The Girl Who Would Be King

  

Newsflash; I am in love with this book!

After reading good things about The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson while setting up my blog, I picked it for my second review, expecting to take a week or so to read and review it properly. Instead, I stayed up until the early hours of the morning reading because I simply could not put it down. It’s that good!

Featuring a pair of kickass female leads, TGWWBK tells the story of teenagers Bonnie Braverman and Lola LeFever, both gifted with god-like superpowers on the event of their mother’s deaths. While Bonnie is driven to help and protect, Lola is set on death and destruction. Drawn to each other by destiny and a history which goes far beyond the two of them, the two girls take very different paths with their powers, paths which collide in spectacular style in the lead up to the inevitable confrontation. 

Dual protagonist novels are notoriously difficult to write and usually difficult to read without the temptation to skip pages. But to call TGWWBK a dual protagonist novel would be untrue. What Thompson has done is even trickier; tell two interwoven stories through the eyes of a protagonist and an antagonist. The story itself may not be ground breaking - it’s your classic good vs evil, with a helping of “teenager with magical powers” thrown in - but the characters of Bonnie and Lola are what makes this book come alive. Relatable even when they’re punching helicopters out of the sky or setting their broken bones, both girls are damn near close to character perfection. The inner dialogue and first person point of view storytelling paints each character with her own vivid personality, there’s certainly no danger that you’ll forget which character you’re reading! Thompson is a truly gifted author (one who makes me positively green with envy!) who does a fantastic job of writing in two distinct voices. There are symbols to tell you which girl is narrating, but you likely won’t need them. The care that's gone into creating these girls as three dimensional characters, rather than just "skins" that the reader can slip into to experience the story, is clear to see. There's also some fantastic artwork online which is worth checking out.

As with all novels that feature more than one lead character, it’s hard not to play favourites, but whether you lean towards good or evil, this book has you covered. Bonnie is your more traditional YA novel heroine. Her gift is her curse, and she takes a while to accept what she is and decide to use her powers for good. She’s introverted and guarded, but ultimately kind and selfless, rising up to become what she was born to be. Maybe it says something about me though that my favourite character was Lola. Hand on heart, I found her to be one of the finest characters to come out of YA lit in a long time. She begins the book by killing her own mother for her powers, then driving off to Vegas on a motorcycle with a black cat suit and a vague plan to set up an underworld empire. She’s twisted, she’s evil and she’s seriously screwed up, but good lord is she fun to read! Brutally honest (as well as downright brutal) and utterly clueless at times, she’s like a comic book supervillain who grew up in Hollywood, and her descent into madness is utterly riveting. If the book had one flaw, it’s that Lola was such a fantastic character that she left Bonnie a little in the shade. I found myself rooting for the bad guy! That’s not to say at all that Bonnie’s chapters left me cold, but they were much more familiar territory for an avid reader of YA books.

Speaking of which, the book is a little edgier than most YA, with more graphic violence and a sprinkling of PG 13 sex, but that’s just another thing that sets it apart from the rest of the pack. There’s always the risk when setting this type of story in the real world rather than some mythical kingdom far, far away that a fair bit of suspension of disbelief will be required, and this is certainly true of TGWWBK. But the storytelling, and most importantly the characters, are so enthralling that you won’t even notice!

In summary. Five stars! Loved it, and cannot rate it highly enough! If you like ass kicking female leads, comic book violence, superpowers and an old fashioned good vs evil throw down, then this book is for you. Oh, and if you’re a guy? Please don’t be put off by a female lead, trust me when I say you will not be disappointed by TGWWBK. The only problem is I’ll need to clear my diary when Thompson’s next book comes out. I certainly won’t be getting much sleep!

Siren's Song

With the loss of Tulla still fresh in mind, Rasha’s fate unknown, and Lord Myles taken over by the dark ability, Nym and the few Bron soldiers rush to warn Cashlin’s queen. As the Luminescents are sifting through Nym’s past memories and the queen is reading into her future, Nym is given a choice of how to defeat Draewulf, but the cost may be more than she can bear. And even then there are no guarantees.

