Book review; Throat of the Night by Karyn Henley

Throat of the Night by Karyn Henley (Published by Andon Press, March 12, 2013)

Throat of the Night is the third book in the Angelaeon Circle series, and picks up shortly after the ending to the second book. Melaia has two of the three harps needed to restore the stairway to heaven. After the destruction of the stairway, the angels were all trapped in the human world. Melaia has only one chance to restore the stairway, and time is running out. Melaia sends Trevin, the young man she loves, into enemy territory to search for the harp, while their enemy, an evil immortal being, continues to try and obtain and destroy all three harps so the stairway cannot be completed. Trevin finally has a plan for how he will be able to marry Melaia, a princess of much higher rank than himself, but first he must find the harp, which won't be easy when someone wants him dead.

Melaia had stayed back at court, separated from Trevin, but soon finds herself in danger, too. Melaia and Trevin struggle to keep their hope and their love alive. Can they save the world and their love for each other, and finally be together? Or will they be forced to make terrible sacrifices?

I loved the first two books in this series, so I have been eagerly anticipating reading the conclusion, and I am happy to say it does not disappoint. This book is a very satisfying conclusion to the series, but would probably be confusing to readers who have not read the first two books - there are a lot of characters, with a complicated back story and mythology and so on, so this is a series I definitely recommend reading in order. If you love young adult fantasy, particularly high fantasy, and are looking to read something different than the usual young adult paranormal romance, then I definitely recommend trying this series.

Interview with Karyn Henley, author of Throat of the Night

I love Karyn Henley's Angelaeon Circle series, so I am very excited to be kicking off the blog tour for book three, Throat of the Night! Here is an interview with Karyn, and check back tomorrow for my review!










The angel mythology in Breath of Angel is very interesting and creative, was it inspired by anything from any real cultures?

Actually it was. Most angel stories come from a variety of religious traditions, including Zoroastrianism and Islam, and since the word “angel” simply means “messenger,” even supernatural beings from East Asian religions could be called angels. But my primary inspiration came from Jewish and Christian traditions, specifically the hierarchy created by St. Aquinas. In the Middle Ages he reintroduced an ancient sixth century chart that divided angels into ranks according to their duties. That chart was my inspiration, but I renamed some of the ranks and tweaked their responsibilities to fit the needs of my story.  

Do you have a favorite character from the series, and if you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would you choose?

I like so many of the characters, it's hard to have a favorite. But if I could spend a day with one, I think I would choose Livia, one of the winged angels. She experienced life in the heavens before the destruction of the stairway to heaven, and I'd love to hear her memories of what life was like there. She is also wise and, like an ideal mentor, she would ask pointed questions that would help me understand myself and my journey. And she wouldn't judge me. I wouldn't feel embarrassed to confide in her.  

When you aren't writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

I’ve learned that I’m always writing, even when I’m not at my keyboard. But I do have other favorite activities. First would be reading (no surprise there). I bake bread too. There’s nothing like homemade bread fresh from the oven and slathered with butter. I also have a flower garden but not a green thumb. I plant whatever I like and hope it grows, which means I’m often disappointed, but I get wonderful surprises, too – like purple-red rhododendrons on a bush four feet tall! And I’m a bird-watcher. Chickadees nest in a birdhouse on my back deck, wrens in the nearest tree. Cardinals often visit, along with mourning doves, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and a gorgeous falcon . . . maybe that’s why birds play a major role in my novels.

What are some of your own favorite books and authors?

Ursula LeGuin is one of my favorites, especially her Earthsea books. I love the way she creates her fantasy world. Her stories have amazing depth, their themes extending far beyond the horizon of the story. I also love Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and its sequels. And anything by Maggie Stiefvater, Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey, Lloyd Alexander, Brandon Sanderson, Kristin Cashore . . . I could go on and on.

Can you tell us anything about what you will be writing next?

