{ARC Review} Mark of the Thief #1: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rating: 90% 

Series: Mark of the Thief #1 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Middle Grade, Fiction,

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: February 24, 2015

Page Count: 339

Format: Physical ARC

Source: Scholastic 

The Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles | Goodreads | Amazon

My Synopsis: *I believe that the publisher's synopsis gives away too much of the story's plot, containing information from page 300 of the book, therefore I revised it to what I felt would be fitting as a reader*

This is a Middle Grade, historical fiction novel with a touch of magic about a 15 year old slave boy named Nic in the Roman mines who is forced to search for treasure in a sealed cavern. He discovers an ancient bulla or amulet (featured on the cover) that belonged to Julius Caesar thats magic gets transferred to Nic. Against his will, Nic is brought to Rome and finds himself caught up in a war attempting to destroy the Roman empire.   

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

If I were to describe this book in an X meets X formula, I would say Percy Jackson's world meets the protagonists of The Horse and His Boy meets the political intrigue from The Ring and the Crown.

Would I Buy It?

80%
The ARC cover for The Mark of the Thief is beautiful enough and I am dying to get my hands on a finished copy. I'm dying to know if the bulla is embossed in the final copy and if the colors really are as vibrant as they appear to be.

Background & Backstory?

The most disappointing part about all of this is that I had filmed a lengthy BookTalk video for Mark of the Thief. Unfortunately, my computer decided to eat the footage and due to time constraints, I was unable to refill/edit/upload it.

On a more positive note, Mark of the Thief and All Fall Down (Ally Carter) are the first ever physical publisher ARCs I have ever received and I felt so overjoyed to reach that milestone in blogging with what had started of as a hobby.

What Was My Reaction Upon Finishing?

Per usual with every Jennifer Nielsen book I have ever read -
Sequel. PLEASE!

Right off the bat you should know that I had A LOT to say about this novel and I mean a lot. While I always try to deter you from looking at my Goodreads Reading Updates (because they're full of spoilers) you will notice that there are over FORTY of them. I had my phone by my side throughout my reading of Mark of the Thief and updated it every time I had some inference/feels-filled response to report. 

Characters | 90% Let's talk about Nic.... Nielsen's strength has ALWAYS been her outstanding male leads and he is no different, but he was far enough from Sage in the Ascendance Trilogy that I didn't feel she had merely copied-and-pasted her protagonist. His snark and sarcasm was a bit more subtle and was fueled purely by emotions and selfish reasons versus Sage who had a greater sense of duty, although with the way Mark of the Thief ended. I wouldn't be surprised if Nic's moral compass improved, as well as his priorities, and his levels of compassion towards others as the series progresses. Sage was under someone's command, but he was still in enough a position of power where he could be reckless. However, Nic had his little sister Lucia to look out for as well as his hide which could have easily been skinned if he acted out too harshly. Nic was a very rough-and-tumble character who only cared about himself and was inexperienced with the ways of society.

And good news.... there was a strong female lead. Aurelia plays an interesting role in the story because of position in society and the way she begrudgingly becomes friends with Nic despite the fact that their relationship started as business-only. She wouldn't take any of his crap, stood up for herself, and put him into his place when he needed it. 

Romance | 70% Nielsen writes Middle Grade and that means that romance is most definitely NOT her speciality. Nonetheless, the relationship between Nic and Aurelia was cute and I can't wait to witness the dynamic between the two of them evolve throughout the series because they feed off of each other's characters very well. 

But, I'm not here to talk about AURELIA and Nic.... I'm here to talk about Corvus. While he's not a main character, he plays a prominent role in the story by helping Nic and Aurelia when they need it. I might sound like I'm jumping the gun with this 100% crackpot theory, but I think he might be romantically attracted to Nic. Wait until Jennifer Nielsen reads this review and facepalms herself repeatedly because she's written Aurelia and Corvus together and bringing in an LGBT aspect is the farthest thing from her mind. Anyways, he seemed uncharacteristically nice -for someone of his status- to them without a clear motive, except, perhaps.... love??? The last big splash of LGBT we've seen as readers was Riordan choosing to make Nico gay which aroused quite a conversation amongst fans. I'm dying to see this become a norm in all/any genre and would applaud Nielsen immensely. 

Or we can just all agree I'm crazy.

How did the book's genre affect the story? 

Despite the fact that I'm having a hard time determining the actual genre of this book, the premise/genre does affect it by giving the author the chance to make use of symbolism, mythology, and prophecies, three of my favorite things. Anyways, this is portrayed in particular with Caela, the griffin, featured on the bulla on the cover of Mark of the Thief. She plays a surprisingly important role in the story and I like the layer of complexity it adds.  

Ending | 100% Per usual, Jennifer Nielsen's ending will either make her readers “want to kill you, kiss you, or be you...” (as Finnick Odair kindly supplied for me). It was completely mind-blowing, plot-twisting, and everything you have come to expect and respect from her.

How Likely Is It That I Will Read Another Book By This Author?

99.9%

While nothing about sequel to Mark of the Thief hasn't been announced yet, Nielsen fans can keep their eyes out for A Night Divided which (according to the vibe I'm getting from the Goodreads synopsis) is a historical fiction thriller with a female narrator this time *waggles eyebrows* I loved the addition Aurelia provided to both the story and the fact that Nielsen's stories can feature kickass females. The different perspective will be an entirely new thing, especially because we won't hear from a snarky MALE protagonist this time. I am SO looking forward to this one.

