Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Published: February 26, 2019
329 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
How do you kill a god?
As her father’s chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year—or die trying.
Kim’s Review:
This is a great, simple fantasy story and I really enjoyed it. In a world of the same YA fantasy themes flying around, reading something unique is a treat. This book is a treat. There weren’t too many bells and whistles and that’s something I like about it. I also enjoyed the practicality of the details.
When Rasmira is sent into exile with an impossible task, she never once questions whether or not she can do it. She observed the problem with intelligence and objectivity. She is the perfect combination of faith and fact. My only real issue with the story is her absolute obsession with boys! I get it, she’s a teenager, of course she’s gonna be looking at boys. My issue is that in the middle of her life falling apart, an impossible task in front of her, her very survival at stake, all she can think about is boys.
Fortunately, Levenseller spins that obsession into a more selfless practicality; unfortunately, there was enough of the annoying stuff to affect my rating. I will say that this is a very good book for high schoolers and I think even those who don’t like reading would probably like this story. Very good good and a beautiful cover!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Closer Than You Think by Lee Maguire
Author: Lee Maguire
Published: October 21, 2018
314 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: June 9-16, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Meet Bryce Davison, a gifted psychologist who can heal any troubled mind-except his own.
You see, Bryce’s life is falling apart. His marriage is crumbling. His insomnia brings only half-sleep and troubled dreams-visions of dark and buried memories he’d rather forget or ignore completely. And the new female patient in his psych ward just might be more trouble than he’s able to cope with.
…and now he has a stalker.
Somebody’s been watching Bryce for a long time. Somebody who knows his life inside and out-his fears, his regrets, his greatest longings and deepest despairs. Somebody with access to his most private places-his workplace, his home, his family…anywhere Bryce might have felt safe.
They do their dirty work in the shadows… and they want Bryce Davison dead.
So Bryce has got to get his life together. To save his patients. To save his family. To save his marriage…and his life.
Because no matter how close Bryce gets to the deadly truth, the enigmatic stalker is always closer than he thinks.
Jessica’s Review:
Closer Than You Think is the first novel in the Broken Minds series by Lee Maguire. Maguire takes what he knows from his occupation and brings us the main protagonist of Dr. Bryce Davison. Dr. Davison is far from perfect himself, as his personal life is in chaos and now he is dealing with a stalker…. Or could it be something more, or does Dr. Davison need some psychological services himself?
Despite some grammatical and spelling errors in the arc copy that I received, which were hopefully corrected by the publication day this past October, I really enjoyed this novel. It was definitely suspenseful but not so much a thriller. I wondered how far things were going to go with Davison’s situation. Who is going to get hurt next and in what way? Who is behind everything that is going on? And is somehow Davison himself responsible for what is going on?
My only negative thought as I was reading was: “If you kill the dog, I’m gonna riot!” I worried for Max the whole novel; I did not want anything to happen to her.
At first Dr. Davison was not very likeable nor came off as professional as he was supposed to be. He just seemed to be too much of a troubled man to be a psychologist. Eventually, I did grow to like and root for him: I wanted a good ending for him. The last 20 or so pages of the novel were totally unexpected! Everything was put together and wrapped in a nice bow.
Some may see the totality of the novel a bit far-fetched, but I enjoyed it. As this is the first in the series, I look forward to reading more of Dr. Davison’s stories.
Special thanks to TCK Publishing for sending me an arc copy to read and review.
**Buy Closer that You Think here!**
TCK Publishing
Twitter for @TCKPublishing
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Sunday Series Review: His Fair Assassin Trilogy by Robin LaFevers
Today Kim is reviewing His Fair Assassin Trilogy by Robin LaFevers. She rated this series 4 stars.
Books in the Series:
Grave Mercy
Dark Triumph
Mortal Heart
Grave Mercy
Published: April 3, 2012
549 Pages
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
Dark Triumph
Published: April 2, 2013
385 Pages
I lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight’s soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.
The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
Mortal Heart
Published: November 4, 2014
444 Pages
Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.
She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has…
Kim’s Rating of the Series: 4 stars
Kim’s Review:
This series is awesome! I got Grave Mercy while I was on vacation in the Outer Banks, at the amazing Buxton Village Books. The cover is beautiful and the story is unique. LaFevers combined history with a little fantasy, yet it all still felt realistic, like it all actually happened that way. The convent of St. Mortain was fascinating. I doubt I would make a good assassin, but I would go to the convent!
The main characters, Ismae, Sybella, and Annith are all likable and relatable. Of them all, I think my favorite is Ismae. She is the main character in Grave Mercy and the first of the assassins that I got to know. She embraces everything with grace and her abilities are the most interesting. Her story sets the tone and standard for the rest of the series. I’ll admit that when I started reading book two, Dark Triumph, I was a little worried that the story was starting to get predictable. Thankfully, the further I read, the less predictable it was. Sybella’s story was definitely the most surprising and Annith’s romance came out of nowhere!
So, each book has its own merit. And each one is very good and worth reading. I did read them separately, with a couple of books between so any predictability was staved off really well. The men were all great as well. I don’t want to take about them in too much detail because I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that I was crushing on each of them as I was reading. Fictional boyfriends are all part of my nerd life, and I regret nothing!
Overall, this was an excellent series, with engaging characters and fascinating circumstances. This is also a great series for older teens.
Purchase Links to the Series:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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