Review: Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

5 out of 5 Stars

I swear I am falling more and more in love with this series with every book that comes out. I don't really have anything that I would want to change about it. There were a few small details that irked me, but other than that, I was IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK. Note: if you don't like love triangles, you may be annoyed with this book. But I would still read it if I were you because there was still so much going on outside of the romantic interests that you'd probably enjoy the book. Personally, I love love triangles, so this was like the best kind of book I could have asked for.


SPOILERS AHEAD

Before I go into my usual areas of reviewing- the title confuses the hell out of me. Um, I think we had two snowflakes, with the promise of more in the future? The setting just didn't really seem winter-y to me, which makes me wonder why it's called "Dead of Winter". Death is in the story, but I'm pretty sure that is irrelevant to the title of the book. I was expecting like a freaking blizzard or something, and it only snows at the end of the book, so is the next one really in winter? Why is this the title? I am so confused...

CHARACTERS:
Evie:
Damn girl, finally taking action and managing her own sh** at the same time. Bravo. What I'm really interested in with her character is her powers, because Aric kept saying that she is so much more powerful than what she is using. And in this book, her powers extend even more, but he still says that they are only a fraction of what Evie can really do. The one thorn in my side (haha book humor) about her character is that she chose Jack?? Erm, excuse me, Miss Greene? That needs to change- pronto.

Jack:
Clear statement: I don't hate Jack, I just don't want him to be with Evie. Jack is an admirable character in this story, but I feel like there is still so much about him that we don't know yet. I would not be surprised in the slightest if he is the un-awakened Arcana. Even if he isn't Arcana, he is still quite a fore to be reckoned with. General of the army now, kills baggers like they're no problem, provides for and leads hundreds of people..... yeah he's kinda awesome. His biggest issues are his deceit and rashness (aka the main reasons he can never really be with Evie). Gotta love his accent though.

Aric:
I really love this character- he has some major issues in modernity and how to behave, but that's because he's centuries old and that's how he was raised and how he lived. BUT- he knows and acknowledges this AND he's willing to work on it. Scratch that, he is working on it. I love how fiercely loyal he is to Evie and how much he believes in her strength and capabilities, but still has her back if she needs it. His bluntness can be pretty funny at times too. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in this next book, because Evie technically chose Jack (**hisses**), but he's possibly dead? And Aric saved Evie. Plus he has her grandmother. I don't know, there are so many aspects that are set up for the next book that there are too many wild variables to predict anything.


PLOT:
I liked this book more than Endless Knight I think partially because there was a more defined plot line in this one. We had this whole ordeal in the beginning, trying to save Jack from the Lovers, and then Aric just rolls in and is like, "Lol, those were clones", and the journey continues. Another thing that was slightly introduced in this book was the presence/ lack of presence of the gods. Since my biggest question remains, how are they going to end the game, I think they might meet the gods? Face them head-on? Something- I think that the gods are going to be flushed out with a bit more detail and possible incorporated more corporeally into the story. I hope so at least- that'd be pretty cool.

WORLD:
I love how the team is like exploring and taking charge of this world After the Flash. They keep learning new things along with the reader and we all get to experience this strange variation or echo of what the old Earth was Before the Flash. Like I mentioned earlier, I would really like to see this world expand to include more information about the gods that created the game, if not actually include the gods themselves. I still have no idea how on earth the team's gonna end the game, because eventually only one Arcana will remain right? Even if the others die of old age, there will still be one that is the last to die, and then it begins again, no? So what's the loophole? Are they gonna kick the asses of the gods? Cause that'd be kinda awesome


I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW! I will probably jump straight into Arcana Rising after I finish writing this review. Or maybe Day Zero, I haven't decided yet. Either way, I'm really hoping that the books are all going to be amazing after this one, cause it would suck if they tapered off or devolved from here.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Dead of Winter NO SPOILERS

Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I swear I am falling more and more in love with this series with every book that comes out. I don't really have anything that I would want to change about it. There were a few small details that irked me, but other than that, I was IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK. Note: if you don't like love triangles, you may be annoyed with this book. But I would still read it if I were you because there was still so much going on outside of the romantic interests that you'd probably enjoy the book. Personally, I love love triangles, so this was like the best kind of book I could have asked for.

Before I go into my usual areas of reviewing- the title confuses the hell out of me. Um, I think we had two snowflakes, with the promise of more in the future? The setting just didn't really seem winter-y to me, which makes me wonder why it's called "Dead of Winter". Death is in the story, but I'm pretty sure that is irrelevant to the title of the book. I was expecting like a freaking blizzard or something, and it only snows at the end of the book, so is the next one really in winter? Why is this the title? I am so confused...
Characters:
Evie: Damn girl, finally taking action and managing her own sh** at the same time. Bravo. What I'm really interested in with her character is her powers, because Aric kept saying that she is so much more powerful than what she is using. And in this book, her powers extend even more, but he still says that they are only a fraction of what Evie can really do. The one thorn in my side (haha book humor) about her character is that she chose Jack?? Erm, excuse me, Miss Greene? That needs to change- pronto.
Jack: Clear statement: I don't hate Jack, I just don't want him to be with Evie. Jack is an admirable character in this story, but I feel like there is still so much about him that we don't know yet. I would not be surprised in the slightest if he is the un-awakened Arcana. Even if he isn't Arcana, he is still quite a fore to be reckoned with. General of the army now, kills baggers like they're no problem, provides for and leads hundreds of people..... yeah he's kinda awesome. His biggest issues are his deceit and rashness (aka the main reasons he can never really be with Evie). Gotta love his accent though.
Aric: I really love this character- he has some major issues in modernity and how to behave, but that's because he's centuries old and that's how he was raised and how he lived. BUT- he knows and acknowledges this AND he's willing to work on it. Scratch that, he is working on it. I love how fiercely loyal he is to Evie and how much he believes in her strength and capabilities, but still has her back if she needs it. His bluntness can be pretty funny at times too. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in this next book, because Evie technically chose Jack (**hisses**), but he's possibly dead? And Aric saved Evie. Plus he has her grandmother. I don't know, there are so many aspects that are set up for the next book that there are too many wild variables to predict anything.
PLOT:
I liked this book more than Endless Knight I think partially because there was a more defined plot line in this one. We had this whole ordeal in the beginning, trying to save Jack from the Lovers, and then Aric just rolls in and is like, "Lol, those were clones", and the journey continues. Another thing that was slightly introduced in this book was the presence/ lack of presence of the gods. Since my biggest question remains, how are they going to end the game, I think they might meet the gods? Face them head-on? Something- I think that the gods are going to be flushed out with a bit more detail and possible incorporated more corporeally into the story. I hope so at least- that'd be pretty cool.
WORLD:
I love how the team is like exploring and taking charge of this world After the Flash. They keep learning new things along with the reader and we all get to experience this strange variation or echo of what the old Earth was Before the Flash. Like I mentioned earlier, I would really like to see this world expand to include more information about the gods that created the game, if not actually include the gods themselves. I still have no idea how on earth the team's gonna end the game, because eventually only one Arcana will remain right? Even if the others die of old age, there will still be one that is the last to die, and then it begins again, no? So what's the loophole? Are they gonna kick the asses of the gods? Cause that'd be kinda awesome.
(hide spoiler)]
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW! I will probably jump straight into Arcana Rising after I finish writing this review. Or maybe Day Zero, I haven't decided yet. Either way, I'm really hoping that the books are all going to be amazing after this one, cause it would suck if they tapered off or devolved from here.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Review: Raven Song by I.A. Ashcroft

 Raven Song by I.A. Ashcroft (Blog Tour)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Blurb:

A century ago, the world burned. Even now, though rebuilt and defiant, civilization is still choking on the ashes.

Jackson, a smuggler, lives in the shadows, once a boy with no memory, no name, and no future. Ravens followed him, long-extinct birds only he could see, and nightmares flew in their wake. Once, Jackson thought himself to be one of the lucky few touched by magic, a candidate for the Order of Mages. He is a man now, and that dream has died. But, the ravens still follow. The nightmares still whisper in his ear.

Anna’s life was under the sun, her future bright, her scientific work promising. She knew nothing of The Bombings, the poisoned world, or the occult. One day, she went to work, and the next, she awoke in a box over a hundred years in the future, screaming, fighting to breathe, and looking up into the eyes of a smuggler. Anna fears she’s gone crazy, unable to fill the massive hole in her memories, and terrified of the strange abilities she now possesses.

The Coalition government has turned its watchful eyes towards them. The secret factions of the city move to collect them first. And, old gods stir in the darkness, shifting their pawns on the playing field.

If Anna and Jackson wish to stay free, they must learn what they are and why they exist.

Unfortunately, even if they do, it may be too late.

Raven Song is the first of a four book adult-oriented dystopian fantasy series, a story of intrigue, love, violence, and the old spirits in the shadows who wait for us to notice them again. Readers of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Charlie Human will enjoy this dark magic-laced tale rooted on the bones of what our world could become.

Author Bio:

​I. A. Ashcroft has been writing fiction in many forms for almost twenty years. The author's first book, written at age seven, featured the family cat hunting an evil sorceress alongside dragons and eagles. This preoccupation with the fantastical has not changed in the slightest.

Now, the author dwells in Phoenix, AZ alongside a wonderful tale-spinner and two increasingly deranged cats. Ashcroft writes almost exclusively in the realm of darker fantasy these days, loving to entertain adults with stories of magic, wonder, despair, violence, and hope, bringing a deep love of mythology into every tale penned. The author also loves diverse and intriguing casts of characters.

When not buried in a book, one might find Ashcroft learning languages, charting road trips, and playing tabletop RPGs with clever and fun people.

Review:

I was really excited when I had the opportunity to receive a copy of this book in order to review it. It looked really interesting, new, and engaging. And it was! A more exact star review is 3.9 stars out of 5. If you are a world-building/plot reader, then you will probably really really like this book. I.A. Ashcroft did a really good job building the futuristic society and world where the story takes place, and it is done in a way where the details are meted out over a length of time instead of all at once, which is really appreciated. 

Another thing that stood out to me was that the action started right away- you jump right in, head first, not knowing how deep the water is. And because of some of the aspects of the book (sorry- not gonna spoil!), it worked really well. The reader is thrust into this world that is similar to ours, yet everything is different, and is taken on a journey that you can't predict the answer too. The reader discovers along with the characters, causing the story to be surprising and eventful and captivating.

I'm not sure when the next book of the series will be out, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for it! I.A. Ashcroft has a spectacular world here to play around in, and I am 99% sure that he will, which is good news for us readers.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Review: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

5 out of 5 Stars

I am so quickly becoming addicted to this series. My favorite interest in it though has shifted from the post-apocalyptic details to the paranormal Tarot card details. Endless Knight seamlessly blended with the first book Poison Princess and just kept building on it. There were a few bumpy character development moments, but even those were minor. The plot actually wasn't as definite in this book. I would even dare to say that it wasn't definite at all, that this book was all set up for some bigger picture. But that didn't bother me at all because there was so many other things happening with world building and character development. If you're reading this because you're wondering if you should continue, I would say go for it and that it is worth it.

SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:

Evie: The most frustrating thing about this book was Evie character at times being incredibly weak. It wasn't as often as it was in the first book, but there were still some moments when I was not impressed by her actions. However, I get that's part of who she is though as a person- not aggressive, peace and flowers and all that jazz. Otherwise, I think her character is in the most impossible situation at the moment. She literally has almost no one. She had her grandma to go to, but then realized that her grandma would train her to kill. She had Matthew and Jack, but then they both lied to her. She even had Death, but he's being a mentally unstable creep, so he might be out of the picture too (juries still out on that one- we'll see what happens in book 3).

Death: I feel so bad for this guy!!! He has literally been spending his entire life alone, and the one person he could spend it with has been trying to kill him, and he majorly messed up this time around, and I just don't want him to be alone.... but at the same time he's kinda brutal, so it slightly negates the sympathy. I am really interested to see what happens with his character, because there has almost been a switch flipped inside of him where he now wants to be good and get out of the game. But he has literally a millennia of isolation, so he's probably a little more than crazy.

Jack: I was SO EXCITED for his character, and then we find out that he killed Evie's mom?!?!?!?! UM. Crap- now what do I think about him? I don't think he should be with Evie, especially because now we can't trust his motives, because by the way, he was Brand's half-brother. ***Flips table***

The other Arcana were in general I though really well written. I think one of my favorite characters is going to end up being Lark, but there hasn't really been enough for us to see her fully yet. Almost, but not entirely.

PLOT:
Like I said earlier, I really don't think there was any major plot line except maybe a continuation from book, being that they were trying to find Evie's grandmother. But I think that's fine because there was so much that we learned in this book. It ended up being a book about character development and world building so that (I think) we can plunge into a full plot knowing all of the details so that the future books don't have to slow down ever to explain things for us.

WORLD:
Back in my original review of Poison Princess
(R.I.P. review.... I'm not even going to link it here, it's not worth it) I had talked a little bit about Kresley Cole's writing, but I feel like I really need to highlight this world and paranormal element that she has created. In this book, there was such a great knowledge about the Major Arcana that was thrown at us. There are the Tarot cards, and sometimes there are also the Minor Arcana, and there are only certain ways that some of the cards can be killed, and so many other details and BACKGROUND (cough the marriage cough) that we didn't know before. My biggest question that is remaining is, how can they actually stop playing the game? Especially if there is a higher force that put them all there like pieces on a chessboard? What loophole are they going to find? What are the clear original rules? I feel like there's still so much to this world of Arcana and I can't wait to see how it progresses in the next book.

This second book has solidified my decision to read the rest of the series. It is a mix of paranormal (original paranormal too), dystopian, romance, and adventure. I really loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the third book Dead of Winter.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Endless Knight NO SPOILERS

 Endless Knight by Kresley Cole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so quickly becoming addicted to this series. My favorite interest in it though has shifted from the post-apocalyptic details to the paranormal Tarot card details. Endless Knight seamlessly blended with the first book Poison Princess and just kept building on it. There were a few bumpy character development moments, but even those were minor. The plot actually wasn't as definite in this book. I would even dare to say that it wasn't definite at all, that this book was all set up for some bigger picture. But that didn't bother me at all because there was so many other things happening with world building and character development. If you're reading this because you're wondering if you should continue, I would say go for it and that it is worth it.


[
CHARACTERS:
Evie: The most frustrating thing about this book was Evie character at times being incredibly weak. It wasn't as often as it was in the first book, but there were still some moments when I was not impressed by her actions. However, I get that's part of who she is though as a person- not aggressive, peace and flowers and all that jazz. Otherwise, I think her character is in the most impossible situation at the moment. She literally has almost no one. She had her grandma to go to, but then realized that her grandma would train her to kill. She had Matthew and Jack, but then they both lied to her. She even had Death, but he's being a mentally unstable creep, so he might be out of the picture too (juries still out on that one- we'll see what happens in book 3).
Death: I feel so bad for this guy!!! He has literally been spending his entire life alone, and the one person he could spend it with has been trying to kill him, and he majorly messed up this time around, and I just don't want him to be alone.... but at the same time he's kinda brutal, so it slightly negates the sympathy. I am really interested to see what happens with his character, because there has almost been a switch flipped inside of him where he now wants to be good and get out of the game. But he has literally a millennia of isolation, so he's probably a little more than crazy.
Jack: I was SO EXCITED for his character, and then we find out that he killed Evie's mom?!?!?!?! UM. Crap- now what do I think about him? I don't think he should be with Evie, especially because now we can't trust his motives, because by the way, he was Brand's half-brother. ***Flips table***
The other Arcana were in general I though really well written. I think one of my favorite characters is going to end up being Lark, but there hasn't really been enough for us to see her fully yet. Almost, but not entirely.
PLOT:
Like I said earlier, I really don't think there was any major plot line except maybe a continuation from book, being that they were trying to find Evie's grandmother. But I think that's fine because there was so much that we learned in this book. It ended up being a book about character development and world building so that (I think) we can plunge into a full plot knowing all of the details so that the future books don't have to slow down ever to explain things for us.
WORLD
Back in my original review of Poison Princess
(R.I.P. review....) I had talked a little bit about Kresley Cole's writing, but I feel like I really need to highlight this world and paranormal element that she has created. In this book, there was such a great knowledge about the Major Arcana that was thrown at us. There are the Tarot cards, and sometimes there are also the Minor Arcana, and there are only certain ways that some of the cards can be killed, and so many other details and BACKGROUND (cough the marriage cough) that we didn't know before. My biggest question that is remaining is, how can they actually stop playing the game? Especially if there is a higher force that put them all there like pieces on a chessboard? What loophole are they going to find? What are the clear original rules? I feel like there's still so much to this world of Arcana and I can't wait to see how it progresses in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

This second book has solidified my decision to read the rest of the series. It is a mix of paranormal (original paranormal too), dystopian, romance, and adventure. I really loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the third book Dead of Winter.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Review: Poison Princess

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

My rating: 4.89 of 5 stars

I'm going to cry- I already wrote this once, but the review didn't save, so I lost everything.

I really don't feel like writing it all out again either- so here's the brief:
**** Killer character development
**** Insane descriptions of the new world that they live in
**** Awesome pacing (for the most part)
**** Original paranormal--- I cannot emphasize this point enough because it's one of the most fantastic things about this book

I cannot wait to read the next book!!! There are so many things that I want to see happen and see if what I think will happen will happen and how the characters are going to move on from this point and AKDHPIWUEHG:IO!!!!!

This is definitely a book that I would recommend to people- especially if they like dystopian-ish books with post-apocalyptic things.

Thanks for reading!!
(If I ever feel up to it, I will rewrite the killer review I had done earlier but lost... for now it shall rest in peace)

View all my reviews

Top 10 Book Boyfriends of 2016

Top 10 Book Boyfriends of 2016

There are two ways for a character to have made my list:
1. The book was published in 2016
2. I read the book in 2016

10. Valek (Poison Study by Maria V Snyder)

9. Nicholas Carter (Passenger by Alexandra Bracken)

8. Todd Hudson (Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent)

7. Julian Blackthorn (Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare)

6. Elias Venturius (A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir)

5. Aiden St Delphi (Covenant series by Jennifer L Armentrout)

4. Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo)

3. Jamie Fraser (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon)

2. Rowan Whitethorn (Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas)

1. Rhysand (A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas)

Do I realize that my top two book boyfriends both come from Sarah J Maas books? Yes. Do I care? Not at all. This was a hard list to put together!! It was made only slightly easier by the 2016 constraint, but it was still very difficult. I would love to hear who your top book boyfriends are in the comments below! :)

Thanks for reading!