Book Review: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Pages: 378

Genre: YA Fantasy/ YA Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: May 6, 2014

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery killed her mother. Now it’s the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways. But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana’s father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose – and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?"

Lady Aileana Kameron isn't your usual debutante.  She not only can see the fae, but she is also a Falconer or someone who is equipped to kill them.  She has been training with Kiaran, a mysterious and beautiful fae, who, surprisingly, wants to destroy his kind and holds many secrets.  Also, a pixie, Derrick, protects her and helps her recover from her injuries.  This is more than just killing fae to Aileana though. Her mother was killed by one and in turn, it has become personal.  Her father, even though he doesn't know Aileana's secrets, would rather she was more conventional and spend her time taking up more leisurely pursuits, such as finding a husband; however, she wants more for herself.  Elizabeth May's debut, The Falconer, is a slow to start novel, but once the action picked up, I was hooked.

Aileana is a fun heroine in The Falconer.  She's feisty, unconventional, and is downright tough. Unlike the other girls, she can hold her own and even invents various types of weaponry to fight the fae.  Aileana is a little hyper focused on destroying the fae since the violent death of her mother, but overall, I enjoyed her.  

What initially set me off when reading The Falconer was the time period. I thought it was set in 19th century Scotland with a fantasy twist (fae) and it is, but it's a little bit different than I expected. It's a steampunk world with steampunk technology, etc.  Also, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much focus on the Scottish world, but more on Scottish lore. Thank God for the glossary (Aileana's Beastiary) at the end of the novel which lists the various types of fae. I found myself referring to this quite a bit. 

In The Falconer, readers are introduced to Gavin, Aileana's childhood friend. Aileana used to have a childhood crush on him and since his return from school, she realizes that he is hiding many secrets.  Also, readers get to know the elusive and extremely good looking fae, Kiaran, a bit more and some of his motives, such as the important question of why would he help kill fae if he is fae? Lastly, my favorite character in The Falconer is the pixie, Derrick. He's hilarious, fun and some of his one-liners made me laugh out loud.  

Despite my initial hesitance towards The Falconer, the plot really starts to pick up by the middle of the novel. Plus, once the fae realize all that Aileana is capable of, the action picks up tremendously and war is looming over their heads.

Of course The Falconer ends with a crazy cliffhanger (as any good trilogy should) and despite a few of my issues with the novel, I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, which is due out next year.

Waiting on Wednesday: Compulsion

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.  "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.

Compulsion by Martina Boone

Pub. Date: October 28, 2014

Goodreads says, "Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse. All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lived with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions. Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead."

This Southern Gothic story sounds right up my alley. Plus, that cover is one of my favorites of the year. What do you guys think? 

Book Review: Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

Pages: 400

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: April 23, 2014

Source: Publisher for review

Series: Firefly Lane (#1)

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate--to be there for Kate’s children--but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people. Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother’s death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world. Dorothy Hart--the woman who once called herself Cloud--is at the center of Tully’s tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter’s side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs."

Kate and Tully were best friends until Kate died of cancer.  In Fly Away, we revisit our favorite characters from Firefly Lane to see what they have been up to since Kate's untimely death.  Tully hasn't ever really recovered from her best friend's death.  She has lost her popular TV talk show and is now addicted to prescription pills and alcohol.  Marah, Kate's daughter, is struggling as well and desperately needs some guidance, but isn't finding it from her father, who whisks them off to Hawaii after Kate's death and them uproots his whole family to California when they return.  He just can't face what happened, which isn't healthy for his children.  As the months go by, Marah finds herself in a deep state of depression in California and starts falling down a slippery slope.  Cloud, Tully's unpredictable and former addict mother, enters back into Tully's world as well, which increases the drama twofold; however, we learn why Cloud is the way she is, which will answer questions readers had in Firefly Lane. Kristin Hannah's Fly Away is a heartbreaking read.  It was one bad thing after another, but I just had to know how things were going to end up for Tully and Marah.

