Dan Wells introduces his readers to a world in complete shambles with only a small percent of humans left. Cities are wild and over grown, and the population is continuing to dwindle with no babies surviving more than three or four days.

Kira is interning at the hospital, hoping to somehow help this epidemic. She wants to find the reason why these babies aren’t surviving and to then find a cure. It’s only been a few weeks, and Kira has already witnessed more than enough babies and mothers go through this pain of losing another life. But when Kira’s best friend is pregnant, she knows she has to do something, anything, to save that baby, and fast.

The only thing Kira can think of, is to go out of the city limits, and capture a partial to do some testing. But will she actually be able to find one? People haven’t seen a Partial since the war ended over ten years ago. And how will she know what she is looking for?

Partials has one of the most interesting cast of characters I’ve ever encountered in a book. This world has been destroyed by war, leaving a small percent of humans as well as a population of Partials – robots that were created by humans over a decade ago to fight for them in wars.

Kira is the strong leading female character that I love and search for in almost every book I read lately. I enjoy having a kick butt girl taking the lead in such a completely dangerous and destroyed world. What pulled me in, and caused me to like Kira from the start, was her character’s strength. Dan Wells showed this to the readers within the first few pages, when she asked her boss at the hospital if it was okay for the mother to hold her dead baby. This might not seem like much to us, but in the world Kira lives in, babies die every single day, the people don’t waste time by letting the mother hold the baby.

Another character that stole my heart was Marcus, Kira’s boyfriend. Even though we don’t get to know him or see him too often throughout the story, we get to learn right away that he cares a lot for Kira and wants nothing but to be with her. He was such a sweet guy and sometimes throughout Partials I found myself wishing that Kira would give him more of her attention, that she would love  and care for him, just as much as he did for her.

Samm is another one of the main characters, but unlike Kira or Marcus, Samm is a Partial. He sees the world and the destruction from a different point of view. Unlike many other Partials, Samm seems to want peace between his own kind and humans. While I don’t dislike him, he is kind of dark and mysterious, and I don’t yet know what to think of him. Samm seems honest, and seems to want what Kira and her friends want; peace.

While Partials had many twists, turns and unexpected events happen throughout the story, I do have to say that the end result was a bit predictable. Many other things that happened along the way that boggled my mind, but the overall goal Kira and her team had, was accomplished, which I felt like I knew would happen. If I hadn’t already read Fragments, I would be fan-girling to all of you right now, about how excited I am to read it!

Overall the story, the entire idea of Partials, and the characters made the book for me and was what pushed me to read the next book Fragments. I do have to say the one thing that let me down about this book was the predictable ending. It didn’t bother me that much, but I did wish for more of an explosive kind of end to Partials.

*Recommended for older readers: explicit scenes

Life in the Wolf Clan is never easy; for fifteen year old Teia it is even harder. As the concubine of the late chief, she finds herself in a perilous political position. Should she be with child, the sadistic new chief, Drwyn, may take measures to keep the child from ever having a claim to leadership. Her only choice, one that will estrange her from her family, is to become his concubine. This step puts her right into the terrifying and powerful clan Speaker’s sights. Although untrained, Teia has powers that she must keep a secret at all costs. Visions of death haunt her, though, and it seems as though Drwyn and the Speaker are leading her clan down a path of destruction.

Meanwhile, Gair is mourning the loss of his lover. He longs for revenge or oblivion, but his mentor, Alderan, has other plans. Together they search the libraries in the southern deserts in the hopes of finding information that may help them in the coming war. Violence is broiling there too, and all of Gair and Alderan’s skills will not be enough to keep it from spilling over.

Trinity Rising is the second book in the Wild Hunt series. Despite this, it holds together near perfectly on its own. There are enough mentions of the past to catch newcomers up to speed, but not so many that it would bother people who have read the first novel.

While Gair was the central character in the first book, Songs of the Earth, Trinity Rising introduces Teia and much of the story centres on her. It’s a brave decision to give readers a new major protagonist partway through a trilogy, though also a necessary one here. Evidently Cooper wasn’t willing to sacrifice the emotions that Gair would feel at the death of someone that he loved deeply, and his story here deals with grief, rage and listlessness. Without Teia, Gair would be unbearable to read. He is hung up on Aysha’s death, both physically and emotionally. It cripples him to a point that he cannot think of anything but vengeance. Teia provides the balance of action and contemplation, though her own circumstances are dire.

