Review: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

The main character in "The Iron Trial" is Callum "Call" Hunt. He has the potential to become a mage, but his father has always warned him that magic is dangerous. Despite Call's best efforts, though, he is forced to go to the Magisterium, to be taught how to use is magic. 

This book is very reminiscent of "Harry Potter" in some ways. We have a magic school in a secret location. We have a young boy, who has magical powers. His encounter with the greatest evil of his age when he was a newborn left a permanent physical mark on him. He doesn’t have any friends in his town, but when he goes to the magic school, he befriends several people, in particular a boy and a girl. The dark wizard they’re all afraid of has an ominous nickname: he’s called the Enemy of Death. He wants to become immortal.  

The similarities between "The Iron Trial" and "Harry Potter" are particularly obvious in the first few chapters, so in the beginning I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes and going “oh, I haven’t heard that one before”.

 Thankfully, as time went on, it became less and less similar to the "Harry Potter" series, and I started enjoying it more and more.

“The Iron Trial” is rather short, and not much happens in terms of plot, as most of the book focuses on the world- and character-building. However, the book did make me want to keep reading. 

The main character, Call, is a pretty standard middle grade fantasy lead for most of the book: he’s a troublemaker, he’s caustic, he has the bad habit of acting first and thinking second, he’s loyal to his friends, he’s stubborn and proud. The only really good bit of character development he gets is right at the end. It made me appreciate his character a great deal more.

I really liked Tamara. She’s ready to do pretty much anything in order to reach her goals, and has been pressured from her family to be an overachiever. She has a temper. She wants do to the right thing. 

Of the three main characters, Aaron is the least compelling one. He doesn’t have any characters fault, and he never rises above his own stereotype. He’s a golden boy the first time we see him and he remains that way for the whole book.

The bully character, Jasper, had the possibility of being very interesting, despite the fact that he came off as really clichéd in the beginning. He was brave and his reasons were sympathetic, and I do hope to see more of him in the next books. 

The rest of the characters aren’t very complex or memorable, but none of them are outright unlikable, either.

There wasn’t anything really new and original about the world-building. There’s no sense of wonder,  nothing that surprised me, which is what I look for when I read fantasy. However, it all held together quite nicely and the reader was eased into the world of Magisterium with a lot of skill, so that there were no boring info-dumps. 

I loved the twist at the end of the novel. It was foreshadowed a great deal, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise, but the implications are very interesting. It’s enough to make me want to give the next book in this series a chance.

All in all, this book kept me entertained. I recommend it if you’re in the mood for some light reading and you don’t have a lot of time to read. “The Iron Trial” is an okay book, but nothing more than that. I would have given it two and a half stars, but the twist at the end was a saving grace, and it earned the book an extra half star.  

 Rating: 

★★★

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

In the last installment of Cassandra Clare's bestselling series "The Mortal Instruments", Clary and her friends have to save the world (of course!). They still find the time to agonize over their love lives. go shopping for christmas presents... Even when they find themselves quite literally in hell, they still worry about their relationships, one of them even gets drunk. In real life, these guys wouldn't have lasted a day in that war.

The writing is not terrible, but it isn't exactly good, either. At one point, Clare compared stalactites to "electrified icicles". Ugh.

There's no shortage of corny moments, either. I don't want to spoil too much, but at one point a vampire dies because they were tricked into drinking holy water, and their skin peels back until only the bones are left and then those crumble to ash. That's freaking ridiculous, how on earth am I supposed to take that seriously?

Most of the kissing scenes were boring and read like something out of a fan-fiction.
There's a sex scene, about half-way through the book and I don't like it's handled. I can see why Clare tried to keep it vague, since it still is a YA novel, and you can't put a too explicit sex scene in there. This one's vague enough that it was hard to understand what was going on. I would have preferred it if Clare had made the scene fade to black, like she did in "Clockwork Princess". Also, who the hell packs up for Hell and brings condoms along?

Yet, in the words of immortal poets Icona Pop, "I don't care. I love it!"

For all the cheesy and trashy moments, for all the inconsistencies, for all the dumb things the main characters do, I still enjoyed this novel very much. It's a lot of fun, and it kept me hooked (any book that can keep me up until two o'clock twice in a row deserves an honorable mention).

The humor is great, as always, and I even caught myself laughing out loud several times.

