Category Archives: Books

Mini Book Review: Beauty

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Beauty CoverBook: Beauty by Nancy Ohlin

Published May 2010 by Simon Pulse|118 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy/Re-telling

You can find Beauty on goodreads & Nancy Ohlin on twitter, facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own, including her only daughter. And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain and earn her mother’s affection, she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.

At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires. But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?

What I Thought:

I liked Beauty!  It’s such an interesting take on Snow White, and it makes me want to read more re-tellings featuring Snow White.

I was struck by what Ana did to stay plain in order to earn her mother’s love, and what her mother did to stay beautiful, including sending away her own daughter to an Academy and giving out orders to have Ana killed. It definitely makes you think about how obsessed with beauty and youth some people are, and what people will do to retain that beauty and youth. Potions and pills and sending away girls to the Academy, only to give them pills that make them beautiful before making them sick.  Queen Veda really will do anything she feels she needs to, even it means taking the beauty and youth from the girls at the Academy.

I also liked the Academy, which wasn’t what it seemed- the Academy was interesting but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.

The one thing about Beauty that made it hard to love (or even really like) was the length.  It’s not much over 100 pages, and I felt like the idea, the world and the characters weren’t as fleshed out or as detailed as I would have liked.  It seemed like nothing really got the attention it deserved, which is sad, because the story itself is really intriguing and different.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Beauty, and while it does make you think, I also wish it were a little longer, because not a lot was explained.  Beauty gets 3 stars.

Audio Book Review: Crow

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Crow CoverBook: Crow by Barbara Wright, narrated by J.D. Jackson

Published July 2013 by Listening Library|Run Time: 7 hours, 28 minutes

Where I Got It: from audible.com

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

You can find Crow on goodreads & Barbara Wright on twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

The summer of 1898 is filled with ups and downs for 11-year-old Moses. He’s growing apart from his best friend, his superstitious Boo-Nanny butts heads constantly with his pragmatic, educated father, and his mother is reeling from the discovery of a family secret. Yet there are good times, too. He’s teaching his grandmother how to read. For the first time she’s sharing stories about her life as a slave. And his father and his friends are finally getting the respect and positions of power they’ve earned in the Wilmington, North Carolina, community. But not everyone is happy with the political changes at play and some will do anything, including a violent plot against the government, to maintain the status quo.

One generation away from slavery, a thriving African American community—enfranchised and emancipated—suddenly and violently loses its freedom in turn of the century North Carolina when a group of local politicians stages the only successful coup d’etat in US history.

What I Thought:

I am so glad I listened to Crow!  I didn’t even know that there were race riots in Wilmington in 1898, or that it was the only successful coup d’etat in U.S. history, and I really want to know more!

What I really like about this book is that it takes place a generation after the Civil War.  As far as civil rights and politics go, it’s definitely an unusual time period- at least, in my experience with middle grade/YA historical fiction.  I really love it when historical fiction focuses on something I’ve never heard about, because I also want to learn more, and this book is no exception to that.

I don’t know much about the South during that time period, but I really liked seeing how Moses dealt with his family, friends, and people in Wilmington, and how aware he was of what had happened, and what was going on.  It really is a good look at what someone’s life might have been like during that time.  I could picture everything so well, and there is a lot of detail.

It did start off slow, and it took awhile to get to the actual riots and events of what happened that year.  It made it hard to get into at first, because I wasn’t sure where things were going, but I did like that we saw what things were like before this happened.  I also LOVED that there was an author’s note at the end of the book, explaining what happened and where the author got her inspiration for the book.  It doesn’t seem too common in middle grade/YA historical fiction, so it was nice to hear it.

I thought it was fine as an audio book, and the narrator…he fit, and yet he didn’t.  I did feel like there wasn’t much variation in his tone- there was something sort of monotone about his voice, and I couldn’t listen to it in the car, because something about  his voice was very soothing, and kind of made me want to sleep, which isn’t good when you’re trying to drive.  Yet I could picture him as a 12-year-old boy.

