[Review: The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine]

"The Impostor Queen"
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: The Impostor Queen #1
Pages: 336
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Date Published: January 5th, 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

 Okay, I have to be honest here. The first 6% of this novel is brutally slow. I almost didn't feel like I was reading a Sarah Fine novel. I was so confused about what was going on (not story wise, but pacing wise) because Fine is the queen of pulling you right into her stories, but there was a disconnect in the beginning for me. That being said, soon I was pulled into a story that just never quit, and then the slow beginning made perfect sense. I guess what I'm saying is, don't mind the slow start, because Fine has knocked another book out of the park, and it'll leave your heart pounding. 

This is Fine's first dive into full on fantasy and I have to say that she nails it. She's built a world that is both beautiful and terrifying. She paints the city with blood, and tells a story of a girl who isn't what she planned on becoming. I love the fact that Fine messed with the idea of "what happens when you're not who anyone else thinks you are." It effects Ellie in ways that you can only imagine. It's a different angle than I've been seeing lately, and Ellie is a very different lead then I'm used to seeing Fine create. 

Ellie herself is so soft. But she's also someone that you have to look out for. The girl doesn't give up, so even though she might seem weak, she's powerful in the fact that she's not afraid to do what needs doing. I really liked her. I think she's what so many of us can be, and she's a massively relatable. I think everyone will see bits of themselves in her character.

Fine is also well known for her ability to round out her casts with wonderful secondary characters, and she doesn't disappoint there. Even characters that only have a few pages of book time make you notice them. They're used correctly. Every single time. 

There is a bit of a love story, but it doesn't over shadow what's going on with the story. Plus, Oskar is a total winner, and he knows how to provide for his family.

Some of my favorite parts of this story were the bits about the magical temple that Ellie leaves behind in the beginning of the story. Fine layers gory details into the novel, and I'm hoping that we get a lot more of that in the next novel. I want to know about the creepy inner workings of this magical realm. 

I suggest that everyone read this novel, and everything that Fine has ever written!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

 

[Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson]

"Defy"
Author: Sara B. Larson
Series: Defy #1
Pages: 336
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press

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Summary: 

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Defy,

I have mixed feelings about you. On one hand I liked your story. On the other hand your love triangle drove me crazy. I wished that you wouldn't have had one. Or that it would not have been a love triangle of the irritating type. In a way, it kind of ruined you for me, but your story was strong. It just is what it is...

-The White Unicorn 

Why do frustrating love triangles exist? Honestly, this book would have been so much better without it. As I was reading I was left with the same kind of feeling that I had while reading The Twilight Saga, that being a wish that there was one love interest. Or at least two men who offered something of substance for our main character. It could have worked, but I have to say that I don't think that Larson executed it well, though she should have just executed the love triangle to begin with. I just feel like shouting "WHYYYY" into the wind, because though I think that the love triangle brought the story down two or three unicorns, Larson wrote a really interesting story.

The story of a girl who cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy so that evil will not befall her is one that we've heard before. This book reminded me of Disney's Mulan on that front, but I liked that Larson decided to give her world a really dark backstory. Meaning that Alexa had to hide who she was so she wouldn't end up in a breeding house. Larson's world building was one of my favorite things about this book. I thought the army, the king's guards and the breeding house were all great additions to the world of Defy. 

I also liked Alexa a lot. Though I feel like she goes from being a girl with a secret to a girl who just kind of acts like a girl. A lot of sad stuff happens to her, and she finds herself alone in her deception. I wish she would have really been as alone as she thought she was, but then, all the boys who love her always knew that she was girl, and all the love happens. 

Rylan and Damian both want to treat Alexa like a girl, and it gets a tad annoying. I honestly didn't like either of them as love interests for her, though I have to admit that I did like them as characters in the story. They were both pretty awesome, when they weren't being annoying about Alexa. 

In the end I think that this book is geared toward people who love love triangles, and people who like them to take the main focus. I am not that crowd, and I wish that Larson's brilliant world building, and her none-romantic story line would have been able to take center stage, because they were great. 

