Reign of Shadows #2 Rise of Fire

Presenting Reign of Shadows #2 Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan.

Here is the summary of the book:


The richly suspenseful sequel to Sophie Jordan’s romantic fantasy Reign of Shadows.

Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever.

Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the king discovers both Fowler's and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne.

Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler, but the power she was destined to inherit.

REVIEW ==

Typical of duologies..... They might be a hit... Or a miss. Sadly in case of Rise of Fire, it just doesn't come to par with the fantastic and exciting that was the first book. Reign of Shadows, was a powerhouse in on itself. It was new and very exciting.... Rise of Fire in comparison just doesn't do it justice.

That is not to say that that I disliked Rise of Fire... I did not but it just didn't give that feeling of hair raising fun like the first book. Of course more of Luna and Fowler was a bonus. But other than that it felt like a haphazard mess. Don't get me wrong. There is a happy ending here and personally I like a good and happy ending but what paved the way to that was in the short order a disaster. 

My only beef with this book is just that inclusion of third wheel between Luna and Fowler of the Lagonian royalty and their stake in the power play.... Something that was totally not needed at all in the long run and just served to downgrade a possibly action packed and a hair raising finale. Where it felt like the author just threw in a final confrontation with the creature because she suddenly remembered what the story was all about.

"A disappointing conclusion to an exciting beginning"

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

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 7th February, 2017

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             2/5 (It was Ok)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         Uninvited #1 Uninvited
         Reign of Shadows #1 Reign of Shadows

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Queen of Hearts #2 Blood of Wonderland

Presenting Queen of Hearts #2 Blood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes.

Here is the summary of the book:

The queen will rise.

Dinah has been exiled from Wonderland. The vicious father she always feared has framed her for the brutal murder of her brother and turned the kingdom against her.

Now hiding in the lush and mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice. She could leave Wonderland forever or return and fight her father for her throne—a fight she knows would only result in bloodshed.

When a chance encounter with one of her father’s long-lost enemies brings Dinah more allies than she ever could have imagined, war starts to feel inevitable. But before Dinah can lead her people into combat, she must confront certain truths about her heart and her destiny—no matter how dark those truths may be.

Revolution is rising in Wonderland.

Dinah’s battle has begun.

REVIEW ==

Starting just after the conclusion of the first book. Blood of Wonderland follows Dinah who must crave a niche for herself after her exile from the Wonderland palace. And while this book had it's merits. It still didn't give that awe-inspiring feeling, the first book left me with. 

There also wasn't much in the way of remembering events from the first book in this one. So I felt lost in a lot of places. But Dinah's character development I liked very much and the more in-depth focus to this new Wonderland was cool. To say the least. 

I will of course wait for the next book to actually form a better opinion of the series, because really this has the potential to be something great and I want it to be epic like its synopsis proclaims it to be.

"A new Wonderland and a new adventure that has the potential to be great"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Fairytale re-telling

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 31st January, 2017

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository