Clare Reviews: Maid of Wonder by Jennifer McGowan

Title: Maid of Wonder

Author: Jennifer McGowan

Series: Maids of Honor #3

Pages: 326

Format: Hardback

Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb: Sophia Dee, the most unusual spy of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor, has run out of time for her psychic skills to fully manifest. A terrible new prophecy haunts Windsor Castle, and the Queen demands answers before the next doomed soul dies.

Thrust into a dangerous and horrifying competition to solve the deadly prediction, Sophia finds herself pitted against the most celebrated mystics of Europe: John Dee, her devious uncle and the Queen’s personal astrologer, and Nostradamus, the renowned prophet-seer of France.

In a court where whispers of witchcraft, poisonous plots, and grim assassins threaten her at every turn, Sophia needs answers fast. But does she dare trust Marcus Quinn, her uncle’s striking and overambitious assistant? Or, instead, should she turn to the tortured dark angel of the spirit realm, who whispers to her only of sorrow and death?

As new dangers surface and the dire prophecy sweeps toward its final victim, the five Maids of Honor prepare to do battle. Only then will the girl who so often sees the future finally discover if she can save the Crown—and herself. 

"Death always starts as a whisper."

If you haven't read the first two books in this series (Maid of Secrets #1 and Maid of Deception #2) then I highly recommend them. This series follows five Maids of Honor in Queen Elizabeth's court. Each book tells the story of a different girl, although it is best to read them in order.

I had been eagerly anticipating Maid of Wonder ever since I put down Maid of Deception, Sophia, the narrator of this book, is a psychic. She can go into trances and ask "angels" questions to which she sometimes gets answers and, more often, simply gets riddles in response. In the previous book she had been a very quiet presence and I don't feel like I ever got a real sense of who she was. In Maid of Wonder she definitely came into her own. Throughout the book she insisted she was going to "show them all" but she had to walk a dangerous path. If she showed her powers too much then she could be taken as a witch, but if she doesn't show any then she is of no use to the Queen and could be married off. This was one of the things I really enjoyed whilst reading the book. There was a very real sense of how trapped Sophia was. As long as she stays at Court she isn't safe but there is no way she can leave without the Queen's permission and there is no way the Queen will let her go. It made me very excited to keep reading and find out if things went Sophia's way.

Maid of Wonder is quite a bit shorter than the previous two books and unfortunately this does show negatively in the story. The element most affected was the romance between Sophia and Marcus. It bypassed insta-love and went into "I've loved you since before I knew you" territory which I wasn't a huge fan of. I felt like, where the previous two Maids had realistic and slower building romances, this one just moved way too fast for me to feel any connection with it. Marcus himself was not a character I really warmed to either. I appreciate that he was in a difficult situation, like Sophia but he never really showed any consideration for the situation she was in. If he wanted to court her, he would ignore all her protests or rational arguments about the fact that she will be the one punished by the Queen and forge ahead.

The historical details, as in all the books, were really great to read about and I especially loved the introduction (however brief) in this one of Nostradamus, he is someone who definitely interests me. John Dee felt sort of vague, he was menacing but he never felt insurmountable. It's Cecil who really comes across as the true threat to all the girls and he has done in all the books so far, I always tense up when he enters the story. He is supposedly on their side but he does not treat them that way!

Like all the previous books this one had a bit of an unfinished ending, I feel like the last book in the series will have all the loose threads tied together but with each book being narrated by a separate person I don't see as much of the characters as I would like. Rafe from book one made a brief appearance but I would have liked to have seen more of him with Meg. I am not sure how the final book is going to pull together all the final threads of each individual story if it is only narrated by one girl, but then it doesn't seem fair for either Jane or Anna to have to share their book will all the other Maids either. I will be very interested to see and I will definitely be reading books 4 and 5 and I will be keen to see what else Jennifer McGowan may write in the future.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Friday Reads 25th September 2015

Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice, the idea is to grab a book, turn to page 56 (or 56% in an e-book) and find any sentence (no spoilers!) and then post it. Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are currently reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence and impressions about the book.