I also don't mind all the relationship drama, despite the fact that it is unrealistic. The only couple I cared about in book five were Magnus and Alec, but this time around I found myself rooting for all of them - Jace and Clary, Izzy and Simon, Jocelyn and Luke…

I especially enjoyed the platonic relationships, which were well-developed in this novel. I was glad for the fact that Alec and Jace's friendship and their parabatai bond was expanded upon, since in the previous books almost no details were given about it.

Even tough they sometimes did some pretty dumb things, the characters were very likable. Even Alec, whom I have never liked all that much, became much more fun and interesting in this book, as he finally stood up for himself, instead of spending all his time scowling and wallowing in his insecurities. I am now glad that he and Magnus broke up in the last book, having to go through the pain of heart-break made Alec into a much stronger and interesting character. 

Clary, who in the previous books only had a couple of badass moments and had to be saved more often than not, had some time to train and became an actually skilled warrior. I had fun reading about her, something that didn't happen when I read the previous two books. She's not only powerful, strong and determined. Most of all. she's clever and scheming. I like that in a main character.  

Despite the fact that I know that this book has flaws, I enjoyed it very much, and I still recommend it, if you're in the mood for something fun and adventurous and you like YA and Urban Fantasy. 

  

 Rating: 

★★★★★

Review: The Opposite of Magic by Colleen Cowley

*I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in exchange of an unbiased review*

Emily Dagget has grown up reading fantasy novels, and since she can't live in one, she has decided to do the next best thing and pursue a degree in the history of magic in literature and folklore. After finishing her studies, Emily found a job in a small university and settled down as best as she could. 

Cue her finding out that not only magic exists, but that there is a real life wizard in her university. Too bad he's bad-tempered and not at all interested in teaching her how to use it. 

Emily is special, though (of course!). She has a power no one else has. This usually pisses me off, but it didn't bother me at all it this book, because her power has as many (potentially life-threateing) drawbacks as it has advantages.  

In general, Emily is a very likable character: she's enthusiastic, she's kind and she won't let her guy walk all over her. She's brave, but she isn't reckless. She risks her life because it might save other people, she's not in it for the thrill, and neither does she get involved by accident, which are the two most common cases in this kind of books.

I also really liked the fact that she likes to read fantasy books and is delighted upon finding out that magic exists, which is a reaction I haven't seen often. Usually urban fantasy heroines are really angsty and moody. Still, she isn't obnoxious or immature: even though she has always dreamed of living an adventure, she isn't happy when she really gets to battle an evil wizard, because people are getting hurt or killed.

Emily's love interest, the side characters and the villains are all very interesting, well-develloped and enjoyable characters, too. 

The world-building is another thing I really liked about "The Opposite of Magic". The way magic is handled is very clever and it's also not something I have seen before. I'm not going to give away what it is, but it's something that gives a lot of possibilities, and Cowley exploited them throughly. 

The romance I think is one of the weakest aspects of the novel. Don't get me wrong, they do have chemistry, but the author uses a trope I can't stand. You know how everybody despises love triangles, but I don't find them all that bad? Well this trope is my version of a love triangle. It's the "I'm breaking her heart and making her despise me because I love her and I'm dangerous to be around" trope. She's  not a child and it's her call to decide wether or not she thinks he's worth the risk. 

Also, he lies and manipulates Emily throughout the whole novel. She calls him out on it, sure, but it still pisses me off. 

Another thing that I didn't like about the novel was the fact that the story kept going and a lot of important stuff happened after the defeat of the villain, which puzzled me, because I kept expecting the book to end, but it never did. It would have been better to have those things happen before the final battle. 

All in all, I'm very glad I read it, and I definitely recommend it if you want to read a magical realism book that doesn't fall into the same old, clichéd tropes (at least for the most part). 

Rating: 

★★★★

Review: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

I have a lot to say about this book. I think it's the one I like best in this series, the one I had more fun reading, the one that has some of the best moments. Interestingly, it's also the one who has the most things I don't like.

It's because in "House of Hades", Riordan took more risks than he did in the last few books, which were, admittedly, kind of bland. And risks sometimes pay off and sometimes they don't, but at the end of the day, risks need to be taken for something to be memorable. 

First things first: the humor. In this book, it touched some of its highest and lowest points. What I hated the most was Gale the farting polecat. 
I mean... really? That was a new low. 

The part with Nyx was brilliant. I actually laughed out loud, which I don't do much while reading, I usually just sort of grin if the scene is funny enough. And it's incredible it's in the same book as Gale. 

