Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Greetings readers! Happy Monday and thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies. Today I'll be reviewing Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews.

Fair warning: I think you should skim the summary and ignore the cover!!!

They really don't do the book justice, and trust me when I say this is a good one. I'm surprised not as many people are reading this!

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career-a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan-a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan's after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she's getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

(Summary from goodreads.com)

Genres: urban fantasy, romance

This one was FUN.

The characters were spot on, the plot was fast-paced and interesting, and the romance was teasing and just enough there that I was satisfied. Ilona Andrews is now one of my go-to authors, and only after reading this one book!! The next book in the series comes out in May 2017 and I'm honestly upset. Why can't it be sooner?!?!

The story is boss. Basically, Nevada is a private investigator in her family's small firm and they just barely scrape by. Suddenly, the House/corporation that owns their debt calls Nevada up. They give her an ultimatum: lose the family business and have fun in the streets of poverty... or agree to a suicide mission. 

Of course, Nevada chooses the suicide mission.

S.O. to the infamous Adam Parson

Said suicide mission is catching Adam Parson (infamous bad boy wanted by the law who incinerates things for fun)... without being fried to a crisp.

Ah, I forgot to mention. He's incredibly attractive, never wears a shirt, and is C-R-A-Z-Y.

What a lovely mix!

While trying to apprehend Adam, Nevada gets kidnapped by Mad Rogan. He literally chains her to his basement floor and then interrogates her. Rogan thinks Nevada is connected to Adam and can help with his mission.

(Hmm. This is getting complicated. Just read the book and trust me that the story's awesome.)

I like to imagine Rogan as a savage Sean O'Pry,
but then again whatever floats your boat

After many exciting events, she and Rogan end up in a tenuous, strained partnership. (With mildly sexual undertones because Rogan, like Adam, is crazy attractive.) 

The romance was never absurd or over-the-top. Just a number of teasing hints, heated glances, and scandalous thoughts from Nevada that I'd do best not to repeat. It's a masterful build up, and I can't wait for the sequel to see what happens next between Nevada and Rogan. 

The characters are interesting. The villains or "bad guys" are multi-faceted and complicated, and I couldn't predict their next moves. I found them more interesting than the "good guys" for sure, but even I can admit that Nevada's family is adorable. I mean, her grandma tinkers with TANKS for goodness sake. And her mom is a sniper. And her cousin is a genius hacker. Need I say more? They're cool characters - all of them.

(Off topic secret confession: is it bad that I want more crazy Adam? I know he's straight up evil, and he's totally a murderer, but... There's something there. He needs some angst in the next book. He's messed up, but there's so much potential...

To conclude: READ THIS. 

Yeah. I went there.

If you have any comments to share, I'd love to hear them!

Kisses~~

Cassie

Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Greetings, readers! Happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies. Today I'll be reviewing the novel Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch.

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter's magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians' general, Sir. Training to be a warrior-and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather-she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter's magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she's scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she's always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn't go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics - and ultimately comes to realize her destiny is not , never has been, her own.

(summary from goodreads.com)

I've been meaning to get around to this book, but always got side-tracked by something else. So many people really enjoyed it, so I thought, what the heck? Let's do this.

And so I did.

And I'm not sure if I loved it like everyone else.

To begin with, the story is pretty good. I'm not sure if it's original, exactly, but then again, how many Young Adult books are truly one-of-a-kind? There's the whole warring kingdoms, magic, and politics thing. And the slavery, espionage, and warrior-training thing. It's an interesting mix - honestly it kind of reminded me of Grave Mercy. I'm not sure why, but something about it rang familiar. Perhaps it was the mix of historical/fantasy? Agh, I don't know. There is a twist at the end in the middle of the climax, and honestly I saw it coming. When I first started Snow Like Ashes, I jokingly mused to myself, "Oh, watch THIS happen and be the big surprise." 

AND IT HAPPENED.

So yeah, I wasn't impressed.

