Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Goddess War #1
Pages: 333

Received: Received an e-copy from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: September 10, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Review:

I am sad to admit that I have not yet read Anna Dressed in Blood, but seeing that Kendare had a new series starting I jumped on that train right away. I was really intrigued with the synopsis of this book, taking a story about those that cannot die and actually having them actually have a slow death in a way. I haven't really found a lot of books that deal with the gods and so this book stuck out to me because of that.

I think Kendare did a great job with the creepy aspect of this story, I was definitely disturbed at times with how some of the gods' deaths were described. Kendare Blake has created a scary world that is about to become even worse as the gods fight to stay alive, and these are gods that fight dirty. I was really impressed with the characterization of the gods and the descriptions, Kendare really brought them to life for me.

I really liked the back and forth narration between Cassandra, and Athena. Cassandra does not know anything about the gods and yet she may be the key to saving this war and we follow her as she slowly learns about her past and how this affects her. This story draws you in and keeps you wondering about the importance of people and things throughout the journey.

Honestly, this is a very hard book to talk about without giving away a lot of things about the story and the characters. I'm glad that when I went into this book I didn't really know too much information because I think I enjoyed journeying with Athena to find out information, and where that takes her is up to you to find out. I can now be happy knowing I have read a Kendare Blake novel, and seeing how she can write disturbing scenes I am excited to go through her back list and read more. She definitely knows how to creep her readers out at times.

Review: The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 576

Received: Received a copy from Penguin Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: August 1, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

An imaginative story of a woman caught in an alternate world—where she will need to learn the skills of magic to survive

Nora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to marry another woman.  During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning beauty.  Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be true.

Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker, a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her "real life" against the dangerous power of love and magic.

My Review:

I love books that deal with magic, and the cover of this book really drew me in, it's so colourful which I absolutely love because it draws the eye in. I was definitely intrigued with the idea of the story, an alternative world that consists of magicians and fairies, Nora has definitely gotten herself into an interesting dilemma.

I have to say that I did not like Nora when I first met her in the story, she seemed like a character that always felt sorry for herself. I do think Nora grew on me (there was a lot of time to get used to her thinking). I really liked that she was ambitious, and kept pushing Aruendiel to teach her magic. Emily Croy Barker has a very interesting take on magic and how the characters learn to use the magic to control the different elements. It is all about connecting with the object/element and feeling it, I feel that in a way it could be transferred into real life situations, really connecting with things.

Aruendiel was by far my favourite character, I immediately liked him wanted more of him. His background history was intriguing, and readers slowly learn what caused Aruendiel to be like he is now, there are so many secrets that you need to keep reading if only to find out more about this closed off character. The interactions between him and Nora were great, Nora would not stand to be some meek little thing, she tries to take care of herself instead of just going along with what everyone says.

The one small thing that got me with this book is that it felt very drawn out, I think it was a bit too long for my liking. Though I had fun reading the story, it took me longer than usual to read, I felt there were times where things happened that didn't really need to. Almost like the book could have been cut down about 100 pages and it would still work just as well.

Overall, I found this to be a fun book, the characters were interesting, and Barker is very creative with this alternate world she has written. The one thing that really caught my attention was the many mentions of Pride and Prejudice, you can see that Emily Barker drew from it in a few places and I really thought that added to the story.

Review: Gated by Amy Christine Parker

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352

Received: Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

Release Date: August 6, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?

In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:

Pioneer is her leader.

Will is her Intended.

The end of the world is near.

Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.

Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.

My Review:

This book did not end up being what I was expecting from it at all! I went into it thinking it was going to be a dystopian book and I can tell you this does not fit that category at all. This book is very realistic and because of that it is creepier than I was thinking. I really think this book is one that will make readers think about long after finishing it (I know when I closed it, I sat back and thought about everything that had happened). Honestly, there were parts of this book that made me feel claustrophobic, imagining myself in Lyla's position, I don't know if I could do the things she did.

The beginning of this book starts out slow, Amy Christine Parker really takes her time to introduce readers to her characters and to Mandrodage Meadows. I think it took me awhile to get through this book but I really felt connected to Lyla and everything she dealt with, her uncertainty with information was understandable because of how she was raised. I think that the slow beginning was a great set up for the rest of the story and really kept you from guessing what things would happen along the way.

This book takes you deep inside a cult and gives you an idea of what people go through and why some people chose to trust someone to take control of their lives like this. So much happens in the real world that makes it difficult to feel safe a lot of the time, and tucked away in a little place like Mandrodage Meadows easily calms people, there are so many things that can't get you in a place like that, but what about the stuff that is hidden from you?

I loved Lyla throughout the story, she grows a lot over the course of the book, she seems very naive but she is more the type of person that observes everything around her. I loved her strength by the end of the book and I really felt all her emotions. The characters' past lives add so much to this story, seeing what Lyla and her family had gone through makes it understandable of how they were brought to this life.

This book was amazing, yes it felt a little disjointed between the first half and the second half, but it makes the book that much more of an intense read. By the end of the book I was flipping through pages needing more and yet trying so hard not to burst into tears. This book makes you think about the real world and how people try to get away. I think this is a book that needs to be read, just for how realistic everything feels.