I absolutely adored Ruined, the first book in this series, so when Avenged came up on Edelweiss to review, I jumped at the chance.

That was in 2016, ahead of the May 2017 release date.

That was before my life changed forever and I only read 12 books in 2017. Unfortunately Ruined was not one of them.

But with a fresh start in 2018, I picked Ruined up again and was ready to delve back into the world of violence, magic, royalty, legacy, swoony romance, and a strong bond between sisters.

I enjoyed Avenged while I was reading it, but it didn't have the desperate need to turn the page and find out what happened next that Ruined did. I enjoyed the new characters, the development of the old, and the never-ending violence that happened, especially when Olivia was nearby. I really loved how we got to see some points of view from Olivia and Aren. I loved watching Aren go from being the perfect Ruined warrior to something a little more, and questioning his loyalties. I really loved how everyone each had their own agendas which clashed and caused the plot to move forward in an organic way.

However there was something that was missing, and I'm not quite sure what. The plot, perhaps, was a little less exciting that Em's plan to infiltrate the enemy royal house by impersonating a foreign princess and marrying the prince as she did in Ruined. There seemed to be a lot of travel involved in this one, which on the one hand was great as we got to see other kingdoms, but on the other hand, it was travelling. The stakes didn't seem to be quite as high in this book. It seemed that Em was almost invincible: the Lerans won't hurt her, the Olsans wont hurt her, the Ruined won't hurt her... even though she did really risky things, it was more risking the chance for peace than her own life.

Maybe I just miss the Em who murdered a princess in cold blood on the opening pages of Ruined.

2.5/5 Stars

I am really unimpressed with this one and its a very popular new YA book. I thought there was very little dialogue, a lot of action which bored me. Along with that I kept wondering if I missed a book before this one even though its the first in a series. Next to no background story with Em and Cas. 

Emilina Flores has had everything taken from her in the lands of Ruined. She makes it her mission to infiltrate the castle and kill those who murdered her family. Starting with Mary. Em can now disguise herself to get to Cas and his family. What she doesn't expect is to find out that Cas isn't exactly what she expected. 

Even after reading the book I feel like I really don't know either character. I would have loved to read the scene of the taking over Em's family. That could have been some great in depth character building. 

With all the hype I can't help but feel some disappointment. I don't think I'll be reading the next one. Mediocre at best. 

A YA SciFi Dystopia that defied my first impression

BOOK DETAILS:

Reboot by Amy Tintera, read by Khristine Hvam, published by HarperAudio (2013) / Length: 8 hrs 42 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #1 of the Reboot duology. Book #2, Rebel, is already out and also available on audio.

SUMMARY:

The first time I read this book, I liked it OK but didn't plan to buy it (I had borrowed a Kindle copy from the library). However, I just kept thinking about it. So, I decided to borrow the audio version. I liked it even more this time, and ended up decided it was something I would re-listen to (my criteria for purchase).

I'm not 100% sure why it stuck with me. Wren is a great protagonist, despite being the currently typical "physically kickbutt and emotionally stunted" heroine. And I like that she is actually fine being where and what she is. Callum isn't your typical YA hero, which is nice; and he's got guts and convictions.

I am tagging this with Diversity, since Callum is Hispanic (although it is never a plot point) and Wren has disfiguring scars.

Holy every expletive in the book. It's like The Throne of Glass and The Selection had a baby that allows a peek into heaven.

PHENOMENAL new break through in the fantasy genre. 

First of all, yes, this is one of those ‘pseudo-fantasy-lite’ novels where the kickass assassin/princess gets to wear pretty dresses and falls in love with the prince

BUT

Do not dismiss it because it’s more Twilight/Disney Princess (written for girls where girls star as the hero I might add) than Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter (written for boys and starring oh yeah BOYS).
DO NOT DISMISS IT as an assassin book where no one suffers or is murdered or the heroine doesn’t get her revenge.
Do not dismiss it as a book where the heroine is passive and gives up on her goals to be with said hot prince.
Do not dismiss it as a book where the royalty survive just because they’re royalty.
Do not dismiss it as a book where the author helicopters their characters out of peril.
Do not dismiss it as a book where the princess is too consumed by her looks. I mean fuck, are we not allowed to admire ourselves when we’re wearing pretty dresses now? You should have seen me last night for my 9 year anniversary demanding my husband actually take photos of me, all because I was wearing my prettiest dress.

None of these things are true.

There is so much fighting and battle and blood and ruthlessness in this book, and so much death.
Sweet, glorious death.

Em commits her first on-page murder in the opening chapter, and you know she’s killed before. She’s a ruthless badass consumed with her goals of finding her kidnapped sister and stopping the murder of her people, the Ruined, for no reason other than they have magical abilities and can be dangerous. Think X-Men vs mundane humans for an alternative comparison. I loved her from her very first moment. Being a Ruined with no magic, wow, she was so convinced she was ‘useless’ but she proved to everyone that she’s just as capable of running a kingdom as the proper heir, her younger sister. Oh man, I just keep thinking if Celaena Sardothian thought she was a dangerous badass she’s got NOTHING on Em, who does actually murder people on page and doesn’t go around boasting about it.

Cas is sweet, a gentle and kind ruler deep down, who learns to think for himself and comes to conclusions perhaps others might not agree with. He is open-minded and willing to change what he’s been raised to believe in. I really adored him, there’s really nothing better than a genuine nice guy. I’m adding him to my very short list of book boyfriends.

The writing engaged me from the very first page. I loved the descriptions and the world building and every character development left me keen for more. The pacing was flawless, leaving me keen to turn every page and gasping at the revelations revealed.

The only downside? I wish I’d had a map. Maybe there is one in the hardcover version, which I am totally buying. I don’t normally continue on with series, I’m more than willing to give the first book a go, but this book has thrillified me to the point that I want a hardcover version. I’ll be pre-ordering the second book too, and I don’t even do pre-orders.

Six freaking stars, I loved it so much and it’s one of my favourites for 2016.

YAY RUINED.

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.