Review#107 - The Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli

Details:

Title: The Caged Queen

Author: Kristen Ciccarelli

Publisher: Gollancz

ISBN 13: 978-0062568014

Synopsis:

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.

Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.

Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

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Review #106 - Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C Dao

Details:

Title: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix

Author: Julie C Dao

Publisher: Philomel Books

ISBN 13: 978-1524738327

Synopsis:

Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as Empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn't want the crown, she knows she is the only one who can dethrone the Empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all. But will the same darkness that took Xifeng take Jade, too? Or will she find the strength within to save herself, her friends, and her empire?

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Review #105 - Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell

Details:

Title: Traitor's Blade

Author: Sebastien de Castell

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

ISBN 13: 978-1782066750

Synopsis:

The Greatcoats - legendary heroes, arbiters of justice . . . or notorious traitors?

The Greatcoats are travelling magistrates bringing justice to all . . . or at least they were, before they watched the Dukes impale their King's head on a spike. Now the land's heroes are reviled as traitors, their Greatcoats in tatters.

Falcio, Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as mercenaries, but when they find their employer dead - and are forced to watch as the killer plants evidence framing them for the murder - they realise things are about to get even worse.

For the royal conspiracy that began with overthrowing an idealistic young king is spreading to Rijou, the most corrupt city in the land, and the life of a young girl hangs in the balance.

When every noble is a tyrant and every knight is a thug, the only thing you can really trust is a traitor's blade.

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Review #104 - Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card vol 4 by CLAMP

Details:

Title: Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card vol 4

Author: CLAMP

Publisher: Kodansha 

ISBN 13: 9781632366191

Synopsis:

Into the Labyrinth -- Sakura takes to the sky in pursuit of the "fuzzy thing" that made her friend Akiho fall asleep, and in the process gains another of the mysterious transparent cards. Then, a visit to the bakery where Yukito works goes awry when a giant labyrinth appears and swallows them both up! Syaoran makes his combat debut alongside Sakura in a fiery battle to capture the most dangerous card yet--and of course, they're both wearing outfits from Tomoyo!

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Review #103 - Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll

Details:

Title: Secrets of a Sun King

Author: Emma Carroll

Publisher: Faber and Faber

ISBN 13: 978-0571328499

Synopsis:

London, 1922.

A discovery from ancient Egypt . . .
A cursed package . . .
The untold story of a young pharaoh . . .

When Lilian Kaye finds a parcel on her grandad's doorstep, she is shocked to see who sent it: a famous Egyptologist, found dead that very morning, according to every newspaper in England!

The mysterious package holds the key to a story . . . about a king whose tomb archaeologists are desperately hunting for.

Lil and her friends must embark on an incredible journey - to return the package to its resting place, to protect those they love, and to break the deadly pharaoh's curse . . .

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Review #102 - Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Details:

Title: Norse Mythology

Author: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Bloomsbury

ISBN 13: 978-1408891957

Synopsis:

The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her.

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Review #101 - Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett

Details:

Title: Onyx and Ivory

Author: Mindee Arnett

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN 13: 978-0062652669

Synopsis:

They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime.

Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom.

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