The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, Book Three)
by Libba Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Sweet Far Thing is the final book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. This is our last visit to the Spence Academy for Young Ladies and to the Realms, but there is still quite and lot that needs to be accomplished before the end of this book, which is why it is a pretty big book!
Mrs. Nightwing has finally raised the funds to restore the damaged East Wing and so construction on the East Wing has begun and it is suppose to be done in time for a large gala ball for the end of term in May. Of course this has all the ladies atwitter wanting to watch the workers instead of doing their studies. The scariest thing for the girls has been that Gemma has not been able to open the door to the realms since they imprisoned Circee in the Temple Well.
Gemma had thought you was done when she destroyed the runes, but no she needed to find the temple and then she imprisoned Circee in the Temple Well, but in the process gave herself all the Magic, now she needs to give the magic back but to who and how. Should she give it to the Order, to the Rakshana, or to the different tribes in the realms? Maybe she should make all the tribes of the realm come together and share it equally. As Gemma is trying to figure that out new and more disturbing visions start coming to her, and she is pretty sure they have something to do with her decision but she just isn't sure how.
While dealing with the visions, the girls have to deal with Ann's cousins wanting to come take her to be their governess, and them wanting to help Ann control her own destiny. Then there is the matter of Felicity's inheritance, for her to get it she must be presented to the queen and have her debut ball, but Lady Markham, who has always promised to do that is having second thoughts after talking to the snob Lady Denby, so plan appease Lady Markham is in full effect. That of course has unwanted marriage prospects that no one realized might be coming.
Pippa did not want to be forced to marry a man three times her age and made a drastic decision to stay in the realms, without realizing the costs until too late, yet she still took control of her life. Fee wanted her inheritance and to live on her own, away from her parents where she was safe, and she could keep Polly safe. Ann wanted to make her own way in the world through her own talent and Gemma wanted to decide for herself what to do with her future. These were still radical ideas for 1896, but there time was coming.
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Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, Book Two)
by Libba Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rebel Angels is the second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. This book picks up as book one ends, with Gemma destroying the runes in the realms. The first of the book is Katrik, and his being called back to London by the Rakshana. They give him orders to watch Gemma and have her find the Temple in the realms and bind the magic to the Temple.
After having not been in the realms for two months, when the girls finally do go back, they are surprised to find Pippa there. They had assumed that she had crossed over the river when her body died, but she told them that she was told she didn't have to cross over, she could stay in the realms, although Gemma's mother told her that anyone who didn't cross over would become corrupted, Felicity and Ann don't want to believe that, they want to have Pip back with them and be all together again.
Since we have now hit the Christmas holidays, everyone will be heading home, except Ann who will stay at Spence, until Felicity comes up with the "brilliant" idea to pass Ann off as a long lost niece of a distant Russia Duke and cousin to the Czar himself. Gemma isn't sure this will work, but there is not stopping Fee once she has an idea in her head, and well, maybe that can be a good thing at times. Ann will get to see society and how it really works and may it will shatter her fantasies of it all.
At Gemma's house, nothing is going the way it should be. Grandmama is dour. Tom feels neglected and like he has to do everything and yet nothing he does is good enough for his father, and their father is broken and addicted to laudanum or opium. And for Gemma, the visions are getting worse and nothing is making sense, she can't find the temple and she doesn't understand what they mean.
Then on top of all that we have your regular Victorian Society Snobbery storyline. Who is invited to what balls and who isn't, who sits with who at the opera and who is invited into what Gentleman's club. Also tucked into the story in the off paragraphs in a little blurb here and there about the workers movement, this is very late in the year 1895, and so when the ladies are about town you will hear talk of the workers movement, the factory fire, taking up money for the families. So many layers of story.
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The Books of Azric: The Beginning
by B M Griffin
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Forget everything you learned in school about the world and the planets. Image a world, or a series of worlds, we'll call them realms for this story, each is different, has a completely different landscape, ecosystem, native peoples, and technology; yet they are all connected through a series of central portals. One portal going to and from each realm. Interested? This is where The Books of Azric begin. Helping us get a little history into the whys and hows of this world is Zane, a young elf boy that bounty hunter Colt has taken under his wing, so to speak. Since Zane has had no school Colt tells him what he knows, a little at a time. But this isn't just a story of a bounty hunter teaching his apprentice, no they are being hunted by a villain, at the same time they are hunting the villain, all of which has been set up by a slightly dishonest nobleman and a mysterious man talking about the true lineage of the king. Author +B. M. Griffin gives the reader so much to digest that at times you are not sure who is really the good guy and who is the bad guy.
