Category Archives: Romance

Review: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Deep Blue by Jennifer DonnellyDeep Blue (Waterfire Saga Book One)
Jennifer Donnelly
Disney Hyperion
Published on May 6, 2014

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Dark dreams haunt Princess Serafina as she prepares to prove herself worthy to one day be Regina and rule her people. When an assassin attacks her mother and an army overtakes her home, Sera and her best friend are forced to flee for their lives. Could there be truth to the voices from Sera’s dreams? If she can find the ones she hears in her sleep, can they stop the evil force and restore Sera’s world to what it was?

As far as mermaid books go, Donnelly wins the award for best story world and most unique story ideas. If you’re rolling your eyes expecting there to be a human prince out there waiting for rescue, think again. This author has developed an entire Mer culture with rituals, history and complex political alliances with other Mer kingdoms. Delicious stuff. And instead of the familiar mermaid-longs-to-be-human-for-love theme, we experience an entirely different adventure full of danger and intrigue.

As a part of the ceremony in which Sera proves herself the rightful heir to the throne of her kingdom, she will pledge to marry her childhood sweetheart, Prince Madhi. Troubling rumors surround the young prince, and Sera fears he is no longer the friend and love she once knew him to be. In one scene in which Sera confronts the prince, he claims there’s more going on than she knows. As the story unfolded, I developed a pretty specific theory about what I think is going on. I’m anxious to read the second book in the series, Rogue Wave to learn if I’m right!

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Sea witches chant a song about five mermaids gathering to stop a terrible evil from destroying their kingdoms. Mer people worship powerful ancestors who saved them when Atlantis fell, giving them tails, the ability to breathe under water, and the power to perform magic through song for protection.

Violence
Serafina and her friends are captured by an evil man who threatens to torture them and has already cut the thumb from another prisoner. Some brief details.

Battle scenes show armies fighting one another and civilians caught in the fray. Descriptions are brief.

Drug Content
Green pill.

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Review: Golden Daughter by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Golden Daughter
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Rooglewood Press
Available November 25, 2014

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A Dream Walker with legendary power returns from a dream marked by an enemy hand and lost in a trance. Hoping to buy time for her healing, the high priest places her in the care of a cunning protector. As one of the emperor’s famed Golden Daughters, Sairu vows to serve her mistress on a dangerous journey from the emperor’s palace to a remote temple. They are accompanied by an orange cat and a slave boy with unexpected abilities. A dark enemy seeks to eliminate the Dream Walker in Sairu’s care.

Fans of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series will recognize the cat as the indomitable faerie poet, Eanrin. His presence adds spunk and humor to this more serious story. Unlike the other Goldstone Wood novels, this one has much more of an Eastern feel. Sairu and her mistress both share more reserved character qualities. Reserved but very deep and definitely complex.

One of the other great surprises in this tale is the thread that bears similarities to the biblical story of Joseph. Stengl does a great job weaving that story into the larger tale without letting it become too predictable or stealing the show from the other characters and plotlines.

My only complaint as I read this story is that I often found myself wishing for a map. (I own the kindle version, and it does not include one that I could find.) Three kingdoms feature in the telling of Golden Daughter and I often found I had confused two of them. I also wanted to see the path of Sairu’s journey mapped out on the larger story world.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
The people of Noorhitam worship the sun and moon personified as deities. The Chhayan people believe their goddess, the moon has forsaken them.

The Song Giver, or Creator rules over all, even the sun and moon goddesses. (In a dream, the moon goddess tells Jovann not to worship her, but instead to worship the Song Giver.) A wood thrush and a Man of light, (Lumil Eliasul, a Jesus-like character) guide Jovann and Sairu through a realm of dreams on a Path.

In each of the Goldstone Wood books, Stengl does an excellent job creating parallels to Christian theology that are not overbearing or which overly interfere with the story.

Violence
Sairu comes upon a group of slavers who’ve captured innocent people and cruelly mistreated them. A brief battle ensues. Later a woman is bound and killed by her captors in front of her adult son. A dragon uses his fire to destroy anyone who opposes him.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Amaranth Enchantment

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

The Amaranth Enchantment
Julie Berry
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published

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After the unexpected deaths of her parents, young Lucinda is thrown on the kindness of her uncle and his second wife. She spends her days as a servant in their jewel shop, ducking her aunt’s wrath and dreaming of a different future.

Three visitors to the shop change the course of her life: a prince, a wealthy woman rumored to be a witch, and an overconfident young thief. In different ways the visits inspire Lucinda to try to reclaim her lost family home. She will need help from all three if she is to succeed in her venture.

It’s been called a loose retelling of Cinderella, but there are enough unexpected characters and threads of story to give the novel added depth. The young thief and his antics bring welcome humor. The Amaranth Witch and her tale are not what one expects to encounter within this sort of fairytale realm. Lyrical prose and sweet romance also add a sense of enchantment to this story.

