[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: Of Dreams And Rust by Sarah Fine]

"Of Dream and Rust"
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Of Metal and Wishes #2
Pages: 288
Genre: YA, Retelling
Date Published: August 4th, 2015
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format Read: Purchased Hardcover

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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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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Of Dreams And Rust,

You made me feel all of the emotions. Every single one. Most books only give you a few feels, but you actually made me use all of my different emotions in less than three hundred pages. You should be proud of yourself for that. I honestly can't say how much that I enjoyed you, because I'm not sure that there is enough time for that. You're the best!

-The White Unicorn

I'm a Sarah Fine fan girl for life, so it should be no surprise that I pre-ordered this novel as soon as I knew that it was going to exist, or the fact that I started it the day it showed up at my house. As a lover of musicals, Phantom of the Opera has always been a favorite of mine. Mix Sarah Fine and Phantom together and you get magic. Of Dreams and Rust, and it's predecessor Of Metal and Wishes prove that. 

It's true that Of Metal and Wishes was supposed to be a standalone novel, but when Fine was asked to continue the story, she did. I think that the first book would have been fine as a standalone, because it's brilliant, but I'm glad that Fine decided to continue Wen, Melik, and Bo's story. 

This book reads really quickly, and it's not very long. I could have done with a few more chapters myself, but I think that Fine puts everything that needs to be said into the novel as is. I think I just didn't want to say goodbye to the characters, so I would have been pleased if this book would have gone on forever. But it didn't. 

Because the characters were so established in the first novel, we jump right into the action in book two. I like that we didn't have to wait for Wen to do something dramatic. She finds out that Melik might still be alive, and that she might be able to save him, and she rushes off to do just that. 

Melik becomes a really complex character in the book. I don't remember him being quite as dynamic in the first novel and I really liked where his character progression went this time around. He's conflicted about a lot of things and it shows in the way he responds to everything around him. It's also interesting to see the story taking place in his comfort zone. It adds something new to the tale.

Bo is who he's always been, and I like that while the rest of the cast has grown a bit since we met them in the first book, it is safe to say that Bo might have actually digressed. I love this about him. It makes him different. It makes him the wild card. It makes him the boy who does what he wants when he wants, which keeps us all on our toes. 

This book is sad people. Like the kind of sad that might mean that you should not read it without some tissues on hand. It's brutal, and it's beautiful. It's everything you want from a Sarah Fine novel. So read it. Just read it, okay?!

Rating:

  5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Of Metal And Wishes by Sarah Fine]

"Of Metal and Wishes"
Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Of Metal and Wishes #1
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Classic Retellings
Date Published: August 5th, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her … for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her … and she might go down with it.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Of Metal And Wishes,

Book, you slay me! I knew you were going to be great, but I didn't know how great and I have to say that you were pretty much the greatest! This note might be a little gushy and filled with too many greats, but who really cares. As a lover of all things Phantom of the Opera, I can say that you really outdid yourself as a retelling. Also, I'm a little sad that I have to wait a whole year to read the conclusion of your story. Way to leave a girl hanging. (see what I did there?)

 

-The White Unicorn

Of Metal and Wishes is one of those books that I just connected with. As a huge Sarah Fine fan I was excited when I learned that she would be tackling one of my favorite stories and twisting it into something new and different, this book became one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Let me tell you right now that it didn't disappoint me. This book is truly a work of art. Dark, creepy, fantastic art.

Many people know that phenomenon that is The Phantom of the Opera. It's taken many different forms over the years from movies and musicals and books, but Fine takes the main story and uses it as the inspiration for her own tale. She does it masterfully, leaving the overly romantic creepiness of the story intact, while adding so many different levels of her own creativity into the mix. It's a book that grabs you and drags you along for a ride that you won't be forgetting any time soon.

The world building in this book is top notch. Fine has created a world that feels both ancient and dystopian at the same time. She's created classes and factions of people that in turn help create this feeling of tension throughout the novel. The slaughterhouse setting is perfect for the vibe of the novel. The world building is compact. Even though it is small, it also seems incredibly large at the same time. So many creative details live in the halls of this slaughterhouse that you're never bored. Fine has a blast with all things Ghost and the fantastical world in the basements of the slaughterhouse shine.

Perhaps the best part of this novel is the characters themselves. Fine gives us a diverse character set with lots of interesting dynamics. Wen, is the dutiful daughter who holds a lot of angst within her bones, but it's not an angst that will turn you off, it's the kind that pushes her as a person and makes you root for her in every way possible. She's a bit of a badass and she can stitch up a human like nobodies business.

Malik was the perfect love interest! I was pleased that Fine decided to give him loads of backbone. In Phantom his role is always played as the gentleman. The soft one. But Fine didn't play that way in her retelling and instead gave us a male lead who was just as strong and ruthless as The Ghost. It makes the triangle and the love stories more interesting when it's harder to pick a clear winner, and I loved that.

That leads us to The Ghost himself. He's so different than any anti-hero that I've read and I adored him. Fine makes him someone that you can relate to, even if you don't agree with everything that he does. She gives him a back story that pulls at your heartstrings and gives him a charisma that makes you wonder why you like him so much.

The secondary characters are just as wonderful and they add so much to the story in their own rights. Fine takes the whole book in a really dark and sometimes disturbing direction, and it works. It works so very well. Honestly, I could go on and on about this book. For right I'll just say, if you have eyes and you like books then you need to read this as soon as it comes out.

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!  

[Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black]

"Doll Bones"
Author: Holly Black
Series: None
Pages: 244
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Date Published: May 7th, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format Read: Hardback from the library

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Summary:

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

In all honesty, I'm disappointed with this book.  I've read some fairly creeptastic MG novels before and I heard some people comparing this one to some of those (namely Coraline) and I just didn't get that vibe from this book at all.  It had moments where it was almost there, but then it didn't make the scary happen.  A lot was left to the imagination, which I love, but for some reason I just didn't connect with Holly Black's writing style.  In a way I think this is a heavy case of "it's not you, it's me".  The fact that I haven't been in Middle School for over 10 years might also have something to do with my reaction.

The kids were dealing with growing up and though I'm sure that some of their reactions to the things that happened to them were warranted, I couldn't get behind all of it.  I totally got how upset Zach was when his dad tossed his action figures out, I think we've all been there, but I didn't find the way he treated his friends after to be very honest.  Poppy and Alice  had their strong points, but they were so catty to each other.  It's a real part of being that age, but it grated on me as a reader that these girls were treating each other like they did.  Over all they were an honest hot mess, it just wasn't an honest that I enjoyed.

The adventure and using your imagination part of the novel was really well rounded.  I liked the games that the three friends played.  Creating worlds and stories out of thin air.  It was actually the most enjoyable part of the book for me.  In a way I think we all still seek adventure like that.  Black handled that youthfulness really well!

The Queen (as the call the old china doll) had so much potential to be scary.  I wanted to want to be scared, but I just wasn't.  The mythology behind the girl ghost in a doll is awesome and when the details actually come to light, they are the right kind of creepy.  Age appropriate and all.  But the things that happen before, didn't affect me at all.

I think this book would be great for middle grade audiences who don't like something too scary.  I can see someone else connecting with this book differently than I did.  In fact, I've seen a lot of positive reviews and it seems like I'm in the minority.  Plus, Zach's cat is named The Party, which is pretty much the dopest cat name ever, so there is that!     

Rating:

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

Don't forget to head over to Read My Breath Away for an interview with "Asylum" author Madeleine Roux!