With that reality burrowing into her bones - along with the guilt of the lives she will sacrifice - Nym returns to her homeland of Faelen to raise an army of peasants through promises of freedom. But when the few friends she has left, along with the world and citizens she loves, are staring down the face of a monster and his undead army, will Nym summon every element her blood is capable of controlling, or surrender to a different strength - one of sacrifice? Because in the end, death may be more merciful for them all.


*** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but this has in no way influenced this post. Honestly, it doesn't need to, because this book is frickin' amazing!***

I had mixed feelings about finally reading the final book in the Storm Siren trilogy. One one hand I was dying to get my hands on an ARC so that I could start it as soon as possible, and when I got approval I almost did a happy dance. 

On the other hand, I didn't want to read it for two reasons. One, I've loved this series and these characters so much that I don't ever want it to end. And two, I wasn't sure my fragile constitution could take the ending I was fearing.

My fears were unfounded. This book, this series, is absolutely incredible. If you're thinking about maybe, possibly at some point checking it out ... please, please, please do it! I'm lucky to read a lot of books. Most I like, some I love, and others are ok. And then there's that one book that you can't stop raving about. The one that you want to give 10 stars to even though your rating only goes up to five. Books and series that make you remember why you read. Siren's Song is one of those books, and the Storm Siren trilogy is one of those series.

After narrowly escaping Draewulf at Tulla, Nym and her allies race to build an army to stop him before he can absorb the five bloodlines of the Hidden Lands and claim infinite power and immortality. From the crystal castle of Cashlin with its mind-reading Luminescents to the dreamy Valley of Origin with its dirt poor peasant farmers, every land, every character is lushly imagined and realised. I've loved the idea of five kingdoms with five powers in this series, each land and its people unique. Where Cashlin and even Faelen have gotten a bit of a short shrift until now, this is well and truly remedied here. This in one of my ultimate favourite fantasy worlds! It wasn't entirely perfect, there was one aspect of the story that kept bothering me by rearing its head time and time again. It seems unlikely that the king of Faelen would offer to step aside so easily for a seventeen year old girl with zero political experience, even if she is an Elemental. We're told that the throne of Faelen is Nym's birthright because she's the last Elemental, but there's no suggestion that her father was royal and her mother was a mortal, so does that mean anyone with the magic of a kingdom can be in line for its throne? If Colin had been the last Terrene, would he have been handed the crown of Tulla? Are all the Luminescents lining the crystal palace of Cashlin somewhere in line to inherit it? It's a frustratingly fuzzy logic in such a vividly painted world. But it's a minor quibble in an otherwise epic story.

As for the characters ... oh the characters! After spending much of the second book under Draewulf's control, I was so glad to have Eogan back! He may be the king of Bron rather than a humble trainer like he was in book one, but he's still the same wonderful character he was in Storm Siren, the same perfect contrast. His fledgling relationship with Nym against the backdrop of an approaching war that neither are sure they can win is just beautiful. I have to admit I prefer my romances with a little more action and a little less restraint, but it works perfectly in this story. With Rasha missing for a big chunk of the book, it's left to Nym's ragtag group of soldiers to fill the gap in the friendship department. They don't quite manage it, most are fairly interchangeable and nameless, although seven year old Kel is just adorable! I do kind of miss the deliciously slimey Lord Myles too! There's something to be said for the bad guy turned good, but I loved him as the secondary villain in book one!

And then there's Nym. I love her so much! She's the heart and soul of this book, this series, and the journey she's been on from the opening of Storm Siren to the end of Siren's Song is beautiful, heartbreaking and enthralling. The story's central themes of choice and freedom play out through her. After everything's she's been through she'd be totally within her rights to run away and hide, leaving the people who've shunned her to face Draewulf alone, but it's a testament to the strength of the story that you believe that she would stay and fight, that perfect strangers would flock to her banner and that maybe, just maybe, this is a fight she can win. She's a perfectly imperfect character and I'm genuinely so disappointed that I won't get to read any more of her adventures now that this series has ended.

