Sunday, August 31, 2014

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

12425532Genre: Mermaids
Hardcover: 324 Pages
Published: May 22, 2012
Series: The Syrena Legacy
            1. Of Poseidon
            2. Of Triton
            3. Of Neptune
Rating:★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.



My Review:

            It's official I am NOT A FAN OF MERMAIDS. So far I have read about two series with mermaids and I gotta say, "it ain't my cup of tea." The concept of mermaids is interesting, but the execution is done poorly. So far I am less than impressed with these sea creatures not because of the story, but because the author failed to keep the reader hooked.
            Of Poseidon tells the story of Emma, a girl who possesses a few mermaid traits, and is targeted by Galen, a Syrena (mermaid) Prince, who attempts to unravel her secrets. As the story continues Emma discovers that she has the gift of Poseidon (kind of like Dr. Dolittle's ability to speak to animals) but she cannot turn into a Syrena. So Galen and Emma start to spend time together to train and we all know what happens next: they fall madly in love and the two kingdoms don't want that to happen, there are fights, a jealous girl, and useless drama. So basically the usual Romeo and Juliet love affair. Overall, I give this book only two stars because of its lack of originality. I would have liked to see the story go a different way, but I was disappointed.  

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Essence #2 by Kimberly Derting

12631512Genre: Dystopian
Hardcover: 
Published:
Series: The Pledge
      1. The Pledge
      2. The Essence
      3. The Offering
Rating:★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:


“Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.


At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.


My Review:

I really liked the first book in this series because the idea that was presented was very refreshing and entertaining. However, this second installment was a major let down. I was hoping to get back into the action, romance, and excitement when I started to read this book. However, that is not what I got.

       This time around the characters lacked depth and creativity. I wanted to see more of the fierce Charlie that I met in the first book because I liked her determination. Instead in this book she was self doubting and kind of boring to interact with. The plot was boring as well. I was looking forward to the action packed fighting scenes that I read in the first book, but there wasn't that much depth this time around. I think the author could have explained a little more about the powers between the queen and Charlie because some of the situations didn't really make any sense. 

     Overall, this book was a disappointment for me and I honestly don't think I will be continuing with this series. Although I really liked the idea of this book and the romance was sweet, I just can muster up any interest to continue reading the final book. 

Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Pledge by Kimberly Derting
10637748Genre: Dystopian
Hardcover: 323 Pages
Published: November 15, 2011
Series: The Pledge
            1. The Pledge
            2. The Essence
            3. The Offering
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.


My Review:

            This was a great beginning to a promising series. I truly enjoyed this interesting dystopian novel which revolves around a 17 year old Charlaina or Charlie. She lives in a kingdom of Ludania ruled by cruel and ancient Queen Sabara. This queens subjects are divided by class, language and strict rules that are to be followed at any cost. Any disobedience is followed by death and punishment. Ludania is currently in turmoil because of a war that has been going on for years to change the oppressive conditions.      Charlie is among the commoners who is trying to get through her life without getting caught in the war. Unfortunately, Charlie is a big pawn in this war. She can speak and understand all the languages spoken in Ludania and that makes her a threat. However, no one knows yet, and Charlie plans to keep it that way. If the queen or her loyal subjects find out then it's the end for Charlie.  
          
        However, when Charlie starts to attract the attention of a young man named Max, things start to get interesting. As Charlie and Max get to know each other, Charlie is closer to revealing her secrets to Max who happens to have dangerous secrets of his own. But can Charlie trust Max or will he betray her and serve her to the queen. As the tension rises and the war threatens Charlie's life, Charlie must decided who she can trust and what necessary steps she should take in order to stay alive.

            This was definitely a great start to this series. There was lots of tension and trying to figure out who to trust was very frustrating. The author wrote a unique piece of story that captures the readers attention and gets them hooked. However, this book was pretty detailed and long. I think the author could have taken some things out because certain chapters got pretty boring to read.