A SPARK UNSEEN by Sharon Cameron

Rating: A-

Release Date: 09/24/13

Synopsis:

The thrilling sequel to Sharon Cameron's blockbuster gothic steampunk romance, THE DARK UNWINDING, will captivate readers anew with mystery and intrigue aplenty.

When Katharine Tulman wakes in the middle of the night and accidentally foils a kidnapping attempt on her uncle, she realizes Stranwyne Keep is no longer safe for Uncle Tully and his genius inventions. She flees to Paris, where she hopes to remain undetected and also find the mysterious and handsome Lane, who is suspected to be dead.

But the search for Lane is not easy, and Katharine soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of political intrigue. And with unexpected enemies and allies at every turn, Katharine will have to figure out whom she can trust--if anyone--to protect her uncle from danger once and for all.

Filled with deadly twists, whispering romance, and heart-stopping suspense, this sequel to THE DARK UNWINDING whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.

My thoughts on the book:

A Spark Unseen whisks readers off to Paris in an effort to hide from not one, but two corrupt governments, giving this novel a sense of urgency and making it difficult to put down. By showing the light and dark side of eccentricities - and human nature in general - this novel argues that people are not always what they seem and that one must not judge based on first impressions alone. With endearing main characters and a suspenseful plot, A Spark Unseen should be on everyone's must-read list. 

Katharine does not grow immensely in this novel, but she does learn to stand on her own quite a bit more. I can't wait to see how she grows in the next installment. She didn't have time to deal with many of the occurrences in this book, so I know the next one will be full of character growth for her. Uncle Tully, on the other hand, grows quite a bit. I was surprised by that, foolishly thinking that he had grown all that he could and was stagnant now - due to his age more than his condition. I admit that I am ashamed for thinking that way, ageism is not becoming, and I am glad that Cameron proved me wrong. Tully also showed great insight at many points throughout the book, which displays how astute he can be when he's not focused on his work. I have a feeling that Mary, like Katharine, will do most of her growing in the next installment. She really impressed me a few times, though, and I can't wait to see what Cameron has in store for this character. 

The plot is full of mystery and suspense. Cameron really puts her characters through the ringer in this book. Poor Katharine has a terribly difficult time. I was genuinely worried for her several times throughout the story. This is a bridge book, definitely, but it also has an intriguing plot and stands on its own. However because of the multitude of occurrences in this novel that were not dealt with, I foresee the next installment focusing more on the characters than the plot. I am interested to see how these events will affect the characters and the new characters will fit into future stories. The setting was lacking, in my opinion. I absolutely adore France, and I didn't feel like Cameron really described Paris at all. The story could have been set anywhere due to the lack of description, and I felt that was an injustice to such a marvelous city. Aside from random French phrases being thrown around, I really didn't get a sense that the characters were in France at all. The pacing is spot on, and I did not get bored once. The ending wraps up the main problem of this book, but so many new problems were introduced that there is more than enough room for several future installments, and I am glad for that. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and series to those who enjoy Steam Punk novels that are more historically accurate than the run-of-the-mill "futuristic" devices and gender roles. Cameron seems very adamant to keep social norms for the time period in place, and transportation and other such technologies keep with the times. The only thing that makes this Steam Punk is the clockwork devices that Uncle Tully builds. But I digress. If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of clockwork goodies, then this series is definitely for you. 

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DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers

Dark Triumph
Robin LaFevers

Rating: B
Synopsis:
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

My thoughts on the book:
Dark Triumph does not live up to the standards set by Grave Mercy; however, it is an enjoyable read. The leading characters are still well-developed and intriguing, and the plot held my interest, but there are some gaps. This is a good book, and I enjoyed it, but it doesn't stand out like Grave Mercy did. 

Sybella is an extremely complex and dark character. I really admire her because she doesn't fall apart constantly (and believe me she has plenty of reasons too). Also, she does what she has to do. Sometimes she's cowardly, but overall she's extremely strong. I liked learning about her, and I really enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes. It was also interesting to see Ismae through Sybella's perspective instead of her own. I loved Beast, but it was hard to warm up to him as a romantic interest because Sybella constantly calls him ugly. I mean saying it once so that we get that he's not the typical swoon-worthy beautiful hero would have been fine, but the constant insult to his looks I found to be a bit brash and also distracting. Some of the secondary characters are extremely well-developed, like Julian, whom I really had mixed feelings for. On the one hand he is just so messed up, and he has such a distorted view of things that I had to feel badly for him, but on the other hand he's a freaking incestuous pervert, which made me hate him. Other characters, such as Pierre, fell flat for me. 

The plot is interesting, and it's definitely all about Sybella's personal journey. I really felt like I was there, living through this with her, and I was rooting for her the entire time. It's impossible not to care what happens to her, and some of the situations will keep you on the edge of your seat. However, there seem to be some gaps in the storytelling. I'm not sure if that's just how Sybella thinks or if that was unintentional. The book is action-packed, but the fight scenes started running together after awhile. I don't think every fight scene needed to be detailed as much as it was. Also, the writing is wonderfully done, but there are uncorrected typos in the hardcover finished edition, which is not okay, in my opinion. The pacing is a bit slow in the beginning, as well. Also, I just could not buy the romance between Beast and Sybella. They are supposed to be in love after a few days of traveling together, but I never *saw* it happen. Supposedly the readers were witness to when this happened, but I just didn't see it at all. It could have been made a little more obvious instead of just magically appearing. The ending ties things up nicely for Sybella, but leaves things open for Annith, who is our next leading lady. I'm looking forward to her story. 

Overall, I really did enjoy this novel, even though this review doesn't really sound like I did. I also had issues with it, though, and wanted to share those as well. I'd recommend this novel to people who are looking for a good historical fiction novel and for those who loved Grave Mercy.

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UNTIL I DIE by Amy Plum

Until I Die
Amy Plum

Rating: A+
Release Date: 05/08/12
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love. 

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy. 

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.


My thoughts on the book:
Wow. Until I Die is one of the most suspenseful and romantic books I've read all year. This book was intense! I read the entire novel in one sitting and could not put it down until the very last page. At the end, I felt like shaking my Kindle and screaming "NO I WANT MORE!" Unfortunately Until I Die does end on a cliffhanger, but I will forgive Plum for that simply because the book was so amazing that I can't hold a grudge. I do hate cliffhangers, though. That being said, Until I Die will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride that you won't forget. 


Kate grows a lot in this book, and one of the things I love about her is that she's not stupid. She doesn't go off and do dumb things. I mean she makes mistakes, don't get me wrong, but she thinks things through. She may not always know the danger that she's putting herself and others in, but she plans things instead of just running off in a fit of emotion. I also like that she states that she's a complete person in her own right. She's a strong female character, and I really enjoy seeing France through her point of view. 


Vincent was fabulous as usual. I always love him, and I hope to see a ton more of him in the next book. I also would like to see more of Ambrose and Jules. They're fun characters. We do get to see more of Jules in Until I Die. I liked getting to know him better. Georgia wasn't an idiot this time, and I enjoyed her character much more. We were introduced to a couple of new characters, and they are very different from the characters that we're used to. The interactions with these characters add a lot to the story.


The plot is captivating and will keep you fully engrossed in the book from first word until the final period. Plum kept me guessing the entire time, and while there isn't a ton of action, there is plenty of suspense. This novel focuses more on Kate and Vincent's romance and their developing relationship than it does on fight scenes (though we have a few of those as well!), but the plot still seems balanced. I enjoyed getting to see more interactions with Kate and Vincent. They're a sweet and healthy couple. I wish more YA couples could be like them. In addition to the balanced plot, Plum includes a lot of emotional ups and downs throughout the story line. There is humor scattered throughout the book so nothing seems too serious, but there were points when I almost cried because things were so sad. In an effort not to spoil the book, I'm not going to go into anymore detail with that. The pacing is quick, but not rushed. 


Until I Die is one of the best books I've read this year, and also one of the best follow-ups I've ever read. For those of you who have read Die for Me, this novel is not to be missed. For those of you who have yet to be introduced to this beautiful, rich, and tragic world that Plum has created, go pick up Die for Me now, that way you'll be ready for Until I Die when it comes out on May 8. You cannot miss this series!


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THE ACADEMIE by Susanne Dunlap

The Academie
Susanne Dunlap

Rating: C-
Release Date: 4/10/12
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
Eliza Monroe—daughter of the future president of the United States—is devastated when her mother decides to send her to boarding school outside of Paris. But the young American teen is quickly reconciled to the idea when—ooh, la-la!—she discovers who her fellow pupils will be: Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine Bonaparte; and Caroline Bonaparte, youngest sister of the famous French general. It doesn't take long for Eliza to figure out that the two French girls are mortal enemies—and that she's about to get caught in the middle of their schemes. 

Loosely drawn from history, Eliza Monroe's imagined coming of age provides a scintillating glimpse into the lives, loves, and hopes of three young women during one of the most volatile periods in French history. 


