Throwback Thursday Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Some of you may know that I originally had my own blog, Beauty but a Funny Girl, prior to joining Bookish (now Bookish Lifestyle). I was thinking the other day about all those reviews I left behind when I transferred and thought they should get some love too - no matter how badly written and newbie they come off! So I present to you: Throwback Thursday Reviews! Every once in a while I'll post an old review from Beauty but a Funny Girl, unedited in terms of content, with the exception of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It's definitely going to be fun and interesting to see how my tastes and writing style have changed over the years!

Series:	Penryn & the End of Days #1
Genre:	Young Adult, Adults, Paranormal, Apocalyptic
Publication.Date:	May 23, 2013
Pages:	325 (paperback)
Published By:	Hodder and Stoughton
Website:	Susan Ee
	Angelfall on Goodreads
My review copy:	Borrowed from the library

Where to get:

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

(Goodreads)

Originally posted November 13, 2013 on Beauty but a Funny Girl

Angelfall is an interesting and unique twist on some of the other angel  books I've come across. Six weeks ago Gabriel and Company came down to Earth and subsequently took over. Gangs rule the daytime and the angels at night. It's not safe to go out at any time, and if you do you're risking more than your life.

Penryn, her seven-year-old sister Paige, and bat-shit-crazy mother decide to leave their apartment as it is only a matter of time before the gangs realize they are still hanging around. On their way into the woods, they are stopped by angels falling from the sky. Luckily, it's not because they were spotted, but one of the angels is being attacked by his brethren. After the battle, where the singled out angel kicks some major butt, one of the angels does fly off with Paige. In an effort to save her sister, Penryn saves the angel, Raffe, who had been left for dead - not to mention wingless.

I found Penryn to be a strong and likeable character. I thought she was very relatable as she wold constantly wish she had a sarcastic retort for Raffe's comments, but wasn't nearly clever enough. While I do love a snarky heroine, I'm not quick enough myself so it was refreshing to see a heroine who wasn't always quick on her feet. However, when it came to fighting she was definitely bad ass. When she was younger, her mother signed her up for numerous self defense classes years in advance and Penryn faithfully went to each of them - this girl could hold her own. I do love the reason her mother signed her up for these classes in the first place: so she could protect herself when the demons came. (Perhaps she wasn't too far off?)

I'm not sure how I felt about Raffe. He was very secretive and I felt like he was trying to ditch Penryn at every turn, only for her to refuse and follow him anyway. He wasn't trying to ditch her in the "you're annoying, go away" sense, but trying to protect her... I guess? I need something in his POV to really see where he is coming from. This is one of the few books I've read where I'm annoyed with the first person POV.

There wasn't really a romance either. Yes, the two appear to have feelings for one another (at least over time anyway), but it's so far on the back burner that it doesn't really manifest until near the end of the novel. I'm in no way angry about this because it just wasn't in their characters to be deterred by romantic feelings. Raffe's goal is to get his wings back, Penryn's goal is to get her sister back and find her mother. Neither of them seem interested in anything beyond helping one another accomplish these tasks.

While I enjoyed the book, I wasn't truly engrossed in the story - weird because I rated the book a 3/5, right? It's one of those things that I can't really explain. I know the other members of the Young Adult Book Blogger Club LOVED it, but I merely liked it. I like Penryn, I like Raffe, I like the plot. The only thing I can tell you is this: it's not the book, it's me. I know, so cliche! But that's the truth. Just something about me and this book did not mesh well.

At the end of the day, I'm still going to recommend you read this book. It was unique, fresh, and an interesting read. I liked it more than I didn't, but just because Angelfall and I aren't going to live happily ever, doesn't mean that you two won't end up with a picket fence and a dog.

Book Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publication.Date	March 8th 2016
Pages:	416
Published By:	Harper Teen
Author	Wendy Higgins
	The Great Hunt on Goodreads
My review copy:	Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Where to get:

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.

(Goodreads)

It was taller than any man, standing on its hind legs. Wyneth gasped and questioned her own sanity as she stared in disbelief. Its body was massive, the size of a bear with wiry hair like nothing she'd ever seen. Its face was as ugly as a boar's. Tusks curled up around a dripping snout, sharp teeth shining. Its beady eyes eerily caught the moon's reflection. Everything about its stance and posture screamed feral. Deadly. Impossible.

In his eyes lived something deep, dark, and untold. Something that frightened her. 

     This was... exhilarating. 

