Title: Scarlet

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Source: library

About: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison–even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

(If you haven’t read my review for the first book in this series, Cinder, I suggest you do that before reading this here.)

Hello people of Earth. Today I shall try to write a proper review, but I kid you not if it looks more like this.

Marissa Meyer has blown me away. I bring you a review to the second book of The Lunar Chronicles, a series that never ever ever in a billion gazillion trillion years would I have picked up on my own. Two weeks ago, if you asked me if I’d like to read a book about cyborgs and people from the moon and Lunars-who-are-programmed-to-kill-and-act-like-wolves who fall in love and save the world and omgomgomg… I would have laughed so hard. 

I don’t even know where to begin… um. Okay. Scarlet and Wolf.

The romance was… odd, but phenomenal. From the very moment I met Wolf, I was on high alert. This book is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, and I was preparing myself for a major twist in which Wolf was the bad guy. Throughout the book, I had no idea if he was good or bad, but two pages after meeting him I was head-over-heels. It wasn’t until the very last chapter I knew for sure, and let me just tell you. By the end of this book?

I… I just can’t compute. (Look at me, even using Lunar Chronicles jokes. GAH, YOU GUYS you’ve brought me to the dark side! You don’t even have cookies, but you have Wolf and Kai and I’m so in.)

Apparently, as each book in the series progresses, the previous characters’ perspectives are kept in the new book. I LOVE that! So I still got to stay with Cinder and Kai and Queen Levana, which was awesome. However, in the first book, Cinder, the romance was a let-down. I was promised more Kai moments in this one (aka: getting to know the beautiful Prince Kai more) and I was excited about that because he *seems* amazing but I still feel like I know next to nothing about him. Cinder and Kai’s relationship is still confusing at this point, but I’m only halfway through the series, so no making my mind about that yet!

The plot for Scarlet was beyond incredible. Again, Cinder wasn’t as amazing as I had expected (the plot was predictable and like I said, the romance was confusing) but Scarlet completely knocked my socks off. I already told you I could never make my mind up about Wolf, and… I basically couldn’t make my mind about ANYTHING in this book. Brooke kept telling me what an emotional roller coaster it was, and she was 100% right. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that gave me this many emotions at once.

I almost forgot one of my favorite characters! CAPTAIN THORNE. I’m so glad Marissa Meyer put him in the book, because right when things got mushy or serious, he cracked a joke and I was laughing out loud. LOVE.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got to say… at this point I’m just speechless, with butterflies already anticipating the next book!!! Good thing I’m not a booktuber, because there’s no WAY I could talk through this review.

5 (BAZILLION) stars! 😉

have you read the lunar chronicles?! do you want to?? (you better!) if you have, please fangirl with me below. i need to get these emotions out somewhere!! also – thoughts on the gif choices in this review? i typically don’t use that many but felt it was necessary for this particular book!

Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Author: Elizabeth George Speare

Publisher: Laurel Leaf

Publication date: May 15, 1978

Source: Barnes & Noble

About: Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives’ stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit’s friendship with the “witch” is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!

I am so glad I finally got to read this. Elizabeth George’s story was a wonderful peek into what life was like in New England in the 1600s. I absolutely adored the main character, Kit, and all the characters began to grow on me more and more as the book progressed.

This book was school-required reading, but I’ve wanted to read it for several years. I remember my fourth grade teacher had it in her classroom, but I veered away from it because of “The Witch” in the title. But rather than a story of an actual witch, The Witch of Blackbird Pond is about a witch trial in the seventeenth-century and a spirited girl who doesn’t fit into her aunt and uncle’s Puritan lifestyle.

I liked the character development in the book a lot. It wasn’t too fast-paced or too slow for my taste. It was darn near perfect, actually. Characters are the most important aspect of a story for me, and each character in the book was well-developed, captivating, and fit together for a great historical fiction novel.

I DID love the romance. I wasn’t expecting it in a book like this, but it was needed for this particular story. It was part of the main plot, yet light. (But still perfectly adorable, I promise you!) Kit’s anxiety over a marriage expected of her in her new home kept the story moving. Yet then there was Nat… the son of the sea captain and the goofy, boyish New Englander Kit doesn’t even know she loves. (But the reader does, and that’s what important!) 😉 *swoon* Anyone who knows me knows I am a hopeless romantic, and any dash of romance in a book keeps me into the plot line.

