Air and Ash by Alex Lidell - non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

I know everybody and their mother - almost everybody - was eagerly awaiting the release of ACOWAR yesterday, but I want to review a different book that also came out yesterday: Air and Ash by Alex Lidell. I received this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my opinion of the book.

Title: Air and Ash

Author: Alex Lidell

Genre: YA,fantasy

Format: e-arc (provided by the author)

*Story:
Nile Ash - the princess of the kingdom of Ashing - has been at sea since she was 8 years old. But when the ship she was on - the Faithful - sinks she is taken back home. Not content with the next role she has to play she runs off to find a new ship. The only problem is that she will have to start at the bottom of the hierarchy again and work her way up.
 
*Characters:
-Nile Ash: She is one of the few princesses I've read about that actually isn't content with the new role she has to play. But instead of whining about it, she actually takes matters into her own hand. I loved how decisive she could be, while still remaining a young girl as well. Granted, she did make some stupid decisions every so often, but she did so for the good of the ship and the crew. I also liked how she cared about her Gifted brother Clay and about some of the crew abourd the Aurora.
SPOILER:
She is also Gifted and I'm curious to see how her wind-calling will develop.


-Domenic Dana: When we first meet Domenic, he seems to be an ordinary young man who has taken on his father's debt but can't pay it back. But he actually turns out not to be so ordinary SPOILER: because he is the Aurora's first officer. He is a completely different person aboard the ship than he was on the beach when he first met Nile.
I found him to be both intriguing and infuriating at times.
 
-Catsper: He is a Spade officer who trains young men. He has a rough 'exterior' but he's actually a good man who - once you earn his trust - will help you in any way he can. I liked him very much as a character, sometimes even more than Domenic.
 
-Captain Rima: This is one of the most infuriating characters I've ever come across in a book. I wanted to strangle him every time he opened his mouth. He is such a biased man who only thinks about his own profits and saving his own hide.
 
*Plot/worldbuilding/overall rating:
I found this book to be very refreshing. Also, I don't think I've ever read a story set aboard a ship before. I have to admit I found the nautical terms to be a bit confusing at times, but not so much that it hindered my reading.
What I found especially interesting about this story is that woman are allowed aboard a ship and are mostly tolerated and even sometimes appreciated. 

Another very interesting part of the story is the magic system: the ones who can wield magic are called Gifted and are mostly shunned and even conceiled. Where in other sotries magic wielders are either praised or feared, here they are considered as less because their magic causes them harm. Clays has lost his mind since his metal-calling awakened.
SPOILER:
Nile suffers from convulsions and nauseousness. I wonder what else she will suffer from and if she'll ever be able to control her wind-calling.

Since most of the story takes place aboard the Aurora, we don't get much worldbuilding except for the nautical terms.

Like I said, I really enjoyed how Nile doesn't meekly follow what her family has planned for her but she tries to stand her ground and follow her own path in life.
SPOILER:
Even though we know from the first time we meet Domenic that he'll become Nile's love interest, I like how it's a slow burning love. Admittedly, sometimes it's infuriatingly slow and I wanted to kick their butts so they would get together already. I know it's against navy policy, but it's going to happen anyway!!

I really liked this book and the cliffhanger ending - Alex Lidell sure knows how to write a cliffhanger ending! - has made me very eager for book two.

If you like a kick-ass female character that doesn't whine about the cards that she is dealt with, a brooding male character and a slow burning romance, you should definitely pick this book up.

Bye for now

Annelies

Last Stand by Rachel E. Carter - non-spoiler review

Hi booklovers

This is my spoiler-free review of Last Stand, book four - the final book - in the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter. This book was kindly sent to me by the author - I'm a part of her review team - in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

This will contain spoilers for First Year, Apprentice and Candidate. Just click on the title to read my reviews. I read this book for the Of Wonderland Book Club on Goodreads. February's theme was 'badass females'.

Title: Last Stand

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story:
Darren has become the Black Mage and he's married to Ryiah. What he doesn't know is that Ryiah is going to betray him because she wants to reveal what a villain Blayne really is. We get to see the whole process of Ryiah trying to get to the point where she can reveal who Blayne really is whilst still playing the 'happily' married girl, up until she has to convince Darren she's telling the truth.

*Characters:
-Ryiah: I really loved Ryiah in this story. She has grown so much throughout this series, she has really come into her own. You know bad things are going to happen to her, but still she carries on, despite knowing she'll probably lose everything. Sure, she almost changes her mind a couple of times, but who wouldn't hesitate to carry on in her situation?! Her story is so heartbreaking in this book, I actually cried a couple of times.
 

-Darren: Wow, we really got to see two different sides of him. One is the loving, understanding husband - Ryiah keeps her distance when they are first married - and the other is this coldhearted, blinded-by-the-love-for-his-brother kind of guy. Even though this switch is very sudden it was written in such a good way that it was still believable.
SPOILER:
When he finally does believe Ryiah it goes over maybe a bit too easy, but that's something I'm willing to overlook.
 

