BOOK REVIEW: Royal Outlaw (#1) by Kayla Hudson

Synopsis from Goodreads

Mariel was born royal, but has spent most of her life as an outlaw, working for the Resistance—an underground organization attempting to overthrow Natric’s corrupt monarchs. When the royal grandparents who left her for dead long ago offer her the future crown, she declines, but when they threaten the life of her commoner father she is left with an impossible choice: become something she hates or watch her father die.

As Mariel fights against the new responsibilities and expectations that confine her, forgotten memories of her mother’s murder threaten her sanity and a creature who hunted her as a child returns to finish off his prey. Mariel quickly discovers that she may be a master sword-fighter, but not all enemies can be defeated with a mere blade . . .

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Source: kindle unlimited

 

My Review

(4 Stars)

 

So I have to admit that I pick up (or more accurately downloaded) Royal Outlaw because from the title and the cover it looked a bit like a Robin Hood like re-telling with a female heroine. Although there are similarities with Mariel being born into royalty but now lives as part of the resistance as a outlaw and thief, I would recommend going into this book from more a fantasy expectation. Otherwise your (like myself) will be surprised my the magicians, the snake-shifters, unicorns and other non-human creatures.

Despite my self-made confusion, I still really enjoyed this book. Mariel was a great character a kick-ass heroine, with sword swinging skills and lock-picking ability as well as being well educated and intelligent. It has interesting and sometimes funny as she is thrown into the life of an upper-class lady, my, my the trouble she can get herself into! However, my favourite character by far has to be James, the air of mystery as well as caring and protect nature - just love him. I would have liked to see more of Mariel's father, from the few scenes we get with him it seems like they have a good relationship but it would have been good to see more interactions between them. I would have also liked to see more of zreshlans, but I am guessing we will get to see more of them in the sequels.

Apart from the characters, the main plot drive and what keep me turning the pages has to be Mariel's memory loss and the mysterious assassin which she can't remember. I don't want to go into this part of the plot as it is the mystery of the unmemorable horror which kept me reading.

Royal Outlaw was a bit different from what I was expecting but a great read. I enjoyed watching our kickass outlaw heroine as she is thrown into the royal life, her attempts to be dismissed as heir and discovering her forgotten past, all while under the threat from a childhood assassin.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: The Young Elites (#1) by Marie Lu

Synopsis from Goodreads

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

 

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Source: Bought

Series: Book One of The Young Elites Trilogy

 

MY REVIEW

4 Stars

 

The Young Elites is one of those book which everyone was raving about a few years ago, at the time I didn't get involved but was still interested as I had read the Legend series and enjoyed it. So this week I decided it was time to finally start blasting through some of the book which I bought last year but hadn't read yet, so I picked Young Elites up without reading the back (and it has been quite a few years since I read any Marie Lu books) so I went in completely blind.

From my vague recollections I thought this book was gonna be more dystopian/ post apocalyptic setting. So was surprised with the dramatic opening chapters introducing us to this fantasy world, in which we meet Adelina who is in the equivalent of death row, awaiting her death for murdering her father.Although we get thrown into the middle of this situation we are quickly given a bit of a back story - something I was really glad about, the books i have read recently have withheld backstories to 'add to the mystery', so this made a nice change.

Adelina appears to quickly make a few friends within the society, I personally particularly like Raffaele as a character he is very perceptive and isn't scared to say it as it is. He is also world wise but he still has such a calm and caring personality. I felt as though the romance was a bit predictable but Adelina, oh Adelina ... she does manage to dig herself a hole by keeping such big secrets and you could tell it was all going to blow up in some way. I just didn't see it all going down quite like that! That ending was a complete shock and I really don't know how Marie Lu is going to take this series forward, but it will be interesting to see how these experiences impact our characters in the next book.

The Young Elites, was everything I was expecting, a few much loved tropes, some shocks and surprises, and some interesting grey characters which will leave you wondering who acted in the wrong.

 

         

RE-READ REVIEW: Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley

Synopsis From Goodreads

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty... no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust... and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.

