Blog Tour Review & Book/Swag Giveaway (INT): The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna

The Summer of Shambles

Ebony McKenna

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Publication Date: April 5th 2010

Publisher: Egmont

Pages: 305 (2013 Ebook Edition)

Genre:  Comedy, Fantasy-esque, Young Adult

15-year-old Ondine is struggling to fit in at Psychic Summercamp and doubts she possesses any of her family’s magical abilities. She resolves to leave, determined to follow her own path and be a normal teenager. Whatever normal is in a place like Brugel.

On the way home Ondine is shocked when her pet ferret Shambles starts talking – in a cheeky Scottish accent no less! He is in fact a young man trapped in a witch’s curse. When he briefly transforms into his human self, Ondine is smitten. If only she can break the spell for good, Shambles can be handsomely human on a full-time basis.

During the summer, these two misfits uncover a plot to assassinate a member of the royal family and discover a secret treasure that has remained hidden for decades. This attracts the attention of the arrogant Lord Vincent, and Ondine can’t help being drawn in by his bad-boy charm.

With so many demands on Ondine’s attentions – and affections – normal has never seemed so far away.

The Summer of Shambles is the first in the four-part ONDINE series. Fans of The Princess Bride or the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series will love this delightfully quirky fairytale.

Before I can mention anything else, I have to say that this book has a very strong voice. It's strength was actually jarring for me when I first began to read, but it soon became one of my favourite things about the book.

The Summer of Shambles is a fantasy book in the guise of a contemporary novel (well sort of contemporary as it was written to take place in contemporary pre-internet) It takes place in an imaginary Eastern European country called Brugel. Never heard of it? That's okay, because there are footnotes to help keep you up to speed. This country boosts a high population of psychics and even has a psychic summer camp, which is where Ondine, our main character has been sent, despite the fact she has no psychic skills to think of and would really rather go home. Thus our story upons up with her doing just that, along with the ferret that had decided to befriend her while she was there.

Then of course as she is heading home the ferret, in a very strong Scottish brogue, suddenly starts talking to her.

I think that if I had read this book when I was younger (maybe around Middle School) it would have been one of my favourite books. It's got a quirkiness to it that I really like and the voice and style of the book would have really appealed to me at that age. There is a lot of suspension of reality that I sometimes had issue with as well that I think younger me would have had absolutely no trouble with. (Oh man, that makes me feel old suddenly).

The characters are very strong in their portrayals. You won't be mistaking one character for another. The plot is simple but interesting, none-the-less. And the ending does well to open it up for the rest of the books in the series, I believe.

The most interesting and unique thing in The Summer of Shambles however, is how Ebony McKenna deals with exposition. Due to the voice of the book and the setting. This book could have been weighed down by pages of exposition. Instead, McKenna, footnotes the book with hilarious explanations or further tidbits about characters. I always looked forward to reading them at the end of each chapter and in a material copy of the book, I'm sure there are some readers constantly flipping back and forth to read them as they hit them.

To sum it up, I really enjoyed reading this book, and will probably read it again (and the sequels). The world is unique, the portrayal simple, but enjoyable. The characters strong and the voice of the book is entertaining. Try not to let logic cloud your reading experience too much though.

4 Bookmarks

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Blog Tour Review: The Violet Fox by Clare C. Marshall

The Violet Fox (The Violet Fox #1)

Clare C. Marshall

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Publication Date: October 13th 2012

Publisher: Faery Ink Press

Genre:  Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 288

Run.
That’s what instinct told me.
But in order to save the secrets of my people
and to protect my brother
I have to become the enemy.

There are two kinds of people in the land of Marlenia.

The Marlenians, who live on the surface,

and the Freetors, who are forced to live underground.

The war between them ended two hundred years ago, but the Freetors still fight for the right to live under the sun. Fifteen-year-old Kiera Driscoll embodies the Freetors’ hopes as the Violet Fox. In a violet cape and mask, she sneaks around Marlenia City stealing food and freeing her people from slavery.

