Descendant by Lesley Livingston

Series: Starling (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Subjects: supernatural, magic, mythology, Norse mythology, Valkyries, faeries, gods and goddesses

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 325 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “The last thing Mason Starling remembers is the train crossing a bridge. An explosion . . . a blinding light . . . then darkness. Now she is alone, stranded in Asgard—the realm of Norse legend—and the only way for her to get home is to find the Spear of Odin, a powerful relic left behind by vanished gods.

The Fennrys Wolf knows all about Asgard. He was once trapped there. And he’ll do whatever it takes to find the girl who’s stolen his heart and bring her back—even if it means a treacherous descent into the Underworld. But time is running out, and Fenn knows something Mason doesn’t: If she takes up the Spear, she’ll set in motion a terrible prophecy. And she won’t just return to her world . . . she’ll destroy it.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Starling, Lesley Livingston delivers another electrifying blend of nonstop action and undeniable romance that will leave readers breathless.”

My Review: This book had a lot of things that I really liked, and something that made is slightly boring. I really like most of the characters and the dialogue. I read the Wondrous Strange series, so I love seeing familiar faces again. I also love all the magic and mythology. What I had a hard time with is the 3^rd person narration. I think if I was listening to it as an audio book, I would have enjoyed it more. I listened to the first two Wondrous Strange book read by the author. Lesley does really good voice acting.

I don’t really care much for Mason, unless she says something funny. I love Fenn because he was a Viking supposedly and I like to picture him as a younger version of Thor. I loved that we get to see Maddox again. Him and Fenn have the funniest conversations. I also like Rafe, who’s Anubis. He’s got a great sense of humor too. Pretty much all my favorite parts in this book are humorous dialogue and banter.

I also loved when Mason met Loki. Sadly Loki doesn’t get a big role in this book. I felt disappointed because I love the Thor movies so much and really was hoping for more crazy Loki antics. Loki is kind of my favorite bad guy ever. It seem that the bad guys in this book are parents. Specifically Mason’s father, Gunner Starling. He wants Mason to become a Valkyrie and start Ragnarok. Why do the bad guys always want to cause the end of the world?

I do love all the mythology used in this book. There’s not only Norse mythology, but Egyptian and Greek and possibly some Roman and Celtic. This book has gods from all the ancient religions, pretty much.  Norse is the focus, but there was a lot of Egyptian stuff to because Anubis was in it.

The plot was okay, but I felt like it wasn’t really organized that well. Too much mind jumping. We get not only Mason and Fenn’s perspectives, by also Heather, Cal and a few other character. I don’t think I can truly call this 3^rd person limited. I’m not a fan of switching perspectives without some indication of who’s head we’re in. I was so confused at some points, that I kind of skimmed. The writing itself wasn’t bad. The descriptiveness of appearances and objects were beautifully done. I wanted to picture what was going on, but at times I felt lost.

I do recommend anything by Lesley Livingston. I suggest reading the Wondrous Strange series first because we get some of Fenn’s backstory as a Janus Guard. I recommend this book to fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton, Stork by Wendy Delsol, Need series by Carrie Jones, Wildfire by Karsten Knight, Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, or any other mythology YA.

Cover Art Review: The photos are nice and the cover model is definitely supposed to be Mason, but doesn’t have her blue eyes. I think she looks too much like Megan Fox.

Revel by Maurissa Guibord

Series: STANDALONE

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Supernatural, Greek Mythology, Maine, islands, mystery, mermaids

Age/Grade Level:

Length: 339 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.
Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.
Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.”

My Rating: êêêê1/2

My Review: I enjoyed reading this book so much! It was creepy, funny, interesting and unique. A lot of work went into the characters and the island and the creatures. I’m sad this is only a standalone.  One book doesn’t seem like enough, but the ending was pretty satisfying. There’s a little bit of a love triangle, and even a few little cliché thing, but really, this was an awesome book.

Trespass Island, which is a made up island off the coast of Maine, seems like a beautiful place. How the author describes it in so much detail made it easy to imagine it. Its climate is more tropical somehow, possibly by magic, or by volcanic vents and air currents. It’s kind of like a Hawaiian island, but in Maine, so really on the very beginning of the book is set in Portland, Maine. This place would be an amazing vacation spot if it weren’t for the sea monsters and the reef surrounding it. It almost had a dystopian feeling to it because it’s so isolated.

Characters were well developed. I loved the narration and the main character. Delia is hilarious and fun, and a strong character. I knew what she was when those strange things started happening to her. I wasn’t sure I liked Jax. He seemed nice enough, but kind of a creepy fish-guy/merman. I glad Delia can love him. I was Team Sean most of the way. Sean may have not had the greatest sense of humor, but he was nice. And he has a big dog. Guys with dogs. Love that. Zuzu and Reilly were awesome side characters and wish they were in the book more often. Delia’s grandma is a very tough lady. She can survive anything! Go Gran!

As for the creatures and mythology, it’s kind of Greek mythology, but not really. Jax is a demi-god descended from Poseidon, as are all the 1^st ones. And they have these monsters they use to guard the island from other bad creatures. And there’s a celebration called Revel, which the First Ones and the humans participate in. That’s not too spoilery I hope. Either way, it’s unique.

I hope you enjoy this book. It’s very different from other mermaid books, but I’d recommend it to fans of Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, Siren by Tricia Rayburn, and Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs.

Cover Art Review: Cool photo. Was it taken from above or below the surface of the water? I see kerning issues with the title.

 

~Haley G