     I'm not one to get excited about fantasy romance, or paranormal romance - or most types of romance, really. I tend to approach books that revolve around love and romantic relationships with a healthy dose of skepticism and distance. I really do, because most of them end up disappointing me. And I'm even more picky when it comes to fantasy books - I'm usually either bored out of my wits by the heavy world-building and overwhelmingly huge cast of characters, or very unimpressed with how the world is set up. 

     That being said, Wendy Higgins' The Great Hunt strikes just the right balance for me. The world she created comes with a pretty large cast of characters (and it only grows bigger and more diverse as the story progresses), and yes, I was a bit intimidated by that at the beginning of the story, but I think Wendy did a great job introducing them all, and making them perfectly distinguishable and unique. The way the story is set up, we first get to know the royal family and the family of Paxton Seabolt, and only later on are we introduced to the Lashed and hunters from all the other kingdoms. The history of the lands, the connections between all the kingdoms and the conflict between the Lashed and the Unlashed make this a devourable and exciting story. 

     The world-building is incredibly rich, flavorful and complex, but it's spread-out throughout the book and offered to us in small, easy-to-digest doses, so even though there is a lot to take in, you don't feel overwhelmed or lost. There are 5 kingdoms in this story (Lochlanach, Ascomanni, Toresta, Zorfina and Kalor) and they are all very different from one another. Our heroine, the strawberry-blond Aerity, comes from Lochlanach. The royal family of Lochlanach is rather large and difficult to keep track of, but thankfully there is a list of all the royals you can refer to if you ever get confused (it's placed right before the first chapter).  

     Moving on to the plot line... When a terrifying beast starts terrorizing the lands of Lochlanach, the king is forced to seek help from other kingdoms. The beast's unnatural strength and unquenchable thirst for blood has people running for their lives. No one wants to face the beast, and so the king sees no other choice but to offer a worthy reward for killing the beast - his daughter's hand in marriage. Aerity isn't thrilled with the prospect of marrying a complete stranger, but she's a reasonable girl and she puts the kingdom before herself. 

  

          Paxton Seabolt and his younger brother, Tiern are both skilled hunters. They join the great hunt not for the glory, or the princess' hand in marriage, but for the monetary reward - to help provide for their family. In truth, Paxton couldn't care less about the spoiled royal lass. He holds the royal family in contempt for reasons only known to himself. He does not trust them, nor does he wants anything to do with them. And being romantically involved with one of them is the last thing on his mind. 

        Paxton's cold and distant demeanor, however, does nothing to deter Princess Aerity. She simply can't fight the undeniable attraction she feels for the rough and mysterious hunter. She's drawn to him much like a moth is drawn to a flame, and considering Paxton's dark secrets, she is bound to get burned. What will happen if Paxton kills the beast? And what will happen if he doesn't? 

        I never thought I would ever use this phrase in my review, but dang, I totally ship these two. Forgive me, I do not know how else to describe just how much I love the idea of Paxton and Aerity together. The chemistry between them made me blush - and that is something I haven't experienced in a very long time. Paxton is a dark and brooding type of hero, while Aerity is caring and dedicated, pure and hopeful, thoughtful and brave. They are attracted to each other, but their feelings develop over time. This isn't another case of ridiculous insta-love, this is a slow-burning romance at its best. And it totally made me swoon! 

       The Great Haunt is a truly fantastic book. It's filled with romance, magic, political conflicts,  revenge, betrayals, sacrifices and secrets. You can expect the usual Wendy Higgins awesomeness from it - and by that I mean plenty of subtle yet excruciating sexual tension and kisses that feel like coming up for air when you're almost drowning - but you can also expect more - a breathtaking, well-developed universe, a diverse cast of wonderful characters and an interesting conflict at the heart of it all. I can't flipping wait for the next book!  

ARC Book Review + Giveaway: The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller

I am thrilled to be a stop on the book tour for The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller, hosted by Rockstar Book Tours! I have a review for your reading pleasure, but be sure to check out the tour schedule below, or click the banner above, for more!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Publication.Date:	March 8, 2016
Pages:	432 (ARC)
Published By:	Viking
Website:	Sharon Biggs Waller
	The Forbidden Orchid on Goodreads
My review copy:	Received in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.

Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.

But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?

(Goodreads)

Quotes obtained from an ARC copy and are subject to change.

"I think you mean aspersions."

Deacon Wainwright stood up. "It's rude to correct someone, particularly for a woman to correct a man, or has no one ever told you so?"

