Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell (review)

Hardcover, 336 pages
Published May 28th 2013 by HarperCollins
Source: ALA

Synopsis:
Tilda has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of a princess’s responsibilities.

When a greedy cousin steals Tilda’s lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons—and herself—than she ever imagined.

Merrie Haskell, author of The Princess Curse, presents a magical tale of transformation, danger, and duty, starring a remarkable princess as stubborn as she is brave.

Review:

Merrie Haskell’s The Princess Curse is one of my favourite MGs so when I managed to pick up her sophomore novel at ALA, I was beyond thrilled. Of course it languished in my reading pile for quite a long while until one of my cohort who had attended ALA with me told me how much she had loved it. And that was it. I knew I had to read the novel and I pounced on it as soon as I got home.

And I did love it. Oh I loved it in so many ways for so many reasons. First there was the world class world building. Then the characterizations and then, as is Haskell’s specialty, the twist in the perspective. Like in The Princess Curse the story is not told from the viewpoint of the character who would traditionally be the protagonist, in this case, the actual dragon slayer, but from the viewpoint of their scribe, the princess. Tilda, when we meet her, is not a very inspiring character. She has potential, of course, but due to her disability, a bad leg, she is almost drowned by insecurities. Even though she is the heir to a principality, responsible for the lives and livelihoods of so many people, she doesn’t want to take on the mantle of responsibility. For that reason, I wasn’t too sure I would jive with her initially but as the journey unfolded, she changed and her evolution as a person and a princess won me over.

There are many things going on in this novel and were it not handled with a fine hand, it would have felt overwhelming. However, Haskell manages to link each event and maintain a progression of the overarching plot despite the occasional segues. I love the horse characters as I do all animal characters and I love the dynamics between the three friends who are all very different people with different motivations and pasts and presented thusly. I especially loved how Tilda’s perception of dragons change and how her brief interlude wearing the skin of one is presented. Haskell portrays the non-human character really nicely.

The romance, what there is of it, is very light and totally suitable of a middle grade novel. It spices up the narrative but is very much a side plot that is hinted at but never delved into. For that reason, this book will be a success with younger readers and older ones who are weary of melodramatic he loves me and he loves me not stories.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic novel. Read it.

Winging It – Deborah Cooke (review)

Paperback, 328 pages
Published December 6th 2011 by NAL Trade
Source: Library

Synopsis:
Zoë Sorensson yearns to come into her powers as the only female dragon shifter. But being part of two worlds is more complicated than she expected. It’s bad enough that she’s the target of the Mages’s plan to eliminate all shifters-but she also has to hide her true nature from her human best friend, Megan. But when Megan gets a last-minute invite to the popular kids’ Halloween party-hosted by an apprentice Mage-Zoë must save the day and her best friend without revealing her fire- breathing secrets…

Review:

I really liked Flying Blind so I was a bit sad when Winging It fell somewhat short of my expectations for it. I am still trying to understand what went wrong and have come to the conclusion that maybe it was my reading experience at fault and not the book itself. Winging It had a much slower beginning than Flying Blind and this slowness affected the pacing of the entire novel and also prevented me from getting into the novel as I wanted to.

The new elements to the narrative are interesting – especially the singing spell casters and whatnot. What I did not like was the romantic complications and the gradual growth of a love triangle. I also found it difficult to believe that the boy of one’s dreams would not look behind and miss all the self-sacrificing one is doing to ensure dream boy’s survival. That doesn’t happen anywhere except in cartoons – no matter how loud your mp3 player may be.

I also thought that the so called leaders of the Pyr, Zoe’s dad the chief among them, would be so blithely unaware of the tensions underneath the surface of the truce. It doesn’t ring true of dragons who have lived for centuries and are versed in the corruptibility of the mages. And to think that he’d leave the lone female dragon alone while he went looking for his missing mate is even more improbable. It doesn’t ring true to character is what I’m saying and if I were reading Cooke’s adult series which I think figure the same characters, I would not be too happy. Also, why would Zoe, unless she is completely dense, not be suspicious of two new students who just happened to transfer to her school following the traumatic events earlier in the year?

