Review: Rory by Ciye Cho

Rory

Author: Ciye Cho

Expected Publication Date: August 10th, 2013

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Far beyond heaven, earth and hell is a city known as Palladino, a place ruled by ghosts and filled with demons, magic, and all sorts of darkly beautiful things. A city where no one can ever escape. Eighteen-year-old Rory is a cake decorator who makes stunning confections. But no amount of frosting or miracles can save her when a demon kidnaps her—and carries her to Palladino. Here, Rory ends up in a deadly charm school where young women are forced to become companions for the Ghost Lords. And for her to survive, Rory must become everything that she isn’t: graceful, elegant... and perfect. But nothing is what it seems in Palladino. Not the magic. Not the ghosts. And definitely not Martin Marius, the bizarre Ghost Lord-slash-inventor who is drawn to Rory. For amid a thousand machines and a hundred cats, Martin holds a secret that could change everything. A secret that could either free Rory... or destroy her.

My Thoughts:  This is the third book I have read by Ciye Cho and I find myself falling more and more in love with his writing every time. He has an amazing talent for creating these, enchanting, alluring worlds that are also intimidating and terrifying at the same time.  Ciye Cho has the ability to use his words like a paintbrush and create the most vivid and colorful imagery. He really knows  how to set the stage and it makes the story that much more enjoyable when you can picture everything around them and it just looks incredible and or haunting depending on the situation at hand.

So in this new series Cho  has created a world that is kind of like a purgatory. It is full of ghosts who have not passed on into the afterlife. Rory manages to find herself in this world because these ghosts happen to have demon consorts who capture humans for them. They bring them to their world and feed off of their memories as most of them can't remember anything of their human life or what it was like to be human with emotions and experiences.

Despite being the main character in a seriously paranormal world Rory is the most down to earth, relate-able character I have had the pleasure to enjoy in a while.  She is literally just your average girl with faults, quirks, fear, and confidence issues. But she also carries a strong fearlessness when she feels that there is injustice being done.  She was great, and I loved watching her navigate her way through this insane, brand new world. It was obviously not the best place for a young girl to be trapped but she did mange to find a silver lining when she could and  I admired that as well.

 Rory wasn't the only character I fell in love with. All of the characters in the story were wonderfully portrayed and expertly written. Especially the adorable talking kitty, Cookie! Intimidation, fear, and awe were all very real feelings that I experienced while watching the characters play out their parts on the pages.

This is the start of a series I know that I am going to love. It was a great introductory book that absolutely sinks it's claws into you. I can't wait to read more about the world of Palladino and the adventures of Rory within. The hardest part now is to wait until the release of the next book in the series.  The pace in the story was perfect, not too fast as well as not being to slow or boring at any time. Thank you to Ciye Cho for sharing his new novel with me, I can't wait to see what comes next! This book is set to be released one month from today, so be sure to make a note of it and grab it when it comes out, you want want to miss this new inventive and unique series from Ciye Cho!

Review: Luminaire by Ciye Cho

Luminaire

Author: Ciye Cho

Publication Date: December 1st, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Being the only human in a world of merfolk... isn't easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness. The tournament is a rite of passage--a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament... or will she perish inside it? Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.

My Thoughts: I was quite pleased when Ciye asked if I was interested in reading the second book in the Florence Waverley series. I read Florence a little while ago, you can find the review here. and I really enjoyed it, so of course I accepted his offer right away.

I'll start by saying this was a really great sequel. We got to pick up right where we left off. We were led on some high strung, fast paced, edge of your seat adventure. We learned about some brand new dangers that come with living within a mer world while still holding onto previous enemies. Florence is continually trying to find her place among the mer. They are still not overly receptive, but her determination refuses to let her give up. She is beyond selfless and she feels she needs to be there to help in any way she can.

I was happy to again be immersed in Ciye's incredible vibrant world. It's definitely what I enjoy most about this series. The bright colorful images painted within this story are just beautiful. I just love sitting there and envisioning this awe inspiring world he has created. What I wouldn't give to be Florence for a day. Or even to live in Ciye's creative mind for a day to see where all the inspiration comes from.

The romance development was heart breaking at times. It's obviously not easy to be in love with a merman, let alone the king of mermen. Same goes for Rolan, it does not put him in an easy position to be a strong leader who is in love with a weak little human. Not to mention the fact that if a human and mermaid fall in love, the human supposedly loses their soul. So yeah, definitely not an easy pairing here. But their feelings for each other are ever growing. Will they be able to find a way to make it work? Or will Rolan's stern nature drive her back to the surface?

