Review - A Temptation of Angels

by Michelle Zink
publisher: Dial
date of publication: March 20, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 448
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.

What I Thought

Since I received this ARC back in December, I have been highly anticipating getting the chance to read this book.  This is my first experience reading anything by Michelle Zink, so I had no preconceptions whatsoever with regard to what I should expect.  As it turns out, A Temptation of Angels was a great introduction to Michelle Zink's work.  I was treated to an engrossing tale that was every bit as entertaining as it was detailed.

Helen is an interesting character.  She is somewhat reserved when it comes to certain emotions, although she is also stubborn, naive, and caring.  When the book begins, we are introduced to Helen as she faces immediate danger.  Early on, one can begin to get a sense of just who Helen is based upon how she faces her struggles.  It is who she comes to be, however, that I found most intriguing.  While some of her actions may seem foolhardy at best, you have to admire her tenacity and spirit.  Griffin, one of the primary male characters and a source of attraction for Helen, is also an enjoyable character to get to know.  He is debonair, kind, and adventurous all at once, which makes for a great counterpart to Helen, as well as a pretty swoon-worthy male lead.  The character I felt most conflicted about, however, was not Darius, Griffin's sardonic brother, but Raum, the mysterious boy from Helen's childhood.  I didn't know whether I found him abhorrent or someone to be pitied.  Even by the end, he was as much of a mystery to me as when he first appeared in the book.

The construct of A Temptation of Angels is very absorbing.  It moves along at a nice clip and provides enough background information without causing an overload.  The premise is fresh and entertaining and has a nice helping of romance.  However, there is a love triangle involved, which I just don't feel so inclined toward.  For me, it detracts from Helen's decisiveness and the concept of love triangles overall is beginning to wear on my patience.  In the end, however, it doesn't effect my overall enjoyment of the book, nor does it put a damper on my desire to read more.

A Temptation of Angels is a great book that I will not hesitate to recommend in the future.  It is probably high on my list of angel books that I enjoy and I really hope to see more books set in this world in the future.  Michelle Zink has created a wonderfully imaginative take on the battle between angels and demons that will set your imagination alight.  If you enjoy books centered around angels and the theme of good vs. evil, then A Temptation of Angels would be a great choice.

Obligatory legal statement: This ARC was provided to me free of charge via the publisher through Library Thing Early Reviewers. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review - The Gathering Storm

by Robin Bridges
publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
date of publication: January 10, 2012
format: eGalley
pages: 395
source: Netgalley
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

What I Thought

The Gathering Storm is one of those historically-based novels that just really draws you in and makes you want to learn more about the time period it is based upon.  When you add supernatural elements to such a book that gives you a new lens with which to view that period through, you have an especially interesting read.  Everything from the setting to the characters were attention-grabbing and absorbing.  There is so much to say about this book that I am worried I will miss something important.  However, I will definitely do my best to cover all of the best attributes of the book.

The setting was quite possibly my most favorite aspect of this book.  I haven't often had the chance of reading novels set in Russia (I know, I'm an English major who has never read Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky; shame on me!), but after reading The Gathering Storm, I definitely want to change that.  Tsarist Russia is interesting, to say the least, and I found myself intrigued by the ways in which court life were portrayed in The Gathering Storm.  From previous history classes I have taken, I had learned a little about the influence of French customs upon the Russian court, but to see it put to action added an entirely different nuance to it.  Not only that, but Ms. Bridges did such a great job of describing everything from the housing to the schools to the outdoors that I almost felt as though I was walking alongside Katerina throughout the book.  The descriptions of lush and glittering balls juxtaposed against the dark and mysterious shadows that exist alongside the light made for an epic read that I was sorry to see come to an end.

Another fantastic aspect of The Gathering Storm is its characters.  In many ways, Katerina is ahead of her times.  She isn't content to go with the status quo and fall in line with what is expected of young women in 1880s Russia.  She has dreams of becoming a doctor that make her less than willing to settle with her prescribed role.  In other ways, however, she is a contradiction to these dreams in that she still thinks she needs to be saved from time-to-time, which reflects the mindsets of other young ladies of her time.  Katerina, however, shows much promise.  I think she has great things ahead of her in the next installment and beyond.  She is much too dynamic as a character to not progress.  Grand Duke George, on the other hand, remains as much of a mystery to me now as he was when first introduced into the story.  I am intrigued as to where his character is going, however, so I will be looking forward to seeing what else he has to offer in later books.  In any case, from the good characters to the bad to those in between, there is much to discover in The Gathering Storm that will leave your head spinning and eager for more. 

I adored the storyline almost as much as the setting.  Threats to the Tsar, rampant murders in the court, and the supernatural creatures that surround it all make The Gathering Storm the spectacular and riveting story that it is.  Though there are vampires in this book, they are vampires as you have likely never experienced before.  There are many different species of vampire in this book that made for an especially interesting journey through eastern European folklore.  As if all of that weren't enough, there are also additions such as necromancers, wizards, and faeries hidden right in the midst of the Russian court.  With such vivid and intriguing subjects, it is hard not to find yourself caught up in the wonder of this story.

Fans of historical fiction and paranormal romance alike will find The Gathering Storm to be a force to be reckoned with.  I didn't want to put this one down, although I didn't want it to end, either.  Robin Bridges has given us another fantastic contribution to the beginning 2012 with this book.  I can't wait to see what she has for us in the future.

Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.          

Review - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs
publisher: Quirk
date of publication: June 7, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 352
source: purchased
Amazon / IndieBound / B&N

From Goodreads:

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

What I Thought

I had very, very high hopes for this novel.  From the premise to the intriguing photographs that appear throughout the book, I was very much looking forward to finding out what the story had to offer.  However, a few things fell short for me when I finally got the chance to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  From a main character I failed to connect with to a confusing account of things called Loops, I was left with only minor enthusiasm with regard to this book.  What enthusiasm I did feel was on account of the Peculiars, not the main character.  It isn't often that this becomes an issue for me, but I was left unsure as to what I thought of the book as a whole.

Jacob, though he is the main character, failed to gain either my interest or my attention.  Something about him just fell flat and left me with a wandering attention span.  It wasn't until he traveled to Wales and met the children that I began to perk up and pay more attention.  It is the secondary characters that ran the show, as far as I am concerned.  Miss Peregrine and her flock of peculiar children made for much more volatile and multi-layered characters.  None fell flat, as far as they went.  While they also didn't bring to the table what I thought they would (with the possible exception of one particular boy, whose talent was creating homunculi in a spectacularly creepy fashion), they were still interesting enough to make me enjoy every scene in which they appeared.

The storyline was definitely not what I was expecting.  While not expecting out-right horror, I was at least expecting more thrills and chills than I got.  True, the mysterious creatures were intimidating, but I had expected more of an eerie quality, especially considering how much time Jacob spends exploring an old, dilapidated house.  It just was not to be, however, though I will say that the fantasy element was intriguing.  

Speaking of dilapidated houses, the settings were another thing that I struggled with.  While Jacob was in Florida, I found myself to be, unfortunately, bored.  The descriptions just didn't go very far toward creating a picture in my mind's eye.  Even when Jacob enters the tangled woods behind his grandfather's house, a point of action at the beginning of the book, I didn't find myself altogether interested.  Once again, it wasn't until Jacob reached Wales that I really found myself taken in by the descriptions of the landscape and the people.

While I liked Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children well enough, I was disappointed in several ways.  If you go into the book with no expectations toward the chill factor, then you will likely enjoy this book.  If, however, you are looking for a chilling read, I wouldn't say that this one will fulfill your needs.  It was a fun read and I can see myself reading the next installment.  However, I definitely wasn't blown away as I had hoped to be.