Let’s Rate It: 

Overall, I really liked Crow, and I feel inspired to learn more about what happened in Wilmington in 1898.  I have mixed feelings about the narrator but overall, I liked the narration too.  Crow gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Dirty Little Secret

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Dirty Little Secret CoverBook: Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Published July 2013 by Gallery Books|225 pages

Where I Got It: from the Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Dirty Little Secret on goodreads & Jennifer Echols on twitter, facebook & her website

Goodreads Summary: 

From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

What I Thought:

After reading (and loving) Such A Rush last year, I knew I had to start reading Jennifer Echols’ other books, so I started off with Dirty Little Secret.  I did like it, but I didn’t completely fall in love with it.

On paper, it seems like the kind of book I would love.  It’s set in Nashville and focuses on country music, and is about a girl trying to deal with being pushed to the background while her sister’s music career takes off.  I totally understand why Bailey acted the way she did, given her sister got a record deal, and all of a sudden, it was like she never existed.

There is a certain simplicity in this story, and there’s something very quiet about it too, which I really like. But there’s also a part of me that wishes it were a little bit louder.  I love that Bailey and Sam are following their dreams, and that Bailey decides that she is going to follow hers, no matter what, and even when it something that the people around you don’t want for you.

I did like that it’s set in Nashville and focuses on country music, because I love country music.  I was actually reminded of the t.v. show Nashville, and there’s something about going for your musical dreams in both shows that are really similar.

Back to Bailey and Sam: they are interesting on their own, but I didn’t really like them together- I just felt no spark or chemistry between them.

I love the relationship that Bailey seems to have with her grandpa, but I really wish we got to see a little of what her life was like before Julie got her record deal.  I felt like I didn’t have enough context for how bad things were between Bailey and her parents, and even Julie and Bailey before they seemed to work it out.  I think things would have made a lot more sense if I had that history.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Dirty Little Secret, mostly because it’s set in Nashville and is about country music!  It didn’t have the emotional impact that Such A Rush did, but it was still a fun and slightly dramatic read.  Dirty Little Secret gets 3 stars.

ARC Book Review: M.I.A.: Missing In Attman

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MIA Missing In Atman CoverBook: M.I.A.: Missing In Atman by Michelle Reed

Expected Publication is December 16, 2014 by Month9Books|Expected Number Of Pages: 325

Where I Got It: I got a digital ARC directly from Month9, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: Atman City #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find M.I.A.: Missing In Atman on goodreads & Michelle Reed on twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative.

In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers to an unresolved piece of her life. 

It begins as all their adventures do, but as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons wielding ancient powers.

In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly, pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the vast world that is Atman.

What I Thought:

I liked M.I.A.!  Not as much as the first book in the series, but I still liked it!

In the first book, I really liked seeing Dez deal with what happened to her (but also starting to accept what happened), and I feel like that wasn’t there as much.  She does have new things to deal with, like seeing an entry in Crosby’s calendar, which then leads to all sorts of craziness that happens.

I don’t get why Dez dealt with the secret the way she did, and I don’t know if it’s something that I didn’t remember from the first book, or if it’s something that Dez didn’t really think about or deal with before or if it’s going somewhere in the next book, because I felt like it was ignored once everything else started happening.

We did see more of Atman, and some of its inhabitants- some good, others, not so much.  I liked seeing more of Atman, and some of the people there, but for reasons I can’t figure out, they didn’t strike me as much as the characters we meet in the first book.

And with what happens at the end, I have no idea where things are headed, and how they’ll turn out.  They really could go in any direction, so I’m curious to see how everything comes together, and how it all will end.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked the story, even though how Dez dealt with one thing in particular didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Still, I liked seeing more of Atman itself and some of the people there, even if I didn’t like the story as much as the first book.  M.I.A.: Missing In Atman gets 3 stars.

ARC Book Review: Lifer

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Lifer CoverBook: Lifer by Beck Nicholas

Expected Publication is November 16, 2014 by Month9Books|Expected Number Of Pages: 330

Where I Got It: I got an digital ARC directly from Month9Books, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic

You can find Lifer on goodreads

Goodreads Summary: 

Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents’ crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.

Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.

On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. But sometimes the past is better left buried.

As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to. Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.

What I Thought:

Lifer…I have thoughts on Lifer!  I liked it, but not as much as I thought.  I really liked Asher’s story, and the structure of the people on the ship was interesting and different, but also familiar.  Generations being punished because of what their ancestors did- it’s something I can see happening (and probably has happened in the past), and I hope it doesn’t happen again (even though it probably will).