Conclusion: Another well-paced series starter featuring two strong protagonists, a well-crafted world, and a mind-playing story you don't want to miss.

{Book Review/Movie Adaptation Comparison} Coraline: Neil Gaiman

Rating: 79%
Series: Standalone
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Horror,
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 4, 2002
Page Count: 162
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Barnes & Nobles ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis: Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Gaiman has delivered a wonderfully chilling novel, subtle yet intense on many levels. The line between pleasant and horrible is often blurred until what's what becomes suddenly clear, and like Coraline, we resist leaving this strange world until we're hooked. Unnerving drawings also cast a dark shadow over the book's eerie atmosphere, which is only heightened by simple, hair-raising text. Coraline is otherworldly storytelling at its best.

Would I Buy It?

40%
None of the book covers give me the urge to die unless I got the book in gorgeous, hardcover form. While scrolling through the various covers, none stood out particularly to me, so much so that I didn't even insert a book cover (found it off of google images). This story deserves something spine-chilling and striking, something to depict the darkness in this seemingly innocent Middle Grade novel. Basically something that I would be terrified to have on my shelves and would deter every little prospective 10 year-old out there.

Background & Backstory
Grab a seat. This backstory could take a while. My memory is horrible, I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone movies/books from the Summer of 2010. Yet, the cartoon version of Coraline (made by Tim Burton) defied the clutches of forgetfulness, and to this day, I still remember a TON of main plot points, characterization, and absolute terror I felt.

That alone should tell you something. When I was little, I liked terrifying myself, which means that I watched Coraline nearly every chance I got. I expected myself to get less afraid because of the repetition, but that didn't happen. I would climb into my mom's bed because I was so scared after watching this movie.

Fast-Forward more than four years and I STILL like giving myself goosebumps. AT this moment, I am the sole patron of every YA novel in my local libraries that hadn't already been checked out. Of course, a book that took primary real estate on that was Coraline.I had had the opportunity to read this book around two years ago, but the memories of the movie still haunted me, and I hadn't dared.  

What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?

I'm glad I read that.

Middle Gradenesss: Over the past six months, I have developed a rather unsavory (what the heck does that mean?) prejudice for Middle Grade. I hate those feelings, especially when I get so defensive about everyone being able to read YA. Coraline was a classic Middle Grade book, but I was okay with that. Aspects of the novel could be considered somewhat juvenile, but when Neil Gaiman is the author.... you can easily look past the fact.

Spookiness: I'm not sure if the book wasn't as creepy because I knew what would happen, but the book DEFINITELY did not creep me out and make me want to sleep with the lights on. This might be because Neil Gaiman didn't want to scare off his target audience? Despite me not feeling creeped out,      I believe the reason I was so scared when I was little was because of how expertly the movie was adapted. This is also not to say the adaptation was unfaithful (there was some word-for-word dialogue), it was just the WAY it was adapted that made the movie so terrifying versus the book.

Premise: Something about a book that will immediately draw me in is the premise and proper of execution of it. And let me tell you, Neil Gaiman follows up with it BE-YOU-TI-FULLY. I never once felt like I was promised something and not delivered (a feeling uncannily common with adaptations as well as movies in general). Just the concept of parallel universes is one I have always been intrigued with (*hint hint* NaNoWriMo novel), and the way Gaiman twists it so artfully, making it that the evil "Other Mother" would suck Coraline's soul *shivers get sent down spine* with those godawful button eyes which were petrifying in the movie.

Concise: Coraline was my VERY first Neil Gaiman book ever. Since then, I have read (and flipped out over how much I loved) The Ocean at the End of the Lane and am currently reading The Graveyard Book. And I might (just might *winks*) have put every Neil Gaiman book on hold at my local library. Something I commend Gaiman for with the highest respect is with how many few words he can develop the richest, most detailed, most abstract stories I have ever read. I never once felt like the novel was incomplete or that I wanted more (of the novel, not his writing). There was a distinct and satisfying beginning, middle, and end. And the book was only 162 pages. Beat that! 

How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Book?

90%
Because of its lack of length, I am considering making Coraline an annual re-read accompanied by watching the movie. So (for once) it is very likely I will be re-reading this book.

Conclusion: Spooky, Eery, Conceptual with a terrifying premise. Perfect for Halloween time and sleeping with the lights on.

{Spoiler Free} The Shadow Throne (Ascendance Trilogy #3): Jennifer Nielsen

Rating: 8/10

Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #3

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Suspense, Action, Young Adult, 

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: February 25, 2014

Page Count: 336

Format: eBook

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis: 

One war.

Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does. His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion with The Shadow Throne.

*Check out my spoiler free review and spoiler filled review of The False Prince, which is the first book in the phenomenal Ascendance Trilogy*

*To get up-to-speed on my opinions of the Trilogy, check out my spoiler free review and spoiler filled review of The Runaway King*

*This is new feature I will be doing when I want to write a review of a book with my unfiltered feelings. I will post two versions of the review, spoiler filled, and spoiler free so people can still read the review and hear me gush about how good it is without the plot being spoiled for them. If you want to read the spoiler free click here*

*There are unavoidable spoilers for The False Prince, and The Runaway King in this review, and click here if you would like to see the spoiler filled review of The Shadow Throne*

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley which does not in the slightest effect my honest review in any way. 

