A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain

February 14, 2018 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 1 Comment

Beautiful and brilliant, Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered, a mole in the FBI is uncovered and she herself is severely wounded. As soon as she recovers, she goes rogue and travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her teammates.

While fleeing from an unexpected assassin herself, Kendra escapes into a stairwell that promises sanctuary but when she stumbles out again, she is in the same place – Aldrich Castle – but in a different time: 1815, to be exact.

Mistaken for a lady’s maid hired to help with weekend guests, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the time period until she can figure out how she got there; and, more importantly, how to get back home. However, after the body of a girl is found on the extensive grounds of the county estate, she starts to feel there’s some purpose to her bizarre circumstances. Stripped of her twenty-first century tools, Kendra must use her wits alone in order to unmask a cunning madman.

Book Overview:

Author: Julie McElwain | Series: Kendra Donovan | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Lucy Rayner | Length: 18 hours, 39 mins | Publish Date: April 11, 2016 | Genre: Mystery / Time-Travel / Historical Fiction | Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2016) | Rated: ★ ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: Yes

“Whoever had said that appearances were deceiving was only partially right; they could also be deadly.”

So I definitely wouldn’t have chosen this book on my own, but I am very glad that I did end up reading it, thanks to a buddy read on Goodreads. Thanks Jennifer for choosing this book!

This was a time travel murder-mystery book. Since I did end up reading a time travel book sometime last year that I absolutely didn’t like, I was worried about this one. That goes to show that I shouldn’t judge a genre by its cover. I really loved the murder mystery aspect of this book, and throughout the entire book, I just wanted to know who the heck the killer was and whether or not Kendra Donovan was going to figure it out.

I was a little confused about the beginning though, thinking that the book spent too much time in the present time, but by the time Kendra was sent away to the past, I understood why it went that way. To give a better background, Kendra Donovan was considered a child prodigy, going to college at only 14 years old and being the youngest person to be accepted into the FBI. It doesn’t hurt that she’s the product of some crazy experiments that dealt with super smart scientists combining their DNA to create even super smarter children – deemed “Frankenbabies”. Everything seems to be going well for Kendra until an FBI mission goes terribly wrong and she almost dies at the hand of a traitor.

After dealing with months of rehabilitation – she did almost die after all – she decides that she’s going to take justice into her own hands and finish the mission that she never got to complete on the night she almost died. Everything seems to be going well too, poetic justice and all that, when the plan goes awry and she somehow finds herself… in the past. Kendra must not have watched many time travel movies because it took her an entire day to realize that she was not going crazy and that she was not the victim of some elaborate prank. No, she was really sent to Aldrich Castle in 1819 England, and she had no idea how she was going to go back.

If that wasn’t enough, now she had to figure out how to catch a serial killer in a time where the term wasn’t even in existence.

That should be fun for an FBI agent, right?

Kendra definitely has her work cut out for her, and without any of the technology she could rely on in the present, she’s going to have to prove that her Frankenbaby brain of hers can solve a mystery on her own before any more murders take place.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book, and while the ending was something that I was a little upset with, for the most part, I liked what happened. I’m interested to find out what happens next, and I’m excited that the final book is coming out later on this year. Maybe I can find out how Kendra’s time travel journey ends. Hopefully on a good note?

Author Spotlight

Courtesy of Goodreads

Born: The United States

Julie McElwain began her journalistic career at California Apparel News, a weekly Los Angeles based trade newspaper. She has freelanced for numerous publications from professional photographers magazines to those following the fashion industry. Currently, Julie is West Coast Editor for Soaps In Depth, a national soap opera magazine covering the No. 1 daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. Julie lives in Long Beach, CA.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

February 9, 2018 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before…and surprising readers at every turn.

Book Overview:

Author: Suzanne Collins | Series: The Hunger Games | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick | Length: 11 hours, 37 mins | Publish Date: September 1, 2009 | Genre: YA Dystopia | Literary Awards: Golden Duck Award for Hal Clement Award for Young Adult (2010), Soaring Eagle Book Award (2011), Children’s Choice Book Award for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2010), Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adult (2010), Teen Read Award Nominee for Best Read (2010), DABWAHA Romance Tournament for Best Young Adult (2010), Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Book and Young Adult Series (2009), Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas Nominee for Mejor novela extranjera perteneciente a saga (2010) | Rated: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: HECK YES

“You know, you could live a thousand lifetimes and not deserve him.”

