REVIEW: Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

“A fast-paced thrill ride of a book. . . it’s Batman meets Annie.” —Stuart Gibbs, New York Times best-selling author of the Spy School series

“An adventure-filled read with a twisty mystery and spunky friendships. I loved it!” –Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times best-selling author of The Descendants series

April didn't mean to start the fire. She wasn’t the one who broke the vase. April didn’t ask to go live in a big, creepy mansion with a bunch of orphans who just don't understand that April isn’t like them. After all, April’s mother is coming back for her someday very soon.

All April has to do is find the clues her mother left inside the massive mansion. But Winterborne House is hiding more than one secret, so April and her friends are going to have to work together to unravel the riddle of a missing heir, a creepy legend, and a mysterious key before the only home they’ve ever known is lost to them forever. 

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MY THOUGHTS

I love Ally Carter's books and I adore reading middle grade, so I was definitely excited for this book! I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected, but it was still a fun read.

April doesn't have parents. Years ago, when she was a baby, her mother left her only with a key and a claim that she would come back. April still holds onto that hope, and when a museum trip leads her to a chest that seems to match her key, she thinks she may find her answers. But, instead, she accidentally sets the museum on fire. And that somehow sends her to the Winterborne House and under their care. The house is great, and the other children are nice, but April can't help but wonder if her key, and her mother, are connected to the Winterbornes, but she ends up stumbling on an even bigger mystery.

I'll start off with some positives: I loved the mystery. That's what drew me to this story in the first place. The book has plenty of mysterious elements. There's April's past, the mysterious key, and the supposedly dead heir. The Winterbornes themselves are really a mystery! There is even an almost superhero/villain vibe to the book, which is even more evident further into the book. The mystery really reminded me a little of the earlier Gallagher Girls books, and it carries a little bit of that nostalgia. Still, the mystery is new and it's own story. Some things felt predictable to me, as an adult, but there are many things that I just don't know how they will be resolved.

I loved the characters and I thought that their interactions with each other in the house were fantastic, although it takes a while for the characters to team-up together. I did have issues with their characterizations. I felt like most of the characters weren't that well-developed. They were known for doing one thing and that was their one thing. Sadie, for example, is a smart inventor and that's really all she does in the book. When the child characters were all together, I would sometimes mix-up their dialogue. April, our MC, was really hard to read at times and I felt like I couldn't always connect with her. Usually, I feel like characters grow and change throughout a book and I guess we get that with April, but the book felt like an introduction to the cast without me really getting to know who they are besides surface-level interests.

I found the setting to be fantastic, creepy mansions are always fun in middlegrade, but it wasn't quite what I expected from the synopsis. I think I expected this to take place at a school/orphanage, but it wasn't really either. It could technically be an orphanage, but there are only five kids (and all five are on the cover). The cover really made me think it was a school because of the matching outfits. I kind of understand why it wasn't a school-esqe setting, since Ally Carter already has the Gapagher Girls series, but it took me by surprise. Although, having a small cast of characters was better for this book and made the mansion feel that much more vast.

As for pacing, there were plenty of moments where I couldn't wait to read what would happen next, but there were also moments where I felt like the plot was moving slowly. We have intense action scenes, along with scenes of characters just wandering around the mansion. As for the ending, the ending was very intriguing. I don't think I fully understand what happened and I won't until book two (I hope there is a book two), but I wasn't really expecting the connection between the two [highlight to view spoiler] The Sentinal and the Winterbornes. I honestly did not expect the Sentinal to be such a big part of the book.[end of spoiler]

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I have mixed feelings. I liked the mystery and despite my issues with the characterization, I do think there are some great characters in this book. It is a fun middlegrade book and I think middle schoolers will enjoy this book. I think this book felt like an introduction to a series rather than the actual first book. I didn't really get enough answers, even for a first book, and the characters weren't developed enough. Still, I hope to read more in this series.

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

Short and Simple Reviews: The Croak Trilogy by Gino Damico

This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.

Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)

Today I'm reviewing the Croak trilogy!

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape.

But Uncle Mort's true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He's a Grim Reaper. And he's going to teach Lex the family business.

She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't stop her desire for justice — or is it vengeance? — whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again.

Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?

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Review

I just finished reading this book for the second time because it's been seven years since the first read and I still hadn't continued the series. My feelings towards this book remain the same, it is still a 3-star book. I expected more humor in this book. Plenty of reviews mention that hilarity, and I wondered if I missed all the humor the first go-round. Damico is wonderful at writing humor, and her other books have made me laugh in the past, but I found this book low on humor. The ending is especially sad. Lex, our MC, is full of snark and sarcasm. Actually, most of the characters are full of wit and sarcasm, and I loved seeing them play off of each other. I also found the scenes in the afterlife amusing. Yet, because this is a book about death, I couldn't relax in the humor. I do like the idea of the reapers, and I think Damico took a unique spin on the concept. Overall, it was a good idea that I reread the book because I really didn't remember anything.

(Here's a short list of what I remembered before my reread: It dealt with reapers, the uncle rides a motorcycle, and Poe is in the afterlife) 

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn
souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home.

To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all—but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?

  

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Review

Like the last book in the series, I struggled to find hilarity. Yes, the characters are witty and sarcastic, and I loved their repertoire, but...there is so much stress. The characters are constantly in danger and there is so much hate being pushed towards them. This isn't a series I would recommend if you want a feel-good read. I did like how the world of the reapers is expanded upon. The characters go to a new location, and there are also new characters added to the group. I didn't agree with Lex's decision at times. She continues to be upset that criminals get away with their crimes and don't get punished in death. She sometimes agrees with the side they are fighting against. I understand where Lex is coming from, but Damning is such an extreme. Overall, this book does raise the stakes and take the series in an interesting direction. 

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.　

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

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Review

I've come to the end of the Croak series. Damico certainly throws a lot at her characters in this book. With each book, the characters are in more perilous situations and no one is safe. Like the last books, I struggled to find humor. Again, the characters provided humor in their dialogue, but it's so hard to find comic relief when the characters are put under so much risk. Also like the last book, I had difficulty with Lex's logic, but at least she comes to an understanding in this book that she shouldn't be the one to make those decisions. The ending is quite a twist and is a very risky ending. I don't know how I feel about it. [highlight to view spoiler] I'm not too upset by the ending mainly because I wasn't incredibly attached to the series. I didn't quite understand why Lex thought she should sacrifice herself. Maybe it was meant to show a change in her logic (that she shouldn't punish criminals), but what made her fit for that punishment? This was also the THIRD book I've read this month in which the MC died at the end. I need to read more uplifting books [end of spoiler] I did like that the end was left open-ending. My YA lit teacher would have called it an "optimistic ending" (his theory was even if a YA book had a sad ending, there was always a sense of optimism)
Overall, I liked this series. It got progressively darker with each book, but I did like how the plot expanded and twisted throughout the trilogy. It won't go down on my favorites list, but I don't regret finishing the series. 

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it

REVIEW: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has... 

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NOTE: This is the third book in a series. See review for book one here and book two here.

MY THOUGHTS
After reading Dark Triumph I wasn't really sure whether this book could come close to how much I was engrossed in that book. It turns out that this book was even more riveting than Dark Triumph! Out of the three books, this is probably my favorite!

In this book we follow Annith. She's been training her whole life to carry Mortain's will. She's an expert in almost every skill she's been taught. But, she has yet to be given a mission. She's stuck at the convent, watching her friends, even girls younger than her, go on missions. When she discovers that the Abbess wants Annith to become the next Seeress, Annith is furious. She has shown no sign of having Seer abilities and it is a waste of her skills. What's worse is that a Seeress never exits the convent and stays coped in a room, isolated. Annith does not want that life and suspects it is not the one Mortain wants for her, so she runs.

Part of the reason I wasn't sure about this book at first is that we are taken back to the convent. After all of the action in the last books, the convent seems calm and I really didn't know what interesting things would happen. Thankfully, I had no reason to worry because this was a very compelling read. Even the parts at the convent were interesting only because we really got to understand Annith and feel furious about her situation with her. What really struck me about this book is that out of all of the books in this series this one has the most supernatural elements. We do get some supernatural elements in the previous books, but Annith spends a lot of this book in the company of the Hellequins. The Hellequins are Mortain's army of the dead. They hunt at night for souls and after meeting their leader Balthazaar, Annith becomes a part of their group. It was really intriguing seeing more supernatural elements and how Annith interacted with them. We also get a much better understanding of the Mortain, the other gods, and their place on the physical world.

