Crystal Kingdom Book Review

Crystal Kingdom (Kanin Chronicles #3) by Amana Hocking

Published: August 4th 2015 by St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

The kingdom she loves has turned against her. Can she save it before it’s too late?

Bryn Aven—unjustly charged with murder and treason—is on the run. The one person who can help is her greatest enemy, the gorgeous and enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light…and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holms and the Trylle kingdom? Nothing is as it seems, but one thing is certain: an epic battle is under way—and when it’s over, nothing will ever be the same…

I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely more than the second book. This one for one actually had a plot that advanced very quickly and there was hardly any grammatical errors. The plot itself while not spectacular was just alright, but 8 times better than the second book.

This book basically starts off right where the second book ended. Konstantin shows up where Bryn is hiding and he offers her friendship. They go off to try to get support for their cause and to try to clear Bryn’s name. For the most part, I don’t see why Konstantin is always trying to help out Bryn when she doesn’t even appreciate everything he did and just questioned every single motive.

Byrn still annoyed me in this book, but I am very happy that Konstantin is there to basically slap some sense into her. Every time she demanded something “for the good of the people”, he was there to remind her that this was a war and one person can’t come before the good of the many. It also annoyed me that she was ok if the war was happening anywhere except Doldastam, but as soon as it was suggested to bring it to them everyone there was an innocent bystander and shouldn’t be brought into the war. I think she is seriously missing what the idea of a war is.

The addition of Konstantin helped a lot in the book. He just added something that was missing from the first two books. It also seems as if he is the most flushed out character for one that just became one of the cast. One aspect I did not like was the addition of a love triangle between him, Bryn, and Ridley. Thankfully though the love triangle was a little more one sided until the end (but I won’t spoil it for you).

If you could just read the first book and this one, I think for the most part you will enjoy the series. If of course you can ignore all the parts where the author says that a character does something because they are a troll and it’s the troll thing to do. Overall, I give this trilogy a 3 out of 5 stars (the second book really dragged it down for me).

Waiting on Wednesday (3/29/2017)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by  Jill from Breaking The Spine that shows the upcoming books that many of us are anticipating! This week, I’m waiting for…

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Title:  Missing

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Expected Publication:  April 18th 2017

Publisher:  Crown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary:

The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve’s End is that soon she’ll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There’s nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They’re better off taking a chance elsewhere.

The only thing Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree.

But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they’re all missing?

I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan, and I cannot wait for this book to come out!!! This seems a little bit different from what she normally writes, and it has a creepy mystery factor going on. Are you excited for this book as well? What are you waiting for this week?

Ice Kissed Book Review

Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles #1) by Amanda Hocking

Published: May 5th 2015 by St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…and the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss, Ridley Dresden, is overseeing her mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.

As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it will change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.

Reading this book, I realized that I should have reread the first book before diving in. I remembered some aspects of the first book, but I forgot a lot of it. It might have helped me enjoy this book more, but realistically I don’t think it would have helped.

I really wish the blurb matches the actual book. There is an impression that there is some deep long-hidden secret/mystery, but in reality that isn’t the case until about the last chapter of the whole book! This book it seemed really suffered from the middle book syndrome. The plot didn’t move that much, and the tension didn’t rise until the end. The ending is what really helped the book get another star rating than what I would have given it.

Byrn didn’t grow at all as a character in this book. She took everything as someone else’s fault (if she didn’t blame herself for something that wasn’t even her fault), and it was either her way or the high way. I really don’t know why so many people listened to her when her partner was of higher rank. (Also, I would like to note that the blurb says Ridley was in charge of the mission, but he wasn’t even in Skojare. So no heating up of anything).

One aspect that bothered me throughout the book was the lack of editing. There was typos everywhere!!! Normally, one or two don’t bother me, but this one had a bunch. Words were missing, words were duplicated, or there was missing punctuation. Which this isn’t the authors fault, but her editor should have caught almost all of these before print.

I could go on and on about the negatives of this book, but I think I’ll just stop here. Thankfully the book wasn’t that long or I would have probably DNFed it, but I wanted to read the third book so I pushed my way through.

Goodreads Monday (3/27/2017)

Goodreads Monday is a meme hosted by Lauren @Page Turner,  and the idea is to post a book that’s on your TBR pile and show it off. This is a great way to show off books I have not yet managed to read!

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This week I have chosen:

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Goodreads Summary:

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

It’s sad to say that I have not read this book yet, even though I have had it on my shelf since it first came out. I think at this point I will have to reread the first book before picking this one up. I guess it can all be in preparation for the third book that is coming out this May! I loved the first one, so I have high expectations for this one. Especially with all of the rave reviews that have been going around since it came out!

What is on your Goodreads TBR shelf this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (3/8/17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by  Jill from Breaking The Spine that shows the upcoming books that many of us are anticipating! This week, I’m waiting for…

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Title:  The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die Series #4)

Author: Danielle Paige

Expected Publication:  March 14th 2017

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Goodreads Summary:

In this high-octane fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to save Kansas and make Oz a free land once more.

At the end of Yellow Brick War, Amy had finally defeated Dorothy. Just when she and the rest of the surviving members of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, they realized they’ve been betrayed -by one of their own. And Dorothy might not have been so easily defeated after all.

In the fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, the magical Road of Yellow Brick has come to the rescue, and whisked Amy away -but to where? Does the Road itself know where she needs to go to find the help that she needs?

Welcome to the other side of the rainbow. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magic shoes won’t be able to save you.

Hello, my fellow bloggers! I realize that I have been seriously slacking lately in my blog posts and haven’t posted in about 2 weeks!!! Oops. I promise that this month will be a better month for me as hopefully I’ll be gaining more energy after passing the first trimester. Man growing a baby is so exhausting. Do any mommy bloggers have any tips?

I have only read the first two books, and I have enjoyed them immensely. I did the mistake of reading the first novella and it kind of turned me away from this series. I do own the third book, so hopefully it will redeem the series for me. I also hope that this is the last book in the DMD series.

Side note: who wrote this synopsis? Does it really need “4th installment of the NYT bestselling Dorothy Must Die series…” twice?!

What are you waiting for this week?