#Review - Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge #YALit #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense

This teen Gothic mystery novel takes readers to the cold, creepy island of Darkhaven, where a girl with unexplained blackouts grapples with secrets from her dead mother’s past and a legacy of murders that have been committed by her family. Perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux and Lisa Maxwell.

Ivy Bloodgood’s mother is dead, and she should probably be sad about it.

But she isn’t. Myra Bloodgood was a confusing mix of protective and abusive, a manipulative personality who never told the truth—about where she came from, who Ivy’s father was, or why they were living their lives on the run.

Now that Ivy has been sent to Darkhaven, an island off the New England coast, to live with a rich uncle she didn’t know existed, she is forced to reckon with her mother’s past. Ivy can tell right away there are long-held family secrets buried within these walls, but when she wakes up from one of her nightmares covered in someone else’s blood, Ivy fears that whatever demons her mother battled while she was alive have come to roost in her own mind. Scared that she can no longer trust what she sees, Ivy seeks the help of a boy who thinks her episodes are connected to the sordid history of Darkhaven—but what they don’t know might kill them both.

A moody and twisty Gothic mystery with an impossible romance, Dreaming Darkly is an atmospheric, fast-paced page-turner written by comics veteran Caitlin Kittredge.

 

  

Dreaming Darkly is a story about cursed families, dead bodies, feuding neighbors, and scary mansions that hold all sorts of mysteries. 16-year old Ivy Bloodgood (will be 17 during the story) has just lost her mother, and now finds herself on a creepy island called Darkhaven along with an uncle she's never known, a house keeper who is straight out of a creepy horror novel, a mansion that is crumbling into the ocean, and a neighbor who is eager for Ivy to run as fast as she can away from the Darkhaven and its bizarre history before it's too late. 

Ivy suffers from blackouts that might be linked to a hereditary illness—or an evil curse placed on her family. Ivy’s instability makes her the perfect anchor in this mystery, but she’s no wilting flower. She’s got tons of attitude, and she's not going to let something as silly as a family curse prevent her from getting answers about her mother, her family, and whether or not she is two steps away from being sent to an asylum for the rest of her life.

Thanks to a rough childhood which has seen her and her mother move any time her mother gets into trouble, Ivy is older than her 17 years. Her mother's suicide has done nothing to bring her any real sadness just anger. After all, her mother didn't really have that loving feeling nor did she act as though she was a mother who cared about her daughter. As Ivy takes in her new surroundings, things go from strange to the bizarre. In fact, her mother's past is ripe with mystery that is key to unlocking her own future.

Starting with the Ramsey family which has lived on Darkhaven as long as the Bloodgoods and takes up have of the island. There is a serious feud that has gone back generations. Of course, Ivy immediately wanders the island without considering its property lines and runs into Doyle Ramsey, the resident cocky high school guy and sworn enemy of her family. The same guy who spends more time telling her to run, than explaining what is really happening.

If you like the idea behind an unreliable narrator, then Dreaming Darkly will proved you plenty of entertainment. The ending of this book was a bit on the cliché side and ruined the creepy vibe that was built over the course of the story.Also, the who Romeo and Juliet vibe the author may or may not have been attempting, didn't work for me. Otherwise, the mystery is pretty good with the final revelation coming at the right moment in the book.

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#Review - The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala #YALIT #Fantasy

Series: The Tiger at Midnight # 1
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

Sparkling with breathtaking action and sweeping romance, the first book in Swati Teerdhala’s debut South Indian–inspired fantasy trilogy follows one rebel girl’s mission to assassinate a ruthless general—only to have her heart captured by a greater force.

Esha is a legend, but no one knows. It’s only in the shadows that she moonlights as the Viper, the rebels’ highly skilled assassin. She’s devoted her life to avenging what she lost in the royal coup, and now she’s been tasked with her most important mission to date: taking down the ruthless General Hotha.

Kunal has been a soldier since childhood, training morning and night to uphold the power of King Vardaan. His uncle, the general, has ensured that Kunal never strays from the path—even as a part of Kunal longs to join the outside world, which has only been growing more volatile.

Then Esha’s and Kunal’s paths cross—and an unimaginable chain of events unfolds. Both the Viper and the soldier think they’re calling the shots, but they’re not the only players moving the pieces. As the bonds that hold their land in order break down and their game transforms into a breathless chase of impossible attraction, both the soldier and the rebel must decide where their loyalties lie: with the lives they’ve killed to hold on to or with the love that’s made them dream of something more?

 

 “Never greet a tiger at midnight, for they are the manifestations of your past misdeeds”

The Tiger at Midnight, by author Swati Teerdhala, is the first installment in the author's Tiger at Midnight trilogy.  Drawing inspiration from ancient Indian history and Hindu mythology, Teerdhala creates a fresh, layered world that is vivid and compelling. We see this sitting alongside other lush, diverse fantasies like Children of Blood and Bone, The Wrath & the Dawn, and An Ember in the Ashes. 

The story takes place in the lands of Jansa and Dharka, two lands bound together by magic that descends from twins Naria and Narian. The land requires a blood ritual from their bloodline, but thanks to a coup by the pretender King, Dharka is suffering and a Princess who might be able to save the land, is missing. As the janma bond unravels, increasing natural disasters are happening more frequently. While one land, Dharka, seems to have survived and thrived, Jansa is in the middle dark days. 

The story alternates between two main characters: Esha and Kunal. Esha is a rebel, a spy, an assassin known as the Viper, & a survivor of a brutal coup that killed her parents. She works for a group called Crescent Blades who have come together in order to remove the pretender King from power, and install the true heir before it is too late. After Esha finds a way into the Castle to assassinate General Hotha, she discovers that someone has already beat her to the punch. What's even more troubling, is that her whip, which is part her persona as the Viper, is found with the body. Could she have been betrayed by one of her own?

Kunal is the nephew of a General who Esha wants to assassinate. Kunal is a good Jansan soldier - even to the point of being called “Perfect Kunal” by his peers. He has been training as a soldier for 10 years, but things are about to get really dangerous. When the General is found murdered, Kunal is sent to retrieve or kill the assassin known as the Viper. Thus starts a game of chase where each character’s motives start evolving after dancing with death with the other. 

Kunal and Esha’s cat and mouse chase will leave readers breathless as the two protagonists, who we get to know through alternating POVs, are torn between loyalty and love. Throughout the chase, Kunal finds out that the lands outside his military bases are suffering. Esha begins seeing the general’s nephew as more than a mark. Can two adversaries manage to work together to save the world? Is there hope that a lost princess can be found in time for the necessary blood ritual that is said to keep the land alive? Or, will other factors interfere and being about untold destruction of both countries?

With a major plot twist at the end of this story, I am definitely curious as to what happens next between Esha and Kunal. Although there is plenty of action and adventure, I would have been happier if the book was a bit shorter. At times the story seems to spin back on itself and we are right back to the characters facing off, and one, usually Esha, finding a way to escape from Kunal's clutches.  

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#Review - Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine #Thriller

Series: Stillhouse Lake #3
Format: Paperback, 334 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller

She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.

Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.

But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead—her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.

But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And it’s poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, it’s so easy for them to hide…

Wolfhunter River, by author Rachel Caine, is the third installment in the Stillhouse Lake series. The story once again features narratives from four characters. For Gwen Proctor, her daughter Lanny, her son Connor, and Sam Cade, the man who lost his sister to Melvin Royal, and once thought Gwen was as responsible as he was, nothing is easy. Not where they are living. Not the fact that they barely have any friends at all outside of Javier, and Kezia Claremont. Not when internet trolls continue to cause trouble.

Even though her ex is now dead, and Gwen has tried to move on with her life, she makes a fundamentally bad choice of going on a talk show in order to clear her name and letting the world see who she really is. It's a bad decision because the show pulls a fast one on Gwen by inviting Miranda Tidewell, whose daughter was Melvin Royal's second victim. Miranda is out for vengeance on Gwen. She has absolutely no hesitation in destroying her life, or putting Gwen's children in harm's way.   

Gwen then gets a call from Marlene, a woman in a remote Tennessee town called Wolfhunter. Marlene is afraid of someone, but isn't willing to divulge the reasons for her fears. Marlene asks Gwen to come to Wolfhunter but she fears it's some sort of trap. After all, Gwen and her kids are a prime targets for anyone looking to make a name for themselves, including Marlene. But, after she receives a second call from Marlene's daughter Vee saying her mother is dead, Gwen chooses to travel to Wolfhunter River. 

