Review: Half Bad by Sally Green

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Publication date: March 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Goodreads

From Goodreads:
Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.

Nathan lives in a witch society where every witch is divided between two: black witch and white witch. White witches are the good ones who run the government while black witches are those hunted and feared by the white witches. Everyone is either White or Black, but Nathan is the only exception. Having a dead White witch mother and feared Black witch father, Nathan lives his life bullied and hated by other White witches.

The first time I heard about Half Bad, I liked the premise right away. Black and White witches might be a classic idea, but we all love classic, right? ;) Half Bad was interesting and the idea was executed nicely. Nathan is also a very fascinating character with his neither good nor bad personality. I found myself warming up to him very fast.

Half Bad opens with second-person POV. The POV might not be for everyone, but I loved it. It’s strange, intriguing, and keep me reading. The opening of the book is very important since I’m the kind of person who would drop a book in a heartbeat when the opening doesn’t interest me. I have quite an expectation for Half Bad, and I’m pleased to say this book doesn’t disappoint me the slightest.

The bond between brothers is another aspect I really appreciate. It felt real, the compassion between Nathan and his brother Arran. Here’s hoping to see more of Arran in the future book! I found the romance in this book as the only thing that disappointed me. The romance between Nathan and Annalise is sweet and lovely, but it’s not enough to get myself invested emotionally. Maybe we will see more of Annalise in the second book and she will finally grow on me.

All in all, Half Bad was a very enjoyable read on witches and friendship. It is very easy to immerse yourself in the world of white and black witches. I can hardly wait for the second book, and fingers crossed it will be even better with more actions, friendship, and appearances of side characters I really adore!

I have to be given three gifts and drink the blood of my ancestors, the blood of my parents or grandparents. But apart from Gran there is only one person who can give me three gifts, only one person who can defy the Council, only one person whose blood will turn me from whet to witch.

I must go and find my father.

I’m eleven. Eleven is a long way off seventeen. And I have no idea how to find Marcus. I don’t have a clue how to begin to find him. But at least now I know what I have to do.

 

 4 cups of tea!

Perfect for fans of fantasy books.

Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

3.5 stars

Looking for a fun fantasy read? Look no further, because The Assassin’s Curse got everything you want: fantasy, magic, assassin, and camel in a package! Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Camel! Ever heard of runaway bride? Sure you have. Ever heard of a runaway bride who steals a camel to pursue her dream of having her own pirate ship? Bet you’ve never.

The Assassin’s Curse is, as it suggests, an entertaining read. Things are crazy in this book that I couldn’t help but giggled all the time. Through a series of events, Annana the runaway bride saves life of an assassin who is ordered to kill her, Naji. Because of his vow in the past, Naji is forced to serve her now. Both of them want to break this curse that binds them together, but as time progresses, Annana starts thinking… maybe it won’t be so bad to be together all the time?

Oh my, I love Annana. An admirable heroine, she’s just what you ask from a pirate princess. She’s strong-willed, persistent, and of course: a healthy amount of stubbornness! Leila, Naji's ex-lover, is surely a character to hate. What a witch. (literally and figuratively) I don’t know what Naji sees in her, despite of Leila’s beauty. I instantly shared Annana’s dislike toward her the moment she is introduced in the book. I’m really hoping for more romance in the following book, because Annana and Naji can share some intimate moments! Watching them fight all the time is amusing, but I would very much like to see more sparks fly between those two. :)

Comical and entertaining, The Assassin’s Curse is recommended to those who wouldn’t mind slow pacing story and evil ex-girlfriend. The misadventures of Annana and Naji would not fail to crack you up, I promise.

"I have to protect you now." The words came out in a rush, like he was embarrassed to say 'em. I woulda been.

"What? Why?"

"You saved my life. That's how it works."

 

 

 

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I rate this book:

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé

With every fiber of my being, I love The Sweetest Dark. It was beautiful, magical, dark, and absolutely sweet!

Now, where should I begin? The Sweetest Dark completely took me by surprise with its gorgeous prose. The moment I finished this book, I just went into total lockdown. I don’t want to ever leave this beautiful, shady world of The Sweetest Dark.

The first adjective that came into my mind when I described it is… beautiful. The Sweetest Dark is beautiful in such ethereal way. The writing is flowing and I couldn’t flip through the pages fast enough. The characters are strange and each of them has their own dark side. I felt the harsh, frosty atmosphere that Lora faced as a poor orphan. She grew up in an orphanage and therefore, she learned about the world in hard way. She’s deeply suspicious of people and sometimes I do hope that she would soften a bit. But in spite of her flaws, Lora is a character you can’t hate. Or maybe it’s her flaws that make her feel very real.

I was shivering when I read the romance part. The feelings that each character feel are so tangible that maybe, if I reached my hands enough, I could touch them. Although it is hinted that there would be love triangle, it’s clear which guy Lora falls for. I like both guys although I always have to pick my side. Armand is dangerous, and I could feel the need to possess from him. Jesse is beautiful, undemanding, and special in his quiet way.

I think The Sweetest Dark is truly a hidden gem and it deserves all recognition it can get. This book would appeal most to people who love internal conflicts because of the small amount of action scenes. Lora’s story is the kind that would grip you until you finish reading. It would leave you with honey taste in your mouth. The Sweetest Dark is lovely, magical, and it’s dripping with sweetness. It’s like a bedtime story told in whispering voices… full of magic, enchantment, and beauty.

Shadows swallowed me in slippery black. The air took on a richer, loamy note. The ground crunched with leaves, and ferns slapped at my shins and knees, painless. I splashed through brooks and left footprints in peat. Crickets called in time to my stride, a steady chee, chee that never broke.

I was running swifter than a hart, swifter than even the advancing night, because that was outside the forest and everything surrounding me here was enchanted, as I was. I didn’t know where I was going, but it didn’t matter. Sooner or later I’d run out of land, and then I would turn back.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

This is not the book you can easily put down.

Grave Mercy is set in 15th century in Brittany. At that time, Brittany is in complex situation since their disadvantageous treaty with France. Anne, the Duchess of Brittany is not yet crowned and she is only twelve years old. Many people try to take advantage of that situation and Anne only has a few handful of loyal baron to serve her. The main task is to have Anne crowned and marry her to a powerful ruler.

Ismae was only fourteenth when she was to be married to a pig farmer in a horrible arranged marriage. However, her husband gone berserk when he found out that Ismae bears a deep red stain on her back as a proof that she is daughter of god of Death. She was in danger to be burnt to death by her husband, but she was saved and brought to a convent in a quiet, remote place. The convent is dedicated to serve St. Mortain, the old god of Death. The Abbes of St. Mortain offered her a choice to be the handmaiden of Death. Ismae was instantly intrigued by the possibility of revenge, to men who have done nothing but hurt her, including her own father.

“If you choose to stay, you will be trained in His arts. You will learn more ways to kill a man than you imagined possible. We will train you in stealth and cunning and all manner of skills that will ensure no man is ever again a threat to you.”

Ismae decided to be the handmaiden of Death. She will not question the convent or how they pick people she should kill. An unquestioning faith.

In three years, Ismae quickly learns the art of dagger, bows, and her specialty, poison. She also learns the art of seduction which the sisters said would help her in her missions. She never thought that she would ever use the art of seduction… until circumstance comes and suddenly, she is to act as the mistress of Gavriel Duval. Duval is a Breton noble, bastard of the late Duke, and the closest advisor of her twelve years old sister, Duchess of Brittany. He is also being suspected of betrayal by the Abbes and her ally, Chancellor Crunad.

Ismae is supposed to be the convent’s eyes and ears in the court. Duval is not a foolish and he knows that Ismae is watching his every moves. They're supposed to be ally, but no more than that. Still, they can’t resist the building attraction between them. Is Duval really a traitor, as the Abbess and Chancellor Crunad suspected? Can Ismae trust her own prejudice that Duval is not the traitor? Will she raise her bow and kill the man she is beginning to trust, if the convent gives her command to do so?

As I said earlier, Grave Mercy is the kind of book that you long to finish in one sit. The story is very engaging and it’s easy to slip into the conflict and political play in Brittany’s court. This book may bore people who don’t enjoy court politics, but I find the whole plot very convincing and nicely written. I practically flied through the pages because I was very curious to see the ending. The story is also fast-paced and I like it that there is no ineffective chapter that prolongs the whole story.

Ismae is a strong character and definitely an admirable heroine. She knows her ways with weapons and knows how to put act in front of her enemies. She is a bit impatient but I think that makes her more believable. I love when Ismae started warmed toward Duval. There’s not instant love here, and they even barely admitted the spark of attraction between them. Duval is such as swoon worthy character and I feel like he is the personification of a perfect knight in medieval court. He’s powerful, brilliant, and capable of making clever strategy and astounding tactics. I like the way he cares for Ismae from the very start and how he teases Ismae from time to time.

I couldn’t risk putting Grave Mercy down because the entire story is very complicated. Truth be told, the characters’ name feel foreign in my tongue and I had a little trouble remembering their names sometimes. I don’t have any trouble with the writing, it is beautiful and I can really feel the medieval atmosphere when the characters interact. Grave Mercy is not the book you want to miss, especially if you’re a fan of Historical fiction!

I risk glancing at him, expecting to see a glint of amusement or a smirk. Instead, there is a hint of concern. It is this kindness of his that unsettles me most. I can dodge a blow or block a knife. I am impervious to poison and know a dozen ways to escape a chokehold or garrote wire. But kindness? I do not know how to defend against that.
 

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I rate this book: 

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

3.5 stars

Melissa Marr’s writing is one of the main reasons I decided to read this book. I always love the way she builds the world in her books. So vivid, enchanting, and beautiful. Even though the story is too dark for my taste, her way of creating details in her story never fails to enchant me. There are twelve dark yet beautiful short stories in this book.