Blank’s story wasn’t as intriguing to me, and I get why his story is told the way it is, but it also made it hard for me to care about his story, and trying to figure out what happened and who he is.  Still, I liked seeing how it connected to Asher’s story.

This is one of those books where I wish it were a series, because I’m still not quite sure what the deal is with the alien attack or the Upheaval or The Company.  It’s possible I missed something, and the story did come together by the end of the book, but I really wanted to know more about what was going on. and how this world came to be.

The structure on the ship was really interesting- the Nauts are at the top, the Lifers are at the bottom, and the Fishies are in the middle.  I wish it were explored a little more, because while I got a sense of the divides between the groups, I also wish we saw more of it.

Let’s Rate It:

I like the idea of people trying to escape aliens by going to space, and the structure of the ship, and what earth is like after everything happened.  I liked seeing how Asher and Blank’s story connected, and Asher’s story was interesting, but I also wanted to know more about what this world was like and how it got to the way it was in the book.  Lifer gets 3 stars.

ARC Book Review: Princess Of Thorns

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Princess Of Thorns CoverBook: Princess Of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Expected Publication is December 9, 2014 by Delacorte Press|Expected Number Of Pages: 278 pages

Where I Got It: I received a digital advanced copy from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale Re-telling

You can find Princess Of Thorns on goodreads & Stacey Jay on twitter, facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm’s fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora’s throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it’s too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

What I Thought:

I was really intrigued with Princess Of Thorns, mostly because I know there are a few Sleeping Beauty re-tellings out there (even though I have yet to read any of them).  While I liked Princess Of Thorns, it wasn’t as much as I expected.

I liked the idea of Aurora being blessed with fairy gifts, and how she can’t kiss any male because of a curse.  I also liked that she was trying to take back the throne from an Ogre Queen, because of this prophecy that will usher in a new age that involves ogres taking over.

I thought we got the right amount of information we needed about this world.  Everything made sense, but there were times when I wanted to know more!  With stand-alone fantasy and re-tellings, I always worry that one book won’t be enough to know what we need to know about the world, but I found that Princess Of Thorns was fast-paced (and also well-paced), and had the right amount of detail.

I still wanted to know more about Aurora’s childhood, and what happens after the end of the book, and the different groups of people.  I wanted to know more about how this world came to be and some of the very much in the background characters. Especially the real antagonist.

I will say that I really liked seeing Aurora and Niklaas change over the course of the book, and how they both had some things to overcome, and I wish we had more time to see it happen.

I know the basics of the Disney version (and not surprisingly, there is no connection between the two) but since I’m not familiar with the original tale of Sleeping Beauty, I am not completely sure how much it follows the actual tale.

Let’s Rate It:

Overall, I really liked Princess Of Thorns, because I thought Jay did a great job with telling the story in a really simple way. I do wish that this book was the first book in a series,  because I wanted to know more about this world.  Princess Of Thorns gets 4 stars.

ARC Book Review: The Night House

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The Night House CoverBook: The Night House by Rachel Tafoya

Expected Publication is December 9, 2014 by Month9Books|331 pages

Where I Got: I got an advanced copy directly from Month9Books, which hasn’t influenced my review in way.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Paranormal- Vampires

You can find The Night House on goodreads & Rachel Tafoya on twitter and on tumblr

Goodreads Summary: 

Bianca St. Germain works at a Night House, a place where vampires like the aristocratic Jeremiah Archer, pay to feed on humans, and she doesn’t much care what others think of her. The money is good, and at least there, she’s safe. Bianca also doesn’t care that the Night House is killing her. All she cares about is: nauth, the highly addictive poison in vampire bites that brings a euphoria like no drug ever could.

But when Bianca meets James, a reclusive empath who feels everything she does, for the first time, she considers a life outside of the Night House and a someone worth living for. But Jeremiah has decided to keep Bianca for himself; he won’t allow her to walk away.

As she allows her feelings for James to grow, she struggles to contain nauth’s strong hold on her life. If they are to have a future, James must make her see what she’s worth, what she means to him, before Jeremiah and nauth claim her for good.