That said, the novel is somewhat entertaining and does show Zoe’s progression and growth. While this sequel wasn’t a favourite, it did whet my appetite and made me look forward to see how this all ends.

Iron Hearted Violet – Kelly Barnhill

Hardcover, 432 pages
Published October 9th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher

Synopsis:

The end of their world begins with a story.
This one.

In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn’t most fairy tales.

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being — called the Nybbas — imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true — not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas’s triumph . . . or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules.

Iron Hearted Violet is a story of a princess unlike any other. It is a story of the last dragon in existence, deathly afraid of its own reflection. Above all, it is a story about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.

Review:

My attention was immediately captivated by the synopsis of the novel. I mean, how could I or anyone resist an outspoken and plain princess, her best friend and a mean dragon?

Iron Hearted Violet was a different book than I had imagined it would be. Oh it had all the elements I expected it to but it had something more, something that I hadn’t thought it would concern itself with. Substance. I thought it would be an adventure story that would leave me delighted, and it was, but there are heavier themes in the novel that kept me thinking  long after I had turned the last page.

The way the novel is framed distinguishes it from the rest of its coterie. The narrator of Iron Hearted Violet is an old man, the Court Storyteller (some might call him the historian, if you will) so you are always at a distance from the main characters of the novel and usually this would be vexing but Barnhill very cleverly uses this distance to draw attention to aspects of the main characters that the reader would not be privy to were we present in the main characters’ heads. We are with Violet and Demetrius from when they are born to their teens and through the storyteller’s eyes, we see Violet grow, devour stories, make up stories and make a friend: Demetrius. We see her parents who are actually properly present (some of the times and not throughout) and we see her growing up and beyond what everyone hoped her to be.

The world building is solid and the characterizations are well done. The reader gets a sense  of who Violet and Demetrius are even through the storyteller’s eyes. The fae folk are also fun and appropriate to the story. The setting works amazingly.

Violet is born a princess in a world that has some very fixed expectations about what a princess should look like. Violet is not beautiful. In  fact, there are those who would say that Violet is ugly and others who would argue that she is beautiful in her own way. Either ways, Violet does not feel beautiful and the villain of the piece preys on that insecurity of hers to manipulate her into a position that will facilitate her breaking out of the prison she has been held captive in for generations. There is this poignant scene when Violet realizes that she is not beautiful and this made the novel so much better and put it in context of the superficial society we live in. I loved the way the issue of her looks is resolved. Violet finds out that there is more to life than the way you look and really, there is something to be said for feet that actually do what they are supposed to instead of just looking pretty and small.

If that was an enigmatic sentence, you should read the novel to find out what I’m talking about. Do I recommend it? Yes I do. The plot is intriguing, the characters likeable and the resolution believable. Villain slaying princesses, no matter what they look like, win the day. Read this. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Mini Reviews

Hardcover

Published July 16th 2012 by Wisdom Tales

Source: Net Galley

Review:

This is a rather simple retelling of a Persian folktale that gives the reader a glimpse of the rich Persian culture. The art is appealing and the prose very readable for younger readers. The story itself is not explicitly preachy but has discernible moral themes to it and just in case you didn’t catch them, comes with a short essay that talks about the symbolism etc present in the story.

ebook, 28 pages

Published January 2012 by Bloomsbury
Source

Synopsis:

This is the story of those eleven minutes, and the six days that follow, from his perspective. Because while it must be terrifying to be trapped under the ice, it’s a different kind of terror seeing your best friend trapped…

Especially if it’s your fault.

Review:

There’s something about Megan Miranda’s writing that sucks me in and impresses the hell out of me. I think it’s because there’s such sincerity in her prose – I do not quite know how to explain it. Eleven minutes is a poetic, lyrical look at the events that occurred when Delaney was in the hospital following her accident. It is from Decker’s perspective and manages to convey his utter desolation at what he perceives as his fault. I thought it was beautifully detailed and very convincing.

ebook, 17 pages

Published June 19th 2012

Source

Review:

I enjoyed this short story that is set before Seraphina becomes the music master’s assistant. It sets the foundation for the wonderful story and more importantly, it shows us the character of the princess who, if I remember correctly, I unfairly judged as flighty when I first met her in the novel. We also get an initial glimpse of the relationship Seraphina has with an uncle and it is every bit heartwarming as it is in the book.