I loved Firefly Lane when I read it years ago and was interested to see where the characters ended up.  But it was just so darn sad to find out that most of them just couldn't get past Kate's death.  Tully is a mess. Marah is on her way to becoming a hot mess and Johnny, Kate's husband, isn't dealing with his grief, which makes it that much harder for the kids. I was curious about Cloud, Tully's crazy mother, and was interested in her sub-plot, but ultimately, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Marah. 

Fly Away is mostly told through flashbacks and readers slowly piece together the events after Kate's death.  It varies perspectives from time to time as well, so readers get a full picture.  Using this technique can be helpful, but in Fly Away it got old because it felt repetitive at times.

Fly Away was painful, but due to Hannah's compulsively readable writing style, I found myself flipping the pages despite the pain they put me through. It was like watching a bad accident. I knew I didn't really want to watch it unfold and that I should avert my gaze, but I just couldn't do it. I did almost put the book down when more and more bad things kept happening, but being the eternal optimist, I was hoping for that elusive happy ending.

One of my favorite aspects of Fly Away was Kate and Tully's relationship.  Even though Kate is gone, she does make a reappearance from time to time guiding Tully when she finds herself in another mess. I love their friendship, which is why I continued with Fly Away even though it broke my heart into a million pieces.

Fans of Firefly Lane may want to pick up this book to revisit favorite characters, but just like Firefly Lane, be prepared for heartbreaking tale that requires many tissues.

Blogging Break: I'm on Vacation!

I'll be taking a blogging break for a little over a week, because I am going on vacation to the beach with my family! I can't wait for some sun, some sand, and some fun family time.  Taking my little guy to the beach has been a lot of fun this year. He loves the ocean and the sand…definitely a future beach bum! 

You can still find me on Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram (expect a lot of toddler at the beach pictures!) during my vacation.  

Don't forget to enter my International Giveaway for some of my favorite beach reads and The Fault in Our Stars giveaway!  

See you guys soon,

Book Review: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Pages: 320

Genre: New Adult

Pub. Date: May 13, 2014

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both. Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past. But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again. Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated. Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter. And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel."

Dallas Cole's father is a famous Texas football coach. Everyone loves him and everyone knows him.  Dallas grew up living and breathing football, but her real passion is dance.  She enrolls at Rusk University, a local college, with the hopes of to starting over where no one knows her. Dallas is majoring in dance and even though she really wanted to go away to school, she is trying to make the best of it with her best friend, Stella. Things change drastically for her when her father takes the position as head football coach at Rusk in order to turn the team around.  To make matters worse, her old high school boyfriend, Levi, is the quarterback of the team and she runs into him at a party.  While trying to escape a lecherous football player at said party, she runs into Carson, a truly unique and different guy than what she's used to.  That is until she finds out he is the second-string quarterback for the university's team. She swore she would never date a football player again, after dating the star quarterback in high school, but can't help how she feels about Carson.  Plus, Carson promised his dad he would focus on school and football, but he can't get Dallas out of his mind.  Cora Carmack's All Lined Up is summertime fun. There's football, college parties, cute boys, and a "forbidden" romance.  Friday Night Lights fans will love the similarities.

Carmack varied the points of view in All Lined Up between Dallas and Carson, which I thought was a nice touch and believable.  Dallas spends a lot of time thinking about her connection with Carson until she finds out he is on her dad's football team.  That is something she wanted to avoid in college, but she can't avoid her connection with him.  Also, All Lined Up isn't just about her crush on Carson though. It's also about Dallas trying to do what she wants in college and pursing her dreams. This ultimately means figuring out her precarious relationship with her dad, who essentially wants to control her life.

Carson is a very determined football player and doesn't want anything to sidetrack his plan, that is until he meets Dallas. He has no clue she is the coach's daughter and despite their hesitance after they find out the truth, they can just forget each other and move on. I really liked their relationship in All Lined Up and Carson was definitely a swoon-worthy male lead.  

I am pretty much obsessed with all things Friday Night Lights, so I was excited to read a book about football as well the coach's daughter.  All Lined Up didn't disappoint. There was the perfect balance between football, romance, and college life. 

If you are looking for a book this summer that will remind you of Friday Night Lights, is steamy, and downright fun, then check out All Lined Up.