Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Goldseer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson

Goodreads From Description

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

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Initial excitement: YAAH! 

Post-reading excitement: Meh.

I was so excited, so excited for Walk on Earth a Stanger - the premise sounded so different from the mainstream YA literature, and indeed it really was different. The setting takes place in 19th century America when the gold rush was at its finest, and the focus is on Leah, or Lee, who has a magical power - to sense gold when it's nearby. Of course, this curious ability of hers sets her on a course of events that end up being a start of great sorrow, but an adventure too. 

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of gritty western things, the blurb sounded so fascinating that I just knew I wanted to give the novel a shot. I mean, there are millions of possibilities what could happen in the book, both good and bad ones. So, I was aware that Walk on Earth s Stranger was going to be a very Western focused book, but I wasn't really expecting it to be so Western with the bandits and their shotguns. But you really can see the amount of research the author must have done while planning and writing the novel, and while it was impressive in its own, it confirmed my, well not dislike, but apprehension towards the time period. 

To my liking, there was too much about the practicality and technicality of the 19th century's gold rush, and too little of the supernatural. In fact, in my opinion the 'goldseer' element neglected. I can imagine that those who are really interested in the time period, the novel will be a real treat for them, but for me the worry for the cows and different troubles with the wagons weren't that exciting. And the thing is that there was so much description about the ways and customs of that time, and I found myself skimming through those passages. Even though they could've been interesting to others.

That being said, the relationships and the dynamics between the people were quite something else. I loved that there were plenty of characters (even so that the author had decided to include a list of them in the beginning of the book), and how they interacted with each other, mainly with our heroine, Lee. The dialogues were always entertaining and I never got the feeling that the dialogues were stalling or unnecessary bulks just to fill up the pages. They were smart and well written, and such conversations between characters always make me appreciate the authors' dedication to dialogues. 

What I really liked about the novel though, was the depiction of the gender roles in the 19th century, something that you can still see even this day. A minor spoiler: the fact that Lee had to disguise as a boy brought light to the interesting topic, how a person is treated differently based on her gender, even if the actions are almost identical. Vice versa, it was interesting to read what men were expected to do and what code to live by. This subject was quite subtle most of the time, but occasionally the stark contrast between the expectations of women and men were striking and honestly a bit appalling from time to time. But hey, that's history for you and I think things have been a lot worse as well. And it was interesting as well to read about it. 

Even though I really enjoyed the storyline in general, the number of characters, and the bit more serious topics, I was also a bit bored from time to time too (the first 25% was really intriguing and exciting, and then towards the end the story got better, but the middle part was dragging). I didn't really find the excessive details of that time or the long descriptions of traveling in that time very appealing. Lee was a great heroine and I seriously think that the second novel is going to be so much better than the first one, but I'm not sure if I have to motivation to invest in this series. We'll see.

☆☆

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Description from Goodreads

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us. 

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Wow, what was that! I mean the blurb definitely had me intrigued even though I'm not exactly the hugest fan of historical fiction, but A Madness So Discreet surprised me with its haunting setting, beautiful language, and very fascinating themes and topics like criminal psychology and what really defines madness. I knew just by reading the first chapter that this novel would entertain me right until the very end, and it definitely did it by being poignant, but also smart and exciting. The end was somewhat disappointing as it was wrapped up way too quickly for my taste, but let me first rave about all the amazing things.

Okay first of all, as a psychology student I have to say that McGinnis's exploration of mental health, the treatments in the past, and her take on criminal psychology was very interesting. She wrote very descriptive text about all of these aspects, and while it wasn't exactly the happiest thing to read about, I found it fascinating and thoroughly captivating. All of the mental health "problems" and their medical care felt very authentic, and that's the exact reason why the book was so haunting. You know that even though the book is a piece of fiction, majority of the events could have taken place in the past, one way or another. The author also engaged in a bit of profiling of murders too, which was so so so fun to read about, but also at times rather unscientific.. But that's not the point though - A Madness So Discreet is a fictional book about a girl trying to escape her past, not a non-fictional guide to criminal psychology. But yeah, I really enjoyed the psychological approach to the novel and all its sub-branches.

