NICOLE'S REVIEW + Novel Nails #20: Winterspell by Claire Legrand

Title: Winterspell

Author: Claire Legrand

Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: September 30 2014

Publishing House:  Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 9781442465985

Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary: 

New York City, 1899, Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-perfect daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, and her father is abducted - by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to surive Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets - and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive fairy queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed - if she leaves at all.

        (Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I know this book got a lot of rather low ratings over on goodreads, and while normally that would dissuade me from buying a book I was feeling rather adventurous and thought why the hell not? Luckily I didn't hate the book and that little issue with the statue that a lot of people commented on? I found that I was oddly okay with it. It was a good looking statue.

It's not easy leading a double life. On one hand Clara is the mayor's daughter; prim, proper and perfect as can be on the other she's training to fight under the odd Drosselmeyer's tutelage. Little does she know that she's going to be putting all the skills she's learned to the test when strange creatures enter her home and abduct her father on Christmas eve forcing her to put her trust in Nicholas as they travel to the lands of Cane to save her father.

Clara starts of a little wimpy but it was great to see her grow as a character as the book progressed. I also liked how Legrand explored Clara's sexuality in the book because while it's obvious that she had a thing for Nicholas I'm also pretty sure she was into Anise which makes her bisexual. I haven't seen a lot of LGBT characters in fantasy so this was a surprise.

Okay, so about that statue issue. Clara might have had a thing going on for a good looking statue and maybe that might be uncomfortable for people because it is an inanimate object, I couldn't blame her. As I said, dude was hunky and turned out to be Nicholas. No big surprise there. His relationship with Clara was kind of rocky at first and he might be a little crazy but thank goodness he managed to fix himself and their relationship.

I also liked how deliciously dark the book actually was. There's a lot of misery and death and depravity and a whole bunch of sick and crazy people in it. Also drugs and a faery war. And the world building was quite detailed and highly imaginative. 

Truthfully, I'm not that familiar with the Nutcracker story so I don't know how true this stayed to the original and what aspects of it Legrand kept in this retelling. What I can say is that I liked the story and I'm glad that this book ended well and is a stand alone.

Rating: 

"Novel Nails" is a feature of the blog that showcases nail art inspired by books and their covers. Nail art will be created by either Michelle or Nicole and will be featured alongside their reviews.

Finally! Another Novel Nails feature. I did this set a few weeks back and you can find it on my Tumblr in case anyone is interested. I'll place the links down below.

The cover was way too pretty to pass so I thought I'd do a set inspired by it. 

Nail polish used:
OPI Haven't the Foggiest
OPI Miss You-niverse

The pretty book.

I made a gradient using the purple and silver on three nails.

Close up of the hand drawn art. A raven, thorns and the gate (I have no idea what it is) on the cover.

Added a few jewels too.

The thumb.

Hope you like this set and if you want to check out my Instagram click HERE. For my Tumble, HERE.

                         

NICOLE'S REVIEW: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Title: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May
Format Acquired: eARC

Publication Date: May 6 2014

Publishing House: Chronicle Books

ISBN: 1452114234
Source of Copy: Edelweiss

Summary:

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1844

Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh's social events - right up until a faery killed her mother.

Now it's the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She's determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city's many dark alleyways.

But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana's father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose - and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

Michelle and I have been looking forward to reading this book for a long time. To actually receive an eARC for this...well, you can just imagine the squealing and the crying and the howling. But, my friends, I'm afraid The Falconer did not really live up to our expectations. It's an okay read, don't worry, it just fell short.

Lady Aileana Kameron is the subject of scandal and gossip and suspicion at every ball she attends. It's not something she can help though, because just a year ago she was found next to the bloodied body of her mother who died of -alleged- animal attack. Aileana knows the truth, and it wasn't an animal that killed her mother but a fae. Hell bent on revenge, she completely sheds her debutante persona and turns into a cold-hearted, merciless killer. Her target? Any fae she can get her hands on. Her partner Kieran, who is also fae, trains her to fight and maim and kill his own kind for reasons unknown of course. 

I think the author was able to portray Aileana's grief and sorrow and anger in such a way that it was actually believable. Nothing wrong with that, right? But somewhere along the way, that's all there was to Aileana. Her anger, her vengeance. I don't mind the violence and the graphic descriptions of her kills but seriously it got to a point where I was just like "I get it. You're mad. On with the story, please?" Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against angry heroines but reading about someone who's angry all the time makes me angry too. I don't like being angry.

