The Guinevere Deception : Camelot Rising #1 by Kiersten White - Book review

"Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?"

I did not like this book too much. The basic plot was good and well thought out. The storyline was quite innovative and interesting. However, I hated the main characters and the predictability of how things were going to turn out. I am not a great fan of the writing style either. A lot of the things were unclear and some things have been conveniently forgotten.

I hated everything about Guinevere. Most of all how dependent and whiny she was. Brangien, her maid, would fuss over her at all times, and rather than finding it annoying, Guinevere welcomed it. Her irrational fear of water was taken to such an extent that it got fake and annoying. The author claimed that water had never touched her skin in a long time. An impractical explanation had been provided for how she bathed using magic, but how she washed her hands, drank water and did so many other things was ignored. She could not perform magic in the open for fear of getting caught, so she could not have washed her hands the way she cleaned her body. And while drinking water, it is highly unlikely that not a drop has touched her hands, face or lips in so many years.

Arthur's personality remained unclear and kept changing throughout the book. Sometimes he acted as if he cared for Guinevere, other times he ignored her. Sometimes he put his kingdom before anyone else, and other times it was said that he strived for the safety of men above all else. I had like Mordred, but he too got boring fast. While around Brangien and Guinevere, his only words were "You wound me" whenever they said something he did not approve of. He acted as though he was hiding his feelings for Guinevere so well whereas I could tell right from the start that he liked her. The author should have developed him more and made it either less obvious that he liked her, or shown that everyone could tell he did.

There were also quite a few unclear events and mistakes. Guinevere had been at one place in one line, and suddenly in the next, she was somewhere else. There was a scene in which Guinevere had been healing an injured woman with her magic. The woman had a cut on one side, which was oozing blood. It is simply said in the book that Guinevere cut off and strip of her own skin and attached it to the woman with her magic. It is not specified from where or how she cut the skin, and furthermore, there is no explanation for how she herself is not wounded. One would think that cutting off a patch of skin would cause at least a little blood to come out, but Guinevere is puzzlingly unharmed.

Launcelot's character was unnecessary. She was extremely overrated. Most of the times, she just happened to be in the right place at the right time and did what any knight would. It was quite boring to read the description of her trial fights since it was obvious that she was going to win and be knighted. All the descriptions of her fights seemed fake and the author was randomly making her win.

Ultimately everything that happened in the book had been just like any of us could have predicted from the start. It ended on a partial cliff hanger, but I feel no urge to read the next book. I think I already know what will happen at the end, and the second book will just lead up to it. 

Despite all this, I would give the book a three-and-a-half or four-star review because I liked the plot and it was enjoyable to read. The book was fast-paced and the storyline kept me hooked where the characters could not. Although most parts of it were like all the YAs out there, it was still fun to read. I also really liked the way the book had been printed, and the cover was very cool too.

Unrivaled : Beautiful Idols #1 by Alyson Noel - Book Review (no spoilers)

"Layla Harrison wants to leave her beach-bum days for digs behind a reporter’s desk. Aster Amirpour wants to scream at the next casting director who tells her “we need ethnic but not your kind of ethnic.” Tommy Phillips dreams of buying a twelve-string guitar and using it to shred his way back into his famous absentee dad’s life.

But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her own a long time ago.

Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the glamorous and gritty world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a high-stakes competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies."

I had planned to review this series only after I read all three books. I found it hard to say how much I had liked one without knowing the full story. The start of this book had been slow, which is why I would give it three-and-a-half stars, but I feel like the next two books will be more interesting. The basic plot and story-line were quite interesting, and if not for the time it took to pick up, I would have liked it much more.

It follows three people as they lead their Hollywood lives in LA. Layla wants to be a news reporter someday, and for now, runs a blog called Beautiful Idols. Tommy moved to Los Angeles from Oklahoma. He dreams of becoming a musician and works in a shop to earn money till his career takes off. Aster has always wanted to be a famous actress. Although her parents are rich, they do not provide her with the means to do so. They want her to attend college and get married when she is still young.  

Madison Brooks is a famous celebrity who everyone adores and looks up to. She leads a luxurious life in her home in LA. She has all the things she has ever wanted. The interest of the readers is aroused by showing her as having a murky past. Although she is very famous, nobody knows the truth about where she came from. She has been feeding lies to the public and goes to great lengths to hide her actual background.

