[Review: Gates If Thread And Stone by Lori M. Lee]

"Gates of Thread and Stone"
Author: Lori M. Lee
Series: Gates of Thread and Stone #1
Pages: 335
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Mythology
Date Published: August 5th, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for honest review

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Summary:

In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power. 

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Gates Of Thread And Stone,

You were action packed, fast paced, and full of adventure. So basically, you were just what I was looking for. I'm still wondering why it took me so long to actually read you? It's a valid question. Kai was an unknown badass, and Avan was something else as well. Between the fun plot, and the cool characters, I liked you a lot!

-The White Unicorn

It's been awhile since I've read a dystopian novel, and I'm really glad that this is the one I ended up picking up. Gates of Thread and Stone is just what I wanted it to be. Lee not only gives us an exciting story, she also gives us some really interesting characters. 

Honestly, even though I like the plot, I have to say that it is pretty basic. There are little twists and turns, but it's kind of your typical Dystopian. The part where Lee differs is the fact that she adds mythology into everything. Along with little dashes of magic. So while Lee's plot is simple, her world building is really well thought out and layered. It makes for a plesent reading experience. 

Lee also does the same thing with her characters. They might seem familiar at first, but she adds these details that make them come alive. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am really impressed by Lee's ability to take all these basic elements and make them sparkle in a way that you haven't seen before. 

Kai is strong. She's a fighter, she knows what she has to do, and she does it. She doesn't second guess herself. On the other hand, she has no idea what she's doing, and she knows it. I really liked her. Her loyalty to her family and the people in her life was intense, and I dug it! 

Avan was really cool. He's layered, and he's not your typical love interest. Lee decided to make him bi-sexual, and I think it was the perfect choice. You don't see it very often, and it made the romance really interesting! 

Speaking of romance, Lee has a really good handle on creating the slow burn. Some writers have it, and it's clear that she is one of them. I found myself shipping Kai and Avan before they even realized that they liked each other. I think I was yelling at them to "just kiss already" more than once while reading. 

So, if you're looking for a book full of adventure, interesting characters, and a ship that will leave you shipping for days, here it is!

Rating:

 

4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!

[Review: Chaos by Sarah Fine]

"Chaos"
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Guards of the Shadowlands #3
Pages: 399
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Date Published: October 7th, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

With Juri in control and everything in absolute chaos, Lela plunges into the depths of hell to free Malachi from creatures that have waited decades to exact their revenge. But the Judge has her own way of doing things, and Lela must work with Ana, the new Captain, who has a very personal mission of her own. Together, they infiltrate the most horrifying realm either has yet encountered in the Shadowlands—the bitter landscape ruled by the Mazikin.

The stakes could not be higher, and Lela must accept the help—and love—of people she barely knows or trusts. As alliances and loyalties shift and she realizes the soul she came to save isn’t the only one in need of rescue, can Lela summon the strength to see the fight through to the very end? 

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Chaos,

Why? Why are you over? I still don't think I'm ready for you to be the end of one of my favorite series, but that's my own fault. I honestly can't find any problems with you though, so that's good. You delivered a action packed, tear inducing, kickass ending to one of the most creative groups of books I've ever read. You gave me everything that I wanted and I couldn't be happier! Well, I guess I could be happier, but that's only if another book magically appeared in front of me.

-The White Unicorn

Parting with this series has been tough for me. As you can see I didn't jump on reading Chaos right away and part of that came from not wanting The Guards of the Shadowlands to be over. Now that I've read it, I could be happier with the outcome, and though I was never worried, I feel like Fine deserves a life time supply of chocolate (or her preferred sweet of choice), because she's awesome!

Chaos is the best of every world. We get the action and raw emotion of Sanctum, while also getting the complexities of Fractured mixed in. The book is high octave action and I have to admit that I had to put the book down a few times. It was so intense that I would find myself needing to take breaks just so I could breathe. Fine introduces us to a new part of the afterlife that is pretty horrid, but also full of her signature style of hope.

The Mazikin world that Fine has created for Chaos is the kind of world building that I love. It's dark, no one is safe and you're not sure what the outcome will be. It keeps the plot tension at a high and gives our characters a landscape where they are able to grow even more than we've already seen them do in the other books. It was also great to delve into The Mazikin history and see just how tricky they are, as well as seeing that evil and goodness can live anywhere.

