Review: Finale - Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend's ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn—but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can't conquer?

 I wasn't sure I wanted a fourth book to a originally planned trilogy, but now that I've finished Finale, I'm so happy that the author decided to conclude this series this way! The ending was perfect and fitting; I really couldn't have imagined it any other way. The plot was almost without any faults and though many sad things happened, I loved the conclusion.

The Plot: Fitzpatrick's Finale never slows down. You don't ever get a pause and that's what was so captivating while reading this novel. There was so much happening at the same time and I couldn't put Finale down for a second. Nora's problems were piling up and I loved how everything that could go wrong, almost ever did. It gave the book a new edge. Furthermore the whole thing with the devilcraft was a side story that didn't bore but entertained. However the thing that I didn't like at all was that Nora's problem with devilcraft was actually a huge deal and it was resolved like it was nothing? I mean, then why put this in the story anyway? (please read the book to understand what I'm talking about!)

The Characters: Nora shows us a new side to her. She is tougher and less whinier than usual. Although sometimes she could still get on my nerves, I really started to like her! Yet I think that her emotions could have been a lot more on edge than Fitzpatrick showed us, she was in a really crappy situation and sometimes I felt that she was too calm. Patch was his usual perfect self, no problems there, at all! Vee's secret was completely out of the blue and I didn't think it fit the story somehow; it was too fitting to be what it was. Scott, I love you!

Finale was a wonderful conclusion to one of my favorite series. Not everything can be perfect and I didn't expect it to be, either. It was good enough for me and hopefully, others will think so too! If you haven't picked this series up yet, do it now that you can read all of it in one sitting :)! And if you had mixed feelings about a fourth book, trust me, it was worth it!

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She is the author of the bestselling HUSH, HUSH Saga.

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on:
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
Expected publication: March 5, 2013 by Tor Teen

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli's dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Sounds completely awesome right? Original, intriguing and I just can't wait to get my hands on it! 
What are you guys waiting on?

ARC Review: The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa

Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Paperback: 379 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

I don't know how Kagawa does it but every new book is even more captivating than the last; the only explanation is that she stroke a deal with a fairy! The Iron Fey series is one of my favorite YA series ever. So it was a no-brainer that I would have to read this one and that I received it as an ARC from Harlequin certainly made my month a whole better. Believe me when I say that you won't be disappointed with the continuation of this amazing series!

The Plot: I was a bit afraid that The Lost Prince wouldn't live to its expectations, plot-wise, since the Iron Fey series also had a strong story. But I was completely blown away. The beginning was a bit slow but when it starts to pick up pace, it was just unputdownable till the end. There is plenty of action like in the previous books and I find it incredible that even after so many books, Kagawa still has the way of grasping our attention. The romance in the novel also grew in a steady pace, really enjoyable.

The Characters: I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS SO MUCH! I missed the old characters and the new characters are certainly just as good! Ethan was a worthy main character and that I didn't anticipated since I don't always enjoy male protagonists. But Ethan Chase just entered my list of great male protagonist, for sure. Furthermore oh Keirran, how I loved you! Can't wait to find out more about him! But to be truthful Kenzie was the only character I didn't like that much in the book, in the whole series even. She was too defiant and too brave to the point of exaggeration.  However this dislike didn't bother me that much. And now, the best thing was, to get to see the old characters again! I was so glad when we got to read about Puck, Ash, Meghan, Grimalkin, even Glitch again! This series has one of the best set of characters!

So if you are still wondering if you will enjoy The Lost Prince as much as you enjoyed the other books in this series, the answer is YES! Kagawa's writing only gets better and better and it still is just as captivating as in the first novel. The characters are just pure awesome and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one to know more about the new ones and get to see some old faces again. And for the record, I'll read, reread, and reread again everything that Kagawa throws my way! Yes, that's awesome she is!

Enormous thanks to Harlequin Teen for providing me with a copy of this awesome novel for review!

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times Bestselling author of The Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series, was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn't getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.

ARC Review: Assassin's Curse - Cassandra Rose Clarke

Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

Pirates, magic, assassins and an impossible curse: everything that could only result in an amazing adventure. The Assassin's Curse is a great mix of strong characters, exciting adventure and the author's amazing creativity. Not to mention the gorgeous cover that completely matches the inside of the novel. However it's worth mentioning that in my opinion the world-building and characters' background were somewhat lacking.

The Plot: The beginning already starts with a bang, Clarke promises us an exciting novel and she sure fulfils this promise. Ananna embarks on an unexpected adventure through the desert and the sea with an even more unexpected companion: an assassin. The development of the story certainly entertains and surprises us. What I mostly disliked about the story was the world-building, which for me wasn't as developed. I wanted to know more about Naji's enemies (the Mists) and about that parallel world in which they live in.

The Characters: Ananna was the perfect pirate. She steals, swears and is not the bit ladylike and yet she is not ashamed of it. I really enjoyed this side of her, although she also has a sweet side unknown to her. Naji was a bit of a mystery and to be truthful I didn't like him that much. Clarke doesn't share much about him and I found him to be too grumpy. Why Ananna falls in love with him remains a question for me, yet it was inevitable.

The Assassin's Curse was a fun and quick read that provides readers with an amazing adventure. The author's way of writing gives off an Arabian feeling that takes us to the world Clarke's story takes place in. Even though I really enjoyed the plot, in my opinion there are some important components missing (characters' background, Ananna's family disappears, world-building) but being a series, it is imaginable that certain will be explained in future novels . If you are an adventure lover, you should certainly check this one out.

A huge thanks to Strange Chemistry for providing me with a copy of this amazing novel!

Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund. Website