This book has been called a suspense and thriller novel, which I didn't find it to be. The mystery of Madison Brooks going missing only started when there were about fifty pages left. The rest of it was about the lives of the three protagonists in Hollywood. All three of them had signed up to promote Ira Redman's club, where they met. It was quite interesting to read about but soon started to feel repetitive. 

Every time the three of them met, the same kind of conversations ensued. The chapters from Madison's point of view were all very similar. They described her life at her house and her thoughts about everything happening. I liked how the author kept switching the POVs to keep things interesting and to inform us about all four of their lives. However, that also made the book more repetitive, as the basic events in all three of their lives were the same.

I didn't like any of the characters too much. They were all shallow and unfriendly. It was fun, though, to see them lie to one another and get caught up in other's traps. Lalya considered herself too less, while Aster thought too much of herself. Tommy hardly had any personality, apart from running after girls. Madison was okay, but not much about her characteristics were revealed. Rather than make her an intriguing person, it only made her chapters boring.

I liked how the chapters were short and the book was fast paced. Since the scene and setting kept changing after every few pages, with the change in the chapter, it kept me curious. This book felt like a build-up to the second. As if it were an introduction to all the characters, and that in the second book the exciting part of the plot will finally begin.

I have rather mixed feelings. Some parts of the book were nice, and the cliff hanger which the author leaves us on promises a better second book. I'm hoping, since the story would have to start right from the beginning, it'll be more exciting than the first. I also liked how all the chapter names were names of famous songs, both old and new. Sometimes they didn't really match the content in the chapter, but I can't blame her for not being able to find so many matching titles. It was also a great idea and made the book feel nicer.

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas - Book Review (no spoilers)

"Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing."

Here is a little of this book's background for those of you who don't know what it is about. This book is a part of the DC Icon series consisting of five books by different authors. There is also a book on Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Batman and Superman, each a stand-alone novel. Although Catwoman is technically the third book, I read it first and understood all of it.

This book was extremely fast-paced, exciting and fun. The basic idea and setting were simple, with only two major characters and other two slightly main ones. Yet, the plot was quite good, and the writing style made it even better. The story kept going throughout the book, and there was never one moment where I was bored. I was kept enthralled and eager to read, read, read it all. I finished the book fast- way too fast. 

I had been having doubts about starting this book before, mainly because I had seen half the movie and found it boring. I do not like DC superheroes very much and the Catwoman one had seemed particularly dull. The synopsis of this book did not sound much like the movie, so I finally got around to reading it, and found I really liked it.

Both the main characters were nice to read about. The Catwoman in the movie had been quite annoying, but in the book, she felt more relatable. She was witty and humorous and handled situations confidently and independently. Luke was smart, practical and sensible so I liked him too. Poison Ivy and Harley did not appear too frequently, but their personalities were portrayed pretty clearly whenever they did.

I would give this book four and a half stars. Mainly for the fact that the plot, though fun to read, felt repetitive for the first half of the book. A few things did happen then too, that ultimately changed the course of the story, but the general events seemed to be going round in a circle. The story picked up more towards the end, and I could barely get myself to put the book down for the last half.

I would recommend this book especially to anyone who liked the first few books of Throne of Glass, because the story is a lot like that, and, of course, the writing style. Selina was everything Celaena wanted to be, with the addition of technology. I loved how fast the story progressed, and how much content had been packed into the pages. They seemed to go by very fast, but I enjoyed every bit while it lasted. 

Untamed : House of Night Book #4 by PC and Kristin Cast - Book Review

Don't ask me why I keep reading these books, because I don't know myself.

This book was a definite improvement though. I do not know what has gotten into the authors all of a sudden, but they've started editing. This book also had more formal language, suited to a book, and fewer words like 'hee hee', 'haa haa' and brackets. I get why this book was such a pleasant surprise after reading all the other House of Nights. It made sense! I may even have liked it.

Of late, all my reviews are turning into rants. I will try not to go too much into depth about Zoey's horridness in this one, and stick to what I liked instead. I shall restrict myself to one paragraph about Zoey.

