Review: THE WINNER'S CRIME by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Crime
Author: Marie Rutkoski (@marierutkoski)
Published: March 3rd, 2015
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #2
Genre: YA fantasy
POV: 3rd person, dual
Pages: 416
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux BYR
Format: Print ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Separated by one fateful decision in The Winner's Curse, Kestrel and Arin find themselves on different sides. Kestrel is playing a dangerous game of words, actions, and politics, trying to keep the Emperor pleased while secretly doing anything she can to help the people of Herran. Arin, meanwhile, is thrust into an unwanted position of power, and he'll have to go to great lengths to earn a true freedom for Herran. Family, honor, love, and sacrifice, The Winner's Crime is an outstanding sequel. 

Secrets, lies, deceit, and danger linger in every corner of Kestrel and Arin's lives. Rutkoski builds the emotions of the story, starting with a simple, slow flow until everything comes crashing down with intensity. She makes you care for these characters, and every page will leave you with the desire to keep reading on. Well-paced, and thoroughly captivating, Rutkoski raises the stakes with The Winner's Crime, and refuses to give her characters (and readers) a moment to rest. Exciting, shocking, and simply incredible, this trilogy needs to be on your to-read list. 

Highlights: Rutkoski develops the world of this trilogy further, revealing fascinatingly unique locations and expanding on myth and history of each one. But even better, Kestrel and Arin begin to take more action - whether or it's daring risks or playing a dangerous game of politics, every move matters. Side characters are equally fascinating, especially the conniving (and frightening) Emperor. Family and relationships still play a strong role in the story. And, as always, Rutkoski's writing is stunning and evocative, bringing each character, location, and emotion to life in the most vivid way possible. 

Lowlights: I miss the romance. There are a couple moments between Arin and Kestrel, but these two are unable to be together in this story. I hated the lack of communication between them, because it was frustrating to read. AND THAT ENDING. It's going to be a long wait for the final book. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf. Loved, 4+ out of 5. A compelling and emotional sequel, The Winner's Crime will leave you heartbroken, shocked, and so very eager for the final installment.

Highlights / Lowlights: FURY by Elizabeth Miles

Title: Fury
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Release: August 2011
Series: The Fury #1
Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: Simon Pulse
POV: 3rd person, dual
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Won from Paper Lantern Lit
Rating: Tea Party

In this chilling start to a trilogy rife with revenge, two teens learn the hard way: Sometimes sorry isn’t enough.

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better—the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.

Highlights: Miles pushes the Gothic elements in Fury enough to put readers into an uneasy mood and to give the story a rich, descriptive vibe. Fury is a delight to read, in a twisted sort of way. The Gothic elements added the right touch of eeriness to the story, and caused Fury to become a difficult novel to set aside. It was especially fascinating to read a novel where both main characters - Em and Chase - are utterly unlikable characters who make terrible decisions and then try to deal with the consequences. This is an easy story to lose yourself in for a few hours, which was exactly what I needed.

Lowlights: There's too much focus on social drama, appearances, and not enough on the Furies themselves. I wish the Fury mythology had been included more (as well as more of the Furies in general), but perhaps Miles will delve deeper into that in the next novel.

Rating: Tea Party (very high 3 out of 5). I genuinely liked Fury, enough that I want a copy in the palace even if it doesn't earn a spot in the royal library. It's a likable story, with some issues, but it proved itself to be highly entertaining.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Release: May 2011
Pages: 496 (hardcover)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Netgalley
Summary:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history....read more at Goodreads.

Thoughts: Helen is a gorgeous-yet-insecure^{1} beauty with more gifts than she’s willing to find out about. But when the Delos family moves into town, Helen can’t hide from just how unique she really is. The first time she comes across Lucas Delos, he inspires nothing but the purest emotion of hatred…something that the Delos family seems to feel for her in turn. Then there are the mysterious three crying women who appear whenever she comes near the Delos family – three women that only they can see. From there, Starcrossed only gets more intriguing, dangerous, and downright surprising. 

While the Delos clan and Helen take center stage, supporting characters like Helen’s best friend Claire^{2} or her father manage to shine all their own – possibly even more than intended. Angelini puts her own spin on Greek mythology, creating an interesting backstory. Some aspects to the plot can easily be predicted, but the story still manages to slip in a few surprises. Starcrossed, simply put, is an exciting debut novel and Angelini has great potential.

