. If they don’t, the evil seeping through the mirrors will destroy everything—and everyone—they love…

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Parallel Worlds

Guest blog by Nicole Luiken

My fantasy novel Through Fire & Sea features a number of parallel worlds. There’s the True World from which the four other worlds were copied and the Mirror Worlds themselves: Fire, Water, Air and Stone.

Parallel worlds are a favorite trope of mine. Here are some other fictional parallel worlds that I really enjoyed:

•  Sliders This ‘90s TV show dealt with a group of students and their prof who ended up "sliding" between various parallel Earths in an attempt to find their way back to their own universe. Each universe looked mostly like ours but proved to have a subtle difference. The physics prof was played by Rhys-Davies, who is actually rather tall when not shrunk down to dwarf size for his role as Gimli in LOTR
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured a parallel universe, in which most of the regular cast were either dead or vampires in the episodes “The Wish” and “Doppelgangland”. My husband and I are rewatching this series with our fifteen-year-old son.
• Fringe. This popular SF TV show followed FBI agent Olivia Dunn as she investigated strange paranormal and fringe science phenomena with the help of Walter Bishop and his son Peter. In later seasons, it featured several different versions of Earth. In the main Earth Walter Bishop was a crazed genius, his so-called ‘Walternate’ was the Secretary of Defense. Big difference.
• Once Upon a Time TV show. The Evil Queen’s curse removed all the fairy tale characters from their magic lands, gave them amnesia and placed them in an ordinary American town of Storybrook. I loved how each episode featured a flashback retold fairytale storyline as well as the main Storybrook plot.
• Awake TV show. This one’s a little more obscure and only lasted a season, but I really liked it. Jason Isaacs (otherwise known as Lucius Malfoy) played a cop who’d been in a car accident with his family several months before. In one world, his son had died, but every time he went to sleep he would wake in a subtly-gray world in which his son had survived but his wife had died instead.

What are some parallel world stories in books, TV or movies that you’ve enjoyed?

About the Author

Nicole Luiken wrote her first book at age 13 and never stopped.

She is the author of nine published books for young adults, including Violet Eyes and its sequels Silver Eyes and Angels Eyes, Frost, Unlocking the Doors, The Catalyst, Escape to the Overworld, Dreamfire and the sequel Dreamline. She also has an adult thriller, Running on Instinct, under the name N.M. Luiken and a fantasy romance series, Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith.

Nicole lives with her family in Edmonton, AB. It is physically impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing. 

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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YA Bound Book Tours

'Magonia' by Maria Dahvana Headley

Amazon / Goodreads

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds... two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air. 

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. 

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia. 

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

This is such a beautiful story. It stunned me. The world was amazing and creative. It's a fantastic idea. 

The characters are great. They're cool people. I would definitely hang out with them. 

Aza is a great character. She's sweet. And doesn't let her condition push her down. She powers through it. She's funny as well. Quick to a retort. Clever. Aza changes. Which is one of the best things about her. She is shy at first. Cautious. But as she starts to gain control over her powers, things start to come into perspective for her. She is powerful. Extremely so. Before she got to Magonia, it didn't seem like Aza was anything powerful. She wasn't able to breathe easily. She wasn't someone who had an easy life. But she went to Magonia. And things changed. Quickly. She gained strength and power and a sense of belonging. Before, everything was odd. She wasn't able to fit in. She was an oddly-shaped puzzle piece. Magonia gave her a home. A place to feel right in. And who doesn't want a place to call home? 

Jason is a quirky oddball, but he's awesome nonetheless. He knows a lot of pi. (And that's an amazing feat by itself.) He has these little facts shoved into his brain. By many, he would be a weirdo. (Not saying that he is or is not in my opinion.) Jason is cool, though. And devoted. I mean...you ran like crazy to find your stolen Aza. And that's something else. Determination? Maybe. Love? Perhaps. Is Jason utterly crazy? That's a definite yes. I don't even think you can argue about that. But is his oddball-ness endearing? Definitely. 