On the character development angle, this book was great. I especially liked what Riordan did with Nico. I'm not going to spoil what it is, but I thought that was great, and I'm really glad it was included, both because I think it's an important theme and because it was very well-done. 
I also liked Jason's character. He wasn't that interesting in the last few books, but in this one, both his conflict and his actions worked to make him more likable and relatable.

Annabeth and Percy's romance was very sweet but not cheesy or over-the-top, which it could easily have been, given the predicament they were in. 
Another love story I liked was Leo's. He and his love interest work very well as a couple and though they met and fell for each other quite fast, it didn't feel forced or overly dramatic. I hope to see more of them in the last book. 

The part set in Tartarus was really interesting, both because the stakes are higher than usual for the main characters, because they don't know what will happen to them if they die in the Pit, and because it rises a series of interesting questions about destiny, wether or not monsters are able to choose their role - and if the demigods were really justified in killing them. 

That, as well as other situations in the book, proves to be morally challenging for the heroes. I liked that side a lot - you don't see that very often, especially in middle grade level books. 

"House of Hades" was great, and I can hardly wait for the sequel to come out. 

Rating:

★★★★

Review: The Twilight Swimmer by A.C. Kavich

*I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*

I really enjoyed this book. I have read so many paranormal romances, I didn't think one would be able to surprise me that much, but this one definitely did. 
I love how Kavich worked around the typical paranormal romance tropes, for example when the Swimmer watches Brandy at night and she finds out. She reacts like pretty much any human being would in that situation: she freaks out and she yells at him, even though he didn't know that something like that was socially unacceptable. 
Also, I loved the way their love story unfolds: it felt quite natural and there were some really sweet moments that didn't get too cheesy. 
I also enjoyed the way the love square was handled and resolved. I usually hate love squares - I mean, I can take love triangles, but love squares is just pushing it. This one didn't bother me because it wasn't presented as though three guys suddenly felt some great and tragic love for the same girl. The human boys just seemed to have the hots for her and were trying to get a date, which is a lot more realistic. The way it was resolved was also great, but I won't give anything more away on that front.  
There were some things I didn't like that much, though. First off, I would have liked the see a bit more of exploration on the mystery angle, so as to create a bit more tension on that side.
Then, I don't really like the way Brandy's mother was handled: she felt really one-dimensional, I would be interested in seeing some development on her and her relationship with her children.
Thirdly, Brandy's anorexia wasn't handled that well - or at all. Anorexia is an important issue and it's also important to handle it well. It's not resolved (or at least, it didn't feel like it was), it's never explored and Brandy does not suffer any consequences from it. If she really ate so little she should be physically very weak and unable to do the sort of stuff she keeps doing throughout the book.
That being said, the good aspects outweighed the bad and I definitely recommend it, especially if you're tired paranormal romance novels that are all basically the same. 

Rating:

★★★ 1/2

Source for the cover image: Goodreads

Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

The main problem I have with this book is that it drags and drags and drags for the first half, before there's any semblance of plot.

Clara goes to school, pines for Christian, mopes, finds out some more about angels. Rinse and repeat.

It's a shame, because the concept is really interesting and original. Though paranormal romances with angels are popular lately, I've never seen anything quite like this.  
I enjoy the fact that there are various ranks of angel-bloods and I like the idea of different shades of gray, that angels aren't either completely good or bad.
The fact that Clara isn't a damsel in distress and that she actually has powers is great and (sadly) original, more novels should do that kind of thing.
Tucker is a likable character and a cute love interest. He's nice to her and he's quite charming. That's another thing that should happen in more YA.   

I hate that I haven't liked this novel all that much. There's so much potential in there, but the execution is poor. Since there was little to no action in a good chunk of he book I wasn't motivated to keep reading. I had to force myself not to put this book down and I ended up only reading it every couple of days, which is why it took me so long to read it in the first place. 
A lot of pages were spent setting up the events for the climax, which is tricky to pull off. The first few Harry Potter novels did the same thing, but there it was actually handled well. Here, it just makes for a boring novel. 
I rated this book two and a half stars on five for its potential. It's a shame that it was so slow, I probably would have loved it otherwise. 