In an attempt to find her place and prove she is not just some weak little human, Florence enters the life path tournament. Which in itself is incredibly dangerous and not everyone survives. But this year, things are even worse due to unforeseen enemies.

You'll have to read it yourself to fill in the blanks. It's a good read and fun for fantasy lovers. It's great if you're looking to experience a brand new and unique world. And, obviously if you are into mermaids than this is your next read :).

Review: Florence by Ciye Cho

Florence

Author: Ciye Cho

Publication Date: July 1st, 2012

Publisher: Self Published

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance

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Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean. Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My Thoughts:  I am getting to post this review on the day of this books release! I am pretty excited about that! Hopefully my review will generate some more interest and help spread the good word :). So if you like what you read below go and grab yourself a copy hehe.


Almost the entirety of this book takes place underwater. Specifially in a giant coral called Niemela. This is where one of the last clans of mer people live. I love all things fantasy and magical. I definitely have a soft spot for mermaids, Disney's the  little mermaid is one of my favorite movies. So when Ciye asked to have her  book reviewed on jumped on the chance to get some mermaid action. If you like mermaids, you will definitely like this story. The major conflict in the story is that the main character, Florence, is not a mermaid, and yet she find herself immersed in their world. And not by any choice of her own. While on a class trip at the beach she is captured and taken to be a gift for the prince on his Coronation day. But once she is brought down there, she is not well received. The mermaids do not like having a human in their midst one bit. Except for the prince's little sister Yolee. She saves Florence, and takes her under her wing and they become fast friends. The Prince Kiren also has another brother, Rolan. He seems to object her presence most of all. Florence has spent her entire life blending into the background, being a nobody, being invisible. But now she is the center of attention, and not neccesarily the good kind, and she has no idea how to cope with that.


I really liked Florence. She was someone I could definitely relate to. She was an outcast, rejected by her peers. She went through her life trying not to exist just so she could be left to her own devices. She wasn't drop dead beautiful, but she was defintiely pretty. She was just your ordinary, run of the mill, young teenager struggling to find her place in life, and I could easily project my own school years onto hers. Another reason I really enjoyed her, was because they made a lot of reference to her beautiful long red hair and it always made me think of Jenn hehe. I've always been jealous of her lucious locks. I also really enjoyed Yolee, the prince's younger sister. She was so kind, and sweet, and always tried to see the best in everyone and everything. She was different from the rest of the mermaids and was also not widely accepted so I think that had a huge part in the friendship between her and Florence.


Another thing I really liked about this book was the imagery. The scenes I imagined, thanks to Ciye's writing, were beautiful. Everything was so colorful and alive. The story definitely has a darker side to it, you'll have to read it to find out more about that. But the entire story was full of vivid coloring and awesome imagery. I really wish I could actually see the places and people she wrote about. Especially the mer people! She made them sound so incredibly beautiful, while still keeping them kind of scary.


So here is Florence, Suddenly shoved into a world she never dreamed existed. She is the forefront of attention, another place she's never been, or ever wanted to be. Even though everyone seems to contest her presence, the prince seems to be developing a soft spot for her. He is kind and gentle to her and  even suggests she stay in Niemela permanently. Meanwhile his brother Rolan only seems to grow colder and insist on her leaving as soon as possible.  But in this beautiful and frightening undersea world, not everything is as it seems, least of all the people she thinks she knows. Will she find out the truth before it's to late? Her life literally depends on it.


This story was a wonderful adventure and I had fun reading it. The ending caught me by surprise, I kept trying to turn the page to find more, but there wasn't anymore. I don't know if there will be a sequel, but if there is I would definitely read it. I was carried through a wide variation of emotions while reading. I felt sadness, real fear, joy, and passion. It was a pretty quick and easy read and I would recommend it. Congratulations to Ciye Cho on the release of his book! I hope some of you get to read it and that you enjoy it!

Teaser Tuesday (17)

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

-Share the Title and Author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR if the like your  teaser :)

This week's teaser comes from:

Florence by Ciye Cho

"They're beautiful," I whispered. Maybe a little dangerous too, I thought. But then again, the words beauty and danger seemed like  synonyms in Nimela."

This book comes out July 1st! It's a fun great read and I'm really enjoying it. My review will be posted on release day, so if you want to know more, come back then! :)