Book Review: The Dark Knight Rises by Greg Cox

Title: The Dark Knight Rises
Series: The Dark Knight Trilogy
Author: Greg Cox
Publisher: Titan Books (July 24, 2012)
Genre: Superheroes, Fantasy

Format Read: Ebook Novelization of the movie The Dark Knight Rises
Length: Novel
Source: Purchased on Amazon

Every hero has a journey...
Every journey has an end...

Eight years have passed since Batman was last seen in Gotham City. Bruce Wayne's alter ego is hunted by the law, and nothing--it seems--can bring him back. Not even a brazen theft committed by the enigmatic and seductive cat burglar Selina Kyle--inside the walls of Wayne Manor itself.

But then a deadly new threat appears, as if out of nowhere. Bane. Huge, powerful, and terrifyingly methodical, Bane is bent on spreading chaos and death. Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD are unable to stop him and have nowhere to turn. But after so many years, can the Dark Knight once again save Gotham from its gravest threat yet?

The official novelization of the final chapter in Christopher Nolan's epic, The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Teaser: “Place is a little dead,” Jen said as Selina took the envelope.

“It will liven up in a minute, trust me.” [16% Ebook. So, so true!]

Review: Bruce Wayne will don Batman’s cowl one last time in Greg Cox’s The Dark Knight Rises.

This novelization of the movie on the same name completes Christopher Nolen’s Dark Knight trilogy. I read the other two novelizations of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. I must admit I enjoyed them a bit more than this one because they delved deeper than the movies. The Dark Knight Rises went by the movie with very little extra.

The writing was fast-paced yet felt a bit simplistic at times. I loved the introduction of Catwoman—Selina Kyle—to the story as she’s always been a favorite of the Batman universe. Bane is an excellent threat, and I loved how the power of Ra’s al Ghul continues in the storyline from the first movie/book to the last. However, for once, I think I enjoyed the movie a tad more than the book.

If you’re a fan of the trilogy and the movie, then you’ll enjoy The Dark Knight Rises by Greg Cox.

Four Bookworms = I really liked it!

Book Review: Winter Queen by Amber Argyle

Title: Winter Queen
Series: Fairy Queens #1
Author: Amber Argyle
Publisher: Starling Publishing
Format Read: Ebook Novel
Source: Author
Genre: Fantasy

Becoming a winter queen will make Ilyenna as cold and cruel and deadly as winter itself, but it might be the only way to save her people from a war they have no hope of winning.

Mortally wounded during a raid, seventeen-year-old Ilyenna is healed by winter fairies who present her with a seductive offer: become one of them and share their power over winter. But that power comes with a price. If she accepts, she will become a force of nature, lose her humanity, and abandon her family.

Unwilling to pay such a high price, Ilyenna is enslaved by one of the invaders, Darrien. While in captivity, she learns the attack wasn’t just a simple raid but part of a larger plot to overthrow her entire nation.

With the enemy stealing over the mountains and Darrien coming to take her to his bed, Ilyenna must decide whether to resurrect the power the fairies left behind. Doing so will allow her to defeat Darrien and the other invaders, but if she embraces winter, she will lose herself to that destroying power—forever. 

Teasers: “The ranker the smell, the better the cure,” she’d always said whenever Ilyenna and Bratton complained about the stench. – 6%

Her life was slipping away as softly as a twirling snowflake. – 16%

Shyle are stronger than stone, more supple than a sapling. – 31%

It made her hurt deep inside her soul—so deep only he had ever touched her there. – 60%

When Rone had that stubborn look about him, she’d be better off to threaten the grasshoppers not to eat her garden. – 74% 

Review: Ilyenna must embrace winter’s chill to not only save the people she loves but herself in Amber Argyle’s Winter Queen.

Argyle has mad skills when it comes to worldbuilding. From the clothing to the healing practices to the politics, every aspect adds to this vast and complex world the story takes place in. Then, Argyle takes it a step further with adding a vibrant fairy world. I also loved the idea of Balance within this world and how important a concept it is. To accompany this worldbuilding, Argyle has crafted these heart-achingly beautiful descriptions. Her prose is a pleasure to read and leaves the reader breathless and craving more.

