Bookcon 2016 was in downtown Chicago this year and I bought tickets for my bestie and myself to go check it out. A lot of big-name authors were going to be there and I was looking forward to a day of books, autographs, and more books.
Here’s a preview of what to expect …
More below the cut!
I’m just gonna put this out there – I love being proved wrong by books. I love it when my predictions miss the mark by a mile, because it means that the book is doing something fun and unique. That absolutely happened with Wildefire – I don’t think I got a single prediction right, and I loved it.
So, onto the predictions, below the cut:
Hello, friends! I’m back! I ended up taking off (most of) the month of June because I did go overseas for an amazing vacation, and then I had to read A Piece of Cake for my book club, so I figured I wouldn’t try and fit in anything else until my schedule cleared up a little. Now I’m back, feeling refreshed, and super judgey!
After the Katerina books, I decided to go for something more contemporary, and following an extremely scientific process of “asking my husband if I should read a real book or something on my Kindle” (he said a real book), I chose Wildefire, which I bought last September, specifically for the purpose of judging it.
So, first the cover:
Now the blurb, courtesy of Goodreads:
Every flame begins with a spark.
Blackwood Academy was supposed to be a fresh start for Ashline Wilde. A secluded boarding school deep in the heart of California’s redwood forests, three thousand miles from her old life – it sounded like the new beginning she needed after an act of unspeakable violence left a girl in her hometown dead.
But Blackwood is far from the peaceful haven Ashline was searching for.
Because terrifying, supernatural beasts roam the forests around campus.
Because the murderer from Ashline’s hometown – her own sister – has followed her across the country.
Because a group of reincarnated gods and goddesses has been mysteriously summoned to Blackwood…
…and Ashline’s one of them
First of all, REINCARNATED GODS AND GODDESSES, THAT IS THE OTHER REASON I PICKED UP THIS BOOK, YES.
We’ll see if I’m right!
I finished The Morning Star on Wednesday, and I was satisfied with how it ended, but also glad that I was finished. It was a haul to get through – even when Katerina was in life-threatening situations, it was hard to believe she was actually in any danger. It also continued with its trend of showing instead of telling, which made it hard to tell, or care, whether they were in Egypt or Russia.
So – onto the predictions, below the cut!
Wow, it’s been a little bit, hasn’t it? Sorry! Things have been super busy, and while I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon, I do hope I can get back on a regular schedule with this again.
So we’re on to the third and final book of the Katerina trilogy, The Morning Star. Here’s the cover:
And the blurb, courtesy of GoodReads:
Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, wants to be known as a doctor, not a necromancer. But Tsar Alexander III forbids women to attend medical school; his interest in Katerina extends only to her ability to raise the dead. Twice now, Katerina has helped him by using her power to thwart the forces of darkness—vampires bent on resurrecting the lich tsar Konstantin Pavlovich so that he can take what he sees as his rightful place on the throne. Katerina thought she had bound Konstantin to the Greylands, the realm of the dead, but he has found a way out. Now he is searching for the Morning Star, a sword that will allow him to command a legion of supernatural warriors.
Katerina must find the sword before Konstantin does—and she must travel to Egypt to do so. Along the way, she puts up with unwanted attention from her former fiancé, the nefarious Prince Danilo, and struggles with her feelings for her true love, George Alexandrovich. But with the looming threat from Konstantin, Katerina’s focus remains on the sword. Russia’s fate will be determined by whoever wields the Morning Star—and delivers the final blow.
That’s a really long blurb. Does that seem like a really long blurb to anyone else? Google Docs’ word count feature has informed me it’s 191 words, which is about fifteen words longer than the first book’s summary, and over sixty words longer than the second one. It is, however, not as long as the blurb for The Queen of the Tearling.
Anyway. Predictions!
We’ll see if I’m right!
So! I actually finished The Unfailing Light, um, last week. I’m finding it really hard to care about these – they’re fun enough when I’m actually reading them, and I’m usually at least somewhat interested to learn what happens next, but then I finish and then I’m like OH MAN RIGHT, I NEED TO WRITE A BLOG POST ABOUT THIS. Hence, a week late.
Anyway, let’s get onto the reviews, shall we?
I’m back, with the second book in the Katerina trilogy, The Unfailing Light. I’m hoping that as the action picks up, the books will get more engaging, and maybe I’ll spend less time going “wait, who is she related to? Why is she a princess?” about 96% of the characters.
Away we go!
And the blurb, courtesy of GoodReads:
Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She’s about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia’s arch nemesis–who she thought she’d destroyed–is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She’ll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina’s horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.
The predictions:
Let’s see if I’m right!
I’m back! I actually finished The Gathering Storm last week, but stuff happened and I didn’t get around to writing this until now. Overall, I was kind of underwhelmed with the book – there was a lot of telling instead of showing, and Katerina was kind of boring. But – let’s get on with the predictions, shall we?
I’m back! I took a break for a little bit there to read The Martian for my book club, which I absolutely loved. It’s not often a book makes me laugh and cry, but this one did it. Still, I missed you all, so I’m glad to be back. In YA news, it’s been a while since I’ve read a whole trilogy, so I figured I’d give it a shot again, starting with The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges. Here’s the cover:
And the blurb, courtesy of GoodReads:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.
An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar’s standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina’s help to safeguard Russia, even if he’s repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.
The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
And the predictions:
I actually finished The Caged Graves on Tuesday, but then I forgot to write this last night, oops! Anyway, I actually really, really enjoyed this – I’m a sucker for historical fiction, and it surprised me a lot, which is not something that happens often.
Predictions and such behind the cut!
i can judge a book by its cover 