After being swept off my feet by Berry’s debut novel, All the Truth That’s In Me, I think I expected a bit more angst and inner conflict from these characters. The conflict was there, but much more subdued. The Amaranth Enchantment is a much gentler story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After the power and strength of her first novel, I expected more bite and found myself a little bit disappointed.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity or crude language.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
A strange woman rumored to be a witch seeks to recover a magical stone she claims contains her soul and a vast power to its wielder. She comes from another planet. Not much information is given about her home. When asked if her home is heaven, she says it is not, nor is she a witch.

More than one character learns about accepting responsibility for one’s actions and seeking forgiveness.

Violence
A young thief befriends Lucinda but also relieves her of some of her belongings in the process. Lucinda uncovers a dark secret about her parents’ deaths. An evil man attacks Lucinda to kill her. Descriptions of his attack are brief.

Drug Content
None.

 

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Review: Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Suspicion
Alexandra Monir
Random House Childrens’ Books
Published December 9, 2014

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After her parents die in a suspicious fire at their family estate, Imogen wants nothing more to do with her family or her heritage at Rockford manor. When her cousin, once her closest friend and ally, also perishes, Imogen stands as the last relative capable of inheriting the property. She returns home alone to the site of countless childhood memories, of which she is now the last survivor. When police uncover evidence that her cousin’s death may not have been accidental, Imogen realizes the murderer must be among the faithful few left nearest to her. The truth will shock her.

This is one of those stories which begins at the climax and leaps back to its beginning to retell events as they happened. It’s not my favorite plot device, but it’s difficult not to invest in this story for its own sake. The pace is quick and the stakes only get higher, sort of like one part Princess Diaries, one part fairytale and one part suspense. It has this sort of otherworldly yet historical flavor to it. Seems odd, but in this case it turns out to be a great mix.

The storytelling is solid and the characters thoughtful and sometimes surprising. The plot is peppered with these really strange moments that at the time seem too bizarre to work into the plot, but the author does a great job of pulling all those odd moments together to make the whole story make sense.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of very mild profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
Imogen has the power to cause plants to grow and flourish rapidly. There are rumors of a curse on the Rockford family from generations past and rumors of a secret hidden within the garden.

Violence
Police investigate the violent death of a teenaged girl. Few details given, but the cause of death was head trauma.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

Shatter Me (Shatter Me Series #1)
Tahereh Mafi
HarperCollins
Published November 15, 2011

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About Shatter Me

For months seventeen year-old Juliette remains locked inside a cold brick cell alone. She counts the days. Hours. Cracks on the wall. And then. Without explanation, a young man joins her in her cell, seemingly against his will. She recognizes him as Adam, the boy from her former life, the only one who ever showed her kindness.

As he begins to chip away at her outer shell, she warns him again and again that he cannot touch her. No one can. Though it is the one thing she desperately wants.

Juliette discovers Adam isn’t the boy she once knew. Now a soldier, he takes orders from a cruel, power-hungry commander. One who has discovered Juliette’s curse. A leader who will stop at nothing to bend Juliette to his will and use her curse to destroy all who oppose him.

My Review

Stark, powerful writing fills the opening pages of this haunting tale. Juliette clearly stands on the brink of insanity due to her long stay in solitary confinement. Yet when she’s released, she seems to acclimate quickly to life outside her prison, surrounded by people, and the beautiful intense writing fades to a more romance-oriented tone.

It’s hard to say whether that opening pace would have been sustainable for the entire novel, but the change between the first chapter and the last is so stark, it’s almost difficult to believe it’s the same novel. Juliette the love-starved, impassioned teenager obsessed with her new boyfriend doesn’t drive the story like the complex, writhing girl trapped in a world unprepared for her presence.

Following the popular vein of romantic dystopian fiction, SHATTER ME is likely to appeal to DIVERGENT fans. Be prepared – this romance packs a pretty hormonal punch when it comes to sexual tension and desire. Mafi keeps the descriptions fairly PG, but the characters’ intentions are also wildly clear. Read below for more details.

Content Notes

Profanity and Crude Language Content
Heavy use of profanity.

Sexual Content
Juliette is barred from human touch but longs for it. Sexual tension explodes. Then she discovers a man who can touch her with no ill-effects. In several scenes the couple passionately kiss and she vaguely describes being touched. She expresses a desire to have sex with him, but each time they pursue this opportunity, they are interrupted prior to actually sealing the deal.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Juliette’s captor wishes her to torture prisoners of war for him. She resists. Juliette and a small child are placed in a small cell in which spikes randomly emerge from the walls and floor. A commanding officer executes a soldier by shooting him in the head. A couple of scenes show soldiers battling one another and receiving gunshot wounds.

Drug Content
A soldier gives a child a sleeping pill to keep him unconscious through a battle scene.

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