Backstory: Seriously, how else would I begin the review of the conclusion to the Ascendance Trilogy than a long backstory? So, if you read my review of The Runaway King, you will know I finished it around 9:30 on Monday night. This has never happened before, and sounds quite ridiculous.....but I was so full of fells that I couldn't go to sleep. After about an hour of not being able to go to sleep, I (if my mom reads this post, she will be mortified because she thinks sleep is extremely important) picked up my iPod, and starting reading (you guessed it) The Shadow Throne. Around midnight-ish, I finally put the iPod down because I knew I would pay for the sleep deprivation (I no happy without sleep), and there was a lull in the action....you know for about .3% of the book. Fast Forward to Tuesday afternoon. I always read a physical book when I go cycling at the gym, but I made an exception in The Shadow Throne's case, and actually enlarged the font so I could read from my tiny iPod. Now it that isn't commitment, I don't know what the heck is. I then finished the book around 10 pm at night. I finished the entire book in less than 24 hours, which may not sound like that big of an accomplishment, but I had school, eating lunch/breakfast/dinner, homework, and not time to read in school because it was an eBook.

The ends of trilogies always have so much pressure on them, sometimes authors don't even know the end until they start writing it, and by that time, reader's are already so involved, invested, and committed  that they have imagined exactly how things are supposed to happen, and when they don't happen exactly as the reader wants -which is inevitable- readers are unsatisfied. I have to admit that I did not enjoy The Shadow Throne as much as The False Prince and The Runaway King for reasons I just stated above. It was a stunning book by itself, if I had picked it up off the shelves and read it (let's just pretend I already somehow know who the characters are, the plot, setting, and all that information) I would be reeling with the feels (which did still happen), and think it was the best Young Adult and Middle Grade crossover. Yet, it wasn't as good, or as magical as it was in the first two books.

I remember mentioning that Jaron couldn't be killed, yet it seemed realistic even when he seemed doomed to death (which is not a figure of speech). While I would probably fling myself against the wall and sob for days on end if Jaron died, it got a little annoying how he kept surviving. It was almost as if I was praying for one tragedy to be solved in order for him to move onto the next one so I would be closer to finding out what happen in the end.

Characters 8.5/10: I already loved all the characters of the book, (except for a select two -Amarinda and Imogen) but for some reason they seemed more fleshed out and independent to me in The Shadow Throne. It was almost as if the Jaron show now had an ensemble casts without diluting (what am I talking about, wine?) the star of the show. 

Roden ~ I don't know why, but I never liked Roden in The False Prince and certainly not in The Runaway King when he broke Jaron's leg, but I feel like I got to see a different side of him in TST. What readers often forget (or at least I do) is that the characters are the same age as they are, and yet they're experiencing things that us spoiled 21st century teens could never imagine enduring. Roden is just 15 years old, and he is the commander of the Carthyan army. Another point I would like to bring up is that he isn't Jaron. No one owes him anything. No one has to obey or respect him. His soldiers think he is young and inexperienced, and unlike Jaron -who is royalty and has to be obeyed no matter what people think- he is questioned. 

"Nobody gives your respect in this life. You must take it, you must earn it, and then you must hold it sacred because no matter how hard respect is to attain, it can be lost in an instant....Go get it, Roden. People won't follow a leader who doesn't know where he's going. Show them that you do."-----14% Jaron 

Roden's confidence is a little diminished for a short period of time in TST because his troops don't believe in him. I am cursing myself for not highlighting the quote but there is a scene between Roden and Jaron where Roden asks Jaron why he made him captain. Jaron responds, saying he knows how fearsome a force Roden is/would be to reckon with against Jaron, so he knew that he would have to make Roden his captain, and have him on his side. I know I did not do that quote/scene justice in my explanation, but it was a wonderful scene and a stepping stone for the both of them. 

Tobias ~ I also used to think that Tobias was a puny, useless character that was a huge brat and didn't stand a chance against Roden or Jaron for the throne. He does provide some comedic relief as the bumbly friend that doesn't know too much, at least in the way the world works, he knows plenty when it comes to academics. What Tobias also does is provide positivity, he is a steadfast anchor and as loyal as a golden retriever when it comes to Jaron and Carthya, he even gets captured on two separate occasions which could have been easily avoided if he weren't so loyal....or so Tobias. Almost everyone questions Jaron and his decisions throughout the book, but Tobias never does. You know when parents ask, "So your friend would tell you to jump off the cliff and you would do it?" Well, I have no doubt in my mind that Tobias would jump off that cliff even if he knew he would have to endure eternal damnation. 

Mott ~ As well as Tobias, Mott pledged his loyalty in his king, and served as a fierce friend throughout the series. The quote below is the longest he has said in the entire trilogy, and holds a lot of significance because Jaron has a mid-book identity crisis, which is all I'm going to leave that at.  Mott's questions in the quote were needed as the bucket of ice-cold water thrown in Jaron's face in order to wake him up.