What I Thought:

I wasn’t sure about The Night House at first, but as I kept reading, I was pulled in Bianca’s world, and wanted to keep reading to figure out what her world was like and what was going on.

I thought the idea of Night Houses to be really interesting.  A place where vampires can feed, and yet they are places that most people don’t seem to be aware of…it’s different.  And nauth is also really different but in a good way.  Everything Tafoya does with vampires is really believable (at least, it is to me).

Also: there definitely seems to be a structure with the vampires- kings and monarchs and regular vampires, and they all have their own territories.

What’s odd is that The Night House is a stand-alone book, which seems really rare for a paranormal.  And yet, it works really well.  Bianca’s world felt so detailed, even though I still have quite a few questions.  Like, I feel like there’s so much more to the vampire social structure, and James, this empath.  There have to be other people with abilities, right?  I’m really curious to know if there are, and if there are other hidden worlds in this one.

Bianca’s world unravels as we keep reading, and we get enough of her world to know what’s going on. Normally, I like to know as much about a world as possible, especially with a paranormal world.  And yet, I liked learning more about this world.  It definitely felt like Tafoya knew so much more about Bianca’s world then what we get in the book.  At least, that’s what it felt like to me, because I really felt like I was in this world.

Initially, I wasn’t sure about The Night House, because I felt confused about what was going on.  Things didn’t really make sense to me, but I’m really glad I stuck with it, because it really is a unique take on vampires.

Let’s Rate It:

The Night House was such a pleasant surprise!  I really like this world, and it’s full of detail, even though we only get what we need to know.  The Night House gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Dead Jed 2: Dawn Of The Jed

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Dead Jed 2 CoverBook: Dead Jed 2: Dawn Of The Jed by Scott Craven

Expected Publication is in December 2014 by Month9Books|Expected Number Of Pages: 236

Where I Got It: I got an advanced copy directly from Month9Books, which hasn’t influenced my review in anyway.  Promise!

Series: Dead Jed #2

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary with a hint of Zombie

You can find Dead Jed 2 on goodreads

Goodreads Summary: 

The first part of seventh grade was rough on Jed, but things are looking up now that Christmas is almost here. As with past Christmases, Jed asks for the one thing he’s always wanted–a dog–and again, his parents tell him they’re not ready. But fate has a different plan when Jed sees a dog get run over by a car. Then, it happens. Jed suddenly has a pet, Tread, a zombie dog bearing his namesake–a tire tread down his back. Jed may have gained a dog, but he loses his best friend Luke, who fears the way Jed created his undead pet.

When Jed returns to school, he finds a mysterious group called the No Zombies Now Network spreading rumors of the dangers the undead pose to normal people. Forced to disprove Hollywood stereotypes, Jed has his work cut out for him as stories of a zombie dog begin to circulate. Jed could be expelled if he can’t expose the NZN Network as a fraud. Jed needs help from his kind of girlfriend Anna, especially after he discovers Luke has joined the shadowy group.

Once again navigating the treacherous waters of middle school, Jed does his best to stay in one piece. Only this time he’ll need even more duct tape and staples than usual.

What I Thought:

I really liked Dead Jed 2!

It’s such a fun, cool book about a kid who just happens to be a zombie.  I liked the first Dead Jed book, but I liked this one a lot more.  I think it’s because we already know Jed and what’s going on in his life.

I think one of my favorite things about this book was Tread!  Tread and Jed are a pretty good pair, especially since they’re both zombies.  Jed has a lot of challenges in this book with the NZN Network, and having some problems with Luke because of Tread.

I really liked the science fair, and how it went very, very wrong.  But I also liked that Jed, Anna and Luke wanted to prove the Tech Club wrong.  I’m glad that Luke and Jed are such good friends, and that he also has a good friend in Anna.  I really hope there’s a third book, because I really like this series and I can’t wait to see what else Jed has to deal with.

Let’s Rate It:

I really liked Dead Jed 2.  I like that we went right into his world, and what he has to deal with on a daily basis. It’s something I think a lot of people can relate to, and I was definitely reminded of my middle school years and what it was like.  Dead Jed 2: Dawn Of The Jed gets 4 stars.

