***Spoilers ahead you’ve been warned***

I rather enjoyed this one. Somewhat. The characters are really what drives this book (some of them that is) and while the plot moves at a medium pace, it’s understandable as this introduces you to the setting, the characters and what’s in store for us as readers.

World building is straight forward and there’s a handy guide in the beginning so you can figure out who is who and from which Kingdom (there are three). It pretty much centralizes on a small group that are central to the main plot and it’s easy to figure out who is who as you quickly start developing favorites :)

And this is where it starts getting interesting. I notice this happens sometimes with fantasy books. The good characters are downright annoying, nauseating (even more so when the love factor is involved) and induce eye rolling moments while reading. The not so nice characters are  more interesting to read, you quietly cheer for them and hope they turn out for the better because you don’t want them going down that path because most likely, they’ll end up being gone and you’ll have nothing else to read but the good guys.

I tried to like Cleo. I really did. However all I see is a little naive twit who’s annoying and I don’t really see her worth in this book and I wonder why Magnus just doesn’t end her so she can join good ol dependable Theon. I am hoping she turns out better in the later books but so far she’s not looking so good and her romance with Theon was so eye rolling inducing it’s characters like these that make or break the novel.

Thankfully, I love the Magnus story arc. He’s turned into a jerk but it’s not really his fault as dad isn’t really nice. The thing with Lucia is creepy and although they’re not blood related it still gives moments of queasiness (dude, you have like so many girls in the Kingdom come on). That being said though, I love reading about Magnus and Lucia. Their story lines are interesting, they have faults, and they deal with it (albeit, perhaps not in an all too healthy manner).

The story arc with Jonas was also interesting and I wish more was written about him (I think Cleo’s got way too much time in spotlight) as he’s gone through so much to get his revenge and only to find out it just opened a giant Pandora’s box and we’re heading towards more epic battling.

The latter third of the book gets really interesting. I’m only hoping there’s going to be a good outcome for everyone and I really hope Cleo’s character improves because she’s really what could make or break my desire to continue onto this series. Sometimes it takes that one character to ruin it all. That being said, I think it’s off to a great start and I’m ready for some more! Great for those into YA fantasy.

I'll jump n the bandwagon and try to round up my March reads.  By and large, great reads that cured a reading slump, but many put me behind on reviewing because I basically had little to say beyond "I enjoyed this book."

I also did this year's Big Library Read (global buddy read where Overdrive makes a voted ebook 100% available -- no waitlist/hold -- to participating public libraries).  This time was, surprisingly, a cookbook.  A good one with a mix of sweet, savory, basic and advanced pies:

Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life - Kate McDermott,Andrew Scrivani  

What reviews I've written, I try to remember to tag as "Reviews from Spurts" (booklikes link to that tag is http://booklikes.com/dashboard?tag=Reviews%20from%20Spurts ).

What an awesome, start to what I hope is a fantastic series. I bought the first book but didn't have money to buy the next one. But luckily my library had it as an ebook, so I downloaded that one as well. 

I can't decide who was my favorite character or if I really have one as of yet, there all pretty screwed up. I would probably say if I had to choose one it would be Jones, I do really feel bad for him, after all his brother was killed in front of him. And all his father said to him was that it was his brother's death was meant to be. Also while Cleo didn't kill Jones's brother, she could have tried to prevent it. 

Speaking of Cleo I like her as well, but she was stupid for the reason above, but also by what she does later, that plays apart in another death. I really feel bad for things that happen to her and to people that she loves. I really can't wait to see what happens to her next.

One person I am not sure about but I probably will start to like is Magnus. The way he feels about him "sister" Luica is gross, even if she isn't his sister by blood. He didn't know that at the time he was having those feelings towards her. Also is he bad or not, I am leading towards not.

Now about Luica, I am not sure how I feel about her as of yet. I am hoping I can figure that out in the next book. Sometimes I like I like her and other times, I am not sure. That's all I really have to say about her for right now.

Boy this book had a lot of death in it for being the first book in a pretty long series. A couple of these deaths were in the prologue. And Jones's brother in the beginning also. I really enjoyed the book a whole lot besides all the killings. I thought it was awesome from the beginning until the very end. I really hope all four of the main characters, stay alive at least until the last book. But who knows with all the deaths in this first book.

I really can't wait to see what happens next and if I will be right about Magnus becoming my favorite. I really love a guy that is not all prefect, that has some badness to them, and that isn't weak. But one that can also have a soft spot and be gently when he wants to be.

So everyone is mistrusting each other, misunderstandings abound, paranoid (and inaccurate) conspiracy theories.  

None of the core characters have died in this chunk of the book, but seems like several deaths are looming.

Aah! The melodrama.

The King of Blood has just returned to his kingdom — after uncharacteristically revealing a bit of his own past melodrama — so maybe the rebels will get it together to try and do something other than suspect each other.  Or not; possibly just building up,to next back (not likely to be an actual cliffhanger based on previous books in series).

I still like these books.  Seems like this one has spent less time on story than on trying to wallow in the characters having  both good/bad elements (and excuses because of what they've been through and lost).  

Not necessarily a negative except that they are starting to all be alike except for names and current injuries.  I guess it's a positive that the females and males all seem alike.

And now finally some characters start revealing stuff they should have told their so-called allies way before now.  Well, in one case confirming when discovered.

Now I expect will really be picking up.

Yeah, I know.  If everything resolved or revealed too quickly, wouldn't make a novel length story.

Oh, and more deaths of loved ones of course.