I'm not really a fan of biker books so I'm pleasantly surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
After a bit of a slow start, getting the reader up to scratch on the scene, the characters etc it took off like a roller coaster. I enjoyed the plot to this story, never a dull moment. The characters were interesting and I look forward to reading about the secondary players in this one. Dex and Ava had great chemistry, they both came together 13 years later with some mega baggage to work through.
There is everything you could want in this love story, sexy alphy guy, tough independent woman, passion, drama and hopefully a HEA.

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

Under a Painted Sky was one of my most anticipated novels of the year so diving into it, I was more than ready to love it. But did I love it? DID I? Nope. I lurved it. THIS IS A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN, GORGEOUS NOVEL THAT I WANT TO SHOVE AT EVERYONE. And I am using caps to say this so you know I am serious! If you’re not sure about reading the book, just look at the pretty cover and give in to temptation. ITS CALLING OUT TO YOU ISN’T IT? You should give in.

You might be wondering why I am rambling so much, why I won’t actually get on with it and tell you why it was awesome but I don’t want to *whines*. I just want to sit here and stare at the cover and cry because the book was good. Why cannot that ever be enough? Huh? *throws hands in the air*

Are cowboys enough for you? Are diverse characters enough for you? Are awesome relationships enough for you? How about swoonworthy boys? Or a great adventure on the Oregon trail?

Can I say my work is done and leave now?

I will stay if I must, children but know that it pains me to. Or maybe it doesn’t. I just like being dramatic. *flips hair*

Under a Painted Sky is without a doubt a new favorite for me and it just made me ridiculously happy. I will say that it wasn’t entirely what I expected it to be but that didn’t turn out to be a bad thing. I may have been looking for a grander adventure but what I got, was in a way, better. I got to see wonderful relationships develop and I got to see these wonderful characters develop.

This book is told from the point of view of Samantha, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant who was brought over to The States at a young age by a French missionary. Samantha is used to be shunned by the people she is surrounded by. She is used to being gawked at like she is some sort of exotic animal. But she has always had her father so when he dies, she is left all on her own to deal with her feelings of loss and guilt and she is left to grow into herself and become a young woman that we all come to love.

Samantha is not badass but what she is, is strong. She may not know how to survive in the wild but she is smart and she can handle herself once she adjusts to things. It’s what I love about her. Her determination and strength make me want to cheer her on. She is such a smarty pantsy too and I love how it’s never obnoxious, just endearing when she says something no one else in her group understands.

We also have wonderful characters like Andy, Peety, West and Cay. You don’t actually know this but I took a 10 minute break to go re-read one of my favorite scenes from the book and I feel like I should apologize for this but I won’t. All of these characters add SO MUCH to the book. They are what also helps the book come to life. Without them, the book would never be the same. I would LOVE to go into more detail about them but I would be sitting here forever. Suffice to say they are all interesting and fabulous and smart and courageous and really just great people you would want watching your back.

There are two romances in the book (for both the girls) and while I preferred one love interest to another, both guys are just so SWOON WORTHY. They are different from each other in many ways but when it comes down to it, they are kind and sweet and really do care for the girls.

This all leads to the only thing in the book I would say I wasn’t a 100% on board with. It’s the actual journey they take. It was so much fun to read about and I did end up wanting more. I felt like the book focused more on the characters than it did on really building the setting and focusing on the hardships of the journey. That isn’t to say these things weren't present at all, they definitely were and what we did get was FANTASTIC but I adore my survival/adventure books and wish that aspect of the book was a little bit more highlighted.

Otherwise, this is a great book that touches on many important themes of friendship, racism, grief and finding oneself.

I believe that this novel is a must read and I won’t hesitate to push it at you.  READ IT.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, yet there are aspects of it that didn’t work for me as well as I had hoped they would. 

 

The first half of the book was gorgeously written but at the same time, there wasn’t much happening. We saw relationships being built, which is important, and worlds being developed, which is also important yet it was slow paced and sometimes, I would have to force myself to read on.

 

Tamlin was definitely a highlight of the book for me and he is just such a beautiful creature. I loved seeing Maas’ take on the beast and I loved the neat ways in which she made the re-telling her own.

 

I am not big on fae, so going in, I was worried that my own bias would affect my enjoyment of the book and while there were things I wish that could have been different, I also really enjoyed the aspect. It gave the re-telling a very original outlook.

 

What I also loved was the cast of secondary characters, from Lucien to the sisters, they were such a varied (in terms of personalities) group and I enjoyed reading about them. They all undergo development over the course of the book and I love seeing the relationships Feyre had built with these characters.

 

They, in their own ways, brought about Feyre’s own growth process which was a beauty to watch. It’s so realistic too. The change within her doesn’t occur overnight, although calling her cold hearted from the start would be a lie. She has never been cold hearted, but her childhood has caused her to harden up and can you really blame her? From a young age she became in charge of people older than her. She had to risk her life on a daily basis to put food on their plates and was that fair to her? I don’t think so.

 

She is such strong character and while there are times, especially in the last quarter of the book, where I became frustrated her, I think overall, she is a character I cannot help but admire for her strength, loyalty, determination and kindness!

 

The romance is so beautifully developed in this book. I ADORED seeing Tamlin and Feyre become closer and I loved seeing them grow to trust one another. In a relationship like theirs, there is always that question of believability. I mean, Tamlin is old so out of all the women he has probably met and had relationships with, what makes Feyre special? A lot of things. Their relationship is fantastic. There might have been things that would have bothered me had I not been shipping them so hard but they work beautifully as a couple. They can confide each other, help each other and just lean on each other and it’s beautiful.

 

My biggest problem in this book came in the form of a creature named Rhys. I despised him and my problem with that is that I am not sure we are meant to despise him. I worry about where the author may choose to go with his character and the role he plays in Feyre's life. It seems as though things are being set up for something but I believe in Tamlin and Feyre’s relationship too much and hopefully, all my worrying will be for naught.

 

Another thing that didn’t work so well for me is the way things ended. I want to be more specific but I cannot be. One of the resolutions just didn’t work for me. It isn’t a fault with the book itself but something I, as a reader, have never enjoyed so it made that aspect really hard for me to roll with.

 

I realize I am being a little vague here but you got to deal with it. How will you ever know what I was talking about if you don’t read the book? *hint hint*

 

This is a gorgeously written re-telling, that did the original tale justice. I love the originality of it and I cannot wait to see what else awaits us in the future instalments (hopefully only good things).

Fantastic books for young girls getting into reading!! Great stories about friendship and life lessons. The characters deal with all sorts of situations and often find responsible solutions to problems.

I loved this series growing up and wanted to start my own babysitting business with friends. Great lessons in entrepreneurship for tweens.

The books may be dated with out references to modern technology but the story stands and lessons are still relevant.

Awesome books that girls will love! And the series grows with them! Terrific Author!

Dawn and Mary Anne were doomed to fail - didn't they get to obvious foreshadowing clue from Marilyn and Carolyn?