book review – Life Gone Write

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I am back from my hiatus!

I’m not going to lie, it was nice to have a month that was book free. The last few books I read were a bit of a letdown, and I was overwhelmed with work for my personal projects.It was nice to focus on my own work. I began to miss reading after a week or so, but I was leery because of the rough, weak story lines I had read before my NovelVaca ( ooh, look, a new word!). Luckily, the first book I read, Gambit by C.L Denault, immediately hooked me on books again.

It was that good.

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The premise is classic Dystopian, one of my favorite genres. There were a few new ingredients in this Dystopian universe, which included cat/children “rippers”, AKA feline killing machines, and physically enhanced soldiers.

Okay, that last part is not a new concept, but it was very well done.

The world is a mix of old charm and futuristic fantasy, which goes together much better than you would expect. Think bacon plus chocolate- Great separate, decadent together. The world building is solid, not overdone, and not slapped in front of you with a word paint brush in a single paragraph ( this is called info dumping, I detest it!) . The prose was beautiful. C.L Denault is a talented storyteller and writer, and the possession of those two talents is harder to find in an Author than people might believe.

However, all the things above are not the reason I loved this book. Yes, the world is interesting. Yes, there are unique factors. But the characters stole my heart. Willow, Reece and the supporting cast were exceptional.

Willow is a 16 year old girl who grew up in a poor, yet happy family. She acts like a teenager, which is great, because that’s exactly what she is. Her life wouldn’t support an overly mature attitude, so I appreciated the realistic take on her. Despite her immaturity, she is a strong, promising character that I am sure will encompass her potential by the time this series is complete.

But she wasn’t the star of the show.

My favorite character is Commander Reece- a terrifying, harsh, amazingly enigmatic man who any girl would fall head over heals for, despite his streak of danger (let’s be honest, it makes him better!). He’s the first male character I’ve fallen for in ages. It was wonderful to feel that way about a book again!

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I also enjoyed the supporting characters, Asp, Tem, Morry, all of them! They had their own unique personalities, which is so refreshing. Many books have filler characters that are just there, saying lines. Not these guys! They were dimensional and alive.

There were a few times I looked up from the pages with an “eh” attitude, but now that I’ve finished the book I can’t remember why I felt that way. The positives completely overtook those few moments, and I will be waiting for the next book with anxious impatience.

So, I am going to give this book 5 stars.

That’s right. I said it. FIVE STARS!!!!!!!

I am not saying this book is perfection, or a great piece of artistic mastery that will be studied for ages, but I truly, completely enjoyed this story. To me, it was awesome, and I might even read it again.

WHICH I NEVER DO!

This book will be bought by me in hard copy, and go on my favorites shelf, right next to the Shatter me Series, The Selection series, The Razorland series ( and Emily Grifin’s novels, and The Giver, and Rebecca … you get the idea). To put that in perspective for you guys, I haven’t bought a hard copy since 2014 .

Yeah.

And if C.L Denault could autograph it, that would be amazing…(I can dream!)

If you like romance, Dystopian, or just fantasy in general, grab your copy of Gambit here!

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*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Hello everyone, it’s been too long!

No really, it’s been too long. Shame on me. I got a little caught up with my own writing journey (check out my new book page for The Mercy Killers Here ) and I started a few new projects, built a website, it’s tax season…

You get the idea.

But you guys aren’t here to learn about me, you want to hear about BOOKS! I’ve got a fun one for you, a great YA fairy tale twist. I haven’t read a good fairy re-telling in while, so when this popped up on NetGalley I was excited.

tumblr_m6wb69IX871qczxoeo1_500_zps2105fefb — Really excited!

A Grimm Curse is a prequel that ties into the series Grimm Tales by Janna Jennings. It’s cute, original enough to be considered fresh, but stays close enough to it’s Grimm roots to still be considered a solid fairy tale retelling. The story is fun, the characters are relatable, and the cover is realistic with a little hint of magic.

I have yet to read the other books in this series, so the main characters in this book, Cynthia and Remi, are the only characters I am familiar with. My lack of familiarity with the series wasn’t a problem at all, this book can be read as a stand alone.

I love Cynthia. She is a loose retelling of Cinderella, except with ten times more spunk and a dash of imperfection. Remi is charming, and Janna Jennings did a great job of making the frog prince a believable character, even as a frog.

Overall this book is adorable with a bittersweet ending. How refreshing to read a YA book revolving around fairy tales that possesses such a different sort of end. The ending is right…it just isn’t one hundred percent happily ever after.

The only negative about this book is a few seemingly inconsistencies in the world and the big “reveal” about what the world really is. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s say the world is a bit dreamy. While the concept was great, the pacing of the reveal is slightly off to me. There are no hints of the big reveal until half the book is finished, which made it a little sudden. It’s a small issue, but still one that stood out.

Overall I give this book four stars. If you are looking for a fun, enchanting read with just enough realistic humanity to keep your feet on the ground, read this little tale. Thanks NetGalley for the review copy, and thanks Janna Jennings for writing it! I’d love to read the rest of the series too. A Grimm Curse definitely hooked me! Grab your copy here!