Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Series: The Grisha Trilogy (bk. 3)

Genera(s): High Fantasy

Subjects: abilities, magic, kingdoms, good vs. evil, war

Setting: A high fantasy world, the kingdom of Ravka and surrounding countries

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Alina Starkov

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 417 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover, now in Paperback

List Price: $18.99/$9.99

Publisher: Macmillan: Henry Holt

Summary/ product description: “The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.”

My Review:  Ruin and Rising is the final book in the Grisha Trilogy. I read the 1^st Grisha book, Shadow and Bone months before it’s release, met the author and a pre-pub event in Naperville and gave her her first piece of fan art ever. (I feel like a bad fan!)

Only now did I read the second and third books. Siege and Storm was a pretty good sequel, and Ruin and Rising was a great finale.

Alina’s hair turned white at the end of Seige and Storm. Why are there so many fantasy books with white-haired girls? Anyways, her abilities don’t seem to be working and now she’s stuck in a cave with a bunch of people who think she’s a living saint. The Apparat doesn’t seem to like her friends and claims they are plotting against her when actually they were all just trying to break out and her Alina get some sunlight in hopes of her being able to summon again. Once they get out, they have to find Nikolai, find the firebird aka the third amplifier, defeat the Darkling and destroy the Shadowfold. They got a lot on their shoulders.

I really like this fantasy series because it’s so unique. Ravka is supposed to be like imperial Russia. The palace looks Russian with onion domes. The language appears to be Russian. Rather than just swords, there are pistols. It’s more like the 1800s than the middle ages.

The characters are pretty great. Alina is kind of stubborn like many YA female heroines. Her powers are cool. She can control light (summon sunlight). Mal is a tracker. He’s not grisha, but her loves Alina. He’s pretty funny and I love the romance and banter between them. Nikolai, who pretended to be a privateer named Strumhond in the second book, in a prince and very funny and clever. He likes to build things, and comes up with crazy ideas and plans. He made ships that can fly with the help of Squaller grisha. The Darkling, who is the villain, is complicated. I liked him in the first book, but I’m not a fan of him. He can control shadows and darkness. Genya is a tailor is can change people’s appearance. David is a Durast and Genya’s boyfriend. He’s very smart and jokes go over his head. There are lots of other characters, like Zoya, Tamar, Toyla, Nadia, and more.

The ending was both surprising and not. I kind of saw some connects, especially Mal’s. There’s a lot of action and scary heart-pounding moments.

I’m sure every body’s read this series by now if they read YA, but if you haven’t, I recommend it to fans of Red Queen, The Young Elites, The Orphan Queen and Throne of Glass.

Cover Art Review: Very nice vector illustration with textures. The title type is nicely rendered and very unique.

The Tattooed Heart by Michael Grant

Series: Messenger of Fear (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Paranormal/Horror

Subjects: supernatural, good vs. evil, apprentices, games, death, fear, bullying

Setting: Various places, including Iowa and Nashville, TN

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense: Mara

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 389 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan

Summary/ product description: “Mara has already witnessed more evil as the Messenger’s apprentice than most people do in their lifetime, but the games continue.

The Messenger leads Mara to the funeral of a Muslim boy named Aimal, who died standing up for his people, and then to an abandoned store, where they discover Graciella, a girl battling addiction. The all-knowing Messenger recognizes that they are victims of heinous crimes. Mara and Messenger will find the wicked—those who act out of selfishness and greed, and others who become violent because of prejudice and hate.

But Mara and Messenger pay a price too. For every person who is offered justice, they will wear a tattoo that symbolizes the heart of the crime. And as Mara delves deeper into her harsh reality, she is suprirsed to realize that part of her is drawn to the sometimes compassionate Messenger. In spite of all the terror she and Messenger inflict, Mara will discover that caring in this world is the hardest part of all.

The second book in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant’s Messenger of Fear series, The Tattooed Heart combines fantasy with real-world horror stories to create a satisfying conclusion.”

My Review:  The Tattooed Heart is the sequel to The Messenger of Fear. Mara is still the Messenger’s apprentice. She’s viewing people’s lives, finding the ones who are causing pain and punishing them. There’s a racist jerk that is mean to a Muslim girl and there’s people who screwed over a girl who writes country song and made her become a drug addict. The Messenger of Fear’s purpose is to punish those who spread hate and cause pain and get away with it.

This series has been quite unique. The Messenger is kind of like an angel or the Ghost of Christmas Past & Future in a way. He’s not the only Messenger. There’s a lot of them and they take on apprentices. He’s very mysterious and doesn’t talk about his past except the girl named Ariadne who he loved and hurt. Mara is attracted to him, but there isn’t much romance. They don’t fall in love because Ariadne had his heart.

I really enjoyed the country music drama part. It made me think of the show Nashville on ABC. Graciella is kind of like Scarlet O’Conner and gets screw over selling her songs to a singer named Nicolet, who’s like Juliet Barnes and her manager who’s like Jeff Fordam. Then Graciella ends up as a hooker and does drugs. That’s awful.

This series is really Grant’s way of trying to say that bullying and racism are bad. It’s got a great message and it’s also very dark and fantastical. This story was longer than the previous book and still felt like it was lacking some substance. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t hard or boring, but something felt missing and I guess that’s the romance. We did get to see some demons though. I’m excited for the final book. The description misled me to believe that this was the final book, but I’m glad it’s not. I want to see Mara become a Messenger herself.

