Category Archives: Young Adult Fantasy

Title: Dragonswood

Author: Janet Lee Carey

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: January 5th, 2012

Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.

In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I am a huge fan of dragons; this is a pretty well-known fact. So I saw this book and immediately had to have it. While the dragons are not the main focus of the story, they still play a large role in it and I loved seeing Janet’s take on how dragons would be in this world.

Dragonswood follows the life of Tess. She lives with her mother and abusive father and longs for something more. She is not quite sure what she is missing, but knows she is not happy with her life now. She also wants to meet a man that can love her without hitting her. Tess is an easy character to love, but she has a hard road ahead of her. One day she gets accused of witchcraft and is tortured for information about others like her. While under the cruelty of the witch hunter she inadvertently gives up the names of her two best friends and they will soon be hunted down as well. The three of them are forced to flee the city they have grown up in and seek shelter elsewhere. One of Tess’s most admirably qualities is her fierce loyalty. She did not mean to turn her friends in, but not that she has endangered them she will do everything she can to help them become safe again.

Her two friends, Poppy and Meg, were good to Tess and helped out when they could, but I did not love them as much as I might have been meant too. They were whiny at times and that is the one quality that bothers me the most. Poppy was also just downright rude to Tess at times. Her arrogance and cruel comments irked me and I just wanted to shout at her to be quiet. Meg was not mean, but she was very self-absorbed at times. I don’t know how Tess remained so humble and loyal with the kind of people she was surrounded with, but it made me love her all the more. She always thought of others before herself and it made her a great leading character.

As for the fantasy world, it was amazing! Janet painted a gorgeous picture of a world where dragons are spotted often and humans have been known to mingle with fairies. It was absolutely magical and I wanted to dive right into the pages so I could see it all for myself. There is another book set in this same world, Dragon’s Keep, but I have not read it yet. I know it came out before this one, but I was not at all confused reading them out of order. They are not part of a series, but some events that took place in Dragon’s Keep were mentioned in this book. I will be looking into that book now that I have read this one, but you can read them in any order without it making a difference.

The romance in this book was subtle and always in the background, but I liked it that way. The plot did not need the romance to be featured at all times to be addicting. The story and the events that took place in Dragonswood kept me glued to the pages and the sweet, slow building romance was just a bonus! The guy Tess is interested in, Garth, is an honorable man and takes Tess and her friends in when he could have easily turned them in to the witch hunter. He takes care of them and the subtle hints that he was starting to care for Tess were so cute. I loved watching their relationship grow and develop from being strangers to two people who cared very much.

Overall, I really enjoyed getting to know Tess and her world in Dragonswood. I soaked up every detail of this world and loved getting lost in it. The road was not easy and there were many moments where my heart ached for Tess and the challenges she faced, but I would not change on minute of it. This book is a must read for any fantasy lovers!

FTC: I received this ARC from the Early Reviews Program on LibraryThing

Title: Torn

Author: Erica O’Rourke

Release Date: June 28th, 2011

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Everyone has secrets. Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the ‘L’, a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it’s directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn’t pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, “Run, Mo!”

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend’s murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she’ll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I was offered the second book in this series by the publisher. I had not heard of the series before, but when I looked it on Goodreads it sounded really interesting. I had some time before the second book released and I wanted to read book one first anyways. I know that some people can read books out of order, but I am not one of them, plus I hate feeling like I am missing something. So I went to the bookstore and picked up Torn and began reading.

The first thing I want to address is how perfect this title is for this book. Our main character, Mo, is torn in many different directions. She has just lost her best friend, Verity, in a brutal murder that she witnessed. She has no idea who is behind the attack, but she knows the culprits don’t seem to be human. She is desperate to learn more about what happened to Verity and ends up getting thrust into a world of magic that she is neither prepared for, nor understands. She is also guilt stricken over not being able to help Verity and feels obligated to do all she can to avenge her death.

We are going to have to talk about this love triangle now. If you follow my blog or reviews at all then you probably know I am not a fan of them. I think a lot of it has to do with just me wanting the guy I am rooting for to not end up broken hearted, lol. I know selfish right? But I also don’t like how sometimes they can be added to a book just to add tension where really it is not necessary. However, I am going to admit to the fact that the love triangle in this book actually makes total sense. Why you might ask? Well, as the title says, Mo is torn, she has two roads she can take in her life and the guys represent part of those choices. Luc, is a little dark, a little dangerous and he will take Mo on a perilous journey she is not sure if she is ready for. He is also a direct connection to Verity and Mo is not sure if Luc likes her for who she is or if she is just a substitute for Verity. The other guy, Colin, is safe, reliable and will help protect her from any harm that might come her way. While I can say I did not like him at the beginning of the novel, he grew on me and he seems to genuinely care for Mo and it made him very endearing. I can honestly see Mo going with either of them; the problem is she needs to decide who she is and what she really wants out of life. Only then will her heart lead her to the guy she is meant to be with and the path she is meant to walk.