"It's your storm, and the future of us all depends on you now. So who are you? Sage, an orphan boy who cares only for himself? Or the undisciplined, rebellious prince your father sent away? Life has tested your resilience and strength and willpower, and you have succeeded in ways nobody ever thought possible. But the storm has never been worse, and it will either destroy you, or define you. When everything is taken from you, can you still stand before us as Jaron, the Ascendant King of Carthya?"----- 52% Mott 

I don't want to get you worried, because even though some of the secondary characters had more depth, and were viewed in a better lighting (at least in my opinion), Jaron still had all of his sassitude. Credits to my friend Tina over at The Book Landers for making up the word. In my review of The Runaway King, I talked a lot about how Jaron is a blend of Day and Anden (if you have been reading my blog for a while you should really know who they are) from The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. Jaron has to take on even more authority in The Shadow Throne because it is war time, and he has to make all the executive decisions that leaders have to perform, despite people (I'm really pointing my fingers at the 18 other regents that aren't Tobias or Harlowe) telling him what to do. At the same time, his decisions appear to be impulsive, and those of a teenage boy's instead of a king, but we all know that appearances can be deceiving. While Day and Jaron seem like they're huge risk taker's, they're calculated, and even though there is so much at stake, that is what helps Jaron save his kingdom. 

"I thought of my own father, the endless battle over his attempts to control me, mold me, and make me see the world through his eyes. And me, resisting all of that, every time. I wanted to believe that despite the trouble I had caused my father, he had loved me."----- 37% Jaron 

As I mentioned earlier, Jaron had an identity crisis, because knew there was so much on the line. What really put pressure on him was the fact that he thought (this may not have actually been true) people expected him to be like his father, or like Darius. The truth is, he would have lost the kingdom the very first sentence of the second book if Jaron weren't.... How should I put this? Jaron. He is a very complex character, and even though it may seem like he is a very strong, independent person, he still has doubts in his mind. He still has an instinct to cover up who he is and use the conventional method, which we all know never got anyone anywhere, the war started because his father used those conventional methods. In the end, as we all know (assuming you have read the book), he did things the Jaron way, and realized that his father truly did love him.

Romance 5/10: In every other aspect, Jennifer A. Nielsen is the goddess of Young Adult/Middle Grade crossover novels....except for the romance. 

I don't understand Jaron's love for Imogen. You would think this book is the most epic love story of the century -like the Titanic- the way that Jaron deals with something that happens to Imogen, and I truthfully, didn't care too much. I believe this is because Imogen was not very fleshed out as a character, and she wasn't given enough of her own voice in the story. The reason Jaron was so messed up in the first place in The Runaway King was because she was his weakness that his enemies used against him. I sound so mean, but I do think the amount of romance versus the amount of reaction was completely disproportional. 

Of course, then we have Amarinda and Jaron's betrothal to each other, and somebody suggests they get married (because that worked so well in Catching Fire). Luckily, they don't, and for good reason because of some plot twist that I don't want to mention that comes into play that I think reader's will like. 

Title 8/10: So I just had an !AHA! moment where the light bulb went off about the title....you know two weeks after I actually finished the book. I kept thinking, "The Shadow Throne? That has nothing to do with the story." Let me explain my revelation, Jaron is in the midst of war, a war against three other kingdoms and no allies in sight. He is doing everything in his power to keep the throne, and Carthya, to defend the kingdom he has come to begrudgingly love. This also isn't the first time that he almost lost the throne, or the second, maybe it's time #31 he almost lost the throne due to rash behavior, risky decisions, and everything else that comes with being Jaron. Don't you see? The throne keeps almost slipping out of his grasp, he may think he has control of it, but it can slip out of his fingers in a few moments of hesitation, like a shadow. 

Ending 6/10: This is where things got a little unbelievable. Event after event happens in the span of a few chapters, and seems a little too much like there was pressure for "and they lived happily ever after" Even though I wasn't the hugest fan of the ending (although my sleep deprivation would beg to differ), Jaron remains as sassy, clever, and persistent as ever, and makes the right choices in the end that save his kingdom.

Conclusion: The Shadow Throne flies in a breakneck pace with a flurry of action, solid cast of characters, and is a strong conclusion to the Ascendance Trilogy that will leave reader's as satisfied as they can be without Nielsen writing a sequel (because we all know I would worship her if she did write a sequel).

"You were wrong, Commander. Whatever chains you try to place on me, I will always, always rise from them. I'm not buying my freedom because you never owned it. But I am taking it back for me and for my country."----- 95% Jaron

Have you ever been slightly disappointed by the end of the trilogy because you had the character's lives all planned out in your head? Or is there a romance that drives you absolutely insane? Tell me in the comments below :)

{Spoiler Alert} The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3): Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rating: 8/10
Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #3
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Suspense, Action, Young Adult, 
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Page Count: 336
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis: 
One war.
Too many deadly battles.
Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does. His friends are flung far and wide across Carthya and its neighbouring lands. In a last-ditch effort to stave off what looks to be a devastating loss for the kingdom, Jaron undertakes what may be his last journey to save everything and everyone he loves. But even with his lightning-quick wit, Jaron cannot forestall the terrible danger that descends on him and his country. Along the way, will he lose what matters most? And in the end, who will sit on Carthya's throne?Rousing and affecting, Jaron's adventures have thrilled and moved readers in The False Prince and The Runaway King. Journey once again with the Ascendant King of Carthya, as New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings his story to a stunning conclusion with The Shadow Throne.