And now I'll spend a little bit talking about Dai. (How can I not?) He really is devoted. Loyal. I think that's the one thing I like about Dai. Other than that, he's snobbish. Pompous. Assholish. (Love that word. Even it it describes me. Ha.) But Dai's loyalty is admirable. Even when he's doing wrong, he's loyal. If only his moral compass swung another direction. If only he wasn't loyal to the wrong side. (A loyal guy like Dai would be great to have on your side. Too bad he is loyal to -shiver- Zal.) Dai is cocky. Annoying. But unwaveringly loyal. 

The plot is fascinating. There is Jason's search. I actually wanted more of that. How does he have all this access? I know he has money, and I know that money can get you places but still! How? Why do people let him in? Why do people allow this kid to listen to their chats and ask for help? Perhaps it's a challenge. Perhaps it's money. Perhaps they think he's crazy, but they're crazy too. Crazy people are attracted to other crazy people. And we get the pirates. And meet some freaky Breaths. (I'm trying to understand how this works. So Magonia is just really high up in the clouds? And they steal human drowners? Confused...) And Aza training. I think the scenes with Aza on the ship (aka the majority of the book) are interesting. She's exposed to this new world as we are. We learn about Magonia as she does. And I find that interesting. 

I admit that it isn't full of action. But it's still fascinating. (It's its own way.) There aren't as many fight scenes as I love. After all, Aza isn't a fighter. She couldn't have fought. But. Exploring this world and having other people fight is completely fine by me. Magonia is a captivating world. (I'm running out of adjectives...) 

The romance isn't bad. Jason and Aza are adorable. (To my surprise.) It doesn't seem like they would compliment each other. But they do. I don't see how they connected. Perhaps nerds, oddballs, and weirdos all have a sixth sense for finding other nerds, oddballs, and weirdos. 

But I love their chemistry. It's amazing, really. They kiss. And sparks fly. They truly care about each other. (Which you can't always say happens.)

But we have a (sigh) love triangle of sorts. Which annoys me. What annoys me the most is Aza attraction to her partner. (Who...is annoying by himself. Ehem.) Why? Come on, dude. Don't you have a rule about this? Why don't you try and fight back? Seriously. As you can tell, this annoys me. A lot. 

I have to say that the world is captivating. It's one of this story's strongest points. It's a magical world in the clouds. Who wouldn't want that? They have the squallwhales. The batsails. Animals used for different purposes. And the singing. Wow. It's a completely different idea. Something fascinating. Their terms for different things are interesting. Especially the drowners term. So is Magonia 'land' and the land below 'sea'? That would make sense but no sense since the oceans for the land below are much lower than that even. And their glowing arrows. (That made me smile. But shooting stars aren't that common. Right?) And the random crop circles are, at last, explained! Huzzah! 

All of this combined makes me wonder if there actually is a Magonia somewhere up in the clouds.

The ending is great. It's stunning. A true shocker. 

Aza gains independence and determination. (Something she was lacking for the majority of the book.) She has changed. And wants to fight back. She thinks she's going to do something amazing. And she does. But...plot twist. (And no spoilers! So read it and find out!) 

And she is reunited. At last. At long last. And cute fluffy stuffs ensues. 

This is a great story. An amazing world. Great characters. Electric romance. And great ending. 

Weather:

Sunny with some clouds

4.5/5

'Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance' by Danielle Younge-Ullman: Release Day Blitz

Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance

by Danielle Younge-Ullman

Release Date: 05/05/15

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Lola Carlyle is lonely, out of sorts, and in for a boring summer. So when her best friend, Sydney, calls to rave about her stay at a posh Malibu rehab and reveals that the love of Lola’s life, Wade Miller, is being admitted, she knows what she has to do. Never mind that her worst addiction is decaf cappuccino; Lola is going to rehab.

Lola arrives at Sunrise Rehab intent solely on finding Wade, saving him from himself, and—naturally—making him fall in love with her…only to discover she’s actually expected to be an addict. And get treatment. And talk about her issues with her parents, and with herself. Plus she has insane roommates, and an irritatingly attractive mentor, Adam, who’s determined to thwart her at every turn.

Oh, and Sydney? She’s gone.