As for the characters, I'm not sure how I felt about them. They were... "nice"? I just... Meira was okay. She tried to be independent and tough, but it felt like an act to me. As if this was the role she wanted to be, and the entire book she was pretending to be a warrior. Meh. Mather was nice as well? He was all broody and closed-off, and that's just not my thing. Same for Theron - too broody and emotional for me. Everyone was all, "Ah, the angst! I'm just a pawn in the big scheme of things, and I hate it! Let me be my own person! I want to forge my own path and choose my destiny!"

Fantastic. I just love it when sixteen-year-olds rebel and declare their individuality and create unnecessary drama.

I had a lot of anticipation and excitement for the villain, King Angra, but he ended up being crazy. Not even cool crazy or seductive crazy (skeptical? Turn towards Warner from Shatter Me or The Darkling from Shadow and Bone). Just plain evil. The standard villain who's power-hungry and won't stop until he gets what he wants. Two-dimensional, dare I say?

Ah, and if you can't tell already there is... wait for it... A LOVE TRIANGLE.

Yes, that was the romance of the book. And it was unsatisfactory and chock-full of teenage angst and jealousy and bleh.

I mean, don't get me wrong. This was entertaining. I read this book in like one sitting. But did it have substance, was it worth a re-read? Nah. But I needed a well-written fantasy to procrastinate, and Snow Like Ashes gave me the perfect excuse to not study for finals.

To conclude: it's a fun read, definitely easy to get drawn into. But will you finish it and praise the higher powers for gifting you with this glorious story? Well... You'll have to find out yourself.

So, if you have any comments to share, I'd love to hear them!

Kisses~

Cassie

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Greetings, readers! Happy Thursday and thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies. Today I'll be reviewing the novel Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Title: Red Queen

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Reviewed by: Cassie

Anywho, let's begin!

The story, at first glance, is very intriguing. Not to mention that there was SO MUCH HYPE surrounding this book and its release. Of course I was curious! A girl with a newly discovered power? Stuck in a palace with people she hates? Rebellion? Sounds marvelous.
But as I continued reading Red Queen I soon became bored. There are so many plot faults! Coincidences should stay coincidences, you know? Royalty doesn't just magically visit your town when you're in the middle of a crisis. Even if they do, what are the chances that they offer you a very valuable job the next day? And it just so happens that the first day of your new job you discover you have unheard-of powers? So instead of killing you, a very large threat, the King and Queen decide to engage you to a very important person? It doesn't end there. I mean... Goodness. Mare goes from one event to the next so quickly it's dizzying. It doesn't make sense, is very loosely connected, and all serves to drive the plot. It got old quick. The huge plot twist at the end... Come on people. Was it seriously that shocking?

And the characters?

As you can tell, there were problems here as well.
At first I was optimistic. No one bothered me, I liked a few... And then stuff happened.
To start with: love triangles usually suck. This was proven yet again in this book. Mare was annoying and continuously wavered between the two guys.
Women instantly hated her. Men were charmed by her.

How boring is that? And cliche? Basically the three main characters are bothersome.

I REALLY wish I could have liked the villain of the bunch. I mean, I admit to being partial to the dark ones... the "monsters"... the ones who leave a path of destruction in their wake. They're interesting.

As you probably know, my boy the Darkling is my favorite. I will include a visual below to make myself less grumpy as I write this post. Perhaps you will enjoy it as well.

The Darkling

But the monster in Red Queen did nothing for me. I tried really hard to find a glimpse of depth, of brilliance, of anything! - but all I could see was a 2D, cliche, static character.

Boo.

Then we have the side characters: Kilorn, Julian, Elara, the queen, more people I forgot about... They're brushed to the side and never examined closely. Julian (her tutor) had potential... until he lost his integrity and logic, becoming out-of-character and reckless. Apparently, Mare inspired him to action. Also, she ruined his life.

 What's new?

The romance was so horrifying and unsatisfying that I won't even go there.

That bad.


I've also heard many people complain about how similar this is to Red Rising. I haven't read this book, but from what they tell me, it's basically the same. Only Red Queen is a shoddy imitation.

To conclude: I know people liked this. People really enjoyed it, in fact.

I was not one of these people. And I can't even come up with a reasonable excuse, like "it wasn't my cup of tea"... because this is usually right up my alley.
I just detested the book. Maybe it was the writing style?

If you have any comments to share, I'd love to hear them!

Kisses~~
Cassie

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Reviewed by: Cassie

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction-if they don't kill each other first.

Greetings, readers! Welcome to Fiction Fairies and thank you for stopping by.

Today I'll be reviewing the much anticipated book Six of Crows by the fabulous Leigh Bardugo. Yes, that's right, you heard me. The one and only woman who brought us the Darkling in all his glory, the one who wrecked my heart and destroyed all other male characters.

So yes, I was ECSTATIC when I saw she had a new series coming out. Did I dare hope for another Darkling?

With caution and apprehension, I secretly longed for another masterpiece of male speciman. I knew the chances were slim, but I STILL HOPED.

Let's get to it.


The story is, as many other people will inform you, EPIC. Like, literally epic. Long, complicated, and intense. It is action packed in every sense, and the plot is kind of confusing. Not my cup of tea, I'll let you know that right now, but somehow I still kept coming back to this behemoth of a book. Perhaps that says something about Bardugo's talent as a writer; even though I would never normally read a book like this, I felt compelled for continue... I was quite enraptured.
Fair warning: there is a cliff hanger.

(Can we admire Johnny Depp for a minute?)

Yes. In all the many, MANY pages Bardugo conjures, she felt it necessary to draw things out and then cut it all short with a cliffy.

As for the characters, I enjoyed them. I thought I wouldn't ... After all, you've got 6 main characters and therefore 6 times the possibility of me despising any which one of them... But I didn't?
That's a confusing thing for me to admit.

Because how is that possible?
The 2 females are fantastic, strong, and both possess a complicated backstory.
Inej, the Wraith... The silent girl who vanishes into the shadows, collector of secrets
Nina... A girl who fell in love with the wrong boy and made a mistake she can never take back

The 4 males are all different and somewhat lovable in their own ways.
Matthias... Honestly he reminded me of a hot viking. I have a weakness for said vikings. Even though Matthias was (for a long time) an annoying jerk who refused to give up his absurd beliefs, I couldn't stop picturing a hot viking.
Suffice to say, I forgave him for all the blasphemy spouting from his mouth.

Side note: his relationship with Nina was AMAZING. Gave me tingles, made me swoon every now and then...

Jesper... Honestly I expected him to be funnier. He was the light-hearted, wild-card, gambler of the group.
Wylan... Not much to say except I ship him and Jesper and I don't even understand why.
Perhaps because Jesper jokingly (or not so jokingly) flirted with him? There were moments, I tell you.

AND LASTLY.
Kaz.
The demon. The monster. The one closest to the Darkling... But not nearly close enough.
He's ruthless, murderous, secretive, ingenious, mad. Crippled...

Second side note: his relationship with Inej was ALSO to-die-for. Much quieter than Nina/Matthias with less drama but just as striking. Two twisted, haunted people coming together beautifully.

I SHIP THEM ALL!!!!! Refer to this gem I found online to understand my fangirling.

Inej x Kaz

Jesper x Wylan

Nina x Matthias

But... I do have one complaint.
The romance was lacking.
I must say one thing though!!! There were some very, VERY provocative snippets interspersed in the text. Sometimes a fleeting thought just got my heart racing or a vivid image seared itself in my mind.
Very subtle, very classy, very teasing. I wanted more!

The sound of her voice, pleading with him. He'd dreamed of this. Sometimes she pleaded for mercy. Sometimes there were other thing she begged for. 

 Or:

She knew she shouldn't speak, but she couldn't help herself. "And what did you do, Matthias? What did you do to me in your dreams?" ... His eyes were blue fire. "Everything," he said 

Well then.

To conclude:
I'm not sure I'll continue the series (not my cup of tea) but I do recommend you read a chapter or two and see if you enjoy this sort of book.
Six of Crows is not at all like the Grisha trilogy; it's a very different story line and writing style.

Kisses~~
Cassie

Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger

Author: Rae Carson

Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Fantasy, Romance

Reviewed by: Cassie

Summary (from goodreads.com)

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend- who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California-where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

Greetings, readers! Thanks for stopping by. We hope our ever-present sarcasm and blunt nature do not scare you off. 

