Dreamless (Starcrossed #2) by Josephine Angelini

Summary: Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved Starcrossed. Loved it. It was one of my favorites last year. As a result, I had high, high expectations. They might have been a bit too high. It’s hard to say. Let’s just say that Dreamless, unfortunately, didn’t live up to those expectations. I felt lost in the first half of the book. I’m not sure why. I felt like things were disjointed and discombobulated. About halfway through, though, things clicked. It got better – much better. It still wasn’t as good as Starcrossed, but it was enough to keep me going – and almost had me unable to put it down. Almost.

Helen pissed me off. She is new to this whole Scion thing, but still doesn’t want to listen to those who have been part of the Scion thing (and known about it) all their lives. She’s told to get help from the Delos family, but decides she can handle things alone. I don’t remember such an attitude the first time around, but perhaps I was blinded by the story I fell in love with?

Speaking of love. Where’s Lucas? There wasn’t nearly enough Lucas. I get that they’re being kept apart and he’s trying to avoid making a HUGE mistake. (Still, I can’t help but think that they CAN’T really be cousins. But, then, what’s a Greek tragedy without a love that just CANNOT be – right?)

While Dreamless was a bit of a disappointment to me, I still love this series and am very much looking forward to the third (and I believe final) book in the series.

Source: Sent by publisher for review.

Read It: Dreamless is scheduled for release on May 29, 2012. You can pre-order it HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012, the 2012 Sensational Seconds Challenge, and Free Reads 2012.

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First Lord’s Fury (Codex Alera #6) by Jim Butcher

Summary: For years he has endured the endless trials and triumphs of a man whose skill and power could not be restrained. Battling ancient enemies, forging new alliances, and confronting the corruption within his own land, Gaius Octavian became a legendary man of war-and the rightful First Lord of Alera.
But now, the savage Vord are on the march, and Gaius must lead his legions to the Calderon Valley to stand against them-using all of his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness.

My Thoughts: While I enjoyed this book and felt it was a satisfying conclusion to the series, I found it not quite as good as others in the series. A bit predictable at times, it didn’t throw me very many – if any – surprises. It didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, as others in the series did. But, the loose ends were tied, people (mostly) get what they deserve, and there is resolution to most conflicts that occurred throughout the series. Overall, a fitting and well-written finale to what has become one of my favorite series. If you’re a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series!

Source: My local library.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the 2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge and the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2012.

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Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Summary: Mirabelle’s past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents’ tragic deaths to her guardians’ half-truths about why she can’t return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who’s a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren’t pretty things, and they don’t always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own… brothers who share a dark secret. And she’ll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

My Thoughts: Kill Me Softly is a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty with some twists and turns thrown in. In some ways, this reminds me of Once Upon a Time, ABC’s new show. I think the main thing is that there’s a coastal town that is populated by fairytale characters (or, in this case, descendants of fairytale characters). The similarities end there, though, as this is about Sleeping Beauty, not Snow White or fairy tales in general.

I should probably tell you right off the bat that Sleeping Beauty has always been my favorite – at least of the Disney versions of fairy tales. And, much to my delight, in many ways this tale mirrors that animated classic. She’s raised apart from her parents by “good” fairies, she returns on time for her sixteenth birthday, the pink-and-blue cake (complete with the guardians arguing over which it should be), and so on and so forth. Note that these are subtle nods to the movie, as the plot in general doesn’t focus on these things at all. (And, honestly, I might not have noticed so easily if my daughter wasn’t watching the movie as much as I’ll let her right now! LOL) The actual plot that drives the story is unique, interesting, and bittersweet.

Mira annoyed me at times – especially her insistence that she knows Felix better than Blue does. Forget that they’re brothers, or that she’s only known them both for a few days. I suppose it’s the naivete that comes with the kind of love that is found in fairy tales. Still, I found myself enjoying the plot and the writing enough to ignore such things once we’d moved beyond them.

I love how the story played out. It’s not as predictable as you’d expect, even if you’re knowledgeable about fairy tales. I liked the twists and turns throughout – but I must admit I felt kinda bad for Freddie. Poor guy.

If you like retellings of fairy tales, modern takes on fairy tales, and/or all things Grimm, then this book’s for you! I’m hoping Sarah Cross will be revisiting Beau Rivage, as I’d love to see Viv’s and Layla’s – as well as others’ – tales unfold.

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

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