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mythological fantasy

Book Review: “The Siren” by Kiera Cass

Title: The Siren

Author: Kiera Cass

Published: Janurary 26th, 2016

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Find the Author: Goodreads | Twitter



I bought this book myself! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.



From Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series, comes a captivating stand-alone fantasy romance.

Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human—a kind, handsome boy who’s everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger . . . but Kahlen can’t bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

The Siren was previously self-published; this brand-new edition has been completely rewritten and redesigned.

Kiera Cass is always thought as one of those YA authors who always gets it right. Her books are always in every book store that I visit; the covers striking and the premise intriguing and to date for some obscene reason, I still haven’t been able to sit down and actually READ one of her books. What kind of reader can I call myself?! Anyway, when I saw The Siren in Waterstones when I was on vacation, I thought this is the one. It was a standalone novel from Kiera that had previously been self-published and was about Siren’s, a.k.a. the queens of the deep blue sea (and distant sisters of the Mermaid, obvs). So I was so excited to get started reading…

You may think this is some YA Romance with cliche written all over it, but let me tell you, you’re so wrong. This isn’t a “Love Story” or some hyped-up Disney movie, it’s elements work perfectly together to tell the story of Kahlen, the boy she tries so hard not to fall in love with, but does because he’s, well, the perfect YA boy, and the Siren’s who become her sisters, friends and greatest confidants. Oh, and the Ocean – because the Ocean is a she, and sometimes, she get’s hungry. Sometimes the only thing for that hunger is human lives. 
Kahlen was destined to die, and sometimes, she wonders what life would have been like if she had never been saved and turned into a Siren; beautifully striking, yet deadly and rottenly poison-tongued. She wonders what life would have been like if she had grown up, had a family, and eventually like the end of every life, die. But she never got the chance to do any of that when the Ocean saved her. Now, she’s the Ocean’s favourite. She does as she is told, and when called upon, sings the song that pains her to do so. The song to lure humans to their death so that the Ocean won’t go hungry. She does this with the other Siren’s, the ones who’s faces change over the years as they reach the end of their Siren commitments and are cast into human lives once more. 
Kahlen has always been more reserved, but when she meets Akinli, her world gets a little brighter. He’s charming and boyish and loves the same things as her. They have a slow-burning connection that yes, in a way does remind me of a Disney movie but not in the cliche way. Instead, in the classics kind of way. But she knows that the Siren world is to dark for him to be in. She can’t say those words to him, because she can’t say anything. She knows her tongue is tied with death. For a long time, she pushes him away and tries to keep her distance, the pain seeping through her life that she can’t be with the person that she had grown to love. But soon enough when they meet again, it’s hard to say goodbye and even harder to realise that she can’t possibly understand what will happen.
The Siren was brilliant. It was one of those books that seemed to just fly by. It’s not a huge book, so I expected to finish it quite fast but the more that I started to reach the end, I just didn’t want the story to end. I wanted adventure! More Siren stories! I wanted to know more about this crazy-scary-amazing world that Kiera had created underneath the surface of the water. Ultimately, The Siren is about more than just love. It’s about sisterhood, friendship, a strong connection with our true selves and the power of soulmates. 

 YA readers who love fantasy and mythology.


Have you read The Siren?


What did you think?


Let me know by selecting a choice below or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! I love to connect with book lovers!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)” by Jennifer Donnelly

*NO SPOILERS REVIEW*


Title: Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Published: January 1st, 2015

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this for review from Hodder Children’s Books for review. As always, my reviews are fair and un-bias.


Read my review of Book One: Deep Blue here.

Six mermaids battle to save their hidden world.

Serafina, Neela and four others have successfully escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout with the river witches was stormed.

They must stop an ancient evil from escaping its icy prison by finding six talismans hidden by Serafina’s ancestor hundreds of years before.
With all the Mer nations looking for them and no clue where to start, will the mermaids find the talismans before the monster is released?

The second book in the Waterfire Saga.

