We Will Probably Break Up Someday...But This Was Fun!

 

Expected Publication:  October 1st, 2013

Unbreakable (The Legion # 1)

By: Kami Garcia

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780316210171

 

Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

 

Review

 

     It's just been Kennedy and her Mom, ever since she was a little girl.  Then when she's out one night, Kennedy comes home only to find her Mother dead under suspicious circumstances.  This is just a couple days after she thought she saw a ghost in the cemetery.  It turns out what she saw was a spirit.  It had been sent to kill her Mom and now it's after Kennedy.  Twin brothers Jared and Lucas mysteriously appear and take Kennedy on a mission with them.  It turns out her Mom was part of something called the 'Legion,' a secret organization that fights an evil demon who wants to take over and destroy the Earth.  It's up to Kennedy, Jared, Lucas and two other teens, Alara and Priest, to take on the evil and banish it once and for all - before it completely devours them for good.  With all five of the adult legion members dead on the same night, the task will definitely not be an easy one.  And with each evil sprit they face and each puzzle they solve, the kids get closer & closer to either losing it all, or saving the world.  But which decision leads to the right outcome?

      I will say one important thing before starting this review in earnest: this book is complete and utter brain candy.  Reading this is more like getting a peek at a Supernatural episode script, rather than a YA book.  Sometimes this worked in it's favor and other times it didn't.  The action-packed pacing, tantalizing hints of romance between Kennedy and Jared, and the snarky banter/intense dramatic moments between all the characters definitely made it an enjoyable read.  I loved the scenes when the kids are searching for pieces of the puzzle (that's all I'm going to say about it!) and they are ghost hunting.  The scenes are believably terrifying and sent chills up my spine.  Especially with the dead Mother and Son in the well.  *Shivers*  But probably the worst part about this book being non-stop action was that we were given the bare minimum of character description/back story/development in this book.  Just enough to keep me, someone who prefers character-centric reading, to stay involved.  But I always felt like I was lacking a certain something I can't do without for very long. 

     Sometimes the interactions (especially the romantic ones of Kennedy and Jared) come across as melodramatic and bordering on ridiculous.  Kennedy's 'problems with trust' due to her cheating boyfriend seemed out of proportion to me.  She seems a lot more focused on that than her murdered Mother as well, in my opinion.  And Jared letting go to 'protect' her (while not fighting her right to ghost hunt with them all) comes across as stupid and doesn't make much sense in the context.  Kami Garcia definitely knows how to write a cliffhanger though, and I will be picking up the second book.  While it wasn't the best piece of literature ever, it was still fun and gave me enough action to satisfy me on some level.  That's all I need in a book sometimes, a little bit of fun.  Go in expecting that and you won't be disappointed! :)

 

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's expected publication is October 1st, 2013.*



The Borderlands of Death and Life

Published:  October 9th, 2012
The Unfailing Light (Katerina # 2)
By: Robin Bridges
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13:  9780385908306

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Review

 

     Katerina, Duchess of Oldenburg has used her necromancy to save all of Russia and the Tsar in particular.  But now she just wants to put it aside and go to medical school like she's always dreamed of, becoming a Doctor like her Father.  Katiya is forced to put her plans on hold when she finds out that Lich Tsar, Konstantin, is still alive and after the Tsar.  She is forced to return to the Smolny School and the Empress casts a spell to protect the school and keep all the girls from being able to leave without her say so.  The spell awakens something that has been dormant in the school for the better part of a century.  Now Katiya not only has to deal with the court intrigues and threat of Konstantin, but also the machinations of a violent spirit, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.  Even if that means murder is carried out.  Can Katiya find a way to save all the girls in the school, uncover the secret of the mysterious Germanic Princess Alix and protect the Tsar?  And what secrets are those closest to her keeping that have the power to destroy them all?

     I had absolutely loved the original premise of the first book in this series.  It was doing something that nothing else I've read recently in YA has gone in the direction of.  It combined Russian history with paranormal elements, but went further back past the Romanov dynasty.  The happenings of the this story are set about 20 years before the downfall of Imperial Russia and the line of Tsars.  But mostly its about a teenage girl, trying to find her place in a world of political intrigues, while struggling to come to terms with the dark powers within herself.  This sequel expands upon the first book, with a leisurely plot that stops just short of being meandering.  Katiya is vacationing in Greece with her Mother, Cousin and Aunt before going off to medical school in Zurich.  But a disturbing encounter with the Lich Tsar in the caves leads to her plans being put aside and being forced to return to her finishing school. 

      After the events of the previous book, we are told by Katiya that George (the son of the Tsar) has proposed to her a couple of times but she has refused him because of their opposite positions on the Light and Dark Courts.  I feel like the reasons for this and the differences between the types of vampires, fae and the existences of werewolves/shapeshifters were far more expanded and clarified in this book than the first one.  There was some play on the love triangle between Vampire Prince Danilo, George and Katiya but the majority of this book was centered around the struggles of the side characters like Princess Alix, Katiya's Brother Piotr and George himself with his descent into a secret order that might actually be treasonous and evil.  The storyline with the ghost in Smolny was a slow burn and for me it was pretty obvious as to her identity, but I did enjoy the exposition as to her motives/fate at the end of the book.  Also, the aspect of Katiya being able to pass into the land between life and death was really well drawn and interesting to me as a reader.  The revelation about her Mother was definitely NOT what I expected and I'm curious to see what Bridges does with it.  I do feel like there wasn't enough action to really know the direction book three will take, but I liked the easy pace of this one (I'm not in the majority here though I would assume).  Not a perfect sequel, but it keeps up the momentum of the series, if slightly directionless.  And I'll be reading the third one to see how it all ends!  Recommended for those looking for something completely different from the average YA paranormal read, historical or otherwise.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**