Annette's Book Spot: deception

Showing posts with label deception. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Book Review: Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon book cover and review

Although Of Curses and Kisses incorporates a familiar trope, the story of Princess Jaya and Grey Emerson is engaging.

Jaya has been raised to be an Indian heiress, following all the protocols her parents have set in place without question. When scandalous photos of her younger sister's escapades are exposed in the media, Jaya willingly accompanies her to a new boarding school away from the attention. When Jaya discovers Grey Emerson attends the same school she vows to avenge her sister. You see the Emersons family and Jaya's family are feuding and Emerson is the author of the vicious attack on Jaya's sister. She will compel him to fall in love with her, only to break his heart.

The reader can see from page one where Of Curses and Kisses is going. Of course, Grey is not what he seems, and these two are destined for true love, even though Jaya is practically betrothed to a neighboring prince (to build alliances for her father) and Grey has been cursed (by Jaya's family) and will die on his 18th birthday. The group of friends (and enemies) surrounding these two are interesting and canny. There is the friend who is "in love" with a cad, and the cad is dating one of the most popular girls at school. Jaya's sister is falling for a totally unacceptable mate, in Jaya's eyes. There is something mysterious about Jaya's ruby broach -- stones keep falling out of it and Grey seems to think it has something to do with the family curse. So there are plenty of barriers to true love and many surrounding issues adding substance to this "hate to love" imagery.

Another bizarre issue is that Menon throws in obscure vocabulary so much that at times the phrasing is awkward as if she is trying to throw in as many SAT words as possible. I kept a list of just some of them: puerile, insouciant, vitriol, imbibed, ennui, loquacious, innervating bespoke, misanthrope, disingenuous, untenable, nihilism. Some of these words were used in the dialog between the teens -- it was just awkward, and some teens may find this daunting. Of Curses and Kisses is being marketed to ages 12 and up. I just don't see that, given the vocabulary.

The happy ending is frenetic, but everything gets tied up nicely in a bow. Nothing special, but romance junkies will probably find Of Curses and Kisses charming.

Published by Simon Pulse, February 18, 2020
ARC obtained from School Library Connection Magazine
361 pages

Rating: 3/5

Monday, August 5, 2019

Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware @RuthWareWriter

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware book cover and review

I enjoyed The Turn of the Key so much, it was almost "unputdownable." That hasn't happened to me for a while.

Rowan can't believe her good fortune. She's landed a great paying job at a gorgeous house in the Scottish Highlands, away from all the hustle of the city, nannying for three small children. She's been warned that previous nannies didn't last very long, but that doesn't stop her.

It is a difficult situation, given that their mother and father leave on a trip pretty much as soon as Rowan gets there. The children take a while to warm up to her and give her some problems, but nothing she hasn't dealt with before.

What is even more difficult are the strange occurrences around the house. The footsteps she hears above her room at night, even though she's on the top floor. A locked door that she didn't lock. A disappearing key. And the difficulties of the high-tech system for monitoring and controlling everything in the house doesn't help either.

Ware keeps you guessing, throwing out plausible red herrings over and over again. Who wants Rowan out of the picture? It's not what you think. At least it isn't what I thought! I was totally blindsided by several twists. And that just added to the enjoyment.

If I have one complaint it is that I didn't think the technique of the whole story being told through letters written to a lawyer was necessary. It did make for a unique wrap up at the end, I guess, so no biggie.

I enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway, also by Ware, a lot. But The Turn of the Key was even better. Highly recommended to thriller fans.

Published by Gallery/Scout, August 6, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
352 pages

Rating: 5/5

Monday, April 29, 2019

Book Review: The American Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin

I'm not sure where I got The American Heiress, but I know the reason I wanted it is because it has been compared to Downton Abbey. It wasn't the same as Downton, but I understand the comparison.

It is the late 1800s, the Gilded Age, and Cora Cash is a very, very rich American heiress. Her mother takes her to England because she wants Cora to marry a man with a title.