*Check out my spoiler free review and spoiler filled review of The False Prince, which is the first book in the phenomenal Ascendance Trilogy*

*To get up-to-speed on my opinions of the Trilogy, check out my spoiler free review and spoiler filled review of The Runaway King*

*This is new feature I will be doing when I want to write a review of a book with my unfiltered feelings. I will post two versions of the review, spoiler filled, and spoiler free so people can still read the review and hear me gush about how good it is without the plot being spoiled for them. If you want to read the spoiler free click here*

*There are spoilers for The False Prince, The Runaway King, and most definitely The Shadow Throne in this review so click out of this right away to the spoiler free version so you don't find out what happens*

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley which does not in the slightest effect my honest review in any way. 

Backstory: Seriously, how else would I begin the review of the conclusion to the Ascendance Trilogy than a long backstory? So, if you read my review of The Runaway King, you will know I finished it around 9:30 on Monday night. This has never happened before, and sounds quite ridiculous.....but I was so full of fells that I couldn't go to sleep. After about an hour of not being able to go to sleep, I (if my mom reads this post, she will be mortified because she thinks sleep is extremely important) picked up my iPod, and starting reading (you guessed it) The Shadow Throne. Around midnight-ish, I finally put the iPod down because I knew I would pay for the sleep deprivation (I no happy without sleep), and there was a lull in the action....you know for about .3% of the book. Fast Forward to Tuesday afternoon. I always read a physical book when I go cycling at the gym, but I made an exception in The Shadow Throne's case, and actually enlarged the font so I could read from my tiny iPod. Now it that isn't commitment, I don't know what the heck is. I then finished the book around 10 pm at night. I finished the entire book in less than 24 hours, which may not sound like that big of an accomplishment, but I had school, eating lunch/breakfast/dinner, homework, and not time to read in school because it was an eBook.

The ends of trilogies always have so much pressure on them, sometimes authors don't even know the end until they start writing it, and by that time, reader's are already so involved, invested, and committed  that they have imagined exactly how things are supposed to happen, and when they don't happen exactly as the reader wants -which is inevitable- readers are unsatisfied. I have to admit that I did not enjoy The Shadow Throne as much as The False Prince and The Runaway King for reasons I just stated above. It was a stunning book by itself, if I had picked it up off the shelves and read it (let's just pretend I already somehow know who the characters are, the plot, setting, and all that information) I would be reeling with the feels (which did still happen), and think it was the best Young Adult and Middle Grade crossover. Yet, it wasn't as good, or as magical as it was in the first two books.

I remember mentioning that Jaron couldn't be killed, yet it seemed realistic even when he seemed doomed to death (which is not a figure of speech). While I would probably fling myself against the wall and sob for days on end if Jaron died, it got a little annoying how he kept surviving. It was almost as if I was praying for one tragedy to be solved in order for him to move onto the next one so I would be closer to finding out what happen in the end.

Characters 8.5/10: I already loved all the characters of the book, (except for a select two -Amarinda and Imogen) but for some reason they seemed more fleshed out and independent to me in The Shadow Throne. It was almost as if the Jaron show now had an ensemble casts without diluting (what am I talking about, wine?) the star of the show. 

Roden ~ I don't know why, but I never liked Roden in The False Prince and certainly not in The Runaway King when he broke Jaron's leg, but I feel like I got to see a different side of him in TST. What readers often forget (or at least I do) is that the characters are the same age as they are, and yet they're experiencing things that us spoiled 21st century teens could never imagine enduring. Roden is just 15 years old, and he is the commander of the Carthyan army. Another point I would like to bring up is that he isn't Jaron. No one owes him anything. No one has to obey or respect him. His soldiers think he is young and inexperienced, and unlike Jaron -who is royalty and has to be obeyed no matter what people think- he is questioned. 

"Nobody gives your respect in this life. You must take it, you must earn it, and then you must hold it sacred because no matter how hard respect is to attain, it can be lost in an instant....Go get it, Roden. People won't follow a leader who doesn't know where he's going. Show them that you do."-----14% Jaron 

Roden's confidence is a little diminished for a short period of time in TST because his troops don't believe in him. I am cursing myself for not highlighting the quote but there is a scene between Roden and Jaron where Roden asks Jaron why he made him captain. Jaron responds, saying he knows how fearsome a force Roden is/would be to reckon with against Jaron, so he knew that he would have to make Roden his captain, and have him on his side. I know I did not do that quote/scene justice in my explanation, but it was a wonderful scene and a stepping stone for the both of them. 

Tobias ~ I also used to think that Tobias was a puny, useless character that was a huge brat and didn't stand a chance against Roden or Jaron for the throne. He does provide some comedic relief as the bumbly friend that doesn't know too much, at least in the way the world works, he knows plenty when it comes to academics. What Tobias also does is provide positivity, he is a steadfast anchor and as loyal as a golden retriever when it comes to Jaron and Carthya, he even gets captured on two separate occasions which could have been easily avoided if he weren't so loyal....or so Tobias. Almost everyone questions Jaron and his decisions throughout the book, but Tobias never does. You know when parents ask, "So your friend would tell you to jump off the cliff and you would do it?" Well, I have no doubt in my mind that Tobias would jump off that cliff even if he knew he would have to endure eternal damnation. 

Mott ~ As well as Tobias, Mott pledged his loyalty in his king, and served as a fierce friend throughout the series. The quote below is the longest he has said in the entire trilogy, and holds a lot of significance because Jaron has a mid-book identity crisis. When he thinks Imogen has died, he almost gives up his kingdom and the will to live. Jaron has a fleeting thought that if he stayed Sage, it would be him against the rest of the world again which would be a lot more simple than a whole kingdom resting on his shoulders as Jaron. Mott's questions were needed as the bucket of ice-cold water thrown in Jaron's face in order to wake him up from his despair and make him realize he still has people he cares about and people that are relying on him. 

"It's your storm, and the future of us all depends on you now. So who are you? Sage, an orphan boy who cares only for himself? Or the undisciplined, rebellious prince your father sent away? Life has tested your resilience and strength and willpower, and you have succeeded in ways nobody ever thought possible. But the storm has never been worse, and it will either destroy you, or define you. When everything is taken from you, can you still stand before us as Jaron, the Ascendant King of Carthya?"----- 52% Mott 

I don't want to get you worried, because even though some of the secondary characters had more depth, and were viewed in a better lighting (at least in my opinion), Jaron still had all of his sassitude. Credits to my friend Tina over at The Book Landers for making up the word. In my review of The Runaway King, I talked a lot about how Jaron is a blend of Day and Anden (if you have been reading my blog for a while you should really know who they are) from The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. Jaron has to take on even more authority in The Shadow Throne because it is war time, and he has to make all the executive decisions that leaders have to perform, despite people (I'm really pointing my fingers at the 18 other regents that aren't Tobias or Harlowe) telling him what to do. At the same time, his decisions appear to be impulsive, and those of a teenage boy's instead of a king, but we all know that appearances can be decieving. While Day and Jaron seem like they're huge risk taker's, they're calculated, and even though there is so much at stake, that is what helps Jaron save his kingdom.

"I thought of my own father, the endless battle over his attempts to control me, mold me, and make me see the world through his eyes. And me, resisting all of that, every time. I wanted to believe that despite the trouble I had caused my father, he had loved me."----- 37% Jaron 

As I mentioned earlier, Jaron had an identity crisis, because knew there was so much on the line. What really put pressure on him was the fact that he thought (this may not have actually been true) people expected him to be like his father, or like Darius. The truth is, he would have lost the kingdom the very first sentence of the second book if Jaron weren't.... How should I put this? Jaron. He is a very complex character, and even though it may seem like he is a very strong, independent person, he still has doubts in his mind. He still has an instinct to cover up who he is and use the conventional method, which we all know never got anyone anywhere, the war started because his father used those conventional methods. In the end, as we all know (assuming you have read the book), he did things the Jaron way, and realized that his father truly did love him.

Romance 5/10: In every other aspect, Jennifer A. Nielsen is the goddess of Young Adult/Middle Grade crossover novels....except for the romance. 

I don't understand Jaron's love for Imogen. You would think this book is the most epic love story of the century -like the Titanic- the way that Jaron deals with Imogen's 'death'. I believe this is because Imogen was not very fleshed out as a character, and she wasn't given enough of her own voice in the story. The reason Jaron was so messed up in the first place in The Runaway King was because she was his weakness that his enemies used against him. Jaron literally almost gives up his life and his kingdom out of sorrow for a girl. I sound so mean, but I do think the amount of romance versus the amount of reaction was completely disproportional. 

Of course, then we have Amarinda and Jaron's betrothal to each other, and somebody suggests they get married (because that worked so well in Catching Fire). Luckily, they don't, and I am so happy to say that I am a huge advocate/supporter of Amarias otherwise known as Tobias and Amarinda. (I actually got approval -so to speak- from Jennifer Nielsen via twitter about their ship name) I, and Jaron (although I figured it out before him) both suspected that Amarinda and Tobias had 'feelings' for each other, and they finally acted on them. It was so sweet. I never liked Amarinda, and Tobias seemed like a wimp to me, but the two of them together.....?

I fully support you :)

Title 8/10: So I just had an !AHA! moment where the light bulb went off about the title....you know two weeks after I actually finished the book. I kept thinking, "The Shadow Throne? That has nothing to do with the story." Let me explain my revelation, Jaron is in the midst of war, a war against three other kingdoms and no allies in sight. He is doing everything in his power to keep the throne, and Carthya, to defend the kingdom he has come to begrudgingly love. This also isn't the first time that he almost lost the throne, or the second, maybe it's time #31 he almost lost the throne due to rash behavior, risky decisions, and everything else that comes with being Jaron. Don't you see? The throne keeps almost slipping out of his grasp, he may think he has control of it, but it can slip out of his fingers in a few moments of hesitation, like a shadow. 

Ending 6/10: This is where things got a little unbelievable. So Jaron, Roden, and Tobias are all in the dungeon of Connor Bevin's house, about to go to their deaths. Instead, Jaron and Roden escape their nooses, the pirates come to attack, and at the last moment, Connor is actually a good guy, the war is stopped, we discover Roden's father is actually Harlowe, Jaron finally declares his love for Imogen, and everyone lives happily ever after. Even though I wasn't the hugest fan of the ending (although my sleep deprivation would beg to differ), Jaron remains as sassy, clever, and persistent as ever, and makes the right choices in the end that save his kingdom.

Conclusion: The Shadow Throne flies in a breakneck pace with a flurry of action, solid cast of characters, and is a strong conclusion to the Ascendance Trilogy that will leave reader's as satisfied as they can be without Nielsen writing a sequel (because we all know I would worship her if she did write a sequel).

