Review: Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Ella Enchanted is an entertaining fairy tale retelling of Cinderella, which I'm sure most people know already. I'm not going to say too much about it since it's so well known. The twists on the original tale are well done, and it's not too dark even though Ella goes through some terrible times. I thought the curse was a great way to explain the original magic of the fairy tale.

I had watched the movie version before reading the book, which is always dangerous. It's hard to stay interested if I already know what's going to happen. Thankfully, the book had quite a few differences so I could enjoy it. I do wish I'd been able to read this when I was younger, as it's exactly the kind of tale I would have loved as a kid. As an adult, "I liked it" is as far as I can go.



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Review: The Pirate's Wish

The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Pirate’s Wish was definitely an improvement on the first book. I discovered at the end that this was actually written as one book and split in two for publishing. I believe it would have helped me to know that at the beginning, and this duology should really be read as one book because not much effort was made to bring closure to the first part.

Overall, I ended up liking the story even though I was frustrated with much of the first book. The second part had a lot more action and real adventure in it. The heroine was still a bit reactive at times, lashing out when she felt hurt, but overall she bothered me less. I am glad I went ahead and finished it even though it’s not going on my favorites shelf or anything. I do think that it could have been published as one book and some of the less active portions from the first book could have been edited out.



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Review: The Assassin's Curse

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



The Assassin's Curse had so much potential! Pirates, assassins, curses, magic... it sounded like a fun adventure. I really thought I would love it, but it ended up being just blah. There is little adventure, little depth to both characters and world, and I didn't care about or even like the two characters.

It was disappointing, but it also went quickly. I was really annoyed when I got to the end and it was a cliffhanger. I mean the sort of cliffhanger where everything just ends midstep without any resolution and you have to read the next book whether you want to or not, just to get an ending. This is a duology, but it should have been a single book. I am annoyed, but now I'm reading the sequel... I guess that strategy works for authors.

I don't even feel like writing full paragraphs about the good and the bad, so I will resort to bullet points.

Things I liked:

• The main characters are not amazingly beautiful (but anyone beautiful is automatically untrustworthy, selfish, mean, or actually bad).
• The pirate woman on the ship. She is a very minor character, but I liked her. Hopefully she will be in the second book more.

Things I didn't like:

• The main character talks in slang all the way through. It bothered me and made her seem immature.
• The tone is juvenile, but the heroine cusses (our world style) and is 'experienced' sexually.
• The world-building is shallow, just skimming the surface of everything. Again, it should have been an interesting world but felt cardboardish.
• The main character is not very likable. She panics, she lashes out, she doesn’t think. She runs off when she’s bored or thirsty without regard for danger or the curse. She is supposed to be strong, but she's just reckless and doesn't learn from her mistakes.
• The guy, on the other hand, never listens to her or allows her input on what they should do. So I can see why she went off on her own so much. There is no sense of partnership there.
• The curse. The curse is too confining. It makes action impossible for both characters, often physically incapacitating one of them. The story would be so much more interesting if they weren't forced to sit around and stay safe.

So, apparently there's more that I didn't like than I did. I at least hope the sequel will be an improvement, with more of the action and adventure that this one failed to deliver. I hope, since I am being forced to read it, and since this one did end in a place that made the sequel sound like it could be interesting.



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Review: The House of the Four Winds

The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is turning out to be the summer of pirates and girls disguised as boys for me, and The House of Four Winds has plenty of both! (Well, really only one girl.) I felt like this one finally combined all the elements of sea-faring adventure and disguise that I was hoping for in those other books. There’s an unspoiled princess who is not above taking care of herself, and knows how to fight and how to read situations. There are real pirates, mutinous crews, ghost ships and treasures, curses and magic. There’s even a touch of romance - very light and mild, but also sweet. All-in-all it was a satisfying adventure and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. 

I did find the very beginning of the book a bit confusing and slow because of the world-dumping, though. There was too much information for my poor brain to process - so many names of places, kingdoms, important people, references to history, etc., that I just didn’t need to know about. All I needed to know is that this is a world very similar to our own geographically, back in the days of maritime trade and exploration. 

