War - Review

War (True Reign, # 3)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Published: May 6th 2014 by Clean Teen Publishing

356 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Source: Borrowed from Holly

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Goodreads description--War (The True Reign Series, Book 3)

When Rema chose to be crowned queen and join the rebel forces, she knew she'd face the fight of her life. What she didn't expect was to be kidnapped by an Emperion assassin and taken to the mainland to be executed in front of the emperor. How can she save Greenwood Island if she can't even save herself?

Darmik knows he doesn't have much time to rescue Rema. He's denounced his position as Commander and Prince in order to join the rebels. But now he must rely on his family name in order to go before the Emperor-his uncle-and beg for Rema's life.

If Rema and Darmik have any hope of being together and saving their kingdom, they must survive the greatest threat of all-Emperion.

This is the heart-pounding conclusion to The True Reign Series.

So I completely blew through The Key and Red. Both books captured my attention and held it. I was invested in the characters and the story. Both books also end in a cliffhanger. I really liked the cliffhanger for The Key. It was one of those that spurred me on to keep reading and find out what happens next. I guess while you don’t fully know what happens, you can guess. And your guess would probably be something more along the lines of a positive outcome for the characters I’ve grown attached to. That was a slightly different experience from the cliffhanger for Red. With that one, I ended up feeling a bit frustrated. So I guess what I’m saying is this made me realize that while I don’t hate cliffhangers in general, I do feel quite differently when the impression given is one of a positive outcome versus one of a negative outcome. My point in all of this is that Red’s ending did not leave me in the best frame of mind for starting War. I’d also marathon read the previous two books (90% of The Key and 80% of Red in one day). So I was slightly exhausted when it comes to reading when I started War.

The events of War felt very similar to what I’d just read in The Key. Rema’s been essentially kidnapped by the Emperion assassin (she was basically kidnapped by Lennek in book 1). She’s going to go before the emperor to face public execution (which is also what happened in book 1). Darmik has to find a way to save her (granted he wasn’t sure if he wanted to save her in book 1, but still). While the circumstances surrounding the two books are a good bit different a large section of the story and plot was on repeat. And like The Key, I also felt like some aspects of War that were supposed to be twists or surprises were actually fairly obvious. And there are some other aspects that end up being repeats of the previous two books, but to get into those would be spoilers. So I’ll refrain.

Even though Rema and Darmik spent a large portion of time apart in the previous two books, I felt differently about their separation in those books than I did in War. Because in a lot of ways it felt like the two were making progress towards each other even when they were apart in the prior two books. Of course, the two do come back together in War but it just had a different feel to me.

Ultimately, I didn’t love War as much as the previous two books. It felt pretty long to me. Considering it took me less than 36 hours to read the first two books and more than a week to read this one. Even though my review focused on the negatives for me with this book, I still enjoyed the book and the series overall. This series was my first experience with Jennifer Anne Davis, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work in the future. War gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read War? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 175 & Stacking the Shelves - 126

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Tuesday was my first day back at work. Wednesday I put in my two week notice. Friday ended up being my last day at work. I'M GOING TO BE A STAY AT HOME MOM! I'm so thankful that this option is open to me. God has really blessed us! It was super hard to be away from Baby Girl during the day. In other news, I can't believe Christmas is this week. I just finished my shopping and spent all day Saturday wrapping presents. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Key (True Reign, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2015
Wednesday: Waiting on The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2) by Rachel Harris
Thursday: Review of Red (True Reign, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis (4.5 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of War (True Reign, # 3) by Jennifer Anne Davis
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want From Santa
Wednesday: 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December Wrap Up
Thursday: No Post
Friday: Merry Christmas! (no blog post)

The sign up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge are now closed! But don't worry, we'll be back with the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge!

Yes, we will be returning in 2016 with the Series Enders Reading Challenge. Right now, we're just waiting on my husband to make a new button for the challenge.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

A Walk in the Sun

By: Michelle Zink

Published: May 3rd 2016 by HarperTeen

336 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--In this Bridges of Madison County for teens, Michelle Zink weaves a magnetic tale about summer love that stays with you long after the seasons change.