"You were wrong, Commander. Whatever chains you try to place on me, I will always, always rise from them. I'm not buying my freedom because you never owned it. But I am taking it back for me and for my country."----- 95% Jaron

Have you ever been slightly disappointed by the end of the trilogy because you had the character's lives all planned out in your head? Or is there a romance that drives you absolutely insane? Tell me in the comments below :)

{Giveaway} The Glow: Helen Whapshott

Rating: 6/10

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction

Publication Date: March 14, 2014

Publisher: Little Bird Publishing House

Page Count: 199

Format: Digital

Source: The Author

Goodreads~US Amazon~UK Amazon
Blog~Facebook~Twitter

Goodreads Synopsis: What would you do if you saw a ghost? Would you ignore it hoping it would fade away, or would you go up to it and see if it needed your help? When Thirteen year old Megan Webb discovers she has been gifted with The Glow, so called because it gives off a light, like a candle in a dimly lit room attracting ghosts, spirits, and others who belong to the supernatural and paranormal world, she has to learn to come to terms with seeing the world in a whole new way. And if this wasn’t enough to deal with during the delicate years between childhood and adolescence, her parents makes the shocking decision to move her away from everything and everyone she knows to live in a creepy hotel inherited by a late aunt. But it isn’t just the hotel that is creepy, the whole town seems a little odd until she makes friends with a strange boy, a Witch, and a chain-smoking spirit guide who help her adjust. Life couldn’t get any more complicated … could it?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received this book from the author for review purposes which does not in the slightest affect my honest review of this book*

Plot 6/10: The beginning of the book was amazing. Chapter 1- What is a Ghost was magical. Not in the I'm-seeing-a-ghost-and-therefore-they're-actually-real magical but in the way that only wonderful authors can write. The first two-page chapter is a giant launching pad for this story. 

To read more, check out Helen Whapshott's blog post with the first two chapters of The Glow.

Characters 8/10: I loved Megan's friend, Daisy, because of how strong, empathetic, and relatable she was. Despite what had happened to her parents, and how she was physically changed, she didn't change on the outside. Daisy had been mocked, and teased, and taunted her entire life because of the rumors that surrounded her about being a witch. Yet, a little 12 year old girl (I hope she's 12 and not 13, my memory just isn't what is used to be) was strong enough to face the people that hurt her, and be a better person because of it. 

Romance 8/10: *Romance Only Spoiler Alert* I cannot get over how cute Daisy and Scott are together. I am aware that they're only 12, and in Middle School, but they just seem like perfect matches for each other. It is only implied that they like each other as more than friends, but I (as usual) interpreted the romance as something WAY bigger than it actually was, and they are my new MG OTP.

Daisy and Scott are obviously not a duck and a little boy, but this is the cuteness level of their relationship

Writing Style 7.5/10: What was interesting, and slightly confusing was how The Glow truly utilized 3rd person. Most commonly, third person is used so an author can throw in an occasional 'This Secondary Character thought that in response to what the Main Character just said' kind of statement. Instead, Whapshott made it so that we, as the readers, got entire backstories, and explanations as to why a character is the way they are.   

Besides that, there was just something about Helen Whapshott's writing that made me want to read more. It wasn't even the plot, or a specific character, or event, but the overall feel accompanied with word choice was spectacular. I could just hear the voice-over that would happen at the beginning of the movie, and I could picture every detail of the setting and people.

Cover 8/10: I can't be the only one that thinks the cover is gorgeous. Can I? It is very simple, but powerful because it looks like a girl reaching out to someone/something that could be a spirit. The sheer white dress and hair blowing in the wind add the the affect the cover gives off, that something powerful and almost above our comprehension is happening.

Theme: The themes of The Glow were a lot more complicated and deeper than I originally expected from a Middle Grade novel. It was a very light Middle Grade story, but there were strong messages about hope, perseverance, and caring that I loved. The trio had to work very hard to help a soul that hadn't/couldn't pass over yet find her parents and have closure which was very admirable.

Continuation 80%: I have asked Helen, and it looks like we are getting a sequel to The Glow which I am definitely going to read so I can find out what happens next in Daisy, Scott, and Megan's story.

Conclusion: I can imagine myself reading The Glow to my children because of the strong themes, great concept, and a lovely cast of characters. 

{Spoiler Free} The Runaway King: Jennifer A. Nielsen

Rating: 9.5/10

Series: The Ascendance Trilogy #2

Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult Fiction

Publication Date: March 1, 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Page Count: 331

Format: Paperback

Source: Book Orders

Goodreads Synopsis: A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

*This is new feature I will be doing when I want to write a review of a book with my unfiltered feelings. I will post two versions of the review, spoiler filled, and spoiler free so people can still read the review and hear me gush about how good it is without the plot being spoiled for them. If you want to read the spoiler free click here*

*Check out my spoiler free review and spoiler filled review of The False Prince, which is the first book in the stunning Ascendance Trilogy*

*There are unavoidable spoilers for The False Prince in this review but this review itself it SPOILER FREE concerning The Runaway King. If you want to read the spoiler filled version, click here.*

My Backstory: Another back story....because the entire paragraph for The False Prince's backstory was definitely not long enough. Anyway, I finished The False Prince last Saturday morning. I then had to eat lunch, then spent my entire rest of the afternoon doing a math project. While I was taking an alleged "break" I started reading The Runaway King. On Sunday, I had church and more working on my math project so I only got to page 75 on The Runaway King. On Monday morning while I was reading in ELA class, I was just not feeling the same feelings. All of that changed come about 30 pages later. I read the next 200 something pages in one sitting and please excuse my language. What. The. Hell? The Runaway King was a phenomenal roller coaster of non-stop action. I went back to my roots of reading in the bathroom just because I felt it would be nice to end each book the way I have before. Yes, I am extremely weird.

