Showing posts with label mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mythology. Show all posts

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Mini-Reviews: Haze & Daughter of Chaos

Haze (The Rephaim, #2)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!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Review: Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty

Title: Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe)
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Genre: Fairytale retelling
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love. -Goodreads

3-3.5 Stars
As a child, Belle was always one of my favorite Disney characters. (I related to her so much. Probably because we both love reading and have brown hair xD). And as such, Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite fairy tales. So, I was expecting to love this.

Did I?

It varies.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Cover Reveal: Mortal Gods, by Kendare Blake

So, I have a confession to make. I haven't actually read Antigoddess, or even Anna Dressed In Blood. That's not to say that I don't want to start either series written by this author, it's just that I'm afraid of disappointment. I've heard such great things about Anna Dressed in Blood, and I'm waiting for that perfect moment to dedicate myself to both books (I think it's a duology?). And well, I recently went on a Netgalley spree, which I'm not entirely proud of. But anyways.

The cover for Mortal Gods, by Kendare Blake!

Mortal Gods (Goddess War, #2)

IT'S SO PRETTEH. Makes me want to start the series!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Review: Evertrue, by Brodi Ashton


Evertrue (Everneath, #3)
Title: Evertrue (Everneath #3)
Author: Brodi Ashton
Genre: YA Mythology
Pub. Date: January 21, 2013

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

In this stunning conclusion to the Everneath trilogy, Brodi Ashton evokes the resiliency of the human spirit and the indomitable power of true love. -Goodreads

1 Star
Out of the entire series, Evertrue is probably the cheesiest of them all. I kid you not. As if the series couldn't get any more idiotic.

If I read this novel about, oh, a year and a half ago, I would've loved it. I read the first before I became a blogger, and I’m pretty sure I gave that one four stars. I read the second, and abhorred it. Less embarrassment for me.

At about 10% in, I encountered this sentence…
”I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.”

…And knew that this book and I were not going to be on good terms.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Review: Mythology: The Wicked, by Helen Boswell



Title: The Wicked (Mythology #2)
Author: Helen Boswell
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Pub. Date: October 11, 2013

A demon with a pure heart, Micah Condie lives his life by a code of ethics, but breaking that code may be the only way for him to survive. A supernatural entity in her own right, Hope Gentry would do anything in her power to protect her loved ones, but she may be the one who puts them in peril.

When the Demon Impiorum challenges the laws that keep guardians and demons in balance, ancient enforcers of justice intervene. Micah, Hope, and their mentor Jonathan become entangled in a conspiracy that will test even the deepest love and trust.

Someone will commit an act of betrayal. Someone will forever abandon a loved one.

Someone will enter THE WICKED.

4 Stars
It puzzles me how unknown Helen Boswell’s series is. I went into it, expectations low, and was

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Elixir, by Jennifer L. Armentrout



Elixir (Covenant, #3.5)

Title: Elixir (Covenant #3.5)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: YA paranormal
Pub. Date: November 27, 2012

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex.
Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for.
Even if it means making war against the gods.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

3 Stars 
I'm not usually one to read novellas, because in my opinion they don't really satisfy me, but Elixir is an exception to that. It was intriguing to see things from Aiden's POV, and although I never really liked him, I actually began to respect him while reading this. An interesting read, and I highly recommend reading it before Apollyon, as it makes things much
clearer.


About the Author

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Giveaway!
Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Book Release + Giveaway: Mythology, The Wicked by Helen Boswell




Title: The Wicked (Book 2)
Pub. Date: October 11, 2013

A demon with a pure heart, Micah Condie lives his life by a code of ethics, but breaking that code may be the only way for him to survive. A supernatural entity in her own right, Hope Gentry would do anything in her power to protect her loved ones, but she may be the one who puts them in peril.

When the Demon Impiorum challenges the laws that keep guardians and demons in balance, ancient enforcers of justice intervene. Micah, Hope, and their mentor Jonathan become entangled in a conspiracy that will test even the deepest love and trust.

Someone will commit an act of betrayal. Someone will forever abandon a loved one.

