Mini Reviews: November Edition

Hello!

It has been far too long since I have posted on here, but sometimes I just want to read books without feeling the need or pressure to review them, hence my disappearance. However, I am currently in the mood to review some books, hence my reappearance. That's the wonder of having a no-strings book review blog. I recently posted a full-length review of a book I finished, but I have a handful of others I've read during my previously unannounced hiatus from here that I'd like to give mention to. Perhaps more reviews will come later, but I cannot allow myself to make any promises. However, here are the three I'm mini-reviewing today:

The Aftermath by Jen Alexander

The Aftermath is a game played by humans living in a futuristic world. The characters? Real human beings. I don't want to spoil too much so I won't go into why people play or how people end up as characters, but I'll say this: the characters do not realise they are that. Except somehow, miraculously, our protagonist does. Slowly, as the book begins revealing, main character Claudia realises she is not in control of her every movement, and as she eventually discovers hints at what is going on, seeks out full control of her own body and an escape.
Not to sound cliche or anything, but fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy this book. The genres are similar, though the details not. I personally loved this book. There were so many times where I felt like I was in the game with the characters. The writing helped me imagine everything perfectly. If there's one thing I love in any genre, but especially in my sci-fi and fantasy, it's great world building, and Jen Alexander did just that with The Aftermath. This one was a page turner, and the little plot twists thrown at you are great. The closer you get to the end, the more suspenseful it gets, and the ending, well. I won't spoil, but my basic reaction was WHY, CLIFF-HANGER, WHY (in a good way, of course). Do I recommend The Aftermath? The game, no. The book, heck yes. I look forward to book two.
4/5 stars.
The Aftermath on Goodreads.

Defy by Sara B. Larson

A land where sorcery is banned, a female forced to disguise herself as a male in order to survive, and a kingdom in corruption. Defy has everything I love in a fantasy debut. Protagonist Alexa is a member of the prince's elite guard, and has sworn her life to protect him (spoiler alert: the prince has the personality of a rotten basket of fruit - or does he). When Alexa and the prince are captured by the kingdom's enemy, both of their secrets risk being revealed just as a common enemy lurks closer.
This book was so great. My kind of fantasy. So many great characters and such a solid plot. There's a love triangle but I have to say, I loved it so much. It was well done and there's nothing wrong with a good love triangle, to be quite honest. I cannot wait to see what the sequel has in store for all of these characters. And just for fair warning, this book gets dark. It's a great 'females rising up from oppression' read as well (to give you an idea of that and the darkness I mentioned: female orphans are forced to be impregnated against their will by males, and their children taken from them to become guards for the kingdom. They're basically broodmares, and just what Alexa is trying to avoid by disguising herself as a male). Book two is out the end of December, and I cannot wait! Fans of Tamora Pierce and Sarah J. Maas will love Defy, guaranteed. Solid 5/5.
Check out Defy on Goodreads.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

A little out of my genre comfort zone is this humorous contemporary read. I've Got Your Number is about about-to-be-married Poppy, who is robbed of her phone shortly after losing her engagement ring, and is about to short circuit when she finds a phone in the trash. This phone belongs to a business man's assisstant, who chucked the phone when she up and quit. Poppy, desperate to have some sort of life line (her cell was her life, you understand, her everything!), manages to convince said  uptight and reluctant businessman (Sam Roxton) to allow her to keep the phone until she gets a new one and her ring turns up, with the promise that she will forward all of his emails to him. And she wouldn't dare pry into his personal life, nor he into hers... Full of footnotes, emails, text messages, and some humorous snooping, I've Got Your Number is a hilarious read that I honestly could not put down (I read it in a day. I was on vacation, but still). This is one of those 'chick lit' novels that would make a fantastic rom com film - seriously, I could see it all play out in my head. Although if a film could actually do Kinsella's humour justice, I am not sure. The book was great, and it's a perfect light, funny read. For me it was a break between heavier genres, but I enjoyed it just as much. This book was my introduction to Sophie Kinsella's writing (I'll admit I've seen the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie - it was all right - but have not read the books), and I've her newest, Wedding Night, sitting on my shelf ready to be picked up the next time I'm ready for a break between by fantasy and sci-fi reads. 4.5 stars.
I've Got Your Number on Goodreads.

CourtTalks: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Above is a follow up review to this post, my mini review of Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi. Caution: spoilers!

Mini Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

If Destroy Me does not make you sympathize with Warner, I honestly don't think you actually read it.

Title: Destroy Me
Series: Shatter Me trilogy
Placement in Series: 1.5
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

This novella was so perfect. So needed. If you read the Shatter Me series, you need to read this novella. It is not an option. This book is so integral to the plot that it cannot be set aside. To me, it's book 2. And Unravel Me will be book 3.