Then the Elders task her with a secret mission: retrieve a stolen tome that contains the secrets of Freetor magic, something the Marlenians both fear and covet. Kiera must disguise herself as a noblewoman and infiltrate the Marlenian castle before the Freetor-hating Advisor finds out her real identity, before her brother is imprisoned because of the secrets he hides, and before she falls any more in love with the prince she’s supposed to hate.

More is happening in the castle than she realizes, and Kiera is faced with a difficult choice. Will she be loyal to her people and their fight for freedom, or will she be loyal to her heart?

You look at the cover and title of The Violet Fox and the first thing you think is: is this a superhero book? You read the synopsis and you then wonder: is this a dystopia book? Then you read the book and you realize what it is: fantasy. It is a fantasy book with unique world-building, enjoyable characters and a captivating story.

Marlenia is separated into two types of people. Kiera Driscoll, our main character, is a part of the impoverished Freetors forced to live underground and steal food from above to survive. They are the losers of a civil war that had happened long ago, one sparked by the discovery of magic.

Kiera is an icon for her people. The first time she had come above to help get food she put on an outlandish outfit as a distraction and it’s stuck ever since. She became “The Violet Fox”. This is what brings her to the attention of the council who want to send her on a mission to the aboveground castle to take back something stolen from them.

I hadn’t known what to expect from The Violet Fox when I picked it up. I was intrigued by the synopsis, and have a terrible habit of being a sucker for anything with ‘fox’ in its name. When I finished reading the book I sat there for a while wondering why this book isn’t more well known. I enjoyed reading it massively. I had a hard time putting it down. I couldn’t believe how lucky I had been to have been asked to review it for a tour.

The characters are strong, the personalities well defined. The romance is far from instant which I always appreciate. The plot keeps readers on our toes as there were quite a few twists I did not expect one bit. In fact this book is really twisty and very cleverly done. They’re the kind of twists that make me want to re-read the book to see if I can catch them faster rather than ones that make me unable to pick up a book ever again.

The setting of the book is a fantasy world, focusing more on political fantasy. Other fantasy books I’m reminded of is Poison Study and Graceling, but this one is also a bit lighter maybe more like the book I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, Poison.

The ending did seem to be too drawn out, but for me personally that was the only stumble I could find.

There is just so much to comment on here. I love the fact that her father was the advisor. I was saddened by the fact that her brother was an extremist. I hadn’t put together that Erskina was the bad guy until she was violent with Kiera.

I found myself overwhelmed in a good way in how nothing was how I thought it was. I cried with her brother’s death. I celebrated the orb coming to live for Kiera. Reading this book was a journey.

To expand on my issue with the ending, however. I feel like everything could have been done in one go. The stopping of the wedding and Erskina attacking, the lull where Kiera is in the dungeons felt out of sync with the rest of the book.

If you enjoy unique and great young adult fantasy please give this book a try. The Violet Fox is a fantastic political adventure young adult fantasy. The next book seems to be more adventure, but I still wonder how they’re going to pick up the many pieces left over.

4 Bookmarks

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About the Author 

Clare C. Marshall grew up in rural Nova Scotia with very little television and dial up internet, and yet, she turned out okay. She has a combined honours degree in journalism and psychology from the University of King’s College, and is a graduate from Humber College’s Creative Book Publishing Program. She is a full-time freelance editor, book designer, and web manager. She enjoys publishing books through her publishing imprint, Faery Ink Press. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing the fiddle and making silly noises at cats.

Author Links:

Facebook: http://faeryinkpress.com/faeryinkpress

Twitter: http://twitter.com/claremarshall13

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5120291.Clare_C_Marshall

Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14743283-the-violet-fox

Website: http://faeryinkpress.com

ARC Book Review: Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin

Queen of Someday

Sherry D. Ficklin

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with).

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

Published Date: October 7th 2014

Pages: 262

Genre:  Historical, Political, Young Adult

ONE GIRL WILL BRING AN EMPIRE TO ITS KNEES...

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother’s quest to put her on the throne of Russia—at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family—and herself—Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

Queen of Someday starts out introducing us to Sophie, a girl who although Princess in name, has grown up living a rather non-Princess-y life out in the sticks. So not surprisingly, when given the indirect invitation to be the wife of the the Russian Empress's heir, her mother jumps at the chance to regain lost wealth and prestige. Sophie, however, is just glad to be given the opportunity to marry someone her own age rather then being shipped off to the highest bidder.

