Book Review: The Land of Promises by Heather Carson

Onward, to book three!

Since the second book in this series left on a massive cliffhanger, with a TON of unanswered questions, I dove right into this novel.

At the end of book two, Calder was unconscious and Brooke had dragged him miles to... a city.

What? Up until this point, we'd been led to believe that due to the effects of climate change, there wasn't enough land left for people to live on. Yet, at the end of book two, Brooke traverses miles upon miles through the wild and ends up in a settlement. This is when we learn that everything she's ever known was a lie.

As Brooke tries to learn more about world inside the wall, she struggles with trying to fit in. They didn't choose her because they wanted her here. They chose her to come to the city because of her gifts as an artist.

A character we met in book one was also brought to this settlement. The two of them try to team up so they can figure out a way to help their people back on the sea. I liked Jillian, I thought she was a spit fire, but I think some of the side characters in this series blend together because they seem very similar (Lena, Brooke's best female friend, and Jillian are almost the same character in my head).

While Brooke is attempting to fit in this city, Calder is recovering in the hospital. They reunite briefly, before his mother (the damn leader of the settlement) inserts herself and refuses to let them see one another.

By the end of the novel, Brooke has "earned her whites" (a status symbol in this matriarchal society). Calder recovers and leaves the hospital, only to tell Brooke that he's leaving (*sniff* my romance!)

Once again, the lead up to the end was a bit of a rush, and it left on another big cliffhanger--Brooke was on her way outside of the wall, because invaders were coming, and she wanted to convince her people to stand and fight with the watchmen. A bit of a letdown for the buildup, but the novels in this series have followed a pattern, so I wasn't really surprised.

Thanks,

Abbie

Book Review: The Wall That Divides by Heather Carson

A while back, I read The City on the Sea. I really enjoyed the world that Carson built, so I knew I'd stick with the series. I finally got a Kindle Unlimited subscription, so I dove right in!

One thing I really liked from the first book in the series was how fast of a read it is. Sometimes, I like to read light books that don't take hours and hours to read. I enjoy being able to put it down until I have a little extra time and can walk through them.

The first book lacked romance. This one did as well, to an extent. There were a lot of hints of an attraction between Brooke, the main character, and Calder, the watchman who was pretty much her archenemy in the first book.

As a reminder, Brooke lives in a city built out of metal and docks. Her people struggle to make ends meet, but they're a strong people, a proud people. There's a lot of mystery surrounding the truth of what happens. Her father died some time before the first book. They said it was a drowning, but she didn't buy it.

The mystery deepens in this novel, as she begins to question the way the world works. There's a mysterious man named Henry that her father was supposedly working with, so she digs into it to try and find more information.

Tragedy strikes, her best friend's younger brother died in an alleged boat accident. But Brooke knows better. She keeps asking questions, until she learns that the only way to get Henry's attention is to make a big splash. Calder convinces her to paint something in the public eye.

Not long after, she's whisked away. She and Calder go on a journey beyond the wall, and she learns that everything she's ever known was a lie.

What I hated most about this one was the cliffhanger ending. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good cliffhanger more than most, but this one felt like it was just to keep you reading. Luckily, book three in the series was already published, so I didn't have to wait to dive in and figure out what was really going on.

If you like light dystopian, YA, and a hint of romance, this could be a good series for you. It's not quite Divergent or Hunger Games, but I definitely like Carson's world building!

Thanks,

Abbie

Book Review: Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Finally! I reached the ending of the trilogy! Like Siege & Storm, there was very little that I remembered of the plot.

I hated the beginning of this one. At the end of Siege & Storm, Alina and friends have narrowly escaped death and are being held underground by the Apparat, a creepy priest dude who pledged himself to the crown, but really seeks his own interests.

In this novel, Nikolai (*swoon*) returns, along with a giant emerald that he gives to Alina in the hopes of them marrying one another to forge an alliance between regular Ravkans and the Grisha.

Honestly, I read through this one so quickly that the details are a little fuzzy. I really, really, wanted to get to the Six of Crows duology.

The main plot of this one was for Alina to retake her place as the leader of the second army, as the Darkling had escaped the capitol and was now an enemy of the state. All the while, they're trying to figure out the location of the amplifier Alina needs to complete the trifecta of Morozova's journals--a fire bird.

This series had one trope that I hate: the main female character sacrifices her powers to save anyone else. Like...why can't we have both? Why can't we remain the badass powerful Grisha and get to live my life at the end? It just felt... sad. Alina was such a badass, and then she just... went to have her happily ever after off screen. Sigh.

The main issue I had with this trilogy was the lack of romance. There was pining and teenage angst, but it really didn't satisfy any of that longing inside of me.

I really can't wait to see how Netflix translates the rest of the series to the screen. I have no doubt that Ben Barnes will be perfect as the Darkling, and that Nikolai will satisfy my need for a smartass prince!

Thanks,

Abbie