Someone will enter THE WICKED.




Title: Mythology (Book 1)
Pub. Date: July 27, 2012

Hope Gentry doesn’t believe in Fate. Born with an unusual power to see the dark memories of those around her, Hope just wants to be a normal teenager. But on the first day of her senior year of high school, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to a transfer student named Micah Condie. At first glance, Micah seems like a boy that most girls would dream about. But when Hope's powers allow her to discover Micah's darkest secret, she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of mythical entities she never dreamed existed. Was this her destiny all along? And will her powers help her survive the evil of the Demon Impiorum?

Mythology isn’t just for English class anymore.



About the Author:

Originally from upstate New York, Helen Boswell spent several years of her early adult life tromping around in the city of Buffalo with frequent trips to Toronto, Canada. These two cities in particular serve as inspirational settings for her urban fantasies, and while Helen has since moved to live in the southwestern United States, she will have fond memories of urban life and high-heeled sneakers for all eternity.

Helen earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University at Buffalo and dedicates her time to teaching biology and other fun things to college students, spending time with her wonderful family, and eating chocolate while writing.

The YA urban fantasy MYTHOLOGY is her first novel and the first one in the Mythology Series.

Find out more about Helen at http://www.helenboswell.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Review: Apollyon, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Apollyon (Covenant, #4)


Title: Apollyon (Covenant, #4)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: YA Paranormal/ Mythology
Pub. Date: April 4, 2013

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself. -Goodreads


Whaat!? I'm rating a book written by JLA 2 stars?! I know, I can't believe it either, but this book somehow fell short compared to the other books. It didn't pull at or challenge my emotions much, and I felt a bit disconnected from the story.

I have been a huge fan of the Covenant series for a while. Particularly Deity and Pure, I always felt engaged in the story and could never put the book down. Apollyon was a struggle to finish, and I must say there were not any notable moments that had me gripping the book out of complete interest. Sad thing is, nothing kept my interest for long, except maybe a few select scenes that still did not satisfy me compared to the other books in the series.

Simply put, there was too much sitting, not enough doing. It seemed like the action scenes were few and far between and a lot of the time was spent sitting around giving pep talks or whatever.

It was brought up plenty of times that Alex is "maturing". But I beg to differ. If she was "maturing", why was she so selfish, more so than the other books? She even admitted that she was selfish, but her friends kept assuring her that she is "much more mature than she used to be". That is not the case, for sure.

The antagonist was very obvious. Anyone with some knowledge of Greek mythology would be able to figure it out fairly easily.

The absence of Seth for a large portion of the book was disappointing. I didn't acknowledge that until reading Apollyon, but I noticed that without his constant jokes and sarcasm, the book became kind of dry without it.

I'm used to my emotions raging wild from reading the books in this series. In fact, that's what I expected from Apollyon the most. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I will admit, there were some okay-ish scenes, but not enough to blow my socks off like the other books did.

2/5 stars

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Review: The Goddess Inheritance, by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test, #3)



Title: The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3)
Author: Aimee Carter
Genre: YA Mythology
Pub. Date: February 26, 2013

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity. Goodreads

My Rating: 2/5 stars

Going into the Goddess Inheritance, I had VERY high standards. I absolutely loved Goddess Interrupted, and I feel like my opinion on this book completely differs from that of the second installment.

I was totally emotionless throughout the course of the novel. With all that drama the author put into the story, you'd expect me to be at least somewhat affected. But no, I wasn't, maybe a bit relieved to see this series finish.

As a final book, there is so much pressure on the author to create a fantastic conclusion while living up to people's standards, as well as giving everyone a feeling of satisfaction. Yeah, this book succeeded partially in that, but not fully, and I was not exactly thrilled with how everything turned out.

That last scene, with the fighting and everything, was LAME to the thousandth degree. Once a solution was reached, and the conflict ceased, I was sitting there thinking, "That's it? That's what I've been eagerly anticipating?"

I didn't feel like there were any real threats- as in, there was no point in which Kate found herself in a situation that was life threatening. This is due to the fact that each problem thrown at her was solved so effortlessly and quickly.