Book Review: Fever

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Fever CoverBook: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Published February 2012 by Simon & Schuster|241 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Chemical Garden #2

Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopic

You can find Fever on goodreads & Lauren DeStefano on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

The New York Times bestselling sequel to Wither reveals a world as captivating and as treacherous as the one Rhine left behind.

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they ran away from. Determined to get to Manhattan and find Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan, the two press forward, amid threats of being captured again or worse.

The road they are on is long and perilous in a world where young women only live to age twenty and men die at age twenty-five, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price now that she has more to lose than ever.

What I Thought:

After reading Wither a few months, I finally finished Fever.   I liked Fever,  but really, I have no idea why I liked it.

I think I’m going to start off with what I didn’t like about Fever.

For one thing (and mostly importantly), Fever felt like filler.  It felt really slow, and I felt like not much happened.  I also feel like we didn’t learn much about this world.  We’ll get to that later.

Two, I don’t care about Linden and Rhine, and I didn’t care about Gabriel and Rhine.  The romance (both of them) don’t work for me at all, even though people are getting married to have kids so that people can find an antidote to the young dying so young.  I wished I cared about the romance, and yet, I can’t care.

Three, why on earth would Rhine go in a car with Vaughn?  This makes no sense to me, especially given where she ends up.

And four: Rowan.  All of that trouble to find him, and yet, well, #3.

Wait, five: I didn’t care about any of the characters, even the ones I felt like we were supposed to like.  They were just…there.

And yet, I still find this world interesting.  The carnival?  It was bizarre, and yet it makes sense for this horrible world.  I can totally see places like that popping up all over the place.

And why on earth does Rhine seem to be the key to everything?  Remember reason #1 for why I didn’t like Fever, and how we’d get to world-building?  This is that time.

I know she’s the heroine, and that Vaughn is looking for an antidote, and so Rhine is going to be the key to figuring everything out, but I just really want to know what makes her so important!  I felt like so much more could have been done with her in this book.  But I do find myself wanting to read the last book, just to see what happens.

And I do like the feel of the book.  There’s something very odd yet really realistic about this book that works really well.

Oh, the cover!  It fits the book perfectly, and it does make a lot of sense once you read the book.  I don’t particularly like it, and the first thing I thought was the girl on the cover looks like she’s been drugged. Again, it totally makes sense given what happens in the book but still.

Let’s Rate It:

It’s weird, because I liked this book, but find myself unable to pinpoint WHY I liked the book, so I’m going to go with the vague and not helpful, I just liked it.  Fever gets 3 stars.

Book Review: Mortal Heart

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Mortal Heart CoverBook: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Published November 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|402 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: His Fair Assassins #3

Genre: YA Historical Fiction with a hint of paranormal/fantasy

You can find Mortal Heart on goodreads & Robin LaFevers on twitter, facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has.

What I Thought:

I think Mortal Heart is my favorite book in this series!  I really love Annith, and I think she’s my favorite of the three girls we meet in the series.  She was the one we knew the least about, because she was at the convent, while Ismae and Sybella were off on their missions.

I really connected with Annith, and I could relate to wanting to be good enough to go out serve Death, and being the one who’s supposed to be the Seeress, because she is so obedient.  Of course, we do learn why that is, and it just makes me really dislike the Abbess.  I don’t know that I had thoughts on her before, but with this one?  My dislike of her grew over the course of the book.

I understand why she acted the way she did, but I still can’t like her.

I loved learning more about Annith, who has been such a mystery for most of the series, and I loved seeing her story unfold, because it really is the one that’s the most interesting to me.  She most definitely is not an ordinary daughter of Mortain, and there is a part of me that wished there was a fourth book in the series just to see what happens with the characters after the events of this book.

Granted, each book tells the entire story really well, while also standing alone on it’s own.  This book really makes me wish that Anne got her own story.  I’m really hoping that she does, but either way, I’m totally going to read more about this time period.  I love how the story of the convent and the older gods are intertwined with what was going with France and Brittany, and I’ve loved the historical part of the book.

Let’s Rate It:

Still, while I really liked it, and while Mortal Heart is my favorite book in the series and there are SO MANY THINGS I like about it, at the same time, I didn’t fall in love with it and I don’t know why.  Still, I really do love Annith, and I’m really glad that she got out of the convent.  Mortal Heart gets 4 stars.