Review: The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus

Title: The Gypsy King (The Gypsy King, #1)

Author: Maureen Fergus

Publisher: Razorbill Canada

Publication date: January 22nd, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Historical Fiction / Fantasy)

Source: Publisher

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 400

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A runaway slave with a shadowy past, sixteen-year-old Persephone has spent four long years toiling beneath the leering gaze of her despised owner and dreaming of a life where she is free to shape her own destiny. Then, one night, a chance encounter with a handsome chicken thief named Azriel changes her life forever.

Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny—she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they once were. Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make. And no one least of all her—could have imagined the shocking truth her decision will reveal.

The Gypsy King started off with an event from the past, where an old gypsy women said that there would be a gypsy kind who will make peace between two places. We are then taken to the present, where we meet Persephone. Persephone is a 16 year old runaway slave, who just adores animals and has them as her only friends. When she meets this certain thief one day, that's when her world starts to change. The next day, that certain thief comes over and "buys" Persephone from her owner. Persephone then embarks on a long journey with Azriel, and along the way, she starts learning more about the world around her.

Persephone was an amazing character to read about! She was so kind, but took care of herself very well. I loved that she loved animals, and it was great to see how a big role those animals played in the book. I loved the relationship between Azriel and Persephone, and I liked that they were more innocent than the usual young adult characters. Though I did feel like there was a bit too much detail regarding the government and the historical/political aspects, but maybe it's because I'm usually not very good at understanding them. There were a fair amount of characters that I really enjoyed reading about, and even the evil ones were a joy to read. The world building in "The Gypsy King" is amazing! i think of it as this beautiful magical forest where it's full of nature and animals. Maureen Fergus's writing style is also very enjoyable, and I liked how some chapters were about Azriel and Persephone's journey, while some were chapters about the government issues and events. 

Overall, The Gypsy King was a very enjoyable read! I was also glad to have met Maureen Fergus herself! She's a hilarious person! I would totally recommend this to all fantasy, historical fiction readers out there. Though I do recommend it to the younger "young adults." I sometimes forget that it's young adult, and sometimes I think of it as middle grade. Anyhow, I really did enjoy it overall, and I'm glad I already have my hands on the second book of the series!

Review: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Sky on Fire (Monument 14, #2)
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication date: May 28, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Post Apocalyptic)

Source: Publisher (Raincoast)

Format: ARC

Pages: 213

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The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend.

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

Sky on Fire is the much awaited sequel to Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne. Ever since I finished Monument 14, I've been dying to get my hands on Sky on Fire. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed in the least when it came to the sequel. My only minor complaint is that the book was a bit too short, at 213 pages. The sequel continues from the ending of Monument 14 and this time it is told from two POVs, Dean and Alex, who are brothers. I would recommend anyone who hasn't read Monument 14 to not continue with this review because it might contain minor spoilers for it. 

This book has a dual POV because there are two different settings, one in the greenway store with Dean and Astrid along with three other kids, and the other is Alex on the bus with 5+ others trying to drive 60 miles to the Denver International Airport where it seems to be a sort of safe house meet up for the surviving people. To say that this book didn't keep me on the edge of my seat is a lie. I was frantically flipping the pages trying to find out what happens next in the greenway store then back at the bus. The ending of each chapter is like a mini cliffhanger that makes you read the next chapter (which is told from the other POV) as fast as possible.. and the cycle continued. It was a vicious one that wouldn't let me put down the book at all. While some may think the greenway mall POV is repetitive, since that was the setting of the first book, but it really isn't since the circumstances changed. As for Alex and the rest of the gang, boy, did they get into a lot of crap. I felt so sorry for them at times and prayed that they would all make it back safe to the DIA. 

I know many people who read Monument 14 thought Dean was a bit too whiny and lovestruck to be a pleasant narrator, but I believe he has redeemed himself in this book. Also, I am sure people will really enjoy the chapters told from Alex's POV. Those were very thrilling! As for the way this book ended, I am not sure if there will be a sequel, the way Laybourne finished the book hints at another possible book, but if she doesn't write one, readers do get a good satisfying ending. All in all, I do recommend this series to fans of post apocalyptic and survival novels, especially fans of male POVs! Though I am not fond of male POVs, I have to say that I really enjoyed this series. 

The rest of the series:

Monument 14

Review: Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe

Title: Riptide

Author: Lindsey Scheibe

Publisher: Flux Books

Publication date: May 8, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Realistic Fiction)

Source: Publisher

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

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Grace has one summer to prove she’s good enough

For Grace Parker, surfing is all about the ride and the moment. Everything else disappears. She can forget that her best friend, Ford Watson, has a crush on her that she can’t reciprocate. She can forget how badly she wants to get a surf scholarship to UC San Diego. She can forget the pressure of her parents’ impossibly high expectations.

When Ford enters Grace into a surf competition—the only way she can impress the UCSD surfing scouts—she has one summer to train and prepare. Will she gain everything she’s ever wanted or lose the only things that ever mattered?

Riptide's synopsis doesn't promise that it will be a light read, so I don't understand why readers are complaining on how misleading the book was. Just because the book is set in the summer, and the beach, doesn't mean it will be light. I loved every single page of Riptide. It is told from alternating POVs, Grace, our main protagonist, and Ford, her best friend. Both Grace and Ford are surfers however that is when their similarities end. While Ford's family consists of a loving and supporting father and mother, Grace's family is the opposite. Her mom is always looking disapprovingly at Grace, whether it be her worn in jeans or flared shorts or her spending her summer at the beach surfing. However Grace's mother's way of showing her disapproval is through looks or a lecture, which is the opposite of Grace's dad, who tends to take matters into his own hand, literally. Grace has been the recipient of many slaps, and the host of many bruises by her loving father. He is a top notch lawyer but anything and everything sets him off, usually when Grace is present. 