It took me quite a while to get through this book – nine or ten days. I’m not sure why it took me so long to read it; it’s a decent length (250 pages) but certainly not as long as other books I’ve read. (I have been in a sort of book slump lately, so I’ll attribute it to that.) However… as much as I want to give this book five stars, it was very slow in the beginning. I honestly wasn’t hooked until the last four or five chapters; thus the four stars.

Definitely a book for anyone to read. SO glad I finally got around to it. I’m actually looking forward to the essay I have to write for school, and that’s a first! 🙂

have you read the witch of blackbird pond? does it sound like something you’d read? lemme know!

Hi, everybody! I haven’t finished a book in a while, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to put a review up today or not, but I found this on Goodreads and realized I’d never published it here. So here goes! If you haven’t read it already, I’d recommend reading my review for the first book in this series, The False Prince, and then come back here. Also – don’t read this review if you don’t want spoilers for the first book, The False Prince! Go read it and then come back here!

Title: The Runaway King

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Source: library

About: A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen’s blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

WELL!

I come to you reviewing this book 12 chapters into the next one (The Shadow Throne)… and it’s easy to say that this trilogy is destroying me.

However, this book (that is, the second in the series), wasn’t my favorite – between the first, and now, 86 pages into The Shadow Throne, it’s probably my least favorite. But of course, I LOVED this book (I read it in a day and just ask my family – I was quite literally squealing in delight!) Jennifer A. Nielsen is awesome. (Though I might take that back at this point, the way her third book is ruining me!)

At this point in the series, I know that the main character, Jaron, ALWAYS has something up his sleeve. There’s always something he’s not telling you, so I was fully prepared to be amazed yet again at his (or rather Jennifer Nielsen’s?) 😉 incredible wit, and amazing skills… but I was seriously doubting his decision-making skills in this one. I just DID NOT trust him! How was he possibly planning to make it out of becoming a pirate and deceiving the pirate king into thinking he was an orphan, when the fact was the pirate king was out to destroy him?! I just… had no words.

But despite my better efforts, I really wanted to see how Mr. I-Can-Do-Everything was going to make it out of this one.

THEN came the help of sweet Imogen and his dutiful right-hand man, Mott, and I came to relax. A little bit. Imogen and Mott thought Jaron was just as crazy as I thought him to be.

Let me put it this way: the book had me hooked! (All three books do!) When you THINK you’re expecting something, it just happens a completely other way! (BELIEVE ME when I say that!) There’s always something that turns out how you never could have imagined, and I just have no words. I can’t say enough good things about this book (as I think I said in my review for The False Prince, as well!) so I guess I’ll just leave you with this fangirling review. (It’s a complete mess, I know.)

Buuuut you see I gave it four stars. I told you it wasn’t necessarily my favorite book in the trilogy, but I’m starting to realize (as I read The Shadow Throne), that it’s really just leading into what’s happening (!!!) in the third book. I mean,obviously the second book is going to lead into the third book, but this book had no solid conclusion; the third book picks up right where the second one left off, when war is coming to Carthya. (I promise that’s not a spoiler; it’s completely inevitable throughout both the first and second books!) So the book just leads into the REAL adventure (which I’m reading now!!) and it’s not the BEST book in the series. Thus, the four stars.

Sorry if this wasn’t my normal organized review! I just really need to finish The Shadow Throne because it’s killing me! 🙂

Warning: if you haven’t read The Selection series by Kiera Cass, DON’T read this review! (Spoilers!)

Well, hello there. Were you expecting me today? I know this post is late, but I’ve finally approved and answered all of your sweet comments from Friday and here I am! I read this novella by Kiera Cass (finally!) over the weekend and I’m so glad I finally did. You see, there are five books in The Selection series: three of which follow America and Maxon, and the last two (one that hasn’t been published yet) follow their daughter, Eadlyn. There are several novellas that follow different characters in the books, and this one follows Queen Amberly, Maxon’s mother.

{So proud of this picture!}

I love reading books where you follow both the parents’ and the childrens’ stories; you get insider information that the parent and their child don’t have. I get to see why her father turned out this way, or why his child doesn’t like such-in-such. In The Selection series, you meet King Clarkson, Maxon’s father. He is a very abusive and controlling man, and Maxon grows to hate him with all his being. (It’s a very sad relationship.) Yet Queen Amberly, Maxon’s mother and Clarkson’s wife, is so devoted to him. Unconditionally.

