Mini-Reviews: Haze & Daughter of Chaos

Title: Haze (The Rephaim #2)
Author: Paula Weston
Publication Date: September 9, 2014
Genre: Fantasy

Gaby Winters’ nightmares have stopped but she still can’t remember her old life. Still can’t quite believe she is one of the Rephaim—the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim’s best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed.

But most of all, she can’t quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive.

And Gaby can’t explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger. -Goodreads

4.5 Stars

Thank you Tundra Books for sending me this copy for review!

All the goodness and kickassery and excitement that made me love the first installment was carried on to Haze and tripled as the story went on. Yes, I'm saying the second is better than the first, which is a huge success for an author to accomplish. The characters are as lovable as ever, the mythology was spot-on, and the action kept me intrigued. I was expecting more to happen plot-wise, however, especially since the next book comes out NEXT YEAR. D:

That point aside, Haze is a solid and elaborate sequel to a book that is rightfully loved by many, continuing a series that effortlessly outshines others of its genre. Truly, I was not expecting anything less.

Read my review of the first book, Shadows.

Title: Daughter of Chaos (Red Magic)
Author: Jen McConnel
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
Genre: Fantasy//Mythology

Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.

Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.

But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos. -Goodreads

4 Stars

Thanks to the author and Nikki from Fiction Freak for the giveaway of a signed copy of this book!

I'm a bit surprised at how easily I gave this book four stars--I didn't go through what I liked and didn't like, neither did I spend an hour analyzing the plot--I automatically decided to give Daughter of Chaos an applaudable four stars right after finishing the story. Why? It awakened my love for this genre by weaving mythology throughout while managing to bring a creative twist to the story that was equal parts innovative and simplistic. It was unadulterated fun and was reminiscent of the tongue-in-cheek tone of The Percy Jackson series. Which I loved.

That said, if you have low tolerance for characters who make not-so-smart decisions on an almost chapter-ly basis, you probably won't be the protagonist's biggest fan. But I was able to ignore this minor annoyance due to the colorful mythology and engaging writing. I am eagerly anticipating the second installment in this refreshing take on mythology.