Turns out, once her pride, her defenses, and her best friend are stripped away, Lola realizes she’s actually got a lot to overcome…if she can open her heart long enough to let it happen.

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Hi there! Thanks so much for having me on your blog today. I thought I’d share an excerpt from 

my novel, LOLA CARLYLE’S 12 STEP ROMANCE with you. 

The scene happens early in the book. Lola has run away from a therapy session in rehab, and 

snuck around trying to locate the boy she faked her way into rehab for—Wade Miller. She finds 

him, but unfortunately in a bad location—the bathroom. Which was really not the way she 

planned to see him for the first time. 

I should be leaving, but my feet seem overly heavy and we’re kind of…staring at each other and 

he is so damn beautiful it’s hard to stop. 

“Wait, do I…? You look familiar, except… No way, I would have remembered,” he says in a 

tone that makes me hot all over. “But it’s more like you…you seem familiar.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I’m just trying to—” He breaks off as the door starts to open behind me.

“Shit!” I say, looking for somewhere to hide.

But Wade’s reflexes are fast, and in seconds, before the person on the other side actually gets in, 

his arms come on either side of me to push the door shut again. 

Lucky me, I’m between him and it. 

“Hey, what the fuck!” says a voice from outside.

“Listen, man, I need a minute.” 

“Wade?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude, let me in.”

“Come back in five. You don’t want to be in here, trust me,” Wade says, and mouths my 

roommate to me.

“Okay, whatev,” the guy says. “Thanks for nothing.”

And then things get quiet again. Quiet with me essentially pinned to the door by Wade. Not 

counting the peeing thing, this bathroom venue is turning out much better than I expected. 

Now if I could only breathe.

He looks down at me. 

“Thanks,” I say, trying to stay cool despite the record levels of hormones screaming through my 

veins. 

“So,” he says, still right up in front of me, “you said you were lost?” 

I nod.

“You’re really lost,” he says. 

“Oh?”

“It takes a special talent to get this lost. I mean, you ended up in a men’s bathroom on the other 

side of the compound.”

“It’s my first day,” I say, as if this explains it. 

“What are you going to do on your second?”

I grin. “Don’t know. You have any suggestions? Because I plan to get lost every time I have 

therapy.”

His eyes widen and sadly, he takes a step back to look at me. 

“You ditched therapy? On your first day?”

“Kind of. Yeah.”

“Uh, that’s not exactly the height of compliance.”

“Hey, I’ll comply. I’ll do yoga and group and swimming and ‘Vision.’ I’m not going to drink or 

do any drugs. I just don’t want therapy. I don’t need it.” 

“At the rate you’re going, you’re going to have it twice a day.”

“Not possible. I’m going to be way too busy doing downward dog and rock climbing. Assuming 

I can get back to the girls’ dorms.” 

“You need some help?”

I draw myself up. “Do I look like I need help?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t answer that,” I say, and reach for the door handle. 

“Let me check the hall for you at least,” he says. 

“No, I’m good,” I say. “But you’re very cute to offer, W.A.D.E. Very cute in general. They 

should give you a bigger part on that show of yours.”

“Actually, I’m the le—”

And that’s when I kiss him. 

I swoop up, give him a fast but firm kiss on the lips, then pull away and open the door while he 

stands there, blinking. 

“Hmm,” I say, doing my best not to hyperventilate or, God forbid, swoon, “not bad.”

“Not bad?”

“Yeah,” I say with a casual shrug. “It’ll do.”

About the Author

Danielle Younge-Ullman is a novelist, playwright and freelance writer. She studied English and Theater at  McGill University, then returned to her hometown of Toronto to work as professional actor for ten  years. Danielle’s short story, Reconciliation, was published in MODERN MORSELS—a McGraw-Hill  Anthology for young adults—in 2012, her one- act play, 7 Acts of Intercourse, debuted at Toronto's SummerWorks Festival in 2005, and her adult novel, FALLING UNDER, was published by Penguin in 2008.  Danielle lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters.

