Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Author: Robin LaFevers
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Number of Pages: 549

Synopsis:

"Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?"

I picked up this book on a whim, because I needed something to read. But, when I started it I didn't really think too much of it. I wasn't sure I even wanted to continue reading, but I was far enough that I wanted to continue reading.

Although, I did end up regretting that decision during most of the book. I was bored from about the hundredth page to the five hundredth page... so it took me almost five months to read because I kept putting it aside. But I was determined to finish the book, so I kept reading and it actually got interesting during the last 50 or 100 pages. Although, I felt like it was really dragged out and unnecessary.

Ismae was a really strong character and when I first started reading the book I really liked her, but soon she started making stupid decisions (not huge ones but annoying ones) and I got annoyed with her. Also, the romance between her and Duval was really annoying and slow. Which, I guess goes with the time period, but I found myself getting annoyed with it. 

Also, the book was so long and detailed that I found myself getting confused. The author did well with tying in the writing with the time period, but I found myself not knowing characters who were really important and overall confused. 

Overall, I didn't really like the entirety of the book, but I enjoyed the end. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in historical fiction and is patient in allowing the story to grow deep into the details. Although, I would like to say that I think the next books in the series will be a lot less dragged out because all the bases were covered in this book. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars



New Releases (Week of 8/16/15)

Apparrently, I haven't done one of these since November 2014. Now I am not okay with that but none the less I have 5 amazing books that I am looking forward to see released this week.

The first book is releasing tomorrow, it is...Something Beautiful by Jamie McGuire!

Release Date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Self-Published
Number of Pages: 160

Synopsis:

"America Mason, a sassy undergrad at Eastern State University, is in love with a Maddox--Shepley Maddox. Unlike his cousins, Shepley is more lover than fighter, but a road trip to her parents' home in Wichita, Kansas could mean the next step, or the end of everything."

The book that I am absolutely DYING for is...The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick!!!

Release Date: August 18, 2015

Publisher: Dial Books 

Number of Pages: 432

Synopsis:

"Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded- need a liver transplant- drive his car into a house
Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.
For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard. 
Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.
And Alice is caught in the middle. 
Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more."

I LOVED The Boy Next Door and when I read What I Thought Was True I was really disappointed. I am ready to get back into the world of this family!

A book that many are looking forward to is...Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan!

Release Date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Number of Pages: 336

Synopsis:

"Who cut off Medusa's head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I've had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I'm going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan's legions of devoted fans--and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you've got arrows in your quiver. We're going back about four thousand years to decapitate monsters, save some kingdoms, shoot a few gods in the butt, raid the Underworld, and steal loot from evil people. Then, for dessert, we'll die painful tragic deaths. Ready? Sweet. Let's do this."

This is a book that Harleen is looking forward to a lot more than me. She's a much bigger fan of Percy Jackson :)

This book is a bit creepy, it is...The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy!

Release Date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Number of Pages: 400

Synopsis:

"Twelve years ago Stella and Jeanie vanished while picking strawberries. Stella returned minutes later, with no memory of what happened. Jeanie was never seen or heard from again.
Now Stella is seventeen, and she's over it. She's the lucky one who survived, and sure, the case is still cloaked in mystery—and it's her small town's ugly legacy—but Stella is focused on the coming summer. She's got a great best friend, a hookup with an irresistibly crooked smile, and two months of beach days stretching out before her.
Then along comes a corpse, a little girl who washes up in an ancient cemetery after a mudslide, and who has red hair just like Jeanie did. Suddenly memories of that haunting day begin to return, and when Stella discovers that other red-headed girls have gone missing as well, she begins to suspect that something sinister is at work.
And before the summer ends, Stella will learn the hard way that if you hunt for monsters, you will find them."

I'm currently reading this and I'm loving it! It is...The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle!

Release Date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Kelly Dawson Books
Number of Pages: 288

Synopsis:

"It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.
The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.
But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?"

What new releases are you looking forward to?

Review: The Trouble with Destiny by Lauren Morrill

Author: Lauren Morrill
Publisher: Delacorte
Number of Pages: 272
Release Date: December 8, 2015

Synopsis:

"It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey... 
With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize. 
Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.
But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea."

I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint! I'm so glad I got this book, but I love the cover so I wish I had the actual book and not on Kindle. But, I loved it all the same.

Liza was an amazing character, so was Demi, but the thing is I didn't think there were any other strong characters. They were all pretty generic. I enjoyed reading about Liza and her relationships with the other characters, but I wasn't really interested in the other characters at all. Well, except for Demi. I thought her story and their background was fun to find out about.

The plot was really interesting, not the most original, but it was definitely nothing I had read before. The only thing was that everything was really predictable, and I found myself mentally yelling at Liza because she couldn't see what was right in front of her. Or tie two and two together. But, I don't want to give anything away so...

Overall, I thought the book was really fun and a nice contemporary read. Not cliché exactly so definitely a fun summer read. I would recommend it to everyone who's looking for a good contemporary book to fly through.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.