Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine: A Book Review

Title: Prince of Shadows
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Retelling
Release Date: February 4th 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

… And will rewrite all their fates, forever.

So I really have to say that I loved this book. It was a great retelling of the classic Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. So be fair warned before you read this. If you aren't a fan of Romeo and Juliet or at least open to the possibility, then this book probably isn't for you. 

I have had a love for Romeo and Juliet since we were forced to read it in school. The teacher made us sit through the movie as well. (Which let's say is probably the only time I didn't skip his class lol). So when I saw this, I knew I had to read it. This also opened me up to this great author even more than I already was.

This tale we get to take a look at Romeo's cousin, Benvolio and see what kind of life he lives. We are taken through and getting a feel for how close he is with his cousin and his best friend, Mercutio. We get to see him as the allusive Prince of Shadows, who doesn't rob from the rich and give to the poor, but takes from the unjust and punishes them in other ways, by humiliating them for being "robbed" from the Prince of Shadows. However, things take a turn when Ben meets the beautiful and well forgotten cousin to Juliet. 

So we still have the ultimate family feud, heartache, love and even curses. What's not to love about this?

Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than 40 novels, including the Great Library series, Prince of Shadows, the Weather Warden series, the Outcast Season series, the Revivalist series, and the Morganville Vampires series.

Find Rachel: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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5 Star Review: A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin + Giveaway #5Star #bookreview @KatBaldwin #giveaway

Title: A School for Unusual Girls (Stranje House #1)
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Historical, Yound Adult, Romance
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon

It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts..

A School for Unusual Girls was a bit different for me. Usually when I read a book, I can get a feel for the setting and what might happen right away, or at least within the first 100 pages. However, this one was quite different. It starts off with Georgiana's parents taking her off to a boarding school (mainly because she is an embarrassment and her parents don't want her). The school seems like it's a creepy place at first and quite torturous to it's students. But there is more to the school then what you first think. And it took me a while to figure out what exactly was going on.

The characters were enjoyable. I liked what each one brought to the table. However, Miss Georgiana was a bit stubborn most of the time, and a little too smart for her own good at times too. I really didn't like her parents either, but once you get through the first couple of chapters, they are no longer an interest in the book. Another good character was Lord Wyatt. He was charming and funny in the right places. And Lord Ravencross was another great character, stern and rude, but still enjoyable. I liked the chemistry between him and Tess.

All in all, this was a totally amazing book! I really enjoyed how it ended, it didn't leave you on a cliffhanger for the next one, but at the same time, you are anxiously awaiting for the next book to come out.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

KATHLEEN BALDWIN has written three award-winning traditional Regency romances for adults, including Lady Fiasco, winner of Cataromance’s Best Traditional Regency, and Mistaken Kiss, a Holt Medallion Finalist. She lives in Plano, Texas, with her family.

Find Kathleen: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

1 Winner will receive a Advanced Reader Copy of A School for Unusual Girls (US Only)

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{Review} Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Title: Strands of Bronze and Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Publisher: Random House Children's
Genre: Historical, Retelling, Young Adult
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Source: Random Buzzers
Purchase: Amazon | TBD | B&N | Kobo

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

I will admit, I have never ever read anything to do with Bluebeard but have heard talk about him. So I sort of know a few stories. So, when I went into this, I had no expectations or hopes that it would be like the actual stories, which probably made this a little easier to read.

To be honest, this actually started off slow for me. And when I say slow, I mean, I read the first chapter and put it up thinking I wouldn't come back to it, ever. But, a few months later and I found myself swiping my fingers over the spine and pulling it off the book shelf to read again. Glad I decided to try again. I found myself getting caught up in Sophia's life and rolling my eyes and hating Bernard de Cressac.

Sophia was a girl of seventeen and had moved in with her godfather due to the death of her father. At first she thought that her life was grand and couldn't imagine anything better. But she soon discovered the dark secrets that were laid to rest at Wyndriven Abbey and found herself searching for a way out.

Sophia's character was very likable, she was young and naive, which made her all the more real. She had ideals of what life should be like and missed her family very much. She grew up a lot throughout the course of the book and became a very strong individual, which I found agreeable.

Bernard was a very lustful character. He believed in riches and power and believed that his controlling behavior and tempers were for the best. He was a very jealous individual. He was everything that you love to hate. And believe me, I hated him immensely.

The story was quite interesting, however, I did anticipate the ending a little and some of the course of events. I do wish that this book had a few surprise twists so it wasn't as predictable. But it was still a really great read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy re-tellings.

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Review: The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Title: The Rose Garden

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: Paperback, 448
Genre:  Historical Romance, Chick-Lit, Fantasy

Release Date: October 1st 2011 (first published April 15th 2011)

Source: Goodreads First Reads and Publisher

  

Summary (from Goodreads)

Eva Ward is a modern woman thrown back three centuries to 1715 only to find that might be exactly where she belongs. There she finds true love with Daniel Butler, but the discord surrounding Hanoverian King George plunges the lovers into a world of intrigue, treason, and love. 

My Review:

I just want to start off by saying I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads giveaway and it was sent to me by the publisher.

This book was simply amazing! I didn't know if I would like it while I was reading the first chapter as I am not one for heartfelt weeping. The first chapter of the book talked about the characters loss of her sister. But as I moved into the second chapter I jumped right in feet first and didn't want to come up for air until the very end.

The writer has a way of bringing the reader into her story. I felt as though I was sitting there on the sidelines watching this whole amazing story unfold right in front of me from start to finish. There was so much detail into the writing that it made everything so believable. There was definitely a lot of research that went into this to discuss the past of 300 years ago. This is the first book that I have read by Kearsley and will definitely not be the last!

I did enjoy reading about the strength one sister had in overcoming her loss of another sister, the pain she had felt and the telling of her past with her family. I also enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story and her new found love for Daniel. This book also had a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming. I love it when you think you got the story figured out and then you get surprised.

I don't want to brag too much on the story and give it away. I think that if anyone that has a love of romance, time travel and coming of age stories, definitely pick this book up.

Star Rating:  

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