Evil Never Truly Wins

Published: April 2nd, 2013
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin # 2)
By: R.L. LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-13:  9780547628387

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

Review

 

     Sybella has dealt with many horrors in her short life, but being forced back into the household of the depraved Lord D'Albret is almost more than she can bear.  She joined with the other daughters of Mortain to escape from things she can't allow herself to think about.  The Mother Superior has promised her that she will be able to kill him as soon as he's marked by Death - so Sybella returns to the house of the man she always thought was her Father.  When a battle occurs and D'Albret takes a very unexpected prisoner, his life may be in Sybella's hands.  Can she help him escape and aid the Duchess of Brittany, while escaping from the evil machinations of the man who has destroyed Sybella's happiness for most of her life?  I went into this one having truly liked Grave Mercy, and being beyond excited to read about Sybella who intrigued me through minor mentions in the first novel.  I though Ismae had a rough life prior to the convent and being trained as an assassin for Mortain.  That was before I met Sybella and had my heart smashed to pieces by her traumatic life experiences!  Her Father was a complete monster and her 'relationship' with her brother Julian was such a horrifying disaster.  After managing to heal herself even a little bit, I was super pissed that the nuns had decided it was okay to make her a spy in D'Albret's household.  I loved the character development on her part and the slow reveal of her backstory, as devastating as it was.  But I have to say that as a reader, I was entirely unconvinced of any romantic feelings between her and the Duchess' soldier, the Beast of Waroch.  Their interactions had absolutely NO spark for me and seeing how he spends most of the book unconscious or recovering from some wound or another, how strong of feelings could they have really had?  Also, I felt like the plot and pacing of action in general really dragged for the first half of the book.  It seemed like nothing really happened until Sybella rescued the Beast from her Father's dungeon, and even then it was slow going.  I've seen other people complain that Grave Mercy had a slow start, but I never felt that way reading it.  With this one, I did.  The dark sense of humor, constant wavering of faith and unshakeable belief in justice really made me love Sybella.  This was a good second book in a series and managed to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, and the battle at the end of the book definitely had my heart pounding and my blood churning.  Overall a good book, especially for fans of high fantasy or medieval fiction along the lines of Tamora Pierce, Kristin Cashore, and Maria V. Snyder.  But I felt like something was missing for me personally while reading it.

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  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. It became available for purchase on April 2nd, 2013.*

Not Close Enough to Downton Abbey For Me

Expected Publication: January 15th, 2013

Summerset Abbey (Summerset Abbey # 1)

By: T.J. Brown

Gallery Books

ISBN-13: 9781451698985

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “underclass” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.

Victoria Buxton 

Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret—Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever. . . .

Prudence Tate 

Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as lady’s maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls. And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey.

Review

     Rowena and Victoria Buxton were raised along Prudence Tate and look upon her like a third sister.  But when their Father dies, the girls are thrown into the world of their less liberal Uncle (an Earl), who doesn't look upon Prudence favorably.  All he can see is that she is the daughter of a governess and as such, one of the servants.  So when the girls are forced to leave behind their home and live at Summerset Abbey with the Earl and his family, Prudence goes with them as their ladies' maid and nothing more.  Rowena, the oldest, is listless and unable to commit to any one goal.  She claims that she will try to help Prudence gain her rightful place, but treats her as sub-human like any other servant once in the Abbey.  Victoria is very frail and though she's open-minded, most times her attempts to be taken seriously are ineffectual.  But there is a deeper secret lurking in the Abbey's past - one that will reveal Prudence's true birthright and the identity of her Father.  Meanwhile, all three girls struggle with romantic quandaries and   

learning how to change along with the times.  But when the truth comes out, will it be shocking enough to tear them apart once and for all?  I went into this wholeheartedly excited about the comparison to Downton Abbey, which I am crazily obsessed with.  However even though the characters are somewhat similar they are infinitely inferior.  I did like Rowena, beginning to end.  Which was a surprising accomplishment due to how the author portrays her.  But she seemed so adrift that I couldn't quite fault her for her often  tactless behavior.  Victoria was annoying and babyish, with her temper tantrums and constant asthma attacks.  She used them to try and get her way, which was disgusting.  Victoria also wanted to play amateur detective with Prudence's heritage and Mother's past, which was insensitive to her friend.  She was a plot device and mostly an un-enjoyable one, for all the wit she was supposed to possess.  

     Prudence was the most disappointing because at first I liked her pretty well.  But as the novel moved along, she allowed herself to become bitter and used instead of taking charge of her own future.  On top of that, when she was falling for one of the Lords visiting the Abbey she treated him to a hot 'n cold display of affection.  Then when she finds out the secret of her parentage, she runs away and marries a servant boy she's not in love with and has been stringing along!!!  That made me want to strangle her for the carelessness she showed.  Overall, the plot had some holes and moved very slow.  It never quite caught the magic feel of Downton Abbey and the characters made me sad, because they had such promise.  I will most likely not read the next one (I say that now, but I most likely will anyways) as I do not want to watch the train-wreck that is coming from Prudence's poor choices.  Not recommended to anyone who likes self-respecting heroines.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

**I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Edelweiss.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is January 15th, 2013.**

Neither One Prepared

Published: October 2012

Moonlight & Mechanicals (The Gaslight Chronicles # 4)

By: Cindy Spencer Pape

Carina Press

eBook

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...

Review

     Wink has been head over heels for Liam McCullough ever since she was a teenager and he helped save her from a bunch of vampires.  But he is determined that after his parents' disastrous marriage he will be a bachelor forever.  Than one of her childhood friends, Connor, proposes marriage to her.  Wink decides to try and fall in love with him, but every time she does her mind fills up with Liam and it becomes useless.  But there are more important things to worry about than romance - someone is abducting people from London's shadier district for some nefarious plot involving revenge for the younger sons of nobility.  They are being conscripted for a cause almost too chilling to think about - to serve as mindless soldiers inside mechanical suits, with literally no control over anything they do.  Can Wink, her wayward adopted brothers and Liam come together in time to figure out who is behind the scheme?  Or will something devastating get in the way?  I saw this on NetGalley, not realizing that is was fourth in a series of novellas.  But I decided that I would read it because the summary intrigued me - and it sounded like a good romance.  I'm not usually a fan of steampunk, but this seemed like the lite version of it so I took the plunge.  I am SO glad that I did!  Wink was a wonderful heroine, perfectly capable of taking care of herself, mechanically inclined and not afraid to show it.  She used to be an orphan on the streets and so did four of her other 'siblings' until they were adopted by a Knight and his wife.  She still acts like a normal person, even with privilege, which is a joy for me as a reader.  I loved Liam, even though his stubborn refusal to try a relationship with Wink at first because of his werewolf condition made my teeth clench.  But I couldn't stay mad at him because of his fumblingly, inept attempts to point her in Connor's direction.  He really managed to amuse me.  The mystery of who is behind the abductions and mechanical army wasn't that surprising - the reason why was VERY surprising (which was a nice change from some of the stuff I've read lately, that treat readers like toddlers).    My favorite character though, was the mechanical dog George who acts and seems to think like a real dog.  Such a sweet companion to the Hadrian family.  Overall between the family relationships, the romance, the friendships, and the sneakily good world-building I'd have to call this my favorite Carina Press novella so far.  Very good and I highly recommend it.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  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 October 2012.*