Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.
The Poison Diaries: Nightshade
Title: The Poison Diaries: Nightshade
Author: Maryrose Wood
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
A dark, gothic tale of romance… and murder.
The latest book in the grippingly dark series, The Poison Diaries.Our heroine, Jessamine, has lost her faith in the men she loved, and her innocence as well. She turns to the dark side and plots to kill her father, using his own poisons, before becoming an assassin, a poisoner for hire. Can she recover from her heartache and reunite with her true love, Weed? Find out in this thrilling story where poisons, darkness and horror are a part of everyday life, and love is the only cure.
Review: A lot darker than the first book in the series, but still equally as haunting and intriguing. The characters go through a some huge transformations, and it’s great to see them develop. I also liked the darker parts, they added an edge to the book that most other books don’t have.
The Book of Blood and Shadow
Title: The Book of Blood and Shadow
Author: Robin Wasserman
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.
But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.
Review: This book can be summed up in one word: “wow”. It starts fast-paced, and the pacing stays relentless from start to end. There’s so much going on that it’s almost impossible to explain, but it’s amazing from start to end. I absolutely loved Nora – she’s slightly philosophical, very mature, analytical. I loved the addition of ancient manuscripts and Latin texts as well.
Beauty and the Werewolf
Title: Beauty and the Werewolf
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fairytales
Rating: 1,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
The magic continues in “New York Times” bestselling author Mercedes Lackey’s enchanting new story from the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. A beauty must battle some beasts before she rescues her prince.
The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls.
Anxious to avoid the traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with “Granny,” the local wisewoman. But on the way home she’s attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman. Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh—when he isn’t howling at the moon.
Bella knows all too well that breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he’s only an occasional werewolf) and a little Godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending.
Review: What a fluffy read, and slightly dissapointing too. The plot isn’t that intriguing, and the writing isn’t that special either. I figured out who the antagonist was by the time I finished twenty pages. The heroine isn’t especially clover, but has tons of Mary Sue qualities. Not sure if I’ll pick up anything else by this author.
[…] Mini-Review: The Poison Diaries: Nightshade, The Book of Blood and Shadows, Beauty and the Werewolf […]