My thoughts on the book:
This book didn't impress me as much as I was hoping it would. The descriptions of the setting were fantastic, and I couldn't help but feel that I was in Enlightenment Era France. The plot was decent, and the pacing was quick moving for the first half, but the last half dragged a bit. The characters, on the other hand, were not so great.

The character of Eliza, who was one of the three narrators, was extremely annoying. I felt like I was reading a narration from the Kibbles N Bits puppy. I don't know if any of you remember that commercial, but there's this little puppy who jumps around following this older dog, basically hero-worshiping the older dog. He's all overly excited and yelling about Kibbles N Bits. Anyway, Eliza reminded me of that. There were so many exclamation points that I wanted to remove that key from Dunlap's keyboard. Seriously, I didn't know they had crack in 1799, but apparently Eliza had smoked some. Bad stuff.

Hortense and Madeleine weren't as annoying, and I personally wish that Hortense had narrated the entire thing. It would have been a much more enjoyable story had it all been told from her perspective. Madeleine didn't stand out to me or fall short. She simply was there. Hortense shined, though. She was an extremely interesting character, and I would have liked more of her and less of Eliza. Much, much less of Eliza.

The switch in narration didn't do much for the story. It just made me feel scattered and gave me a break from Eliza's overly-excited rambling. It didn't drive the plot in any way, and as far as I could see, it didn't even aid in the plot that much. Madeleine served to move the action forward a bit, but other than that, the three narrators weren't needed. I'm pretty sure the action could have been moved forward without having Madeleine as a narrator. I'm not sure why Dunlap decided to have three narrators. It really didn't work for this story, though.

The ending was a big disappointment for me. The last half of the book really dragged along. The first half of the book flew by because it was focused on describing the time period. The second half, when all of the exciting stuff was supposed to take place, just fell flat. I didn't feel any suspense, and the characters didn't grow that much in the end. I prefer a lot of character development in the novels I read.

Overall, I'd recommend checking this book out from the library before buying it. Historical fiction buffs will probably eat this one up. I'm a big character person, though, so I'm not 100% sold on this book.

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GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy
Robin LaFevers

Rating: A
Release Date: 04/03/12
Click here to read an exclusive excerpt!


Synopsis from goodreads.com:
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? 

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. 

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?


My thoughts on the book:
This book really surprised me. At first, I didn't know that it was set on the cusp of the High Middle Ages/Early Renaissance period. Once I found that out, I figured the book would bore me and that I wouldn't be able to connect to the character at all. However, I was wrong. Ismae has a terrible life until the people of the convent take her in. She is angry and bitter and ready to kill any man who dares to look at her, and the convent gives her the means and tools to do so. Over the course of the novel, though, she learns that life and death are both more complicated than she thought. Grave Mercy has strong characters, a captivating plot, and endless action. LaFevers will keep you guessing from the first page until the very last. 


The book starts out kind of slowly. It held my interest from page one, but the pages didn't start flying by until Ismae went to court. Then I could not put the book down. LaFevers holds true to the time period by having her characters speak properly. She goes through all of the rigid manners there, but somehow the dialogue doesn't fall flat. I thought the lack of contractions would bother me, but it didn't. She wasn't true to the dialogue of the region or the time period, thankfully, but she did hold true to the proper dialogue used in the higher echelons of society during the 1600s and beyond. I, for one, am glad that I didn't have to read a mixture of French and Gaelic, which was spoken in Bretagne at that time. There were some random French words throughout the narrative, but mainly just "merde," in place of obscenities, and "enchante," which I think everyone can translate. I didn't even notice the lack of contractions until the end of the book when I was like, "wow, that didn't bother me at all." 


Overall, I felt fully immersed in the time period, and because of LaFevers' wonderful world building, I could picture every place Ismae went, down to the types of clothes people were wearing. LaFevers doesn't overly explain things, she just gives enough description to get your imagination working, and I really liked that. She was very good at showing instead of telling, which you guys probably know by now is very important to me. 


The characters in this book were extremely well-developed, and I found myself attached to certain characters that I didn't even know I'd grown attached to until much later. Every single character, from Ismae, to the smallest secondary character, had a fully developed personality. And each character had his or her own quirks. No one was perfect, and no one was a cookie-cutter or stereotype. The characters added so much depth to this novel, and since I am a character person, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each and every character. My favorites were Ismae (of course), Duval, and Beast. Ismae was extremely complex, and even though I couldn't relate to her all the time (I've never wanted to be an assassin, haha), I could sympathize with her. I cared what happened to her, and I knew that she wasn't as cold-hearted as she wanted to be. It was fascinating to see how her character grew and changed over the course of this novel. 