As for the plot, I really appreciated the beginning of the book because we get to jump right into it. There is no fluffy filler introduction and I was so happy to just get down to the action. The book opens with the aftereffects of the attack on Mo and Verity and how Mo is trying to deal with it. The problem is Verity was supposed to be the savior for so many, but was killed. Have you noticed that in paranormal or fantasy books there is always a prophecy, but it always seems to get fulfilled somehow in the end, by who it is that is destined to fill it? Well, that was supposed to be Verity and she died, so now what? Mo is trying her best to step up, but she has no magic so how much can she really help? She is also frustrated because so many decisions are being made for her and her free will is being revoked. I can understand how frustrating that must be for her. Torn is about Mo trying to discover who killed her friend, but it is also a journey of self-discovery. She really thought she was one person, but now that she is being challenged she is discovering that she might actually be someone completely different. There is a passage in the book that sums it up pretty well. It is Mo mentally venting after someone else is tells her what to do.

“God, I was tired of people telling me how careful I needed to be. There’s been too much change- Verity’s death, Kowalski’s prying, Luc’s evasiveness-careful and quiet didn’t fit me anymore. It was unsettling. Lonely, too. I spent seventeen years quietly following every rule in the book. And it had turned out okay, mostly. But Verity’s death had cracked my life in two-before and after- and nothing worked the way it was supposed to.”

Life changes people, events change people, and we are witnesses to Mo’s changes in Torn. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book and am so thankful I already have the second book on hand so I can keep going on this journey with Mo. Erica has written a fascinating world that has a little bit of everything. I am excited to see what will happen to Mo after the events at the end of this book and look forward to more from Erica in the future.

Title: Kiss of Frost

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Release Date: November 29th, 2011

Logan Quinn was try­ing to kill me. My Spar­tan class­mate relent­lessly pur­sued me, swing­ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin­ing sil­ver blade inch­ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac­ti­cally glowed with the thrill of battle…

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword…

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: I was very excited to dive back into the world of Gwen Frost. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, Touch or Frost (review here), and looked forward to seeing what was happening to Gwen after the events that transpired in the first book.

We pick up a couple of weeks after the battle in the library and things have settled down and gone back to normal. Well almost normal, there have been a couple of changes in Gwen’s life. For example, she now has combat training with Logan and his friends in the mornings before class. She did not grow up learning how to shoot a bow and arrow or wield a sword like her classmates did and since she now finds herself with a target on her back it is important she learns how to defend herself.

One of the best elements of these books is our main character, Gwen. She is a strong lead and stands up for what she believes in. She has been through so much in her life and she bears her burdens well and is not whiny like some teenage girls her age can be. She does need to work on her trust issues at times and let others help her, but at a school where violence and betrayal is an everyday occurrence, I cannot really fault her for guarding her secrets carefully. I always enjoy being in her head and her general attitude towards life. She is a great character and Jennifer has made it very easy to adore her.

I also love the secondary characters in this series. Especially Gwen’s pink loving best friend Daphne. That Valkyrie cracks me up with her short temper and complete devotion to her band geek boyfriend, Carson. She is very supportive of Gwen and is always willing to help where she can. We don’t get to see as much of her in this book since her and Carson are always trying to sneak away together, but I still think she is a great character.

I can’t review this book without talking about the romance. While Logan is still trying to keep his distance from Gwen, she is still crushing on him, hard. When she is with him, his words say one thing, but his actions say another. Poor Gwen is left trying to decipher what he is really thinking and always comes away confused. I am still rooting for these two even though I know Logan is trying to guard his heart. We get a little peak into the reasons behind his aloofness, but I still think there is plenty more to discover about that Spartan. One of my favorite scenes between Gwen and Logan comes a little later in the book, but I am just going to give you a quick snippet so it is not spoilery.

“I am glad you came looking for me,” I finally said…

Logan gave me a crooked grin. “I’ll always come looking for you, Gypsy girl.”

I am not going to put any more because you have to read it to see what happens next, but don’t moments like that just make you think “aww, they are so cute!”? Well, that is what goes through my head at least. They have such an innocent and sweet relationship. I really want them to work through the issues keeping them apart so they can be together, but I think only time will reveal how their relationship will develop.

As for the plot, I get so involved in these books and read them so quickly I am almost done before I come up for a breath. There is always so much going on and Jennifer has a way of sucking you in so deeply that you cannot even begin to try and put the book down. Gwen is being pursued by the Reapers and danger seems to wait around every corner for her. She is not sure who she can trust and there were quite a few plot twists thrown in there that I did not see coming at all. I did figure out some of the mysteries surrounding Gwen before she did, but I still relished watching her riddle it all out for herself. We also get a plethora of new information revealed to us and I could not believe some of the revelations Gwen uncovered.

I also enjoy the mix of mythology that is encompassed in this world. Greek, Egyptian, Roman, they all have a place here and the fusion of those any many more was fascinating. I have always been a lover of mythology and getting to see so many of them come together to make up one world is so intriguing and had me soaking up every the detail Jennifer gave to us.

Overall, this is another thrilling edition to this series and I enjoyed every minute of it. Jennifer gives you a little bit of everything, a budding romance that you can cheer for, an adorable and resilient main character, a cast of lovable secondary characters and an overall mystery that will keep you glued to the pages. I cannot wait for the next installment to see what Gwen will do with all the information she now possess.