This is the crux of the story really. While Gwen knows she may be stepping into something dangerous, she has no idea of the corruption and the deep danger that seems to seep out of every crack in this town. Gwen's arrival causes a ripple affect that will collect everyone from Gwen, and her Kids, to Sam, along with Sam's friend FBI Agent Mike Lusting, as well as Miranda herself who just can't help herself when it comes to destroying Gwen's life. 

My feelings are this is the weakest book of the series so far. Here is my issue with the story. The author pretty much turns Wolfhunter into a hick town by using political statements to make claims that these people have to be white supremacists and therefore they bad people who are responsible for hatred in this country. There's the usual suspects of the corrupt Sheriff and cops to support her point of view along with diabolical kidnappers who steal a black child and then lose her, as well as a group that shelters itself inside a compound filled with guns for some nefarious reasoning.

The book took over 100 pages before it actually got moving in the direction that made any sense, but it wasn't until the final 1/3 that the action was really good. There is also the surprise betrayal of faith by Sam, and no, I'm not going to spoil it. I will just say that I hate people who keep secrets and then expect things to ever be the same again. Yes, there is such things as forgiveness, but Sam's past actions really caused Gwen and her kids a whole lot of difficulties. Can they move on from here? I guess we will see when the fourth installment is released next year. 

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#Review - King of Fools by Amanda Foody #YALit #Fantasy

Series: The Shadow Game Series (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 608 pages
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy

Six of Crows meets Ocean’s 11 in book two of Amanda Foody’s Shadow Game series, a dark fantasy trilogy that follows ladylike Enne Salta and gangster Levi Glaisyer through the ever-more-dangerous streets of the City of Sin in the aftermath of their assassination of Malcolm Semper, Chancellor of the Republic.

Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all...

On the quest to find her missing mother, prim and proper Enne Salta became reluctant allies with Levi Glaisyer, the city’s most famous con man. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics…with the very fate of New Reynes at stake.

Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with Vianca Augustine’s estranged son, Harrison who will do anything to see his mother's reign come to an end. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by the mafia donna’s binding oath, playing the roles of both darling lady and cunning street lord, unsure which side of herself reflects the truth.

 

 

King of Fools, by author Amanda Foody, is the second installment in the authors The Shadow Game trilogy. It's the morning after Erienne (Enne) Salda and Levi Glaisyer survived the so called Shadow Game. The chancellor was assassinated by Levi Glaisyer and the mysterious character known only as Séance. The duo are now wanted dead or alive with the newspapers crying out for blood while the Senate has called for a complete extermination of the gangs of the North Side before the political election in three months to maintain their appearance of control.

In the 10 days Enne Salta has spent in this morally decrepit city of Sin, she's lost everything--her mother, her innocence, and her identity. Though she is determined to uncover more of her mother Lourdes’ secrets, Vianca Augustine demands she use her new persona as Séance to further Vianca’s political goals. Enne is forced to become a proper street lord, and use her underlings, like Lola Sanguick, to inspire the North Side to the monarchist cause. Thanks to Vianca's omerta, Enne has no choice but to obey, but that doesn't mean that she and Levi don't have their own plans which doesn't include helping Vianca. 

As they consolidate their power in the North Side, and new players like Tock and Grace join Levi and Enne's gangs, their partnership eventually blossoms into a power that leads to them becoming the richest pair in the North Side. But, being rich tends to put a rather large target on your backs. They also attempt to bring all of the gangs of the North Side together in order to save it. But the true test of their relationship comes when Vianca orders Enne to commit murder once again—and break Levi's heart in the process. 

While Enne and Levi are the primary narrators, Jac Mardlin, Levi's second-in-command, is given a job that brings him into contact with Vianca's competitors and enemies the Torren's including Sophia who he spends most of the story with. Jac desires his own narrative, and his own future, and is willing to trust Sophia in order to get the legend he desires. Levi's life is a gigantic mess who’s love for a good gamble and dangerous interludes with just about anyone who catches his fancy, continuous to get him in trouble only this time it’s more than just his life on the line if things go south.

Enne's life has fundamentally changed so much since arriving in Sin City, that you will barely recognize her when all is said and done. Enne transformation continues to change with each new obstacle thrown her way. She comes to accept that she now belongs to the grit and allure that is the seedy underground. It's fair to say that this book has a rather large cast of characters mainly because the author sends Enne to the South Side in order to fulfill Vianca's demands.  

This book adds on to the myths of New Reynes and the politics, delving more into the war that killed the Mizers and the gangs themselves like the Doves, Scarhands, Irons, and Enne's new gang called Spirits which just happens to be an all girl gang. King of Fools is a game of politics, whether it be Levi retaking the Irons, the interactions between the street lords, or the scheming of the Families to sway the election in their favor. As usual, the ending of this book left me bereft and curious as to how the author is going to resolve the issues that she has created.

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#Review - The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman #YALIT #Fantasy

Series: The Devouring Gray #1
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: April 2, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Contemporary

After the death of her sister, seventeen-year-old Violet Saunders finds herself dragged to Four Paths, New York. Violet may be a newcomer, but she soon learns her mother isn’t: They belong to one of the revered founding families of the town, where stone bells hang above every doorway and danger lurks in the depths of the woods. 

Justin Hawthorne’s bloodline has protected Four Paths for generations from the Gray—a lifeless dimension that imprisons a brutal monster. After Justin fails to inherit his family’s powers, his mother is determined to keep this humiliation a secret. But Justin can’t let go of the future he was promised and the town he swore to protect.

 

Ever since Harper Carlisle lost her hand to an accident that left her stranded in the Gray for days, she has vowed revenge on the person who abandoned her: Justin Hawthorne. There are ripples of dissent in Four Paths, and Harper seizes an opportunity to take down the Hawthornes and change her destiny—to what extent, even she doesn’t yet know. 

The Gray is growing stronger every day, and its victims are piling up. When Violet accidentally unleashes the monster, all three must band together with the other Founders to unearth the dark truths behind their families’ abilities... before the Gray devours them all.

 

The Devouring Gray, by author Christine Lynn Herman, is the first installment in The Devouring Gray series. With the stylized setting and character-driven drama of Riverdale, if Riverdale was plagued by the Upside Down from Stranger Things, as well as similarities to The Raven Cycle, this debut contemporary fantasy follows a group of teens with dark secrets and the power to save the town of Four Paths, New York from a monster that has been lurking in the shadows waiting for the right time to break the chains that binds it.

Violet Saunders and her mother Juniper return to Four Paths, New York after a heartbreaking loss of Violet's sister. As Violet soon discovers, there's a whole lot that her mother, as well as her aunt Delia, have kept from her, including a new found ability that shocks her to the core. Her family is one of the descendants of the Four founding families along with the Hawthorne's, Sullivan's, and Carlisle's. The founding families that are both revered and despised by the town. Only they have the powers to cage that which lies with the Gray.

The other pertinent characters are Justin & May Hawthorne, Isaac Sullivan, and Harper Carlisle. Each has different abilities, except for Justin who recently failed his ritual, (which every descendant is supposed to go through, and none of them are the same), and is masquerading around town to hide the fact that he has inherited no powers. His sister May uses the Deck of Omens to see what will possibly happen in the future. May was not one of my favorites.

Justin and May's mother, Augusta, is the town's sheriff who is getting blow back thanks to the dead bodies that are increasing in regularity. She can also remove memories. She is diabolical, scheming, power hungry and has no issues with sending Justin away.  Isaac Sullivan is Justin’s best friend. He’s bisexual, and has powers of destruction and creation. The whole town fears him after a horrible accident that killed his whole family. He is the only Sullivan left in Four Paths. 

Harper was once best friends with Justin, but after she failed her ritual, lost her left hand, and was left in the Gray for days, the whole Hawthorne family dropped her like a hot potato and she’s been an outcast ever since. Her family has the power to bring stone to life and she is wicked with a sword. Harper attempts to sway Violet to her way of thinking in order to stop the town from being destroyed by those who are unhappy with the town's leadership.

I can't forget the Beast. The Beast is a mysterious sentient creature which was trapped by the Four Founders of the town over a century ago. The Beast is hell bent on breaking its constraints and Violet and the others, must work together to keep the town, and the wider world, safe from what creeps through the woods when no one is watching. 

So, let me finish by saying that I haven't gotten past season one of Riverdale, haven't watched either season of Strange Things, but have read The Raven Cycle a few years ago. After reading some key selling points, I offered up the similarities for readers to decide whether or not they are factual or not. I will say the ending of this book holds all sorts of curious plot lines for the sequel. Including Isaac and Violet, as well as Justin and Harper's reaction to what happens at the end of this story. God willing, I will be adding the sequel to my 2020 TBR list. 

After they found the third body that year, Justin Hawthorne knelt in his backyard and prepared to hear his future.

His sister, May, dealt the Deck of Omens facedown on the grass between them. The all-seeing eyes on the backs of the five cards stared emptily at the canopy of leaves above. Justin’s skin prickled as he studied their irises—white like the eyes of the dead.

He hadn’t seen the latest body, but the remains of the corpses spat out by the Gray always looked the same. Eyes bleached the color of milk. The rib cage inverted, bones slicing through bloated skin like antlers rising from the body’s back.

“I don’t have to ask the cards.” May’s voice didn’t lend itself well to gentleness, but she was trying. Justin hadn’t asked for a reading since he failed his ritual. She knew how much it had cost him to ask now.

Because it should’ve been him commanding the Deck of Omens. Him wielding his family’s abilities and protecting their town.

Yet he was helpless. A rotten branch on a healthy tree.

The Gray had grown bolder this year, luring victim after victim into its world, where the Beast hungrily awaited its prey. Justin had believed, foolishly, that coming into his powers would be enough to make it stop.

But he had no powers. And now another man was dead.

Justin wouldn’t sit idly by as others died. Powers or not, he was still a Hawthorne. He would find a way to keep Four Paths safe.

His fate lay in the cards.

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#Review - The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey #YALit #Mystery

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Mysteries

A brother and sister are caught up in a deadly mystery after they take in a young woman who lost her memory in a near-fatal carriage accident in this YA thriller from the author of Love, Lies and Spies.

1833. A near-fatal carriage accident has deposited an unconscious young woman on the doorstep of Hardwick Manor and into the care of young Lord James Ellerby. But when she finally awakens, it is with no memory of who she is or where she came from.

Beth, as she calls herself, has no identity; the only clue to her circumstances is a recurring nightmare of a hummingbird, blood dripping from its steel beak.

With the help of James and his sister, Caroline, Beth tries to solve the mystery of her own identity and the appalling events that brought her to their door. But nothing could prepare her for the escalating dangers that threaten her and the Ellerby clan. From the hazardous cliffs of Dorset to the hostile streets of London, Beth will fight to reclaim her past, hunted by a secretive foe with murderous intentions.

 

The Hummingbird Dagger, by author Cindy Anstey, is a young adult mystery standalone that takes place in 1833 England. Historians call it the Regency Era. The story follows members of the Ellerby household (Lord James, Caroline, and younger brother Walter), after they find an unconscious young woman after a carriage accident, and decide that they will take her in and help discover her who she is, and why she doesn't have any memories before the crash.

The crash survivor calls herself Beth. She has no memories, except a reoccurring nightmare of a hummingbird dagger and lots of blood. She has no luggage, and nobody knows why she was on this particular carriage at this particular moment in time. Friends that I trust have put this story in the same category as one of Jane Austen's stories with plenty of mystery, and a bit of romance splashed in to make things appealing to readers of both genre's.  

For the Ellerby's, the past year hasn't been exactly smooth after they lost their beloved father. Lord James is just short of turning 21 and will soon become a full member of the House of Lords which is currently debating legislation that will have long lasting implications on the county, and especially privateers who work for the crown. So, when Beth comes along and upsets the apple cart, it also changes how they go about living. 

Caroline takes a keen interest in helping Beth, while Walter is a spit fire with plenty of go power that never seems to ween itself out. Walter, I would say, is the most eager character in this entire book. He is the youngest, and therefore doesn't believe he gets the respect he yearns for. But, when he, and his best friend decide to play Sherlock and Holmes, interesting things happen. Meanwhile, James is drawn to the young woman and will put himself and his family on the line in order to protect Beth and discover her secrets.

The best parts of the story were the beginning, and the final chapters of the book when we learn who Beth really is, and why there are so many villains out to get her. Unfortunately, I do have one particular negative that really undermined my liking this story even more. My ARC was formatted in a way that didn't have any breaks between change of settings, or change of characters, or any idea of the passage of time between one particular scene to the next. I hope the finished copy isn’t formatted this way because it confused me so much!

It is fair to say that there are a whole lot of characters that are introduced over the course of this book. Which is why I encourage reviewers not to be afraid to put pen to paper and take copious notes or saving particular lines or sentences while you are reading on your Kindle or whatever else you use to read. Taking notes is also good when it takes you a few days to write your review, and you don't want to come across as an idiot for mistakenly mentioning a wrong character's name, or plot lines, or why you liked, or didn't like the story. 

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#Review - Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake #YALit #Historical #Fantasy

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Book, 416 pages
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Historical

The Bear and the Nightingale meets Frostblood in this romantic historical fantasy from the author of Beyond a Darkened Shore.

When Katya loses control of her power to freeze, her villagers banish her to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev.

Expecting punishment, she is surprised to find instead that Sasha is just like her—with the ability to summon fire. Sasha offers Katya friendship and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it.
But outside the walls of Kiev, Sasha’s enemies are organizing an army of people bent on taking over the entire world.

Together, Katya’s and Sasha’s powers are a fearsome weapon. But as their enemies draw nearer, will fire and frost be enough to save the world? Or will Katya and Sasha lose everything they hold dear?

Inspired by Russian mythology, this lushly romantic, intensely imaginative, and fiercely dramatic story is about learning to fight for yourself, even when the world is falling down around you.

 

Jessica Leake's Through the White Wood is her follow up to Beyond a Darkened Shore. It is a story that takes place in Eleventh century Russia. Through the White Wood draws inspiration from Russian mythology and explores a world that is much beloved in fantasy. Through the White Wood is a stand-alone fantasy title, but it does feature characters Ciara and Lief that readers were introduced to in Beyond a Darkened Shore. 

This story revolves around Katya, a girl who ends up being banished from her village after accidentally unleashing her powers that nearly destroys the village. Katya has the amazing power to freeze anything in her path, but doesn't have control over her powers yet. Until she meets a desperate prince who is looking for help stopping an invasion of his country. Together Katya and Sasha must fight for survival and discover the secrets their powers contain to save the people they love.

 

In Kiev, Prince Vladimir is collecting an army of those who have abilities like Katya's. Much like Red Queen and Frostblood, characters in Through the White Wood have a unique array of powers—such as the ability to create fire or the ability to move earth. These powers are drawn from the elements—earth, wind, fire—which is a refreshing take on the traditional powers in other stories. Kiev and Prince Vladimir are under siege by an alliance that prefers to use those who have earth elemental abilities. 

With Katya's assistance, Sasha hopes that he can withstand a fierce onslaught that has seen one village after another fall by the wayside. Sasha and a few others, including Katya, even travel to the fabled city of Constantine in order to request emergency assistance from the Byzantine Empire which has turn its back on Kiev, and especially Prince Vladimir. Although Katya and Sasha don’t like each other at first, they slowly find themselves falling for each other. 

The romance is sweet and slow and readers will love watching these characters break down their walls for each other. There were so many good seondary characters, but none as great as Elation. Which by the way what a crazy little twist that was. But no spoilers here. It was nice seeing Ciara and Lief again, and I was glad that an alliance was possible and that they didn't just fade into the woodwork. If you've read the first book, you will notice a parallel road that both Ciara and Katya have been forced to travel. 

Because of the way this book ended, I will say this; there needs to be a third installment by this author featuring these characters so that we can discover whether or not Katya is able to find what she's looking for. This is the world of Russian mythology including Vasya the Beautiful, Baba Yega and Tsarevich Ivan. It is a world way before communism destroyed the country. It is the mythology that readers should focus on, and not the fact that politicians and the media seem eager to go to war with Russia that would likely burn the world to the ground. 

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