The Friday 56

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.  This is a fun and simple meme, just follow the rules! It's a great way to connect with bloggers and share new or favorite books with them.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Add your name to the link up at Freda's Voice 

I'm going to be a bit of a fangirl about this one. I have stalled out on some of the other books I've been reading and I managed to wind my way back to Susanna Kearsley books. She likes kilted men, accents, conflict and finding new ways to explore history.  The Firebird has one of my all-time book boyfriends in it and it is absolutely beautiful. Check out her books and she has a new one coming out soon. It's a completely different way to time travel.

Nicola Marter has the ability to glimpse pieces of the past. She touches an object, and it takes her back to an image and time from former owners. When an unusual carving of bird comes into the gallery, Nicola knows that there is more to it than just a family heirloom.  With the help of an old friend, she seeks to find the history of the beautiful Firebird that takes her back generations to experience the past in a whole new way.

"Go. He nudged me again, and I gathered my focus and pushed through the image itself, and then I was inside it, incredibly, soaring above what I saw, rising wildly and spinning with little control, till I suddenly felt him right there with me, catching me, holding me steady, and bringing me down to the ground again, safely, as Anna passed me by."

Seriously, if you're a fan of time travel paranormal books, go read hers. I can't get enough. Just the right touch of magic and suspense!

Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This book is so effing hard to review.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a wonderful example of a well created fantasy world in which there is conflict, love, battles, plot twists, and castes.

Think of this as a crazy mix up between Divergent, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Graceling. Power is decided by birth and your lot in life is based on the color of your blood. If you are not successful as a Red, you are sent into a decades long battle that you have no investment in.

Ok, let's start with something simple. The cover is stark and perfect for this book. There are only two colors and that reflects the whole theme of what is going on.  Even though the red part of it has a certain disgusting syrupy look to it, the message is effective.

Mare steals to survive and when she is caught by the wrong person, her life gets flipped upside down in an unprecedented way.  She was originally slotted to become part of the military, like her brothers. She was going to live and die by what the Silvers wanted for her. Mare had no purpose to them. She was a pawn. She was part of their game. Until...

“In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again."

This book is effing magical. It has everything that a book lover would want. I adored the way that the characters are written and there is no doubt in my mind that some of the characters are truly evil.  Mare is a character with depth and when she is suddenly thrust into the world of court intrigue, what could have once been a romantic story transforms into a story of betrayal, inner strength and looking over your shoulder.

Cal and Mason are foils to each other and they play it well.  Cal is overconfident with his powers but has a heart of gold. He believes in what he does and knows that someday, he has to take control of the entire kingdom. Talk about pressure. Mason has the typical younger brother complex where he feels ignored by not only his parents, but also the kingdom. Who cares about the second in line to the throne when the first is perfectly healthy?

Only exception to the rule

I have one major bone to pick with Red Queen and it may get resolved in later books but it bothers me right now.  It did not feel like a dystopian book until they bring out the motorcycle. It's hard to imagine the world that Mare exists in having motorcycles.  Also, if they have motorized vehicles available, you would think that would be a bigger deal. But no. It isn't. There are no trucks, tanks, or rage machines. Just motorcycles and electric plants. That makes absolutely no sense to me. It seems like a major part of this war that they are in could be fought in a different way instead of just sending Reds out to be slaughtered like the army men we all set on fire when we were kids.

But you know what is the best thing about this book?  There is not one character that is perfect. There isn't somebody that is immune to the struggles and intrigue. Everybody plays a role whether they want to or not.

"Anyone can betray anyone."

"The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind."

"The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain."

I remember when I was starting Game of Thrones, a friend laughed and said "Don't get attached to anyone."  The same goes for this book.  Everybody will break your heart.

But that doesn't mean don't read it. Go get it. Now. Right now. It will make your day.

Sorry this isn't a more in depth review but this is all I can say about it right now.