Review: All Fall Down

All Fall Down by Ally Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grace used to spend every summer at her grandfather’s home, but she hasn’t been there since her mother’s death three years ago. She is now sixteen and is returning with plans to stay. Her grandfather lives on Embassy Row and is considered one of the most powerful ambassadors in the world. Now that Grace has returned to this varied community, she wants to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. She remembers her mother being shot by a man with a scare on his face, but everyone in her life is trying to convince her that it was an accident, not a murder. Grace has never been one to accept other people’s explanations and she will not stop until she uncovers the truth.

All Fall Down is the first book in the Embassy Row series. Ally Carter has once again created a cast of characters that readers will quickly learn to love, yet this first book has a darker undertone that her other series did not include. There are some twists and turns in the story’s plot and even though the main story is wrapped up before the end, Carter has created a world that will enable her to generate many books in coming years. All Fall Down is a fun read and I will definitely be looking for the next book in the series.


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Review: Talon

Talon by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ember and Dante Hill are ready to begin their next stage of training. They have been given the summer to acclimate and assimilate into the human culture. This is vitally important since they are both dragons of Talon. A secret organization that goes by the name “The Order of St. George” has been hunting dragons for hundreds of years, yet the dragons of Talon have learned to fight back and are getting stronger and growing in numbers. Ember is enjoying her summer as a carefree girl … that is until a rogue dragon introduces her to the hidden side of Talon and she begins to question everything she has been taught.

Talon is the first book in a new series by Julie Kagawa. Readers who enjoyed her books about Faerie and a world controlled by vampires will not be disappointed in this world where dragons are real. Even though the chapters alternate perspectives with a variety of characters, readers should not have any difficulties with following the story line. Every once in a while, Kagawa will back up with a perspective change so that the reader will understand what the other character was seeing and feeling. Talon is a great read and has the outlook of a great series.


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Review: Seeker

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Quin Kincaid has been training since she was eight years old. She is now in her fifteenth year and is about to take her Oath. She will become a Seeker, fight alongside her two best friends and help protect the weak in the world. This group of young people can’t wait to join their family in this legacy. That is until the night she takes her Oath and is given her first assignment, her world is turned upside down and she must face some hard truths and question everything she has ever been told.

Seeker is the first book in a new fantasy series. Although it is being promoted for readers who enjoyed A Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games, this book is like neither of them. Readers should be warned that the perspective of the story is constantly shifting and at many times this technique distracts from the story itself. The book is an OK read, but should not be moved to the top of a reader’s TBR pile. Add it to your reading list for later … hopefully the second book shows growth for this relatively unknown author.


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Review: Mortal Heart

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Annith has spent her entire life training to be an assassin. Recently, she has watched her friends be sent out in the name of St. Mortain, yet she has not been trusted with a task. One of the skills she has honed over the years is listened through closed doors. This skill exposes a shocking truth … the abbess is planning to make her a Seeress and she will never be allowed to leave the convent. Being sequestered is not in Annith’s plans and she sets out on an adventure of her own making.

Mortal Heart is the third and final book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Ismae and Sybella are brought into this final story and readers will delve deeper in the dark world of fifteenth century Brittany. LaFevers holds no punches as she weaves the tale of these three strong women and the epic battle for the throne of Brittany. Many times a final book does not hold up to the first book, yet Mortal Heart is an exception. This concluding book kept me turning pages all the way till the end!


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Review: Ensnared

Ensnared by A.G. Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The rabbit hole is closed, yet Alyssa needs to get back to Wonderland. Alyssa and her father begin a journey to find her mom and correct all of the wrongs her family has wrought. They must go through the looking-glass world and wind their way through this darker parallel realm. Jeb and Morpheus must help them, but the rivalry between them is as intense as ever. Can this unlikely team save Wonderland from the darkness that has ensnared it? Can everyone have a happily ever after or will Alyssa have to choose between Jeb and Morpheus?

Ensnared is the third and final book in the Splintered series. The tale is as dark as ever and the reader will need to reach the end to see if they ever find the light. Howard does not waste time reviewing events from the first two books, but most readers will find the story itself will jog their memory. This is most defiantly the last book in the Splintered series, but like any other fantasy novel there is room for a spin off series. If any more books are written about this dark Wonderland, I will happily pick them up and read.


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Review: The Ruby Airship

The Ruby Airship by Sharon Gosling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We met Rémy as a master jewel thief, but she has now left the circus and her thieving ways. She wants nothing more than to have a life with detective Thaddeus Rec, but it doesn’t look like he will ever trust her again. Due to events outside of Rémy’s control, she decides to go to France and join up with her old circus and Yannick. Thaddeus trusts Yannick even less than Rémy and sets out on a quest to get her back. He will do anything to reach his goal, even trust an untested airship.

The Ruby Airship is the second book in The Diamond Thief series. Gosling does not spend much time refreshing the reader’s memory about events in the first book, but if readers are like me, they will easily remember what is needed by pushing into the story. The writing encourages the reader to continue on and the different events during the book are weaved around the main characters and do not cause a lot of confusion. This is an action packed adventure that readers can either devour quickly or pace themselves over time. Although I am interested in the next book, this did not end with a strong cliffhanger so readers will feel like they got a good, satisfying ending.


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