Of course, despite having the Empress fully behind her, things are not as easy as Sophie hoped they would be. The prince likes playing game and she soon realizes that their personalities are far from compatible. On top of that she meets another who stirs her into feelings and someone is trying to kill her

It’s a lot for an innocent sixteen year old girl to handle.

In the author notes of this book, Ficklin mentions that she conceived the series wondering how Catherine the Great went from innocent German girl to cold-hearted Empress, and I think that’s one of the shining parts of this book. I loved watching Sophie grow and change thanks to the people she met and the situations she faced.

I loved learning about the people around her as she learned about them and the way they were more than they seemed.

And in general I have become very attached to her as a character, which is important as she will carry the series and I want to continue reading so that I can know how she evolve next. How does she become this person from history? How will Ficklin interpret her feelings as she goes through things

My favourite character from the very beginning was Sergei. His quiet but strong support was vital for Sophie and so much more of what she needed than the dramatic affair with Alexander. She always read as 100% herself with Sergei, while Alexander made her act more like how she was before she came to the palace.

I have so much respect for the way Sophie acts in general. Especially at the end. She will make sure that Peter doesn’t win and that is the most important thing, really. I know I should worry more about the heart of the people or other things, but if she beats him at his own game, I will be immensely satisfied. Peter is too spoiled for his own good.

This is historical fiction, so if you love stories exploring how famous figures came to be, you will adore this book. It has easily become one of my favourites, bringing me back to my childhood when I read the Royal Diary books and Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer. So if you enjoyed those books as well, I urge you to pick this up

4 Bookmarks

Blog Tour & Amazon Card Giveaway (INT): Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune

Coral & Bone

Tiffany Daune

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Publication Date: July 8th 2014

Publisher: Jester Ink Press

Genre:  Paranormal, Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 290

Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame.Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all

When you first see Coral and Bone the initial thought is that it is a mermaid book. You sit there going ‘Oh she’s going to learn that she was secretly a mermaid and it’ll be pretty basic’. That’s not where this book goes, however. Don’t get me wrong, there are mermaids in the book… in name at least, but that’s far from what our main character is and it is not a truly important part of this book in my opinion (okay somewhat important, but not really important to Halen's specific origins).

Of course I don’t want to give too much away, it’s better to read these things on your own.

Our main character, Halen, has moved around all her life with her mother. Suddenly her senses are working into overdrive and new birthmarks have appeared on her and life in general has gotten really weird.

Not surprisingly there is a strong YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE feeling to the beginning of the book. There was one or two chapters in particular that made me wonder if this book was going to fall into a lot of overdone cliches. Luckily however, after that initial dip, Coral and Bone steered more into unique and original story telling, including some fantastic plot twists.

Overall, I really enjoyed Daune’s writing for the book. There were are a few times that fell into feeling a bit off, but then another scene would grab my attention and I’d enjoy it so much I’d forget about that off feeling.

My absolutely favourite parts of this book are how it ended (which I’ll get into under my spoilers tag) and the way Daune cleverly used a cliche to hide one of her twists.

First the cliche camoflauge! Halen and Dax’s relationship seemed to be a INSTA LOVE type of relationship. She’s been drawing him and they have an instant connection and it just screams fated love that is all the rage in YA books right now. Of course, though we may suspect that he was Natalie’s ex-boyfriend, it doesn’t cross many reader’s minds to pin him as their Guardian. Especially with Tage working so hard and him being introduced as full Elosian.

Now on to my feelings on the ending. And by the ending I mean the very end. The fact that Halen has eaten Asair’s soul accidently and now they are secretly living in the same body is just awesome. It gives us so many worries for the next book and even if the author never writes another book in the series, there’s something satisfying about wondering all the things that could happen. It’s rather horror movie cyclical like.

I’d describe this book as a mix of fantasy and urban fantasy. There are some parts that are pure high fantasy and then others, when they are in the “real” world, that you can’t help but get an urban fantasy vibe from. I think it’s pretty unique and I enjoyed it as a read.

4 Bookmarks

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ARC Book Review: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

Frozen

Melissa de la Cruz & Michael Johnston

ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with).