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'One Thing Stolen' by Beth Kephart

Amazon / Goodreads

Something is not right with Nadia Cara. She’s become a thief. She has secrets she can’t tell. And when she tries to speak, the words seem far away. In Florence, Italy, with her epicurean brother, professor father, and mother who helps at-risk teens, Nadia finds herself trapped by her own obsessions and following the trail of an elusive Italian boy whom no one but herself has seen. While her father researches a flood that nearly destroyed Florence in 1966, Nadia wonders if she herself can be rescued—or will she disappear?

Set against the backdrop of a glimmering city, One Thing Stolen is an exploration of obsession, art, and a rare neurological disorder. It is about language and beauty, imagining and knowing, and the deep salvation of love. 

I'm not entirely sure about what's going on in this book. What happened? I got very confused. 

A major part of why I didn't like this book is because I didn't comprehend what was going on. The writing was odd for me. It was written in a way my mind couldn't comprehend. It wasn't a style I typically read. Therefore, I didn't understand. This is a major part of it. If it seems like I'm sounding daft, this is why.

Nadia is an interesting character. Her artistic side. Her loss of words. I'm interested in this diagnosis now. What is it? How is it caused? What happens at the end? I'm not sure. We don't even get much of Nadia. I think Nadia is a great character, though. She has something with her. And her past? She's such a cool kid. Adventurous. Daring. It seems like that carries on. And her mind? It's a tangled mess. But it gives out beautiful things. Her nests.

Maggie is such a good friend. She is a truly good friend. I want to say more than that. That her personality was stunning. Her selflessness amazing. (Well...that's true.) But I can't. This book is too short to give anything about the characters. She's a good friend, though. She left her home for Nadia. She came to Florence for Nadia. To help Nadia. To make Nadia feel better. 

With all the switching of POVs, I feel like I didn't get enough of either girl to write too much. 

The plot is confusing. What's going on? I get that she's following a guy. Why? I don't know. (Perhaps she saw something in him. Or liked his looks. It all depends. Or many her imagination wandered.) 

I feel like Maggie's parts are only slightly clearer. They seem more rational. But at the same time...I don't think they're interesting. The plot isn't the best. For me, it's not clear. But it isn't bad. Not bad at all. It could have been clearer. But I just might not understand.

The romance...less than satisfactory. Where did this come from? Why? You barely met. I don't like it. Romances like this irk me. 

I don't see chemistry. And I don't see response. These two barely knew each other. What attracted them to each other? Art? Thieving? I'm not sure. Maybe Benedetto saw a fellow thief in Nadia. Perhaps Benedetto saw her nests. (Somehow...) Or Nadia saw Benedetto's flowers and thought they were beautiful. (And she did.) 

But chemistry. Okay. You barely met the dude. Alright. Let's pretend I'm fine with that. Then you kiss. And sparks fly? Not really. It's a kiss. He's a boy. You're a girl. Does it make your heart race? Does he make your heart race? Are you lovers? Or something else? I want to say this romance healed Nadia. But it seemed to make things so much worse. 

The ending is okay. It's bittersweet. She's okay. Or going to be okay. And she will return. One day. Some day. The ending is one of the only things I like about this story. It's good. The way the author writes Benedetto's part. It's neat. Filled with hope and longing. And promise. Promises can be broken, though. But that is not important here. 

There were no questions on my end. No 'what if that happened'. I'm perfectly fine with this ending.

Nadia will return. One day. And she will be better. And with Benedetto.

I think that's a good ending. 

Weather:

Sunny with a 75% chance of rain

2.5/5

'Rebel Song' by Amanda J Clay

Amazon / Goodreads

A reluctant hero
A determined princess
The revolution that stands between them


The once prosperous European kingdom of Arelanda has been plagued with poverty and corruption since the failed rebellion tore it apart. Now, rebels stir again in the capital’s underbelly, vowing to depose the monarchy and overturn the unjust government.

Seventeen-year-old Rogan Elwood, son of a rebel leader executed for treason after the first rebellion, has borne a tainted legacy his entire life. As he is pulled deeper into conflict, Rogan must face his calling in the future of the rebel cause—waging his want for peace against his desire for vengeance. Everything changes when he falls for Elyra—beautiful, idealistic and determined to bring Arelanda a better future. She also just happens to be next in line to the throne—if the corrupt Minister General doesn’t beat her to it.

