Cassie James's Blog: Itz All About Books!! - Posts Tagged "retelling"

No Good Deed by Kara Connolly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.



No Good Deed by Kara Connolly is definitely one of the best debuts I've read in 2017. Gripping and thrilling right from the beginning, it never disappointed till the end.
Eleanor Hudson, an Olympic Archery aspirant (who is way too good with a bow) gets sent back 800 years into the past through a series of unfortunate events. Stuck in a time and place that isn't hers, Ellie is forced to maneuver her own way through a world which she knows little about. A terrible misunderstanding brings her through the path of the fierce protector/Knight Sir James who takes her under his wing and keeps her away from the villainous and dramatic Sheriff of Nottingham and his fascinating Captain Henry Guilbert. But Ellie soon realises that to survive, She has to take matters into her own hands. Through a series of misunderstanding, she is mistaken for a boy and decides to take on the moniker of Robin of the Hood (Robin Hood) and protect those she can from the Sheriff.
Ellie is such a fascinating character every thing about her is intriguing. Her thinking, the way her mind works, her brilliance, her ability and her willingness to put herself in harms way to protect people, everything made her such a unique and fleshed out character. I also like the fact that the book doesn't also totally ignore the fact that she's stuck in a time that isn't hers. The other characters make the book even note good, James is such a delight to read about. From when he's being protective, flustered, badass and even annoyed, He's always keeping me entertained. Much is such a useful character, without him their story wouldn't be awesome the way it is. The band of Merry men, Will, Little John and even Alan-A-Dale were very welcome additions to the storyline. Henry Guilbert is another character I really liked, From the beginning I knew there was more to him than his initial introduction and I'm glad I was right. The Sheriff of Nottingham makes a good villain that's easy to hate but i loved that twist before the end because I didn't see it coming and it elevated the story in a way that the Sheriff couldn't. There is a lot of humor in it that just had me laughing out loud at many points, mysteries too that kept the tension going. I really loved that ending because it tied up the story in a very nice final way.
No Good Deed is a thrilling adventure of great writing, impressive characters, crazy cool action, some romance, time travel and a little bit of magic. Kara Connolly has written an impressive book that every reader would find an absolute delight.

P.S: That cover is so beautiful!!



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The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, this doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.



The Traitor Prince is all I was expecting and more. C.J. Redwine is an author who I have been super impressed with ever since The Shadow Queen and she just keeps getting better and better. The Traitor Prince continues this amazing series with the story of Javan, a very interesting and compelling character. He is the Crown Prince of Akram, a kingdom he has been away from for a very long time. Javan has been at the prestigious Milisatria Academy for the Comportment and Education of the Nobility in the northern kingdom of Loch Talam since he was 7 years old. Javan is what we call a ‘Straight A's’ student. Due to the dying wish his mother made, He's made sure he is the best at everything. He never made time to have fun and instead strived for perfection, He never even went home for holidays. Javan eventually graduated with top Honors. The day of his graduation, He is attacked and left for dead by some assassins from his homeland. It is revealed that they were sent to get rid of him so his illegitimate cousin Rashim (who Javan never knew existed and somewhat resembles the Prince) will take his place as the Crown Prince and no one will know better as Javan hasn't been seen in years. Javan luckily survives from the clutches of death and escapes with the intent of stopping the imposter from taking his throne. But as he unfortunately finds out, the betrayal and treachery runs deep. Instead of being liberated, he is branded a traitor and sent to be executed. But for the kindness of a guard whose conscience will not leave him be, he would have been murdered. He is instead sent to the Maqbara, the vicious prison of Akram where the worst of the worst are sent. Javan is thought dead by those who want him gone.
In Maqbara, Javan meets Sajda. She's beautiful and deadly and has been enslaved by the warden of Maqbara since she was a child. Javan has a hard time in the prison as he quickly makes enemy with a thuggish leader of a gang after saving an old man (who is a dear friend to Sajda) from them. Javan learns that a tournament is held twice a year in Maqbara, whoever emerges the champion gets an audience with the king and asks for a boon as long as it is within the parameters of the law. The Tournament won't be easy as it involves many rounds of battling deadly monsters and emerging victorious. But Javan is desperate for any way to get to his father and reveal the treachery (by showing his father something only both of them knows about). What makes the whole situation more precarious is that the King is being slowly poisoned by his enemies unknown to Javan, their plan is for Rahim to ascend to the throne after the death of the king. Javan has to win the tournament for the sake of the future of Akram, He realises that there is no way for him to do it without Sajda's help. He enlists her help by offering her what she wants most, freedom.
Sajda hasn't had an easy life, being enslaved to the villainous Warden at 5 was hard enough, but to have her magic locked away and stifled is the worst. Her powers gave her strength enough to survive Maqbara and the evil prisoners. But what she has always longed for is freedom and knowing what it's like to truly live. Meeting Javan was an unexpected blessing in disguise, they don't have it easy at first. But as they got to know each other, they both begin to realise they are each what the other needs, in more ways than one.
There is so much action and I loved the way it was vividly portrayed, It was like the words came to life. That spellbinding ability is not something all authors have. I finished this book in less than 6 hours nonstop. The romance between Javan and Sajda is amazing, intense, hot, deep, meaningful and it was borne from the rawest of emotions. C.J. Redwine is so good at tugging at my heartstrings and making me fall head over hills for her characters.
Javan is honorable, resilient, loyal and loving, Sajda is badass, guarded but an angel underneath, brilliant, powerful, amazing, and just about every good quality I love in a heroine. The ending of The Traitor Prince was really quite satisfying, There's this understanding that things had to happen the way they did for everything to be alright. I loved the way the brilliant storylines were wrapped up, I can't wait for the next tale in the Ravenspire series.
The Traitor Prince has it all, drama, action, adventure, romance, betrayal, suspense, magic, top notch writing, MONSTERS!! and a resplendent and symbolic breathtaking cover.
I happily recommend it to fantasy fans, It will resonate well with lovers of the series.

