Winner Takes It All

Published: March 4th, 2014

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1)

By: Marie Rutkoski

Farrar Straus Giroux

ISBN-13:  9780374384685

Winning what you want may cost you everything that you love.

As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married.  But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.  Arin's eyes seem to defy everything and everyone.  Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him -- with unexpected consequences.  It's not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she has paid for a fellow human is much higher than she could have ever imagined.

Review

     This is probably one of my most anticipated books of the year.  Just because I felt like everyone else was talking about it, even though I really wasn't even sure what it was really about!  Let me tell you right now, this book basically defies any sort of classification.  It's set in a world with no connection to ours, but it's not science-fiction, fantasy, or an alternate history of some sort.  I'm thinking that it's only defining characteristic is its base structure around the political intrigues, wars and slavery struggles of the fictional society.  There really isn't a genre for that!  So, that's issue number one.  Issue number two, would be the slow and somewhat contrived pacing and plot of the first half of this book.  We get glimpses at the smart, strategic mind of Kestrel, a general's daughter, who is trapped in between two choices (neither of which she is okay with).  She has no real say in what happens to her future, other than who to marry or whether or not to join her father in the military.  We get to see Kestrel's inner struggle, her daily miniature rebellions and her connections with the others in her society, including her best friend Jess who definitely isn't bucking the system.  Not to mention, Jess' brother Ronan, who wants to marry Kestrel.  One day Kestrel buys a slave.  He acts nothing like a slave, orders her around, ignores her and they have a mental battle for each others' secrets.  They play games with each other, and are developing feelings.

     Things start to pick up in the second half, with the discovery of the slave, Arin's, secret activities and Kestrel's own plans to subvert society in regards to her future.  By the end, everything the reader thought they knew is in shredded ruins and the cliffhanger has left them reeling.  Especially when the slaves turn the tables of the war on their oppressors almost completely around.  There was superb world-building, and I could picture everything that was being described for me.  I could see the rich society houses, the slaves, the bustling marketplace and all of the individual characters.  I was stuck in this book.  But instead of feeling like I was lost completely in it, I felt like the author was consciously manipulating my emotions with calculated scenes, twists, etc.  That's not a fun feeling to have when reading a book.  

     This book was downright bizarre at times, especially with the whole plot revolving around slavery and war.  Not your average YA romance.  I liked that and the second half of the book was phenomenally written.  Yet there was something about these characters that left me cold.  I never really connected with Kestrel, who is withdrawn, scheming and kind of bland.  Arin was very stereotypical and you could see his "tragic" back story coming a mile away.  But the plot execution was a thing of brilliance and the character interactions were vicious in the best kind of way.  If you want a serious mind-fuck, I'd recommend this one.  Something off the wall, and completely new in a strange way (and yes, I'm being purposefully vague, because I don't want to spoil the surprise and weirdness of this one for you).  I will probably read the next one, just to see where she goes!

VERDICT:  3.5/5 Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published March 4th, 2014.*

Where The Skies Are Not Cloudy

Published: February 19th, 2013
Home to Montana
By: Charlotte Carter
Love Inspired
ISBN-13: 9780373878031

Staying in one place was never Nick Carbini's plan. When his troubled past leads him to Bear Lake, Montana, single mom Alisa Machak makes him consider putting down roots. Alisa doesn't have a problem letting Nick work in her diner, but when he starts edging his way into her heart, she has to draw the line. He reminds her too much of her son's father, another drifter who abandoned them both. Nick wishes he could be there for them, but believes he's not fit to be a husband. When his worst fears come true one night, it's up to Alisa to show him the perfect recipe for a forever romance.