Moving on to the romance, which involves a love triangle, Aileana has Kieran on one side Gavin on the other. Who's Gavin? Oh just her childhood friend. He's her childhood crush; handsome, smart and he's wealthy to boot. He's perfect, just perfect. Now Kieran is your typical brooding, angsty bad boy who can strike a chord in women and turn them into touch-crazed animals. Okay. I might be exaggerating a bit but you get the gist. He's every woman's fantasy. (I was planning on adding something more vulgar but my co-blogger is lurking) How's a girl to choose? Can I also mention that these two are highly suspicious? Creeping around, keeping secrets and the like.

Aside from Aileana's relationship with the men in her life, there's also her relationship with the little pixie named Derrick who lives in her closet, loves honey and is a general nuisance; and her best friend Catherine; and her distant father who wants to marry her off. Life's a blast for Aileana. She's got to find a balance between her life as daughter of a peer, her various social obligations and her quest for vengeance. Not to mention she's stuck in a love triangle plus trouble with pesky faeries out to kill her.

I also want to take some time to warn you guys about that cliffhanger. Cue heavy signing - just when the action was getting started and things seemed to be progressing it just had to get cut off. Oh well. The book is still an okay read.

I'd recommend this book for people who are looking to ease themselves into steampunk/faery books or maybe for those who just want a quick fantasy read. 

Rating:

                          

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

Title: The Torn Wing
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Format Acquired: eBook / Kindle

Publication Date: August 9, 2012

Publishing House: Fair Wind Books

ISBN: 9781470131432
Source of Copy: Amazon

Summary:

London 1872 -

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation...

As an orphan who stole the Queen's ring - only to find the ring was a reservoir the held a truce between the world of Faerie and the British Court - Tiki's greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria's youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and those she loves, Tiki needs to know the meaning ofan fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will she be brave enough to face the truth?

(Image, summary and information courtesy of Goodreads)

Review:

(To check out the review of The Faerie Ring, the first book of this series, click here.)

Kiki and her friends may be now off the streets, but that doesn't mean that the danger is over. Larkin has escaped, the worlds are teetering on the brink of an upcoming war, and still, there is something about Kiki that just might change the game...

Just like I did with the first book, I breezed through this in one sitting and I enjoyed every minute of it. The first half of The Torn Wing keeps up similar overtones as The Faerie Ring, so it wouldn't really shock the reader - especially when you just finished the first book (which was what happened to me). Hamilton slowly eases the reader into darker territory, hinting at the possibilities some scenarios may entail, but still manages to keep things light. 

The characters are still as lovely as ever, and I wasn't really surprised that Clara managed to charm a certain someone. Rieker opens up his home for Kiki and her friends, and his heart is certainly not saying to Kiki either. The romance is light-hearted with just the right amount of sweetness to it.

The Torn Wing is a good sequel to The Faerie Ring, as it doesn't hurl towards a different direction that readers have already anticipated and it does clarify some points that the first book didn't elaborate.

Rating:

    

                  

MICHELLE'S REVIEW: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Title: The Faerie Ring
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Publishing House: Tor Teen

ISBN: 9780765327222
Source of Copy: Borrowed from Precious of My Life in Fragments / Mini Blog Tour

Summary:

The year is 1871...

Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. But there are too many who want the ring, including the mysterious Rieker, a handsome pickpocket who has been watching Tiki, and a rebel group of UnSeelie fey who would do anything to break the truce...

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

After finding out that one of her beloved friends is deeply ill, Tiki makes a resolution to steal a ring from the Crown (yes, that Crown), only to find out that the ring is the only thing that keeps the truce intact between the fey and the human world.

Tiki's heart is obviously too big for her. Not only does befriend two orphaned cousins, she also takes in a child who needs medications. If it were any other street children, they would have probably turned a blind eye and wouldn't dare take on technically what can be considered as dead weight. But Tiki, bless her, is very determined to show her friends, and even society, that anyone can have a family. Sure, pickpocketing isn't really a nice thing to do, but she does it Robin Hood style - taking from nasty people, and giving to the poor. I did like how Tiki was her own person and was fiercely loyal to the people who needed trust the most. Rieker, on the other hand, was an enigma. He keeps an eye out for Tiki, and knows what she needs the most at the right time, but he would rather keep to himself. 

I thought that the fey part was nicely done. With the ring out of its safety zone, these creatures were primed to bring harm to anyone who stands in their way. 

While I did find some parts a teeny tiny bit lackluster, I reverted to my amusement with Rieker and Tiki instead. They are both utterly adorable, and while some scenarios should have involved Tiki getting rather concerned for her reputation (because even if she did fall into tough times, she was still bred as an aristocrat and thusly thought that Rieker should have done the thinking for both of them) The Faerie Ring is still quite enjoyable.

The Faerie Ring is deceptively both light and entertaining, and readers will have a nice time breezing through this one easily without noticing the time. 

Rating: