Review: THE WICKED WILL RISE by Danielle Paige

Title: The Wicked Will Rise

Author: Danielle Paige

Series: Dorothy Must Die #2

Why I read it: After finishing Dorothy Must Die Stories, I was VERY intrigued to see where the story went. And I wanted to keep up with the series instead of falling behind. 

Thoughts: What a great second installment. 

I was a little worried when I bought this book, because it is significantly shorter than the first book, and I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough meat there. But I was so mistaken. 

The great thing about second books, and the reason they get away with being shorter than first books, is that there is way less world-building to be done here. We've read the first book, we know all about the world and the characters and what is going on, so we don't need all of that in the second book. Instead of introducing things, second books can get right into the action and not let up. 

Because trust me. The Wicked Will Rise is definitely not short on plot. 

This book picks up pretty much exactly where the first book left off, and it doesn't really slow down from there. There are a few quieter moments, but the plot is constantly moving forward. It doesn't stagnate at all.

Though we don't get to see all of our favorite characters from the first book, we do get to meet a few new characters along the way like Polychrome and Bright. And they are so much fun. Amy continues her journey here, fighting to remain good when her inner wickedness is fighting to be fully released.

We get to see new parts of Oz we haven't been before, and we get to revisit places we have. But those places are changing, as the events of the series start to catch up with the landscape.

And without going into details, THAT ENDING. I was never bored with this book, even though parts of it were a little less eventful than others. But then we got to the last quarter of the book, and I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. So much was happening, and so many revelations, and that twist. And so many plot threads were coming together, including threads introduced in the Dorothy Must Die Stories collection of prequel novellas. So I would highly recommend reading the novellas before reading this sequel. Things will come together even more beautifully that way.

Danielle Paige definitely upped the ante in this book, and I cannot wait for the third book. But a quick glance at Goodreads tells me that the third book isn't due until 2017?!?! HOW is that even possible? I severely hope that is just a placeholder, and that we will get to see it much sooner than that. Otherwise, the book world might just have a riot on its hands. Publishing, you've already pushed back the release of The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. Give us a bone. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read this sequel? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: DOROTHY MUST DIE by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Series: Dorothy Must Die #1

Summary: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado--taking you with it--you have no choice but to go along, you know? 

Sure I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still a yellow brick road--but even that's crumbling. 

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. 

My name is Amy Gumm--and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. 

I've been trained to fight. 

And I have a mission.

Why I read it: This was my jar pick for the month, and I thought, How perfect! The sequel was coming out at the end of the month, so it was a perfect time to get to this!

Thoughts: I know there have been some mixed opinions on this book, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I really love the main character, Amy Gumm. She's a trailer-park girl from Kansas with an absent dad and a lackluster mom, and she's got pink hair to boot. But what I really love about Amy is that even though she's had a rough life and she's definitely a strong female character, she isn't mean or overly sarcastic. And that's what makes her interactions with everything Oz so special.

We have a large ensemble of characters here, all of which fall into two categories: ones that were in the original L. Frank Baum books, or ones that have been imagined by Danielle Paige.

All of the L. Frank Baum characters are twisted in delightful ways, either for good or for bad. I won't get into the "how's" and "why's" for fear of spoilers, but it is so much fun to meet each character and see how Paige has changed them for her story, or to catch small mentions of minor characters from the originals.

The characters Paige has created fit perfectly into the world of Oz and its topsy-turvy feel. Nox quickly turned into a favorite character for me (and a swoon-worthy one, at that!) Grandma Gert and Glamora (Glinda's twin sister) are also two of my favorite characters.

That's the thing about this book. I have so many favorite characters because Paige is so good at writing them. None of them are purely good or purely evil; they all exist in that morally gray area that I just love.

The setting is mostly the Oz we all know and love, so it's recognizable and doesn't require too much explanation, but with some extra fun thrown in!

The plot is so intriguing, as well. I was constantly wanting to turn the page, find out what happens next, because the plot twists just kept coming! And that ending? I did NOT see that coming!

My only problem with this book is that it drags in a few places, and there are a few times where things are over-explained, telling rather than showing. But other than that, I'd say this is a very solid debut from Paige and I can't wait to read more!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read Dorothy Must Die yet? If so, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: FAIREST by Marissa Meyer

Title: Fairest
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #0.5

Summary: Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her "glamour" to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story--a story that has never been told...until now. 

Why I read it: Do I really need to explain? I needed to know Levana's backstory, and I needed something to hold me over until Winter! Although I still don't think this helped much on that front, because it's still so far away!

Thoughts: I loved the novella.

I almost expected Queen Levana to become a little more sympathetic and understandable through this prequel. And I'm happy to report that while I did gain quite a bit of understanding as to Levana's history and her motivations, she remains quite the villain and I love Marissa Meyer for it.

I'd rather not talk too much about the plot, in the interest of avoiding spoilers for both the book and the first three books in the series. Suffice it to say, I was intrigued the whole way through, and it was fun seeing the origin of many things we've already seen in Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.

The writing, as usual, was phenomenal. It's disconcerting to be in Levana's head, but also fascinating. The characters are fleshed out, even in this short format.

Also, this book includes the first THREE chapters of Winter! When I saw that, I could barely contain myself. So once I finished Levana's story, I dove right into that beginning, and it definitely whet my whistle, and made me even that much more excited for Winter.

Basically, if you're a fan of the Lunar Chronicles at all, this prequel installment really shouldn't be missed or skipped. Pick it up before Winter, and be ready to finish the series with all the knowledge you need.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tell me: have YOU read Fairest yet? If so, what were your thoughts? How excited are you for Winter?!? Let me know in the comments below! 

Review: CRESS by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #3

Why I read it: Duh. 

Thoughts: This is the best book yet in the series. 

Once again, we get a new main character and perspective, based on another fairy tale with a sci-fi twist. Cress is the Lunar Chronicles counterpart to Rapunzel, and boy is she adorable. 

Cress is a sweet, shy girl who has lived on a satellite nearly all her life. Since both Cinder and Scarlet are more hard-headed and cynical about the world, it's refreshing to see the world from Cress's eyes, since she is rather naive about certain things in life. She also has a HUGE crush on Captain Thorne, which is just precious, especially considering what a sarcastic, yet lovable scallywag he is. 

We also meet Jacin Clay, one of the Lunar guards. I won't talk about him a lot, but I think it's safe to say we'll get to learn much more about him in the last book. 

Every interaction that Cress has with another character is golden, but especially her scenes with Thorne. It's adorable how much she adores him, and it's wonderful seeing their relationship progress. 

Again, I have to commend Meyer's skill at crafting believable relationships. There is no insta-love between Thorne and Cress (well, except on Cress's part), and the relationships from the first two books are still building and evolving. It's one reason that Winter, the fourth book, is my most anticipated book of 2015. Because I can't wait to see how all these relationships turn  out. 

Can I take a moment to praise the character naming skills of Meyer, as well? Cress, shortened for watercress, is a type of lettuce. As is Rapunzel. Meyer actually spoke about how she named Cress in a guest blog post, where she admitted that she initially called the character "Arugula" before realizing exactly how ridiculous that was. And Carswell Thorne? That name also has great connections to the original fairy tale. 

The original fairy tale is also masterfully weaved into the plot, and it's fun to pick out all of those parts and how they're reworked for the sci-fi setting. 

I have to admit: I cried while reading this book, which I did not expect. But if you get as attached to characters as I do, you may well cry over their plights, too. 

This may be Cress's book, but Cinder and Scarlet's stories certainly aren't over yet. They have a long way to go still, and I can't wait to find out how it all ends in Winter!

Rating: 5/5 stars 

Cinder review         and          Scarlet review

Tell me: have YOU read Cress yet? If so, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! 

Review: SCARLET by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #2

Why I read it: Obviously, because I loved the first book, Cinder, which you can read my review of by clicking here! I had planned on reading something else after Cinder, but I just couldn't wait to continue the series, so I immediately picked up Scarlet!

Thoughts: I adored this second installment in the series.

With all the events from the end of the first books, the overarching plot for the whole series really starts to rev into gear in Scarlet. Without going into too much detail (for fear of SPOILING you), I really enjoyed where the series is going. While Cinder was stuck within the Eastern Commonwealth, we get to see more of the world in Scarlet. 

We're introduced to a few new main characters, and all of them are wonderful. We have Scarlet, the Lunar Chronicles counterpart to Red Riding Hood, and this book's main character. Marissa Meyer has a knack for writing fantastic female protagonists, as both Cinder and Scarlet show. While Cinder is sweet and misunderstood and hesitant to draw attention to herself, Scarlet is bold and brave and often stubborn to a fault. Meyer's characters are always well-developed, with both strengths and flaws in everyone.