I was always confused as to why Amberly submitted so much to Clarkson when he hurt her again and again, both physically and verbally. But in this book, which shows how Amberly met Clarkson and how their relationship and personalities began, I came to a better understanding of why Amberly loved him so much.

Since the book is a novella, it’s essentially a mini-book; only eleven chapters. But I felt that I still had a very good insight into Amberly and Clarkson’s lives when they were younger.

Personally, here are my thoughts on the king and queen: In his own way, I do believe Clarkson loved Amberly. But he did many things wrong. From the get-go, he expected to be submitted to and craved a wife who would be wholly devoted to him, and Amberly definitely fit the bill. It is understandable, however, because of Clarkson’s parents’ failing marriage, and how they both treated each other. Clarkson needed someone who would care for him and follow him willingly, in all circumstances. It made me feel terrible for young Clarkson, yet angry at the same time… but there were moments when even I swooned over him. Kiera did a fabulous job of making me realize why Amberly fell so hard for him.

Speaking of Amberly – basically, she’s “loved” Clarkson for so long, from the time she starts her selection, she feels like she knows him already. He’s like a celebrity in her eyes, since she was a little girl. It’s like Kiera explained it back in May when I got a book signed by her and videoed part of the Q&A. (If you start the video at 0:18, she explains.)

“It doesn’t make sense, does it? ‘Cause Clarkson’s kind of a jerk and Amberly’s amazing! So WHY? Okay, let’s pretend that I hadn’t married Callaway. And that Harry Styles was into short, chubby girls. And he came to my front door… and it turned out that he maybe wasn’t so awesome, but I had adored him for so long, I was like ‘I must be with you.’ She had idolized him for long, she could overlook so many of his flaws. I think in his own way, he genuinely loved her, and there were things that he did wrong. But he thought that she was great.” 

Overall; I loved this novella. As short as it was, Kiera did a wonderful job explaining on how things came to be. 4 stars! 🙂

have you read the selection series or any of the novellas? thoughts on queen amberly? =)

After reading my first Elizabeth Eulberg book, Better Off Friends, I just knew I had to read another one! Prom & Prejudice was a must, because if anyone knows me at all, they know I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and good ole P&P is a timeless favorite. It may be solely because I could EASILY see myself with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (*swoon*)… but make him a modern-day high school student who, in my head, is incredibly cute and well-spoken and ohmigosh, YES. How could I not have picked this book up?!

Title: Prom & Prejudice

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Point

Publication Date: January 4, 2011

Source: used bookstore (2nd & Charles)

Synopsis: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be – especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk – so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?

SEE MY REVIEW ON GOODREADS // BUY IT ON AMAZON

I flew through it in a day, it was so cute. It was only about 230 pages – not nearly as long as Pride & Prejudice! 🙂 And even though I knew how it would end, of course, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book at all. I highly recommend you be at least a little familiar with the characters of Pride & Prejudice before reading this book; it made it even funnier! And seeing the characters in a modern spin was just hilarious.

Immediately, I loved Miss Lizzie Bennet, and the other cast of classic characters. You’ve got Jane, Lydia, Colin (or rather, Mr. Collins), Mr. Bingley, his incorrigible sister, Caroline, the AWFUL George Wickham… and of course, Mr. Fitzwilliam (or in this case, Will) Darcy. They were all true to their original personalities in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, and I felt like Elizabeth Eulberg took just enough creative license to make the story more modern.

I was a little disappointed that Mrs. and Mr. Bennet didn’t really make an appearance in the book; I have to admit that Jane Austen’s Mrs. Bennet is probably one of my favorite characters in Pride & Prejudice! But the main plot and characters were still there. Jane Austen’s book really can be modernized and still be much to the same story, because it’s simply so timeless. It was a little different, because Jane and Lydia Netherfield weren’t actually Lizzie’s sisters in Prom & Prejudice (I know right?? Whaaat?!), and Lizzie was actually an only child. But her relationship with Jane and Lydia was much like sisters, so it didn’t make that big of a difference. Jane and Lizzie were roommates at the prestigious Longbourn Academy, which worked well so that they still shared a room and spent a lot of time together.

Meanwhile, there’s the icky Wickham, who goes by “Wick” in this book. His character is easily made modern; he’s just as sly and smooth-talking as in the 1800’s-version of P&P. Lizzie handles him well, I think… I got a good laugh at the way she dealt with him at the end!