In Destroy Me we get a much bigger picture of everything that is going on. We get to see how the Reestablishment functions. We get to see so much more than Juliet could show us; even more than Adam could show us. We really get an insider's view of how the post-apocalyptic world Tahereh Mafi created functions and who runs it. And we get to see inside Warner's head.

I don't want to spoil anything, so if you haven't read Destroy Me yet, go do that now. It's an e-novella. And probably on Tuesday I will be doing a follow-up review in video format which will be full of spoilers because I need to talk about this book.
Brilliant.

Mini Review: Iron's Prophecy

Title: Iron's Prophecy
Author: Julie Kagawa
Placement in Series: 4.5
Series: The Iron Fey
Rating: 5/5
Blurb:

Meghan Chase is finally getting used to being the Iron Queen, ruler of the Iron Fey. Her life may be strange, but with former Winter prince Ash by her side at last, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

But when they travel to the Summer and Winter courts’ gathering for Elysium, the oracle from Meghan’s past returns with a dire prophecy: “What you carry will either unite the courts, or it will destroy them.” Now Meghan faces a devastating choice that may determine the future of all fey—and her and Ash’s unborn child…

 I honestly did not know exactly what I was expecting when I began to read the final novella of the Iron Fey series that followed Meghan Chase's adventures. Certainly not a hint as to what we might see in Ethan Chase's series, that's for sure.
What I was mostly relieved about was that this novella was not just a 'hey look -- Meghan and Ash lived happily ever after' novella. There was a lot of actual content and conflict; basically, this story was not fluff.

In Iron's Prophecy, we learn that Meghan is pregnant (this does not count as a spoiler, considering is reveals that in the blurb), but there are some complications, of course. The Oracle visits Meghan and has something to tell the Iron Queen, but Meghan must meet the Oracle at a certain location. Accompanying her, as usual, are some old favourites, Grimalkin and Puck, and of course her knight, Ash.

I just have to admit here that I could not read this novella all at once. When I realised how much I missed these characters, I freaked out so much that in order to maintain my sanity, I had to put the book down. Seriously, if you had seen me on my social networking sites while reading this novella... I was crazy. It's just... these characters!

As usual, Julie Kagawa's writing is impeccable. Iron's Prophecy was a nice last adventure we could all take with Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grim before we begin journeying with Ethan Chase on his adventures. Iron's Prophecy helped bridge the gap between The Lost Prince, for reasons I will not reveal. At least, that is what I am predicting based on what we learned in this novella.

This is definitely a must-read if you have read the Iron Fey series. And if not, then I highly recommend them. I caught on to the series a little late (just after The Iron Knight was released), and fell in love immediately. The character development is refreshing, and the unique twist Julie Kagawa added to the fey world is amazing. She certainly knows how to bring back an 'overly done' (as some might say) genre by adding her own imaginative spins. She did the same with her vampire-dystopia, The Immortal Rules, which I wrote a review on a while back.

Now to wait two more months for the first book in the Call of the Forgotten series :D
I certainly cannot wait!

Mini Review: Dream Dark

Title: Dream Dark

Placement in Series: 2.5

Series: Caster Chronicles/Beautiful Creatures

Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

When Link joined his best friend, Ethan Wate, on a quest through a mysterious network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, he knew the journey would be dangerous. But returning home to Gatlin, South Carolina was just the beginning...

Wounded during a climactic battle, Link discovers that tending his injuries won't be as simple as visiting a doctor and that healing his arm should be the least of his worries. For being bitten by a Supernatural does more than break the skin -- it changes a person, inside and out, turning Link into someone more and more like the dark creature who injured him.

Mini Review:

I kind of wish this was from Link's POV. Considering the rest of the series is told from Ethan's perspective, I understand why Dream Dark does not stray from that, but I feel as if this would have been more effectively told had it been from Link's perspective instead. It just didn't feel realistic that Ethan would know so much detail about what Link went through, even though he did state that Link told him all of this. That's really my only qualm with Dream Dark.

I'm glad we got to get a look into Link's life, especially considering what had happened to him in Beautiful Darkness. This was a nice little companion to the Caster Chronicles that I enjoyed. I have always found the "point fives" of a series to be just as important as the rest of the books, and this one is no different. Getting this look into Link's transformation is something integral that I am glad is available to us readers. Plus getting a glimpse into a secondary character's life is always refreshing.

Also, this novella really helped me to feel for Link. I knew his mother was crazy, but I didn't think she was this crazy! I would love to see more from Link. I find him to be a very interesting character, and one of my favourites.

The '4' rating was because I really felt like more could have been included, but again, because it was Ethan telling the story there was not really much room for that.