Zoey, unfortunately, continued to be rude, selfish, hypocritical and annoying. She was very impolite to all her elders. She chastised the people who did not speak respectfully to the priestesses and nuns, while herself being informal and rude to them. She faulted Erik and Heath for doing the things she had done to them in the past. I could not tell if she called Aphrodite all the mean things sarcastically, or if she actually meant them. But either way, it did not paint a very good image of her. She considered herself above others because she was favoured by the Goddess, and used it to her advantage. It was annoying how all her faults were forgiven just because she is the protagonist. She told her friend that a dear fledgeling had "died in her arms". It had been more like she had seen a stranger fledgeling dying and then taken him into her arms and kissed him and made a big deal out of it. She acted like she had a "special connection" with all the guy vampires or fledgelings she had her eyes on so that nobody else would try to make a move on them. Despite all her flaws, she probably did realise that everyone else had a better chance of getting those guys than she did.

Now on to the good things.

There was definite character improvement in Aphrodite, the Twins, Erik and Heath. Aphrodite changed from annoying and unlike the snob she was supposed to be, into how the authors were actually trying to portray her. She tried to hold up her bad reputation by acting mean but she was actually friendly and helpful to Zoey. The Twins finally started saying something other than 'ditto' and 'fiiiine' and seemed more sensible. Erik and Heath only felt sane because they finally realised the worthlessness of Zoey. They also seemed to get some personality and characteristics other than being in love with Zoey.

The writing style got better. The sentences started making sense and didn't feel as repetitive as they had in the other books. The plot was nice too. It started from the beginning and continued till the end. This book also wasn't as slow as the others. 

I was disappointed to see that there are so many House of Night books. If there were one or two more, I would have been motivated to finish the series. But there are some twelve books, so most likely the story that has started right now will stretch over a few more books (if not all) and it sounds tedious to read eight more books of a series I did not even like too much. I thought I had read a lot of these, but turns out I have only finished four.

Chosen : House of Night Book #3 by PC and Kristin Cast - Book Review

Yes, I did it again. I read another one.

Honestly, this book wasn't as bad horrible as the other ones. I may even have liked it a little bit. I shall give it a three and a half or four-star review just to show the authors how much more people can like their books once they start editing. Don't get me wrong, this book had its flaws. I'm just saying it was much better than the first two.

One of the most annoying thing about this book was Zoey, of course, but also how lazy the authors have been. They have forgotten to write things and sometimes written things contradictory to what they had written earlier. Once, Zoey had told a guy that she will use his matchsticks for lighting the candles during a ritual she was going to perform. They usually used a lighter, but she said she would use the matchsticks since they were so pretty, or some other reason. During the ritual, the authors wrote that Zoey "picked up the ritual lighter" and lighted all the candles. Neither she nor any of her friends said anything about it before, then or after. One can only assume that the authors forgot what they had written before.

Some other things I hated about this book -

Zoey was still ungrateful. This girl is the height of being mean and ungrateful. The entire first chapter is about Zoey getting gifts on her birthday. You'd think she would say the words 'thank you" or "thanks" at least once in the entire chapter, right? No. She is so ungrateful, all she does is call her gifts names (in her mind) and give overly fake smiles to her friends (on their faces). Her birthday being on the 24th of December, all her friends give her snowman themed gifts. Zoey allegedly does not like "birthmas" presents, but the least she could have done is tell her friends before they bought any presents for her. I don't even see her remembering her friends' birthdays or giving them even terrible gifts on their birthdays, so she had no right to complain about how bad her friends were.

Zoey thought she was a great girlfriend. To Erik, I mean. And the fact that I needed to specify which boyfriend were are talking about is proof enough of her misconception. She currently had two more boyfriends and kept reminding Erik of how his ex-girlfriend was so horrible. She also kept so many secrets from Erik, and hardly cared about him. She was only ever worried about herself, and the night he changed, she did not even bother texting him to see if he was okay. In fact, she was busy Imprinting with Boyfriend #3.