The Last Dragonslayer – Jasper Fforde (Review)

Hardcover, 283 pages
Published 2010 by Hodder & Stoughton
Source: Library

Synopsis:

In the good old days, magic was powerful, unregulated by government, and even the largest spell could be woven without filling in the magic release form B1-7g. But somewhere, somehow, the magic started draining away.

Jennifer Strange runs Kazam!, an employment agency for state-registered magicians, soothsayers and sorceresses. But work is drying up. Drain cleaner is cheaper and quicker than a spell. Why trust a cold and drafty magic carpet when jetliners offer a comfy seat and an in-flight movie? And now potions are eligible for VAT…

But then the visions start. The Last Dragon is going to be killed by a Dragonslayer at 12.00 on Sunday. The death will unleash untold devastation on the UnUnited Kingdom, setting principality against dukedom and property developer against homesteader. And all the signs are pointing to Jennifer Strange, and saying”Big Magic is coming!”

Review:

It takes a special kind of reader to appreciate a Jasper Fforde novel: A reader who is not afraid to believe in the impossible, who is not afraid to accept even the most eccentric set-ups, a reader who revels in the imagination and creativity that stems from the mind of one of the most creative contemporary authors. Fforde’s characteristic satirical style rings true in The Last Dragonslayer that is ostensibly called YA fiction but, in my opinion, is meant for anyone who enjoys a good book. Of course it is a bit simpler in tone and writing style than his adult book (mores the pity) but it retains the insane world building that is so characteristic of Fforde. Jasper Fforde, my dear readers, does not just build worlds, he creates universes. From the alphabet to the economics, Fforde’s worlds rotate to their own sun.

The depth of information that is logically presented with a dash of satire and absurdity to make it more palatable just blows my mind. Jennifer Strange is a protagonist most able to gain my empathy with her foundling status. The various wizards with their various levels of insanity are colourful characters that come alive in HD colour and romp all over the pages. Even the Quark beast with its many teeth and loyalty to Jenny is compelling. Tiger, the new foundling, who is as lost as we are in the beginning of the novel makes for a great companion as we uncover the aspects of the world the story is set.

This novel has no sparkly beings (Dragons don’t sparkle), no mysterious boy in a biology class (the foundlings have no time to attend school), no girls insecure about their physical attributes (Jenny is too busy running a business and not fighting dragons) and no romance (apart from the barest hint of it) but what it does have is a firm narrative, a fun world and dragons. It gives a satirical look at the world we live in, our grasping for five minutes of fame or notoriety, and reality TV. We get up close and personal with Greed and other not so nice aspects of human nature. I liked this book. A lot. And while readers who are all about romance, supernatural creatures etc will not like it, fans of books such as Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging will. If you want to read something quirky, read The Last Dragonslayer.

Seraphina – Rachel Hartman (Review)

Hardcover, 464 pages
Expected publication: July 10th 2012 by Random House Children’s Books
Source: Net Galley

Synopsis:

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Review:

Please be forewarned that the following might be a huge love letter to the novel because I liked it that much. Where do I start? How do I start? Just talking about the book makes me want to reread it and I hardly ever reread books. Okay, fine, I’ll get on with it.

First of all, I need to apologise to DoubleDay Canada. I’m sorry I sent you so many requests on Net Galley. I also need to thank them for approving my review request because I was heartbroken when Random House declined by request (also many times). Anyway, point is, I got approved and was beyond myself with excitement at the chance to read the novel because so many of my GR friends have given it good reviews. No, not just good reviews but excellent reviews.

The magic of Seraphina is in its approach to the story. There is a quiet intensity in Seraphina, both the character and the novel, that draw the reader in. But before all that, Hartman’s writing is excellent. Her wordplay, wordsmithery is nothing short of genius and I appreciated that her use of vocabulary is sophisticated. She definitely knows how to construct sentences cleanly and clearly express whatever she wants to.