-Blayne: I hated him with such a passion. He is actually an even bigger monster than his father! (A very well-written monster, mind you!)
 

-Priscilla: Finally, she showed her true colours and I have some new-found respect for her. She becomes a totally different person, but again, it's written in such a good way that it's believable.
 

*Plot/worldbuilding/overall rating:
As far as the worldbuilding goes, not many new places were introduced, but that's okay, we already know the setting.
I thought the previous book was an emotional rollercoaster, but oh my, that was nothing compared to this book. This one ripped my heart out, broke it into a million pieces and put it back together again.
After I finished reading it, I literally stared at the last page for ten minutes. There were so many feelings I had to process, it was rough.
I'm very glad that Rachel ended up deciding to write an epilogue, because it wrapped things up nicely. Otherwise, I might have been a little annoyed!

I adored this series and I can definitely see it ending up in my top 10 books of 2017.

I want to thank Rachel for giving me the chance to read, review and fall in love with the books.

I give this series an overall rating of 4.5 stars and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to read about kick-ass female characters and a unique magic system.
 

Have you read this book or any of the other books in the series?
 

Bye for now
 

Annelies

Candidate - Rachel E. Carter - non-spoiler review

Hi booklovers

This is my non-spoiler review of Candidate, book three in the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter. This book was kindly sent to my by the author - I'm a part of her review team - in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

This will contain spoilers for First Year and Apprentice. Just click on the title to read my reviews. I read this book for the Of Wonderland Book Club on Goodreads. February's theme was 'badass females'.

Title: Candidate

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story: 
This story takes place after Darren announced that both his and Blayne's engagements were off and that he wanted to marry Ryiah instead. It goes without saying that the road to their marriage isn't without obstacles. This book also deals with the upcoming Candidacy, in which the three new coloured Robes will be chosen. Of course, both Ryiah and Darren want the Black Robe, but only one can win and the competion is very brutal. Meanwhile, the rebels also gain strength. During the year leading up to their marriage, Ryiah discovers that not everything is what it seems.

*Characters: 
-Ryiah: After the previous book I had almost given up on liking Ryiah, just because she was so fickle in that story. In this book, however, she totally redeems herself. She again goes through so many changes and emotions it's a miracle she doesn't (completely) crumble.
SPOILER:
Two events made me really feel sorry for her, the first one being when Derrick dies at the hand of Mira. The second one was when she discovered who the real villain is, i.e. Blayne.

-Darren: I really liked how he finally stood up for himself and his love for Ryiah. But true to his nature, he still did things I wanted to strangle him for; like being a very stubborn mule!
 

-Derrick: He really plays a very important part in this story, but I was surprised to see where the storyline eventually took him. We also get to see a totally different side of him during the events of the Candidacy and it wasn't a pretty one.

SPOILER:

What the hell was wrong with him, reacting like that towards Ryiah during the trials. It wasn't her fault what happened to Alex.

-Alex & Ella: We don't get to see all that much of them, but when we do get their story it's packed with - sometimes very raw - emotions.
 
*Plot/Worldbuilding/Overall rating:
This book was so fast-paced and action-packed. Especially the last chapters left my head spinning. I like that we got to see some new places. I also enjoyed that Ryiah gets the chance to be the Combat Mage that she's always wanted to be before she has to stay at the king's palace and her marriage to Darren. Otherwise, it would have seemed like all her training was in vain.
The book ended on such a cliffhanger that I was really happy that book 4 has already been released, otherwise I would have gone mad having to wait to continue reading.

Have you read this book or any of the other books in the series?

Bye for now

Annelies

Apprentice by Rachel E. Carter - Non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

This is my spoiler-free review of Apprentice - book two in the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter. This book was kindly sent to my by the author - I'm a part of her review team - in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

This will contain spoilers for First Year. You can find my review of First Year here. I read this book for the Of Wonderland Book Club on Goodreads. February's theme is 'badass females'.

Title: Apprentice

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story:
Ryiah has been chosen as the 6th Combat mage apprentice. In this book we go through her training from year 1 'till year 4 (their 2nd 'till 5th year at the Academy). In this book we mainly focus on the training, the mock battles and the relationships.
There is a lot of action but also travelling from training place to training place and of course there's love.

*Characters:
-Ryiah: In the prequel novella and the first book I wanted to strangle Darren for being so arrogant, but in this book it was Ryiah's turn to be strangled. I got so frustrated with her at times. She was so indecisive when it came to her love interests: hot - cold - hot - cold.
SPOILER:
I liked the fact that there wasn't a love triangle in the first book, so I was a bit disappointed that there was one in this book.
What I did really like about Ryiah was how she fought for everything she was worth, she didn't take anything for granted. She became an even stronger person when it came to her mage training, but she remained so fickle towards her love interests. It annoyed the hell out of me.
 