Today I present to thee a review for the book Walk on Earth a Stranger.

So...

Let me tell you something.

I don't do historical. I just can't.

It just REALLY bores me. 
So you may be asking yourself, then why did you read this book, you idiot?

Because I WAS DISTRACTED. By the gold. And the magic. And the dangerous people who want her powers.

Poor me.

I actually ended up enjoying Walk on Earth a Stranger. Weirdly, I had no urge to give up on it. 

Gasp. I know, shocking, right? Lately I've just been giving up on loads of books.

Anywho.

The plot!

It's a bit slow, I'll admit. It may not sound slow, but reading it was dull. Maybe that's just my aversion to historical stories though? I just wasn't interested in the long haul across America to California. I didn't particularly care for the details prevalent in the trek, like the constant struggles and pains of the times. Horses and campfires and petticoats and gender stereotypes and blah blah blah.

Meh.

I'm sure it's well-written and well-done (after all, I kept reading it even though I despise the genre) but it just wasn't for me.

The characters:

Oh, how misled I was!

Cue dramatic swoon.

I was led to believe Lee would be magical and gifted and SPESHUL and all that jazz, but alas, I was betrayed. How could you, Rae Carson????

Lee Westfall hardly ever uses her "powers". This may may appeal to some readers. However, I enjoy myself a cliche, SPESHUL protagonist because I think it makes the book interesting and entertaining. When they're advertised as being incredibly rare and intriguing, I expect results.

When books don't deliver on said characters, I get cranky.

Don't get me wrong, Lee is a solid character. Was I a wee bit disappointed she wasn't as witchy as I wanted? Sure. But she's also super feminist and strong and admirable and cool.

Jefferson was a strange one. I understood (I guess) the appeal, but I just didn't FEEL it. I wasn't entranced by him, I didn't find myself falling for him as Lee did. 

The rest of the characters were meh. As in, I understood their purpose but I wasn't particularly attached to them. No real emotional reaction to any of them.

The romance!

Ah, how tricky this one was, too. I kept waiting and waiting, hoping and praying... And yet it STILL didn't appear.

Can you call what went down "Romance"? I think not.

At least, not with my high-standards.

Don't get me wrong- I like slow builds. I find them scintillating and thoroughly enjoyable. But there has to be SOMETHING. Otherwise I get more cranky, and confused, and grumpy too.

So, what I'm trying to say is:

The book is unique. It's interesting. It's very well-written and strangely compelling.

Just not my cup of tea, you see. By all means, try it!

Side note: I did not enjoy the ending. I wanted at least a demonstration of her awe-inspiring powers (like a LEGIT demonstration not just some shoddy river voodoo where she crouches down and digs up a nugget).

Suffice to say, I did not get that demonstration.

Boo.

Kisses~~

Cassie

Review: With Visions of Red by Trisha Wolfe

Title: With Visions of Red

Author: Trisha Wolfe

Genre: New Adult, romance, mystery, crime

Reviewed by: Cassie

Summary (from goodreads.com)

Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers' heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way- because it's safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that's how she's coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.

She will never be a victim again.

Now, she's honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie's head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.

When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.

Passion and lust ignite. Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who's really pulling the strings.

Greetings, readers! Thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies - hopefully you don't get scared off by our blunt nature and ever present sarcasm!

(Can you deny Ryan Gosling????)

Anyways.

Some of you may be wondering why there's a blank book cover for this book, and the reason is pretty simple: I felt the real cover is way too inappropriate to put on this site. Sorry everyone, but I try to keep it PG-13 around here. If you're feeling adventurous, go right ahead and look it up, but I honestly think it would deter a number of readers from reading the book. It gives off a completely different, bad impression of what the book is, so I didn't want the cover to taint anyone's first impression.

Let's begin!

With Visions of Red immediately reminded me of this show I watch: Hannibal. Anyone else a fan? It's extremely well done and fascinating . . . Well, never mind that.

When I read about Sadie "becoming" the killer, and envisioning herself as this person, I INSTANTLY thought of Will Graham. Adorable, haunted, damaged, and incomprehensible Will Graham.

(Played by the delightful Hugh Dancy)

So I was a bit skeptic when beginning the book. Was this going to have tons of parallels to the TV show? Yet I was also anticipating the possibilities; what if there was a Hannibal in this book? A truly repulsive yet magnetic killer, whose mind is a mystery to most of us mere mortals.

With Visions of Red was a bit too short for me to answer these questions. There are definitely similarities between the two works, but not so much that I question the author's originality. As for the evil mastermind figure? Well, there's hope. All I can say.

The characters

Sadie was interesting. I say that with caution, mind you. On one hand, she never became Will Graham - complex, haunted, paradoxically innocent/pure. But on the other hand, she did step out of normal NA heroine boundaries. She's not lust-driven, needy, suspicious, petty, etc. She is damaged, but she's also a fighter and wants to overcome her issues. She also has a unique job most NA main characters don't have. I'm not sure how I felt about her; it's too early to tell.

Colton was a strange one. For the longest time ever, I giddily thought he was the killer, until I dejectedly decided he wasn't. He's oddly obsessed with Sadie and it's kind of creepy, but I mean, who am I to judge? For some people, this works. I don't know, the two have a weird relationship. They secretly watched each other for 3 months, and suddenly they're romantically involved and shedding secrets left and right. Insta-lust? Perhaps.

Ah, but what of the killer?!?

"Unsub", he is called. 

. . . My opinion of him is neutral right now. I can't tell if I'm interested by him or not. He may turn into a cliche serial killer, ya know? 

The plot

Relatively compelling. I read it in one go, so that must say something, right?

The writing

Most of the time, it was really well done. It flowed nicely, drew the reader in, and had a decent contrast between the different POV's. At times, Wolfe's writing was a bit melodramatic and cliched. You know, those times when characters say something really deep and meaningful, but it just ends up sounding lame and unrealistic? Yeah, there were some of those in there. Sometimes Sadie would mention the "darkness inside her" or whatever, while she's doing scandalous things with Colton, and I would just go

Other than those fleeting moments of disbelief and scorn, I enjoyed the writing.

The verdict?

Try it out! I liked it for the most part. If you're looking for an entertaining read to kill time, or maybe you're craving a crime romance, go for it.

Hugs and kisses~~

Cassie

Review: Truth or Beard by Penny Reid

Title: Truth or Beard

Author: Penny Reid

Reviewed by: Cassie

Genre: new adult, contemporary, romance

Summary (from goodreads.com)

Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level headed good girl, has been in naive and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she's never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can't stand him, and she's pretty sure he can't stand the sight of her . . .

But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle, Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane's disdain; therefore she's unprepared for the reality that is Duane's insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica's muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order.

Certainly, Beau's magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-headed heart is she willing to risk?

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies- hopefully you don't get scared off by our blunt nature and ever present sarcasm.

Before we get started, I have a confession to make.

I have issues with redheaded men.

There. I said it.

I can't put my finger on why I don't find them attractive, but I just don't! I find redheaded women beautiful, but the men? 

Well.

So when the love interest of any story, even Penny Reid's, is a redhead, I encounter problems.

The Characters:

As aforementioned, Duane is a bearded, redheaded Southern gentleman who checks all the boxes of an ISTP. Basically that means he's introverted, reserved, sweet, likes danger, and is kind of moody and rebellious. Oh, and broody.

Yeah, if that's your thing, you'll eat him up. Unfortunately, it's not mine.

Jessica was also a problem. I expected quirky (because, hello! Penny Reid wrote this) and kind of awkward or maybe adorable. Instead I got mainstream heroine

 I like unconventional, slightly strange characters (who doesn't?), so when you give me someone who self identifies as nutty and weird, but is thoroughly not kooky . . . Well, I get upset and annoyed. It's not to say Jessica isn't enjoyable- certainly, there were aspects I liked and scenes she made me laugh at.
But she was like diet ice cream. It has so much potential to blow your mind, and instead is limited by low-fat and "healthy" ingredients.

Ah, but Cletus. One of Duane's older brothers.