Then, we have a heartbreaking and emotionally charged plot and characters in this wonderful fantasy novel. The complexities of the world create this plot filled with politcal intrigue as clan goes against clan. Ilyenna embodies the Shyle’s saying of “stronger than stone and more supple than a sapling.” Her choices are each soul shattering, and my heart ached for her and her peoples. Rone is headstrong and fierce to protect the people he loves. He’s a perfect complement to Ilyenna. Darrien, as the very cruel villain, craves power and the one woman who doesn’t want him. As a reader, I was terrified for Ilyenna and couldn’t stop thinking about whether or not Darrien would win. I particularly loved the clanswomen. They had such strength against the odds. In fact, each character was three-dimensional and realistic, even down to the fairies and the Summer Queen within the story.

If you’re looking for a complex fantasy novel filled with political intrigue, soul-touching characters, and a heartbreaking plot, then look no further than Winter Queen by Amber Argyle.

 

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

U is for A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

 

For 2013's A to Z Challenge, I am talking about book series, particularly some favorite series as well as series I've been waiting to read for a LONG time.

U is for A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

I’ve never seen this movie or read the books, but they look like a lot of fun. Perhaps one of these days I’ll get around to reading the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Waiting on Wednesday: GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS by Richelle Mead

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Gameboard of the Gods
Age of X, #1
By Richelle Mead
Publication Date:  June 4, 2013

From Goodreads:

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.
Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

Ritualistic murders, mythology, supernatural ... I can't wait!

What's your "waiting on" pick?  

Book Review: BONDED by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Title: Bonded

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing (November 1, 2012)

Format: PDF ARC

Source: Author

Genre: Fantasy, fairy tales

Goodreads 

What happened after Cinderella married her prince? How did the evil sorceress in Sleeping Beauty turn evil in the first place? Discover these stories and a world filled with magic, forbidden love, elves, sprites, dragons, and the most powerful creatures of all— the fairies —in Bonded, a collection of three fairy tale inspired novellas.

CINDERS: A Cinderella sequel. Money can’t buy love, but magic isn’t a sure bet either. Cinderella, now officially a princess, finds royal life is not what she once dreamed. When a mysterious elf from her past stirs up long-suppressed passion, Cinderella begins to wonder if there really is love beneath the spell that captured her husband’s heart. But undoing magic can be harder than casting the initial spell, and the results are even less predictable.

THIRDS: A retelling of the Grimm’s fairy tale, One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes. Issina is surrounded by magic, yet none of it belongs to her. Despised and abused by her mother and sisters, she finds comfort when she meets the beautiful elves living in the nearby woods. The elves want to help her discover her own magic, but it’s not the kind of power she hoped for, and she learns there is more to magic than getting what you want.

SCALES: A Sleeping Beauty prequel. The sun never sets in the realm of the fairies. When the young fairy Serina looks into her sister’s eyes, she sees darkness for the first time. After her mother is murdered, Serina defies fairy law to follow her sister to the human realm. There she discovers the strength of a bond, the weight of a promise, and the darkness in her own heart.

Review: Bonded by Michelle Davidson Argyle is everything fairy tales should be!

In Cinders, Cinderella has her happily ever after—or not. Life as a princess isn’t everything she suspected it to be, and now she craves true love, not the magical kind. She must learn where her heart lies. In Thirds, Issina is special, but not in a good way. One sister has three eyes, her other has one, and she’s stuck in the middle with two plain and ordinary eyes. She lacks magic and is treated a little worse than the average servant in her family. But she longs to find where she belongs ... at any cost. In Scales, the fairy Serina can’t help but see the darkness residing in her sister Aeline. But when Aeline breaks fairy law and enters the human realm, Serina must find a way to save her sister, even at the cost of her own happiness and life.

The three novella fairy tales in Bonded aren’t your ordinary Disney stories with happily ever after. Each one involves humans, fairies, elves, sprites, and magic. The characters are so real and displayed with all their flaws. The battle for balance between darkness and light plays heavily in the theme as well as the power of choice. Argyle’s prose is so beautiful, almost tragic, the way it tugs on the reader’s heartstrings. These are tales to be savored instead of rushed through. Each sentence has a lush musicality to it. Although I enjoyed each story, I think my favorite is Thirds. Having not read the original Grimms’ fairy tale of “One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes,” I was able to enjoy it without the knowledge of what the story was about; it became an untainted read, so to speak. Although each story can be read on its own, I love how they blend together and pull from each other.