The names are different, but the picture that I was finally able to put together includes a London-type city, a Europe-style continent full of small kingdoms, faraway tropical islands, and lots of ocean in between. But really, the ocean is all that matters because it’s not until the ship sets sail that the real story begins. I loved it from that point on. Luckily there are only a couple chapters to set the stage before the voyage begins, so it didn’t drag on for too long. 

Since the series is called One Dozen Daughters, I’m guessing the next book will focus on one of the sister’s adventures instead of continuing with these characters. It might have nothing to do with seeking a fortune at sea, but whatever the fortune is, I’m looking forward to reading about it.  

**Received free arc for review.

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Review: The Emperor's Soul

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've been saving this treat for a time when I really needed a quick shot of Sanderson goodness, and he delivered once again!

It's amazing how satisfying this novella is. Easily as satisfying as a full-length novel, but a tasty snack instead of a three course meal. It takes place mostly in one room, but everything is so fleshed out. The magic system is yet again intriguing, fully developed, and fun. The characters have depth, and the world is surprisingly clear in such a short time. And the story itself is interesting. I was easily invested in the main character after just a few lines.

As usual when finishing a Sanderson book, I'm wishing for more. I'd like to see more written in this area of his worlds with this flavor of magic. That's just the part of me that's always eager for something new from Sanderson, though. This is the first short story or novella I've read that didn't leave me wishing the author had just written a full novel.



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Review: Ice Blue

Ice Blue by Emma Jameson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a contemporary New Scotland Yard procedural mystery in London with some quite gruesome murders and gritty details making this not what I would call a cozy mystery. Involving the elite class, which I didn't realize was still so... elite these days, the mystery was interesting with some good misdirection and a satisfying reveal.

For those who like a bit of romance in their mystery, there is the start of a romance between the 60 year old chief and a detective half his age, which surprisingly didn't seem too weird. There was some insta-love there, and not enough explanation of why the chief is suddenly in love with his subordinate. The romance took a back seat to the mystery, so it didn't take over the entire plot, but it could still be too much for some readers - there was more than a trace of it.

I enjoyed the mystery in spite of the blood and guts, so I'll be checking out the next book in the series for sure.



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Ridiculous - D.L. Carter

Ridiculous by D.L. Carter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ridiculous is the perfect title for this silly book. It is one of the more absurd Regency romances I've read, and I enjoyed it very much since I wasn't trying to take it seriously at all. Life needs silliness at times. That's exactly why I turn to this type of romance for those evenings when I need something humorous and mindless to read.

This one goes out of its way not to be realistic, so you definitely have to be able to suspend disbelief. Some of the plot twists are either completely improbable or extremely convenient for everything to come out right in the end. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that this is purposely sticking its tongue out at the ridiculousness of the norms of the time, it was a lot of fun.

The story is about a poor widow and her daughters who have been thrown on the mercy of a mean uncle who doesn't have any mercy and uses them as free labor. Luckily, he dies a young man, and one of the daughters audaciously decides to steal his identity so that she can provide for her family, who otherwise would end up in the poor houses.

Part of her disguise is to be so silly that people don't scrutinize her too closely. In all her escapades as a man of property, she turns the London season upside down with humor and audacity that are so uncommon in that time period. She also makes friends in high places and one in particular that makes her realize too late that she doesn't want to be a man for the rest of her life. How she gets out of this predicament is very convenient, but entertaining nonetheless.

The main thing I didn't like about this was that the romance was more explicit than I enjoy. It's definitely in the adult category, and I thought it was a shame that the focus was on the physical. The cover had led me to believe it was going to be a more traditional Regency romance, and I didn't see anything in reviews to indicate otherwise. So I'm making sure to mention it here for others.

Oh well. I was still highly entertained for most of it. The lightness, the humor, and the lack of "you lied to me" drama were the high points. You probably need to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, though. This might have irritated me another day.

Review: Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Divergent did not let up for a minute! It was action-packed, and actually had my heart going fast a few times - not a usual experience for me while reading. As a dystopia, it's not overly bleak, and is set in an interesting society. There are problems at both the personal and society levels, and plenty of growth happening for the main character, with changes in the forecast for the society as well. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to picking up the next one.



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