You see, Cletus was my man. He's strange and confusing, and he likes to feed people his sausage. Literally. He spear-hunts wild boar with Native Americans, and makes bacon and sausage out of it! Why? Because hiding and using firemarms would be unfair and deceptive to the boar he's hunting.

He makes moments awkward and he's unrepentant of his odd ways.

Go Cletus!

As for the plot, it wasn't my cup of tea. I think it works, but I'm kind of sick of biker stories or drama. Plus there was the whole hot and cold relationship drama- where Duane was moody and couldn't make a decision regarding Jessica. So that bugged me.

I don't know . . . I think it's a well-written book but it just wasn't for me. And that makes me sad because I haven't truly devoured a book in WEEKS.

Cheers!

Xoxo

Cassie

P.S. - be on the lookout! Rafia and I are launching a new blog on called "The Caterwauls" sometime soon. We plan on blogging about casual, day-to-day things. Things like TV episode reviews, college application strugs, people/clothes/songs/things that catch our attention; you get what I mean. 

We'll love you unconditionally for eternity if you check it out. (Not that we don't already . . .)

Review: The Ground Rules by Roya Carmen

Title: The Ground Rules

Author: Roya Carmen

Reviewed by: Cassie

Genre: romance

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

1. Don't sleep around.

2. Don't kiss and tell.

3. Be nice.

4. Don't text or call.

5. Don't fall in love.

The rules are simple . . . until they aren't.

I have everything I ever thought I could want: a nice home, a job I love, two beautiful girls, and my husband, Gabe - my high school sweetheart who still rocks my world. If you ask anyone to describe me they would say, "Oh, Mirella? She's such a nice girl." And I was . . . until a mysterious, peculiar man and his beautiful wife enter our lives.

Weston and Bridget Hanson are no ordinary couple - they're stunning, enigmatic, and sexy as hell. During the course of one unexpected evening, my ordinary world is turned upside down. How could it not be when Weston and Bridget propose the unthinkable? And when the unthinkable is so very tempting, giving in becomes inevitable.

It sounds so logical and simple. Just five rules and we can all have what we desire. But the heart doesn't follow rules, and now passion, jealousy, and confusion threaten to tear everything apart.

Two beautiful couples. Five simple rules. One hot mess.

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by Fiction Fairies- hopefully you don't get scared off by our blunt nature and ever present sarcasm.

I was a bit hesitant to try this. Don't get me wrong - I love controversial topics and I think when done right, it can make for a fabulous book. But something about extramarital affairs (even whilst consensual) makes me really, REALLY wary.

But like many others, I was tempted. Forbidden pleasures galore, scandalous escapades, the works . . . It was too much to resist!

Tangent aside, let's get down to it.

The biggest draw, personally, was the anticipation. You know, that sort of morbid fascination? The one where you can't tear your eyes from something horrible, even though you know you should.

That's what it was like for me to read this book.

And to be honest, I wanted that train wreck to happen. Goodness, I couldn't stand the characters and I hoped something incredibly horrible slapped some reality into them.

Ella (or Mirella) is our main character.
I didn't like her.
She annoyed me to no end . . . She's a people-pleaser, whiny, neurotic, obsessive, indecisive, and uptight- though she claims to be extremely laid back. Say what???

She knew from the start she wouldn't be able to close off her heart (because she's a romantic . . . Really???) yet still continued her extramarital affair. Multiple times she wonders if what she's doing is wrong, and will ruin her marriage and wreck her kids' lives, then shrugs and says to herself, "what the heck!"

Let's not forget our romantic interest. You know, the one who's not her husband. Ah, Weston. See, I really wanted to like him. But then the story progressed, and he got more and more boring. He wasn't horrible, but he was just so AVERAGE. There was absolutely nothing about him that made me go "wow" or swoon or anything! He was quiet, "deep", and model hot. He's also somewhat shy, a genius, and very methodical. Yawn.

Gabe, Ella's dear hubby, is woefully underrepresented. He's got the bad boy image nailed down, but is secretly a teddy bear. The type of guy who loves his wife and spoils his daughters rotten. Unfortunately, he gets sidelined and is painted as kind of a jerk at times, and insensitive.

Bridget is Weston's wife, and the stereotypical blonde super model wifey that powerful men have. (Besides her lawyer boss lady status) Personally, I thought she was super chill, but Ella seemed to consistently view her as a threat and remained bitter towards her to the end. 

As far as plot goes, it's not much. It's really just focused on the romance (though I hesitate to use that word) and never really delves into the psychological aspects of the situation. It never twisted to become dark, never inspired lighthearted laughter, and never made my mind race with questions.

The romance felt flat. I didn't enjoy it, nor did I feel like there was a spark between Ella and Weston. From my point of view, it seemed like they were identical almost- Ella was the female version of Weston (though less logical, rich, and organized) and they bonded over their shared quirky nature (though really, I didn't find them quirky. Seriously. I know quirky and weird, and they didn't even come close to it.).

I can't really put into words their romance because I didn't get it.

As for the ending.

MAJOR CLIFFHANGER. And it was so not cool.

Cheers!

Xoxo

Cassie

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Fantasy,

Reviewed by: Cassie

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Hmm.
Hmm.
Well, I have to first state that I was very confused and misinformed when I read this, so perhaps my review is flawed.
Nevertheless, I shall march on!
To elaborate, I thought this was like the prequel series to Throne of Glass. So, um. Yeah. I thought Feyre was like the mom or something. I also thought it was Young Adult, so I was raising my eyebrows at the bedroom scenes, thinking to myself, "My my, how YA has progressed!"

WEIRD. Messed with my mind.


Despite this, A Court of Thorns and Roses was still entertaining. Steamy, too, if you didn't already guess. I like to categorize this kind of book as guilty pleasure reading. The kind you blaze through (somewhat skimming), enjoying like you would a delicious cookie, and in the end kind of forgetting it.

Because, while it was enjoyable, in no way was it fantastic or extraordinary.

Characters:
Woefully underdeveloped. And Feyre had some kind of personality disorder, I might add. She went from strong/icy/hateful to playful/light/happy to confused/weak/sad. Alright, yes you can have mood swings. But you can't just change personalities for weeks at a time! I understand some people have a cold exterior that melts as you get to know them (seeing as I am one of those dastardly people) but you don't just LOSE it! You don't! It goes right back up when you're thrust into a new situation and even if you have a moment of weakness, it still lingers in the recesses of your mind, waiting for the right time to rise.
Trust me. I KNOW THIS. Therefore, Feyre has a serious personality issue, seeing as she kept morphing from person to person.
Tamlin was boring. Too pretty and good. Not even a hint of malice or ill-will. Let me shudder for us all, because that's just disturbing.
Even the one promising character, Rhysand, turned out to be disappointing. He was first portrayed as evil and shadowy and deliciously despicable and awesome, and THEN. And then he turned out to be "deep" and sorrowful and not even a proper villain/tyrant. Because obviously, no one can be evil just because he feels like it. He has to have a "reason".
Blegh.
Ridiculous.

Plot:
Despicable.
No, that's rather extreme. But it was predictable and somewhat boring. Also, that riddle?

The one that lamely determines the fate of basically the entire world? EASY. GOD. I figured it out within a minute of reading it, because it was so obvious. It was in no way difficult, and it made me roll my eyes (while one of them twitched in annoyance).


Romance:
Questionable? Indeed.
Hot? Indeed.
Some scenes actually made me put down my phone and take a little breather, because the writing was chock full of STEAM. Like, wowzers. And it was a nice, seductive steam.
But as for the romance behind it?

Uhhhh. I didn't feel the spark.
It wasn't instalove or that disgusting mess, but I couldn't get in the groove of Feyre/Tamlin.

Writing:
As many already know, Maas has fantastic writing skills that draw you in. Yet even the most gifted writer will struggle to keep her audience ensnared when she writes scenes that aren't her strong-suit or have a weak plot. This book is a prime example of that: Maas, as other readers have pointed out, excels in constructing action scenes and fierce, breathtaking battles/fights. A Court of Thorns and Roses has a glaring lack of these instances; most of the narrative is wasted describing the beauty of the fae, their courts, or the terror of it all.
Meh. Boring. Please.

Read at your own peril. (Although, it is fun, so . . . )

Hugs and kisses~
Cassie