The story itself is fairly standard. In the face of an approaching army that gets bigger and stronger at every turn, Nym is left to rally what's left of the Hidden Lands' nobility and their people under a promise of freedom. But somehow, even though I've read that story what seems like a million times, this time it feels brand new. There's a bit of an overload of prophecy and half-revelations - honestly, this book would clock in at about 10 chapters if characters just said what they knew instead of spouting crytic talk and giving no answers! - but there's something about Mary Weber's writing and the incredibly vivid characters that makes everything feel unique to this series.

I won't spoil the ending, but suffice to say I feel like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster reading this book, and I loved every minute of it. The final chapters in particular are a breathtaking whirlwind where storms rain down upon wraiths, mirages flutter across the battlefield, bombs drop from airships ... it has the potential to be a horribly confusing mess. But instead, it's utterly brilliant. If I was being nitpicky, I'd raise an eyebrow at the convenient powers and plot points that show up in the final act. But honestly, I loved this book too much to care! The conclusion is beautifully fitting, and I'll say no more because once I start raving I won't be able to stop.

I never thought I'd find a fantasy trilogy I loved as much as Laini Taylor's Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, but I have found my new favourite series. I want to shout about Storm Siren from the rooftops, but my neighbours might think I'm crazy and call the police. Instead I'll have to make do with raving online, because this series is awesome. It's imaginative, it's gripping and it's up there with some of the best YA fantasy I've ever read. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Paper Girl - Blog Tour

I haven’t left my house in over a year. My doctor says it’s social anxiety, but I know the only things that are safe are made of paper. My room is paper. My world is paper. Everything outside is fire. All it would take is one spark for me to burst into flames. So I stay inside. Where nothing can touch me. Then my mom hire a tutor. Jackson. This boy I had a crush on before the world became too terrifying to live in.

Jackson’s life is the complete opposite of mine, and I can tell he’s got secrets of his own. But he makes me feel things. Makes me want to try again. Makes me want to be brave. I can almost taste the outside world. But so many things could go wrong, and all it takes is one spark for everything I love to disappear...

About the Author

Cindy lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and loves using Colorado towns and cities as inspiration for settings in her stories. She's the mother of three girls, who provide plenty of fodder for her YA novels. Cindy writes speculative fiction and YA fiction, filled with a healthy dose of romance. You'll often find her hiking or listening to any number of playlists while she comes up with her next story idea.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Paper Girl was a sweet, beautifully written story. Zoe suffers from severe agoraphobic anxiety and hasn't left her family home in a year. Jackson is homeless despite his high flying public persona. The two interact in their mutual escape of online chess and their virtual and real world collide when Zoe's mum hires Jackson to be here tutor. It might sound twee and more than a little cliched, but you'll be so swept up in Zoe's paper world that you won't hold it against the book.

The descriptions of Zoe's paper world were awe-inspiring. It was an interesting touch for her character - I would pay money to see that paper galaxy! - and I absolutely loved the chapters of her online chats with Jackson. Neither knows who they're speaking to so they're free to be as honest and open as they like which made for a nice contrast as the two gradually opened up to each other. I did enjoy Jackson's chapters a little more than Zoe's though, simply because I've read plenty of contemporary YA books from the pov of a female character suffering from mental health issues, but far less from the pov of a male character experiencing homelessness.

It was nice to read a book where the author didn't go for a "love cures mental illness" cop-out which is what I was fearing. Zoe herself does plenty of hard work with her therapist to overcome her fears and take her first steps towards normality and the book is refreshingly pro-therapy. There's no quick win or big revelation that causes Zoe to suddenly "get over" her issues; mental health recovery takes times and hard work and Paper Girl doesn't shy away from that fact. That said, Zoe's recovery was more than a little rushed and she was seemingly comfortable in situations that would give a person without agoraphobia anxiety. Still, the author had a story to tell and struck a pretty good balance between realism and storytelling.

Paper Girl is a strong debut - with an absolutely gorgeous cover! - and a must-read for fans of contemporary YA.

Author Interview - Helen Scheuerer

To celebrate the release of Reign of Mist, book two of the Oremere Chronicles, I chat to author Helen Scheuerer about her writing process, favourite authors and dealing with bad reviews.

The Book

The realm’s darkest secret is out.

