The Reader Bee: Abrams Books

Monday, January 23, 2017

My Thoughts: Roseblood by A.G. Howard

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818314-roseblood

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known. (Goodread)

My Thoughts...
Roseblood is the first book I've read by author A.G. Howard, though I've had her Splintered series on my TBR for way too long. I was super excited when a copy of Roseblood showed up on my doorstep one afternoon, and I absolutely couldn't wait to get started on the story. That cover, it's almost too gorgeous to resist! I'm thrilled to have finally read something by A.G. Howard.

The storyline for the book is based around The Phantom of the Opera, which I ashamedly know next to nothing about. (When I say next to nothing, I seriously mean next to nothing. Sigh.) This book definitely left me curious to know more about the original though, and one day I'll have to make sure to check it out. While the book is a modern retelling, it also has an interesting paranormal twist to it that I really didn't expect, but found rather interesting. I also liked that this was a standalone novel, and everything wrapped up rather nicely in the end.

There are a lot of fascinating characters in the story, including the two main characters, Rune and Thorne, who both have had great sadness in their pasts. I was curious to discover how the bond between them came about, and why it was already so strong when they finally meet in person. It's a pretty interesting story! There were a lot of great secondary characters in the story as well, some I wish we could have read more about, like all of Rune's friends, for instance. They were seriously the best!

Overall; Roseblood was definitely an interesting story! And now that I've finally reading something by Howard, I'm totally curious to read more! I'm hoping to start the Splintered series, hopefully soon. Check these books out for yourself!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

My Thoughts: The Graces by Laure Eve

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818369-the-graces

Everyone loves the Graces.

Fenrin Grace is larger than life, almost mythical. He’s the school Pan, seducing girls without really meaning to. He’s biding his time until someone special comes along. Someone different, who will make him wonder how he got along all this time without her. Someone like me.

Fenrin’s twin, Thalia, is a willowy beauty with rippling, honey-colored hair. Wherever she goes, Thalia leaves behind a band of followers who want to emulate her. She casts spells over everyone she encounters, just like Fenrin—even if they both deny it.

Then there’s Summer. She’s the youngest Grace, and the only one who admits she’s really a witch. Summer is dark on the outside—with jet-black hair and kohl-rimmed eyes—and on the inside. It was inevitable that she’d find me, the new girl—a loner with secrets lurking under the surface.

I am River. I am not a Grace. But I’ll do anything to become one. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
The first thing that drew me to The Graces was the super gorgeous cover. Seriously, I have a weakness for books with awesome covers, and the story sounded pretty cool, so I was really excited to get started on the book.

This book took a lot longer for me to get through than I expected. I found the characters interesting at first, but the more I read, the more irritating they became. And this is not just the main character, but ALL of the characters. I just couldn't connect with any of them for some reason.

Then there was the storyline. It really had a lot of potential which made me really excited going in, but as the story went along, I found myself losing interest pretty quickly. I did push through and finished the book, as I kept feeling like things would eventually pick up, but they never really did. We do get some answers at the end of the book, finally, and the books ends in a way that will have you wondering what is going to happen next. I am currently undecided on if I will be picking up the sequel for the book.

Overall; I really wanted to like The Graces, as it had so much potential, but unfortunately, I just could not connect with the book. Don't let this stop you from reading it, however, as you may like it more than I did. :)