Review

     Single Mom Alisa Machak has been burned before, and she's not eager to repeat the experience.  So she stays away from men who present any danger of upsetting her life in any way - in other words, she avoids true love like the plague.  Nick Carbini has become a drifter, with no place to truly call home since he was a kid and his Mom was alive.  So he returns to the only place he can get that feeling - Bear Lake, Montana. Working in Alisa's family diner, Nick and Alisa immediately feel sparks fly.  But not willing to risk her heart or her son's Alisa hardens herself against the new-found possibility of a relationship.  Especially with a man who reminds her of her son's Father, a deadbeat drifter.  Can Nick move away from the demons of his past and convince Alisa that they have a future together?  Or will both of them end up with a broken heart?  Not realizing this book was Love Inspired and not a Harlequin Super Romance, I requested it from NetGalley.  I wish that I hadn't.  While the characters are relatable and fairly well written, this book was downright depressing.  Alisa is a woman who loves her son, her Mom and her town.  But she is a complete shrew and not a very interesting character to me.  Oh poor baby, had a bad experience in love.  So now she treats this veteran with major issues like he's Jeffery Dahmer reincarnated or something!  And every time he shows any interest in her son (who is starved for male companionship of any kind at all, as he has no Dad or Grandpa in his life) she freaks out and acts like Nick's trying to kidnap him from her.  Any excuse not to be nice to Nick and Alisa will take it, no hesitation.  I loved Alisa's Mother, who was an absolute gem of a woman, especially dealing with such a bitter daughter.  Nick had issues, but he saw the shades of grey in the world order which endeared him to me a LOT more than Alisa as a character and romantic interest.  While being a Christian romance, it managed to avoid the preachy overtones for the most part, until the second half of the book which was saturated in religion.  I got extremely annoyed with having it shoved in my face and was glad when the book was over.  My overall opinion is that people who like a predictable  bland romance will like this one. If you're not super religious avoid it like the plague.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published February 19th, 2013.*

The Moonlight Made You a Monster

Published: January 29th, 2013
Othermoon (Otherkin # 2)
By: Nina Berry
Kensington Teen
ISBN-13: 9780758276933

Everyone has secrets. I had no idea mine would lead me into shadow. Dez has found the place where she belongs. With the otherkin. With Caleb. Or so she thought. As the barriers between our world and Othersphere fall, a wall rises between Dez and Caleb, leaving her fiercest enemy her only friend. 

And maybe something more. 

Now Dez must make a devastating choice: keep the love of her life, or save the otherkin from annihilation.

Review

     Dez is hoping life might head in the direction of normal - at least for a little while.  After rescuing Siku, a fellow shifter and friend, from the Tribunal with the rest of their friends she just wants a break.  But then a stranger breaks in  and steals her DNA, and her Mom is possessed by something from the Othersphere - something that just may be Dez's birth mother.  Forced to go on the run again, Dez returns to Morphael's school so that they can make a plan to stop the Tribunal from wiping out all the otherkin in one attack.  But can Dez and her friends stop a particle accelerator or is that too big for the teens?  And will Dez be able to do the right thing for the damaged Lazar and keep her relationship with Caleb from crumbling?  I went into this with very high hopes, having really loved the first book.  I was disappointed.  Dez has almost no character development, shows signs of idiotic martyr syndrome, and moons over Caleb who treats her like dirt for most of the book.  Not that she's perfect either, as she persists in lying to him about anything involving his enemy, half-brother Lazar.  I thought that the only one who really showed any development was Lazar, who became a truly interesting and layered character in this book.  November and Siku's relationship wasn't a surprise, and Arnaldo's family issues were just another situation for Dez to meddle in when she should have kept out of it.  I was surprised by London and Amaris' relationship and how close they became, but it was extremely sweet.  It almost made up for the emotionally unstable train-wreck that Dez and Caleb were building throughout the book as I watched in horror.  The plot itself felt like a less thought-out redux of the first book, with them trying to stop the bad guys against all odds.  And the revelations about Dez's birth mother and her true origins were kind of 'blah.'  Ximon became even more one-dimensional as a villain, with even more evil deeds being added to his greatest hits.  But I am still holding out hope for the next book and thinking that maybe Nina Berry just succumbed to the disease that seems to plague YA authors.....the dreaded sophomore syndrome!  Overall, not what I would have liked to read but better than a lot of second books in series that I've read in the past.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

* I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published January 29th, 2013.*