And how about the characters! I don't think there was one character whom I didn't find appealing or intriguing in some way. Even the bad guys had my attention from the very first moment, and I just couldn't wait to learn more about all of the characters. To my great pleasure, all the characters, even the minor ones, had their own distinct personalities and histories, and their actions were believable but never predictable. I could list here the most fascinating characters like our smart main character Grace, the enigmatic Dr. Thornhollow, or fiery Nell, but then I think this review would end up being an essay of exploration of the characters of ı. So briefly but effectively: the characters were absolutely great in this novel. 

McGinnis also knows how to write very elegant language, even when she is writing the creepiest scenes. There was this scene in the beginning in which a fellow patient of Grace's smells her and absurdly knows her past by the smells that she has on her. And it was so freaking creepy, scary, haunting yet so captivating and strangely beautiful too. The author just blew me away with the lyrical language which was more dominant in the first part of the book and unfortunately less frequent towards the end. However, the author's writing and the eye for characters and smart plot made me want to read her other books, and I have already landed my eyes on Not a Drop to Drink which was published in 2013 and is a part of duology(?). Can't wait to get my hands on it. 

I already briefly mentioned that the ending was a bit too hasty to my liking, and as good as the novel in itself was, the wrap-up ate some of the greatness of the book. The events which took place were okay by me, but the abruptness left me with so many unwanted questions (not the good kind) and in general left me cold. I suppose the ending wasn't exactly bad, and I can't really put my finger on it what made me dislike it, but I was left with a feeling that it was missing something. Not disclosure or peace per se, but something bigger. 

In the end though, A Madness So Discreet was a very different kind of novel and very entertaining at that. I could've done with even more criminal psychology and the ending didn't sit with me very well as it left me a bit uneasy for some reason, but otherwise - a superb novel. I loved the fact that there wasn't romance element to the novel, but more of a companionship resembling to Sherlock and Dr. Watson which suited me very well. There was caring about one another there, but nothing too explicit. After all, the novel was about facing your demons (whether imaginary or not) and finding your place in the world. 

☆☆☆☆

A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

Description from Goodreads

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped. 

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I have to say right away that I loved Vicious by V.E. Schwab which was published in 2013, and ever since I've been looking forward to reading her other books. So, when I read the blurb for A Darker Shade of Magic I knew instantly, INSTANTLY, that I had to get this book because there's nothing that I didn't like about the premise: parallel worlds, travelling between these worlds, magic, and adventures!! It was really nice to notice that I wasn't let down by A Darker Shade of Magic, even though it was a quite a bit lighter than I thought it would be (I kind of hoped that A Darker Shade of Magic would be a gruesome and dark read).

I've always found parallel universes a really fascinating concept, so naturally I loved the fact that Schwab hadn't created only two parallel universes, but four. FOUR! Grey, Red, White, and Black London all had their own distinguished features in terms of appearance, amount of alive magic, politics, customs, and even language which was so cool - the author had really thought the concept through which made me to fangirl quite a bit. I loved how inventive and intriguing this concept was and its execution, and the fact that the author didn't give away too much. She gave the readers all the basics and then a bit more about the parallel worlds, but also made them hungrier to know more about these Londons. Hopefully, we'll get more insight of these cities and the parallel worlds in general in the next instalments!

Kell and Delilah/Lila were such an interesting duo, both of them being used to be self-reliant and distancing themselves from other people. I liked that they weren't those typical YA characters 'handsome/beautiful without really knowing it' but Kell and Lila were very impressionable with their quirky yet a bit sad personalities. And I have this really weird thing for girls dressing as boys to get away with things! I don't what it is, but I just always seem to love novels in which the girl dresses as a boy and is a really badass and conquers the world in her own way. Even though I had a bit difficult time to connect with Lila first, I was really glad to notice that she eventually grew on me. With Kell, I had no problem - I liked him instantly. He with his red-hair and brooding personality was right up on my alley! One thing that I would've liked to know more about was these characters' pasts - what's up with Kell not remembering his childhood? I need to know!! I guess I just have to wait the other books to be published...