I hated Grace's dad, Mr.Parker, with all my heart. Hated how he would hit her one day, then take her shopping the next day and expect her to forget everything that happened the day before. I hated his expectation of Grace going to an Ivy League school and not even asking her what she wants. I hate how he tries to find anything to ram at Grace, whether her not doing her chores when it is only 7 in the morning, or her showing any signs of disagreement. He turned Grace's life into a nightmare. Of course I can't forget the mom, who just stands idly, with her eyes and ears closed to anything that happens in her house. I honestly can't imagine what Grace went through, and how she kept everything to herself, not even confiding in Ford.

Speaking of Ford, I loved him so much. He was so supportive, so ambitious, and the bestest friend. Of course he would rather be more than that with Grace. He lands an internship at Mr.Parker's law firm. You see the charmer that is Mr.Parker at his job and I seriously resented him. However Ford's POV mostly centers around his dream of becoming an immigrant lawyer as well as his feelings towards Grace and her hot/cold acts towards him. I loved Ford sticking around her even though she was stringing him along. I couldn't blame him since he didn't know what was going on with Grace, even when he tried to find out. He also helps Grace practice for an upcoming competition that might attract the scouts at the university she wants to attend. Of course this is all the opposite of what her parents want so you can imagine how everything went down. Scheibe was able to draw out so many emotions from me. There are many Grace's in this world, many without a supporting friend and a place to welcome them if they ever decide that enough is enough. I just felt helpless and I teared up on many occasions. I loved all the surfer lingo in the book and how Scheibe didn't lose sight of all three major plot lines, the sport itself, the romance, and the main issue. So much happens in the 288 pages of this book, I wished the book was even longer. Ford and Grace had such amazing voices. I loved both of their POVs. 

Fans of realistic fiction will definitely love this book, but I would still recommend it to contemporary readers. This book is not your typical beach contemporary, it has depth and by the end of the book you just don't want to let these characters go. I will definitely keep an eye out for Lindsey Scheibe and any upcoming books by her. 

For fans of North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley 

 

Stacking the Shelves (12) - The one worth six weeks

Meme Hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Event Recap: Penguin/Razorbill Canada Fall Preview

Blog Tour: Mira's Diary: Home Sweet Rome

Review: Icons by Maragret Stohl

Review: The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr 

Review: Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston 

Review: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Review: How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler 

Review: How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski 

Blog Tour: Wonder Light by R. R. Russell

Review: Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green 

This is my (Juhina's) review stack. I've already read The Sea of Tranquility (LOVED IT!!!), Sky on Fire (Amazing!), and School Spirits (fun!), while the rest are on my TBR. I did a happy dance when I received Truly, Madly, Deadly; I am SO excited for it ever since I read that creepy synopsis! Thank you to Atria books, Penguin Canada, HBG Canada, and Raincoast.

  

A book Farah forgot to picture is SPIRIT by Brigid Kemmerer.


Here are the egalley review books that we received the past month and a half. I (juhina) have basically read most of them. I loved Another Little Piece, The Pirate's Wish, Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend, and The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. 

I (juhina) finally broke down and bought the fourth volume of Sweep (the only missing one out of the 5 volumes). I will be rereading the full series next month so thought I needed this book to do that! I also bought the Hex Hall trilogy in preparation to Rachel Hawkin's signing on the 25th here. We also received Apollyon which is a giveaway win. I personally can't remember from which blog but thank you! I LOVED it! (can't wait for Sentinel!)

We received these above books when we went to the Penguin Fall Preview two weeks ago. You can check out our recap here. 

What did you get in this week's book haul? leave your links below!

Review: Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

Title: Truth or Dare (Truth or Dare, #1)
Author: Jacqueline Green 
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication date: May 14th, 2013

Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemporary/Mystery)

Source: Publisher (HBG Canada)

Format: ARC

Pages: 416

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo

When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t eventhere; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.

Being a fan of mystery novels, I was extremely excited for this one. Three girls, who suddenly got targeted with dare notes that they had to do, or else. It was definitely interesting because I've always liked the game Truth or Dare, and I thought it would be fun reading what dares the mystery person would throw on them. I really liked that it was told from all three girls point's of vies. That way, I was able to really get to know each one of them in a personal level. It was interesting that the girls weren't three best friends,  but they all came from different places. 

Caitlin, Tenley, and Sydney were very interesting characters to read about. They were all different from each other, and I guess that's what I most liked about it. I was really able to connect to all three character as well, and they all felt real. If I had to choose a favorite character, it would definitely be Sydney! I loved that she was into photography, and that she was not into the whole "party" life that most teenagers go through. The romance in this book was just AWESOME! I don't know, but I just LOVED Sydney and Graham! Though there was a lot of jealousy and dirty tricks and etc.

Overall, Truth or Dare was a very enjoyable read. The ending was just TRAAGIC! I seriously need to find out what happens next, and I think the last 50 pages were the best! I do think it felt a bit draggy towards the middle, and there were some moments were I got a bit bored, but I still really liked reading it! Fans of Pretty Little Liars and Burn for Burn will love this book!