Creepy Erik and creepier Loren Blake. The hype about these two guys among everyone in their school was so fake and undeserved. They were extremely overrated. Erik, for one, kept coming out of the shadows of trees and buildings into Zoey's path to confront her. It is not that hard to talk to anyone in a normal way in the cafeteria or wherever they meet. Loren Blake (a.k.a. Boyfriend #3) was another story entirely. He approached Zoey only when she was alone in a secluded corner of the library in an empty room. He kept touching her face tattoos and asking intruding questions all of which Zoey soaked up and swooned. Great, more proof about how horrible a protagonist she was.

The authors are evidently not-very-nice people. This series is filled with stereotypes, racial discrimination, insults toward poor people and everything else young readers should not be told is good. All the characters of one type (blonde, handsome guys, usual teachers) fit into one category, and nobody has a personality apart from that. 

The authors are getting so repetitive in their writing style. The first half of the book is basically explaining what has happened so far. The authors assume that people will randomly pick up the third book of an infamous series and start reading. It is also very tiresome to read the character's bickering. All the twins ever say is "Ditto" and call boys "Fiiiiine", and all Nala does is "complain" and scare the "bejeezus" out of people.

The Casts really need to improve their vocabulary.

Here are some phrases you will find in every single House of Night book -

1. poo

2. u-we-tis-a-ge-ya, the Cherokee word for daughter

3. my mom and step-loser

4. "Ditto, twin"

5. "He is so fiiiine"

6. I felt myself swimming in his blue eyes (or something along those lines)

There must be hundreds of examples like these but let's move on.

The only thing that got better in this book was the fact that Zoey's friends and boyfriends finally started realising how horrible she was. Of course, Zoey kept believing that she was in the right, but at least all her loyal "nerd herd" realised how unfaithful she was.

Also in the first two books, the beginning had been extremely dull and slow, and all the action suddenly happened at the end. In this one at least there had been a little semblance of a plot in the starting, and a little more towards the end. Zoey remained as stupid as she always was though. Boyfriend #3 had been suspicious right from the start. I could tell he was trying to extract information from her, but Zoey was too engrossed in staring at his face to notice. 

I was very happy when Loren Blake died. Good riddance of bad things. Zoey should have died right along with him. But alas, where do we find a world so pure?

Raven Boys : The Raven Cycle Book 1 by Maggie Stiefvater - Book Review

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

This book was okay, I guess. Initially I thought it would be like Six of Crows, and no, not just because of he similar titles. The story sounded like it would be the same, a bunch of smart guys and a girl or two and them discovering secrets and doing other stuff. But it turned out to be very different, and I must say I prefered Six of Crows to this mess.

The started was, well, frankly speaking, it was horrible. I wasn't even planning on finishing this book but I don't like leaving books halfway through unless they're extremely boring, and I was counting on the story getting better later. The plot did actually improve and I would've said I liked the book, had the first half not bored me so.

The "if you kiss your true love, he'll die" part of the story sounded very annoying. It sounded like all those other books like Marked and Evermore and the irritating side of Twilight. I have honestly had enough of that. Besides, there are so many other things people can do if they can't kiss for fear of falling down dead. They can still hold hands, hug, kiss each other on the cheeks, and if they care so much KISS WITH MASKS ON! I don't get the big deal. Thankfully, it wasn't mentioned much in this book, and it dealt more with the magic and ley lines part of the plot.

In the beginning of the book, the plot seemed very boring. I had thought the book would be more about Blue and her weird life stitching her own clothes. The parts about Gansey and his search for the ley lines were very tedious. I even disliked all the characters because they sounded very proud and snobbish. As the story proceeded, some of them seemed to get better since there were less of their thoughts and more of the story. 

All the useless side plots got under my skin. The few chapters with the point of view of Whelk, I skipped completely. There was absolutely no use of them, since Whelk was just a random character who appeared when needed and vanished according to convenience. Even the whole Neeve-is-so-suspicious thing was quite annoying. It was pretty obvious that she was up to something, so the author should have directly gotten to it, instead of stretching it out so much and boring the readers.

Also, the author expected us to be able to relate to a handsome, extremely rich dude who was very popular, befriended whoever he wanted but was a scholar and explorer at heart, searching for a dead king. Not only that, we were also expected to feel sorry for him when certain, very normal (or better than normal) things happened. Please excuse me if I don't feel bad for you stumbling upon a magical grove with your high-teach helicopter where you discover something you've been searching for your whole life.