Ann:

I have finished read Weird Things People Say in Bookshops which was really funny. I am currently reading Timebound, The Talisman Ring, More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops, Nimona and Just Like The Movies. 

Book Beginning:

"Bookseller: Hi. Can I help you find anything?Customer: Yes. This is your history section, right?Bookseller: Yep.Customer: I can see you've got books on World War I and World War II.Bookseller: Yes, we do.Customer: But I can't find any books on World War III. Where are those?"

Friday 56:

"Do you fantasise about marrying one of your customers?" 

Clare:

I am hoping to finish The Wings of the Dove by Henry James this weekend. I am quite proud of myself for getting through this. It's not my favourite Henry James, and he can be quite difficult to read in my opinion but I did really like the characters. I am feeling a bit slumpy at the moment, mostly because I am waiting on Six of Crows and finding it nearly impossible to get myself interested in anything else at present. So I thought I'd just start right at the beginning of my TBR shelf (which is organised by genre - and so I have romance/contemporary first) and just read as far as I can. This means I am starting with The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, I have had this book (not even kidding) for literally years. It was an impulse bargain buy and its always intrigued me but I was intimidated by it for some reason! Then I will be reading Not Without You by Harriet Evans, which is a time split novel, as are the remaining two on my weekend TBR Ember Island and Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman. For both Harriet Evans and Kimberley Freeman, I have previously read books by them and enjoyed them although I wasn't massively blown away. 

Book Beginning:

"For eight years I dreamed of fire. Trees ignited as I passed them; oceans burned."

I am assuming she is talking metaphorically, I feel like that would be a pretty terrible power to have! But I am wondering why she is dreaming of fire? Did something happen to her?

Friday 56:

"With money in my backpack the city felt new." 

I'm getting the impression the main character doesn't have the best life in general, but I love her optimism in this paragraph. 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading 

Clare Reviews: Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

Title: Ash & Bramble
Author: Sarah Prineas
Series: No
Pages: 449
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5

Blurb: (from Goodreads) A prince. A ball. A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.

The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.

But it is not the true Story.

A dark fortress.

A past forgotten.

A life of servitude.

No one has ever broken free of the Godmother’s terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems to be freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny. 

"Your stories are about good people finding happiness, about bad people getting what they deserve, and most of all, you tell about true love. Your stories make the fire burn brighter; your stories push back the darkness."

I love fairy tale retellings. I love fairy tales in general. But if there is one fairy tale I feel less than enthusiastic about it's Cinderella. I mean, come on, if the Prince can only tell who you are by your shoe size he is not a keeper. But this book wasn't really like that. Although at heart it was a Cinderella story there were a number of other fairy tales woven within it and, more importantly, it was it's own story.

Pin was a confusing character for me. I found that at times I loved how resourceful and strong she was and then she'd act in a selfish or casually cruel way and then I fell a bit out of love with her again. The first half of this book was splendid because Pin was the hero, she was the rescuer and the planner and the one saving others. Shoe was a great character because he was very determined and kind but I never really bought into their love. Later, with the Prince we're expected to shake our heads and deny that there is even a chance it could be real love because "they hardly know each other". But in reality, Pin and Shoe don't know each other either. He essentially fell in love with her because she was brave enough to escape and she... well actually I'm not entirely sure why she fell in love with him. Not that he didn't deserve it but because she essentially saw him across a room and then realised she couldn't leave without him and would sacrifice herself to save him.

That said, in pantomime Cinderella it has always seriously annoyed me that Cinderella chooses the Prince who can't even recognise her over poor Buttons who has loved her forever. And Shoe was essentially Buttons - so I should probably be happy. The Prince was fairly different here. He was a good guy, he treated people well, he was honorable and chivalrous and ... ever so slightly boring. It wasn't his fault that he thought himself in love with Pin but he was fairly annoying about it. And his constant insistence that Pin needed rescuing became more and more ridiculous as it became more obvious that she was perfectly capable of rescuing not only herself but everyone around her as well.

