Bloodrose

Title: Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)
Author: Andrea Cremer

Initial Thoughts: That was really good.

I've heard other people complain about books where none of the main characters die. I've read some of those books. I usually really enjoyed them and didn't think too much about the fact that everyone has this ridiculous character shield protecting them. It's easier to get through that way. I read books to enjoy them, I don't want everyone to die, even if that is more realistic. I will admit, with Kingdom of Ash, I did think about the fact that everyone made it through (minus the Thirteen, may they rest in peace and their sacrifice never be forgotten), but I just knew that killing even one of those characters would mess things up and there'd be readers out for blood. How do you choose who lives and who dies? Everyone in that series had a love story and a place in the new world. Offing any of them would have just been tasteless after all the build-up she did. I get used to reading YA fic with happy endings where all the main characters survive to enjoy it. Andrea Cremer did an amazing job of giving you a happy ending, but she was willing and able to sacrifice characters along the way without turning the reader off of the series. I mourned Silas. I think he was supposed to be annoying, but I honestly found him a little entertaining and a good balance against the rest of the Searchers. I wasn't expecting him to die. She killed him, but she let them mourn him correctly (they were sad and they remembered him but yeah, they had found him annoying and were able to move on and not let it devastate them but they didn't forget him or just brush it off). It was a surprising enough death that I got a little worried about the other characters every time they would go into any dangerous situation. Would they all make it out alive? I also wondered if she was going to clear up the whole romance issue by just killing Ren or Shay. It's the easiest solution, though a little tasteless and cliche. The first chapter, when Calla started kissing Ren after having slept with Shay only a day or two before had me nearly putting the book down. The second chapter had me nearly giddy with relief and laughter because she wasn't going to have Calla try and juggle two boys and put off decision making until later and pretend that's not a terrible idea. I mean, yeah, she did kind of juggle two boys and put off making the decision, but they were pretty much kept in the loop about it, which really does make it better. She wasn't trying to play them and they knew how she felt about both of them. Also, she chose Shay before and Ren pretty much knew it and Ren didn't die because he lost to Shay, he died well and Shay wasn't just the last option because she made her decision first and let him know so props to Andrea Cremer for writing a love triangle that didn't totally sicken me. (Okay, most of them don't but I think I'm getting a bit more critical as I get older and read more and some of the scenarios are just getting old). So yeah, people died and some people didn't get the happy ending they wanted, but in general everything worked out and everyone can move on and find new happiness and I really, really enjoyed it (after chapter 1, that is - she seriously had me worried). It's not the magical happy ending that some might write where things somehow work out in everyone's favor, despite the original rules of the world, but it was a good ending.

Rating: 5. Well done, Andrea Cremer, well done.

The Heart of Betrayal

Title: The Heart of Betrayal
Author: Mary E. Pearson

Initial Thoughts: she did it again.

Not the same plot twist as the first time; that would be nearly impossible to repeat in a sequel. Last time we didn't know who was the prince and who the assassin (though I thought I had it figured out and turned out to be totally wrong). This time is was the twist that Sven comes into play and I never saw it coming. Like, I should have expected something like this, but it totally hit me out of the blue. "You're Sven!?!?!?!?!?!" Oh, it was great. She does so well with these plot twists and yanking the rug out from under you.

I'm starting to wonder who she'll end up with. Kaden isn't a bad guy, I rather like him, but she's got this whole epic romance thing going with Rafe. But then Kaden says he saw a vision of him with her holding a kid (doesn't necessarily mean that it's their kid) and the fact that we've still got two suitors vying for her attention reminds me of any other story with a girl and two suitors and the tables usually turn about halfway through so they end up with the original second option, but in a way so that you totally approve because the first option stopped being such a prince charming and the second option became a real person on the same level as the heroine. The only example I can think of right away that didn't go in this direction is Twilight where she actually ended up staying with Edward throughout the entire series and Jacob got his happy ending as well, just in a different way. I'm just getting worried because I like Kaden and I want him to be happy, but Lia and Rafe have been through so much and fought so hard and they seem totally in love and I think it's super cute (hopeless romantic here).

Anyway, to the story, I see Lia becoming the connecting point between all the major civilizations. Princess of Morrighan, betrothed of Dalbreck, Queen and Komizar to Venda. She's started to really care about Vendens, she will always care about the Morrighese (Morrighans?), and she's set to be the future queen of the Dalbreckians (?). She's really learning to grow into who she'll become, a savior to all lands, standing up for anyone in need.

I tend to take magic too far (which is why I could never write a story that includes magic - I would go way overboard), but I think it would be so much fun if it was revealed to everyone else that Kaden also had the gift by him and Lia having the same vision at the same time, like Venda talking to them or something and they both talk back (but Kaden doesn't realize who she is or that she isn't visible to everyone else) and then she disappears and everyone is staring at them because they were holding half a conversation with thin air, but together so their companions couldn't really discount the gift anymore. Or both of them getting the same warning and starting to yell to pack up and leave at the same time with no prompting so it's obvious that whatever alerted Lia also alerted Kaden. Not likely to happen, these are just the daydreams that go through my head.

Rating: 5/5. It was so fun, with such a strong heroine, and I freaking love that she pulled another sneaky plot twist on me that I never saw coming.