With each of these books it is really clear that each girl has their own strengths and their own distinct personalities. Annith certainly felt different and I feel like her story with the Hellequins reflected her personality and struggles. She has so much skill and she is confident that she is not meant to be a Seeress, yet she has this doubt that it is Mortain's wish and she is now defying her god. She desperately wants to be a devotee of Mortain, Mortain's daughter [highlight to view spoiler] although, I bet she's glad that she is not Mortain's daughter by the end of the book! [end of spoiler], but she also wants to have her own will. She is certainly a strong character and throughout the book she gains a better understanding of all of this. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but so much of the amazing things about this book are spoilers! Sigh. Let's just say that some pretty big secrets and twists happen in this book.

As for romance, well... it was really interesting. I have nothing bad to say about it, but I don't know what all to say without giving spoilers! It was certainly interesting and surprising!
IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this was a really strong conclusion to the series! I really like how everything came together in the end and it really felt like it added so much more to the supernatural secrets of this world! I know that there is a spin-off series that just came out and I'll read it...eventually. For now, I'm just glad that I finally finished this series.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

I lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.

The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

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NOTE: This is the second book in a series. See review for book one here.

MY THOUGHTS
I liked Grave Mercy but I felt like it was too focused on the politics rather than the characters and the intriguing premise. For that reason, I did not have the highest hopes for this book, but I'm glad that this book exceeded them. This was a fantastic follow-up!

This book starts off shortly before Grave Mercy ended. This time we follow Sybella and the mission that took her away from the convent for so long. Sybella is back in the home she desperately wanted to escape from, the reason she agreed to join the convent. Back she is told that she can kill the man who she hates the most, a man who has killed many innocents: her father. Except, she's been in her father's home for months, watching him carry out horrible demands, and he still doesn't carry the mark. Tired of the masquerade and waiting for the mark to show, Sybella just wants to carry out the kill, mark or no mark, but then she gets a new order. There's a prisoner in the castle who her empress needs to be freed. Sybella will simply free him and since she already defied her father's orders, she'll finally kill her father. It doesn't matter that it will be a suicide mission. But things don't go as planned.

This series doesn't hesitate in discussing dark subjects and this book definitely goes further. I'm not going to go too far in detail about what dark subjects are involved in this book, becuase some are spoilers, but Sybella comes from a very dark family. Her father is pure evil. He's extremely misogynistic and kills anyone who does not agree with him. And Sybella's brothers are not the best either. One of them has more than brotherly love for Sybella. This is the family Sybella grew up in and the one she tried to escape from. It is perfectly understandable why Sybella wants to kill her father (I keep saying father because I don't want to spoil who he is, but he is only father by blood. According to Sybella, Mortain is her true father).

While I liked Ismae in the last book, I found Sybella more compelling. Coming back to the darkness of her past is hard on Sybella. It has a negative effect on her, of course, because of how fearful she is in this dangerous situation. But, there is a point when she is outside of this situation and she doesn't know what to feel. Her goal for so long has been to kill her father, what does she do without her goal? This book just spent so much more time building on Sybella's character. She was the focus of the story, not just the politics in her environment. I loved that we got to see so much of her, understand her, and I loved that there was so much focus on her. There is so much darkness and fear in her life that she does not feel like she can love herself or others with the darkness of her past surrounding her.

This brings me to the romance. It is really hard for me to like romance in books. It is so easy for it to become cliche, for it to overpower the story, or for it to just be unnecessary to the story. The romance in this book was done fantastically well. It was drawn out and there was a connection between the characters that was more than just romance. The love interest is a familiar face from the last book and I loved that Grave Mercy was not the last we saw of him. He's overall a fantastic guy and he and Sybella are wonderful together.  

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I am glad that I decided to reread Grave Mercy and try to finish the series seven years after starting it. This is a great continuation to the premise of the first book, a great companion book, and I look forward to reading the next.

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: I really liked this book!

REVIEW: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

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?

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MY THOUGHTS
So, I first read this book in 2012 but I decided to reread this recently because I still hadn't picked up the next books in the series and wanted to refresh my memory (although I guess that wasn't necessary because it looks like they are companion books). Even though I reviewed it back in 2012, I scarcely call that cringe-worthy mess a "review", so here are my more up-to-date and coherent thoughts on this book.

When Ismae was in the womb, her mother ingested poison meant to kill Ismae. But Ismae survived and has since been known as the daughter of Death. When she needs to escape a violent arranged marriage, she is sent to the convent of St. Mortain. There she is trained to serve the God of Death and carry out his wishes. His wishes usually mean killing men that are betraying their country and carry the mark of Mortain. After a man, Duval, argues with the convent for ruining his plans and killing the betrayers he was planning on integrating, Ismae is sent to stay with him at court. Not only to catch betrayers, but the convent is suspicious of Duval. The longer she stays in court, the more confused Ismae gets because she is not sure who is the real betrayer.