The best thing about Ash & Bramble was the role reversal. The Godmother was the bad guy (sort of), the Witch was good. The ugly step-sisters were neither ugly nor really evil. Even the step-mother was sympathetic by the end. Since the true villain of this book was Story and not the Godmother it actually became more difficult to see a way of beating it. A person can be beaten, a concept or a vague magical entity cannot so easily. I liked the ending of this book but I felt like the world building, in particular the explanations for the magical elements (such as the thimbles) were slightly lacking. I'd love to know where the thimbles came from, how they work - more about the Godmother. 

Ash & Bramble was an excellent fairy-tale retelling and an excellent story in it's own right. And Pin is the kind of character I am always looking for, I loved how she was the leader, the fighter, how when the Prince insisted she would have to choose between him and Shoe she told him that actually she could pick neither. I liked the teasers of other people's stories, particularly in the rebel camp and I would love there to be a companion about one of them. Or about someone else entirely. And if there is - I would really love for more of an explanation about how the magic works. If, like me, you love fairy tales or stories in which villains are good and good guys are bad, or just really strong heroines, then you should definitely try this book.

""You're Shoe's Pen, are you?"
"I'm my own Pen, thank you," I answer."

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading 

Clare Reviews: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes

Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1

Pages: 448

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4.5/5

Blurb: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

"I'd rather die than live with no mercy, no honor, no soul."

This book is brutal. It's right there in the blurb but I didn't really believe it until I started reading. It goes a lot further and a lot darker than I could have expected. Characters do things that would normally seem unforgivable but over and over again I rooted for them against all odds. Every so often something would happen and I'd think "there's no way this is real, there's some trick, some mind games going on" but nope. It was happening.

Laia is more or less the opposite of how I usually like my characters. At the beginning she was a self-acknowledge coward and throughout the book she insisted on trusting people who definitely should not have been trusted! She wasn't strong in the way of Celaena or Katniss. But by the end of the book I found myself admiring her anyway. She was her own kind of strong. She endured so much throughout the book and she kept going. She didn't break, she became stronger. And it takes a special kind of person to do that after what she went through.

Elias was a good character but I don't love him in the same way I do Laia. I felt for him as he was put through impossible situation after impossible situation. There was no real choice or freedom for him. Ironically, Laia the slave probably had more freedom in her decision making than he did. His friendship with Helene was one of the more intriguing parts of the book and Helene herself is actually the kind of character I usually love. She was very tough and determined but her attitudes were sometimes incredibly faulty and the way she treated Laia didn't really endear her to me.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love a good villain. The better and more sinister a villain is the more I love the book. And here, we were given a few different choices. The two main villains were the Commandant and Marcus. The Commandant was great in a President Snow had a love child with Bellatrix Lestrange kind of way. She was cold, and cruel and she sent chills down my spine in every scene she was in. And I loved it. Marcus was sinister in a whole different way. He's the sort of man we've probably all met at some point in our lives and every scene he was in made me feel sort of weak and helpless. Where the Commandant made me want to encourage the characters to fight he made me want them to run!

The world building in An Ember in the Ashes was excellent. There were maps at the beginning (who doesn't love maps?) and the world within the book was developed and revealed in a way that didn't feel like exposition which was great. There was some history to grasp but it helped that pretty much every set of people had a simple name - The Scholars, The Tribesmen. They are what they say on the tin pretty much which made it easy for me to keep a handle on and remember everything. It will also, hopefully, mean that when book 2 is released I can leap straight back in to the world with no confusion. There was an element of the supernatural but it wasn't as prevalent as I had expected at times. I feel like the magical elements may become more important in the second book.

Plot wise this kept me guessing. With so many characters and so many hidden motivations the last part of the book was a whirlwind of revelations and action. I raced through this book and there was never a single moment where I was bored or losing interest. There was quite a bit of violence and there was definitely an element of nobody-is-really-safe which, although stressful, made for a very exciting read. At times it seemed like every time I got attached to a character they'd promptly come to some horrible end. 

There was a dreaded love-triangle which kind of dragged the story down for me, but it wasn't hugely over played and only really became an issue towards the end of the story. At the moment I am not really sure which way the triangle is likely to be resolved but since neither Keenan nor Elias really grabbed me as love interests I am undecided which way I want it to go. Hopefully things will become clearer in the second book. 