I adored the first book in the Waterfire series so it was inevitable I was going to delve into the next book as soon as I could. Back last May when I reviewed Deep Blue, I was ultimately pulled in by the appeal of my favourite Disney character; Ariel, who is also a mermaid. Even though the Waterfire series is different in a lot of ways, I still know why Mermaid books are on my favourites list. 
If you’re not familiar with the Waterfire saga, this should explain where we’re at:
Four thousand years ago, six wise rulers with mystical powers oversaw the golden realm of Atlantis. When an evil force overtook the mythical island, sinking it into the sea, Merrow, the leader of the ancients, beseeched the gods to grant her drowning people the power to breathe underwater. Those who survived, their legs magically fused into tail fins, formed an undersea civilization called The Mer.

From their Mediterranean realm, five others grew to form six undersea nations, led for generations by descendants of the ancient Circle of Six. Now, the evil forces that consumed Atlantis threaten destruction once again. The Mer nations’ only hope lies with six teenagers, descended from the ancient rulers, who’ve inherited their magical powers. Together, they form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood to save their worlds.
At the end of Deep Blue, we were left on a little bit of an oh-what-will-happen-next cliffhanger of sorts. Serafina, Neela, Ling, Becca, Ava, and Astrid had escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout was found and infiltrated. It picks up right from where Deep Blue ended and we’re catapulted into a new threat and enemy that the Mermaids need to band against and stop from escaping. This story mainly follows Serafina and her best friend; Neela, who were two of my favourite characters from the last book (Neela more so after this book). 
With a new adventure brought a lot of new journeys and obstacles for Sera especially. Still dealing with the betrayal of Mahdi, her character was swayed by not knowing the truth as we did. The romance between them was one of my favourite things about what made Rogue Wave that little bit more enchanting – something that already exists with the glistening and alluring underwater world of Mermaids. Neela’s character development definitely played a huge part in book two. In Deep Blue, I still liked Neela’s character but in Rogue Wave, she turned into this confident and spirited character that lit up the novel like an underwater cave. 
Overall, without giving too much away, you’ll want to read this if you’ve already read Deep Blue. Rogue Wave rolls in an incredible journey for our favourite characters (even though I really missed Ling, Becca, Ava and Astrid making more of an appearance!) and turns into an unforgettable story of friendship, love, bewitching origins and the power of the unbreakable sisterhood. Bring on Dark Tide: Book Three! After the roller-coaster of cliffhangers and twists that Rogue Wave brought, I’m going to be reading it quick smart. 
       
 Younger/Mid Young Adult lovers (and for some older YA readers) will be blown away with this series! Start with Deep Blue right away if you haven’t – you’ll definitely want to read them in order.


Jennifer Donnelly is the author of seven novels – Rogue Wave, Deep Blue, Revolution, A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose – and Humble Pie, a picture book for children. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. In 2014, Jennifer teamed up with Disney to launch the bestselling Waterfire Saga, an epic series about six mermaids on a quest to rid the world of an ancient evil. The first book in the series, Deep Blue, was released in May, 2014; the second book, Rogue Wave, launched in January 2015.

 Jennifer lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

 What did you think of Rogue Wave?

Do you like the series?

Let me know in the comments!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “A Song For Ella Grey” by David Almond


Title: A Song For Ella Grey

Author: David Almond
Genre: Young Adult – Mythology/Romance
Release Date: October 2nd, 2014
Published by: Hodder Children’s Books


★ I received this from Hachette in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. ★ 



“I’m the one who’s left behind. I’m the one to tell the tale. I knew them both…knew how they lived and how they died.”

 Claire is Ella Grey’s best friend. She’s there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her.
But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story – as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final.

I’m a huge fan of stories based upon Mythology and I was already familiar with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, so I was really looking forward to seeing a modern take on the old tale. 