And then there’s Darcy…

Darcy was just as swoon-worthy in Prom & Prejudice… albeit prejudiced, at first. (But we can forgive him for his one fault, right? 😉 ) The way it ended was just perfect, because Elizabeth Eulberg did put her own spin on it, and it was adorable!

I have no intention of asking you to prom. – Will Darcy, Prom & Prejudice

So this book gets three and a half stars! I enjoyed it so much. It wasn’t my favorite book in the world (sorry, but PRIDE & Prejudice will always come first!), but the book was absolutely darling. Elizabeth Eulberg is such a great contemporary romance writer. SO FLUFFY! 😀

it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single book blogger in possession of a great book review must be want of comments

… 🙂

have you read pride & prejudice? or prom & prejudice? or both??! are you a jane austen and elizabeth eulberg fan, like myself? can’t wait to hear!

You know, I’ve read a lot of sad books. I’ve read historical fiction books – which usually ALWAYS make me cry – and books about dying babies and WWII pilots. But sometimes, I don’t even shed a tear when I read those books! But with this one? I was bawling like a baby at the end!

Title: Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

Author: Lesley M.M. Blume

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: July 11, 2006

Source: used bookstore

Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Cornelia is the daughter of two world-famous pianists—a legacy that should feel fabulous, but instead feels just plain lonely. She surrounds herself with dictionaries and other books to isolate herself from the outside world. But when a glamorous neighbor named Virginia Somerset moves next door with her servant Patel and a mischievous French bulldog named Mister Kinyatta, Cornelia discovers that the world is a much more exciting place than she had originally thought.

An unforgettable story of friendship and adventure that takes readers around the world and back again, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters is a dazzling first novel by Lesley M. M. Blume.

It wasn’t sad – well, okay, it was a little – but the majority of the book had be laughing out loud! It’s just such a beautifully written story that I can’t even handle it. 🙂

I LOVED the main character, Cornelia. She’s an eleven-year-old girl who loves words as much as her famous pianist mother, Lucy, loves music. But she’s sick of being in the shadow of Lucy, and devours privacy and dictionaries like one devours chocolate! Then she meets her new neighbor, Virginia Somerset, who has traveled the world and met Indian princes and the Queen of England and possibly even King Arthur’s ghost! In each chapter, Virginia tells Cornelia a story of one of her and her sisters’ adventures (or should I say, audacious escapades). As the book progresses, Cornelia is inspired by Virginia’s stories and starts to come out of the shell that she’s built around herself.

My favorite part of the book was Virginia’s stories; she’d been to so many incredible places and met so many amazing people. All of the adventures that she went on made up her life, and who she was. It really inspired me… as well as Cornelia. 😉 Virginia understood Cornelia, because they were both readers and writers, and they both loved words. At first, Cornelia doesn’t tell her mother she’s visiting Virginia next door, because she wants to keep her to herself. (As would I!) She doesn’t want to be seen as “Lucy’s daughter” to Virginia, she wants to be seen as Cornelia. But of course, eventually, Lucy finds out, and the ending is just so wonderful. (Even though it made me cry!)

The ending came together so beautifully. I had a hunch how it would end, and I was right – and even though in my gut feeling I saw it coming, it was like I still didn’t believe it, and so it still touched me! It was just… simply beautiful! I can’t say enough about this book. I loved it!

Five stars, five stars, five stars! And two thumbs up!

so have you read this book? do you want to? (you better!) it was just… amazing!! what’s it like when you cry over a book?

EDIT: I wrote this review right after reading this book at the end of August (it’s September 5 today.) In several places, I’ve added edits because my feelings about the book have changed (and I’ll explain why where I added my after thoughts) and I’ve changed my rating for 3 to 4 stars. Be sure to look for Chivalrous on shelves in bookstores and online TOMORROW!

Hi, guys! I’ve been so excited to read Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman! It’s the sequel to Dauntless, which I got from my mom at Easter. I was sent an ARC of the book from the publisher, and was so, so excited! Unfortunately, I had a lot of cons. The last half of this book or so was awesome. The rest… um… I’m not so sure how I feel about it, honestly. Since I have such mixed feelings about this book, I thought I’d make a pros and cons list and then decide what rating to give it.

Title: Chivalrous

Author: Dina L. Sleiman

Series: Valiant Hearts #2

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: September 8, 2015

Source: Advanced Reader’s Copy via Netgalley

Synopsis: Strong and adventurous Gwendolyn Barnes longs to be a knight like her chivalrous brothers. However, that is not an option for her, not even in the Arthurian-inspired Eden where she dwells. Her parents view her only as a marriage pawn, and her domineering father is determined to see her wed to a brutish man who will break her spirit.

When handsome, good-hearted Allen of Ellsworth arrives in Edendale searching for his place in the world, Gwendolyn spies in him the sort of fellow she could imagine marrying. Yet fate seems determined to keep them apart. Tournaments, intrigue, and battles–along with twists and turns aplenty–await these two as they struggle to find love, identity, and their true destinies.

Pros:
1) I loved (one) of the main messages in the book – that you can be feminine and still be strong and brave. The Main Character, Gwen, struggled with the two different sides of her character. She could be strong and masculine, but she also had a more softer side, and she realized she could be both.

2) Reading from all of the characters’ perspectives made the book ten times better. They all came together so beautifully. I also loved reading from Gwen’s lady’s maid, Rosalind. I feel like she should have her own book for her story! Though there is a con to Rosalind’s part of the book… (EDIT: I’ve removed that con, and I’ll explain why next to it below.)

3) I also liked the clear message that abuse is WRONG. Gwendolyn’s dad is very abusive to her and her mother, and Gwen would not put up with it. I definitely loved cheering her on. I also loved, loved, LOVED the message within that: Gwen ached for her father’s acceptance and love, but because of the way her dad treated women, she wasn’t so sure she believed in a God who allowed girls to be treated as such a commodity. Once she realized the Bible makes it clear men and women are to be equals, she came to know God for who he really was. And even though her earthly father wasn’t there for her, she could always feel the presence of her heavenly father. LOVE.

4) The MC from the first book in this series, Merry, made a FABULOUS appearance in the book. (As did several other familiar characters – this book is about Allen, Merry’s other possible suitor in the first book!) I wasn’t expecting HOW exactly she was going to appear, though, and it totally rocked my boat!

5) The ladies of the book ROCKED ON. Gwen, her mom, her lady’s maid (Rosalind), and the Duchess Adela stuck together. They were all different in their own rights, but all feisty, strong heroines.

My favorite part of the book was the main theme of the book: Girls can be masculine and strong and brave, and not have to be dependent upon men – BUT men and women draw from each others’ strengths and women can also be ladylike and still be as strong and equal as a man.

Cons:
1) There were many sections where Gwen or Allen (or one of the other main characters) would say something along the lines of: He awakened something inside of her, something that made her see how women could like ‘such touches’ or Allen’s face heated up at the thought of how children came about.

Erm… no thanks. I did not see how that was necessary to the book, and seeing how I’m only fourteen? … I don’t know. I just don’t think that should be promoted towards teens. (This book is, after all, “teen” or “young adult” Christian fiction.) I realize that the main character is sixteen, and she was preparing for marriage (it is in the middle ages, when people married a lot younger than they do now), but I still don’t understand why that had to be there.

(EDIT: After reading my review, Miss Sleiman was kind enough to email me to clear this up. She said:

“As for the light mentions of intimacy in marriage, Bethany actually asked me to aim these books toward older teens through adults, but I do try to keep in mind that even pre-teens might read them. I’m the mother of teens, and it’s my opinion that it’s healthy for teens to learn about those sorts of feelings that will be coming in their near futures from a Christian perspective. I have a heart to teach girls that those feelings themselves are not wrong or sinful as long as they make good choices despite the feelings. I think some girls wrongly take on guilt over those sorts of feelings, which could be damaging once they’re married. But my apologies if it was a bit much for you!”

I was so grateful that she took the time to explain this. However, my initial first reaction to this part of the book still stands, even though I understand why this was added to Chivalrous.)

There was also a part where a man was going to force a girl (who had a high social status and therefore more money than he) into marriage, so of course the issue of marital acts came about again. For me, this progressed the story and made sense to the plot line, and I understood why it had to be apart of the book. So it didn’t bother me as much. Just be prepared for this if you plan on reading the book.

2) The romance seemed to be too fast-paced for me (at first.) Gwen is a tough, non-romantic girl and then she just LOOKS at Allen and falls head-over-heels? I found that hard to believe. After that, it was fine, but the way she just switched at first, I was like “What?!”

3) The first half of the book was so. slow. It took me a week to finish the first half. I mean, I feel like RIGHT after I hit the 50% mark on my Kindle it started picking up. And then I finished the rest in a day and a half! I really wanted to put the book down for a good bit there.

4) As I said in the second pro, there is a con to Rosalind’s part of the book. I hated the way it ended! Is she going to have the third book?? I certainly hope so! I felt like there was so many loose threads there… I really really REALLY hope she gets her own book because I loved Rosalind!! (EDIT: So Rosalind WILL, in fact, have her own book. For those of you who have read this book and are reading this review, to clarify: I didn’t have a problem with the content of Rosalind’s situation. I loved it. I didn’t like the loose threads that were left as Chivalrous ended. But now that I know that Rosalind will have her own book to finish up that open ending, this con doesn’t really count anymore; so I’ve changed my rating to 4 stars instead of 3, since this was a major con and now it’s no longer a con.)

To give you all a heads up: there was a lot deeper content than in Dauntless.

Just to name a few as a heads-up: #1 – look at the first con in my list. It wasn’t so much the sexual content, since NOTHING was detailed at all, aside from one kiss scene, but it was just the subtle mentions, without actually saying “sex.” Personally, I did not like that part of the book. #2 – some very abusive men. I could handle it because the female characters are AWESOME (GO GIRLS!) but it was pretty heavy. #3 – there is an unwanted pregnancy, and the girl ended up “taking care of it.” #4 – Gwen’s mother is said to be an alcoholic, though it doesn’t go much further than mentioning her mom “clutching a glass of wine” or “slurring her words.”

Soooo… I’m still not exactly sure what to rate this book, since I had 5 pros and 4 cons. I think I’m going to go with three stars. I really, really want to give it four because the second half was AMAZING, but those cons really take away a star. 🙁 (EDIT: My original rating was 3 stars, but because of the con with Rosalind being cleared up, I decided to add a star to the rating.)

4 stars!

anyway, if you decide to read this book, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! i look forward to other books in the series. 🙂 don’t forget – chivalrous hits shelves tomorrow – september 8th!

I didn’t expect to love this nearly as much as I do. At first glance, I saw the cover and thought, “Okay, doesn’t really look like something I’d read… I’ll give it a try,” but OH MY GOSH, I ended up enjoying so much. By the time you read this, I’ll probably have read the second and third books, too, so be looking for those reviews coming up! (It’s August 2nd, writing this.) It’s the first book in a long time that had me hooked at the first page. I’d say I haven’t been this excited over a series since The Selection, but The Selection didn’t even have me as engaged on the first page as The False Prince did! So forgive me if this isn’t exactly a sensible review, because I’m so in love with this book.

Title: The False Prince

Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #1

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: April 1, 2012

Source: library

Synopsis: In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

First off, I loved the voice of the main character, Sage. He’s witty, sarcastic. The writing is simple, but detailed. Does that make sense? Each character clearly has his or her place in the book: I pretty much knew what to expect from ever character, except Sage! It made the book 100% enjoyable.

I liked the setting a lot. The country Sage lived in, Carthya, is on the brink of a civil war. The man who buys Sage from the orphanage Sage is at, Conner, wants to put a false prince (hence, the title!), on the throne to avoid war. (But we all know Conner really wants to be the one to control what this false prince does – so really, Conner is in control.) So the main plot of the book revolved around Carthya and the countries surrounding it. I really liked being able to flip from my page to the map in the front to look at the where the countries were in this fictional world. I like learning about politics and current events and such anyway, so I liked to read about the “foreign affairs,” so to speak, in this imaginary world. 🙂

Because Sage and the other boys who are competing to be the prince are competing against each other, they were really enemies for the majority of the book. But at the end, they all come around and I loved it! I’m a bleeding heart when it comes to books, and characters, and I wanted to squeeze these boys so hard. I felt so bad for them! They had no mom, and then Sage… what happened to him… and his family (!!!!) OMG, his family, though. And the ending…

So as you can see, I have a LOT of feelings. But the ending is what really ruined me. Well, it didn’t RUIN me, because it was perfect, I just wasn’t expecting it! At first, I was totally sold that’s what was going to happen, but I thought, “Wait, no, there’s no way!” and then… BOOM! If you’ve read the book, you totally know what I’m talking about, but… ohmigosh. Just… OMG.

This book was just… AWESOME. 5 stars. Go read it!

Now I have to go read The Runaway King! The first sentence is so INTRIGUING. Read it:

I had arrived early for my own assassination.

Whaaat?!

so have you read the ascendance trilogy? do you want to?! (you should!)

P.S. Don’t forget you have one week left to enter my giveaway for The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest! You can enter it here! GO, GO, GO!