Review: The Last of the Firedrakes (Avalonia Chronicles #1) by Farah Oomerbhoy

Book Blurb:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way.

Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.

My Review:

3.5 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Faeries, Royal-Court, Supernatural, Witches--

Aurora has had a difficult life since her adoptive parents died, full of sorrow and abuse at the hands of her aunt and terrible cousin. She feels completely isolated and depressed, with nothing to help keep her going. When her uncle announces that they are going to take a family trip to the country to visit his boss, Aurora is shocked that she is included on the trip. Once there, though, something is not right. Aurora finds herself a prisoner thrust through what seemed to be a normal tapestry into a world full of magic, war and lies. Aurora is not who she thought she was and hopefully she gets a chance to find out the truth.

Look at the pretty cover! It's gorgeous and I knew I had to somehow get my hands on this story regardless of what the content was about. Yes, I am a cover snob, I admit it, and I do give into my inner fish and like shiny things. But then I read the synopsis and discovered that Fae lived between theses pages and I was 100% sold. I am a sucker for a good Faery story and this proved to be a new spin on that idea. The world the author created was splendid, full of magic, creatures, a medieval like system. Oh and did I mention there is a school for magic as well? Yep, a school for mages, which I do indeed love. The world building was really fun, the best part of the story and so detailed. I felt like I could see the woods and the castles, costuming, creatures and food (mmmm, the food sounded so good).

Aurora was a hard character for me to be able to completely support and relate to at the start of the tale. Sure, I understand her life is super depressing and hard, but she had cried at least three times by the time I had hit page 33. That is a lot of useless tears, girl. Not only did she cry a LOT, but she had no self-confidence and let everyone treat her poorly and hung her head at least once an encounter. I wanted her to fight for her rights and be a strong woman despite her adversity. She is 16, but a very young 16 year old, kind of an immature child who does not understand responsibility. It was interesting to watch her evolution into a more capable, confident character, one who is able to potentially rule as intended.

Overall this was an interesting new fantasy series with a lot of potential and an eclectic cast of characters. I will for sure read on to see what danger awaits Aurora next.

I received this title for reviewing purposes.

Review: Seeker (Seeker #1) by Arwen Elys Dayton

Book Blurb:

The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.

As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.

And she’ll be with the boy she loves–who’s also her best friend. But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.

Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought. And now it’s too late to walk away.

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Mystery, Supernatural, Teen--

Quinn, John and Shinobu have been training for this opportunity their whole lives, the chance to join the ranks of the honorable Seekers. But when their leader Briack denies John the chance to become one, he vows he will do whatever is necessary to right his secret family wrong. Quinn and Shinobu become Seekers, but it was nothing like they were told, leaving them broken as to the things they have participated in. The three started on the same Journey, but now have very different paths.

I will admit that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started reading this story. Well, let me tell you this was an epic ride that had its ups and downs but overall the story and plot was unique, the characters were very well flushed out and believable and ultimately I was left wanting more.

The book is split into 3 parts, each part a significant piece of the puzzle that led to the ending and the way the characters developed. I struggled for a long while trying to place the time/world the book is set in (is it a fantasy world, is it the past, is it the future?). I am pretty sure (like 70%) that this is a version of the current world, but with some slight alterations that could hint at the future. It was never very specific and that bothered me but not enough to stop reading.

The story narration alternates chapters between Quinn, Jon, Shinobu and the Young Dread. The author used different lengths such as a page or ten pages before switching perspective and always leaving you hanging, wanting to know what was happening with that character but instead going somewhere else. It was seriously the best way to get me to keep reading, using the “just one more” approach. The one thing all the teens have in common is that they are all broken, in different ways and varying degrees, but still broken. They were so developed and real, with flaws and redeeming factors, I felt like I knew them and what they would do. Even the character that I absolutely hated and considered the villain (nope not Briack who was the devil) had a terrible back story and I had empathy for how he fell so far off his path. Hands down, Shinobu is the best, regardless of his bad habits (and the superhero underwear scene was my favorite!).