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Pages: 336

Genre:  Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Frozen has this distinct adventure feel to it. A Treasure Island kind of feeling. We are shoved into this post-apocalyptic version of America that is freezing cold, cancer is the norm, life expectancy is considerably lower than it is now and beings of fantasy have come out of the ice. That last bits important to know before going in, there is a lot of fantasy beings/themes in this book.

We follow Nat who has escape from some kind of facility and is hiding out in New Vegas as a card dealer and Ryan, an ex-soldier turned runner who does the dirty work other’s don’t want to do. Nat has found a way to get to the “Blue” a paradise that is said to be only a rumor and she ends up hiring Ryan and his crew to get her there.

I’d be lying if I said that this book was brilliantly written. Sometimes the main relationship is a little awkward, but other than the ending which felt all over the place and rushed, the writing didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of it.

There was a spark to Frozen that kept my attention. As soon as they were out on the waters, I felt myself wondering what kind of thing they would encounter.

I think if we had focused more on the environment and less on the people encountered it would have been more enjoyable.

The fantasy aspects of this book are so cool in theory, but end up giving the story an over-burdened feeling in practice. I think it would have done just as well without the different species and had instead just kept to the special powers.

I also wish we had seen more of the “wailer” before the ending, but I really liked the whole scare and wonder of what it is during the book and then the bird as well.

I kind of like that the Nat and Ryan choose not to stay with each other and instead go with their duty. I’m sure in a later book they will be reunited, but romance in YA and NA has made me want more couples not to end perfectly.

Ratings for this book are all over the place if you look it up. I think, however, though it’s not without it’s issues, the idea and plot are interesting and the adventure part is really enjoyable.

3 Bookmarks

Book Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Poison

Bridget Zinn

Published Date: March 12th 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 288

Genre:  Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

I picked up Poison due the an interesting synopsis paired up with a gorgeous cover. I would be lying if I hadn’t thought of Poison Study and hoped that this book would be written in a similar style.

Luckily, reality didn’t hit too far from my expectations. Things were a little lighter, a little simpler, but the style of the writing the kind I enjoy reading the most.

The book opens up with Kyra sneaking around and avoiding old friends and guards, because she had tried to kill the princess with her potions and poisons. She failed the first time and now everyone is after her, but she is determined to try again… despite the fact that the princess is her best friend.

The great strength of this book is how our main character doesn’t tell us, the reader, anything. For example the book starts off going on about how she needs to kill the princess and after we’re comfortable with that it throws us for a loop with the best friend thing. It then teases us with only half an explanation of why and we spend most of the book wanting to throttle Kyra, and have her think clearly about it all so we can understand what's going on and her motives.

Because of this, the book becomes very engaging, keeping the readers on their toes with an active mind up until the very end.

I also enjoy the fact that the book is carefully set up so that we are dropped in at the middle instead of at the beginning.

The characters are sometimes simple, but varied and charming (when they’re supposed to be). I’m personally a fan of this kind of charaterization, so I enjoyed this.

Where the book did suffer a bit is with the pacing. The climax felt less like a climax, more like it was dragged out and I couldn’t figure out which part was supposed to be the big turning point. Other times the pacing was too fast. It’s not a huge issue, however, and didn’t stop me from enjoying.

So many pieces of information slowly dripped to us through the course of the book and even the ones that didn’t sneak up on me, I didn’t start to piece together until right before the reveal. Simple touches made this work out perfectly. Things like the relationship between Kyra and her mother being what it is so that she naturally refers to her as “Duchess” instead. The way that the fiance prince is described in a way that fits Fred, so that when he is revealed, as surprising as it is, it also doesn’t feel forced or out of the blue.

I like books that do something just a little bit differently and though it doesn’t always pay off to experiment, in this case I believe it did.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some nice YA Fantasy with charming characters. I also recommend this to anyone who enjoys it when an author carefully fits together the reveal of a mystery like a puzzle.

This book was published post-mortem as the author died of cancer in 2011. There won't be any more books by her and that is such a tragedy. She would have easily become a favourite author of mine. I hope she realized how great this book was.

4.5 Bookmarks