Our next new character is Wolf. And as I'm sure you already guessed, he is Scarlet's love interest. And he is my kind of man. He's the strong, silent type. A bad boy with a heart of gold. Oh yes, he is just delightful. And I will leave it at that.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least is the illustrious Captain Carswell Thorne, Cinder's newest companion. Carswell is handsome (and knows it), overly confident and extremely irreverent. He is certainly the comic relief in the story, as even in the face of danger, he most often still has a witty one-liner to deliver. I have to say that Thorne had to grow on me, but by the end of the book, he had me.

I appreciate the fact that even though this is Scarlet's story, we still get Cinder's perspective, and it doesn't feel contrived. It still feels like Cinder has a major story arc to live through, so she deserves some of the screen time. We also get some Prince Kai time, which I absolutely enjoyed. Though Prince Kai is now Emperor Kai, and trying to keep the Lunars at bay takes up much of his time, he still spares a thought for Cinder now and then. The tension between how they feel about each other, and their inability to admit it to even themselves is fabulous. Once again, I love Meyer's ability to let that romantic tension build and build, even when the two characters don't even interact.

Once I started this book, I didn't want to put it down again. I read it in just a few days, and IMMEDIATELY picked up Cress, which I will be reviewing next! If you haven't picked up this series yet, what are you waiting for?

Rating: 5/5 stars

Cinder review          and          Cress review

Tell me: if you have read Scarlet, what were YOUR thoughts on this second book? Let me know in the comments below! 

Review: CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one know that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. 

Why I read it: This is another one of those series that I had heard of when the first book came out a couple years ago, and wanted to read it, but for some reason didn't make it a priority. Now that I've become involved with the bookish community, this series is HUGE now. So I ordered the first two books from BookOutlet (yay, cheap books!) and bought the third from a local bookstore (yay, indies!) So I picked it up at the beginning of December because I just had to know if it deserved all the hype!

Thoughts: It does. It SO deserves the hype.

Each book in this series is a sci-fi retelling of a classic fairy tale, and obviously, this book follows the Cinderella storyline. But in this series, Cinderella is a cyborg mechanic. Isn't that fabulous?

The characters in this book are so wonderful. Cinder is a talented mechanic, but she is shy and uncomfortable in social situations. She only has two friends. First is Iko, an android with a faulty personality chip that makes her much more human-like. Oh, how I adore Iko and her massive crush on the prince. (An android with a crush? How precious!) And second, in a twist on the original tale, her stepsister Peony, who is just darling. Also, I love Dr. Erland. He's grumpy but wonderful, and I always picture him as John Noble. Anybody else?

Queen Levana is a fantastic villain. We don't get an opportunity to see inside her head much, and we barely have an idea of what she really looks like. But she is terrifying. She is Queen of the Lunars, the race of beings that live on the moon, and the main antagonist for the entire series. And sidenote: the Lunars are SO COOL. Everything we learn about them and their world (moon) is interesting.

And Prince Kai. He is so swoonworthy. (Spoiler alert: ALL the love interests in this series are swoonworthy.) He has the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he still manages to be charming and vulnerable.

One of my favorites things about this series is the development of relationships between our heroines and their love interests. Marissa Meyer certainly knows how to craft a slow burn romance. You will not spot insta-love in any of these books, nor are the relationships set in stone by the end of each book. They're always changing and developing in wonderful ways.

Marissa Meyer's world-building is perfection. These books are set in the future of our world, so while there are hovercars and robots and space travel, everything still seems a little familiar, which keeps this sci-fi tale a little more grounded. This makes it a perfect introduction into sci-fi for readers who aren't well versed in the genre!

The writing is great. It's fast-paced and keeps you entertained the whole way through, and you'll never want to put it down. I read the second half of the book in one sitting because I just had to get to the end! Once I got to the end, I had planned to read another book, but I couldn't put this series to the side yet, so I had to pick up Scarlet and continue the story!

Overall, I absolutely loved it. Easily one of my top five series I've ever read. And it's not over! Fairest, which comes out later this month, is Queen Levana's prequel story. Winter, the fourth and final novel, will be released in November. So if you haven't picked up this series yet, I highly recommend you do it soon, so you can get in on the hype and join the rest of us eagerly awaiting the last book!

If you have read these books already, come back and read my reviews for Scarlet and Cress in the next week or so! When those reviews are live, I will link them below as well.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Scarlet review         and          Cress review

Tell me: have YOU read Cinder yet? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!