Time to Talkback: Review on The Winnner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Authors had their time to talk now it's Time to Talkback. This gives me the chance to review the book or books I have been reading. Now I'm all for a honest review and at times I can be a bit harsh with some of the judgements I voice, as far as book go. But it has nothing to do with the author(s) for without them what would my imagination be (goodness help us all). It is just my own opinion, constructive criticism (I say) and I just want to state it as so many of us sometimes do. Good or Bad, I am always thankful for the books I read and the author(s) who wrote them. So, welcome to Talkback and here to a honest review.

Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Romance, Historical Fantasy
Publication date: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  355 pages
Source: Barnes and Noble, Bought

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A wonderfully written composure of social structure blended with a devious plot of regime overthrow, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski, is a beautiful creation of romance and historical fantasy. Themes are an essential part of all stories, however it is not often that they are done well, though most are on par. The Winner’s Curse took this to another level, making the theme, the story. It was woven into the plot and continually grew greater and stronger as the book advanced. Marie Rutkoski has created a vivid and contagious new world in this book. It’s a familiar world, one of conquests, hierarchies, and societal gatherings involving schemes and betrayal. It is a world very close to what ours has been like in the past millennium.

Set in a world where the Herranis have be conquered by the Valorians and subjected to slavery, the story follows a young 17 year old girl named Kestrel, the daughter of the prominent and respected General Trajan. Kestrel not hopeful about the future of her exist, which basically involves her choosing between becoming a soldier in the military (which her father continues to pressure her to do) or marriage, both of which Kestrel loath and disfavors. “But when you are faced with only two choices, the military or marriage, do you wonder if there is a third, or a fourth, or more, even than that?” In an unexpected moment Kestrel and her best friend Jess go to a slave auction, where without thinking of the consequences, Kestrel buys a slave. Independent and vigilant, Kestrel’s new slave, Arin intrigues her, and soon she finds herself going out of her way to be with him. But with such different backgrounds, is a future together even a possibility?

Kestrel and Arin, our protagonists, are a pleasure as we divulge into their stories, both separately and combined. Kestrel, our first protagonist, is intelligent, strategic, cunning, and quick-witted, nothing like the society ladies she associated with (though there were not many to compare her to). She is compassioned and at often times to trusting. Being the daughter of a military General of the Valorian Empire, the victors of the war with the Herrani people, Kestrel is trained in basic military self-defense. The fact that she is not perfect in this make her character seem more realistic and also adds to her characteristics of wanting to be more a musician. However, the fact that she seemed to overcome all the challenges given to her too easily put the book back into the unrealistic mood.

Arin, our second protagonist and the slave of Kestrel, is complex and secretive. Much like Kestrel, Arin is strategic and intelligent, but he is also observant and rebellious. Together Arin and Kestrel were a perfect match, being both keen and perceptive. Arin managed to match her when other men couldn’t, despite his inferior rank. Though their slowly developing romantic relationship, which had the potential to be extremely problematic (as one was the slave to the other and among other things), was instead handled carefully and thoughtfully, with both characters aware of the imbalance of power between them and the problems it could cause. Rutkoski’s detail to their relationship made to story slow at times but give us a better insight to the thinking of each character.

Though the characters added a great side bar, the focal point of the world however, was the history between the Valarians, Herranis, and the rest of the known world. The people and their contrasting outlooks on life and each other explained more of how the two main characters interacted with each other, coming from diverging factions.
The only shortcoming that made this story a bit undesirable was the world building aspect. Rutkoski’s detailing to the characters pushed the lack of detailing of the world aside. A trade that should have never been comprised considering that these characters are involved in this world and the focal point of the history is based on it.

But overall, Marie Rutkoski has presented an absurdly well thought out and exceptionally executed book. It is a story that discusses more than what one can see only on the surface (the romance), and dives into social cultural, expanding into historical diverges and governmental influences. It features intelligent characters, mind games, and a lot of strategizing. I highly recommend it to those looking for a romance historical fantasy.

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Time to Talkback: Review on Unhinged by A.G. Howard

The Authors had their time to talk now it's Time to Talkback. This gives me the chance to review the book or books I have been reading. Now I'm all for a honest review and at times I can be a bit harsh with some of the judgements I voice, as far as book go. But it has nothing to do with the author(s) for without them what would my imagination be (goodness help us all). It is just my own opinion, constructive criticism (I say) and I just want to state it as so many of us sometimes do. Good or Bad, I am always thankful for the books I read and the author(s) who wrote them. So, welcome to Talkback and here to a honest review.

Title:Unhinged
Author: A. G. Howard
Series: Splintered #2
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Fantasy, Re-telling Wonderland
Publication date: January 7th 2014
Publisher: Amulet Books
Format: Paperback
Pages:  387 pages
Source: Books-a-Millions, Bought

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the sequel of A.G. Howard’s debut, Splintered, Unhinged is a marvelous addition to the retelling of Alice in Wonderland. The madness of Howard’s writing is captaining and awe-inspiring. Even though it's a much darker version of the known story, it still holds the spirit of the childhood tale. The characters, the dialogue, even the actions while in Wonderland or in this case, not in Wonderland, feels unique and fresh. Every character has their own way of speaking, their own personality, and it's so easy to be immersed within the elegantly described world. Much like her debut, Unhinged’s artwork is unbelievably beautiful and getting lost in it is easy. With Morpheus’ face on the cover you find your imagined impression of him coming to life, sharping under that fine details of each stroke of color.

It’s been a year since Alyssa’s first adventure to Wonderland with Jeb. A year since she’s been back, gotten her mother out of the prison of the asylum and a year since she and Jeb began dating. Things are nice, normal even. But Wonderland is still on her mind, if distantly, coming to life through her artwork still. She still hears the chattering of bugs and plants, though she no longer uses them in her art mosaics. She’s now finishing up her senior year at school and has plans to go to London for college and live with Jeb in a flat somewhere. But then the unexpected happens. It is like bits of Wonderland are finding their ways into her normal world, more so than the usual oddness she dealt with on a daily basis. And Morpheus is soon to follow, bearing bad news, hidden in a dozen riddles as usually. Red, the evil ex-queen, is on the loose and wreaking havoc, wanting Alyssa back in Wonderland so she can use her body to rule her once kingdom. Alyssa must again face the enemy, but how do you find your enemy when she has no body. Madness.

Still Alyssa is dealing with a love triangle that seems to be more on her mind than dealing with the problems at hand. However, seeing Alyssa’s mother back in the story more and taking a more pivotal role is quite enjoyable. Seeing parents in a YA novel is refreshing and even more so when not just in the background as though their children do not have some kind of guidance and structure. Howard paints vivid details on the world and the story that it is involved in, giving a bit more of the background of Alyssa’s family and Wonderland.

Though both her debut and sequel Howard gives us different telling with in the same story. In Splintered we were presented with the dark side classic world of Wonderland and it even more disturbing characters, and in Unhinged we are given more fodder and adventure of the characters, even without being in Wonderland itself. The thought of how Ensanred the third book that follows this amazing rendition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, has my nerves elated with excitement. I cannot wait to see where the story takes Alyssa, the world of Wonderland, and the rest of the character to.

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Stacking the Shelf (2)

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the Tynga's Reviews official launch page!

Title: We Should Hang Out Sometime
Author: Josh Sundquist
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Autobiography
Publication date: December 23rd 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  326 pages
Source: Barnes and Noble, Bought

A bright, poignant, and deeply funny autobiographical account of coming of age as an amputee cancer survivor, from Josh Sundquist: Paralympic ski racer, YouTube star, and motivational speaker.

Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.
For twenty-three hours.
In eighth grade.

Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?

The results of Josh's semi-scientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love--or at least a girlfriend--in all the wrong places.

Title: Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Fiction
Publication date: March 10th 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  357 pages
Source: Barnes and Noble, Bought

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

Waiting on Wednesday, March 11th, 2015 (2)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

Coming out on March 16th, 2015 is Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode .

Title:Numbers Game
Author: Rebecca Rode
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Fantasy, Dystopia
Publication date: March 16th, 2015
Publisher: Diamond Patch Press
Pages:  266 pages

Treena can’t wait for Rating Day. Her high score will mean a life of luxury, showing the world that she’s a valuable member of society, not a pathetic waste of space. It won’t hurt her chances with her top-Rated boyfriend, either. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.

