Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Sophie Jordan's website

Expected publication date:  February 9, 2016

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Description (taken from Sophie Jordan's website):

A world of darkness. A love that shines.
Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness, and in the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, the kingdom’s lost princess, has been locked away in a tower in the cursed Black Woods ever since. Luna’s survival depends entirely on the world believing she is dead...
But that doesn’t stop Luna from longing for a life beyond the stifling tower walls. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer who has braved the Black Woods in search of a land where the sun still shines, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk.
When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is far more treacherous than Luna ever realized. Hideous, flesh-hungry creatures lurk behind every corner and each stranger they encounter has frightening ulterior motives.
With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Luna has spent her entire life sheltered behind a tower's walls.  Raised by a lady's maid and a hunter, she's known who she is and why she must remain in hiding.  For the world is always dark, and there are more than just monsters out there looking for a kill.  But she's ready to go out into the world.  There has to be more to life than trying to avoid the monsters.  And when she meets Fowler, he helps her leave the walls behind.

Fowler is convinced there is a land that isn't covered in eternal darkness.  And he offers to take Luna there.  But as they continue on this path, secrets begin to unravel.  And the new king has executed an order that may endanger their plans.  When secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested, will Fowler and Luna still help each other in a world of darkness?

This book has a nice fairy-tale ring to it without really pulling from one singular fairy tale.  There are a lot of unique pieces to the story and some secrets aren't revealed just yet.  But you do have the classic love story unfold; I mean what did you expect?  Overall, it's a good beginning.  But there better be more coming...

I think Sophie Jordan fans won't be disappointed.  It's a fun and quick magical read to get through.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Dystopian

Uninvited Series, Book 2

Sophie Jordan's website

Expected publication date:  February 24, 2015 (my birthday!)

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Note:  This is the second book in a two-part series.  Reading anything from below can slightly spoil the first one for you.

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.

Davy has just escaped a training camp for HTS carriers: people who have a genetic tendency to kill.  She along with her friends are trying to escape the US by fleeing to Mexico.  But as Davy comes to grips with what she recently did and who she is in this new world, will she have reason to hope for a better life?  The world calls her a killer, and she's finally believing it, believing what her genetics say about her.  But can she actually run from the person she's become?  Can anyone truly run from themselves?

When an escape attempt goes awry, Davy finds herself on the wrong side of the border and in no condition to survive.  But with the help of a stranger, she does exactly that.  Meeting a guy with an H imprint who claims wanting to help her out of the goodness of his heart raises red flags for Davy.  But despite her trust issues, the will to survive is greater.  And this is how she's comes into contact with the HTS Resistance.  But can she rally behind a cause or has she truly lost hope?

This story kind of leaves the whole HTS-scenario behind.  Yes, the world's been set up already, and we're aware that people with the kill gene are discriminated against.  But that scenario takes a major backburner to Davy's trust issues and love life.  And I guess I couldn't reconcile the two.  I wanted more action, more history, more science, and more world issues revolving the HTS gene.  Instead what I got was a colorful love story with small HTS snippets in between.  And while I certainly enjoyed this new love interest, I still felt like groaning at the end of the story (that little voice inside my head that figures all plots out was thinking 'please no, please don't end this way').  Yes, it was a good love story.  No, it was not a good dystopia read.

Honestly if you've read the first one, you've got to finish the series out.  And if you know what you're getting yourself into beforehand, I think you'll be better prepared.  My absolute honest opinion is yes, I still think this series is worth it and a good read.  Just make sure the readers have a romance side...

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Dsytopian/Science Fiction/ummm...  kind of contemporary too

Uninvited Series, Book 1

Sophie Jordan's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Sophie Jordan's website):

You can’t change your DNA… even when it says you’re a murderer.

When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

Davy lives in a world where we know why people do terrible things and this kill gene has been detected.  As people apply for prestigious positions in the world, testing for this gene has become mandatory.  And once people know you have the tendency to harm people, you become a pariah in society.  This world Davy lives in sounds eerily similar to our own (or what we might one day see)...

Davy is a musical prodigy who has the perfect life.  She's almost done with high school, she's been accepted to Julliard, and she's setting up her future with her boyfriend.  But when news of her HTS status surfaces, everyone refuses to see her as the individual she is.  Instead, she's suddenly the person genetics says she'll become.  And Davy's life goes down the toilet.

Oh my goodness, the injustice of this world maddens me.  Can you believe a scene in this book made me cry?  I stayed up late every night trying to finish this one.  Watching Davy struggle with the world's label of herself while trying to be her own person was nerve-wrecking to read about.  If I were in her shoes, there's plenty of people I would have murdered.  I mean if people want to label me as a murderer, why should I have to be the one to prove them wrong?  This book is so unfair.  Gah, that's what I'm left with.  And yet, I loved it.

I believe Sophie Jordan's writing is on the rise for me.  I enjoyed her Firelight series, and I believe this one is even better.  I want to say fans of The Program by Suzanne Young will enjoy this one.

Hidden by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Firelight Series, Book 3

Sophie Jordan's website

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Note:  The description below can ruin plots from earlier novels.

Description (taken from Sophie Jordan's website):

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted her fate long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning. . . .

So, this review falls in one of that category: I forgot to review it after reading it.  So, forgive me if my review's not informative, I'm going off of feelings here.

From what I remember with the second one, I was done with being Jacinda's supporter.  Going from one love interest to the next without a care in the world.  It drove me nuts.  So why did I decide to finish this series?  One word: dragons!  It's dragons, come on!

After bonding with Cassian and proclaiming her undying love for Will (**scratches head with a confused look**), she decides she's going to rescue Miram from the dragon killers.  We're kind of thrust into a world of adventure, playing cat and mouse, and discovering dragon talents.  It's a very fun world to read about.

But to the things I didn't like.  The story kind of jumps from one thing to the next.  I don't get a second to think.  And it kind of makes me think that there was no regard for what was happening.  This happened, then this, all were bad; but you the reader will deal with it because you have to.  And I felt that the ending was weak.

Was this the ending I wanted?  I don't think it's what I had in mind, but it wasn't a bad ending.  I enjoyed the story, but I don't think I could absolutely love the characters.

Challenges:  Paranormal Reading Challenge

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

Firelight Series, Book 2

Sophie Jordan's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Sophie Jordan's website):

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will's memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family's. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride's heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

Have you ever heard of the phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side"?  I don't think Jacinda has heard of the phrase.  Will.  Cassian.  Which one will she choose?  And once she's chosen, will she stick with her choice?  Yes, Jacinda's character and act-before-thinking attitude bothered me in this book.

A lot of people say the mom in this series bothers the crap out of them.  But for me, I loved the mother in the first and second book.  She tried her hardest to do what she thought was best for her girls.  And when she hit her breaking point in the second one, it only further proved that even mothers are human and can fall.

Oh, and dragons...  Awesome paranormal twist.  Will I continue this series?  Probably, but it might take me a while.

Challenges:  Young Adult Reading Challenge