I stood up, too. "Fine. You may go on saying the wrong things and looking ridiculous for it."

The bay was filled with graceful fishing boats, each one's bow painted with a black-and-white eye. Alex told me the Chinese believed the painted eye helped the boats see their way through the water. Foochow, ahead of us, was beautiful, with a long bridge stretching out into the water. There were two pagodas towering over the walls of the city, one black and one white, each level stacked on top of the next like wedding cake. The striking hills beyond tumbled off into the distance to mysterious places unknown. I felt an eager tug, yearning to explore them. I hoped my exploration of China would not begin and end in Foochow.

Miss Winslow left me to rest, but I couldn't. I lay staring up at the beamed ceiling. Secrets, secrets. Seems everyone has a secret, Mr. Howell had said. I had always assumed that men went merrily about their lives, able to choose their own destinies. But when I had chosen to stow away, I had no understanding that the world cold be like that storm I'd experienced on the sea - death lying just under the surface, biding its time until it build into a wave and sank the boat.

I loved my family, but I wanted to take my place in the world. My father had named me after a wildflower, and I knew now that wildflowers could not thrive inside of greenhouses.

Papa's mention of Mr. Darwn reminded me of the final line in his book: from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.

I had to continue evolving too.

Sharon's debut young adult novel, A Mad, Wicked Folly was one of my favorite reads of 2015. Historical novels where women are fighting for their voices are a big "Give me this book now!" Much like Vicky, Elodie is longing for more. She wants to be able to travel the world with her father and find adventure, but it stuck at home caring for her mother and nine younger sisters. Her father (who comes home roughly once a year, impregnates his wife, then leaves again), is a plant hunter and searches the world for new and exotic plants and flowers.

After a series of events (that's I won't elaborate on because spoilers), Elodie, her father, and an adorable Russian named Alex head off to the remote regions of China in search of The Queen's Fancy. Speaking of Alex, and I won't go too much into the details of their relationship because I don't want to ruin anything, but due to their circumstances and the time period, it was a slow burn of a relationship that made all the sense in the world. Some of the scenes between these two are breathtakingly cute and I took to Alex right away, and not just because of his dog, Kukla.

Sharon knows how to write amazing women in a time where women were voiceless. Elodie is an exceptionally strong character (if her and Vicky's stories weren't 48 years apart, I could see them becoming fast friends) who not only dreams of more but eventually decides to take more. She doesn't take things at face value and questions the local doctor, the Deacon, her father, and every man that tells her she can't because she is a woman and has a "delicate constitution." One of the scenes that made me laugh occurs after the Deacon tells her to get ride of her orchid and has his mother explain to Elodie why:

"The bottom half, this . . . pouch" - she was whispering so quietly that I had to lean in to hear her - "resembles a man's . . . parts. And the top of this flower resembles a lady's" - she waved her hand below her waistband - "bits."


"Oh," I said, I looked at the plant, and I could see it, at least I thought I could see it, having never seen the male part myself, but it made sense. Then I couldn't help it. I began to laugh and laugh despite Mrs. Wainright's sputters of indignation.

And I could not stop.

One of my favorite things about Sharon's novels is that they are fictional tales seeped in a nonfictional world. Plant Hunters were a real thing, Tea Clipper ships were a real thing, the war in China she references was a real thing, the state of China to Westerns after said war was a real thing. By researching these historical attributes thoroughly, Sharon brings her novels to life, creating a story and characters full of truth and honesty. I cannot wait to see what Sharon comes out with next!

Sharon Biggs Waller grew up around artists and developed a passion for Edwardian history and the Pre-Raphaelites when she moved to England in 2000. She did extensive research on the British suffragettes for her novel, A MAD, WICKED FOLLY when she wasn’t working as a riding instructor at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace and as a freelance magazine writer. She also writes non-fiction books about horses under her maiden name, Sharon Biggs. She is a dressage rider and trainer and lives on a 10-acre sustainable farm in Northwest Indiana with her British husband, Mark. Visit her at www.sharonbiggswaller.com.

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Tour Schedule 

2/29/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

3/1/2016- Bookish Lifestyle- Review

3/2/2016- IceyBooks- Guest Post

3/3/2016- Great Imaginations- Review

3/4/2016- The Book Belles- Interview

3/7/2016- The Eater of Books!- Review

3/8/2016- Addicted Readers- Guest Post

3/9/2016- Fiction Fare- Review

3/410/2016- Wishful Endings- Interview

3/1/2016- Mundie Moms- Review