My favorite story in this book is Winter’s Kiss. The moment I read the story, I’m completely hooked up. It’s a story about a princess who has frost breath. When she laughs too freely, she will freeze her surroundings. She is lonely because no one enjoys her gift, and she decides to take a journey to find a place where her gift can be useful. Then she meets an ice-bear and they instantly become friend.

Winter’s Kiss is such a lovely story. It’s romantic and very fairytale-like. I really like ice-bear, they seem so cute, warm, and fluffy so it’s no question that this short story is my favorite. Other stories don’t captivate me as much as Winter’s Kiss, but there is one story that made me cringe in horror. Its title is Transition and it is a vampire story. The story is inspired by a party which Melissa Marr attended when she was in a dead-end town. This is really dark and full of gory details. While Winter’s Kiss is like the representation of fairytale in this book, for me Transition is what you’re going to call a nightmare. The story is absolutely awesome, but the darkness in the story is too much for me.

I think you’re going to enjoy this book even if you’re no fan of Wicked Lovely. Like I said before, Melissa Marr has a gift of telling stories. This is fairly recommended for fans of Wicked Lovely series, but I guess this book is really one for people who seek enchanting and eerie tales. 

Well over half of these pages are taken up by Wicked Lovely world stories; the rest of the pages are reserved for other worlds. These are stories pulled from lore and nightmares, set in places I’ve visited and places I’ve imagined. I hope you enjoy them. 

–taken from the introduction page in the book– 

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 I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation. 

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

 What if everyone could live forever, except you?

In five thousand years, every soul is reincarnated. Everyone in Heart city rejoice in their forever existence. They will die and born as a baby in new body, but their soul will remain the same. The promise of living forever has made people gone stagnant until a woman named Ciana died. The horrible thing is, she never comes back to life. In exchange of her soul, a new soul is born. Her mother named her Ana, a word that means ‘empty’.

In eighteen years of her life, Ana has been living with her cruel mother, Li. They are living outside Heart because Li can’t bear the humiliation of having a newsoul as her child. Li convinces Ana that because of her, Ciana is dead. She is a mistake. A nosoul. Everyone in Heart hates her. A nosoul doesn’t need her private things. A nosoul has no skill to help community. A nosoul has no right to love.

Ana rarely meets people other than her mother. Li never teaches her anything, so Ana learns from observing. She teaches herself to speak, read, and enjoy music. Music is everything for Ana. One of her biggest dream is to meet her favorite musician in Heart, Dossam. Ana is practically worshipping Dossam’s music and she longs to learn about music, even when Li snatches music from her and tells her that a nosoul can’t understand about music. Finally, in her eighteenth birthday, Ana decides to go to Heart city. She yearns to learn about her origin. There has to be a reason why after five thousand years of the same souls being reincarnated, Ana has been born.

Unfortunately, there are many pebbles stumped Ana along her journey to Heart. Chased by sylph and forced to jump from the reef to a lake in midwinter, she may as well die if she isn’t saved by someone. Sam, her savior, doesn’t seem to mind that Ana is a nosoul. He is the first person who treats Ana nicely. He is her friend, as bizarre as it sounds for Ana.

Ana’s plan was simple. Get rid from Li, learns about the reasons why she was born, and lives away from people in Heart. But when she meets Sam, her hidden feelings start to appear. Ana is not ready for a friend, let alone for anything beyond that. While five thousand years of living doesn’t teach Sam how to not fall for a girl who might only live once in a lifetime…

I admit that I put much expectation to this book, and I gladly tell you that this book doesn’t fail me! The idea of reincarnation is very creative so it depends to the author to make it into a good book. The details are vivid and beautiful. I can easily picture Heart city in my mind. It isn’t hard to feel how hopeful Ana when she finally reaches Heart and how excited she is to meet so many crowd after. I’m especially glad when she starts opening her heart to others and learns to trust people.

Ana is a believable character with her cynical thoughts and quick mind. She’s one of the most defensive characters I’ve ever read. Sam is also a great character, he seems very alive to me. He’s cute and his kindness makes me melting inside out. I appreciate his concern to Ana’s safety and how he always tries to protect Ana whatever happens.

“What was that you played?” I edged closer. To the piano. To him.
Same wide-set eyes, same shaggy black hair. Same hesitant smile. “It’s yours,” he said. “It’s called whatever you want.”

I staggered back. So much for collecting myself. “Mine?”

He took my shoulder, stopping me from crashing into something. “Didn’t you hear?” he asked, searching me. “I used the notes you picked, things that remind me of you.”

Sam is an awesome character. He’s not overly nice or annoyingly nonchalant, just simply kind and protective. Ana and Sam make a great couple, I enjoyed reading about them so much. Definitely a recommendation!

Shivers crawled up my spine when he said my name. And what a name. When I’d gotten the nerve to ask Li why they chose that, she said it was part of an old word that meant “alone” or “empty.” It was also part of Ciana’s name, symbolizing what I’d taken from her. It meant I was a nosoul. A girl who fell in lakes and got rescued by Sam.

I rate this book: 

Four cups of tea! Amazing! I love the book, it’s simply awesome! I love the tea flavor! A strong recommendation!