Moving on to the characters, Seraphina as the titular character is gorgeously developed. Her emotions, ambition, fears, desires and passions are all effortlessly interspersed with her character. I really liked how Hartman carefully nurtured the “otherness” in her personality. Very often you have main characters who are half human and half something else but their behaviour and their actions all paint them to be 100% human. Hartman brought out the draconian portion of Seraphina in different and convincing ways. This provides a natural segue to the Dragons in the novel. The Dragons are not humans. They may look like humans sometimes but they are not human and Hartman very accurately portrays this in their actions and their words. I appreciated the distinction.

The relationships are also very well-formed. The conflicts between Seraphina and her father are interesting and more complicated than the usual run-of-the-mill daddy issues but it is the relationship she has with her Uncle from her mother’s side that won me over. Her genuine friendship with the princess who could easily have been turned into a mean girl and in fact, the lack of the Mean Girls in the novel gave it an automatic five stars. The romance is also well done – it is approached almost delicately and remains, rightfully, a secondary plot and does not subsume the entire narrative as romances in YA novels are wont to do.

I really love the gradual coalescing of the Fellowship of the Half-Human/Half-Dragon entities. All the characters are colourful, with their own secrets and their own loyalties in the beginning. As Seraphina begins to find them, her own people, she begins to find herself. There are some sacrifices she has to make, some lessons she has to learn and some growing up that she must do. I could possibly go on and on about this novel but really, all you need to know is that it is wonderful and you need to read it.

Reign Fall – Michelle Rowen (Demon Princess #3)

Published January 2012
Source: Author

Synopsis:

Prophesies, demon slayers, dragons, homework… It’s going to be a hell of a week!

It’s been a dangerous ride for Nikki Donovan since she first learned she’s a demon princess. And the ride isn’t over yet!

She’s just found out that her best friend is a demon slayer in training, one who doesn’t know that Nikki is exactly the prey she’s sworn to hunt. Nikki’s demon king father has signed her up for lessons in how to master her erratic half-demon powers, and that’s on top of her regular homework! Also, she’s torn between two boys—Rhys, the faery king she’s prophesied to marry, and Michael, a Shadow whom she’s forbidden to love.

To top it all off, a dark force is haunting Nikki, something mysterious and evil that wants the demon princess dead…but who — or what — is it?

Review:

The third book in the Demon Princess series definitely does not disappoint. Book 1 was okay, Book 2 was good but Book 3 won me over. I realize that the publishing house dropped the series so Ms. Rowen, listening to the enraged (and desperate) cries of her fans, went ahead and self-published this book and you know what? It rocks. It seriously rocks. There are so many things I liked about it so get comfortable as I recount them.

1. Nikki continues to grow as a character and I totally appreciate that. She didn’t start off as someone I could like very much but as the series continues, she comes into her own and you can actually map her growth by her responses to certain events. In fact, the major players in the series all seem to be evolving and I really, really like that. I like how faery prince seems to be changing just as much as I like how the Shadow is becoming something (or someone?) different. It’s fascinating.

2. The honesty. You know how sometimes you read books and you figure out everything before the characters know it (dramatic irony?) not because it is a secret or something but because they refuse to put it out there (maybe to create tension or suspense, I dunno) but in The Demon Series, people just tell each other stuff and I APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH. Even the stuff that is not easy to tell. For example, Nikki and her Shadow “boyfriend” (that is in quotes because there seems to be an ambiguity about their relationship). They tell each other stuff that I wouldn’t tell my boyfriend, like you, she actually liked kissing Faery Prince (not that I blame her, I mean, the dude is totally hot). And he returns the honesty. It’s something refreshing and this earns lots of points with me.

3. The friendship. Okay, so you’re a demon (well half, but whose measuring?) and your best friend is a demon slayer. You see how that could get awkward? Yeah but Rowen manages to avoid melodrama and keep it fresh and funny between the girls. I liked the lack of pathos and once again, honesty.

4. Girl Power. There is no damsel in distress trope going on here. Nikki saves herself. More than once. And does it brilliantly.