Rating:

  2 Unicorns = It was okay, but something just didn't work for me!

[Waiting On Wednesday: Of Dreams And Rust]

Waiting On Wednesday happens every week on Wednesdays (hence the name) and is hosted by Breaking The Spine.  It's were people talk about the books they want to read about that aren't out yet.

My pick this week is...

"Of Dreams and Rust"
Author: Sarah Fine
Release Date: August 4th, 2015

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Summary:

War erupts in this bittersweet sequel to "Of Metal and Wishes", inspired by The Phantom of the Opera and called “relentlessly engrossing” by The Romantic Times.

In the year since the collapse of the slaughterhouse where Wen worked as her father’s medical assistant, she’s held all her secrets close. She works in the clinic at the weapons factory and sneaks away to nurse Bo, once the Ghost, now a boy determined to transform himself into a living machine. Their strange, fragile friendship soothes some of the ache of missing Melik, the strong-willed Noor who walked away from Wen all those months ago—but it can’t quell her fears for him.

The Noor are waging a rebellion in the west. When she overhears plans to crush Melik’s people with the powerful war machines created at the factory, Wen makes the painful decision to leave behind all she has known—including Bo—to warn them. But the farther she journeys into the warzone, the more confusing things become. A year of brutality seems to have changed Melik, and Wen has a decision to make about him and his people: How much is she willing to sacrifice to save them from complete annihilation?

-Goodreads

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If Sarah Fine writes it, I will read it. It's really as simple as that. But it's also the sequel to one of my favorite books of the year!

What are you waiting on this week?  I wanna know! 

[Review: The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas]

"The Perilous Sea"
Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy #2
Pages: 414
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: September 16th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

-Goodreads

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 My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To The Perilous Sea,

Okay, so I liked you. You were a very good middle book in my opinion, though I still had some issues with you. Like the first book before you, I had a hard time getting into you, I found parts of you boring, and yet, by the end, I was crying and cheering and wanting to know what happens next. I'm not sure what it is about you books, but in the end I always end up enjoying you.

-The White Unicorn

The only books I've read by Sherry Thomas are the ones in this trilogy. I'm saying this because I had the same issues with both books. Something about her pacing and I don't mix well. It's not to say that these books aren't fabulously written, because they are. It's more the fact that it takes me so long to really get into her world. I was hoping that that wouldn't be the case with The Perilous Sea, but it was. I still struggled with it, even though I was interested in what was going on, this book had a hard time keeping my attention in the beginning. Then in the middle, I couldn't put it down till I finished.

Thomas tells her story a little different in this second installment and I loved what she did. She gave us two plot lines to see the story through. One that consisted of Fairfax and Titus while they were in school and one where they were in the middle of the desert with no memory of who they are. It was fun to see both plot lines intersect and create a full story. I also happened to enjoy the high action of the desert scenes. They kept me fully interested in what I was reading, while some of the Eton antics seemed a bit boring.

The Perilous Sea was much more of mystery novel than The Burning Sky (at least from what I can remember). There are clues everywhere for Titus and Fairfax to find and they all lead to the same messed up conclusion. I found that some of the details Thomas wove into the story seemed a bit muddled and some of the characters reactions to the happenings in the book didn't seem as heightened as they needed to be. One instance of a Fairfax reaction to something that happens near the end of the book had me underwhelmed. You would think that it would have left her much more devastated than it did. (Sorry for being vague, I don't want to give anything away) For some reason this really bothered me. And I wished that some of the revelations would have held more weight with the characters.

As always Fairfax and Titus are adorable! If there is one thing that Thomas is really good at, it's the witty banter that she creates between these two! I love their relationship and even though there are few bumps in the road they handle it well. 

Thomas also chooses to highlight a few more of the boys in Eton and I liked getting to know them better. Though I still can't believe that none of them realize that Fairfax isn't a dude...

All in all this is a solid middle book and even though it might take me ages, you bet that I'll be reading the finale as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Rating: Actual Rating: 3.5

 

[Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas]

"Heir of Fire"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Pages: 565
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childerns
Format Read: Physical ARC provided by publisher for honest review

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Summary:

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Heir Of Fire,

Book, I don't even know how to calibrate my thoughts on you. It took some getting used to you, because your format was different and you showed us a lot of different places and people, but once I got a hang of it, I couldn't put you down. You turned the characters that I've grown to love into people who I could really root for, even though I've been rooting for them from the beginning. You also threw new characters at me that I can say I love just as much as all the others! Thanks for being a book that both progressed the plot and gave us a ton of character development. It's a really special thing!

-The White Unicorn

Maas has done it again. She's taken the world that she brought us in the two other novels in her series and expanded on it! Heir of Fire is full of world building and character development that will have you cheering, squirming and possibly crying your little eyes out. It's delightful to see a series of books that progresses so aggressively as it builds. Even though this book was very different from Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, it worked. Maas had more time to let us in on her story from different fronts, while still keeping us in touch with our favorite characters and adding new ones that will make a lasting impact on the story. 

Something else I love about the way this book is written is the power that people's memories of the dead play in the story. We get to really see what happened to Celaena growing up and characters that we've lost over the course of the series come back, not in physical form, but in the form of memories and promises. It's wonderful that the fallen are not forgotten and that they surround the characters in a way that propels them to be the people that they were meant to be.

Maas split the trio of Celaena, Dorian and Choal up in the last pages of Crown of Midnight and it gives all the characters a chance to breath on their own. Because of the events in Crown of Midnight, they're all left reeling in different ways and it was a smart move on Maas' part to drag them into different story lines. Celaena grows in ways that you can't even begin to understand until you read the book. She's slowly shaping into a Queen instead of a thief and it's an interesting progression to watch. We see Dorian learning about himself and his abilities with the help of Sorsha (I pray that's a Willow reference). I was glad to see that he found someone to connect to and that she actually had a lot to do with his Kingly inklings as well. Choal is just trying to figure out who he needs to be loyal to. I found his story line to be very interesting, but I also wish he would have picked a side long before he did.

Of course, since our leads are split up Maas needed to bring new players into the game and I have to say that I'm a fan of all of them. Rowan is just what Celaena needs and I ship their really weird friendship with all of my heart. It's kind of hard for me to believe that there is nothing sexual between the two of them, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Aedion comes alongside Choal as he tries to figure himself out and brings more Celaena history with him. And of course we've already talked about Dorian and Sorsha.

Perhaps, because of my deep love for the anti-hero, my favorite addition was Manon, a Blackbeak witch with a bad temper and decently sweet, dragon type, creator, named Abraxos. The addition of the witch clans was something that I came to love. Their so evil and yet there is something so interesting about Manon and her moral code of non-ethics. I can't wait to see what Maas does with her character as the story moves along, because I have a feeling that I'm going to come to love her even more.

This book is one heck of an adventure and I highly suggest that everyone, and I mean everyone read this series! There is something so wonderful and powerful and evil and hopeful about it. It makes you shy away, while also pulling you in. And really, what more could you want from a series?

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Crown Of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas]

"Crown of Midnight"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Pages: 420
Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Date Published: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Crown of Midnight,

Dang book, you really grabbed me by all of the heart strings. You gave me all of the feels, honestly, all of them. You left me giggling, laughing, swooning, crying, wanting to punch things, wanting to punch imaginary characters and most of all you left me reeling. You, book, did all the things that I wanted you to do, and even some that I didn't. And in the end that is why I loved you so much...

-The White Unicorn

I was utterly blown away by the world that Maas introduced me to in Throne of Glass, so you can be assured that I knew I was going to love the second installment in her series. I had no idea that she could get more creative and expressive in her story telling, but she did. Crown of Midnight took what I already loved from the first book and expanded on it. And boy oh boy did she tug on all of emotions with the words that she strung into magical sentences.

The book starts off where Throne of Glass left off, which means that there are going to be spoilers for the first book in this review. So, if you don't want those, read no further. Celaena is now the King's champion and she's already being forced to do all of his dirty work. It didn't take him that long to start using her in some dreadful ways and that's clear from the very opening pages of the book. But in the way that Maas writes, things aren't always as they seem. Celaena does what she wants, how she wants and even though people's lives might be at stake, she never crosses her moral boundaries.