Rose Darrow never wanted to spend her life working on her family’s farm. But when her family is rocked by an unexpected tragedy she has no choice but to put her plans for the future—and dreams of escaping her small town—on hold.

Bodhi Lowell left home as a kid and hasn’t looked back. Years of working farm jobs has given him the one thing he wants most: freedom to travel without answering to anyone. He’s already looking past his job at Darrow Farm and plans on leaving in September—until he meets Rose.

Neither Rose nor Bodhi can deny the sparks flying between them, but with the end of summer looming, they must decide if it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all....

Night Speed

By: Chris Howard

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

416 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--“Full of high-octane action and gut-punching emotion, Night Speed will make your heart race, break it into a million pieces, and then put it back together again.” (Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100)

“Tighten up that seatbelt, kids, because Chris Howard has his foot on the pedal and doesn’t let up, from page one to the end. This is superpower made real, made consequential, with characters you care about and a story that is pure adrenaline. An absolute must-read.” (Michael Grant, bestselling author of the Gone series).

Only those young enough can survive the pulse-pounding rush of tetra, a dangerous and addictive new drug that fuels a nine-minute burst of superhuman strength and speed. Alana West has been trained to use the drug so she can pursue the young criminals who abuse its power—criminals like the breakneck who nearly killed her kid brother.

On tetra, Alana is unstoppable. The rush makes her an explosive blur as she surges through New York City, battling to bring down breaknecks before they leave more people dead or injured in their wake. But with the clock ticking down to her eighteenth birthday, Alana will soon be too old for the rush...when just one more dose will prove deadly.

Supported only by her strong and steady handler, Tucker, Alana goes undercover, infiltrating an elite gang of breaknecks to stop the supply of their drug. But when Alana gets trapped on the wrong side of the law, she learns the breaknecks are not quite what they seem—especially Ethan, the artistic boy whose bottomless brown eyes seem to see the truth inside her. With her own dependency on tetra increasing, Alana must decide where her loyalties lie before the rush ends. Forever.

My Lady Jane

By: Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, & Brodi Ashton

Published: June 7th 2016 by HarperTeen

512 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Retelling

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

Autofocus

By: Lauren Gibaldi

Published: June 14th 2016 by Harper Teen

352 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--From the author of The Night We Said Yes comes a fun and heartfelt YA contemporary tale. When Maude decides to search for information about her birth mother, she finds out more than she expected. Perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Susane Colasanti.

Family. It’s always been a loaded word for Maude, whose birth mother died after giving her up for adoption. With her best friend, Treena, in college in the same town where her birth mother grew up, Maude decides to visit and explore her past. But when Maude arrives, she quickly discovers that Treena doesn’t seem to have time for her—or for helping with her search. Enter Bennett, a cute guy who lives in Treena’s dorm. He understands Maude’s need to find her mother. And as Bennett helps Maude, she starts to realize that her mother’s past doesn’t have to define her own future.

Ruby Red (Ruby Red Trilogy, # 1)

By: Kerstin Gier

Published: May 10th 2011 by Henry Holt (first published January 6th 2009)

330 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Source: Christmas gift from my friend Paula

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Goodreads description--Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Sapphire Blue (Ruby Red, # 2)

By: Kerstin Gier

Published: October 30th 2012 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (first published January 5th 2010)

368 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Christmas gift from my friend Paula

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Goodreads description--Gwen's life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she's been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he's very warm indeed; the next he's freezing cold. Gwen's not sure what's going on there, but she's pretty much destined to find out.

Emerald Green (Ruby Red Trilogy, # 3)

By: Kerstin Gier

Published: October 8th 2013 by Henry Holt and Co. (first published December 8th 2010)

464 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Source: Christmas gift from my friend Paula

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along. Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Red - Review

Яed (True Reign, # 2)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Published: February 14th 2014 by Clean Teen Publishing

366 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Source: Borrowed from Holly

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

This review contains spoilers for The Key (book 1). If you have not read The Key, that book WILL be spoiled in the first couple of sentences. I even suggest skipping the Goodreads description below.

Goodreads description--Red (The True Reign Series, Book 2)

Sentenced to be executed.