Everyone around Gansey acted as if he was like he was because he was rich. Not all rich people go around telling off others and making them feel small useless for being poor. Gansey was condescending not because of his money but because he was that horrible.

I hated Ronan and Adam even more than Gansey. They had very inflated egos and thought themselves very amazing for doing barely anything during their search for the ley lines. The author tried to make Ronan this mysterious, angry person with a "fierce soul", but failed. He did nothing but annoy me, and how Gansey was so accepeting of his wrong behaviour got on my nerves. Adam was supposed to be the smart and sensible person of the lot, but his pride got in the way of anything he was expected to be. The way he and Gansey were "connected" and conversed with their eyes was nothing short of creepy. They didn't even look like such great friends, and didn't know much about each other and could still have amazing details talks simply by looking at each other.

The unnecessary use of adjectives and long words to make the book look pretty didn't work out as the author must've hoped. I skipped so much of the book without missing out of anything. The author had made the dull beginning of the book too long for it to be nice and ended the book abruptly later. I didn't like how the author ended their search for the ley lines. Gansey had been supposedly searching for them his entire life, and now suddenly Blue waltzes in and everything solves itself. It was very unsatisfactory how everything was handed to them on a silver platter. 

The description of the house where Blue lived was also very vague. The author never specified exactly how many women lived there. Sometimes she made it sound like about fifty of them were there, and at other times just five people in the kitchen made it very full, as if it was unusual for so many people to be there. Sometimes only Persephone, Calla and Maura were said to be living there, and other times their living room was packed with the residents of the house and there were long lines for the bathroom.

I would give this book about two and a half stars because the story got better at the end. The characters were all very annoying, but Gansey appeared a little better at the end, once we got used to his annoying-ness. 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - Book Review (No spoilers)

"Galaxy Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive."

This book was everything I expected and so much more. Rarely do I come across books that pick up right from the start and this was one such rare find. It hooked me right from page one and kept me engrossed until the end. The mysteries about Alex's past, the new world of Lethe she was discovering, and the various intriguing characters made the book very exciting.

The story had sounded like a Percy Jackson book when I initially picked it up. Once I started reading, it began to feel like Crescent City by Sarah J Maas. However, as I continued, it began to gain more and more of its own identity, drawing features from various genres. The main characters all seemed mature and smart. Though the main story was Alex solving Tara Hutchin's murder, there were a few subplots along the way that added to the mystery and suspense. 

I must say I liked Alex. Yes, I know, she had been a drug addict and all, but it was circumstance and not a choice that landed her in most of the ugly situations, and she seemed sensible enough to learn from her mistakes. She was also brave and strong-willed, enough to face her fears and be courageous in the face of danger, but also to know when she should back out.

I liked Darlington too, but so did almost everyone who read the book so that might not come as a surprise. Since some of the chapters were from his point of view, he seemed relatable and likeable. I had thought he was as much of the main character as Alex, and he perhaps was. Only after he disappeared and Alex stopped thinking about the time she had spent with him in the past, did he seem a little less important. Then Dawes took his place and a lot started happening. I didn't like how Daniel Arlington was turned into Darlington though, and nobody so much as joked about it. I found it hilarious the first few times I came across the name.

At first, Dawes had not seemed very likeable, but once Alex got to know her, she became slightly better. She never had much of a personality, but that was how she was, and it didn't seem out of place. Dean Sandow and Abel Turner I did not like very much, as they always challenged everything others said, and holding their high positions for seemingly no reason. 

I loved the world the author had built. She had used the backdrop of Yale, but she had added so many places and people that it seemed almost like high fantasy. I had never read any book having this sort of setting before, and it was exciting to know more about the world. I felt as interested as Alex to discover more about the secret societies and the powerful people controlling them. Although I am pretty sure nobody could relate to Alex as a person, all her thoughts and feeling were relatable. The way she acted was the way I would have acted, or wished to act, too. I felt happy right along with her, and sad when she felt sad, which is something not many authors manage to accomplish.

Alex's life wasn't the best, but she made the most of what she had, and always strived to do what was right. I liked this quality of hers, and how the author kept it consistent throughout the book. There were certainly some positive changes in her attitude towards the end, as well as those in the personality of others. As the book proceeded, we got to know more about Alex, as it felt as if she was discovering more of herself right with us.