If you are in the mood for fluff, hot boys and kick ass heroines, give this series a go. You will laugh, swoon and sometimes roll your eyes. It’s good as ice cream.

The Princess Curse – Merrie Haskell (A Review)

Hardcover, 328 pages
Published September 6th 2011 by HarperCollins
Source: Library

Synopsis:

Twelve princesses suffer from a puzzling (if silly) curse, and anyone who ends it will win a reward. Reveka, a sharp-witted and irreverent apprentice herbalist, wants that reward. But her investigations lead to deeper mysteries and a daunting choice—will she break the curse at the peril of her own soul?

Review

You come across fairytale retellings all the time. They are always in demand and they’re really interesting to retell. What differentiated The Princess Curse from many of the other retellings I have read is the shift in perspective. Most of us know the story of the twelve dancing princesses and most of the retellings tell the tale from the perspective of one of the princesses. Reveka is not a princess. Reveka is not even a noble. She is the gardener’s daughter and the apothecary apprentice. And she is one of the most fun and interesting characters I have had the fortune to read. If I were to describe her in one word, it would be: irrepressible.

Haskell creates a world that sometimes does seem to be placed under a glass dome, cut off from the rest of the countries but at the same time, she is detailed enough that it is easy enough to imagine the daily ongoings of a castle life. Her characterizations are spot on and her romances are unconventional. Also, there is a dragon. I love dragons. I liked how Haskell deals with the latter half of the story that has more in common with Beauty and the Beast than The 12 Dancing Princesses or maybe Hades and Persephone. Hm, yes, possibly the latter though there are definite shades of Beauty and the Beast also present.

I don’t know why this is not more widely read. It is charming, sincere and has a whole lot of heart. Of course there are no sparking creatures and brooding heroes – well, okay, there seems to be one but he’s a bit…I think the kind word here would be, simple. Yeah. And Reveka’s very young, fourteen or fifteen and no, it’s not creepy at all because as I said, the romance is unconventional and not unbelievable (hey, double negatives, go me!). The writing, too, is absolutely gorgeous and later, when I can be bothered to move, I’ll edit this and add in a quote that was very splendid.

If you like adventurous, spunky heroines and fairytales, I urge you to pick up The Princess Curse. This story inside matches the beautiful cover outside. Read it!

Flying Blind (The Dragon Diaries #1) – Deborah Cooke (Teen Book Scene Review)

336 pages
Published June 7th, 2011 by New American Library
Source: Author/Publisher

Synopsis:

The next generation of shape-shifting dragons from the popular author of the Dragonfire novels.

Zoë Sorensson is perfectly normal, except she’s been told she’s destined for great things. Zoë’s the one female dragon shapeshifter of her kind. But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr and her powers are AWOL, so she’s sent to a Pyr boot camp.

Zoë quickly realizes that she has to master her powers yesterday, because the Pyr are in danger and boot camp is a trap. The Mages want to eliminate all shifters and the Pyr are next in line-unless Zoë and her friends can work together and save their own kind

Review

So I will be honest. I did not expect to like Flying Blind as much as I did. I mean, I had just finished reading Eona and how could two books, both about dragons, be brilliant in a row? I usually am not that lucky.

But this time, I totally was. Because Flying Blind? Rocks. In a totally different way from Eona but it does. I expect you have read the synopsis and therefore know that we were dealing with shape shifting dragons. Or dragons who can take humans who can take dragon forms – or is dragons who can take human forms? Are they more dragon or are they more human? Two different species…and this is a debate more suited for later.

So Zoe is supposed to be the only female dragon in existence. She has all these supposed powers, is supposed to meet all these expectations but the unfortunate thing? She can’t even turn into a dragon. At least not when we meet her. Flying Blind creates interesting mythology and marries the supernatural and the mundane together to tell a coming of age story. Zoe is a likeable character – even when she is being less than likeable. I like how she grows throughout the story. She faces the demons she has to and she learns to let go of her own prejudices. She develops as a character and as a person. And the reader gets to watch it all unfold in front of her.

The love interests are interesting. No, there is no love triangle (thank jeebus!!!) but there are definite lessons learned where love is concerned. There are friendships (!!) between girls (!!!) and I love how Ms. Cooke does not take the easy way out and bank on the stereotypical Mean Girl to create a rival. I think I gave the book extra stars just for that.

The conflict, the resolution and the dangling bit at the end which is not a cliff hanger but a teaser that will segue into the second book perfect – these are all reasons that I totally loved Flying Blind. I also liked the camaraderie and how the entire resolution does not rest on one person’s shoulders but is a conjoined effort.

I totally recommend this to anyone who likes good stories.

Eona: The Last Dragoneye – Alison Goodman

637 pages
Published April 19th, 2011 by Penguin
Cover: It is beyond beautiful. Matches the book perfectly.
Source: Purchased from The Book Depository.

Synopsis:

In this standalone sequel to Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, Australian author Alison Goodman (Singing the Dogstar Blues) tracks the perilous adventures of Eona, the first female Dragoneye in many centuries. Unfortunately, our heroine finds no time to rest on her laurels: She and her fellow rebels are racing frantically to find a potent black folio while they also attempt to elude High Lord Sethon’s pursuing army. Eona: The Last Dragoneye brims with romance, suspense, and surprises. Definitely worth recommending.

Review

It’s a fair morning in Beautiful British Columbia. Nafiza is doing something or the other when her mother calls that the postman has come and gone and he has brought a package that looks suspiciously like it’s from Book Depository. Nafiza grabs the package out of her mother’s hands and stares at it reverently before ripping it apart to reveal the book inside. Her breath rushes out in a shocked exhalation when she first comprehends the title of the book, when her eyes sweep over the beauty of its cover – the profoundness of the moment is forever written in her memory.

She runs a finger over the shiny surface of the cover and then says, her voice automatically changing, “my precious.”

Well, okay, it might not exactly have happened that way but it does closely describe the events when I received the book.

Eona, guys. I have already waxed poetic, written panegyrics about the glory of Eon, so you should not be at all surprised that Eona moved me to the same extent – heck, MORE than its predecessor. As far as conclusions go, it was amazing. As far as sequels go, it pretty much raised the standard SO HIGH that it will be a rare book that will be able to top it.

Okay, now that I am (almost) done with the flailing that is common to the world of fangirls, let me talk, in a hopefully more restrained manner, about the book. If you haven’t read Eon, god, what are you waiting for? Honestly, STOP READING THAT VAMPIRE SERIES and go read Eon! I’m just saying.

Anyway, as I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, Eon was good. It wasn’t perfect but it was really good and it served to build up the world, the mythos and its people enough that the sequel does not have to spend extra time to rebuild the world and can instead focus on telling the story. The pacing, which had been one of my concerns in the first book, is perfect in the second one. It is as though the readers are a violin and the author plays us perfectly. We are at the edge of our seats at some times and then sighing in delight at others. We are angry, confused and satisfied. It is a myriad of emotions that are constantly being evoked by the happenings in the book.

The writing is fantastic; the relationships (more on it later) are dynamic and the imagery is stupendous. I could attach as many superlatives to this book and I still wouldn’t be able to give it the praise it deserves. While there was little romance in Eon, Eona is smouldering with chemistry, desire and a love that is both complicated and dangerous. I thought it was pretty neat how Ms. Goodman explores love and desire as two separate emotions. They can go together, that is true, but not necessarily. Eona also talks about sacrifice, about growing up enough to let go. Of knowing that sometimes, to begin anew, you have to end – there are new beginnings written in the most painful of ends.

The book is an epic, honestly. It has an amazing scope and it tackles themes that are heavier than YA novels usually do. It is high fantasy – a genre that is woefully overlooked right now. I did have some issues with the book, with the characters and the way they acted but in the end? None of it mattered. It just… somehow makes sense all of a sudden and you are like… ohhhh.

So, in conclusion, this is an awesome duet. And it’s over. And I’m desperately sad. And if you haven’t read this (or Eon) and are not planning on it, well, you are missing out. Seriously. Go read this.