P.S: Those glimpses of characters from the previous books are so cherished, It was really nice to at least get those tidbits. (Ari was freaking adorable).

P.P.S:The monsters in this book are terrifying, those who love stuff like that will have a field day. I loved the descriptions and the scenes were so well put together I was too entranced to even be scared.

P.P.P.S: Last one, I have to say this one last time. You will ship Sajda and Javan so hard because they're cool like that.



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Shatter by Aprilynne Pike

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.



Shatter by Aprilynne Pike is the sequel to the amazing Glitter that rocked my world earlier this year. I am a huge fan of the author and I really enjoyed Glitter so I was expecting to love Shatter and I definitely did.
Shatter begins with the aftermath of Danica's wedding to King Justin. The sting from Reginald's betrayal is still sharp but she had no choice but to think forward and keep trying to come up with a plan to save Saber. But it will take compromise and a lot and of pretending, so she plays Queen and dances to Justin's tune (though with a few meaningful tweaks here and there, She is still a badass after all). The voting coup by Duke Tremain takes place with a twist but was still a failure on his part.
Dani's glitter business is still going on but she's slowly trying to wean people off it little by little while also forming her own little army against the enemies she has on different fronts (Reginald, Lady Cyn and the King).
The relationship between Saber and Danica is still quite strong but it's become somewhat strained due to their differing opinion on selling Glitter and Reginald's poisonous influence.
One amazing thing from Shatter is that Dani begins to realise she has a darker side, This darkness in her attracts King Justin as he sees more of himself in her. It was interesting seeing her toe the line between doing what she had to do and what she wanted to do. Dani is a flawed character and that's what makes her so enchanting.
Danica uncovers world changing secret plans(that's quite literal by the way) being concocted. She keeps stumbling upon revelation after revelation but can only do whatever she can to survive and save those she loves. Her fierceness and inability to give up is one of the qualities I love about her. Aprilynne Pike certainly knows how to make a character interesting.
The moments before the end of Shatter were just simply amazing, all the scheming, plots and lies were finally leading to a satisfying ending in a most exciting way. The SciFi tidbits are equally great, I never knew I'd enjoy conding, bots and all those other stuff but it's all so exciting and with each new dangerous revelation, the intensity soars.
Danica may not have been the best version of herself by the end of Shatter but everything she'd gone through was perfectly understandable. I loved how badass she was through it all.
The ending was a somewhat expected but the twists and turns that led there made it refreshingly good. I am very pleased with this series and I'm glad I read it.
Aprilynne Pike is a masterful writer and she has added another impressive installment to her achievements.
Fans of Glitter will devour this book because with it's feverish action, fast pace and mysteries, Shatter is a must read.

P.S: What happens to Reginald is something that will forever be imprinted in my memory and goes into my Hall of Fame of Female Badassery.
P.P.S: The symbolism of the beautiful cover is a nice touch.