The plot of this book was a bit complicated, but I was able to keep everything straight, which is a testament to what a good author LaFevers is. Court life, apparently, was extremely involved, and everyone was out to screw everyone else over. I had the "mysterious" bad guy, along with the other liars, figured out pretty early on, but I'm good at guessing those things. However, I could not for the life of me figure out his motivations, so that was a surprise. It was also obvious who Ismae would fall for, even though she didn't trust him for a very long time. Given her past, though, who could blame her? Even though I knew who was lying, I did not know how they would go about deceiving poor Anne, the Duchess of Bretagne. It was interesting to watch the entire thing play out. I'll never want to be a queen/duchess/princess again, I promise you that, haha. LaFevers also did an excellent job of showing the plight of women during the 1400s-1500s. She showed that no matter what rank the woman had, she was trapped and could not do anything without a man. Furthermore, the women didn't even get to choose their husbands, which led to a ton of abusive marriages. I'm so glad I live in the 21st Century. 


Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story. There are a few paranormal elements to the narrative, but not a lot. The romance moves at a natural pace and is believable. No insta-love here. The characters are complex and flawed, but still likable, and the plot is intriguing. You should definitely buy this book when it comes out. You won't be sorry. 


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Click read more to see Robin LaFever's discussion about the fascinating role of poisons in Grave Mercy!

The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley

The Hangman in the Mirror
Kate Cayley

Grade: C-


Description from goodreads.com:

Françoise Laurent has never had an easy life. The only surviving child of a destitute washerwoman and wayward soldier, she must rely only on herself to get by. When her parents die suddenly from the smallpox ravishing New France, Françoise sees it as a chance to escape the life she thought she was trapped in.

Seizing her newfound opportunity, Françoise takes a job as an aide to the wife of a wealthy fur trader. The poverty-ridden world she knew transforms into a strange new world full of privilege and fine things -- and of never having to beg for food. But Françoise's relationships with the other servants in Madame Pommereau's house are tenuous, and Madame Pommereau isn't an easy woman to work for. When Françoise is caught stealing a pair of her mistress's beautiful gloves, she faces a future even worse than she could have imagined: thrown in jail, she is sentenced to death by hanging. Once again, Françoise is left to her own devices to survive . . . Is she cunning enough to convince the prisoner in the cell beside her to become the hangman and marry her, which, by law, is the only thing that could save her life?

Based on an actual story and filled with illuminating historical detail, The Hangman in the Mirror transports readers to the harsh landscape of a new land that is filled with even harsher class divisions and injustices.

My thoughts on the book:

Let me just start out by saying that I love the cover, and the synopsis sounded interesting. I love historical fiction, and it's obvious that Cayley did her research. However, none of the characters were likable, and I down right hated Francoise. She is manipulative and brash, not to mention delusional. She wanted to become a lady, so once she was a servant, she began to act like one. That blew my mind. In that time period, that just did not happen. She should know that since she lived in that period. She treated those around her horribly and simply used everyone to try and make her way. 

The research aspect was spot on. The quality if living for Francoise's family, and later her rich employer, were both true to life. I also like that this book didn't follow an aristocrat like many historical fiction books do. This novel told the story of an incredibly impoverished girl trying to make her life better, and if she had been the least bit likable, I would have respected and rooted for her. However, by the end of the novel, I was wanting her to hang. The only thing that saved this book from a D or F rating is the fact that Cayley is a talented writer and it's obvious that she did a lot of research for this project. Her language was fitting to the time period and wasn't overly modern. It takes me out of the story when someone uses modern colloquialisms in a period piece, so I'm glad Cayley didn't do that. 

Writing style aside, I'm a big character person, so the fact that I couldn't relate to, or like, Francoise made it impossible for me to enjoy this book. I would have much preferred someone who was a nice, caring character, and had just been dealt a rough hand. That would have made for a better story, in my opinion. Her parents were horrible as well. Her mother was an ex-prostitute and a drunk, and her father was a gambling drunk. The rest of the secondary characters didn't even feel like people. Just two-dimensional stereotypes. The only character that was tolerable was Jean, and I feel like he's an idiot because he believed Francoise and chose to marry and save her. I would have liked to have seen more of Jean because he's not even in the book really until halfway through. 

If you're not a big character person, or if you like your main characters INCREDIBLY flawed, then you'll adore this book. It's not lacking with writing style or research. The characters just got under my skin, which made me not enjoy the novel as much as I could have. I would read another piece by Cayley, however, because she is a fantastic writer. 

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