Caraval by Stephanie Garber – Book Review

April 4, 2017 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”

My entire perspective on the idea of a game was completely changed after reading this book. Nothing was as it seemed, no matter how much I wanted to think it was. For some reason, when I was first looking at the cover and reading the synopsis, I was thinking that somehow there was going to be a carnival or a circus involved. So many people kept comparing it to The Night Circus and I hadn’t read that one yet.

But this was not what I was expecting.

For seven whole years, Scarlett would write to Caraval Master Legend, asking if she and her sister could attend the games. Each year she wrote to him and for six years she never received a response. But this year, everything changed when she finally got an invitation to attend this year’s Caraval games. Surprisingly, she received three tickets: one for herself, one for her sister Donatella, and one that was left blank – an open ticket for whoever they wanted to bring with them.

How strange. How interesting. How suspicious.

I will skip what happens on the Isle of Trisda – the home of Scarlett and Tella – and the treatment they get from their father because it was hurtful and a part of me wished that something terrible would happen to him. I won’t say more than that, but if you do end up reading this book, you’ll understand why.

The game of Caraval takes place on its own island, in a place that is filled with its own kind of magic. The game lasts for five nights, and everything that Scarlett thought she knew goes out the window. Not only does her sister somehow become a part of the game by getting kidnapped (no, this isn’t a spoiler if you read the synopsis that’s included in this post), but Scarlett feels like this year’s game is somehow revolved around the Dragna sisters. Is there something about Caraval that isn’t a game?

Will Scarlett get too swept away and fall into madness?

Will she survive the games?

If you think you know what’s happening in this book, you’re probably wrong. And when you think you’ve figured everything out, you haven’t.

This was one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read this year. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I was audibly reacting to the story to the point that my puppies were freaking out. This doesn’t happen always, but when it does, I love it. I highly suggest everyone read this book at least once in your life. Thank goodness there is going to be another book coming out sometime next year, because the ending had me screaming.

Literally screaming.

Rated: 5/5 ★

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – Book Review

January 27, 2017 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 1 Comment

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

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?

“When one consorts with assassins, one must expect to dance along the edge of a knife once or twice.”

If you were raised hearing that you were sired by Death himself, that even though your mother tried to destroy you in her womb and you didn’t die, what would you think? Would you think that it was a bad thing, a curse that would doom you until the end of your days? Or would you see it as a blessing, a way to exact revenge on those that harmed you throughout your youth? For Ismae, she initially thought that it would be a curse, having to deal with the abuse from her father and her would-be husband. But she was rescued, swept away from what would have been a terrible marriage, and found herself in a place where she would learn who she truly was:

A handmaiden of Death.

From there, her new life begins, where she learns just how powerful it could be to have the ability to not die, even when she is poisoned. She learns that not all the Daughters of Death have an immunity to poison, so that’s something special that she shares with only one other nun in the convent. But she still has much to learn, and when she’s ready to test her training out in the real world, she will see that not everything is as simple as she thought it would be.

I haven’t read a book like this before, and I’m really glad that I came across it. From the historical aspect, the historical politics, and the fact that Death had all daughters was one of my favorite parts of the book. It also made me want to research this time in history and see how much if it was actually true and how much was made just for the story. At least I’ll be able to find out eventually.

I’m really proud of Ismae though by the time the book ends. I feel like she really grows as a person, learns how to take control of her life and figures out that not everything is as it appears. She finally learns how to think for herself, and she finds out just how special she really is. In the end, I’m just glad that she was the subject of the first book in the trilogy, because I think that her story makes a great introduction into this amazing world.

Rated: 4/5 ★

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson – Book Review

January 12, 2017 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 1 Comment

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

“I hadn’t been fighting because of my father’s death. I fought because of his dreams.”

Boy, oh boy, this book was a really good one. I just wish that I had more time to dedicate to it than I actually had. With a lot of real life, heart-breaking situations that I had to deal with, reading this book really helped me calm down and reassure myself that things would be okay. Yes, even though David’s dad was killed in this book and there was so much death and destruction, reading this book really did make me feel like things would be okay.

So coming into this book after reading the sequel almost two years ago, it was nice to go back to where it all began. I was curious as to how Steelheart ended up succumbing to his fate and why David ended up leaving Newcago with the Reckoners. I was also curious as to how he ended up joining them, and whatever happened to the infamous Megan that he kept talking about. What was it about her that made him so… boyish?

I really don’t know how to explain his mentality sometimes. He’s 18 years old and yet I can still hear some of that immaturity in him when it comes to Megan. She’s like his first crush, and I get to see that develop in this book, so I’m really glad I got to.

Plus, finding out that the infamous Prof’s true nature was fun too, even though you only get to find out at the very very end of the book. At least it explains to me why it felt like David was so betrayed. Maybe reading this book will encourage me to reread Firefight and finally finish the trilogy with Calamity.

I’m glad for the backstory on David, and how he became one of the best members of the Reckoners. I am really hoping that the rest of the Reckoners get their chance to shine. We will definitely see.

Rated: 5/5 ★