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The Blood Spell by C.J. Redwine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received and ARC of this book from the publisher but this doesn't influence my opinion of it.



The Ravenspire series by C. J. Redwine is one of my all time favourite YA Fantasy series, I love the way she tweaks these fairytales and make them come to life with each book.
I was excited to begin a new journey into this world with The Blood Spell and I was once again entranced. I am never disappointed in these books and The Blood Spell is no different.
It's about Bernadina 'Blue' de La Cour and the Prince of Balavata, Kellan Renard.
First of I want to commend the author for how unique each differing kingdoms in the series is, they share the same world but their culture, manners and everything is so different.
Blue is an Alchemist. She is the daughter of the Alchemist of the Gaillard quarter in Falaise de la Mer, the capital city of Balavata.
Blue learned from her father all that she knows about alchemy but she is able to reach greater heights because of the hidden magic that runs in her veins -passed down from her maternal line- is one that helps with mixing of certain ingredients into the formation of things that cannot be done without extra help. Her affinity for tuning into the frequency of herbs, minerals and materials helped her not only become a brilliant alchemy but made her dream big.
Her main dream being creating a method that turns metal into gold. Not for her personal use per say but to build a home/school for the too many homeless children in Balavata.
These poor children were made orphans by a devastating attack on the kingdom by a Blood Wraith 16 years ago.
A Blood Wraith is a witch turned mad and powerful after dabbling into the dangerous arts of drinking children's blood for power. A Blood Wraith is uber powerful, supernaturally strong and almost impossible to kill.
The particular one that plagued Balavata was imprisoned with the help of Blue's late mom through mysterious ways that were never revealed. The deadly woods on the outskirts of Balavata where the Wraith was contained was named the Wilds. Thus magic was banned in Balavata on the consequence of Death if found guilty.
Blue has always been a champion for justice and welfare as she was raised right by her father and her loving Grandmere.
Because of her brilliance in alchemy along with the friendship between her father and the King before his demise, Blue is chosen to tutor the Princess Nessa in the arts of alchemy.
Unfortunately her brilliant experiment with gold soon brings trouble landing on their peaceful doorstep.
The Crown Prince Kellan Renard has finally left the boarding school he has attend since he was a child. Kellan longs to be away from Balavata and the drowning responsibilities awaiting him along with some bad memories.
But the time has come for him to ascend to the throne and take on the duty of king, one of them being picking a bride from one of the twelve ruling Houses. Life at the palace is a whirlwind of deceit, lies, facades and careful maneuvering.
One bright spot in Kellan's life is his little sister Nessa who mute and utterly adorable. But along with his sister comes the thorn in his side Blue who is a stickler for rules which is the complete opposite of himself.
They've clashed ever since they were kids with Blue being the ever obedient tattletale and Kellan the ever mischievous instigator.
But beyond their bickering this time lay a simmering inferno that begins to burst forth between them.
Pushed by circumstances and dire situations that place the fate of the kingdom in both their hands, Blue and Kellan have to race against time if they're going to save Balavata and avoid falling for each other because they can never be together, after all, it's against the law.
Seeing as this is a Cinderella retelling, there's quite a lot of callbacks to the original. A situation that places Blue into the hands of a cruel caretaker and her two daughters, A Ball where the Prince shall choose a bride, A magical godmother etc. But there is so many crazy, brilliant and original twists and tweaks along the way that turns everything around.
One of the things I love about this book is the little tidbits here and there that hint at the main web of mystery but it'll take a super vigilant mind to piece it all together.
There is truly no way that I can really give justice to just how amazing this book is.
The Blood Spell builds further into the Ravenspire world adding so many new exciting things to this vast and addicting series.
There is no shortage of things to love, the sweet magic that's beautiful yet devastating, the build up of a romance that feels fleshed out rather than rushed and also has valid reasons to be kinda drawn out, avidly descriptive POV's that let's one into the minds of not only the characters but the villain -I LOVE a book that I get to understand the villain's motive and drive not just something basic like being evil simply because.-, mounting tension that crests with each revelation etc.
Fans of the Ravenspire series will also be pleased with the appearance of some characters from earlier books in the series along with some honorable mentions.
I happily recommend this book to YA readers of all kind even those new to the series, it's a tightly self contained story that can as well be read alone.
The ending was just as phenomenal as the book, the road towards it filled with so many twists and shocking moments.
I can't wait to have a physical copy of this book because that cover is inciting major lust.
Thanks to C.J. Redwine for writing another amazing book that keeps me happy!!!!!.



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