Rating:

★★ 1/2

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

When I first read Fallen, when I was young and naive, I enjoyed it. I realized that it was bad, but I found the story to be pretty engrossing and as long as I didn't think about it, I liked it. 
The other day I was tidying up my room and what do I find? My old, battered and vaguely sand-smelling copy of Fallen. 
So I thought: "Let's take a trip down memory lane! It'll be fun!"
Yeah, right. 
This book isn't just bad. It's terrible, horrible, a catastrophe, a waste of paper. 
Why did I hate it so much, you say?
The writing would be alright, if the author didn't have issuses with descriptions. Sometimes she comes up with pearls like:

The walls here were the color of a dusty blackboard

Please, Kate, I'm begging you. Just say they're black. Or grey. I'm not even sure what color she means with that expression!
The characterization is poor and the story moves with the speed of a lethargic sloth, honoring the paranormal romance tradition of running in circles for hundreds of pages and then cramming what little actual plot there is in the last ten percent of the novel.
And don't even get me started on the love story. When I first read it, I thought that the insta-love wasn't that bad because it was justified. 
I was wrong. I can't think of one single reason why this two people should be together. And if he really loved her, he'd do something to stop the cycle of reincarnation and horrible, painful death at a young age. I mean, seeing your  One True Love ^TM burn to death time after time may be heartbreaking, but it's nothing compared to what she feels every single time. And what about the people she leaves behind? He seems to have no regard whatsoever for them and their feelings. 
Too sum it up, Fallen sucks and I don't wish it on my worst enemy.

Rating

★

Review: the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Now it's official: Neil Gaiman is on my direct-to-buy list. As in, the authors whose books I buy without downloading the sample, without checking the reviews, without reading the summary, if the fancy strikes me.
"The Graveyard Book" is wonderful. I can't believe I haven't read it before. I'm already going into good book withdrawal.
Even though the novel starts with the triple murder of a couple and their eldest child the story has some really sweet aspects, like Bod's relationship with his adoptive parents.
The characters were awesome. Bod is an amazing main character and I have a bit of a crush on his guardian, Silas.
I also liked the rest of the characters, they felt incredibly real.
All this would have been enough to make this a great read, but the best thing about it was the writing. It's beautiful, heart-stoppingly good. I loved it. If everything else about "the Graveyard Book" had been awful, it still would have gotten three stars, just for the writing. That's how good this is. 
Read this book. I mean it, read this book, and make sure your children do too. It's fantastic and you'll love it, I'm sure of it. 
And, as mistress Owens' song goes:

Kiss a lover
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure... 

Face your life
Its pain,
Its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken 

Rating: 

★★★★★ 

Review: Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson

*I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The main focus if this book is the love story. I was not expecting it and I it's not what I usually look for in a fantasy. It didn't bother me, though, since the romance was well-developed and cute. She always kept him on his toes, and he was disgruntled but impressed by her no-nonsense attitude. I enjoyed that about them. 
I also liked the fact that they did not immediately profess to love each other; it's refreshing to see a couple in a YA novel going through the normal stages of "in lust" and "in like" in their relationship, instead of immediately plunging into deep, obsessive love.
The characters were fleshed-out and likable, their motives were plausible. I still don't get the reasons behind the main antagonist's actions, but I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be a mystery and that it will be cleared up in the next books.
The world building was another thing I appreciated. It's not something I have seen before, at least not used like this, and originality is sadly scarce in YA fantasy these days. 
What really bothered me were the constant POV shifts, I think that they were unnecessary and they distracted me from the narrative.
The ending also felt too rushed and anticlimactic. The whole book builds up to one single event, and the final showdown was a bit disappointing, at least compared to what I was expecting. 
Give "Oath of Servitude" a try if you want a quick, cute read with likable characters and an interesting world-building. 

Rating:

★★★

Review: Stone's Circle by Jordon Scott

*I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* 

While the book has an interesting concept and the plot and world-building were intriguing, it felt a lot like a first draft. The lexicon and the syntax were less than fine, which kept me from enjoying it as I would've otherwise.
Aiden was a very likable, very complex character: he was impulsive, violent and sometimes he acted like a jerk, but, at the end of the day, he always tried to do the right thing and to protect his family.
I liked Kaia less that I did Aiden, mostly because she ran hot and cold: she was either too meek and shy or too bold and impulsive; scared of upsetting her parents or caretakers one moment and inviting a creepy stranger home the next.
Sadly, most of the other characters didn't come off nearly as complex, being either exclusively good or exclusively evil. Only Liam, Aunt Betha and Sean Mallory were interesting, and I hope they get more page space in the next books.
Kaia's relationship with Finn felt a bit insta-lovish. They did have great chemistry, but I felt they had to get to know each other better before declaring their love and be believable.
The novel had some great twists, especially towards the end and it left a lot of questions unanswered, paving the way for the next books.

Rating:

★★

Sources:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/18270483-stone-secrets (15/09/13)