Wishlist Thursday[50]: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends, #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends, #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: April 8^th, 2014

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

Why?:

I’ve heard some iffy stuff, but I’m optimistic. I really enjoyed Armstrong’s previous YA books, and liked what I read of her adult stuff (although I’m way behind). This doesn’t quite sound like it’s in my area of interest, and much more high fantasy than I normally go for, but it still sounds interesting, and I’m giving Armstrong the benefit of the doubt. I’m looking forward to picking this up, and hoping that it’s good.
Also, for the longest time, I wasn't even sure if this was YA (I'm still kind of not, maybe?). The synopsis doesn't hint at their age, and the cover looks more adult than YA. I like the cover, it's very pretty and intriguing and not-embarrassing, but still.

What are you looking forward to reading?

Novel Review: The Rising (Darkness Rising, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Genre: YA Supernatural/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: HarperCollins/Teen

Publish Date: April 2nd, 2013

Spoilers?: Minor/Vague.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis (may contain spoilers!):

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Something Specific:

Quotes!:

• "I'm not sure which was more condescending--calling us kids or thinking we'd respond better if they humored our delusions of maturity." (Maya's thought when a guy calls them children, then amends it to young adults.) (Hardback, pg. 184) I knew exactly how she felt just there, and I'm sure a lot of other teenagers do, too.
• "If it was love, why was it so complicated? Shouldn't I just be able to turn to one, and say, 'It's you. I want you.'" (I ommited a tiny bit of one line to avoid spoilers, just so you know.) (Hardback, pg. 386-387) I just liked her sentiment on it, honestly.

What Will I Miss?:

• I'm going to miss all of the characters, both from this series and the previous one. All of their relationships, particularly the ones with the parents.
• I'm going to miss the romance between the main characters.
• I'm going to miss the twists, even if some of them were expected--pretty much what Armstrong did with the series, while I wait for whatever she releases next. 

 

Review:

This was a very satisfying ending to this series, even more satisfying than I thought it would be.

Some things happened in this book that I wasn’t expecting, some of which I definitely should have thought about but hadn’t. Pretty much all of which were good. The characters from Armstrong's first YA series, Darkest Powers, showed up, although they showed up later than I thought/hoped they would. Either way, it was very nice to see them again. And it was nice to see how all of the characters acted around each other.

The ending for all of the subjects, the agreement that they all decided on, was something that I wasn’t really expecting, but something that I’m very happy about. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I thought that it worked really well, and fit very well for all of them.

The romance also took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. Usually it’s very obvious from the beginning where the romance is going, who the main love interest is, but for me it wasn’t here. And I really liked how it ended. It fits better, makes more sense, and is generally just very nice. From the first book, it looked like it was going to be one person, in the second book I was a little conflicted although still sure it was going toward one person, and then somewhere in this book, I was starting to think that maybe I was wrong. And I was. But it turned out even better than I was expecting, and I’m really happy with how that happened.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’m just really happy with how things turned out. For all of the characters, for the romance, for the parents. For everyone.

I want to gush a bit about what happened, but I’ve decided not to spoil anything, so I’m just going to have to stop there.

Now that this series is over, though, and this book had a pretty definite, non-cliffhanger ending, I’m really wondering what Armstrong has planned next. I hope she’s working on something else YA, or at least planning to, sometime soon. Whatever it is, though, I’m sure to pick it up. Until then, I’m probably going to have to catch up on her Women of the Otherworld series, seeing as how I’ve only read two of the books, and there are a lot more than that out.

The Cover:

I'm not a very big fan of the covers for this series. They're just not very exciting, or eye-catching to me. And they all look much too similar, as are the titles, in that's it's very easy to get confused as to which book is which in the series. Embarrassing Factor isn't very high, though, I don't think. 

Wishlist Thursday: The Rising (Darkness Rising, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

So, I’m starting something new. This is, quite possibly, the worst time for me to be starting something new, but that’s what I’m doing. From now on (and feel free to yell at me, in the comments, if I somehow miss posting one in the future) I will be posting something every Thursday. It might be a rant, a DNF review, a something-else, a lot of times it might be a Wishlist/Waiting on Wednesday related thing (like today)—I’m not set on it being one thing, but it will be something.

This also means that I will be posting less reviews on the weekend. Instead of usually two every Saturday and Sunday, I’m planning to do one on every Saturday and Sunday. Which means that I will be posting something four times a week now—Teaser Tuesday on Tuesday, Something on Thursday, a Review on Saturday, and another Review on Sunday. Of course, this might change in the future. I do want to post more, more regularly, at some point in the future, but at the moment this is what I’m going with.

Okay? Awesome.

So, here’s todays post!:

The Rising (Darkness Rising, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Genre: YA Supernatural (Romance)

Publisher: HarperCollins/Teen

Publish Date: April 2^nd, 2013

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis (maybe don't read if you haven't read the two previous books, cause spoilers!):

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Why?:

I realize that this book came out last week, and usually I’m supposed to do a book that isn’t released yet, and in the future I probably will, but this is the main book on my mind of i-want-this right now. I love this series, I love Armstrong’s books and characters, and this is the last one in this series. I don’t know yet how it’s going to end, how it’s possibly going to wrap up in one book, or what she’s going to do next in YA. Plus, we get to meet the characters from the first series in this book and I am so excited for this. I don’t have it yet, however, which is horrible. I’m planning to get it soon, though, and am very excited to finally get to read it and see how this series ends.

So. What are you looking forward to reading, or wanting published, or… whatever? Tell me in the comments!

Review: The Calling (Darkness Rising, #2) by Kelley Armstrong

 Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: HarperCollins (Harper)

Spoilers?: Very minor.

Amazon Synopsis:

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.
Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.
In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more

Review:

This series is getting really good. I am so excited for the next one, and so upset that I have to wait, probably, another year. That is way too long!

The first book gave us little information, and this one didn’t give us too much more. For most of the book, Maya and her group of friends are traveling around in the woods, deserted from everyone else, unable to call anyone, not knowing who to trust, along with their classmates (or whatever) not really believing that someone is after them.

It was suspenseful, and even though they were mostly traveling, quite a bit did happen. At first, I had a hard time figuring out who all of the kids were, what their purpose was, and what they did in the first book. Probably because we didn’t see too much of them in the first book, and I didn’t pay them too much mind. I have a somewhat better grasp now, and hopefully still will by the time the next one comes out.

I am mostly looking forward to the next one, honestly. I want to find out more about Maya and what her friends are, and see them using their powers, since we’ve mostly only got to see Maya use hers, and then just barely. I want them to find their parents, and see who knows what to do with the project; particularly Maya’s parents, because they are awesome, and get to see (more of) who her biological parents are. I’m excited for them to get their friends back.

The biggest thing I want, though, is for them to find the characters from the first trilogy. Every time Project Genesis was mentioned, and the experiments from both projects, I got so excited. And they were mentioned several times, too. Because I know Armstrong has mentioned them meeting up, and they were heading out to find them at the end of the book. I want to see Chloe and Derek and all of them again, and how they react to Maya and her friends (Derek in particular; I bet he’ll get protective). I want it to happen! Stop teasing me already!

Anyway. I like Maya, and I really like Daniel (although I don’t really see much romance between them, and am unsure how I would feel about that, if it were to happen), and want to get to know Rafe more. I believe that she and Rafe will be together, and I don’t really mind that, and I see it, but I don’t really get a lot of, um, tingly feelings or anything from reading about them, possibly because he wasn’t in a lot of this book. Hopefully there will be more chemistry (or something) in the next one.

So, that’s pretty much it. I loved it, and I want the next one, immediately, and so I am bummed about waiting for it. Although I’m wondering how long the next book is going to be, and what all is going to happen in it, because I feel like there is a lot of stuff to get cleared up: the parents thing, getting to the people in charge of it all, finding Project Genesis, getting their friends back, discovering their powers. A lot for one book. Still, I'm looking forward to it.

Review: The Gathering (Darkness Rising, #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Rating (Out of 5): ~4/4.5

Publisher: HarperCollins (HarperTeen)

Spoilers?: No.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

Review:

This, like that last book, I have been meaning to review but just haven't gotten around to it yet. What better time than a month before the next book in the series, though, right?

I read Kelley Armstrong's first young adult series, and I've read a couple of her Women of the Otherworld series (but only the first two, because I don't want to skip around but am having a hard time getting into the ones not about Elena/the werewolves). I've really enjoyed what I've read so far, and it didn't bother me that she was starting a new series with new characters but like her first ya one. But for some reason, even though I knew better, I was a bit wary that it would be too similar to the first one.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very different. In a very good way.

Maya, the main character, is not Chloe (from the Darkest Powers series). I really liked Chloe, but I was glad to see that they were very different. (It kind of amazes me how well Armstrong is at creating characters different from her other ones.) Very different things are happening to the characters in this series compared the the first, which is nice. This book has more mystery and intrigue. It's actually a bit more exciting, or thrilling; not that the other one wasn't. They're just so different.

Maya is straight-forward, feisty, bold. I liked her, as I did Daniel, her best friend (and felt bad for both of them because of Serena, and would have liked to get to know her). (Also, I'm hoping that's not going to be a triangle. It could go in a different direction, and I hope it does.) I did like Rafe, and there was a point where Maya thought, was sure even when she wasn't, that he'd done something. I didn't really believe that he had, but Maya's feelings on it were completely believable.

I did like all of the characters relationships with each other. They live in a very small, secluded town, so everyone knows each other. The teenagers have nice, or just interesting, relationships, as do the adults. I want to know what is going to happen to all of the kids, see where they go, what they are if they're something. And I really Maya's relationship with her parents. They're so close, honest with each other, and can just play around. It was nice to read about such a close, fun family.

I also like what Maya is, what's she's turning into, or whatever (but I won't spoil it, since it's kept so nicely hidden unless you've read it). That was interesting, and I'm looking forward to more of that in the next book. As I'm looking forward to finding out what's going to happen, plot-wise. In this book, a lot of things are kept secret from the residents, the kids especially, and Maya and her friends are just starting to find things out and investigate them. Some big things happen near the end of the book, and I'm excited to see where they're headed.

This book seemed to open things up for the next one. It was definitely a good start to the trilogy, and did make me want to read the next one. Made me excited, and interested, for it.