I'm actually working on revisions of a contemporary YA for my agent. That may sound strange, since I just listed fantasy books and writers I love. But I read contemporary as well and enjoy authors Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Berg, to name two. Writing fantasy is easier for me, but to grow as a writer, I believe I need the challenge of writing a contemporary. I don't think I'll ever totally leave fantasy, though. I'm working on a middle-grade humorous fantasy and have outlined my next YA fantasy as well. With writing, not even the sky is the limit!

To learn more about Karyn Henley and the Angelaeon Circle series, you can watch the book trailers (including the new trailer for Throat of the Night), or visit her blog or her website. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another tour stop with a review!

Waiting on Wednesday: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

I've been terrible at blogging lately and really need to get back to it (work, I hate you!). It doesn't help that I still hate the new Blogger interface. I am hoping to do some reviews later in the week, but for now here is an easy Waiting on Wednesday post.

Rebel Spring: A Falling Kingdoms Novel by Morgan Rhodes

 Auranos has been conquered and the three kingdoms — Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia — are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring, dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world...

CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people

MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister Lucia

LUCIA is haunted by the outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms

JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius

When Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events that will forever change the face of this land. Because Gaius is not just burrowing into a pile of rock. He’s tunneling directly into the Watchers’ Sanctuary. And his actions will have cosmic consequences.


I really enjoyed reading Falling Kingdoms last year, but since since I got it early at BEA, it already feels like I have been waiting forever for the sequel. I hope this one is at BEA so I don't have to wait until December!!

Where I've been

So, if you follow this blog, you may have noticed I haven't been posting that much lately. Honestly, work has just been killing me. I work for myself now and am terrible at pacing myself. However, before BEA comes around again, I really want to get back into reading and blogging. So, hopefully I will be posting again regularly soon! On the bright side, at least my TBR pile has stabilized a bit since I only have requested one review book recently.

Interview with Jessica Day George, author of Princess of the Silver Woods

I love Jessica Day George's fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings so I am excited to have this interview with her today. Her newest novel, Princess of the Silver Woods, is the third and last book in a series based on various fairy tales:

When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old curse.  
The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all.

Do you have a favorite out of King Gregor's twelve daughters? Or is it too hard to choose?

I love Poppy! In PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL, I gave Poppy all the snarky lines that I would have said myself in such a situation. A few of them got cut, just to save on time, so that’s how Poppy ended up with her own book!  

Do you plan to write more fairy tale retellings besides this series? What is your own favorite fairy tale of all time?

I never say never. If an idea comes to me for a reworking of another fairy tale, I will jump on it! I’ve already done my very favorite fairy tale: East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon, which became my book SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW.  

What are some of your own favorite books and authors?

I am the hugest Diana Wynne Jones fan, I also love everything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Robin McKinley’s books made me decide to be an author, and I love JANE EYRE and I CAPTURE THE CASTLE with all my heart!  

When you are not writing, how do you enjoy spending your time?

Ooh, I read, read, read! I also love to knit, and watch movies! (Often at the same time!)

Book review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Published by Razorbill, December 11, 2012)

Falling Kingdoms is set in a land that was once united, but has now been divided into three countries - the northern kingdom of Limeros, the southern kingdom of Auranos, and Paelsia, an impoverished country in the middle. There was once magic in this land, but it has been lost, and much of the land is dying, particularly in Paelsia, where the citizens live in poverty and never have enough to eat. Unlike most books which have one or two main characters, Falling Kingdoms has a large cast of characters, with four main point of view characters - Cleo, a princess from Auranos; Jonas, a young rebel from Paelsia; and siblings Magnus and Lucia, who are the children of the king of Limeros.