While The Books of Azric is set as the first in a series, it definitely sets up the world and gives you some knowledge on the worlds and just enough to keep you sorta knowing what is going on, but not enough so that you just have to keep reading to figure it all out. The cast of characters that author+B. M. Griffin creates in this book are amazing too, because you don't just have your main characters a some bit pieces, you have three to four full storylines going at any one time with a full cast of characters, now sometimes those characters overlap with each other and other times, things are going on in one realm at the same time in another realm. The author engages all your senses in trying to keep everything straight and at times you think you know what is going on, only to find what you thought was wrong, they fooled you as well as the people in the story. This is a great story, definitely lost of violence, its bounty hunting and crimes and sheriffs, it just is, not too graphic, but its there. Young adult and up would be a good audience.
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Wraithsong -
Desirable Creatures Series, Book I
by E.J. Squires
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's her senior year in high school, yet Sonia isn't quite looking forward to the end of school like she thought she would. He mother has hinted that they are traveling to Wisconsin, of all places, but she won't tell Sonia anything more. Now she has to spend time working with a gardener at school after classes. Not what see wants to do, but she earned her punishment expect it turns out this gardener is another senior, and a good looking male at that. As Sonia and Anthony find themselves attracted to each other mysteries of another generation and realm come crashing down on them.
Sonia is a Huldra, and she comes into her full powers on her eighteenth birthday. All the sudden her mom has disappeared. Anthony and Sonia share what knowledge they can and work together to find her mom. Maureen, who is Anthony's mom is the one who has Hedda, maybe. It seems that Maureen wants Sonia to think Anthony is the bad guy, and Layla thinks Anthony is the bad guy, and Olaf is acting the bad guy? What is a young girl to do?
This is a touchy and heartfelt story of an innocent and pure relationship between Anthony and Sonia that they were neither looking for, but were afraid of and had been told to avoid. Yet the love that they have sets a beacon and shining light for all in the story and for all who read. It is not a story of physical love, but of a true emotional and caring connection made. It is in such sharp contrast to the ruthless manipulation of Maureen and the world today, that it is shocking at times, hard to understand at others and a clear as black and white still at other times.
The author E.J. Squires has written a few other books. This is third now that I have read by this author. I am always surprised to find that she has put so much thought, meaning and life into each character that you feel they are real people, not just stories in a book. Not only does she create this characters that you like and you want to read about and you connect with, but she does it with her settings too. The realms in this book, although I did note a couple of the same realms coming up in the books, but the places in America too. She describes everything with such an eye for detail that you can feel like you are there, but yet at the same time, she is able to edit enough that you are not overloaded.
At this point in time, I feel more than comfortable in saying that if I walked into a bookstore and saw this author's name on a book, I wouldn't even have to read the covers, I would buy it straight up. I have read enough to know that I will be pleased with what she writes. Anyone who is looking for a good romance, some Norse mythology and fantasy all mixed together, this is your book. Young and old alike, I even feel more than comfortable allowing my teenage daughter to read this book.
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Wilding Heart
Faery Tail #3
by Deborah McNemar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Carradoc is tired and lonely, he his the son of the King of Death, and he has spent a lifetime on his own. It is time for him to die, but he has one last month to see if he can find someone strong enough to fight his father to save him. He travels to New York to visit his cousin Damien and is allowed to stay with him while he is there. Melody is a waitress and friend of Damien's, but before Carradoc finds that out he saves her from a mugging. She is instantly attracted to him, which he finds strange, most people want nothing to do with him. A sudden kidnapping of them both throws everything in the air. Wilding Heart is the story of Carradoc and Melody, as he tries to safely get her home to her own realm, while she allows her self to fall in love with the Heir to the Throne of Death without regard for who is his, but for what he is. Deborah McNemar blends a touching romance story, innocent and beautiful with a fight to save the Faery Realms and as an added bonus follows other characters in the realm as well.
Wilding Heart may be the love story of Carradoc and Melody, but they are not the only to people in the world. There is Carradoc's cousin Damien and his love Etne, who end up in this because of their connections to both Carradoc and Melody. Then there are the Faery Courts and areas they travel through and visit on their journey. You see their story as well and others. Deborah McNemar weaves and exciting tale of love and strength, and of how heart can be stronger than body. Carradoc was in search of someone strong, he thought is meant warrior strong. There is a beauty and innocence to the story of Carradoc and Melody that you don't find very often. Anyone, young or old, who is looking for a faery book, or a romance, or just something to make them feel good about the world again, then this is the book for you. It will touch you with it's tale and make you believe in the goodness of people once again.
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Faery Tail Series
1. Faery Tail - Centurni and Star's story Amazon Link
2. Griffin Feathers - Damien and Ethne's story Amazon Link
3. Wilding Heart - Carradoc and Melody's story Amazon Link
