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.

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Series: Standalone

Genera(s): Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Subjects: magic, love, diversity, racism

Setting: Albion, a country much like London in the early 1900s

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Jessamin

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 275 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover  

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.”

My Review:  Illusions of Fate is a standalone fantasy novel that reads more like a paranormal historical fiction novel. I’ve never been a fan of historical fiction; especially ones set in late 1800s/early 1900s London, England (The only series I like set there is The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd). This book is basically set in an alternate version of early 1900s London. It’s got some of the historical sounding English phrases that I hate to read. It’s got carriages and some cars and limited electricity and so on.

But enough of the thing that I did not enjoy. I loved Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy series. She’s good are writing interesting heroines that are determined and sometimes stubborn. She adds humor and lightness and makes pages fly by. Chapters are never too long. There are always interesting elements and side characters. Her books are usually fun. That said, I read Illusions of Fate in one day.

The main character, Jessamin, is half Melei and half Albion. Melei is an island colony much like Tahiti, or maybe the Philippines. The natives have dark skin, Asian features. Albion is basically England and Jessamin’s father is a professor there. Jessamin is studying history though her real passion is math. She’s always doing equations in her head. She meets a guy named Finn and he flirts with her and they run into each other a few times and Jessamin gets invited to a Gala and he’s there. Finn is an interesting character too. He’s charming and sometimes infuriates Jessamin because of it. There’s a character named Eleanor who becomes Jessamin’s friend and she’s very dramatic and loves gossip. She has a brother named Ernest.

I really love Sir Bird, a black bird (Crow or Raven possibly) with yellow eyes that turns into a book. Jessamin is really annoyed with this bird at first but grows to like him. He’s a familiar. He does not talk but he seem to understand some thing. Crows and Raven are smart birds and definitely not evil, but some other black bird seem to be spying on Jessamin. Also there’s a man called Lord Downpike who has evil intentions and threated to hurt Jessamin if Finn doesn’t give him what he wants.

This book has themes of colonizing and race issues. It’s a diverse book since the main character is Asian, even if it’s the fantasy world version. I recommend this to fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Madman’s Daughter, books with Asian main character and books that may be steampunk or set in Victorian London.

Cover Art Review: Lovely cover. The title with the violet glow and the bird coming out of the painted cup is just gorgeous.