This story isn’t narrated by Orpheus or Eurydice (who is named Ella Grey in this retelling), but by Claire, who is Ella’s best friend. She was the only one left to tell the tragic and painful story of her friends, the ones that had lived on in her memory like a wildfire, their story too vivid to be left untold. 
The pace of A Song For Ella Grey was beautiful and poetic, the way the story was written to the audience. Claire was the best person to tell the story, because she knew them both in a way that no one else did. She had a love for her best friend Ella that only those in the deepest and most sincerest of friendships could understand. This is so much more than a story based upon the fateful Greek tale, but about a love that defied time and a friendship stronger, more unbreakable than most. The characters seemed older than their teenage years as the story was cast into the retelling, and although the story is perplexing to those who know and don’t know of it, in some ways, the retelling is poise and redone in that way to modernize the tale. 
Overall, the reciting of the old Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice in A Song For Ella Grey was refreshing and inspiring, and although it is very different in normal storytelling, it was nevertheless a stunning and bright novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

It was hard to think of one stand-out moment when there were a few favourites throughout, although the moments where we can see how much Claire cares for Ella, were heartening to read about as Claire told their story. 
 YA Fans of Mythological stories retold, or if you’re looking to spice up your shelf with something different.

Have you read A Song For Ella Grey?


What did you think?


Tell me in the comments, on twitter or by using the hashtag #ASongForEllaGrey



happy reading!

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Book Review: “Half-Blood (Covenant #1)” by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy/Mythology
Release Date: August 14th, 2014
Published by: Hodder


I received this from Hodder in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 



HALF-BLOOD is the unputdownable first book in the acclaimed Covenant series from #1 New York Times bestselling Jennifer L. Armentrout. This special paperback edition also includes the prequel novella DAIMON.


The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi – pure-bloods – have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals – well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.


Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:


Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.


Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem – staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

I’m a huge Jennifer L. Armentrout fan (I’m halfway into the Lux series, and adored Don’t Look Back) so Half-Blood couldn’t have arrived at better timing in my mailbox. I was super excited to get into it since I love anything with a plot twisted into Greek Mythology since it never fails to be interesting whatever way the author takes it.

Alexandria (although she asks everyone to call her Alex) has just barely escaped with her life after being on the run from Daimons, not long after her mother was killed by one. So when Aiden, a Sentinel and highly regarded Pure-blood, saves her and takes her back to the Covenant that she left years ago with her mother to live in the normal world, things aren’t the same as when she left. Coming back is hard to adapt to, especially with the new changes like her Uncle being the new dean or the crush-worthy Aiden being her new trainer – it’s either he get her up to Daimon-fighting standard or she’ll end up being a servant for her stepfather – and Alex doesn’t want that. 
Like some other readers, in parts it struck a remembrance of the Vampire Academy novels, but I think for me it was just because Alex and Rose are such similar strong female characters – not to mention their similarly sarcastic personalities. For me, that’s where the similarities ended and it really did stand on it’s own for the originality in Greek Mythology and twist on the mythology itself in the modern world. 
The more Alex and Aiden spend together in Half-Blood, it’s obvious they have a strong connection but it’s not like that instant-love that readers hate – it’s done without any of the cliches in some YA literature so their relationship was one of my favourites within the book. But Halfs and Pures are highly forbidden, so it’s something that kind of halts their relationship in places, but nevertheless makes for a super-cute pairing within the book. Being a fiery, kick-ass heroine, Alex proves she’d beat anyone to the top spot for best lead character and I thought the way Jennifer wrote her was flawlessly done. 
Half-Blood was without a doubt in the top-five books I’ve read this year. Jennifer never fails to write a magnificent, alluring novel with characters I wish were real life people (Alex, Aiden, Caleb, I could go on!). This series has gone straight into my must-read novels and I can’t wait to delve into them all. 5++ STARS.

 There are far too many scenes/moments I loved, but one of my favourite (and funniest) quotes from Half-Blood was:

“You better have had a baby, killed someone, or slept with a pure. Those are your three options. Anything less is unsuitable.” 

Fans of Fantasy and Mythology books, YA or even Adult fiction fans. If you loved Percy Jackson and Vampire Academy series’, you’ll love the Covenant series.

Have you read Half-Blood?


What did you think?