Holy sequel, Batman!

I think the worst things about sequels is that you never know if it’s going to live up to your expectations. If the first book to a series is absolutely amazing, and then the sequel just totally bombs it, then you’re left feeling completely disappointed and wondering why you even took the time to invest in the series in the first place. That’s the thing about sequels though, how will you know if it’s better or worse than the first unless you read it?

What a Catch 22!

In this case, the sequel turned out to be even better than the first one, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games in an unprecedented win – instead of both dying like they planned, Seneca Crane stops them and declares them both the Victors of the 74th Hunger Games. In the entire history of the Hunger Games, there has never been more than one winner. They emphasize that in all of their broadcasting: “There can be only ONE Victor”. So to think that there are now two winners, and they are both from lowly District 12, is completely unheard of.

The citizens of the Capitol are eating it up, so happy to hear that the star-crossed lovers of District 12 will be able to live “happily ever after” and not have to ever worry about the Games again.

That is until this year’s Quarter Quell announcement. This year, President Snow – who is absolutely infuriated by the rebellious acts of the districts that are taking place after this win – tells the world that this year’s Tributes will come from previous Victors only. Not even the Victors are safe, and the world is pissed.

“It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down.”

Now Katniss and Peeta, and the rest of the Victor-Tributes have to fight each other once again, and in this case, they are all friends with one another. How can they be forced to get into the arena a second time, after being promised by the Capitol that once they win, that’s it? The Victors are angry, the world is angry, and that’s when the Districts start to fight back.

This book was so much more action-packed than the first, knowing that at any time, Katniss could find herself under the control of President Snow, and something bad could happen to her family. He had eyes everywhere; nobody is safe. Nothing is sacred. She’s the Mockingjay after all, even if she never wanted to be. So what is the world going to do, when their symbol of hope is put in danger once again?

You’ll just have to read it to find out.

Don’t forget to check out the Author Spotlight here!

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

February 8, 2018 by Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom’s haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea’s forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea’s nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen’s Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen’s vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen’s Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as “the Fetch.”

Kelsea’s quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea’s journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her.

Book Overview:

Author: Erika Johansen | Series: The Queen of the Tearling | Format: Audiobook | Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren | Length: 14 hours, 30 mins | Publish Date: July 8, 2014 | Genre: YA Fantasy | Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy & for Debut Goodreads Author (2014) | Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ | Recommend: Yes

“Everyone dies eventually. I think it’s better to die clean.”

I read this book as part of a buddy read with Kayla, so stay tuned for our discussion post.

This book was a really interesting one, but I was getting confused at times about whether this book was taking place in the past or the future. Spoiler alert: it’s the future.

The Tearling is considered the “New World” after the Crossing from Europe and America to escape from the technologies of the future. In the Tearling, the world has resorted back to the medieval days where there aren’t any doctors or modern medicine, people travel on horseback across the country, and slavery is still a big part of society. It’s not fun, but one cool thing is that there’s just a tiny bit of magic in this world.

Kelsea is the true heir to the Tearling throne, her mother was the Queen before her but was killed. To protect her from certain death, Queen Elyssa had her daughter whisked away across the country into hiding to give her a fighting chance at reclaiming the throne for her incompetent and treacherous uncle. So when Kelsea turns nineteen and finds herself surrounded by the Queen’s Guard to take her back to the Keep, she knows that she has a lot of learning to do if she’s going to run her Kingdom in a way that her people will actually respect her.

Kelsea and the rest of her Queens Guard deal with so much trouble during this book, and it’s only going to get worse from there. She has to learn what it really means to be a Queen, and she has to get her people to trust in her to rule them justly and fairly against the evil Red Queen of Mortmesne, a kingdom that has the Tearling submitting a tribute to them every single month in the form of its citizens. There’s a high probability of a war between the Tearling and Mortmesne, but will Kelsea be able to lead her people to victory? Will she be able to deal with the looming betrayal ahead of her without her rule being cut short by assassination attempts?

Sounds kind of like Game of Thrones, right? Maybe a younger version, but there’s still nakedness and swearing just like the former, so be wary if you’re a younger reader.

I really enjoyed this book, and I am dying to find out what is going to happen in the second one, especially since it’s called The Invasion of the Tearling. That spells war, doesn’t it? I’ll just have to see!