Book Review: Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman

Book Details:
Title: Dauntless (Valiant Hearts Series)
Author: Dina L. Sleiman
2015, Bethany House
ISBN: 9780764213120
Genre: YA Christian Historical Fiction

Book Summary:
Though once a baron's daughter, Lady Merry Ellison is willing to go to any lengths to protect the orphaned children of her former village. Dubbed "The Ghosts of Farthingale Forest," her band of followers soon become enemies of the throne when they hijack ill-gotten gold meant for the king. 

Timothy Grey, ninth child of the Baron of Greyham, longs to perform some feat so legendary that he will rise from obscurity and earn a title of his own. When the Ghosts of Farthingale Forest are spotted in Wyndeshire, where he serves as assistant to the local earl, he might have found his chance. But when he comes face-to-face with the leader of the thieves, will he choose fame or love?

My Review:
This book is set in the time period of King John - think Robin Hood. It is told from the POV of Lady Merry Ellison, Timothy Grey and Allen, one of Merry's "men". You also hear from the villain of the story, but you are unsure who he is until near the end of the book.

I liked this book. It didn't really grab me and keep me reading in rapt attention throughout the whole story, but it was good. Merry is an outlaw and is trying to keep a band of orphans safe from being killed by King John. They are a fun group and I felt like the author did a really good job with them. 

There is a love triangle that goes on between Merry, Timothy and Allen. Unfortunately it's pretty obvious what's going to happen from very early on in that situation. For the most part the story is fairly predictable except I wasn't able to guess who the bad guy was until he was revealed. 

It was a clean read, but I was a little surprised with the amount of kissing in it. It wasn't bad, but for a YA Christian book, I was a little surprised. I really appreciated all the historical references and the effort the author obviously made to make a fictional novel as historically accurate as she could.

Update: Want a little explanation on the kissing scenes from the author? Read her view here.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House, for an honest review. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

Legend by Marie Lu - Good Choice Reading Book Tour

Book Details:
Title: Legend (Legend #1)
Author: Marie Lu
2011, Penguin
ISBN:978-0-399-25675-2
Genre: YA, Dystopia


Book Summary:
  Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a military prodigy committed to her country.
  Born into the slums of the Republic's Lake Sector, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal.
  From different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered. And Day becomes the prime suspect.
  Now, caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival while June tries desperately to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together and the sinister lengths to which their country will go to to keep its secrets.


My Review:
  I received this book to read as part of a book blog tour - I signed up for it and I was a little unsure about whether I was going to like it or not. I wasn't even exactly sure what it was about. I LOVED this book. I read it in two days - and that's with a 2-year-old running around my house. 
  This book really reminded me of The Hunger Games in a couple ways - obviously because it's about young people, the crazy militaristic government, the drastic comparison of wealth and poverty, and lastly it's dystopian era. Post-natural disasters and destruction of the United States-type world.
  The book chapters alternate between the perspective of the main characters, June and Day. June is a wealthy kid who has had everything and is slated for a top job in the country's military. Day failed the Republic's test and has ended up on the streets acting out against the country government who is oppressive to those who live in his Sector.
  You can read the synopsis above and get the general idea of what the book is about. The characters are interesting and intriguing. They have chemistry together and it seems like you as the reader really feel their frustrations, hopes and worries. There are some good secondary characters also.
  The plot carries the reader along - I didn't want to put the book down. There are no dead areas of this book, no times when you're bored. I think the author takes a unique look at a post-destruction world.
  Overall - great book. I definitely recommend picking this one up! I don't think you'll be disappointed! I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the second book of the series!

This book is set to be released November 2011.
Thank you to Good Choice Reading for hosting Legend Book Tour and giving me the opportunity to review this book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Good Choice Reading Book Tour

Book Details:
Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
2011, Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781442421769
Genre: YA

Book Summary:
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

My Review:
I'm not even sure where to start with this review. I was left with a very "hmm.... soooo???" at the end! If felt like the ending was completely unresolved. This was not a happily ever after type book - but it just ended weird!

Characters: Good - loved Mara and Noah. They had great chemistry and the book kept you guessing whether Noah was a good thing or a bad thing in Mara's life for quite some time. There were lots of good secondary characters - Mara's brothers added a lot to the story.

