Rasmira has trained her whole life to lead her village and become a warrior. But when she fails her coming of age trial due to trickery and sabotage she is banished to the monster-filled wilderness. To regain her honor she must destroy the god who claims tribute from the villages or die trying. As she explores the wilderness she learns more about her people, herself, and the god that reigns over them all like a constant menacing shadow.
I finally got around to reading this book and it was phenomenal! Levenseller wrote another strong female character who could take care of herself. Put her in a viciously unique world and you have an excellent story on your hands. From the first lines, I was drawn into the creation of a character who learned and grew in exile eventually bringing change to a world ruled by fear.
The characters were stunning. Rasmira, the main character is the daughter of the chieftain and is a woman determined to become a warrior. At the beginning of the book, we see her as an aloof character who is unsure of how to lead people. As the book continues readers see her growth into a confident leader ready to make the change she wants. In the beginning, all she wants is to please her father but by the end, all she cares for is that she did something for herself, not for her father. Another aspect of her character is overcoming her distrust of friends for the only one she ever had before going into the wild betrayed her. Rasmira is determined to do everything by herself but in the wild, she realizes that the only way to survive is together not apart.
Rasmira’s character is complemented by the ones that surround her. The two friends she makes in the wild are each struggling with guilt and anger at each other. They have not started their tasks and are unwilling to complete them until Rasmira convinces and assists them. The evil villain of the book, the god is an interesting character in the manner that he never truly seemed like a god. Readers find out why later in the book but I won’t spoil it.
In the end, I loved the book much like I did her other ones. It brought to life a strong female in a harsh world and demonstrated the growth she went through to become a better leader and person.
Robin of Locksley is dead and Maid Marian doesn’t know how to continue but the people need a savior. Guy of Gisbourne wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as the Lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiance but he is the horrible right-hand man of the Sherriff of Nottingham. 
The characters are what created the tale for we all know the setting of Robin Hood and the world-building is practically set in stone. The main character, Marian was a noblewoman who could fight and shoot better than almost anybody including Robin. After Robin’s death, she sees a need in her world that she decides to fill by becoming the masked legend of Robin Hood. We see her struggle to decide what is right and what her path and purpose should be. Her anguish and yet internal strength called to the reader and I deeply felt her emotions and admired the raw determination of character it took to do what she did.
I would recommend reading the story. Don’t read it though if you still have another retelling of Robin Hood in your head because it will mess with you. But overall this was a phenomenal read that lives up to Spooner’s adept storytelling of bringing old characters and stories to life in a different and unique manner.
Everyone knows what happens in the end. True love and a kiss but before that, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.
The characters of the tale were vivid, to say the least. Evie, the central character is a witch who hides her powers from everyone. She is friends with a prince and she is reviled for this along with her being the survivor of a tragedy in which her friend lost her life. The strength of her character showed for she moved beyond the pain of the past and was willing to do anything for a friend. She denied the truth in some areas of her life and by the end we empathize with the sea witch and we feel the pain of being a lonely oddity. It was heartrending to watch her on her journey and the ending of the book left me sorrowful and unable to ever read the little mermaid without feeling for the sea witch.
I loved how the author truly built a world for the tale of the little mermaid. We see little of the sea but we grow to understand the kingdom and their worship of the sea. In a world built for nobles, a poor witch rises and eventually becomes one of the most feared villains of all time.
Moira Alexander is fascinated by the deadly sirens in the waters surrounding her home. She plays her violin for them dancing on the edge of thrilling danger for a single note from a siren can send her to a watery grave.
The world-building was a good idea in theory with an island of tough people used to the dangers of sirens constantly lurking beneath the waves. However, it was not well written. I could not figure out what time period the author was trying to emulate. At first, the world seemed set in a time where they did not have well-developed technology and the people were just trying to live but as the story went on the time period changed with the introduction of telephones. It was just blatantly confusing. The author furthermore did not take chances to expand on the sirens and the constant balancing scale between the islanders and the sirens. The places within the story seemed to just be there though I did enjoy the few moments the author expanded on the history and the feeling of the inhospitable land. The world-building could have been ultimately better.
And I could not stand the progression of the book. It was questions after questions with no answers or leads. It was boring because the suspects never made sense and the evidence Moira had to go off of was minimal. When the murderer was finally revealed it all seemed so mundane and somewhat predictable but then again we never even had any true suspects or well-thought-out characters to suspect. The villain of the tale seemed cobbled together which was not fun to read and it lessened my enjoyment of the tale even more.
The labyrinth was built to protect but living in its shadow Zadie Kalver feels anything but safe. The maze is enchanted and filled with deathtraps, illusions, and magic. A killer called Dex stalks its corridors and Zadie stays far from it.
As soon as I read the synopsis for The Red labyrinth I knew I had to read it and this book went well above and beyond my expectations. I was intrigued by the short overview of the book and it sounded similar to the Maze Runner series so I decided to read it. And it was worth staying up late up for even if I had to force my eyes to stay open. The idea behind the tale was fascinating and the characters were gritty and real, while the author stunned me with her ability to grow her characters in such a heartfelt way.
The characters were marvelous. At first, I honestly hated the main character, Zadie who was constantly complaining about being normal. She drove me up the wall with her inability to rescue or defend herself. However, as the book went on I fell for her character. She began to see that to be brave or strong she need only rely on herself. That she can conquer the past to find a future and that she doesn’t need special abilities for she is already special individually.
Every year each town and village are required to send a girl to the Empire’s capital to be burned alive. One small village has sent the same girl for five years. Gilene protects all the village girls with only the magic she possesses. But the costs to her may be less than worth it?
And her counterpart in Phoenix Unbound was just as stunning. Azarion, a gladiator is intent upon regaining his place and his home after ten long years of killing and abuse suffered from the Empress. At first he was a gruff and unbending character but as the story went on we began to see his true self as a caring and steadfast individual. I loved his character for he perfectly offset Gilene and he continued living and fighting even during the most painful moments of his life. In the end I adored all of the characters especially the main two.
Maia dreams of more than just becoming a wife and mother. She wishes to become a tailor but as a girl that is impossible. However, her chance comes when her ill father is summoned to court and she takes his place dressed as a boy. However, she must vie with twelve other tailors for a job.
And yes the world-building was gorgeous but the characters were even better. The main character, Maia was a riot of emotions that were easy to connect to and I was immediately engaged. She wanted so much in a world that offered her so little and in the journey this book shows her exploration of her desires and needs. She finds that she can be so much more. And that ending… I loved it. It was poignant. Sad yet hopeful. Promising the beginning instead of the ending. She was willing to sacrifice so much for the happiness of the people she loves and as a reader, we know that this is only the beginning of her tale.
Write your Destiny 