Laia's brother played a very small part in this book but, again, I am hoping he makes more of an appearance in A Torch Against the Night because he interested me and his relationship with Laia was likewise very interesting. I loved how he protected Laia at the beginning and I think he would be very surprised by the new battered but not beaten Laia.

I really enjoyed An Ember in the Ashes and it was definitely an intense, edge-of-your-seat kind of read. I would recommend it if you like fantasy or (and I know this gets said so much about books) The Hunger Games. It was, in some ways, actually more brutal than the Hunger Games and so I am a little scared to read A Torch Against the Night. As far as I am aware this is only a duology and book 2 is set for release in April 2016 and I have already pre-ordered it because I want to know, as soon as physically possible, how this story will resolve.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Wednesday Catch-Up 23rd September 2015

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday, What Are You Reading Wednesday? and Waiting on Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next?
What Are You Reading Wednesday are hosted on It's a Reading Thing and asks;
1. What's the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 or 34% in your e-book and share one complete sentence.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
Waiting on Wednesday is hosted at Breaking the Spine and is a chance to show what upcoming releases you are excited for! Each week we will take it in turns to choose a book for Waiting on Wednesday and this week was Ann's turn!

Ann:

Currently Reading:

"I flipped open the diary and ran my finger across the name printed on the inside of the cover." - Page 34, Timebound

Yes I would like to live in the world of Timebound because it would be so much fun to time travel even though I find it really confusing.

Recently Finished:

I loved Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops, it was very funny.

Planning to Read Next:

Clare:

Currently Reading:

I am still reading The Wings of the Dove by Henry James, I am on page 506 at the moment so I should finish it this week! I am actually enjoying it quite a bit, it was a tad slow to get into but I love the main characters, Kate and Milly, and so I really want to keep reading. Although I very much doubt there will be a happy ending! I have just started Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. I like both authors and I have heard so many good things about it so I'm excited to get into it.

"Deirdre makes jam for them, you know. And I normally have to help with the White Elephant." This was an aspect of Buckingham Palace society that had never occurred to Sister Mary, although the pachyderm fitted right in."- Page 34, Good Omens

I haven't actually reached this part yet, but from what I've read Sister Mary and Mr Young seem to be having two entirely different conversations and both are getting confused which is quite amusing. The third question of What Are You Reading Wednesday? is Would you want to live in this world? I'd probably have to say no since according to the blurb the world will be ending on Saturday just before tea, and I'd rather it didn't. But otherwise it seems like fun! As for The Wings of the Dove, I've decided that though I wouldn't want to live there I would quite like to go there on holiday for a while. 

Recently Finished:

Since last Wednesday I have finished The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (review here) which I really, really enjoyed and I then read More Than This by Patrick Ness which I don't think I could even write a review for because it was wonderful and confusing, I am honestly still a little confused - but in a good way! Then I read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (review) which was darker and more intense than I think I expected but I really loved it, and Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas which I didn't love but did really like. Maid of Wonder by Jennifer McGowan was not as good as the first two books in the series I thought, but was still a very good mystery and I enjoyed seeing more of Sophia's character. And then I read The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath and The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl by Ishbelle Bee and they were two of the most bizarre, twisted books I think I have ever read. They were written in a really unique style and the characters were all absolutely insane and wicked and it was all wonderful. I almost wish I'd saved them for Halloween but I really liked them so am quite glad I have already read them. I will have full reviews up soon for all the books here, except More Than This, and I will link them back here once I've posted them.

Planning to Read Next:

I have had Full Moon Rising, Dying Bites and Kitty and the Midnight Hour for ages and just haven't read them but I'd really like to now because I feel like they might be great for my Halloween-y mood. Is it just me, by the way, or do Urban Fantasy books have the best opening sentences? All of these have such great ones. I also want to read Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones. I love this series and the idea of Charley in a convent just makes me laugh so I want to see how that plays out.

Waiting on Wednesday:

Penny's bags are packed.

