Hunted

Presenting Hunted by Meagan Spooner.

Here is the summary of the book:

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

REVIEW ==

Score 1 for 'fantasy' and a well written re-imaging of a fan favorite tale of Beauty and the Beast. And most of all Hunted by Megan Spooner stands on its own two feet. Fairytale while the name may suggest otherwise are not a cutesy depiction of life, nor does every stories ends in a happy ever after.... Well before Disney got their hands on those stories, when they were just word of mouth and fireside tales. Beauty and the Beast likewise had its serious issues.... *coughs* Stockholm Syndrome *cough**cough*.

Moreover this is Yeva and the Beast's tale. Yeva is definitely no damsel in distress neither does she contain an ounce of naivete in her person but she is kind, passionate, selfless and kickass in her own rights. Beast on the other hand, i did not know what to think about. Disney animated version kept his earlier appearance more animal like and even the live action played close to that. So i am happy to report that Spooner's Beast was just the same, if not a bit more. While we felt sad for his circumstances. For this Beast we did not know how his situation came about. So at first we feel quite angry with him because he is quite forceful with her.

But it falls to the mettle of the author to make or break a character, likewise making us feel for such characters. Thus I particularly like how we feel for Yeva and her family's situation, her rough treatment at the hands of the Beast and how she unearths the secrets of the Beast, his castle and the strange new world she finds herself in. We get a much more in-depth look to the characters of the Beast and Yeva than what we usually get. While never naming names, the wordplay and the prose is articulate enough to keep us apprised of the situation and scenes.

The setting for the tale also gives it some credit. It is set in Russia for the most part and magic and the magical is a rather common practice for these people. That said Spooner created a magical atmosphere for the castle to reside in and it was definitely a marvel to experience each and every one of them as we further into the story. Happily dragging us along for the ride with just the turn of the page.

"Exotic and just the right amount of magic to get this adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast to newer heights"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-telling, Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 14th March, 2017

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         Starbound (with Amie Kaufman)#1 #2 

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Ravenspire #2 The Wish Granter

Presenting Ravenspire #2 The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine.

Here is the summary of the book:

An epic, romantic, and action-packed fantasy inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, about a bastard princess who must take on an evil fae to save her brother’s soul, from C. J. Redwine, the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen. Perfect for fans of Graceling and the Lunar Chronicles.

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can’t stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate. It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother—and herself.

But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

REVIEW ==

Magic always comes with a heavy price..... Somehow despite knowing that people still tend to go about dealing with this stuff and we tend to ohhh and ahhh at it all (can't believe I wrote this with a straight face). In a long trend of adaptations, re-tellings and re-imagings of old classic novels, folk lore and fairytale that have been sweeping the market these days, "The Wish Granter" is not only one of them but it sure makes an impression on us all.

The second book in the Ravenspire series by C.J. Redwine. It beings us as name might indicate, the story of Rumpelstilskin, in a brand new avatar. Redwine's imagines a vibrant and enigmatic world through the pages of the book and skillfully intertwines the stories of Ari, Thad, Teague or be it Sebastian, with a dexterous hand that definitely leaves us rooting for the good guys and not for the bad guys.

Love is a powerful emotion. A powerful weapon in its own right and capable of wreaking the most havoc of them all. Every character throughout this story of Ravenspire (again) does what they can to save the ones they love from despair and ultimate ruin. Thad wants to save his sister. Ari likewise wants to save her brother. In all, the 'Wish Granter' Alistair Teague plays the pivotal role of the nemesis. He is definitely not the conventional Rumpelstilskin, there are definitely influences from other adaptations (majorly of ABC's Once Upon A Time). But he is bold, rather ruthless and capricious enough to warrant caution.

Definitely a game of Cat and mouse but The Wish Granter in my opinion was a lot better than 'The Shadow Queen'. Maybe I was much more invested in these characters than I was with the ones in the first book or these characters had much more substance than what came before. I liked Thad's perseverance, Ari's resourcefulness and love for her brother and cool and brooding Sebastian. Teague was a great villain as i already stated and really like all villains, he didn't start out bad..... Will I recommend it ..... Definitely! Because at the end of the day what's within these pages manages to tether us to our seats.

"Exciting, exotic and a fascinating re-imaging of Rumpelstilskin"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-telling, Romance, High Fantasy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: 14th February, 2017

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 The Shadow Queen

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Charlotte Holmes #2 The Last of August

Presenting Charlotte Holmes #2 The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro.

Here is the summary of the book:

Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.

Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming more than friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.

What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

REVIEW ==

The dreaded book 2 syndrome all over again. The last of August while a smart followup, missed the charm and wit of the first book. There is also not much in way of a family tree provided because there are way too many Holmes and Moriarty(s) to keep track of.

While Jaime and Charlotte are still stumbling through their relationship, with the latter hefting a closet full of skeletons. Things are no longer just confined to the boarding school... Although I sorely missed it, when those two were still learning about each other. I did like the art forgery ring aspect of the story. And what all the plucky detectives have to do to unearth the truth.

While I do understand why Charlotte is the way she is but that hot & cold attitude started to get irritating real fast. Sadly that is pretty much what I found good enough for this story. It's biggest fault being that the author doesn't offer much in the way of remembering the events of the previous book. Hopefully the next one will be much better.

"There is room for improvement but a strapping adventure nonetheless"

Genre :     Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Detective, Teen Angst

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: 14th February, 2017

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 A Study in Charlotte

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository