Books Via Ashley

Hunted by Meagan Spooner Synopsis When Yeva's father loses all his wealth, he moves her and her two older sisters out to their cabin in the woods. There, her father begins to obsessively hunt a mysterious creature that belongs in myths and fairy tales. When he disappears, Yeva knows she must find the Beast, and kill him. But as she's drawn into this strange, magical world, she discovers things aren't quite what they seem. Review A fantastic and dark Beauty and the Beast retelling, mixed with Russian folklore, where Beauty is actually hunting the Beast. The story takes place was in medieval-ish Russia, though we're never told that outright, just through historical hints and the names of characters and the stories told. The woods and forest are the main setting, and they are beautiful and haunting in their icy winter glory, with magical creatures hidden just out of sight. All the characters were so well done. Even minor characters were fleshed out just enou...

Ensnared by Rita Stradling I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis ( from Goodreads ) "Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake. Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong. To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see. Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse." Review The premise sounded very interesting: Beauty and the Beast retelling in the near-future with robots and AI. But it really really fell flat. I read the first few chapters, then put it down for a couple of  months . ...

The Forbidden Wish - Jessica Khoury Synopsis Zahra is a powerful jinni, hidden away in a lost city for five hundred years, until one day she's found by a thief named Aladdin. Promised freedom by the jinni king if she completes a special task, Zahra finds herself falling in love with Aladdin. But love between humans and jinni is forbidden, with terrible consequences. Will she chose love or freedom? Review This is a wonderful retelling of Aladdin . Jessica Zhoury's vibrant writing drew me in, creating a lush, magical world populated with interesting characters and complicated history. The story is written as if Zahra is talking to her long-dead friend Roshana, who was once a powerful queen, and it works. Zahra is a beautiful character: fully sympathetic, strong and powerful, but with insecurities and regrets. She has lived a long time, seen kingdoms rise and fall, and struggles to redeem a love she once betrayed. Overall, Zahra fights to protects those she loves. Be...

The Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer Time for Series Saturday ! This is one of the new features I'm going to start including on my blog, where I review a series as a whole, rather than just the individual books within it. The Lunar Chronicles is a series that I’ve been hearing about for years . I knew it was a retelling of various fairytales and for some reason, it just really didn’t catch my interest. However, the first book, " Cinder ", was on sale one day for Kindle and I bought it on the fly. It then sat in my "To Read" folder for over a year and a half. One day, I was in a book funk where none of the current books I had out from the library were really satisying the mood and feel I was angling for (I think avid book readers know what I’m talking about). As I scrolled through my "To Read" folder, I saw "Cinder" and thought, "Well, might as well see how this is." Instantly hooked. Set in a somewhat distant future...