This book has definitely earned the title of one of my favourite books. I am looking forward to the second book with all of my being. The partial cliff-hanger the author leaves us on is very frustrating, and I cannot wait for the second book to be released. 

The Queen's Resistance : The Queen's Rising #2 by Rebecca Ross - Book Review

Finally, Brienna is a mistress of knowledge and is settling into her role as the daughter of Davin MacQuinn, a disgraced lord who returned to Maevana to reclaim his house. Though she’d just survived a revolution, one that will finally return a queen to the throne, she faces another difficult challenge. She must prove herself trustworthy to the MacQuinns. But as Queen Isolde Kavanagh’s closest confidant, she’ll have to balance serving her father’s house as well as her country. And then there’s Cartier, a wholly separate but desirable factor in her new life.

Aodhan Morgane, formerly known as Cartier Évariste, is adjusting to the stark contrast between his pre-rebellion life in Valenia as a master of knowledge and his current one as the lord of a fallen house. During his castle’s restoration, he discovers a ten-year-old boy named Tomas, whose past and parentage are a complete mystery. So when Cartier’s former pupil Brienna is as taken with Tomas as he is, he lets his mind wander—what if he doesn’t have to raise him or his house alone?

As the Lannon trial rapidly approaches, Brienna and Cartier must put their feelings aside to concentrate on forging alliances, executing justice, and ensuring that no one interferes with the queen’s coronation. But resistance is rumbling among the old regime’s supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the rebels’ forces. And nothing makes a person more vulnerable than deep-seated love. 

I really liked this book, as I had the first.

The characters were all likable and well written. The plot was also well-developed and thought out, and the story line was very gripping. I especially admired the writing style of the author, as she could convey the character's emotions perfectly in simply a few lines or dialogues. I could sympathize with the situations of the protagonists because of the description of the circumstance, which made me like them, as well as the story, more.

The main character, Brienna, was smart and sensible. I liked her in the first book as well as the second. She was kind to others, and helped people in need. Cartier was likable too, as he was courteous and polite to everyone. I felt that the author could have told us more about Isolde, since Brienna and Cartier kept thinking about their friendship with her, but the readers were hardly informed of her personality. Lucas' character kept changing throughout the book and I couldn't identify any specific traits as his. 

I liked the story a lot, as the plot was complex without being confusing. There were mainly only three of four settings, of the castles of the various Lords. I found it surprising how the narration switching between Brienna and Cartier felt pleasant, since usually I don't like it when authors keep switching the point of view. After a chapter from Brienna's point of view, I felt the need to know what Cartier was thinking, and the next chapter gave me satisfaction. As opposed to most books, when a different point of view makes me feel bored or annoyed, this book kept me excited for reading the other character's thoughts.

The only part of the book which I found annoying was how they could easily recognize all the traitors just with a look at the half-moon tattoo on their wrists. If it was so easy to weed out all the people still loyal to the Lannons, what trouble did they have? Simply line up all the people they are suspicious of, take a look at their wrists, and imprison all the tattooed ones while letting the rest go free. There was also no instance when a person with the tattoo was actually a good person, and hardly anyone who was loyal to the Lannons inspite of not having the tattoo.

This book was appealing to me mainly because of the palace setting and interesting plot. I like most books which have a castle backdrop and are about royal life, though some prove to be a massive let-down. This book also had a little bit of magic, and though the powers of the queen were one of the main reasons why the people supported her rising, they weren't mentioned much in the story. Her magic also did not seem very important to the plot, as Isolde only used them when someone was injured, since they were inclined to healing.

Most books have the main character as the queen, or at least the person mentioned in the title. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it was not the case in this book. Brienna being the queen's advisor and Cartier her best friend, provided us enough information about her rule, while not getting too much into details. Brienna and Cartier also went on other adventures and did things beside make laws and attend court, which added to the story.

I was both sad and happy to learn that this series was a duology. I could not have waited for the third book to come out had the author left us on a cliff-hanger, but that also meant there would be no more books about Brienna and Cartier.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves books about royals, or any other YA fantasy.