Sons of Gods by Arthur J. Gonzalez

| ISBN: 978-0988891678 | Pages: 444 |

Publication Date: January 24, 2018 | Source: Xpresso Book Tours

| Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars |

★★★☆

Long ago, the wrath of the three God brothers marked the onset of the Great War. The other Gods watched in horror, until they, too, were forced to take sides. Their beloved Mt Olympus collapsed, ruin was brought to all Divine, and the Age of Darkness gripped the world in its clutches. But a group of Gods was wise, and before their impending deaths, they had crafted a pact, committing to one day rebuilding the Territories - the Heavens, Seas, and the Underworld. It would usher in the world they protected and honored out from its darkness. And from it would rise the new Greats: the Sons of Gods. 
Cienzo has always had an affliction for metal and fire; never did he anticipate it would one day translate to wielding dormant powers. It is during a journey to fulfill a promise to his dying sister, that he is plunged into a dark and magical world, and where great responsibility is bestowed upon him. 
Is he worthy of assuming the throne of the Territories? Can shattering steel and splitting fire change his mind?

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Arthur J. Gonzalez is a YA author of the Photo Traveler series. Originally born in Miami, FL, you can now find him living on the West side in Los Angeles. If he's not drinking coffee or playing with his adorable Schnoodle, Sookie, then he's probably enjoying a nap. Also, he forgets the lyrics to nearly every song.

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An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
| ISBN: 978-1481497589 | Pages: 300 |
Publication Date: September 26, 2017 | Source: Ebook/Own
| Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars |
★★★☆

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.
Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.
The hype surrounding this book when it first came out was enough to pique my interest from the get-go. Another novel that addresses the dynamics between the human and Fae world with a gorgeous cover? I'm sold.

The first thing that caught my attention was the absolutely breath-taking writing. Margaret Rogerson does a stunning job in creating the beautiful world of Faery and the lives of those who live beside the border. The village that Isobel lives in is teeming with those who can create as in this world, Craft is deadly to the faerie. I loved being able to imagine the vivid colors that Isobel used to create the paintings and they definitely were inspiring and gave me an itch to draw.

“Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?

An Enchantment of Ravens is essentially a whimsical spin on classic fairytale that reminds me a lot of several other fairytale retellings/spins that I have read. The writing (again) was simply magical and atmospheric that it helped to propel the story forward. As for the plot, Rogerson introduces us to the conflict right in the synopsis and takes the readers on a thrilling adventure across the land of Fae.

“When the world failed me, I could always lose myself in my work.”

There are some moments during the adventure that felt either rushed or empty which is understandable as this is a debut and a standalone high fantasy. That however, did give me some pause as I would try to figure out how certain events were being led up to and unfolding.

“Soft and sharp at once, an aching tenderness edged with sorrow, naked proof of a heart already broken.” 

Something that I was aware of before going into this was the inevitable comparisons that ACOTAR this book was going to receive. Personally, I don't think these two novels have much in common other than a human female protagonist and a male Fae love interest. The characters themselves are incredible different (well, the Fae are still pretty arrogant...) and of course the story line is different.

“The ability to feel is a strength, not a weakness.” 

Isobel is a painter and her world is bursting with color. While she isn't as tough as a typical fantasy protagonist, she's still headstrong in her own right and has a gentle heart. The relationship she has with Rook can border on frustrating at times when the two cannot seem to figure out their feelings, but honestly, I wasn't complaining. I'll admit, I felt the romance to be a bit lacking in the emotions department, but they were still a cute couple.

“Walking along a blade’s edge was only fun until the blade stopped being a metaphor.” 

The progression of the story continues to build in tension and excitement as Rook and Isobel venture closer to their destination. The last 15% of the novel was...slightly confusing. It felt as if so many things were happening at the same time and I couldn't exactly wrap my mind around it all. There were just so many revelations and interesting turns in the plot happening all at once that it felt a bit overwhelming. Personally, I wouldn't mind if this was maybe 50-100 pgs longer if we could have a bit more development.

Regardless, I enjoyed An Enchantment of Ravens - it was a fun read and the author had a beautiful writing style that made the journey engaging to experience.

Unraveled by Kate Jarvik Birch

| ISBN: 978-1633759138 | Pages: 304 |

Publication Date: April 3, 2018 | Source: Entangled Teen

| Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |

★★★

Ella isn’t anyone’s pet anymore, but she’s certainly not free. 
After exposing the dark secrets about NuPet’s breeding program, forcing them to repeal the law that allowed genetically modified girls to be kept as pets, she thought girls like her would finally be free. She never dreamed that it would backfire. NuPet may have convinced the public of their intentions to assimilate pets back into society, but Ella knows it’s a lie. 
They aren’t planning mass rehabilitation...they’re planning a mass extermination. 
Now, with the help of a small group of rebels, Ella and Penn, the boy she’d give up her life for, set out to bring down NuPet for good. But when her group gets implicated in a string of bombings, no one is safe. If she can’t untangle the web of blackmail and lies that extends far beyond NuPet’s reach, she won’t just lose her chance at freedom, she’ll lose everyone she loves.

Blood Will Tell by Colleen S. Myers

| ISBN: 978-1986672269 | Pages: 238 |

Publication Date: April 1, 2018 | Source: Barclay Publicity

| Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |

★★★

Twilight meets Divergent.
Unbeknownst to eighteen-year old Isabelle, her dad inserted a vital DNA sequence into her blood that made her resistant to the Immortalus virus, but unlocked other capabilities that prove to be the key to the war between the human and vampire race.

For some reason, I don't remember that synopsis being the one I read before agreeing to review this...because it just doesn't sound like my cup of tea - but I can't find any other synopsis. I'm making that point because the given synopsis sounds incredibly cliched and I feel like that could turn some people away from the story. 

Blood Will Tell was strangely addicting and once I started reading, I became sucked into a futuristic world where vampires ruled. This gave me flash backs to Julie Kagawa's Blood of Eden trilogy which is one of my favorite series ever - but the only real connection we get is the vampire and futuristic society. More on the writing - Colleen S. Myers does a fantastic job building tension and moving the story forward so that the readers are constantly interested to find out what happens next.

My only qualm with this book was the romance. I enjoyed the characters individually but the romance became such a big factor of the story to the point where it detracted the value of the plot. There is so much happening the Myers is telling us which is propelling the story forward, but because we're focused on Isabelle and whether she should be with Roke or Alex. I'm not opposed to love triangles if they are done right and this one was fine to a point but it took up too much of the story.

As this is the first book in a series, I am intrigued to see how the story progresses particularly with that slightly frustrating (and a bit cliched) of an ending. The story is full of very commonly found elements but for some reason it was still so addicting to read so I think it's still worth a shot.