ARC Book Review: Court of Fives (Court of Fives, #1) by Kate Elliott

Read from May 22 to June 17, 2015

On the Fives court, everyone is equal.
And everyone is dangerous.
Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

This book started pretty slow but I loved it by the time I finished reading it!

I loved Jessamy and her independent, rebellious personality! Her loyalty and love for her family was a big plus point when it came to her! And I love the tentative connection she shares with her father!

And Kal!!! I wish there had been more of him in the story!!! I just loved his characters and I really need to see more of him, especially after that cliffhanger ending!!!

The ending was so powerful! The emotions in that part of the story just carried me along to the epic cliffhanger ending, and I'm dying to read the next book in the series!!!

my Goodreads review

ARC Book Review: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Read from May 02 to 06, 2015

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.
Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

I never thought I'd like this book as much as I loved reading it now!!! I was wishing for a sequel before I even ended reading it! I was so much in love with it!

I absolutely love Elizabeth! I love the fact that she's named Elizabeth and that she's so badass! She was a very good protagonist and had the reader's liking from the first chapter!

The plot wasn't very complex or vast. Sometimes it was pretty easy to guess what's coming next, but what really had me was the characters! Boecker built her fictional characters into real - life beings and that was magical! I was so absorbed by the characters throughout, and every characters had their own distinct personality. I was so attached to the characters after I finished reading this!

I also found the romance in this book very touching. It was subtle and passionate at the same time and it was so beautiful! <3

Overall, the author should be proud of what she's come up with because this is one of my favourite witch/wizard stories and I'm so hoping for a sequel right now! I just can't get enough of Boecker's writing!

my Goodreads review