Highlights: Lucas and Helen's first interactions^{3} with each other really put an interesting spin on YA – it was oddly nice to see the girl instantly dislike the guy. Despite my complaints about the Delos family, I adored how addictive and surprising Starcrossed turned out to be. Helen’s growth as a person was absolutely wonderful to see as well.

Lowlights: The POV switches didn't work for me at all, they seemed random and unnecessary. The Delos clan was too Twilight-esque; they needed to be far more unique and much less reminiscent of the Cullens.  The story starts off with strong creativity and stand-out appeal, but then slowly eases into more clichéd elements. Regardless, I have high hopes for the sequel.

Rating: 3.5 out 5

{Footnotes}

{1} Haven't I read about that girl before? Helen might even be a bit Bella-ish at first....yikes. 
{2} Claire is actually kind of bubbly/sassy/awesome. Very jump-off-the-page personality. I wish she had more page time. 
{3} Girl tries to kill boy at first sight. I want more books like that, it's interesting. Is that weird?

Siren by Tricia Rayburn Review

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Release date: July 13th, 2010

Publisher: Egmont USA

Pages: 352

Source: Publicist

My Summary: 

Vanessa has always lived in Justine's shadow. Brave, beautiful and daring, Justine lived life to the fullest, while Vanessa tried to hide from it. Whenever Vanessa looked at her sister, she saw everything she wished she could be.

Paperback cover

Then Justine dies in a terrible drowning accident, and Vanessa learns some secrets that she never knew about her sister. Looking for answers, Vanessa teams up with Simon to find his brother, Caleb - Justine's longtime summer fling - who might be the only one with answers. Together, they search for him, but they also start discovering some disturbing realizations about the mysterious string of deaths in Winter Harbor. The more they learn, the quicker they realize they need to get to the bottom of everything, because who knows who will be next to die...

Review: Everything I wanted and more - Siren is captivating. 

Vanessa is sweet, innocent, and a bit scared of things (okay, a lot of things). Yet, this novel showcases her growth as she gets past some of those fears. Simon is the sweet, kinda geeky guy that Vanessa has always known and liked. I loved how Simon was a smart likable guy - something that's a bit rare in YA - and protective. I could keep going, talking about the other realistic characters, but then I'd be writing an essay.

I may be a bit biased, because I've always loved mythology. Siren, however, blew my expectations out of the water. Rayburn infused this story with a bit of romance, plenty of mystery that kept me saying "no way!", and a killer conclusion that has me wishing for another book about Vanessa, and fast.

A fresh, enchanting novel, Siren will draw you in and never let go. 

Highlights: The character's seemed real, which is the highest compliment I can pay to Rayburn. It was nearly impossible for me to set this story aside, it was so compelling and addictive. And while Rayburn's sirens aren't quite the same as they are in mythology, I enjoyed her take on them it worked perfectly with the story. 

Lowlights: You can easily see some of the plot points coming, if you really think about it. The beginning was also a bit slow to get going, but once it did get going, WOW. I loved this book! 

Rating:   

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman Review

Book: Radiant Darkness

Author: Emily Whitman

Source: Borrowed

Summary:

Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arrives. A stranger who promises something more--something dangerous and exciting--something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself.

In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who--and what--she really is.

Review: This novel contradicts the myth of Persephone. Here, Persephone leaves by her own free will, and Hades isn't really all that bad (ie: a hot guy).

I'm such a sucker for mythology, that I couldn't pass up this novel. I was pleased with the story, it was fresh, humorous, fun and current. I loved the author's take on the Underworld, and the people in it. This novel is just so hard for me to decide on, because I was so hyped up to read it (refer back to "I'm a sucker for mythology"), but in the end it kind of let me down. It wasn't jaw-dropping fantastic, but it wasn't bad either.

Highlights: I loved the fact that Persephone choose to leave. It's an interesting take on her story. And I really loved the locations (Underworld included). The description was wonderful, and I could have spent forever just reading about these places. 

Lowlights: Persephone bothered me at times, and her relationship with Hades felt a little fake to me. I hardly believed it, and Hades seemed underdeveloped. I felt like there should have been more to the story, and at times there were bits that didn't seem to matter. I wanted more story, more originality, because I knew how it would end. I wanted something crazy to be happening in between the beginning and end!!

Rating: