Brilliant (Avery Sisters Trilogy #3)

by Rachel Vail

"Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges. Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching her best friends and kissing the wrong boys ? including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher ? to her list of crimes, she may finally have gone too far. Can Quinn find her way back to the family that needs her and the only boy she's ever loved."

I did not care for this book. I don't feel like the three books in this series really fit together and I don't think they were as well written as the author is capable of.

Quinn is supposed to be the heroine of Brilliant.  She is supposed to be, well... brilliant.  I didn't really get extraordinary from this character.  I got confused, I got selfish, I got pitiful, I even got delusional, but not brilliant. I wanted to like her, but Quinn seemed just as clueless and vapid as the rest of the Avery women.

What was the plot of Brilliant?  No, I'm asking... I have no idea. Quinn is a fake, self-absorbed girl.. My dislike does not stem from her making very normal, human mistakes; it's that she barely recognizes that she's made them and fails to atone for her wrongs. It makes me wonder what Oliver sees in her, until he is revealed to be just as immature and self-righteous as Quinn.

The one good thing about Brilliant is that it was only 250 pages, so I only wasted half of my day with this one.

Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2)

by Shannon Hale

"Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have been brought to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding.There, Miri also has a chance to attend school-at the Queen's Castle. But as Miri befriends students who seem sophisticated and exciting she also learns that they have some frightening plans. Torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place.

Picking up where "Princess Academy" left off, and celebrating the joys of friendship, romance and the fate of fairy tale kingdoms, this new book delivers the completely delightful new story that fans have been waiting for."

Another slow starter, but that could be blamed, once again, on the lack of momentum from reading book #1 so long ago. Once I got into this book, it did have a compelling plot and lovable characters.  The story was predictable, but not without the charm Hale's Books of Bayern possess.

I enjoyed Miri's journey of self discovery, her coming of age. Specifically, I liked the fact that Miri, while sometimes confused or lost, never wavered in her loyalty and remained herself throughout the story.  I also enjoyed the continuance, although subtle, of Britta and Stephan's romance.  Peder is darling; perhaps the most endearing character.  Another favorite in this story is Frid whose personality shines through the writing.

All in all, a good follow up to The Princess Academy.

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5)

by Melissa Marr

"Send the messengers for the Faery Courts. This is the end.

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win...and some will lose everything."

It has been quite a few years since I read the 4th installment of the Wicked Lovely series, so it took longer for me to get the gist of Darkest Mercy.  I will say that it is obviously not a stand alone novel, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I hate when series spend the entire book rehashing the previous book, so not knowing what was going on was actually a good thing to me.  Eventually I pieced together what I had forgotten, but this review is based on Darkest Mercy alone, as opposed to part of a series.

I enjoy Marr's writing style.  I also admire the multi-faceted world she has created; making each court with an individual, almost living, personality and characters that live inside. That being said, I wasn't super impressed with the book.  It was good, but lacked the drama of the rest of the series.  Also, five books later and the ending of the series is a little lackluster.  These books have been fraught with peril and heartache and loss, but suddenly everything is right in the world, true love conquers all and Keenan is human. Everything was just a little too easy; Anti-climatic is an understatement. Still, Marr does remain true to the hope she has fostered and the book did not leave me wanting.

The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

 by James Dashner

"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?"

Mediocre. That's about the sum of book #2 in the Maze Runner Trilogy.  While The Maze Runner was difficult for me to get into, but easy for me to finish, The Scorch trials was just the opposite. I was optimistic in during the first several chapters, but eventually it just kind of fizzled.  Book two brought up even more questions, and it ended with even fewer answers. 

Once again, Dashner shows his love of words, but also his lack of finesse. His imagery simply falls short.  He creates this epic story filled with too many faceless, nameless characters.  He does occasionally introduce these characters, graces them with a name for all of two paragraphs and then back to anonymity.  He also did himself a disservice in giving the old characters that endeared themselves to the reader less of a voice in this sequel.  He focuses on yet another new set of characters and the inevitable climax blazes in out of nowhere only to leave us confused and unimpressed. Also, Thomas is obviously talented in inspiring others to action, but he's also kind of a wimp.

I'm not rushing out to read the third, although, I do think I will finish the series eventually.

Days of Blood and Starlight

by Laini Taylor

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?"

This sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone, was unprecedented.  It is rare that a sequel fully lives up to its predecessor, but to surpass it is practically impossible.  Days of Blood and Starlight left me breathless for the conclusion of the series.  It provoked deep emotion and incited a familiarity with the characters.  I love Karou.  I ache for her; her loss, her heartache, her great, back-crushing responsibility, which she bears with the most beautiful and realistic grace.  She doesn't do these things because she is noble, or brave or good- she does them because she has to.  When life pushes you down and leaves you to rot, you stand up and keep going because you must.  Even in the unending desert, surrounded by creatures of myth, with a past and future twain by the schism of your two selves.

The relationship between Karou and Ziri is heartbreaking.  I found myself rooting for them, but almost guiltily as there has not been true closure between Karou and Akiva. Ziri's monstrous form is lost in his compassion, his genuine and pure nature, his humanity.  I love his sacrifice, so unselfish and heartfelt, not the product of unrequited love, but driven by a desire to make things right.

The developing characters of Hazael and Liraz are also a compelling part of this sequel.  Their relationship with each other and Akiva is tender and strong.  Additionally, we see more of Zuzana and Mik, who bring humor and sass and impossible things to the Chimaera camp.

This book, more than anything, gave me a feeling of family. The relationships between friends, kin, lovers... they are deep, emotional and extremely gratifying to be a part of.