I have been listening to this audiobook for forever (for at least 2 months which sometimes feels like forever) because it takes me a long time to listen to them since I only play them while in the car. I own a paperback of the book that is signed by the author, I have an ebook version which is my preferred reading format and I checked out the audiobook from the library which I absolutely love. The narrator did such an amazing job of creating characters and the descriptions that I have been fully involved in the story, whether its a five minute drive to work or a half hour jaunt, I kept seamlessly being placed right back in the middle. I will admit that the side effect of listening to the audiobook is the desire to speak in a Scottish accent.

I was pleased with the book, if not at times seriously frustrated (aka part 2!) but I enjoyed the book and look forward to finishing the trilogy, even though I question all the characters motives (except Shinobu) and have no idea what will happen next.

Review: The Day Human Prince by B. Kristin McMichael

Book Blurb:

Devin Alexander grew up as the only day human in a world surrounded by vampire-like night humans who drank blood, sometimes his blood. He spent his life training toward one goal: the protection of one of those blood drinkers, Arianna Grace. But what is he supposed to do when the blue-eyed girl of the legends doesn’t need him anymore? What does his life mean then? How is a guy supposed to move on when the girl he has yearned over for a decade has chosen someone else?

Before he can even start to figure out his new life without Arianna, Devin has to deal with another problem. He needs to take care of some unfinished business with a night human he has known for less than a month, but with whom he is magically bound.

Vanessa McKinny has promised that she knows a way to undo the spell she placed on Devin to save his life. Devin would do anything to break the bond to be free of her, even if it means traveling to the sidhe village, a place inhabited by a race of night humans that has not had a day human visitor in more than a hundred years. If he doesn’t want to get stuck, he must work with Nessa to find a way to break the bond. Only then can Devin have time to get back to finding his new goal in life, unless he discovers that his path lies with the sidhe.

My Review:

3 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Faeries, Vampires, Supernatural--

Nessa tied Devin's life to her own when she healed him while he was dying. Now, he is willing to do anything to break the bond with the girl he barely knows and get back to his life. But first, they must return to her Night Human Fey village to find her grandfather (who may or may not be dead) to break the bond while avoiding assassins at every turn and keeping Nessa out of jail for the crime of killing her brother, the King. Nobody every expected what would come next.

I have not read any books by this author before but I have been wanting to fervently. When I saw that this was a new series by her I jumped at the chance to give it a whirl. I was surprised to find that this is actually a spin off from the Blue Eyes series, set in the same world but focusing on two side characters instead. That being said, it was a little hard to keep up at first with the pre-established supernatural world they existed in. I got the gist of it after a bit, but I was really happy when the author went into a new territory for Nessa's people, which I assume the original series had not fully addressed so I wan not missing anything. The author did do a good job of making the two main characters backstories apparent for those who did not know, and this was the first of a brand new adventure, so that was nice.

Nessa seemed delicate due to her trusting nature, but she was tough and capable, probably due to being trained as a warrior. She was so different from the rest of her people because she was not an illusion, but instead a real person and what you saw was you got. Devin on the other hand liked to hold his feelings and ideas close to him, never expressing himself, just silently taking everything in. He is much better suited to reading people and understanding motivations and desires than Nessa realizes. The two were such opposites when it came to personality, but they made a great team. And the chemistry was intense, you could practically see sparks fly when they spoke or just looked at each other, be it attraction or anger.

My one complaint was that the book seemed really short at roughly 150 pages according to my ereader and I would have liked more, especially more about the relationship between Devin and Nessa. I don't want to spoil anything, but they had a point in the book where their relationship turned tangible and real, not just the bond in the way, but in my opinion it needed a final push to get it where I wanted it to be. Well, it got where I wanted but I felt like I missed a piece of the journey that I would have liked to have traveled. This is just the first book in what is a trilogy, so I am sure that I will get the opportunity to see them grow together as well as see how the Night Humans feel about the changes they bring.

I received this title from the publisher in return for my honest review.