Tell me in the comments, on twitter or by using the hashtag #HalfBlood

happy reading!

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Book Review: “Rebecca Newton and The Sacred Flame” by Mario Routi




Title: Rebecca Newton and The Sacred Flame

Author: Mario Routi
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy / Mythology 
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
Published by: Oak Tree Press


I received this from Oak Tree Press in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 

Rebecca’s life is about to change!


In the beginning, the ancient Gods created not just the earth. They also created three other worlds: the Elysian Fields, a paradise where they themselves live; Tartarus, the dark world of demons and Titans, ruled over by the ancient deity Cronus; and finally the Land of the White Sun, where all the heroes and creatures of myth dwell – Centaurs and Minotaurs, Cyclopes and Gorgons, Amazons and flying horses! In this land the Creator planted the Sacred Flame, the Cosmic Source that keeps the universe in balance and must be protected from the Dark monsters and Evil Gods who desire to seize it, in order to destroy all the worlds.


Hearing that Rebecca is charismatic, Turgoth, ruler of the kingdom of Beast, arranges for her abduction. When the two of them come face to face, they realise that there is a strange bond between them and their destinies become entwined forever. But although they start to share deep feelings for each other, they are doomed to fight on opposite sides…


Rebecca Newton and the Sacred Flame is a tale of epic wars, grand passions, mythical creatures and ancient Gods – an adventure story which reaches to the core of what we mean when we speak of “Good” and “Evil”.

I haven’t read many books heavily influenced by mythological elements, but I was keen to start delving into more genres that opened up some myths and legends within YA literature. 


Right from the start, I was amazed by the effort that had gone into creating such an imaginative and creative world surrounded by mythological creatures, worlds and the elements of good and evil. Rebecca (name-twin!) is a courageous, bright main character who really comes to life on the pages. Although the story is mostly set in the Land of the White Sun, Rebecca starts her training after leaving Earth to become something much, much greater. 
But when she is abducted, things get troublesome very quickly for her and all that awaited her on the other side of everything she knew. Meeting Turgoth, the ruler of the kingdom of Beast, was an eye-opening moment. They form a sort of special bond with each other, although their doomed relationship whatever it may be is struck by the fact that they will be fighting against each other regardless of that connection. 
Ancient Gods come to life in this magnificent, wildly spectacularly world where everything is as far from real-life as possible. It’s a book you can just escape to be among mythical creatures and a story of bold characters and an unforgettable adventure. Rebecca’s character development was by far my favourite and although I didn’t get a chance to connect as well with the rest of the characters, the story itself made up for it. 
For fans of adventure, imaginative myths and fascinating journeys. It was a lovely change from a contemporary read and I look forward to delving into the myth-worlds more in the future! 





 The moments with Rebecca and Turgoth were a highlight for me, but there were so many little moments that I loved that I couldn’t possibly write them all down. 

Fans of mystery, love and an epic adventure. A great escape to another world, for YA fans definitely. 


Have you read Rebecca Newton and the Sacred Flame?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!

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Waiting on Wednesday: “Cruel Beauty” by Rosamund Hodge

 

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that shines a spotlight on upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
 

Classic, beautiful and dazzling, the book I’m early waiting for is undeniably magical…

 

 

 

Waiting On…
 

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Genre: YA – Mythological Fantasy
Release Date: January 28th, 2014
Published by: Balzer & Bray / Harper Collins
 
                       THE STORY
 
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

 
Oh, wow. Anyone who knows my book tastes knows I love a good spin on a classic fairytale. So far, my favourite had been Beauty by Robin McKinley, but this seriously looks like a game changer. Mythalogical fantasy and I get on like a house on fire, and with my rekindled love for Fantasy and Supernatural novels found again, I am putting this one on my TBR, ASAP.
 
 
Just a note;
I’ve been sick with the flu recently, so I’m a little behind on my reviews. I will get to them ASAP, and I’m still reading, so I’m not “too” behind on things. Reviews will continue as normal from Thursday onwards. Thank you! 🙂
 
 

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