Cover Art Review: Reminds me of the Grisha Trilogy cover, but different artist.

Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: The Dark Elements Saga (bk.3)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Subjects: supernatural, gargoyles, demons, angels, love, good vs. evil

Setting: Washington D.C.

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense: Layla

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 378 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Summary/ product description: “Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…”

My Review: Every Last Breath is the amazing, epic finale to the Dark Elements Trilogy. The romance of Laya and Roth continues. I absolutely love this series and I hate that it’s over. It gave me more feels than most books I read. It’s the best romance I’ve read beside Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (I heart Tucker!). So much happens in it. It’s got that urban fantasy vibe, and it id paranormal romance. I love that’s it’s not about vampires, but about demons, gargoyles and angels. I also love that there’s a few Supernatural references in it (Castiel is mentioned), which is appropriate since Jenn clearly got the name Lilith from Supernatural, then researched the biblical mythologies and came up with this fantastic series. I had my own story idea years ago about a girl named Layla who was supposed to be the destined vessel for Lilith (Called it Dark Vessel) but only wrote a few chapters. (I’m onto you Jenn! Lol)

I love the characters and I’ll miss all of them! Layla is a great narrator and Roth is so hilarious and hot. He’s a lot like Damon from the Vampire Diaries with his crazy sexual innuendo and dark humor, I just about died laughing at the things he said. I love Roth so much, but I also like Zayne. He’s a lot more sweet and protective. He’s hot too, but Layla’s just more drawn to Roth and she doesn’t know how to tell Zayne this without hurting him, because she’s loves Zayne too. He’s family to her and she grew up with him.  Another great character is Bambi. She’s a familiar and a snake, but she’s important to Roth. I don’t like snakes, but the whole idea of familars is cool. Roth also has 3 kittens and a dragon. Layla decides to get a familiar, but I’ll let you find out what for yourself.

In this book, Layla’s abilty to shift has change somehow and now she’s sporting dark feathered wings. It freak her out because before she was like a marbled mish-mash of Warden and Demon. She’s has to rethink what she’s becoming. The Alphas call her an abomination and want to kill her, but Roth’s familiars stop them. The Lilin is on the lose and has taken Sam’s soul and shape and now everyone’s at the risk of losing their soul. Layla, Roth and the Wardens have to find a way to stop the Lilin. Stuff doesn’t go down exactly how I expect it, but I enjoyed the surprises! The ending is great too.

I recommend this series to those whole enjoyed angel-related series such as Unearthly, Hush, Hush, Fallen, Sweet Evil, and the Mortal Instruments.

Cover Art Review: Not a very interesting cover, but I love the paper used.

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: The Dark Elements Saga (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Subjects: supernatural, gargoyles, demons, love, good vs. evil

Setting: Washington D.C.

POV/Tense: 1st person POV, past tense: Layla

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 448 pgs.

HC/PB: Paperback

List Price: $9.99

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Summary/ product description: “Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…”

My Review:  I have no words for how amazing this sequel is. I just loved it so much. I love the characters, hot guys, the romance, the paranormal mythology and well written plot. This is my favorite kind of paranormal romance. Heroines with special powers that make them kick-ass and hot guys to pine for. This series is fun and entertaining and sexy. It’s just so much.

So here’s my spoiler free explanation of what occurs in the book: Layla’s ability to see souls/auras disappears and crazy things start happening at her school. When Roth suddenly shows up again in her life, he’s acting like what they had meant nothing, and making smart-ass comments. Roth thinks a Lilan has been born with Layla’s and Lilith Blood and is causing the strange occurrences at school. Zayne loves Layla, but Layla won’t let herself get close to him because she’s afraid she’s take his soul. Layla still has Bambi, a snake tattoo familiar, on her and it kind of weirds Zayne out, but he accepts it. Even if Zayne and Layla can’t kiss, doesn’t mean they can’t be together in other ways, or so Zayne hopes.

Roth tries to pull her back to him again and still has a habit of using sexual innuendos. He’s back in school and makes her skip and takes her someplace where something happens. And then more crazy stuff happens as they try to discover who the Lilan is. The very end of the book is epic because I knew the answer within the first half of the book. Yay me, and my ability to predict stuff that happens in books.

Layla transforms into her gargoyle-demon hybrid forma a few times. I really wish I could picture it. Someone needs to provide us with the character concept art. I want to make fanart!!! I love that this series has creatures that are rarely seen in Paranormal Romance. Gargoyles are made out to be a kind of angelic being, like the Nephilim or Watchers. They’re called Wardens. I love both Roth and Zayne. I would have a hard time choosing between them if I was Layla, but I guess I’d go with Zayne because he’s not a demon. Roth is not that bad for a demon. He’s just kind of annoying. I like him in the way that I like Damon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries, Patch form Hush, Hush, or Warner for Shatter Me. Hot bad boys that can show they have a good side, going against their dark nature. I just want to make them good.

I have only read one other in a different series from this author, and that was Half-Blood (which was too much of a Vampire Academy knock-off for me). I want to read Obsidian. I’m sure that that Daemon has something in common with the guys in this book. I recommend this book series to those who enjoyed any of the following books/series: The Dark Light Series by Darynda Jones, The Beautiful Ashes by Jeanine Frost, Lailah by Niki Kelly, Embrace by Jessica Shirvington, and other books about angels, demons and gargoyles.

Cover Art Review: Layla and Zaynes are on the cover this time. The guy model is very hot. I love the opal/iridescent paper used for the cover.