Kate is pretty much the MAIN reason as to why I gave this book such a low rating. She really made me want to pull my hair out. She was judgmental and self-absorbed. She expected everyone to listen to her, while she didn't bother to listen to anyone but herself. She reminds me of those girls that are so full of themselves and walk around as if they are better than everyone around them.

Kate expects everyone to listen to her, even though she is only- what? 18? These gods are thousands of years old. Obviously, they have more experience than her, why should they listen to what she says? I also hated the way she was so forceful and acted like she had the full right to boss everyone around. The author tried to make her seem like a "strong heroine", but in reality she only came across as a major jerk.

The Goddess Inheritance -actually The Goddess Test series as a whole- does a horrible job of representing Greek mythology. It portrays a watered down version, filled with unnecessary drama, similar to that of a very bad soap opera.

Cronus is meant to be the main villain in this book. Despite what the characters insist, Cronus does not seem as bad as they make him out to be. I didn't feel very scared of him. The main reason as to why he did not succeed in frightening me is the fact that he succumbed to Calliope's wishes, making it seem as if she had power over him. This is the part where I get confused; why would Calliope have so much influence over an all-powerful (or seemingly so) god such as Cronus?

The recurring theme of sacrifices is VERY repetitive in this novel, to the point where the plot becomes dull and predictable. Using it once, twice at most, in a novel is effective, but any more than that makes the book boring and not very interesting.

A book lacking of depth and originality, and lead by an annoying protagonist, The Goddess Inheritance is not a novel I would recommend. When compared to other books of the same genre, such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or even Everneath, The Goddess Inheritance does an unpleasant job of portraying Greek mythology.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Review: Everbound, by Brodi Ashton

Everbound (Everneath, #2)

Title: Everbound (Everneath, #2)
Author: Brodi Ashton
Publication Date: January 22, 2013
Genre: YA Mythology

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.


My Rating: 3/5 stars

I was so close to giving this book 2 stars, but just because Cole is awesome, I shall give it 3.

No. Just, no. I did not like this book. Period. I think its because I despised Nikki, but I just wasn't feeling it for this book.

You know what? Honestly, I don't know how Cole dealt with Nikki. Her memories of Jack integrated into the story were cute at first, but then it turned into plain corny. Corny to the point where it got really agitating.

Her obsession with Jack was a little creepy. Ya, he got sucked into the Underworld or wherever the hell he went, but come on. I get so angry when a female protagonist is unable to function without her boyfriend. They don't care about their family or their friends, they just become detached from everything. The only "friend" she had was that lady that was a part of the Daughters of Persephone thing (I forgot her name), and that was only out of her selfishness and desperation to find Jack.

And that "Hands" scene at the end. That was unbelievably stupid. Was that supposed to be the "climax"? Because all it did was make me yawn from boredom and its lame-ness.

That ending just baffled me. You know how an author usually drops little hints throughout the story, otherwise known as foreshadowing? Well, this author basically shoved the information at us at the last minute. Which, naturally, angered me and confused me at the same time.

I don't like the way Nikki views Cole. She didn't seem grateful at all that he was going with her to the Everneath on a dangerous journey. She acted like he was obligated to do so. I mean, at least have the manners to say "Thanks" for all the crap she put him through. And another thing. She never considers things from his perspective. She automatically assumes he is a "bad guy". Have some empathy, girl.

I feel like there wasn't enough dialogue between the charcters. Yes, there was dialogue between Cole and Nikki and Nikki and Will, but that's about it. She did not interact with anyone else, and if she did, it was very minimal. As a result of this, we learned very little about the secondary characters- that I thought were pretty important. Like Ashe and Max, for example.

The fact that I finished this book in a day and that the author managed to keep me reading is a good sign, which is why I gave this book 3 stars. But, Nikki was just way too annoying and selfish, and everything about her was unlikable.

Cole is a different story- I am almost positive that he is the reason why I kept reading.

Excuse me while I continuously ponder why Cole wants to spend all eternity with this unbearable character. Cole, you can do better than that.