I mostly listened to this on audiobook but I switched from physical format and audio multiple times. The audio was fine, but it was confusing at points because there is a very large cast of characters and I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who was who. When switching formats I would get further confused because the pronunciation of a name would not always match what I expected the name to be spelled. Nevertheless, I did like this book. It has a very interesting concept, assassin nuns with a historical backdrop, hints of magic, and political betrayals. This is a pretty hefty book and while there are major moments, I will admit that there were multiple occasions where I lost interest. A lot of the book was more politics and less murder, which yeah, I don't want murder, but when you are already confused by the cast of characters, adding politics in the mix does not pique your interest.

Probably one of the strongest things in this book was the female characters. The female characters in this book are incredibly strong. There is, of course, the obvious strength, the ability to kill, but just the way the female characters in this book have to go about their life requires strength. These girls are forced to grow up early. Ismae is forced into an arranged marriage in her young teens and then almost raped. The Duchess is only twelve but is having to deal with a possible marriage to a creep that has been previously married six times. She's trying to help her country, but no one cares for her interests but Duval and (because of her age and sex) everyone thinks that they know better than her. These girls have to have strength because they are given very little power and it made me sad and frustrated throughout this book, but I still loved the fact that they remained strong.

Ismae herself is an interesting character. It is a struggle at times with her because she has a very different perspective than most. She is devout to her saint/god but is not hesitant when it comes to killing. She begins with thinking in black and white and in thinking of only her role, but she changes throughout the book. It is a slow change and it takes her a while to process it, but I do like how she ended up changing. I'm being vague, but I'm trying not to spoil things.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did like this book. I don't think I liked this as much as the first go-round. The first time I read it I was blinded by the premise of "assassin nuns" and all of the glowing reviews, so I ignored any of the confusing bits. This is still a pretty great read and it makes for an intriguing book. I plan on reading the next two books pretty soon!

I hereby give this book

3.5 Stars

Meaning: I liked it, but it wasn't quite amazing.

REVIEW: Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force. 

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MY THOUGHTS
This was an okay read. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

This book focuses on Britta. Her father was recently murdered and since her mother was Shaerdan, Britta is considered illegitimate and has no claims to her father's property. Starving, Britta hunts on the king's land, but is caught and is set to hang. But she can be free to live and gain rights to her father's property if she tracks down her father's killer. The problem: They tell her that Cohen, the boy she once loved, killed her father. Did he really kill her father? And could she really trade his trade for hers?

This book is set up to be a pretty awesome fantasy, but it just didn't meet the mark. I admit, the ideas were all there and I do think that Summerhill did a pretty great job on worldbuilding, but it just wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be. It's a fine fantasy, but it didn't feel like anything new. Also, it was just so predictable.

My main problem was with the characters. Everyone seems to think Britta is a badass, but she just felt like the average YA heroine. Sure, she could hunt and whatnot, but she wasn't amazing. Cohen was also just like every YA love interest. Frankly, I really didn't care about him. I cared a little for Britta because she had a hard life, but Cohen just served as the love interest for most of the book.

Which brings me to the romance. I did not like the romance at all. I didn't hate it, but it was just pointless. Britta spends the entire book thinking about Cardboard Cohen! Shouldn't you stop questioning your feelings and focus on more important things, Britta? Cohen, of course, is your typical love interest. Pushes Britta away to "protect her". Enough of that crap! Anyway, I was sick of the conflicting feelings between them because we all knew, right when we found out that Cohen used to be friends with Britta, that they would end up together. Frankly, I think I would've have enjoyed this book more without the romance.

While the ending was slightly predictable, the very very VERY end was quite interesting. It makes me very curious about the next book. Though, I am worried that there will be a love triangle.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I liked this book but I was expected more. I wanted a unique fantasy, not a typical YA romance.

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it.

REVIEW: Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.      Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens. 

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MY THOUGHTS
I love books with time travel, so once I found out about this book, I couldn't wait to read it! I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book, besides the time travel, so I was able to be surprised by the plot. I ended up enjoying this book!

Hope's mother is presumed dead after a devastating earthquake. Hope doesn't know what to do without her mom, and her father sends her away to stay with her mother's sister, an aunt she's never really known. It's there that Hope finds out that her mother belongs to a society of time travelers and that her mother never died in that earthquake. Her mother is still alive, but she's trapped in the 12th century. Hope must travel into the past and rescue her mother, but it's not as easy as it sounds and she may found out a few more family secrets along the way.