The cruelty of the capital and the power-hungry King Arden have scattered Bleak and her companions across the continents. On the run in a foreign land, Bleak finds herself tied to some unexpected strangers. When the answers she yearns for are finally within reach, she must face the hard truths of her past, and take her fate into her own hands before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, secrets and magic unravel as a dark power corrupts the realm. Bleak’s friends are forced to decide where their loyalties lie, and who, if anyone, they can trust.

But one thing is certain: war is coming, and they must all be ready when it does.

Intriguing and action-packed, Reign of Mist is the second instalment in Helen Scheuerer’s epic YA fantasy series, The Oremere Chronicles.

You can read my review of Reign of Mist (spoiler alert; I loved it!) here.

The Interview

A lot of series’ suffer from “second book syndrome” which you seem to have avoided! How hard was it writing this book compared to Heart of Mist?

It feels surreal looking back on the challenges of writing the second book now… At the start, I thought it was going to be easier; I knew the world, I knew the characters far better than I had before starting Heart of Mist. However, after the first draft, I started working with my beta readers and realised just how much work there still was to go. I’m so so lucky that I got such honest feedback from my betas because the book wasn’t nearly ready for publication. It definitely suffered from second book syndrome at one point! With my betas’ suggestions and encouragement, it took another six months at least to rework the manuscript. It felt much harder to finish than the first book!

If you could go back in time and give your past self one piece of advice before starting the series, what would it be?

Haha, hindsight it such a bitter sweet thing! For me, I always thought I had planned the series quite well. Turns out, I hadn’t even scratched the surface. I wish I had of taken more time before putting pen to paper to plot not only the first book, but all three. Writing the second, and now third book, has been an exercise in problem solving thanks to my lack of extensive plotting!

Putting your book out in the public domain must be pretty daunting. How do you deal with the reactions to your book, either positive or negative?

Ahhh… Honestly? It really depends what day you ask me. I like to think that I’ve developed a thick skin over the years, but some days you can feel more fragile than others. Daunting is definitely the right word there.

It’s always wonderful to receive a good review - there’s nothing that brightens my day more than that. As for the bad… Most of the time I try to either a) take feedback on board, some reviewers are constructive in their critiques! or b) laugh it off, or c) don’t read them at all!

Your cast of characters is getting pretty long and your world map must be huge! How do you keep track of everything and everyone when you’re writing?

Haha, don’t remind me! When I started writing Heart of Mist I just had a list of characters and where they were from. Nowadays… You’re absolutely right, the cast just keeps growing. Now I have spreadsheets to keep track of names, origins, who they’re related to, who they’re friends with and any physically distinctive traits like scars and unusual eye colours.

Who’s your favourite character in RoM to write and who’s your favourite character to read?

Ohhhhh that’s a great (and difficult) question! This is another one that really depends on the mood, as well as the extent of the plan I’m working off, but… I actually quite like writing from Swinton’s point of view. I love writing the banter between him and Fi :)

As for my favourite to read… I do love Olena. She’s underestimated by all those around her (except Dash) but then she comes out with these burns that leave everyone in shock… I love those quiet girl-power moments.

What are some of your favourite fantasy books or series when you’re taking a break from writing?

I love a bit of SJM (Sarah J. Maas). She’s my guilty pleasure author. Hot fae guys, kickass action and all the sass in the world. Her books are the perfect escape material.

I also love V.E. Schwab’s Darker Shade of Magic trilogy and Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes. Authors like them leave me in absolute awe at the depth of their characterisation and worldbuilding. Their books are definitely something to aspire to.

Where’s the strangest place writing inspiration has struck you?

Generally if I’m feeling stuck on a particular scene or plot point, and am feeling quite frustrated about things, inspiration tends to strike when I’m doing something mundane, like doing the dishes or cleaning the apartment. Actually just this morning I had a bit of a plot breakthrough while I was refilling the soap dispensers…

What’s the best and worst part of writing a book?

There are so many highs and lows when you’re writing a book, which makes this question really hard to answer. I think for me, particularly being an indie author, one of the worst (or hardest) parts of the process is finally deciding when the book is ready. As I’ve mentioned, I work with a great team of beta readers, but at the end of the day, the one who draws the line in the sand and says the book is finished and ready for readers is me. I find that incredibly daunting.

