Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James

Gilded Cage

Author: Vic James

Release Date: February 14, 2017

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Dark Gifts Book #1

ISBN:   0425284158

ISBN13: 9780425284155

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Not all are free. Not all are equal. Not all will be saved.

Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price?

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution.

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

GILDED CAGE took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, it was easy to keep reading.

There really is a lot going on in GILDED CAGE. Not only with the characters, but the world and events that take place too. The world itself is run by the equals—they have magical gifts. The commoners—no magical gifts—are forced to serve the equals for 10 years of their life. They are slaves for that entire time with no rights and are not treated very well. As with any situation like this, there are those that don't agree with the system and throughout GILDED CAGE a revolution erupts and lines are blurred.

I think my biggest issue with GILDED CAGE was that there were a lot of different POV's. I'm not a big fan of jumping around in different brains and it was a little hard for me to have so many to jump around in. Having said that, I did enjoy the characters of GILDED CAGE. They were all well developed and brought different things to the story. I was really surprised by most of them at one point or another while reading.

I was less than thrilled with the ending of GILDED CAGE, but can't really explain why due to spoilers. I was left with a lot of questions and very little answers, but I am interested in seeing what will happen next and what will become of a certain character that pretty much lost what they were at the end.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Long May She Reign

Author: Rhiannon Thomas

Release Date: February 21, 2017

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN:   0062418688

ISBN13: 9780062418685

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

The Girl of Fire and Thorns meets The Queen of the Tearling in this thrilling fantasy standalone about one girl’s unexpected rise to power.

Freya was never meant be queen. Twenty third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

Freya may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don’t respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, Freya knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom – and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can’t trust anyone. Not her advisors. Not the king’s dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her, but also wanted more power for himself.

As Freya’s enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown.

LONG MAY SHE REIGN is a standalone, but I would happily read more in this world.

Freya never expected to be queen and she never wanted to be queen, but after the banquet that she snuck out of early turns deadly that is exactly what she finds herself being. I found that I liked Freya from the very beginning. She has dreams and does everything possible to pursue them, but she also takes on her position head on and tries really hard to be the best queen possible even though those around her try everything to make her fail—or just try to use her to their advantage.

LONG MAY SHE REIGN was full of mystery and it was really well done in my opinion. Although the ending was a bit anti-climatic, I still really enjoyed the way that everything leading up to the reveal played out. There is a bit of a romance, but it isn't a main part of the storyline. I really enjoyed the friendship between Freya and Naomi. She both really shine when they are in each others presence and the way she treats Naomi throughout the story makes it clear that just because she's now queen, she will never think herself higher than those that deserve her friendship.

As I stated when I started this review, LONG MAY SHE REIGN is a standalone and I would love to read more, but it was still completely satisfied with the story when it ended.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Reveal: Kinglet by Donna Migliaccio

Kinglet
The Gemeta Stone #1
 Fiery Seas

Kristan Gemeta has lost everything:  his crown, his kingdom, his courage – even his name.

In the vast wilderness of the Exilwald, he's known to the other outcasts as Kinglet.  As long as Kristan stays hidden, he can elude the bounty hunters, brutal soldiers and terrifying spells of Daazna, the Wichelord who killed his father and destroyed his life.

But when a new band of pursuers comes looking for him, Kristan's wariness gives way to intrigue. For bounty hunters they're oddly inept, and a young woman in their company is leaving enigmatic drawings wherever they go.  As they plunge deeper into the Exilwald, Kristan follows. He discovers the drawings symbolize the Gemeta Stone, an ancient family talisman seized by Daazna but now in the little band's possession.

With the Stone's protection, Kristan might stand a chance against Daazna.  He could regain his birthright and his honor.  But to obtain the Stone, he must reveal his true identity and risk the one thing he has left...his life.

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Donna Migliaccio is a professional stage actress with credits that include Broadway, National Tours and prominent regional theatres.  She is based in the Washington, DC Metro area, where she co-founded Tony award-winning Signature Theatre and is in demand as an entertainer, teacher and public speaker.  Her award-winning short story, "Yaa and The Coffins," was featured in Thinkerbeat's 2015 anthology The Art of Losing.

Find Donna and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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New Releases: 2/19-2/25

Tue. Feb. 21st

 A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E. Schwab
 The Dragon's Price (Transference #1) by Bethany Wiggins 
 Driving Rain (Rain Chaser #2) by Sierra Dean
 Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Happy Reading!