Betrayed. Alone.

Hung on the gallows.

Rema thought her life was over, but she was wrong. Saved by a rebel force she'd only ever heard rumors about, Rema finds herself in a forbidden place. She is finally safe-free from the king and Prince Lennek. But not everything is as it seems at the rebel fortress. Secrets are whispered, and loyalties are tested. Once Rema uncovers the truth of her heritage, will she flee? Or will she ascend to the throne, taking on the responsibility of an entire kingdom?

Now that Darmik knows Rema's true identity, he's on a quest to save her. But when an Emperion assassin arrives on Greenwood Island, Darmik knows he doesn't have very long to find her. In a deadly game with high stakes, will Darmik remain loyal to his family? Or will he break away and join the rebels?

Kingdoms rise and fall. Heroes are born and made. But one thing remains the same-love conquers all.

So Red picks up exactly where The Key left off. Rema has been narrowly saved from execution by the rebels. Darmik realizes how he truly feels about Rema just before she hangs. Yet he can’t be sure how she feels about him. He doesn’t even know if she knows her true identity. And until he knows that, he can’t really proceed. During the execution attempt and rescue, Rema is injured and must spend a portion of the book recovering. Mako, the commander of her father’s army, saved Rema seventeen years ago, and he’s back to make sure she stays alive.

One of my biggest frustrations with Red was how long Rema is kept in the dark about who she is and what’s truly going on at the rebel fortress. However, I did like the manner in which she was finally told. She was provided with honest explanations by the two people she needed to hear it from most in a way that showed they were both open, honest, and loyal to her. But I was starting to get just as annoyed as she was with how frequently people dodged her questions.

Even though the romance is kicked up a bit in Red from The Key, Darmik and Rema were apart for a good portion of the book. Where typically that annoys me, in Red I actually enjoyed it because both people had much to do. A love triangle does begin to form in that another character begins to take interest in one of our main two, and I really wasn’t happy about this. This particular character I worry about the potential for making some really stupid and rash decisions in the future.

Honestly, I think I was enjoying Red even more than I enjoyed The Key. I read them both in just over 24 hours total—not too shabby. I definitely blew through these books because they’re just that good, and I was hooked very quickly. I will say that Red has a cliffhanger ending, but unfortunately, it wasn’t an ending that forced me to pick up War immediately. Of course, I still want to know what’s going to happen next, but the ending was one of those that left me with the impression that things are getting worse before they get better so I ought to be prepared for the long haul. Either way, Red ends up getting 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read Red? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on The Natural History of Us

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

The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, # 2)

By: Rachel Harris

Expected Publication: April 5th 2016 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

255 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--One class assignment. One second chance at love. The school player is all in. Now he needs to win back the sweet commitment girl who's forever owned his heart.

Justin Carter has a secret. He's not the total player Fairfield Academy believes him to be. Not really. In fact, he used to be a one-woman guy...and his feelings for her never went away. Too bad he broke her heart three years ago and made sure to ruin any chance she'd ever forgive him.

Peyton Williams is a liar. She pretends to be whole, counting down the days until graduation and helping her parents at the family ranch. But the truth is, she's done everything she can to get over Justin, and salvation is just around the corner. With graduation one short month away, she'll soon break free from the painful memories and start her life fresh. Of course, she has to get through working with him on one last assignment first.

For Justin, nothing ever felt as right as being with Peyton, and now that fate's given him a shot at redemption, he's determined to make the most of it. And for Peyton...well, Justin Carter has always been her kryptonite

What are you waiting on this week> Let me know!

Top Ten Books I Read in 2015

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I Read in 2015.

1. November 9 by Colleen Hoover (review coming soon)
2. The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2) by Mary E Pearson (review coming soon)
3. Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens (review coming soon)
4. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West (review coming soon)
5. Red (True Reign, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis (review coming Thursday)
6. Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) by Pierce Brown
7. Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, # 2) by Pierce Brown
8. Confess by Colleen Hoover
9. Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers
10. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
11. Unbreakable by Rebecca Shea
12. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
13. A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin

Which books made your top favorite reads from 2015? Let me know!