Maas gives us new looks at relationships that she introduced us to in the first book, Celaena's wants and needs have changed in this book and Dorian and Choal, both benefit from that. Guys, the swoons that happen are wonderful, even if things get muddled fast. I heart Celaena and Choal forever and I fully understand why people are so into this ship. It makes all the sense in the world to me now. On the other hand I love her relationship with Dorian as well, now that they aren't sticking their tongues down each other's throats all the time.

I was so glad that we got to see more of Nehemia and Celaena's friendship as well. Maas does a great job of balancing the romance and the friendships in her series and it makes it all the more real and heartbreaking when the shit hits the fan, because she's also a bit of a master of misery. It was great to get a better read on the Princess and the way Maas uses her in the plot of this book is fantastic, if not slightly rage inducing.

We also get to see more sides to Celaena this time around. Added characters and mysteries unfold in her life and it brings her to some pretty dark and intense places. Sometimes I just really wanted to give her a hug and other times I cheered her on and backed her decisions 100%. Sometimes when life gives you lemons, you just have to chuck them as hard as you can at the people who have wronged you and Celaena proves that she's not afraid to do that, sometimes at any cost.

Maas also digs deeper into the mysteries of the castle and pulls more of her characters into the thick of things. It seems that no one is safe when she's concerned and it makes for amazing story telling and so many things that I would like to discuss with people. So, if you've read this book, hit me up, because I don't want to spoil it for the rest of you. Just know that if you pick this series up, you're in for one heck of an emotional ride! So yeah, read this book, because it's good for you!

Rating:

 5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this one NOW!

[Review: Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas]

"Throne of Glass"
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Pages: 404
Genre: YA, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Date Published: August 7th, 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Throne of Glass,

Why oh why haven't I read you before this? You are everything that I want from a fantasy novel and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to jump on the Throne of Glass bandwagon. I adored your world building and you characters and your plot line and your amazing cover. You make me want to put everything else on hold so that I can binge read all of your predecessors, that's how much I adore you!

-The White Unicorn

Throne of Glass is everything that a fantasy novel should be. Seriously, it hits every single mark. Maas has taken care with her story telling and it shows in a big way. She throws random elements at you, so that even when you think you have it all figured out, something new pops up and surprises you. The book seems simple at first, but don't be fooled, Maas is the master of layering, which is what makes reading this book such a fun experience. The way she weaves the fantastical in with the ordinary proves that she's a master story teller and it'll have you coming back for more.

Above everything else, I adore the characters that Maas has created. Their relationships and interactions are so real. It gives the book a really solid foundation to work off of and she uses that to her advantage in telling her story. I personally couldn't wish for a stronger protagonist than Celaena. She's got so much going on. She complex and snarky and a total badass. She carries around wounds and secrets, but also is so full of hope that you can't help but root for her. Sure she's an assassin, but she's also so much more than that. 

It's also wonderful that Maas takes the time to look at different types of relationships in the book. She concentrates on friendship as well as romantic feels and the balance is perfection. Though there are obvious feelings happening between Celaena and both, Dorian and Choal, I love that they all have each others backs as well. I also like how each guy actually offers something totally different to the table. I didn't feel like I was reading an obnoxious love triangle at all. And let's be honest Dorian doesn't have anything Choal in the end, even though he is definitely pretty great in his own way.

Celaena also has other allies in the castle made of glass and I enjoyed each of them and the large roles that they play in her life. Maas throws in some female friends which add to the story in so many ways. I wish I could say more, but I feel like it would be giving too much away.

In the end I can't enough about this book. If, for some odd reason, you haven't picked this one up yet, take my advice and do it! You need to experience this world and all the wonderful things it has waiting for you.

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this now!

[Waiting On Wednesday: The Orphan Queen]

Waiting On Wednesday happens every week on Wednesdays (hence the name) and is hosted by Breaking The Spine.  It's were people talk about the books they want to read about that aren't out yet.

My pick this week is...

"The Orphan Queen"
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: March 10th, 2015

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Summary:

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

-Goodreads

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  This book sounds amazing! It sounds like the kind of fantasy that I love to read and I couldn't be more excited! 

What are you waiting on this week?  I wanna know!  

[Waiting On Wednesday: The Sin Eater's Daughter]

Waiting On Wednesday happens every week on Wednesdays (hence the name) and is hosted by Breaking The Spine.  It's were people talk about the books they want to read about that aren't out yet.

My pick this week is...

"The Sin Eater's Daughter"
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Release Date: February 24th, 2015

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Summary:

A startling, seductive, deliciously dark debut that will shatter your definition of YA fantasy.

16-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, no one speaks to her. No one even looks at her. Because Twylla isn't a member of the court. She's the executioner.

As the goddess-embodied, Twylla kills with a single touch. So each week, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love her. Who could care for a girl with murder in her veins? Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to her touch, avoids her.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose playful smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the goddess. Yet a treasonous romance is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies-a plan that requires an unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

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Everything and I mean everything about this book makes it sound like something I am going to love to pieces. Plus, I know they say that isn't the final cover, but I sure hope it is, because it's glorious! Let's hope that this one lives up to my expectations!

 What are you waiting on this week?  I wanna know!   

[Review: City Of A Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster]

"City of a Thousand Dolls"
Author: Miriam Forster
Series: Bhinian Empire #1
Pages: 359
Genre: YA, High Fantasy
Date Published: February 5th 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: Hardcover from the library

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Summary:

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.

Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.

Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To City of a Thousand Dolls,

You book, are what a high fantasy should be. You delve into a whole bunch of things, but never feel too muddled. You actually (almost) got away with stumping me on the murderer as well, which is a pretty hard to do. Maybe it was because the riddle was easier than normal and I was caught up in your world building, but I think you totally worked as a murder mystery. And your world, let's talk about that-so wonderful. And I was rooting for Nisha from the beginning, so that's good too. Thanks for being solid. Go you!

-The White Unicorn

I went into City of a Thousand Dolls with leery eyes. I had seen some, not so flattering, reviews and yet I was pulled in by the cover and the fact that it was pitched as a murder mystery/high fantasy hybrid. I love when a book mixes two unlikely things and so I was sold and threw my hesitations out the window and dove into the pages. I have to tell you that I'm so glad that I did. I was blown away by this book. There were a few little things that I thought wrapped it up a bit too easily, but in the end that didn't affect how I felt about the overall story.

Forster's world building is top notch. She creates a kingdom with messed up politics and brings them to the forefront. She uses a strict 2 child per family policy which spills over and leaves girl babies in peril. So as an author she created The City of a Thousand Dolls and the rules that live there, along with all of the unwanted females of the Bhinian Empire. There are rules which are written out for us as readers and there are some that are simply implied, but all of these things come together to give us a well rounded city that is both a safe haven and a pit of misery all at once. 

I like that Nisha (the heroine) didn't have a caste that she falls into. It kept her displaced in a place that should have felt like her home. The rest of the girls know what they are good at and where they belong and yet Nisha finds herself the Matron's assistant. It was a great call for Forster as a storyteller. It makes you feel for her as a character early on and it helps you get behind some of her not so great ideas. She's young in some of her actions, but she's also wise beyond her years in other ways. She's an interesting character to study, that's for sure.

The murder mystery was a fun element to add into this story. You have all the politics and the drama created by a city full of females and the power struggles happening and then you add death into the mix. Brilliant. It keeps you on your toes and allows the characters to grow as well. Forster did a grand job of withholding the right clues till the last minute and that made it a little tougher to figure out what was going on. With so many things going on, there are so many options about what could be happening. Plus, there is also the mystery surrounding Nisha and who she really is, which serves as a story builder as well as a distraction.

The romance was a little weird for me, but then again that wasn't what it seemed to be either. I liked that Devon didn't end up being Nisha's saving grace. The little bit I learned about him didn't make him my favorite, so I didn't mind how things ended up going.

Throw in some talking cats, that I can't really talk about and you've got an awesome high fantasy novel. Seriously though, the talking cats were weird for me at first, but I ended up loving them in the end and I liked that Nisha had such a bond with them. 

If you like high fantasy and murder mysteries then this book is totally for you. 

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this one now!