Michelle Davidson Argyle’s Bonded should be right there with the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. They are darkly beautiful and wonderfully well-written.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Waiting on Wednesday: MAKE BELIEVE by various authors

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Make Believe
By J.A. Belfield, Jennifer M. Eaton, J. Keller Ford, Terri Rochenski, Lynda R. Young, and Kelly Said
Publication Date: December 3, 2012

From Goodreads: 

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Birthright by Lynda R. Young

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.

She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.

Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

These stories sound fabulous! I can't wait to read them, and the cover is so pretty!

What's your "waiting on" pick?  

Book Review: WITCH BORN by Amber Argyle

Title: Witch Born

Series: Witch Song #2

Author: Amber Argyle

Publisher: Starling Publishing (September 5, 2012)

Format: eARC

Source: Author

Genre: YA Fantasy

Goodreads 

Brusenna thought it was finished.

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong.

She was wrong.

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.

Including her life.

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Review: Amber Argyle’s Witch Born brightens the fantasy scene with fresh characters in a rich world.

Brusenna is changing since she defeated the Dark Witch and became Creator-touched. The witches either fear her or don’t understand her. Her Guardian and love will do anything to protect her, even go against her wishes. She needs Haven to be her safety, but it is anything but. Then, Brusenna learns there are more witches out there, and she’s the only one who can stop them from destroying everything she’s trying to save.

Witch Born hooked me within ten percent of the novel and hasn’t really let me go since I finished reading it. Argyle took her world from Witch Song and expanded upon it tenfold. The details and writing are lush and beautiful. The plot is fast-paced, and the characters are well-developed. Brusenna, the main character, comes to life with her choices. This novel excels at being realistic in emotions and actions amongst a fantasy landscape with magic. I believed every word.

I didn’t want to leave the world from Witch Born by Amber Argyle. If I still role-played, I’d be all over creating one from Witch Born or writing fan fiction based in Argyle’s world.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Other Books in the Series:

Click here to read my review.

Waiting On Wednesday: A KINGDOM'S FALL by Douglas R. Brown

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

A Kingdom's Fall

The Light of Epertase, #2

By Douglas R. Brown

Publication Date: August 1, 2012

From Goodreads:

That which survives the initial assault may yet die from the infection left behind.

In the destroyed country of Lithia, the former Gildonese leader of the Lowlands, King Fice, has violently assumed the throne, filling the void left by the Tek destruction of the country. His unnatural powers of sway have become more potent and his influence is far-reaching.

The Tek invasion has also left a void within the kingdom of Epertase. The war has tested the once-great people and, with the venomous words of men Queen Alina considers friends, Epertase descends into revolution. Alina barely escapes with her life.

Once again, the kingdom needs a savior.

And once again Rasi will be forced to unleash the darker part of himself in order to save the woman he loves.

All is not what it seems. Victory may still mean defeat. The war for Epertase has only begun.

Although the first book, Legends Reborn, is still on my to-read list, I'm excited to hear that A Kingdom's Fall is coming out soon. I read Douglas R. Brown's Tamed and really enjoyed his style.

What's your "waiting on" pick? 

Waiting On Wednesday: KING'S CHAMPION by Cas Peace

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

King's Champion

Artesans of Albia, #2

By Cas Peace

Publication Date: August 1, 2012

From publisher's website:

After surviving brutal torture and escaping from Lord Rykan’s dungeons, Major Sullyan is trapped in Andaryon, too injured to cross the Veils. Slowly dying and determined to find some purpose in the shattered remains of her life, she travels to the Andaryan capitol to offer the Hierarch her sword and Artesan gifts in the fight against Rykan and his vast army. Because women hold no power in Andaryon, Sullyan is met with prejudice, hostility, and suspicion. 

Before she can seek vengeance on the field of battle, she must prove herself to the Hierarch’s generals. Finding support from the unlikeliest sources, Sullyan sets a plan into motion to defeat Lord Rykan and end his bid for the throne. The fate of two realms depends on her success, but her strength is fading fast and time is running out.

I absolutely loved King's Envoy, so I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of King's Champion. I mean I love it in a "I want to role-play and write fanfiction in the world" way. If you like fantasy of the sort of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, then you will likely like Cas Peace's Artesans of Albia.

What's your "waiting on" pick?