I think A Darker Shade of Magic is one of those books which are best experienced when known as little as possible, so I'm just going to list somethings that I absolutely loved in this novel (hopefully) not giving too much away: banter, a potential romance, Kell's coat with more than two sides, sadistic villains, dying magic, just enough open-ended ending to peak my interest for the second book. One thing that I didn't like, though: the constant use of italics to emphasise words. 

So if you have been meaning to read A Darker Shade of Magic, but still haven't: DO IT. I can almost guarantee that you won't be disappointed. I have to say thought that I did enjoy Schwab's Vicious more than A Darker Shade of Magic, but I still have to read her The Archived (which I'll try to read soonish as soon as I get a copy in my hands). A Darker Shade of Magic offered banter, slice of magic, exciting adventures, and heartfelt emotions which made the book a rememberable and unique read.  

☆☆☆☆

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

Description from Goodreads

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them. 

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If I had to describe The Winner's Crime in a couple of words I'd probably use intense and frustrating. I was constantly on the verge of crying out loud because all the desperation and anguish Kestrel and Arin has to face, and how the storyline seems to get only darker and darker, and it's becoming more and more difficult see a happy ending for the trilogy. Of course (me being a masochist when it comes to love stories) I absolutely adored this and yet still hated the fact that the readers have to face all the despair and tragedy with the characters. Rutkoski has definitely upped her game by adding even more political intrigue, heartbreak, terror, and expanding the world of The Winner's Trilogy. 

We who read the first book, The Winner's Curse, know what sort of sweetly frustrating ending it had. And let me tell you, the frustration only increases with the second book. Kestrel is now engaged to the future-emperor, Verex, in order to protect Arin and Herrani, and she has returned to the capital to wait for her wedding. Even though Kestrel is determined to keep her resolution to stay silent why she really became engaged with Verex, I love the fact that she still wavers and how beautifully Rutkoski writes about Kestrel's desperation and unhappiness. In a way you feel like you are reading a stream of consciousness because the writing is so flowy and effortlessly lyrical that it just sucks you into the world of sadness and oppression. As Kestrel struggles with her options and choices, so does the reader. I've always loved Kestrel, her determination and strategic character  but the book two only enhances her both hard and soft traits. It's heartbreaking to watch Kestrel (and Arin for that matter) to yearn after their heart's desire when it's painfully obvious that the situation is only going to end in tears. I also loved the fact that Kestrel and her father's relationship was explored more in detail, there's so much going on in there! 

Arin was exactly the same as Kestrel. He struggled to understand why Kestrel would so easily change her mind about him, and whether all those emotions and words were just pretense. Of course, Arin is just as intense in the second book as he is in the first one, and I remember just sighing out loud while reading some of the passages of The Winner's Crime. Even though the second instalment isn't exactly a romance novel as much as the first book, we still get some scenes that made at least my heart thud loudly in my chest. Just like in the case of Kestrel, I liked Arin since the very beginning. He's passionate and driven, and even though he doesn't always think before he acts (unlike Kestrel who always overanalyses everything), he always means well to the ones he loves. We see this impulsiveness and spontaneity plenty again, and it definitely is the root of some of the agonising twists in the plot.  

There was also this beautiful symmetry going on with Kestrel and Arin. Their actions and thoughts mirrored each other, and I just loved how Rutkoski played those out. They made me squeal and squirm in my armchair as I wished and hoped that they would just be honest with each other. The fact that even though Arin and Kestrel are madly in love, I appreciated that they weren't some hormone-driven creatures, but were also able to think with their brains. There are so much at stake at this point, two whole worlds and the lives of those, that sometimes you need to discard your own needs in order to keep others safe. Even though it's difficult to do, sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself. 

So like I already mentioned, there wasn't as much romance in The Winner's Crime as there was in The Winner's Crime. Even though I'm all for the romance, I also enjoyed the fact how new, non-romantic elements were included in the plot and how the world of Winner's Trilogy expanded a bit more. I'm not going to go in details about how this was done, but a third unknown culture was introduced to the story, and it will most definitely play a role in the third book. I wish that there was a bit more exploration of the newest element, but I'm sure it will be done in the future. 

