Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Release Date: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Pages: 412
Series: Falling Kindoms #1
Review Source: ARC from Razorbill Canada for blog tour

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined:

Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct.

Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making.

Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword...

The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

My Thoughts:
What drew me into this book was the epic fantasy feel of the description and the cover. The back of the book describes it as being a good read for fans of Graceling and Game of Thrones, and I would agree. The world in this book had that type of feel, and it was especially Game of Thrones-like with all the infighting, scheming, and oh yeah, a little bit of (not actual in this case) incest.

What was exciting about this book was the politics of the three kingdoms. When you begin the book you wonder how the kingdoms will be connected, and when and how the characters will meet up. Once you begin to see the relationships that these kingdoms have you start to wonder which kingdom might come out on top. There’s a lot of action, and it definitely kept me reading.

There are the four perspectives, as described by the book description, although I definitely felt like Cleo, Magnus, and Jonas were the main POVs. Unfortunately because each perspective only gets a certain amount of space in the book I didn’t really feel connected to the characters. At some points in the book some very heartbreaking things were occurring, and yet I didn’t really feel emotional about them. It was almost like I was a clinical observer of the characters and their world, rather than being an active participant, which I think is the ideal.

Despite my lack of emotional connection to this book I really liked the world and the plot enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up book 2. I think if you’re just delving into high fantasy ‘Falling Kingdoms’ would be a good introduction, as you get to experience the political game of thrones and the hints of magic. ‘Falling Kingdoms’ leaves off with an interesting set-up for book 2, leading me to believe that the second book will be even more exciting and interesting.

The Cover:
Kind of epic, I think it fits the book well.

Rating:
[3.5/5]

Find Falling Kindoms by Morgan Rhodes on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington

Release Date: May 15, 2012
Publisher: Billington Media
Pages: 260
Series: The Kiss Off #1
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global.

A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped.

Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.

My Thoughts:
I absolutely adored the concept of this book, and I had seen so many positive reviews, which is why I decided to accept it for review. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, because I still really love the plot of the book in general. In the end, though, this book just didn’t work for me. The whole book felt very run-on, like things kept happening and happening, but it felt like there wasn’t any real plan for the book.

Poppy also came across as a very unreliable narrator. Despite being in her head I never really felt like I knew what she was feeling. She withheld crucial information, and even after reading the whole book I still had no clue what happened with the Poppy/Cam breakup. I thought most of the characters were very shallow, and none of the secondary characters felt well developed to me.

For me the problem with this book was just a case of not being able to connect to the characters at all. There were all these relationships going on, and yet I couldn’t feel the connection between any of the characters. By the end of the book I just didn’t care what was happening, and I only managed to finish it because I was so close to the end. I hate when this happens, because it’s frustrating to me as a blogger to be so negative about a book. Unfortunately the only real positive I can come up with for this one is the premise, which unfortunately fell flat.

The Cover:
I really like it, especially the whole ticket idea for the title information.

Rating:
[1.5/5]

Find The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington on Goodreads; check Sarah's website for purchase links.

The Warlock's Curse by M.K. Hobson (Tour Review + Giveaway)

M.K. Hobson’s debut novel, The Native Star—the first book in her Veneficas Americana series—was nominated for a Nebula award in 2010. She lives in the first city in the United States incorporated west of the Rockies. Her favorite writers are Theodore Dreiser, Sinclair Lewis, Booth Tarkington, Gore Vidal, and William S. Burroughs. The Warlock’s Curse is her third novel. You can find out more at her website, www.demimonde.com.




Website: http://www.thewarlockscurse.com/
Twitter: @mkhobson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mkhobson
Book trailer: http://youtu.be/oyrYAfu8IMg

Release Date: October 31, 2012
Publisher: Demimonde
Pages: 390
Series: Veneficas American #3
Review Source: eBook via CBB Book Promotions for tour review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
THE YEAR IS 1910. Eighteen-year-old Will Edwards has landed a prestigious apprenticeship at Detroit’s Tesla Industries, the most advanced scientific research center in the United States. It’s a plum prize for a young man who dreams of a career in the new science of Otherwhere Engineering.

But his father doesn’t want him to go. And he won’t tell him why.

Determined to get there by any means necessary, Will finds unexpected support along the way. His old friend Jenny Hansen—daughter of a San Francisco timber baron—is eager to help him for reasons of her own. And so is his estranged brother Ben, who he hasn’t seen in over ten years.

But running away turns out to be the easy part. On the first full moon after his eighteenth birthday, Will is stricken by a powerful magic—a devastating curse laid upon his ancestors by the malevolent sangrimancer Aebedel Cowdray. Will must find a way to control the magic that possesses him—or the vengeful warlock’s spirit will destroy everything and everyone he loves.

My Thoughts:
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the fact that it’s a steampunk set in the United States. It’s not often that I’ve seen a steampunk title set outside of England, so that immediately made me take notice. Once I started reading I was impressed with the fabulous world building. There’s a whole alternate history in this book, filled with science, steampunk, and magic. The book features such a dense setting, which at times was daunting, but overall really added to the richness of the narrative.

‘The Warlock’s Curse’ isn’t necessarily an easy book to read. It requires a certain commitment, because of all the characters and details about the science and magic. However, if steampunk science fiction is your preferred genre, then this is definitely one worth reading. What was unique about it, to me, was that while the characters were upper-YA age, it definitely had more of the feel of an adult book. It was more serious and focused on the plot, rather than the character-driven journey that most YA books feature. I actually would have liked to have explored Will’s relationships more, especially with Jenny, as I felt like we never got to fully understand her actions, despite learning a bit about her motivations.

This was definitely an interesting book, and I think that if you’re a big fan of the genre then you might enjoy it even more than I did. Also please note that while this is part of a larger series, it is the first book set in a different time period and with different characters, so you do not need to read any previous books to understand what is happening in this one.

The Cover:
I like it, although having Will as the main image on the cover would've made more sense, I think.

Rating:
[3/5]

Find The Warlock's Curse by M.K. Hobson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

As part of the blog tour, M.K. Hobson is giving away some great prizes.

US Only
Prize package of *signed* copies of The Native Star, The Hidden Goddess and The Warlock's Curse as well as a swag pack of a Tesla Industries pin, magnets and a sticker *not shown*.

International
13 ebooks of The Warlock's Curse


The giveaways ends 12/30/12. Please see the Rafflecopter for full terms & conditions, and fill it out to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The full tour schedule can be found here.