 

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Source: Bought Second Hand

Series: Sadly Still a Standalone

 

 

This is my second review of Rites of Passage, my original review from my first reading of this book back in April can be found here. I don't know how many of my follows have heard of the BBC TV series Our Girl (?) but we are due to start the third series next week. I mention Our Girl because as I re-read this book I began to draw parallels between this book and the first series of Our Girl (which I have just finished re-watching in preparation for the new series). 

 

So Our Girl follows Molly Dawes on her first tour as a army medic in Afghanistan, while Sam is trying to survive Military School, but there are some similarities in their situation. Both are in a male dominated world trying to prove their worth as soldier's as well as making a point that woman are as strong as men - they are both got a bit of a determined streak. They both have to battle with those in there rank (and above) who would rather see the back of them, although this is less of a feature in  Our Girl than it is in Rites of Passage where this is the major plot. There relationship with there fellow recruits/soldier's go though similar flows, in that swing from them wanting her gone (with a few sticking up for her) to becoming a group of over protective brothers. There is also a bit of an alikeness in regard to the romance apart from one difference which I won't share in case of spoilers.

 

Anyway moving away from my Our Girl comparisons, I still I love this book. I was as hooked almost as much as the first time, it keep me up reading and it was the first thing I reached for in the morning. There were a few wee details that I had forgotten so it was fun to rediscover them. I had completely forgotten the last few pages, which just made me want a sequel all over again. Just looking back at my original review and this time I had remembered the harshness of the academy so this wasn't as gripping for me, as the first time I just didn't know how much 'worse' it could get for girls but this time I had more of an idea. Also the romance didn't feel as though it took me as long to get to this time and I enjoyed watching there interactions before they showed any romantic interest.  

 

Still highly recommend Rites of Passage, and for all those who enjoyed Our Girl I particularly recommend you check this book out, and let me know if you see the same similarities as me.

 

 

WEE REVIEW: Un.Requited (Slayter #1) by Reese Morgan

Synopsis from Goodreads

 

Across Hayden’s neck sat an ugly scar, a vivid reminder of what she’d become. She looked horribly wild, untamed, her eyes too bright and focused, like an animal. In order to keep her family safe from both herself and the enemies she attracts, Hayden must trade a life of normalcy for one of constant uncertainty and threat.

Expecting to find her place among others like her, she soon realizes that even among werewolves, she’s an exception. Burdened with constant discrimination and falling into a dangerous attraction, Hayden must struggle to find her footing after being made a pawn in a game between two powerful Alphas

 

 

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Wee Review

(3.75 Stars)

 

Teenage werewolf books... well there are a hundred and one to choose from, and I am glad I stumbled across this one. Quite a few teen werewolf novels aren't worth a second glance but I enjoyed this one. We join Hayden after she has received her life changing scars (the result of a vicious werewolf attack) a confused 'newborn' she tries to continue life as normal but soon she get noticed by the werewolf community and she joins a pack.

I think the thing which made this book for me was Morgan's ability to create deep characters full of personality. Although some of the minor character don't get much 'screen time' I felt as though I got a insight into their personalities. The only thing on this point is I would have liked a bit more interaction between Hayden and her mother, she has this one moment of homesickness but then she is just forgotten again.

There are some typical werewolf tropes, with a potential love triangle, a domineering, distant, young Alpha with secrets, a secret werewolf community with it's own political games and old fashioned views.

Un.Requited is full of mystery and a few murders making it a quick paced story full of well developed characters and budding relationships. The big question is which relationships will remain platonic and which will flower into something more?

 

***

Book Haul September 2017

This month I decided to finally try Kindle Unlimited (I have a few wee reviews to share with you soon-ish), so I don't have that many physical books to share with you today.

 

The first one is Hemlock by N.J Layouni which was a book which made into my  Top 10 Books of 2015, it is a great underrated book. I actually won this book from the author, I originally read this book as a e-book but now I am so excited to have a physical copy to add to my bookshelves.

 

 

My second book need no introduction, I haven't read this latest addition to the Throne of Glass series yet but I saw it in the shop and just couldn't resist.

 

 

Has anyone hear Hemlock or got around to reading ToD yet?