Caught in the midst of a budding civil war and surrounded by enemies on every side, Elyra and Rogan must fight to save themselves and their country—and choose between each other and their duty.

Rogan isn't a bad character. He's smart. A good leader. But he hides in the shadows. I'm confused about why he does that, though. Sure, there's Cable and Donal. He could stand up if he liked. He's young but not surprisingly so. He has brains. I feel like he doesn't use it, though. He has the spirit. And he's a person who cares a lot about the future. Whether that's with a person or a cause. I think Rogan could have been given more leadership roles. He's a great leader. People just got to notice that. I like that he's a good leader. He's a great leader in fact. 

I liked Elyra much more. She's a determined girl. I liked that spirit. She has fire in her heart. And that can be good or bad, depending on her. She makes some impulsive choices. Which can be ignored for now. She's good, though. A kind person. (And in this story, kind people are sadly small in number.) She does the most she can. Especially for those she loves. For those important to her. I think the thing I like the most about her is her passion. She cares. She loves. She puts effort into her work. And she loves what she does. Whether it's kissing someone or sneaking out to see said someone or teaching children or protecting her lovey-bug. 

The plot...not bad. I want to say it was more interesting for me. But it wasn't. A lot of it was Rogan and Elyra locking lips. Or Elyra saying it was wrong for her to be with Rogan, and Rogan shutting her up with a kiss. (Always the best way to shut people up.) 

There could have been more action scenes. It was about a rebellion. So where's the rebellion? I'm not sure entirely. There were only a few scenes. (I think the scene with Ben and Demos was the best. I liked how Ben was defiant and tough. He's more of a rebel than Rogan is. And Rogan is deemed a 'leader'.) There could have been more than sly words and inspections. There is more to a rebellion than that. Where are the attacks? The sieges? The north seems to have more fun than the rebels in the city. I think that the rebels should have had more. There wasn't much until the little...siege. And that was a mess. There wasn't really fighting. Just a smoke bomb as a cloak as the rebels fled. I think that there should have been more. Perhaps the next story will have more. (The next part of the series. I can tell this is a series. This would be an unsatisfactory standalone.) 

It's been a while since I've read such...passionate romance. Surprising actually. They were really having at it. I wasn't sure what to think. I just continued to read on. 

I think they do have something. I won't say I approve of this relationship. They meet in an odd place. (Some couples meet in bars, so I'll let it slide.) And they start to connect. Not sure why, though. It seems as if they just like the others looks. And I don't like that. But they do have chemistry. It's passionate when they kiss. It's fire really. It freaks me out a bit... 

It does follow a cliche, though. Something that annoyed me in fact. (I'm a fan of enemies turned lovers. That's just a lot of fun.) I don't like the prince and pauper style of this romance. The rich Elyra and poor Rogan. I think the rebel part was a twist. But it seemed too formulaic. Elyra pushed him away. "We can't risk it." He couldn't stand being away from her. 

That just seems too common. A Cinderella story in a way. 

The ending is sweet. But open-ended. So many things could happen. Maybe death. Maybe Rogan comes back and is killed. You don't know. Maybe Rogan goes to the north.

The story at the ending, the things before the story actually ends, are...not the best. I can't say they're terrible. They're about cunning people and politics. Which I have no care for. At least the politics part. Cunning people are some of the best people. 

I do think the book is okay by itself. There is probably a sequel, though. I don't know entirely. It just seems that way. It would be a terrible ending for a standalone. (Terrible as in leaving too many questions. Again, open ended.) 

Weather:

Sunny with a 50% chance of rain

3/5

April Wrap-Up

This April I Read: 

Official Total: 

8 Books (Wow. Lowered total. I think I read more. Just didn't publish 

Recommendations:

For the LGBT Lover: 

Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda

For the Action Lover: 

Midnight City

For the Fantasy Lover: 

Shadow Scale

Monthly Update:

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Hold Me Closer 

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Hold Me Closer
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian