Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Author: Robin LaFevers
Title: Grave Mercy
#1 His Fair Assassin
549 pages
Published 04/03/2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Plot

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Review

It's a vibrating tale of a killer novice's adventures during the fifteen century whose abbey raise nuns as her to take care of Britanny's duchy. I found this story gripping and well-written.

The story begins with seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

The principal character grip us with her sad story and, how studying she gets years later, be settled in the abbey. Early, she receives an assignement and she demonstrates to be a perfect pupil who follows the abess's orders without asking questions. But her nature will split while her assignements increase. The reason will be a man called Duval who will stand in her way, turning the easy things, difficult to her.

I have enjoyed the different characters developped in the book because each and everyone of them do their duty perfectly.

My favourite characters have been Madame Hivern and her son, François, who at the beginning of the story showed some signals of troublemakers (the argument between the family due to the crown, something typical in many books) but, in the end, they give pleasant surprises to the reader.

The story focuses on the future reign of Anne, Duval's sister, in the duchy of Britanny and how the suitors to marry her fight for her and, specially, for the power. Only the interests of the population will be what dominate in the story and they will make us realize the maturity that the future twelve-year-old duchess shows.

One aspect I found a little disappointing was the relationship between Ismae and Duval that finally we can witness, but it is there, in the air.

I would recommend this book because you can find love stories, war, family and political squabbles and theater not being anything what it appears.

Chiara's Review: GODDESS INTERRUPTED

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter
Book 2 of the Goddess Test series

About Goddess Interrupted:

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

Source: Info in the About Goddess Interrupted was taken from http://oscuroyseductorromance.blogspot.com/2012/02/goddess-interrupted-de-aimee-carter.html.

Review:

The story starts with action showing us the sentence that the villainous Calliope is serving. Easily, she run away and make a plan to destroy our gods. Meanwhile, Kate comes back from her holiday in Greece during 6 months, missing Henry. She finds him out very changed. As if the old Henry she met had ever existed. Is she only important to him to reign the Underworld? Has he always been the cold and lonely person who she met?
But after they can solve their love problems, the gods have to face the rage of Calliope, who has invoked a dangerous and powerful ally, so much that he can kill the gods who had been inmortals until now.

The book is a real page-turner and gripping. Even we will see how the strongers gods go down and Kate is the only one who cares. To ubicate her family, Kate must contact with the person whom she hate for breaking her husband's heart. Persephone, her sister. She has been the centre of every thought in the mind of Henry during ages. There is one problem: Persephone left the inmortal life a long time ago and maybe she doesn't want to know anything about them.

Despite of Kate's suffering, she'll find out the feelings of the mysterious and silent Henry who had never cleared them before. With an elaborated and interesting plot, the author lead the way to an eagerly awaited third book, The Goddess Inheritance.

Among action's moments, there are also times for humor which reduces the nervous tension in the story, such as like this:

"You two--?" I said in a strangle voice.
James focused on the fire, and Ava shrugged. "I am the goddess of ---"
"Love and sex. Yeah, I got that". I frowned. "Is there anyone you haven't slept with?"
"Daddy and Henry", she said, and I supposed that was better than no one.

There are a possible love triangle among Kate, Henry and James, whom we'll discover some secrets which will help to Kate to decide between both. The variety of described feelings make us to see that even the gods are prone to them like the rest of mortals.

A wonderful trilogy from which we could enjoy the third and last part next October.

Review: Saving June

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Ebook from Netgalley
330 pages
Next Publication: 22 Noviembre 2011 by Harlequin Teen

About Saving June

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

Review

It's about the road-trip of Harper, her best friend and an unknown guy who has a bit connection with June, the dead sister, and whose ashes are going to be moved and scattered in San Francisco, since she wished to visit California.

They will go through the country from one part to another and they will visit some cities like Chicago and St Louis (Illinois state), Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona y San Francisco (final destination) in their trip.

The book was awesome and a breath of fresh air after so many fiction books. I put constantly myself in Harper's shoes. It's sad when your sister has dead and you feel you didn't things right and it's too late. Many people (I include myself) do things without thinking and later, they regret what they did. Sometimes, these things can be fixed but another cannot. You can't know when it'll be the last day of a loved one so that you should enjoy every minute. This happened to Harper and she regrets having spoken badly. That's why she decides her dream going to California becomes true.

The trip of three both is full of feelings, personal discoveries and challenges which will go these kids grow up and face their fears.

There have been certain moments in the book I felt myself moved to another place or simply favourite moments that I'd like to share with you.

The description of the snack bar where once Jake, Harper and Laney have the breakfast remembers me the typical cafeteria appeared, for example, in A Cinderella Story. Also we will see as Harper get out of her shell and shares funny moments such as dancing in a jazz room or inside a protest campaign with friends's Jake.

Another of these times is during the concert of the favourite punk band's Jack and the singer treats to kiss Harper. Jack find them in a embarrassing situation while she wants to give him any explication. Jack, obviously, doesn't want to know anything.

For me, the story reachs the climax when Harper remember when she found her dead sister's body and firstly she thought she was slept.

I liked the end. Though it can appear foreseeable, it worths reading the book. The important of the book is not only the end but also the content, every little moment that Harper feels until she scatters the ashes of her sister.

There are some lists of songs in the final pages of the book which makes reference to different parts of the trip and so you can remember and relive sad, happy or surprising moments. If you watched Elizabethtown, you will understand what I mean.

Highly advisable.

Review: Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon

Title: Cinder and Ella
Writer: Melissa Lemon
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published on 8 November 2011 by Bonneville Books
ISBN139781599559063
Language: English
http://cinderandellabook.com/

Story Line
After their father’s disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn’t long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself—the most dangerous place in all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you'll never forget.

Review
Melissa Lemon, the writer of this book, tell us Cinderella's story is not true. In fact, the prince was not charming and Cinderella was not Cinderella, such as a girl, but two girls, two sisters: Cinder (so called by her hair's colour) and Ella.

The first girl is pure goodness and she starts to work in the kingdom castle soon. With her absence of home, Ella will have to take care of her mother, Adele Willow de Top, and her sisters, Beatrice and Katrina, spoiled children. The father disappeared a long time ago but Ella keeps hope of seeing back.

Ella still remembers the legend that her father told her when she was younger. Each person has a connection with a tree, if the tree lives, the person lives. This is the main reason so that she believes her father is alive.

Cinder is trusted on her job in the castle and she can take a day off each week. When she come back one day, she finds out her sister Ella is not.

Ella is the opposite to Cinder. She want to live her life and not be in the shadow of no one. It doesn't mean she's not worker. She will meet a nice family and work as a babysitter.Since here, the prince starts to be mean. He treats to Cinder a minute like a princess and the next, he ignores her. At the moment, I have got to hate the prince.Ella, as her sister, will fall in love. The lucky guy is Tanner, a knight who looks for and protect her. The only presence of the girl makes him to be very clumsy, important sign that he also is fallen.
The main character of the story, at least for me, Ella will discover the true intentions of the prince and she must fight with him to rescue her father, her sister and Tanner, her lover, of a fate worst than the dungeons of the castle.

The end is foreseeable but nice. I liked because it tell us about the familiar relationships and how complicated can they be: a mother who is every day spinning, a sister feeling ignored and another one who want to be the centre of all. It demonstrates that not all the tales are fairy tales.

It's almost in the end of the book when I'm explained the attitude of the King. And it's when I read, I can understand, something I hadn't done before.

In general, the book is good because in any moment you can guest which is the next step of every character and this makes you to be more interested in the story that you're reading.

Review: Those That Wake by Jess Karp

Title: Those that wake

Author: Jess Karp
Harcourt Children's Books

Plot
New York City’s spirit has been crushed. People walk the streets with their heads down, withdrawing from one another and into the cold comfort of technology. Teenagers Mal and Laura have grown up in this reality. They’ve never met. Seemingly, they never will.

But on the same day Mal learns his brother has disappeared, Laura discovers her parents have forgotten her. Both begin a search for their families that leads them to the same truth: someone or something has wiped the teens from the memories of every person they have ever known. Thrown together, Mal and Laura must find common ground as they attempt to reclaim their pasts.

Review
Firstly, generally, descriptions are boring for me but in this occasion it made me reading more, following to discover what is happening with the characters, what is the thing has caused the situation, etc.

The story reminded me to The Shining of Stephen King or TV serials such as The X-Files, where the impossible becomes real. As the story moves forward, it has an appearance of movie more and more.

Mal, with a hard life, with the break-up of his parents and the separation between his brother and him, join fights to earn. Laura, is the opposite of him, keeps living with her parents and needs constantly the support and love of them to move on.

Mike is an English teacher, without social life and bitter, but he accepts his job because he knows someone has to do it. Remak, finally, works in an enterprise dedicated to collect data and make future foresights.

All of them live in different neighbourhoods of NY and they have different lifes but something else than the chance has made they are together. They don't have the same stylelife than the rest of people. They aren't controlled by the technology, from what this one will try dominate them or murder them, as a last choice.

Suddenly, they are kidnapped and sended in the middle of a mountain. They don't meet each other nor the place. This one will be the first step to meet each other, discover who lies and, the most important thing: get back their lifes.

It's a novel nothing foreseeable and makes you asking yourself until the last page if the characters have got win the bad guy or not. The characters are very well definited and we can know parts of their past, such as the secret fight of father's Mal against the cancer. It also makes us think about not all is lost as it seems. There is always an open possibility. Included the most absolute failure in the life can achieve a miracle.

I give it a 5 out of 5 because it loves me. I recommend all type of readers because it has nor scenes of sex neither violence.

Review: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Título: The Iron Witch
Author: Karen Mahoney
1º book of the trilogy
2º book: The Wood Queen (2012)
3º book: The Stone Demon (2013)

Plot
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

Review
I have to confess that I'm a lover of the covers. Guilty! Plus, I read the plot of this book and I loved too. I don't read usually many books about magic but this book has convinced me. Sadly, I have to wait the next book of the trilogy until the next year.

The main character, Donna Underwood, is member and daughter of members of the Order of the Dragon, one of the four orders which control the alchemy since time immemorial. Her father, Patrick, gave his life for her when she was kidnapped and dragged to Elfland when she was a child. Her mother lost her mind and she is admited in an institution. Now it's her aunt Paige and the Order who take care of her. Alma Kensington is the responsible of her education in Quentin Frost home, the leader of the Order. She must to learn the subjects of secondary school as well as the magical subjects for her future development inside of the Order.

The thing which makes her special is have survived to Skriker, a monster of the Queen of the Wood and her elfs (it sounds me like HP). However, the monster hurt her arms. The alchemists achieved a great work doing operations which included silver and iron setting up an incredible tattoos since her elbows to her doigts. The tattoos give her a superior strength to the normal one.

Her secret has been kept close to every person beyond the Order. Even her best friend Navin Sharma and the family of this boy, they don't know anything about her double life. It will be when she meet the handsome Alexander Grayson in his birthday party, she will share her secret with him and Navin. Step by step, it will emerge chemistry between them, Donna and Xan, but a serie of events will put their relationship in a second level. Elfland has rebelted against the alchemists and it seems that they're going to cause many problems. Only she, with the help of Xan, could order all the chaos that these little beings have done.

I give it 4 out of 5 because, though I loved all the plot, I've seen there were few obstacles in the path and they were solved very fast. I'm used not to have a close end in the first book of a trilogy and wait to the next book.

I recommend totally this book because is a convincing story and its characters demonstrate us its weakness and its strengths, making up us in the story as one more.

Review: MAGIC TO THE BONE

MAGIC TO THE BONE by Devon Monk
Allie Beckstrom Series:
1º. Magic to the Bone
2º. Magic in the Blood
3º. Magic in the Shadows
4º. Magic on the Storm
5º. Magic at the Gate
6º. Magic on the Hunt

Roc Publishing

PLOT

Set in a magical analog of Portland, Ore., Allie Beckstrom is a Hound, able to trace a spell back to its caster. When a young boy is injured by a spell, Allie tracks it back to her estranged father, Daniel, a ruthless businessman who protests his innocence. Then someone magically disguised as Allie kills Daniel. Allie and sexy corporate operative Zayvion race against time to find the answers. Magic is common in this alternate universe, but using it always incurs a physical or mental cost, rendering it a commodity to be bought and sold, used and abused.

Other review(s) of this book: Review by Cherry

REVIEW
To start, the book has an awesome cover and it attracts since the first moment. Besides, the fantastic alternate world created by Devon Monk in Portland and where magic flows is controlled by Beckstrom Enterprises, whose owner is Allie’s father, who Allie doesn’t see seven years ago.

Allie can control the magic, make spells and that makes her a Hound, follow the trace of the bad spell makers. Also she has a little secret: she’s able to save magic inside of her unlike another people who get it around the city or magic storms. Fewer people have tried saving magic in little or huge quantities inside themselves without success, causing be almost dead.

The life of Allie is too much current: she lives in a flat with a stink smell and she hardly achieves pay the rent. All this is because of she doesn’t charge anything for her job to poor people as her and she does receives the physical consequences of her magic acts, unlike the rest of people, who deviate them to innocent people. She suffers horrible headaches and her body is full of bruises and burns.

It’s in her twenty-fifth birthday when a apparently dead young boy and a cat come into her life and it starts a story with a stream of violence, action, attraction, fear and magic. Everything will complicate until the point her life is in danger. She’ll count on help along the path but her bad experiences will make her doubt almost all of them. ¿Will she does the things right trusting in them?

The Plot is good. Good people like her helping to the others with magic and bad people taking advantage of the rest of people. Descriptions of places and how the magic has influenced on them are things that introduce you in the story quickly. A same old friend and an “I-am-different-mood” boy will make the character go on. The friend helps her with transcendental topics about her life and what to do with it, and the boy saves her constantly, something unusual in Allie’s life, and steals her heart. Also there is a young boy able of do incredible things with the magic and makes Allie find out what she didn’t know she will be able of.

The book is full of slow and rapid moments, appropriate and well-distributed to any story, without neither suffers ups and downs nor destroys the narrative thread. Just when we get to the end, we look forward to have near the next book for not losing any detail.

It seems to me a fantastic story. What I find remarkable is the strength that irradiates Allie, even in the worst moments, when she can’t stand or move and whoever will give up, she try to get up and fights.