And she does. After falling off her horse, Cora is rescued by Ivo, the Duke of Wareham. One of the issues I had with The American Heiress is the insta-love between these two. But they do fall in love and get married. It is no secret that Ivo needs money. His estate is falling apart, and Cora is definitely going to help him financially.

Most of the book is about Cora's struggles to fit into English society. Her mistakes and indiscretions are numerous. The marriage is rocky, and at times Cora is convinced that Ivo really did just marry her for her money.

Not much else happens. Some of the characters are not what they seem. There are some secrets to be revealed. And they get a visit from the Prince of Wales.

The American Heiress definitely kept my interest, but it wasn't unputdownable. Cora is a sympathetic character and that helps. If you are interested in the time period, The American Heiress should be added to your list. The book is also appropriate for teens interested in royal romances.

Published by St. Martin's, 2011
Personal copy
468 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, February 11, 2019

Book Review: Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers book cover and review

I was very happy to return to the world that LaFevers created in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Courting Darkness was an interesting continuation.

Courting Darkness is the story of two women, Sybella, whose story we heard in Dark Triumph, and Genevieve, a new character. The stories are entirely separate, narrated alternately, and I waited the entire time for their stories to collide. Let's just say, I'm still waiting!

Sybella accompanies the Duchess to France, where she weds the king. Sybella has discovered that there are two trained assassins from St. Mortain’s convent deep undercover in the French court, and she must find them before the danger to her and the Duchess becomes too great.

It has been so long since Genevieve has heard anything from the convent that she isn't sure they even remember her. She finds a forgotten prisoner in the dungeons and decides to escape with him and use his identity to help her save herself and the convent.

The politics, the world, the religion, and the number of characters are all a bit overwhelming, especially since it had been so long since I had read Mortal Hearts, the last book in the previous series. At over 500 pages, I also found Courting Darkness to drag on a bit, especially the part when Genevieve and her escapee are traveling.

I did enjoy the story but didn't enjoy so much the brutal cliffhanger...

I suppose it isn't necessary to read the His Fair Assassin books, but I think I would recommend it. I don't think you can understand the world and the religion without that background. You won't get enough out of this book if read alone. And, honestly, I enjoyed those initial three books better than this one.

If you've read the previous trilogy, then I highly recommend Courting Darkness, even with the problems mentioned above. You just have to experience this story. This is a duology, and I'll be waiting for the second book.

Published by HMH BFYR, February 5, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
512 pages

Rating: 4/5

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Book Review: Renegades by Marissa Meyer @marissa_meyer

Renegades by Marissa Meyer book cover and review

Renegades is an exciting, hard-to-put-down adventure full of magic and intrigue.

Prodigies are people with certain magical powers. There are two groups of prodigies: The Renegades, who saved society from the awful reign of the Anarchists, the second group. A group of Renegades called The Council are the rulers and they are like rock stars. And other Renegades are used to keep order and administer justice.

But humans are suffering almost as much as when the Anarchists ruled. And the Anarchists have been driven into hiding.

Nova, also know as Nightmare since she can put people to sleep, is an Anarchist. She is determined to seek vengeance. She becomes a Renegade to infiltrate their organization and defeat them from within. She is on a team of Anarchists led by Adrian (called Sketch - because he can make drawings come to life). Adrian and Nova become close, and the distinction of who are the good guys and who are the bad guys is very hazy.

That's one of the best parts of Renegades for me. The fact that neither side are really doing the right thing. They are all misguided by different things, but neither group is accomplishing enough to improve this society.

The superpowers are interesting and very unique. (A woman that turns into butterflies??) There are great action scenes and battles. The characterizations, with the exception of our two main characters, are not very deep, but the deceptions on everyone's part keep you turning the pages. It is never clear until the very end...and unfortunately it isn't clear then either, since there's a startling revelation and a huge cliffhanger!

The conclusion (yes, only two books!) doesn't come out until November, 2018, so patience is required. My book club is reading Renegades this month. I cannot wait to see what they have to say. I always say I'm not a fan of books with a lot of magic, but Renegades sucked me right in!

Published by Feiwel & Friends, November 7, 2017
Copy obtained from the library
556 pages

Rating: 4/5