Review: The Iron Queen by Kaitlin Bevis

The Iron Queen
Daughters of Zeus #3

Author: Kaitlin Bevis

Publication Date: May 17, 2013

Publisher: Musa Publishing

Genre: Mythology

Thank You Kaitlin Bevis for the review copy!

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Synopsis:

Life is hell for Persephone. Zeus will stop at nothing to gain access to the living realm and the Underworld, and as the only living god with a right to both, Persephone’s in trouble. Captured and tortured beyond the limits of her resolve, Persephone must find the power to stand against Zeus. But will she be strong enough?

Meanwhile, Hades contemplates desperate measures to rescue his queen. Persephone never thought of herself as dangerous, but there’s a reason gods never marry for love. A being with the power to destroy all of creation shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the rest of the planet. But Hades...Hades would break the world for her.

To save the world and stop both Hades and Zeus, Persephone must make a difficult choice. One that may cost her everything.

My Thoughts:  This is one of my favourite book series.  Hades and Persephone have recently become one of my favourite mythological couples to read about and this series really hits it home.  The last novel (Daughter of Earth and Sky) left off on a MAJOR cliffhanger, so I was really anxious to get my hands on this one and as soon as I did, I didn't put it back down.

Persephone has been through a lot in the past couple of books, but this one definitely pushes her to limits that  she is not entirely sure that she can endure.  After being captured by Zeus, she is tortured endlessly as he tries to gain access to not only her mother's realm, but the Underworld as well.  Meanwhile, Hades is hell-bent (get it? pun intended) on rescuing his wife from Zeus' clutches and is willing to do whatever it takes.

I love Persephone.  In the first book (aptly entitled Persephone) she was brave, but really naive.  Not that her naivety was entirely her fault since she had been kept in the dark her whole life about her birthright and the fact that she was, in fact, a goddess.  Her naivety also got her into dangerous and harmful situations that has carried on up until The Iron Queen.  She is slowly learning from her mistakes and in this novel we certainly get a major look at how powerful a goddess Persephone will turn out to be when as she grows.  She is definitely a force to be reckoned with by the end of the novel and I was thoroughly impressed with her transformation (as is everyone else involved).

I wish I had seen more of Hades.  He was in the novel plenty, don't get me wrong, but I just love him so much I wanted more of him.  It actually makes me want to go back and reread the entire series just to get my Hades fix (in fact, I think I will do that).  He is just so... Hades.  He didn't hesitate to put everything on hold and do everything within his power to track down and save Persephone pretty much the moment she was taken.

I sorely missed the Underworld as Hades was, for the most part, on Earth for this novel.  I missed all of the Underworld characters that I loved (Cassandra in particular, although she did make an appearance) and the realm itself.

All in all, I read this novel pretty much in one sitting like the previous two.  I do not have enough praise for this series, it is fantabulous.  If you love mythology and you haven't yet picked this one up I suggest you do, you won't be disappointed.

Review: Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Specials

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: YA/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

"Special Circumstances": The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary. And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more. Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

My Thoughts: The ending to the previous book, Pretties, left us with a mega cliff hanger. You can find my review for it here. Luckily, Specials picks up very shortly after where Pretties left off!

As per usual, Tally's world is in a spin of madness and constant change. She presently finds herself exactly where she has never wanted to be. She is now a member of the Specials. Which are like the rest of the pretties, only cruel and hard, and made to be used as weapons. Her and her, now friend again, Shay are members of a special division and are made as a pet project by the ever evil and maniacal Dr. Cable.

So once again, Tally is brainwashed into believing that this is exactly where she wants to be. But she is fortunate enough to have people who are willing to fight to get the real Tally back. Although this time it definitely proves to be the biggest and hardest fight yet. There was a lot of loss and sadness and violence in this book compared to the others. I found it to be darker and more matured and even more harsh than the previous two.

Not much time is spent in Tally's city this time. We spend most of in outside and far away from the borders. Everything is changing, and rapidly thanks to a city that chooses not to uphold the same laws of division and beauty as Tally's. As a member of the specials it is Tally's duty to take out this new threat. And she sets out to do just that, but everything changes once you are out in the wild. Tally encounters many people and events that change her outlook and have her questioning her orders and her choices. But even with these developments it is increasingly hard to get by what she has been programmed to believe.

Things seem to be heading in the direction I was ultimately cheering for, but I am sad about what had to happen for it to go that way. I was surprised by so many things throughout the course of the story. And I have to say that that is one thing I do really love about this series. Is you can never ever predict what is going to happen next. There are so many twists and turns and surprise developments, it keeps you on your toes and keeps the pages turning.

I would recommend this series for sure. Especially to any Dystopia fans, I think you would definitely enjoy it!

Teaser Tuesday (63)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by  MizB at Should Be Reading

To Participate you:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

This week's teaser comes from:

Great Expectations

Author: Charles Dickens

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Teaser:

Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlaying our hard hearts.

My Thoughts: I am enjoying this book more than I tend to enjoy old classics :). It's a fun read so far!

Review: Will Sparrow's Road

Will Sparrow's Road

Author: Karen Cushman

Publication Date: November 1, 2012

Publisher: Clarion Books

Genre: Historical Fiction / Middle Grade

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Synopsis:

In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of "oddities," including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the "monsters" and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that he has been his own worst deceiver. The rowdy world of market fairs in Elizabethan England is the colorful backdrop for Newbery medalist Cushman's new comic masterpiece.

My Thoughts: So this was an okay read, normally I'm pretty happy with any middle grade books that I read but this one is one that's most likely not going to stick with me. I'm not really sure. The writing was good, the story was good but something was missing for me to give it that push that would make me remember it forever. The story seemed a bit predictable maybe? I can't really put my finger on it.

Like I said though, I did enjoy the story. Will was an amusing kid who managed to survive alone on the road for quite a while in a time where everyone would either chase him away of try to catch him and sell him. Even his own father sold him.

So while this was well written and the story was interesting enough for me to read it, it was still missing something to make it stand out. It wasn't as unique as it could be. I'm sure it would be enjoyed much more by a younger audience, like it's intended for. It is still a good read that I liked though.

Owl Post (52)

Owl Post is a weekly feature at Owl Read It where we let you know what new books we got in the past week as well as recap reviews posted during the week. It is inspired by The Story Siren's In My Mailbox Theme.

Jenn's Haul:

I got really spoiled this week! I got a new laptop for Mother's Day, and I got to buy some new books! Yhe last for awhile it seems. I'm now on a book buying ban, but I have lots to read, so that's okay!

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

What Happened to Forever by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen

Meghan's Haul:
No books for me this week, but I do have one on the way that my hubby ordered me for mother's day :) Hopefully I'll have it to share next week!

Kristal's Haul:
I got a wonderful book this week provided by Kaitlin Bevis for review:

The Iron Queen by Kaitlin Bevis

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Reviews from this week:

Icons by Margaret Stohl
Darkest Light by Hiromoi Goto
Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

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What new reads did you get this week?