To get her life—and boyfriend—back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone seems to want her dead. And then there’s the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. They must band together if they are to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within Treena’s heart.

Time to Talkback: Review on Splintered by A.G. Howard

The Authors had their time to talk now it's Time to Talkback. This gives me the chance to review the book or books I have been reading. Now I'm all for a honest review and at times I can be a bit harsh with some of the judgements I voice, as far as book go. But it has nothing to do with the author(s) for without them what would my imagination be (goodness help us all). It is just my own opinion, constructive criticism (I say) and I just want to state it as so many of us sometimes do. Good or Bad, I am always thankful for the books I read and the author(s) who wrote them. So, welcome to Talkback and here to a honest review.

Title: Splintered
Author: A. G. Howard
Series: Splintered #1
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Fantasy, Re-telling Wonderland
Publication date: January 1st 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  371 pages
Source: Books-a-Million, Bought

My Review Rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fantastical re-imaging of the Alice in Wonderland story by Lewis Carroll, is glorious portray in A.G. Howard debut Splintered. Wonderland has never seemed so evil. Howard has taken a magical concept and put her spin on the prettiness of the Wonderland world, making even the white rabbit seem grotesque and troublesome. There was much to be admired in Splintered but in the same instance there was something I didn't fully connect to and I think the romance may have been the culprit.

Splintered is the story of a young girl, Alyssa Gardner, who, like all the females in her family is 'cursed', with the ability to talk to insects and plants. Alyssa, the great-great-great-granddaughter to Alice Liddel, whom Lewis Carrol base his great telling on, fears that the curse that placed her mother in a mental institution will soon be her own fate. Her family and the curse have a connection to the story of Alice and Wonderland and as Alyssa delves further into her family curse she realizes that she must go down the rabbit hole to save her mother and to learn the truth about her family and their origins.
Howard, without a doubt, captured the raw essence of Wonderland. Even though it's a much darker version, it still holds the spirit of the childhood tale. The characters, the dialogue, even the actions while in Wonderland feel original and new and yet we've actual heard some of it before. Every character has their own way of speaking, their own personality, and it's so easy to be immersed within the elegantly described world.

Alyssa is a bit of a tom-boy and likes to skateboard. She is creative, artsy and imaginative, and you can tell this right away with the opening chapters. Howard lays a lot of groundwork to help the reader understand and sympathize with Alyssa and her motivations. And it is this reason why the reader can connect so immensely with her. Her childhood friend, named Jeb, is her constant companion and crush. She believe that he only cares for her in what she thinks is in a "brotherly" way, but we all know that'll get squashed eventually. Jeb's protectiveness of Alyssa is downright overbearing, and her other love interest, Morpheus, uses the fact to his advantage and to gain favor with Alyssa. Morpheus is handsome, charming and suspicious. Jeb hates him instantly while Alyssa is swarmed with memories, realizing that this man has been with her through her entire childhood teaching her things about Wonderland, which explains why she has felt so comfortable in that strange world. However, Jeb seemed to morph to fit Alyssa's needs, and they'd often converse about their feelings during the action. So in essence, we'd have brief romantic-drama interludes that just felt wrong and unnecessary. I’m always up for a good love-triangle but I do not need a pause to get that there is a romance between characters. The book had a slow lagging pace, but it really does picked up when Morpheus entered. His character was new, refreshing, entertaining and also the catalyst for many exciting turns. But by the end, I was left wanting a little more out of his relationship with Alyssa.

The plot was intricately woven and incredibly hard to guess. I was shocked by each revelation and each new twist, especially since I've heard the tale of Alice all before. But Alyssa takes a journey that while sometimes replicates her ancestry, it's an entirely new adventure that's full of changes to the original text.

Overall, I applaud Howard for capturing the spirit of Wonderland and putting her dark spin on the magical world, but the romance (love triangle-ness) really obstructed my connection to Alyssa who spent most of the time worrying about boys instead of her own sanity and her mother's. I look forward to reading Unhinged, the sequel to this incredible debut.

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