Plot: The reason I wasn't loving The Runaway King in the beginning was because the action wasn't as fast and furious as it was in The False Prince. Of course that only lasted for the first 100 something pages, but after that, when Jaron goes to the pirates, everything changes and I am practically ripping the pages out of the book. 

The events left me like this...

The Runaway King is the very core and definition of page-turner. When reading, I felt as if I couldn't breathe. It wasn't one of those "this piece of art work took my breath away" kind of situations but the story literally knocked my breath of me. I felt like things were being pelted at me and it was the best feeling in the world. (Yes. I am that crazy to enjoy things being thrown at me) I laughed, sighed (in annoyance with Jaron), and almost hyperventilated with this book. I consider myself a fast reader but reading The Runaway King....was FAST! My eyes would trail down the page, then go on to the next one. And the cliffhangers were continuous. Just when you thought you could return to the real world to do things like brush your teeth or get ready for school, there was more of Jaron being an idiot or him fighting a ton of people when he was incapacitated (I'm going to let the imagination interpret that).  

The cliffhangers just keep happening over and over, and Jaron keeps getting out of them but I still (am stupid enough to) think Jaron is finally doomed. Even where things got a little bit unrealistic, the action doesn't slow for a millisecond, and I expect nothing less.

Romance: I completely understand the dynamics and set up for the love triangle in The Runaway King, but I still don't like it. Amarinda and Imogen have become BFFs...like totes, bla bla bla, Jaron will do anything for Imogen and Amarinda is meek and mild as ever. I know others would say differently, and this is my own opinion but I do not see/understand the 'sparks' between Jaron and Imogen. There are examples in the book for how imogen is strong, and willful, and more of my unusual requirements for a female character. I just don't see them and even though it would never happen, seems an almost submissive and dominant relationship because Jaron is so headstrong and Imogen is compassionate and a used-to-be servant.

Pacing: I honestly don't know how Jennifer Nielsen does it. By that, I mean that I have no idea how the heck she is so talented to be able to write what she writes, and not make me annoyed. Jaron is a cat with nine lives, no matter HOW HARD people try, he just can't be killed. Nielsen leaves you thinking at the end of almost every chapter that he's done for, he's doomed, he's burned a bridge that can never be crossed, he's said something he shouldn't have. 

And Jaron comes out of these situations better off than he was before

I swear, if this were any other author or character, I would have thrown my book against the wall in pure annoyance, but she pulls it off. 

Writing Style: Oh My Gosh, the Legend Trilogy feels came back big-time in this novel, but when I read The Runaway King, it was for a different reason then The False Prince. With The Runaway King,  it was the narration that made me reach up to the heavens and thank the lord (which is weird since I'm not overly religious) Jennifer A. Nielsen is alive to quench my thirst while Marie Lu is still working on The Young Elites. 

Jaron is not Day.

Jaron is not Anden.

But Jaron sure as heck sounds like the two of them.

Let me explain a little for those of you that haven't read The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. Daniel Altan Wing or 'Day' is a notorious criminal in the Republic of America who is very similar to Jaron, but that's another post/story altogether. Anden Stavropolous on the other hand is the boy-king that has been raised and groomed to take over the Republic of America. It is as if someone had put an equal amount of Anden, an equal amount of Day into my mothers Nutri-bullet, and a Jaron smoothie came out. I'm not saying Jaron isn't his own person/individual, quite the contrary, he is the most unique character I have ever met. Circumstantially, he is the smoothie. Jaron can't be the carefree boy he was even five days ago that he was with Bevin Conner. He has a duty and responsibility to a kingdom he loves, and he can't be quite as rambunctious and bent on making the lives of the people around him horrible. It's a battle between being the center of grief (in the good grief way, not the somebody died grief way) for all of his regents and subjects, and trying to be a ruler that people believe is too young, inexperienced, and without a good head on his shoulders. Somehow, Nielsen pulls it off the same way she miraculously makes Jaron realistically escape from everything and makes readers perceive him as a saint rather than a devil.

One of the last things I would like to say about The Runaway King is that this is a book for all ages (part of the reason I don't know whether to classify the book as Young Adult or Middle Grade). While the general feel of the book (setting and set-up wise, not 'the feels') may be for littler ones, it was still just as appealing to myself, and others that are older than the targeted age for this book. The themes were wonderful especially the "I never run away or back down" considering the title is The Runaway King. At the same time, Nielsen pulls off having a ton of fighting and face-to-face confrontations, and there is no trace of gore or graphicness to be seen which I know parents (such as my own who are horrified when it comes to violence) appreciate a lot.

Conclusion: This is one of the best books I have read in terms of pacing, style, and themes, and has definitely gained a place of honor on my bookshelves.

  
Be sure to check my lovely friend Tina Chan's review of The Runaway King at her blog The Book Landers. If you are Legend fangirl you HAVE to talk to her, and even if you aren't you should talk to her and follow her blog because that's just how awesome she is.