The end of one series and the start of another.

Another week, another two books to review. Although I read 4 books this week, one was so bad that I wouldn’t have been to write a comprehensive review and the second was a historical commentary. So that leaves us with the 2 books I’m reviewing this week brought to a close one series I really like and started another series that I hope to enjoy. War Storm by Victoria Aveyard and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black are two books that I both really enjoyed and in the case of War Storm, were kinda disappointed by. And so with the introductions out-of-the-way, onto the reviews.

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard concludes the excellent Red Queen series which has spanned four well written books. The book picks right up where Kings Cage, the third entry in the series, ended. And while the book continues a lot of the good things from the previous books, it unfortunately suffers from the same faults that previous books had as well.

The entire series has been built around an excellent world and this one is no different. We are introduced to new locations such as Montfort and The Lakeland kingdom. Aveyard has done an excellent job of world building and I am a sucker for beautiful and well crafted world. That has always been the biggest strength of the series. The book also continues to tell the story from multiple perspectives. While we continue to see the story told the perspective of Mare and Evangeline, we also get a glimpse from Cal, Maven and a totally new perspective in the shape of Lakeland princess and bride to Maven, Iris. Each new point of view is expertly crafted and the transitions are often smooth and don’t leave the reader guessing. I particularly like the new Iris perspective. She adds something new to the book and get to see the story unfold from the side opposing Mare.

The characters continue to be interesting although this is where the faults of the book begin to show. Mare is an interesting character in her own right, but even since the first book, I feel like her character has gone backwards in terms of development. And while I like her as a character, the decisions she made (or didn’t make) almost made dislike the character. The same goes for Cal. The back and forth between Mare and Cal becomes slightly tedious and downright frustrating to read as the book progresses. And just when you think progress has been made, they both throw it away. My favorite character however quickly became Evangeline. Although she started out as character I despised, the third book made her a decent character before this book made her a favorite of mine. Her relationship and devotion to Elane really stood out and it was a part of the book I really like. I would love to see a series from her perspective especially considering how the book ends. And that is my biggest bone to pick with this book. Without giving too much away, the ending of this back infuriated me. It was open-ended, nothing was resolved (except for one plot point) and it seemed as if it was done on purpose to set up a sequel series.

Horrible ending aside, the book is a good read. Those who have read the other three will enjoy it and find it very similar to the other 3. The world as always is excellent, the story proceeds at a good pace and while some of the characters go backwards in terms of development, others get great development.

Verdict- 4 stars- A good read but a terrible way to end the series.

From the finale of a series, we shift to the start of series that has really good promise. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black has a lot of the things I really like in a book. It has an excellent world, solid characters and decent story. The story follows three human sisters, Jude, Taryn and Vivian who are whisked away to the land of the Fae by Vivian’s father. Being human, the three girls are seen as outsiders and consequently are looked down upon by the Fae folk.

The world that Black has created is top-notch. The lore is there, different regions, a full government system, everything that I love in a world is there. It is superbly crafted and makes you feel like you are truly there and so I definitely commend her for that. The characters are solid for the most part. As a main character, Jude is a pretty good one although with a simple motivation. She longs to fit in among the Fae and will do anything to get it. She is loyal to her sisters, but at the same time is loyal to herself first and foremost. And while there isn’t a great amount of development, you definitely see a change in Jude. Her sisters are interesting as well particularly Vivian. Vivian hates being among the Fae and so she occasionally will go back to normal society. Her character development is good and I hope we see more of her in sequel. The girls’ father is not a bad character by any means but he also doesn’t stand out. The one Fae character that does stand out is Carden. Although I really hate him as a character, he is a well-developed character and the relationship between him and Jude is an interesting one.

When it comes to story its a mixed bag. If you are a fan of action packed stories then this not going to be the book for you. This is an intrigue heavy book and it is really well done. The set up is good, the build up is excellent and the payoff is one that I did not see coming. And speaking of, the ending to this book and twist that is thrown in are both very well written. I did not see either of them coming which is always a good thing. I love a book that is unpredictable and keeps me on my toes and this book certainly does that.

Overall the book is solid albeit slow read. The world is top-notch, the characters are solid and while the story is slower paced then other books, it is so well done that I really enjoyed it. I have been eyeing this book for a long time and I am glad that I finally picked it up. I am excited to read the rest of the series to where it goes.

Verdict- 4 star. A solid first entry in the series.