Clean? Depends on how you view it. There was some foul language, but no sex.

Plot line: Good. I really had no idea where this book was going for quite some time, yet I was compelled to keep reading it. My husband and one point was like, "You just can't put that book down can you?" Nope - and what higher marks can you give a book than that? =) I did feel like there were a lot of weird events that seemed kind of random throughout the book - although because Mara thought she was psychotic, I guess it kind of fit.

Overall impression: It was an interesting book. Definitely interesting to read. I wouldn't say it was the most awesome book I've ever read, but it was a fun read, easy to get through and kept you guessing. Like I said at the beginning - I'm still not really sure what happened at the end, so if you like clean endings, then this is not the book for you.

This book is set to be released on September 27, 2011.

Thank you to Good Choice Reading for hosting The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Tour and giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Book Series Review: The Hunger Games Triology

Book Details:
Title: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire & Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA Fiction


Book Summary (The Hunger Games):
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.


Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katinss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.


My Review:
This series is amazing, heart-breaking and compelling. I almost couldn't put it down. The first book keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering how a government could weld it's powers so (although... this is no worse than some REAL governments in history - Hitler anyone?). The second book, Catching Fire, is equally fascinating and the third book, Mockingjay, although necessary to the story, was my least favorite. 


Katniss Everdeen is a strong, likeable character. Although she has this issue with two guys being in love with her - and she doesn't seem to know which one she loves more in return. I hate to draw comparison's because their characters are completely different, but in the relationship department it seemed a little like Bella from Twilight not being able to decide between Jacob and Edward. It was a little frustrating to me - like she was playing both sides.


Gale, the hunter and Peeta, the baker - the guys - are both worthy characters. They were completely different, which I appreciated. I was disappointed in the end because she didn't end up with MY favorite, but I'd been preparing myself for that since about 1/3 into Mockingjay. Somehow I just felt that I wasn't going to get my wish. After several days of reading almost non-stop, I actually stopped about 23 pages from the end and didn't know if I could go on because I was afraid of how the book would end. I am a HEA book-lover and I knew this book wasn't going to have it - I was right, but it wasn't quite as bad as I expected.

I feel like this is going to be one of those books that lingers with me for several days after I've finished it.


I could probably go on and on - I'm excited about the movie coming out in 2012. If you haven't read the books, you should. We'll leave it at that.

Abandon by Meg Cabot Once Upon a Twilight Book Tour

Book Details: 
Title: Abandon (The Abandon Trilogy #1) 
Author: Meg Cabot 
2011, Scholastic 
ARC Copy 
Genre: YA fantasy/paranormal

Book Summary: 
Pierce knows what it's like to die because she's one it before. 

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help ut feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone ... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. 

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. 

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away ... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. 

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld. 

The myth of Persephone ... Darkly Re-imagined. 

My Review: 
I was very excited to read this book - and a little skeptical. I love Meg Cabot's books, but her last one about the vampires made me wonder why she was attempting another one of these paranormal sort of books and not just sticking to The Princess Diaries type. 

I was pretty happy with this one though! First, I've always been a big Greek Mythology fan, so to find out that this series is based loosely on the Myth of Hades and Persephone was intriguing to me. Meg Cabot's characters are always kind of flaky and quirky and I wasn't sure at first if I liked that about Pierce, but she really grew on me as the book went on. 

I also really liked the character of John - a death deity. He is mysterious, brooding, protective and loving all wrapped up in one person. I expected him to actually BE in more of the story, but he was kind of in the background for most of the book. Cabot also used some interesting secondary characters that I liked, Pierce's parents, cousin, and Mr. Smith, the cemetery caretaker, and the Furies. Cabot used a lot of historical facts or references for this fiction book - I always like a book that is based on something realistic. 

I have to say I was a little frustrated at first because I felt like Cabot just jumped right into the story and I had no idea what was going on - and it took her half the book to slowly explain it. But although I was kind of annoyed about that, I still couldn't seem to put the book down! 

I am greatly looking forward to the next installment of this series to find out what happens with John and Pierce! This one really left the reader hanging at the end and wishing for the next one! 

Thank you to Once Upon A Twilight for hosting the Abandon Book Tour and giving me the opportunity to review this book. http://www.onceuponatwilight.com