As for the best part of writing a book? The days when your imagination is soaring and your fingers are flying across the keyboard… There’s absolutely nothing better than that feeling. The feeling of having created, of worked hard and having something to show for it at the end of the day.

I know you won’t leave us on that ending! What’s next for the Oremere Chronicles?

Haha, I do love a good cliffhanger! Well to be honest, all I can really say without spoiling things is that the third and final book will be out in 2019.

I’ve also been publishing prequel e-shorts to the series, there are currently six available for free. Readers can sign up here to receive them. The plan is to publish three more in before the third book is released, so readers can still get their Oremere fix ;)

Sum up Reign of Mist in ten words or less.
Action-packed, intriguing, suspenseful and addictive (hopefully!).

 Reign of Mist is on sale now!

The Author

Helen Scheuerer is a novelist from Sydney, Australia, and the Founding Editor of Writer's Edit. She has university degrees in both creative writing and publishing. Her #1 bestselling YA fantasy novel, Heart of Mist is available now. She is a full-time author living by the beach.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Writer's Edit

The Prequels

There are six (yep, six!) free (also yep, free!) prequel novellas available which you can get from Helen's website. Happy reading!

Ash Princess

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

I’ve read this book before. So have you. It may have been called something else but the pieces are all here. The heir to a fallen throne, her people in hiding/slavery. The evil overlord king who took said throne. A secret rebel in the heart of her enemy’s stronghold. The childhood friend and hot newcomer/prince love triangle. Vague magic. 

I had the exact same problem with Frostblood, Snow Like Ashes and Red Queen. The author seemed so busy trying to cram every cliche in the YA playbook into her story that the story itself fell short. Every box is ticked but it all feels obligatory, not organic. The characters do the "right" things and spout the "right" dialogue, but they're dull and lifeless. The world and history is standard fantasy fare, but it feels sketched not shaded. The plot takes you from A to B, but there are no surprises along the way. I guess I can't lambast an author writing in a genre for sticking to the "rules" of that genre too closely, but it would be nice to read something new.

The story wasn’t engaging. There was some potential in the Kaiser keeping Thora as a political prisoner and taking her people’s rebellions out her, but aside from a few mentions this was pretty much glossed over. I’m not saying I wanted to read torture scenes reminiscent of a Saw movie, but this thread was one of the few things this book had going for it to differentiate it from the YA pack, so I was disappointed that it only garnered a few mentions and a fade to black. I mean, if the point was to show Thora’s people that their rightful queen has been reduced to nothing more than a subservient slave, being punished every time they stepped out of line, why do her punishments all seem to take place behind closed doors? Why were her scars only displayed at the Kaiser’s dinners which were, presumably, occasions where his allies would be present? It felt like a suitably twisted idea, but the execution was fumbled when that idea ended up on the pages.

Thora herself was a hard character to read, which didn’t help the story click with me. The author flits her between a Stockholm syndrome afflicted victim to quietly calculating rebel on a whim, which makes it hard to see her as a believable character. One moment we’re supposed to believe she’s been conditioned to keep her head down to stay alive, the next we’re being asked to swallow the idea that she’d plot political assassination behind her jailor’s back with nothing more than a little prompting from three new guards who claim to be rebels. It didn’t feel like Thora had much of a character arc if that side of her had been present, albeit hidden, from page one. Her painfully telegraphed relationship with the Prince (or Prinz as its spelled in this book for some reason) Soren lacked any sort of chemistry, and no real reason is ever given for him being willing to betray his father and his kingdom for her. Professing love doesn’t cut it for me. I want to hear the banter, see the sparks and feel the heat, and I got none of those things. 

The writing style felt oddly flat to me. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it never drew me in. It never swept me away into the story. Things happen and people say things, but I always felt like I was watching from a distance. The best books put you right there with the characters, in that world. Ash Princess didn’t do that for a single moment. 

Overall, Ash Princess is fine, and that pretty much sums up my issue with it. There’s nothing new here, nothing unique or particularly enthralling. It’s just … ok. It offers everything you’d expect a YA to offer and nothing more. If you’re looking for a quick and easy read that’s not going to turn your world upside down then give it a go, but if you want anything more than that you’d best look elsewhere.