Lastly I want to mention the Emperor and his son Verex. The Emperor is exactly what I wanted him to be: evil, cunning, heartless, a piece of crap whom you just want to strangle every time he comes around. And that's perfection! I loved that he was the new villain of the story who actually makes you root for Kestrel and Arin even more than before. He appears to be source of all despair and sadness and Rutkoski isn't afraid to take an advantage of that - we get plenty of terror in the novel, starting from the very first chapters. Verex on the other hand, isn't exactly what I expected him to be. He's described as fragile and watery-eyed kind of guy, and unlike his father, is surprisingly kind and warm. I'm not sure what to make of Verex, but I'm sure that I'll get answers to that in the third (and last, sad face) book. 

If you think that The Winner's Curse had the most tragic ending, just wait for the ending of The Winner's Crime. WHAT THE HELL. Is Rutkoski trying to crush our already bloody and painful hearts into dust? This author is the queen of cliffhangers and of course the ending made me want to read the third book even more! I have no idea how this trilogy is going to play out in the end because since The Winner's Curse the book has been all about heartbreak, difficult choices, loss of freedom, loss of faith, and I'm a tiny bit afraid that the third book will be an apex of all that tragedy. I really hope that the third book has at least a some kind of happy ending, even though I'm pretty sure the readers will finish the series all teary, no matter what. Actual rating 4.5 stars!!

☆☆☆☆

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

Description from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

--

Oh boy, I don't even know where to start. The beginning of the book was phenomenal and extremely engaging, and I was so excited about it because Grave Mercy had all the potential to become one of my treasured, favourite YA fantasy books. But. Something went terribly wrong, and after reaching the halfway of the book, it was just dismal to continue. I don't usually like to make as strong arguments as "hating" a book but I'm really close to giving this book only 1 star. 

Like I already said, the book was so intriguing in the beginning. I mean assassin nuns? How could that go wrong? Well it did. Somehow. The setting was so great - we have the main character, Ismae, who has been traumatised by her horrible family, but with a hint of luck and help, she manages to escape her appalling future with her drunk fiancé. She starts attending the convent of St. Mortain, where she becomes familiar with the mysterious art of Death. Ismae learns about poisons, combat, and deception, making her future looks bright as a promising assassin. 

But then when she is assigned to go high court of Brittany for a mission, everything starts to go downhill. And I don't know where to start! First of all, in the beginning of the book, I adored Ismae: she was sassy, intelligent, self-reliant and self-efficient, strong emotionally and physically, as well very likeable. She had the whole package of a great heroine! But then all of a sudden, she becomes this love sick puppy and the great personality the author has created seems to go down the drain. Ismae becomes almost obsessed  with Gavriel, the love interest, and even though she tries to hide, it is so painfully obvious that he is all she can think about. And this really frustrated me. I can understand that once you are in love with someone, your world can starts revolving around this person, but I just didn't want that to happen to Ismae. She was so much more than a young woman in love, and the whole romance seemed to swallow it. 

It actually took me over a month to read this book, just simply because I kept postponing the reading. I think I could have forgiven the romance-that-was-straight-from-a-harlequin-cover, but the world lacked quite a bit of depth. There was very little if any description of the physical and cultural world Ismae inhabited, and it bugged me so much. The story could have bloomed with all the details and uniqueness that is often associated with historical fiction, but the only depictions we get are about Gavriel. No, thank you. I could have forgiven this as well, but then when the readers were thrust into "the deadly political game", which to be honest was just an attempt in such, was a sore disappointment as well. There were some scheming and mental (and physical) maiming, but it didn't feel very authentic or original to me (maybe I can thank A Song of Ice and Fire series for this?). 

I know that some people are just absolutely smitten with this book, and that's completely fine with me. Maybe I was the one to miss that something that made everyone else fall in love with the novel? I expected a story filled with political scheming and assassination attempts, but I feel like the only thing that the book could offer me was a mediocre romance between Ismae and Gavriel. I don't want to give Grave Mercy only 1 star, because I did enjoy the beginning as it was very entertaining and original. Nevertheless, the book one of His Fair Assassin series didn't reach its whole potential. 

☆☆