At the start of the story, Cleo is visiting Paelsia when a shocking event takes place. A fight breaks out, and a young man living there is killed by a member of her traveling party, stirring up tensions simmering just beneath the surface. Despite this threat of war, when Cleo returns home and sees how sick her older sister Emilia is, she is determined to return to Paelsia to pursue a rumor of a magical remedy that could save her sister, even though her father has forbidden her to leave the palace and magic of any kind has long since been lost. Meanwhile, Jonas, whose older brother was killed in the incident, decides his country has been oppressed long enough and it is time to rise up against Auranos, whose citizens live in luxury while their neighbors in Paelsia starve. In Limeros, the cruel King Gaius sees these tensions as an excuse to do what he has always wanted - go to war in hopes of conquering Auranos and taking it for himself. His teenage children, Magnus and Lucia, are caught up in these events, as Magnus struggles with his desire to please his cruel father, while Lucia discovers a shocking secret about her past.

When I first learned about Falling Kingdoms, I was dying to read it because it has been described as "Game of Thrones for teens" and because I love young adult high fantasy but very little is published. While this book is not as epic in scope as the Game of Thrones TV series, which I absolutely love (I have not yet read the books as I am intimidated by the length), the general description is accurate enough. It's set in a fantasy world where magic has been lost but is returning, there are multiple rulers fighting over kingdoms, and there is a large cast of characters, the majority of whom are neither entirely good nor entirely evil. There's even a character named Theon, who is fortunately nothing like the one from Game of Thrones, but I kept thinking of him since it's such an unusual name. I really loved the story, characters, and setting of Falling Kingdoms. The main characters really aren't really good guys or bad guys. They are human, they make mistakes, which unfortunately cause great suffering, some of them even do really bad things at times, yet aren't purely evil, just deeply flawed. This book was VERY close to a perfect read for me, but a couple of things made it fall just short of perfection. Some of the phrasing of dialogue and the thoughts of the characters seemed too modern for a book set in a world with a society similar to that of the Middle Ages. I also thought the romantic subplot was underdeveloped, which made it hard for me to believe in the strength of the characters' feelings for each other. And the ending! The ending is too cruel. How will I wait a year to find out what happens next? It will be quite difficult, but hopefully it will be worth the wait! Overall, Falling Kingdoms is a great read for readers who love high fantasy. There is quite a bit of graphic violence as well as many references to sexual situations (although these occur off-screen), so I'd mostly recommend it to mature teens, as well as adults.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.

Book review: Venom by Fiona Paul

Venom by Fiona Paul (Published by Philomel, October 30, 2012)

Cassandra Caravello has lived with her elderly aunt in a crumbling old house on an island near Venice since her parents died. As a member of Venetian society, she gets to wear beautiful dresses and attend fancy balls and parties. But instead of feeling fortunate, she feels trapped. She is never free to make her own choices, and must marry the man who has been selected for her. Her fiancé, Luca, is away from Venice studying law, but they knew each other as children and she never really liked him. She longs to find adventure and make her own choices. Unfortunately, adventure finds her when she visits the tomb of her friend who had recently died, and finds instead of the body of a murdered courtesan.

Cass is determined to find out what happened to the murdered girl, as well as where her friend's body has gone. She meets Luca, who is almost literally a starving artist. he is young and handsome, and Cass finds herself drawn to him as they investigate the mystery. Cass knows that by associating with Falco, she risks everything, but she cannot stay away from him.

I really loved the premise of this book - a romantic mystery set in Venice during the Renaissance. Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I hoped I would. I really liked the descriptions of the setting, and I was somewhat surprised by the resolution of the mystery. But I didn't love the characters of Cass and Falco. I truly do not understand what Cass saw in Falco, besides his supposed good looks. To me, he came across as a jerk and a bully who was constantly pressuring Cass to do what he wanted. I did really like Luca, Cass's fiancé. Despite Cass constantly ignoring him, he was kind, caring, and protective towards her - and it doesn't hurt that he was educated and liked books! I may keep reading this series to find out what happens, but I will be quite disappointed if Cass and Falco end up together at the end of the final book, unless he changes a lot. Unfortunately, the "boring" love interest rarely seems to get chosen in young adult books.

Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.