While there are several well-developed female characters in Trinity Rising, I found that I had the same problem here as I have with many fantasy novels. The women are consistently undermined by men. And yes, this is set in a fantasy realm based on historical human civilisation, but even so. I love adventure. Adding fantasy to my adventure only makes things more amazingly shiny. Sort of rubs the shine right off when a girl’s agency narrows down based on what the guys around them want, especially when it’s not always shown to be a bad thing.

This isn’t to say that women in Trinity Rising aren’t strong. Teia is smart and proactive and basically carries this novel. She is put into a terrible situation, but from the outset uses all of her resources to find out more about what’s happening and the best course of action. When the time comes to act, she does not hesitate. Another character, Tanith, is similar in her ability make decisions and stick to them without second-guessing herself. Both her father and former lover, however, doubt her ability enough to impose their will over hers.

While Trinity Rising is remarkably well-written, towards the end is where it really begins picking up. As most second novels in a trilogy go, much of the journey here is setting up for the finale. Alliances are made on either side, battle techniques planned and the enemy assessed. It will be interesting to see how all of the pieces come together in the final novel.

Trinity Rising – Elspeth Cooper

Orion (July 26, 2012)

ISBN: 9780575096196

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. 

Hardcover, 352 pages  Published March 12th 2013 by Random House Children’s Books

For those readers who have some knowledge of the fairy tale of Bluebeard, the events that happen in this story may not be much a surprise. For those that are not familiar with the fairytale, I wouldn’t recommend that you read up on it ahead time.

Perhaps the most unique part of this retelling is the setting.  The author chose to situate this story in Mississippi during a time in American history in which slaves still existed and people were beginning to travel north on the underground rail road. There is quite a bit more history in the book than I would have expected, but it adds a flavour to the setting that makes the story interesting and compelling. The side tales help push the narrative forward and add human interest to a suspenseful mystery.

Sophie is invited by her godfather to come and live with him in his mansion in Mississippi. It is very obvious from the beginning pages that he has more than just a passing interest in the girl. There is a sexual tension between the two from the moment they meet. Torn between family/guardian ideals and the fact that Sophie is physically attracted to him, lead to some very pensive moments.

As Bernard is a businessman, Sophie is left wandering the mansion where she makes discoveries about the past women and wives that have lived there. She begins to believe that their disappearances are not just coincidence.

The pacing is slow and the main character a bit “classic” in her behaviour ie soft spoken and overly curious. It’s like the old saying, “curiosity killed the cat” and in this instance, Sophie’s nosing around the house does get her into trouble.

This novel has a mystery at it’s core but also includes a soft love story as well as a villain who’s a bit handsy. The writing style mirrors a traditional fairytale but in a more modern day setting that the reader can relate well to.

I received this audio book for review, from Simon and Schuster. Thank you! Just like What Really Happened in Peru, The Runaway Queen is a short story in the Bane Chronicles, following Magnus on an adventure.

While I did enjoy listening to What Really Happened in Peru, and learning so much more about Magnus, the actual adventure was a little bit boring. But even with that, I had high hopes for this second instalment in the chronicles, again to learn about Magnus and for a quick and fun adventure.

I am a little sad to say, that the Magnus in The Runaway Queen isn’t the same Magnus we are introduced to in the Mortal Instrument series or in What Really Happened in Peru. He just doesn’t say or do things that I would expect Magnus to do.

However, the concept of him actually helping Marie Antoinette escape during the French Revolution was a nifty idea, and I still found it very fun and enjoyable! I do plan on continuing and finishing the Bane Chronicles, I’m still very excited to see what else is in store!

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

Hardcover, 346 pages Published February 12th 2013 by Philomel Books ISBN  039925692X (ISBN13: 9780399256929)

Josie is the daughter of a prostitute in 1950 New Orleans. At a young age she began sleeping in a small apartment above a local bookstore to get away from the abusive ways of her mother. The bookstore owner Charles, and his son Patrick, have been the closest thing she’s had to a family. Madam Willie has taken on the role of mother and always kept an eye out for Josie and her troubles. But now those problems are stacking up higher than she can manage.

After Josie’s mother leaves for Hollywood, Josie finds the watch of a dead man in her mother’s room, entangling her in a mysterious death. 

Out of the Easy contains several layers of story line that weave into a suspenseful thriller. Josie’s troubles begin piling up and she makes some bad decisions in hope of making a better future for herself. When Charles falls ill, she has the added stress of running the bookstore.  This book contains a little bit of everything from romance to life threatening danger.

Historical novels often contain too much information about the time and setting, slowing them down but the pacing in Out of the Easy was impressive. It is a character driven story and Josie gets herself into more trouble than she can handle as she’ll do anything to achieve her dream.