Promo: Seraphina’s Initiation by Sheena Hutchinson

Seraphina's Initiation 
Seraphina #2
 Amazon         Goodreads

Seraphina Cross is unexpectedly thrown into this crazy, spiritual world of Angels versus Demons.Never did she expect to meet Nate who was just a figment of her imagination. Now she finds herself moving in with him because of her innate responsibility to protect her loved ones from harm.

Finally beginning to feel at home in her new house and with her new relationship. Nate begins training Sera in all that she can do, surprising even himself at times. Just when she is starting to feel safe and powerful, Lucifer finds a new way to attack her at her most vulnerable.

When her dreams are no longer a gift, can Sera control the powers needed to defeat what's coming before Lucifer fulfills his promise to her?

 

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Sheena is a born and raised New Yorker, even her writing can't seem to hide her hard sarcasm. She claims destiny has lead her back to her true passion for writing. 

She constantly strives to be a positive role model and writes stories that empower and inspire. Sheena always roots for the underdog, believes in love at first sight, and that everyone should have their happily ever after.

While God is currently still writing her love story, she continues to put all her effort into her writing as she is constantly getting new inspiration.

For more info, updates, and fun facts visit her online:

Find Sheena and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Goodreads Giveaway

Enter to win a copy on Goodreads

Week in Review: 2/12-2/18

Books Received for Review

Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein
Island of Exiles by Erica Cameron

Books I've Read

Borrowed Souls by Chelsea Mueller
Burn by Suzanne Wright
Blaze by Suzanne Wright
Here Be Sexist Vampires by Suzanne Wright

Reviews Posted

Midnight Cursed by Melissa F. Olson

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Monday- Cover Reveal + Giveaway for Exiled by Amanda Carlson

* Wednesday- Promo + Giveaway for His Fake Alien Fiancee by Patricia Eimer

* Thursday- Interview + Giveaway for Poison My Pretty by Amity Allen

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

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Review: Midnight Curse by Melissa F. Olson

Midnight Curse

Author: Melissa F. Olson

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Publisher: 47North

Disrupted Magic Book #1

ASIN:   B01JGIOO3A

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Scarlett Bernard is used to cleaning up messes. As a human who cancels out any magic around her, Scarlett’s job is to keep the supernatural world hidden—at any cost.

On the eve of the Vampire Trials, a two-day tribunal that allows the otherworldly community to air their grievances, Scarlett receives a blood-soaked message from Molly, her estranged former roommate. Molly, a vampire, had been living with twelve human college students…and in one terrible night, she slaughtered them all.

Scarlett believes Molly’s been set up, but no one else in the Old World agrees with her. And the true perpetrator is determined to make sure Molly goes on trial for the massacre—the penalty for which is death.

With less than two days to prove her friend’s innocence, Scarlett calls on former LAPD detective Jesse Cruz to help her dig into Molly’s past. But no one—Molly included—wants Scarlett and Jesse to bring the terrible truth to light.

I don't know if I'm the only one, but I was so confused when I read the blurb for Olson's new Disrupted Magic series. The main heroine, Scarlett Bernard, already has a series, but now she's the voice in MIDNIGHT CURSE, book one, of the Disrupted Magic series? It felt more like it should be Scarlett Bernard #4.  You can read this series without reading the 3 books in the Scarlett Bernard series, but why would you want to? There is so much backstory, you won't know you're missing, but it makes the book so much better. While you are at it, you might as well read the Boundary Magic series before diving into MIDNIGHT CURSE too. Both worlds intersect and the characters have history.

I was so excited dive back into Scarlett's world. MIDNIGHT CURSE takes place 3 years after the end of HUNTERS TRAIL and it was crazy to see how much the characters have changed. Scarlett is living with her werewolf boyfriend, her ex-vampire roommate isn't in her life and is in fact living as a coed—although not anymore as we soon find out—, and Jesse—the man I wanted Scarlett to end up with—got married, and divorced, has even written a book, and is now a depressed shadow of his bad-ass self. There are more characters, but these three have always been my favorites.

I don't want to get into the plot, but MIDNIGHT CURSE is a fast paced, easy flowing story with lot's of mystery, action and suspense. Characters and their relationships are tested quite a bit, some in more ways than others and getting to see Lex, from the Boundary Magic series, was an added bonus.

The ending kind of throws things on it's head again after a book that works to smooth things out, but it did it's job of getting me to want to read more. Book two, BLOOD GAMBLE, has a release date of July 25, 2017, so at least we don't have to wait to long to find out what happens next.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.