-Darren: What can I say about Darren? He continues to be his charming, pleasant self. In other words: I still wanted to smack him on the head on several occasions. We do get to see more of his personal/emotional side, though, but I still didn't like some of his decisions and actions! Although his stupid behaviour was explained in the end, in didn't redeem everything he did.
 
-Alex: This is a sidecharacter that goes through so many changes and so much growth, I really liked that. (Even though he acted like such a dick sometimes.) I loved how concerned he was about Ryiah and Ella.
SPOILER:
I wanted to strangle him for what he did to Ella, but I'm glad they got together at last.
 
-Ella: Another wonderful sidecharacter that really comes into her own. She is strong-minded and determined to succeed in her training. I really enjoyed her interaction with Ryiah. They still bring out the best in each other.

-Priscilla: She is still such an unbelievably big bitch, but at least she's an honest bitch even though she's very selfish.

-Blayne: I never thought he would be so much like his father, but he is. In fact, I think he's even worse than his father. I do not like him at all, he's such a spoiled brat and a monster.

-Ian: He's a nice addition to the set of charachters, he was funny, nice, sweet, cute :-) I felt so sorry for him when Ryiah did what she did to him.
SPOILER:
As I said, I didn't like the love triangle. Granted, most of the time we think that Darren doesn't want Ryiah anymore, but it was still a low thing of her to do.
 
-Derrick: I loved Ryiah and Alex' little brother. He was so witty and he really knew what he wanted. I hope we'll get to see more of him in book 3.
 
*Plot:
This book is again a bit heavy on the fighting and training, but that is of course still very much a part of their routines. The pacing of this story is different from the first book in the sense that we go through four years in one book. We get a lot more worldbuilding in this book since the apprentices move from place to place during their training.

I also very much enjoyed the further development of the magic system. In this book we are introduced to weather casting, a type of magic where you have to draw from a very powerful emotion to be able to cast lightning. I think this is such a cool concept. 
I also like that their magic isn't limitless. The mages have to build their stamina or their casting doesn't last very long.
 
I really enjoyed this book, but I couldn't give it a full five stars because Ryiah got on my nerves so many times with her indecisiveness it wasn't funny anymore. But I still gave it a solid 4 stars.

I'm currently reading and enjoying book three: Candidate.

Have you read this book or the previous one? Let me know in the comments.
 
Bye for now.
 
Annelies

First Year by Rachel E. Carter - non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

I got this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't affect my opinion of the book.

Title: First Year

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story:
This book starts with the final scenes of Non-Heir but from Ryiah's POV. We follow Ryiah on her journey to becoming an apprentice at the Academy. She's a lowborn girl coming to the Academy to try and get a place as an apprentice. The only problem is there are only 15 places and there are 122 people starting the year. Through a lot of (harsh) training only those who really have what it takes make it 'till the end of the year. Ryiah has to fight and prove herself from day 1, because she is not one of the highborns who have had years of training and she still has a lot to learn. Also, from the start she has both friends and enemies who all play their part in her journey.

*Characters:
-Ryiah: She is a strong character who doesn't give up at the first sign of difficulties. She grows stronger throughout the story - both litteraly and figuratively speaking. There were, however, moments in the book where I just wanted to grab her by the shoulders, give her a shake and tell her that she should believe in herself and that she knew she had every right to be there.
 

-Ella: I liked how feisty she is and how she didn't let what happened to her with Blayne get her down. On the contrary, it made her stronger and more determined to become a Combat mage apprentice. I really appreciated that even though she was highborn and Ryiah wasn't, she immediately had a connection with Ryiah. I think they really brought out the best in each other. I was really happy that we got to see more of her.
 

-Alex: Ryiah's twin and the complete opposite. He's an extreme flirt and also a bit more confident. But, he also has a soft and caring side to him. That's why he wants to become a Restoration mage apprentice. I loved his bantering with Ella, it made me laugh out loud at times.
SPOILER:
I liked how their love was slow-burning and it wasn't until the very end of the book that they might make a move. I'm curious to see how it will develop. And yay, no love triangle here!

-Darren: Although I had been warned that I was going to want to smack him on the head just like in Non-Heir I found the urge to do so not to be so big. Sure, he is still his arrogant, cocky, brooding self - he is one of the best first year's at the Academy and knows it and acts accordingly - but we also get to see a different side of him. At times, however, I did find it hard  to fathom him completely. Why did he help Ryiah at times and work against her at other occasions?!

-Priscilla: Oh how I hate that character. She has everything and she bests almost every girl at the Academy but it's still not enough for her. She has it in for Ryiah from day 1, because Ryiah is lowborn and Priscilla will use every chance she gets to boycot her. And yet her attitude is partly what makes Ryiah more determined to succeed. So in a way she also helped Ryiah. But that doesn't take away the fact that she's a total bitch.
 

-Eve: I thoroughly regret that we only get glimpses of her throughout this story. I would have very much liked to know more about her first year at the Academy. This is one of the reasons I didn't give the book a full 5 stars.

*Plot/worldbuilding:
I found the worldbuilding to be a bit lacking. Sure, they spend all of their time at the Academy and some parts are 'explained', but I still would have liked to see a bit more of it.
I also found the training and fight scenes to be a bit much sometimes and certain events were even a bit repetitive. I get that there is a certain routine they follow, but still.
What I did immensly enjoy was the magic system: those who have magic have to project what they want to cast. I don't think I've ever read anything like this before. I'm also quite intrigued by the concept of pain casting and I wonder if we'll get to see more of it in book two.
SPOILER:
I liked that not all mages are pain casters and I'm curious to see who'll become the best at it: Darren or Ryiah? Her pain casting is also the reason the Black Mage chose her to be the sixth Combat mage apprentice.

*Overall rating:
The ending of the book had me in tears and they were tears of frustration. Not frustration for the book, but for what Ryiah went through at the very end.
SPOILER:
I know it's stupid because I knew there was no way she wasn't going to become an apprentice. But I was so absorbed in the story that I felt Ryiah's pain and rejection when Priscilla's name was called out as the last Combat mage apprentice.
To me, feeling those emotions when reading a book even though you know things have to work out for the main character, shows that it is a well-written book.

I can't wait to dive into the second book and see how Ryiah comes into her own and if Darren will still be his 'charming' brooding self. (At the moment of posting this, I've actually already finished it :-) )

Have you read this book? Let me know in the comments.
 

Bye for now
 

Annelies

A Lost Legacy: Awakening by C.E. Dimond - spoiler free review

Hi booklovers

A while ago I started following author C.E. Diamond on Instagram and she was giving away review e-copies of her first book. The story sounded interesting so I decided to ask for a copy. So, here's my non-spoiler review. The fact that this was sent to me for free in return for an honest review doesn't affect my opinion of the book.

Title: A Lost Legacy: Awakening.

Author: C.E. Dimond

Genre: YA, paranormal, witches

Format: e-book

*Story:

Meet Finn - Fionnuala - a 16 year-old girl. It's the beginning of a new school year and she's not really looking forward to it. Luckily, her best friend Tyler will be there as well. Finn seems to be your average teenager, but she's been having these strange dreams lately. Strange things start to happen around her. Then she meets Eamon, who recently moved to her town. When Finn's mother disappears, Eamon comes to - reluctantly - help her and the story takes off from there.

*Characters:

-Finn: I liked Finn as a character. She goes through a lot of things very quickly, but she somehow manages to get through it more or less okay. Although, I did sometimes feel that this went a bit too smoothly, but more about that later.

-Tyler: We don't really get to know him that well yet, but I have a feeling we might get to see more of him in the next part of the story. He's not your typical football playing teenage boy with all the girls flocking around him. He's actually genuinly concerned about Finn. You can tell early on in the story that he's in love with Finn, although she doesn't seem to notice this.

-Eamon: At first, I hated Eamon with a passion. He is such an arrogant prick, who's a so full of himself. He redeemed himself a bit because of what happened in his pas, but he still wasn't my favourite character.

- Of all the side characters, I liked Neely best. He's a very likeable, down to earth kind of guy.

*Plot:

At first I found the story moved along very quickly, a bit too quickly to my liking. Everything started happening really fast and I felt like the author didn't really take the time to explain things well enough. I also thought that Finn accepted her new found abilities and everything that was happening to her a bit too easily. She doesn't question the things that are taking place enough in my opinion. This rapid succession of events also made me feel like the author jumped around a lot in the story (for lack of a better way to describe it). Later on the story became more coherent and I enjoyed it a lot more. The storyline is much more developped which definitely helps the story. There's also more worldbuilding later on in the book. I started to get more into the story and because of the sort of cliffhanger ending I'm curious to see what will happen next.

*Overall rating:

I gave this story 3.5 stars. I couldn't give it a higher rating because of the beginning of the story. Beware that there are still some spelling and punctuation errors in the story, but that didn't really bother me - I just highlighted them, because the teacher in me couldn't resist :-)

Will I be reading the sequel? (It doesn't come out until next year :-( ) I'm pretty sure I will. 

Will I be reading the prequel? I'm not sure yet, because the prequel is from Eamon's POV and I'm not his biggest fan. But the premise does sound pretty good, so who knows...

So, if you want to read a story about modern-time witches and warlocks, this could be the book for you.

I would like to thank to C.E. Dimond for the chance to read and review this book.

Bye for now

Annelies