I thought that the way that the time travel was covered was very interesting. I liked the idea of the society of time travelers, and how there were two different societies. The plot was interesting and the historical elements felt well-researched. Some factors of the plot that were supposed to be surprises I kind of figured out early on, but I still liked where the author was going with these plot points and am very curious to see what will happen in the next book.

The set of characters were great. I liked Hope as a MC and I liked all of the supporting characters in the book. Many of the characters just met Hope and I liked how quickly they grew to care for her, and her for them.

As for romance, I was meh about it.There's a mysterious boy that Hope meets and I figured out pretty early on what was going on there. I can't say that I dislike him, but I really can't ship it. I'm not feeling it.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I really did enjoy reading this book! Despite the predictability and the romance, I loved the time travel and the plot! The historical elements were great and the characters were fantastic! The pacing of this book was a bit slow at first, but I still felt like a lot happened, and a lot was discovered, and I am very curious to see what will happen next!

I hereby give this book

4 Stars!

Meaning: It was amazing!

BLOG TOUR: Marked by Laura Williams McCaffrey (Review & Giveaway)

Marked by Laura Williams McCaffrey

Publisher: Clarion Books

Release Date: February 16th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Rate: 3 Stars

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Lyla lives in a bleak, controlling society where only the brightest and most favored students succeed. When she is caught buying cheats in an underground shadow market, she is tattooed—marked—as a criminal. Then she is offered redemption and she jumps at the chance . . . but it comes at a cost. Doing what is right means betraying the boy she has come to love, and, perhaps, losing even more than she thought possible. Graphic novel–style vignettes revealing the history of this world provide Lyla with guidance and clues to a possible way out of the double bind she finds herself in.

MY THOUGHTS

At first glance, this book seems like your usual run-of-the-mill dystopian. Though this book takes place in a dystopian society, it is very different from most dystopians I've read and is presented in a unique way.

Lyla is in school, trying to be successful enough to get into a university. In her society, those who do not get into the university, work in the mines, like her parents. When she makes one mistake, she's Marked as a criminal. Now, she will never make it into university and no one will hire her or be close to her, least they be associated with a criminal. When she's offered a chance to erase her mark, she jumps on it. In order for her mark to be erased, she has to spy on the Red Fist, a dangerous rebel organization. Not only is this extremely dangerous, but she also has to spy on her childhood friend.

It was hard for me to get into this book at first. Unknown words were thrown at me and I was thrust into a world without fully understanding it. Thankfully, it didn't take me very long to understand things and I began to enjoy the book. I'll admit that lately I've been getting tired of dystopians, but this book is a bit different. It doesn't have an entirely unusual concept, the world is similar to other dystopian books, but the government and rebel concept is very different. In most dystopians, the badass girl joins the rebellion and kicks the corrupt government in the butt. In this book, though, the rebellion, really is horrible. They really are full of criminals who would kill without a thought, to make a point or a profit. Other dystopians show rebellions are "the right way", but this book shows the both the rebels and the government negatively and I thought it was interesting.

I was not aware of this until I started the book,, but this book actually includes illustrations and comics. I thought it was a very interesting idea, but I had a love/meh relationship with them. Sometimes I enjoyed the illustrations, but other times they didn't seem to really correlate with the story. The art was not final in the copy I was reading, so I do wonder if the pictures will be different in the finished copy. Still, I thought it was an interesting inclusion.

As for romance, there was some, but it was very slow, but there. I wasn't shipping things, but I was thankful for the fact that the romance didn't take the wheel and the plot was the focus of the book.

I wasn't a big fan of the ending. The pacing was a bit slow and I felt like it was leading to something, but instead it lead to a quick ending that just felt too short. I didn't feel entirely satisfied. Though, there was a little comic at the end and I thought it was a nice way to close the book.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I liked this book. Despite some of my early troubles, the pacing, and the end, I thought that this was a nice standalone dystopian. It was a bit unusual than most dystopians out there!

I hereby give this book

3 Stars

Meaning: I liked it.

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I read, I write, I teach. I've published short stories in Cicada, YA Review Network, Solstice Literary Magazine, and Soundings Review. Clarion Books will release Marked, my YA dystopian fantasy, in February 2016. My other fantasy novels are WATER SHAPER and ALIA WAKING (both published by Clarion Books). For more information, it's best to visit my website: http://www.laurawilliamsmccaffrey.com

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