No one get's left behind in this conclusion and it was nice to be reunited with characters that we haven't seen for awhile and meet some that we've heard about. It was interesting to see Ana in charge this time around. Her chemistry with Lela was an interesting one. In the end they wanted the same thing, but there was a bit of head butting, due to the fact that Lela likes to do things her own way. 

It was terrifying to see Fine put Malachi through, which put everyone else through hell as well. He got the brunt of the horror, but it blend into everyone else's lives too. Of course, you're rooting for both Malachi and Lela the whole time. Their love story comes to a beautiful conclusion that isn't overpowering to the plot and it makes me like them even more. 

In the end (because that's what this is) I couldn't have been happier. I'm glad that this is the book that I got to use to say "bye" to some of my favorite characters and world building. I'm also that glad that Fine never lost her touch to make you feel hope as a reader, even in the most dire of circumstances.

I can't recommend this series enough. Please read it if you haven't.  

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Fractured by Sarah Fine]

"Fractured"
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Guards of the Shadowlands #2
Pages: 357
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Horror
Date Published: October 29th, 2013
Publisher: Skyscape
Format Read: ARC

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Summary:

In the week since Lela returned to Rhode Island as Captain of the Guard with Malachi as her second in command, local news has been dominated by chilling sightings of human-like creatures running on all fours. Lela knows there’s only one explanation: the Mazikin have arrived in the land of the living.

Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.

As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

Just as a warning: this review may contain Sanctum spoilers...

 

My mind is still reeling.  I'm not sure how to feel about what I just read and yet I can tell you that I loved it.  100% LOVED IT!  Fractured is one of the strongest "middle books" that I've ever read.  It keeps you connected to the characters that you already love and introduces some awesome new ones at the same time.  Seriously, I want to give Fine some mad props for writing the things that happened in this book, even if I wanted to throw it across the room when I was done with it.  That ending... and that beginning and that middle, but really that ending.  I wish I could tell you, but I can't!  I also wish I could read the 3rd book right now.  I need to know all the things and mend my heart...

Sanctum was my favorite read of last year and so needless to say I couldn't wait to dig into Fractured and I wasn't disappointed, not even a little bit.  I wondered how Fine was going to keep the tension going this time around.  The first book takes place behind The Suicide Gates, which was a terrifying world straight out of Fine's imagination.  Fractured comes at you from the normal American city of Rhode Island.  There were so many things that could have gone wrong, but Fine showed us a Rhode Island that was just as heart-poundingly scary as the dark world she created previously.  I honestly don't know which setting freaked me out more and that speaks volumes about Fine's story telling.  She wraps menacing details into real world happenings in a way that makes you glance over your shoulder to make sure no one is there.

There is something about the emotional place that all of the characters in Fractured are in that keeps you on edge.  They are all mourning someone and it's a brilliant plot tool.  It makes the moments of happiness extremely happy and yet bittersweet and the other moments just make you wanna curl up in a ball and cry till you have no more tears left in your body.  Even though Nadia (the whole reason for Lela going into The Suicide Gates to begin with) isn't there in the flesh, she still has a place in the book and I really appreciated that.

Oh gosh, it was so good to hang out with Lela and Malachi again.  There are a lot of feels for these two in my soul.  Both as individuals and as a couple.  Fine continues to build their characters and flesh them out even more this time around.  I didn't know that was possible, but apparently it is!  Putting Lela in a position of power really worked for her and also added a touch of something a little harder to her vulnerable side.  She is a brilliant character!   

And the new characters were awesome as well.  We got a good mix of Guards and normal teenage persons.  Henry and Jim add so much to the story.  Jim's cockiness and nativity was a really cool mixture and Henry was a loyal Guard under Lela's command.  And then we got Tegan and Ian.  I have to admit that as much as I love me some Malachi, Ian was an awesome character and I could see him with Lela too.  (No there isn't really a love triangle, don't worry)  It was also nice to see Lela interacting with a girly girl.  I felt like we got to see what her relationship with Nadia was like once she and Tegan started to become friends.  Once again, clever story telling at it's best!

So can you tell that I have nothing bad to say about this book?  It even had kick ass gadgets and legit, high action, fight scenes.  Oh and Angels and the creepiest villains ever.  Honestly, if the Mazikin don't scare the crap out of you, then you just might be one yourself.  I highly suggest this series to everyone.  I really don't know why everyone on the planet isn't talking about it?  Read these books!  Snag the first one and pre-order Fractured, trust me, you're gonna wanna pick it up as soon as you've read Sanctum!

Rating:

 5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this now!  Or on the 29th!