Friday Mini Reviews #8 - Shaedes of Gray, Alaskan Fire and The Touchstone Trilogy
Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla (Shaede Assassin #1)
gifted by Melliane
Synopsis from Goodreads
"I'd learned the hard way that love is nothing more than the sharpest blade, and it can easily be turned against you. I refused to let anyone have that kind of power over me ever again."
Darian has lived alone for almost a century in the shadows of the night. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind—an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.
Darian finds herself struggling to keep her employer, Tyler, at arm's length, especially since his seductive smile makes her want to break her rules about love. The work he offers is necessary to protect the innocent—and a welcome distraction. But when Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she has taken on more than her conscience will allow, but a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished.
Darian has lived alone for almost a century in the shadows of the night. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind—an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.
Darian finds herself struggling to keep her employer, Tyler, at arm's length, especially since his seductive smile makes her want to break her rules about love. The work he offers is necessary to protect the innocent—and a welcome distraction. But when Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she has taken on more than her conscience will allow, but a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished.
7.5/10
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This is very decent urban fantasy series with an exciting world-building and a set of unique supernatural critters. However I disliked that Darian, who is an assassin herself, displays a lot emotional immaturity. I got tired of her mood swings pretty quickly. Yet, I don't think I'd give up on this series because the gal showed promise in the big stand-off in the end.
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Очень даже неплохое городское фэнтэзи по построению мира и интересным сверхъестественным существам. Меня раздражала главная героиня с её зашкаливающими эмоциями и драматизмом, потому как я считала, что её поведение не соответствует характеру персонажа, однако меня заверили, что в последующих книгах она будет получше. Что-ж, посмотрим.
Alaskan Fire by Sara King (Guardians of the First realm #1)
bought
Synopsis from Goodreads
Blaze MacKenzie is a freakishly-tall heiress who just discovered that her ‘parents’ actually found her abandoned as an infant in some bizarre human sacrifice in the woods. Along with that nasty little bit of information came a six hundred thousand dollar check, a strange golden feather, and the ability to move to the Alaska Bush and begin her dream-life living off the Grid.
Unfortunately for Blaze, life in rural Alaska isn’t as peaceful as she expected. Among her many startling discoveries is that her sexy new handyman, Jack Thornton, has already ‘claimed’ the territory that her new lodge is sitting on …
Further complicating matters, Jack makes it clear to Blaze that there are a good many things that go bump in the Alaskan night, and when a pack of werewolves goes rogue and starts killing or turning everyone along the Yentna River, Blaze and Jack find themselves in a fight for survival in this magic-soaked Land of the Midnight Sun.
9/10
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Noisy, roaring, brilliant fun! - another fabulous read from Sara King, peeps, which reminded me of The Taming of The Shrew, the characters were fighting each other and their attraction to each other so hard. The main heroine is big and bulky and very-self-conscious girl and the main hero is a social suicide. Everything that comes out of his mouth is foul, embarrassing and incredibly funny, considering how awkwardly in love and lust he is with his Amazon. Do read it, I beg you!
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Ещё одна феноменальная и истерически смешная книжка от Сары Кинг. С сюжетом напоминающим Укрощение Строптивых, герои только и делают что дерутся и сопротивляются влечению друг к другу изо все сил. Добавьте к этому сильную неуверенность в себе Блэйз, высокой амазонки, и социальную неуклюжесть Джека, у которого даже комплимент звучит как оскорбление, и получите чертовски интересные перепалки. Читайте!
bought
Synopsis from Goodreads
The complete Touchstone Trilogy, containing "Stray", "Lab Rat One" and "Caszandra". Rescue is only the beginning...
On her last day of high school, Cassandra Devlin walked out of exams and into a forest. Surrounded by the wrong sort of trees, and animals never featured in any nature documentary, Cass is only sure of one thing: alone, she will be lucky to survive.
The sprawl of abandoned blockish buildings Cass discovers offers her only more puzzles. Where are the people? What is the intoxicating mist which drifts off the buildings in the moonlight? And why does she feel like she's being watched?
Increasingly unnerved, Cass is overjoyed at the arrival of the formidable Setari. Whisked to a world as technologically advanced as the first was primitive, where nanotech computers are grown inside people's skulls, and few have any interest in venturing outside the enormous whitestone cities, Cass finds herself processed as a 'stray', a refugee displaced by the gates torn between worlds. Struggling with an unfamiliar language and culture, she must adapt to virtual classrooms, friends who can teleport, and the ingrained attitude that strays are backward and slow.
Can Cass ever find her way home? And after the people of her new world discover her unexpected value, will they be willing to let her leave?
9/10
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This series made me lose quite a few nights of sleep, folks, but it was well worth it. Gripping and alien world, hot space samurai and amazing adventures of one girl from our world in a universe far, far away. It was an incredibly absorbing and wonderful read, and I'm resolved to go through everything that Andrea has ever written, because I adore her unique style of writing.
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Ох, как же я люблю Андрею К. Хёст! Эта трилогия заставила меня потерять несколько ночей сна, потому как я не могла от неё оторваться. Читается как японская манга, и инопланетная цивилизация, в которую попадает Касс во многом напоминает японскую культуру с её космическими самураями - элитными воинами-знаменитостями и таким чужеродным отношением к жизни. Длинные, всепоглощающие и немного неловкие книги о землянке, изменившей чуждый ей мир.
The end was the only thing I liked in Shaede :/ I will give book 2 a go one day
ReplyDeletesorry you dislike Darian, but I think it was the point too, so you can see how she evolve in the sequels as they're really emotional.
ReplyDeleteShaedes of Gray is still one I'd like to read - very few UF series start with the best book of the series! :-)
ReplyDeleteI do like the Shaede Assassin books, so I hope you will read the second one. I am intrigued by your second book review, new author to me.
ReplyDeleteAurian, please do try anything by Sara King. She is such a great author, and not many people know about her and how talented she is :(
ReplyDelete