When Noah invites Penny on his European music tour, she can't wait to spend time with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend.

But, between Noah's jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming bandmates and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she's really cut out for life on tour. She can't help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot . . . and her blog, Girl Online.

Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?

Ann: I loved the first book and cannot wait to read the next book and am hoping it will be as amazing as Girl Online. This will be released on October 22nd.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Top 5 Title Fonts on Covers

Top 5 Wednesdays are hosted by Ginger Reads Lainey and you can find the goodreads page here.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Tuesday Intro and Teaser Tuesday 22nd September 2015

First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea where bloggers share the first paragraph or two of the book they are currently reading/thinking about reading soon. Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ann:

Tuesday Intro:

"The music practically floats out the speakers; it fills up the fenced yard, flies over the swing set, and spins into eddies under the deck. Peter Gabriel's voice is gruff and soft in all the best ways, but my arms are already tired and I've been holding this speaker dock over my head for less than a minute. How did John Cusack do it with a boom box three times this size?"

Teaser Tuesday:

"Sir Tristram had risen and gone over to the fire to replace the smoking log. He did not answer until he had done so, and then he said in his cool, disinterested voice: "You wrote that you had arranged a marriage for me with your grand-daughter." 

Clare:

Tuesday Intro: 

"There was a dead tax attorney in my closet, sobbing uncontrollably into the hem of her blouse. She'd been there a few days now. It made getting dressed in the morning awkward."

I always love the humour in Darynda Jones's books. This is the eighth book in the Charley Davidson series and I highly recommend the series as a whole! 

 

Teaser Tuesday:

"Her words were so soft. Her teeth were so sharp. "I burnt his ancestral home to the ground. I killed his parents and his sister. I hunted him down, played games with him, toyed with him, butchered him and ate his heart."

"Do you think that was perhaps an over-reaction?" I said stupefied."

This is, without a doubt, one of the weirdest books I have ever read. Everyone in it has such a weird moral stance on murder as well. But, oddly, I am really enjoying it.  

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Top Ten Books on our Autumn (Fall) TBR

Top Ten Tuesdays is an original feature created by The Broke and The Bookish and you can find their page here. I don't know about Ann but I haven't actually planned as far ahead as November yet so the majority of these are actually for October or the tail end of September!

Clare:

1) The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

And all her other books. I recently read The Other Side of Midnight (review here) and loved it so now I am keen to read her other books.

2) In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

As with Simone St James, I recently read The Uninvited by Cat Winters (review here) and it has become one of my favourite books of the year so I have high, high hopes.

3) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

It's gonna happen! I picked this up in a charity shop way back when it first came out and then every year Halloween comes around and I say I am going to read it and then never do. But the third book is out this year so it's going to happen. It will.

4) A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Advance reviews have been mixed but I am still eager to read this. There's an asylum and madness and the cover is just so, so good.

5) The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I love, love, love Percy Jackson so I am excited for Rick Riordan's new series. Fingers crossed!

6) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

This has been probably my most anticipated read of 2015 and I really hope it doesn't let me down! I loved the Simon Snow parts in Fangirl so I have high hopes.

7) A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

I have loved all her previous books and I can't wait for this one to arrive.

8) The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

I have been meaning to read something by her for a while but I am a coward when it comes to scary things. I've seen reviews suggesting this isn't quite so scary though so I'm using it to dip my toe in!

9) Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

I got this a while back but when I started I wasn't in the right mood and I put it to one side and never went back to it. But with Halloween coming up I am excited to give it another try! I love cheesy horror movies and from the first couple of chapters - this had a similar vibe.

10) Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

I love the Black Widow so very much, and in the absence of a solo movie for her (yet) I am excited to read a Black Widow book.

Ann:

1) A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

I am looking forward to reading this because it sounds different to all the other books that I read.

2) Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Clare read this last Halloween and really liked it so I am going to try it now.

3) Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Clare recommended this as a Halloween read so I am hoping it is a good book.

4) Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg

I cannot wait to read this!

5) Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

We waited so long for it to arrive and then I had to wait for Clare to read it so I hope the wait is worth it!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) and on Twitter (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading