ARC Review: The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May

Title: The Fallen Kingdom Series: The Falconer #3 Written by: Elizabeth May Published: June 13, 2017 by Chronicle (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The long-awaited final book in the Falconer trilogy is an imaginative tour-de-force that will thrill fans of the series.  Aileana Kameron, resurrected by ancient fae magic, returns to the world she once knew with no memory of her past and with dangerous powers she struggles to control. Desperate to break the curse that pits two factions of the fae against each other in a struggle that will decide the fate of the human and fae worlds, her only hope is hidden in an ancient book guarded by the legendary Morrigan, a faery of immense power and cruelty. To save the world and the people she loves, Aileana must learn to harness her dark new powers even as they are slowly destroying her.  Packed with immersive detail, action, romance, and fae lore, and publishing simultaneously in the UK, The Fallen Kingdom brings the Falconer's story to an epic and unforgettable conclusion.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I have been anxiously waiting on this book after the way the last book ended. I needed to know what happened to these characters. And it definitely did not disappoint. It was a book full of action, surprises, and great characters.

I think my favorite thing about this book and this series in general is the world. Elizabeth May is able to create an amazing fantasy world that feels unique and familiar at the same time. I don't usually like books with fae but I love this one. The magical creatures and fae are much more on the darker side which is totally up my alley. Plus this is a series with a world with a history and a mythology behind it. In this book we get to explore that so much more and it was absolutely fascinating. And the interesting thing too is that it was a subtle kind of world-building. It didn't overwhelm you with information. It showed instead of telling you about what was at play here. Seriously, more we explore the world the happier I was with this book.

But I also really love the characters of this series. In the course of three books I have become so attached and connected to these characters. I immediately fell in love with the main character of Aileana in this series and I loved her even more here. She has been through a lot and I feel like we have been through a lot with her. She's one of those female protagonists that I love because while she is tough, kickass, and smart she is also vulnerable. She makes bad decisions and has to live with the consequences and she is forced to do things she doesn't want to do. I loved seeing her development in this book and watching her step into the role of hero in an even bigger way.

This book also has amazing secondary characters. Some of them I've loved since we first met them, like Derrick who is amazing and hilarious as usual, and Aithinne who is sweet and tough in her own way. While others it took me awhile to fall for. I really liked Kiaran in this book. I think I'm one of the only people who didn't ship this right away but I gotta say, I ship it now. I get the connection between the two characters and I liked seeing Kiaran or should I say Kadamach in a different way. He also had really great development. But the character with the best development was definitely Sorcha. How Elizabeth was able to make a character who was a straight up villain into a sympathetic character I will never know. But I loved Sorcha in this book. She was snarky and amazing. But that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to these characters. There were so many amazing ones. They were all complex and likeable.

And as great as the character development was, the plot development was even better. This is a book full of action and adventure. The series always had amazing battle scenes and tons of moments that had me on the edge of my seat, so of course those continued in this book. And because this was the last book in the series the stakes were even higher. There were tons of surprises, twists, and big reveals that had me shocked and enthralled. I'm a plot driven reader and I loved this book for the ride it took me on.

However I will say, I didn't totally live the pacing and some of the way book unfolded. I think that this is just a slower paced book series. It really takes it's time to build things up. In the last two books it gave us crazy cliffhangers. This book couldn't do that so instead it just gave us almost no falling action. It was over 400 pages of crazy action and plot development and then it was just over. I would have liked a little more falling action for the last book in the series. I also felt like there were some moments in the middle of the book where it just lost a little bit of the flow. It didn't really move smoothly along. But in general it did build to a good conclusion that I enjoyed.

On the whole, The Fallen Kingdom was a great ending to an amazing series. It's a great historical fantasy series with a fascinating world, complex characters, and a thrilling plot. I'd say it leans more on the fantasy side with the world and characters but either way it's super engaging and I really liked it.

I give The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you liked the first two books in this series you definitely need to read this book. You will live it. And if you haven't read this series and are looking for an interesting YA fantasy with a little historical feel to it check this series out.

Have you read The Fallen Kingdom? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

Title: The Vanishing Throne Series: The Falconer #2 Written by: Elizabeth May Published: June 7, 2016 by Chronicle (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The second book in the Falconer trilogy is packed with surprises and suspense.  Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the portal that she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes up in the fae world, trapped and tortured by the evil Lonnrach. With the help of an unexpected ally, Aileana re-enters the human world, only to find everything irrevocably changed. Edinburgh has been destroyed, and the few human survivors are living in an uneasy truce with the fae, while both worlds are in danger of disappearing altogether. Aileana holds the key to saving both worlds, but in order to do so she must awaken her latent Falconer powers. And the price of doing that might be her life.  Rich with imaginative detail, action, fae lore, and romance, The Vanishing Throne is a thrilling sequel to The Falconer.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I was so excited about this book. The way The Falconer ended I needed to read the sequel, to know what happens. And while I really enjoyed the next installment, it did suffer from a bit of second book syndrome to me but on the whole, I really enjoyed this historical fantasy and the characters that inhabited it.

One thing I did love about this book was the world-building. This series continues to impress me with it's combination of history and fantasy. This one felt much more like a fantasy however. I'm not a big fan of stories about the fae, but this one I absolutely love. In The Vanishing Throne we learn a lot more about the fae and their history and it was fantastic. Everything I learn and see about these faeries and their dark and vengeful full nature makes me like it even more.

I also love the characters in this series. I very quickly fell for Aileana in The Falconer and seeing her in action here made me like her even more. What U like so much about her is that she is a well-rounded character with strengths and weaknesses. Here she is incredibly vulnerable feeling guilt for what happened in the first book but also shows strength in helping herself and others. I loved seeing Aileana in action throughout this book, especially when it came to the more action-packed scenes.

Then we have the fae. This series is full of fantastic secondary characters. First the antagonists who are particularly diabolical here which is great. Of course you have Kaidan who is back and even more mysterious and interesting. Shippers will love his relationship with Aileana. Derrick is also black with lots of humor and affects the story in a big way. But I think my favorite character as a new one, Aithinne, Kaidan's sister who is just as mysterious but even more powerful and has much more humor.

But that being said, I did find this book on the slower side. It took me much longer than I expected to get into the plot of the book and I didn't even know where things were heading until about half way into the book. There was a lot of exposition which slowed the pacing down quite a bit. It did ultimately end on an exciting conclusion that left me needing more with such a horrible ending as the first book, but it just took a long time to get there.

On the whole The Vanishing Throne, despite having some plot and pacing issues, was an entertaining sequel to a series that I am totally loving. I cannot wait to see how it ends in the finale.

I give The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May 8.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you liked the first book in the series then you will definitely enjoy the next installment, especially if you wanted more fantasy elements and less historical fiction. If you like YA historical fiction then check this series out, it is an incredibly entertaining story.

Have you read The Vanishing Throne? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: The Vanishing Throne Series: The Falconer #2 Author: Elizabeth May Published: June 7, 2016 by Chronicle (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The second book in the Falconer trilogy is packed with surprises and suspense. Aileana Kameron, the Falconer, disappeared through the portal that she was trying to close forever. Now she wakes up in the fae world, trapped and tortured by the evil Lonnrach. With the help of an unexpected ally, Aileana re-enters the human world, only to find everything irrevocably changed. Edinburgh has been destroyed, and the few human survivors are living in an uneasy truce with the fae, while both worlds are in danger of disappearing altogether. Aileana holds the key to saving both worlds, but in order to do so she must awaken her latent Falconer powers. And the price of doing that might be her life. Rich with imaginative detail, action, fae lore, and romance, The Vanishing Throne is a thrilling sequel to The Falconer.

Why I'm Waiting 

It's been almost two years since I read The Falconer. And the wait for this book has been so painful. I mean if you read The Falconer then you know why it's been so painful. That was without a doubt the meanest cliffhanger I have ever experienced. Who ends a book at the climax! WHO? Elizabeth May that's who. Because that's exactly what happened in The Falconer. Just as the main character was about to do something huge, the book ends. It was one of those times where you're flipping through the book like "wait, where are the rest of the pages. That can't be it. THERE MUST BE MORE." And it will be over two years before the more.

Plus everything about this book is totally up my alley. Well, not everything. I mean it does deal with fae which I am usually hit or miss for but here it really works. I love the dark fairies that are in this book and the antagonist in particular is very interesting. Plus it's a subtle steampunk world which I love and the main character is the kind of kicking ass in a dress kind of hero which I can get behind.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher months ago but I'm being good and waiting to read it closer to release date. But I honestly can't wait much longer.

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on The Vanishing Throne along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Crossing Over: Hard to Categorize Genre Fiction

It's time for this month's edition of Crossing Over. If you're not familiar with Crossing Over it's a feature where I recommend an adult book with crossover appeal based on a YA book that is similar. It's basically an if you liked, then try but for crossover books. I'm trying to make this a more regular thing where I pick the books based on that month's theme but this is my freebie month so instead I'm doing one that I have been trying to make work for months now and it hasn't because they're two different genres but similar books.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May  
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Despite being set in the 19th Century, The Falconer has a very futuristic appeal! It combines lots of different elements of things that I love including a strong and complex female protagonist, steampunk and SciFi-esque technology, and fantasy elements like pretty nasty fairy-like supernatural creatures that most people in the world don't even realize exist. And while our protagonist is pretty kickass she doesn't have to do it alone, she has help from a sympathetic fairy who knows what he's talking about. Unlike a lot of people I don't really ship this ship but it didn't spoil the book for me. Plus, this book is so action-packed that the romance doesn't pull focus. But be prepared it has a really mean cliffhanger ending that cuts off right at the climax.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
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Despite being set in the future, The Bone Season has a very 19th Century feel! It combines lots of different elements of things that I love including a strong and complex female protagonist, science fantasy that includes technology but also a magical system that's superpoweresque, and fantasy elements like pretty nasty fairy-like supernatural creatures that most people in the world don't even realize exist. And while our protagonist is pretty kickass she doesn't have to do it alone, she has help from a sympathetic creature who knows what he's talking about. I also don't really ship this ship but it is growing on me. Plus, this book is so action-packed the romance doesn't pull focus. But be prepared it has a cliffhanger ending that cuts off right after the climax.

These are two really engaging and action-packed novels that are basically fantasy but are so hard to categorize. They not only have crossover feel in the way that they will appeal to fans of both YA and genre fiction but they also cross genres so they're good books if you are trying to explore a type of book you don't often read.

Have you read The Falconer and/or The Bone Season? What did you think? What historical fiction crossovers do you like? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Title: The Falconer Series: The Falconer #1 Author: Elizabeth May Published: May 6, 2014 by Sourcebooks Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Edinburgh, 1844. Beautiful Aileana Kameron only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. In fact, she's spent the year since her mother died developing her ability to sense the presence of Sithichean, a faery race bent on slaughtering humans. She has a secret mission: to destroy the faery who murdered her mother. But when she learns she's a Falconer, the last in a line of female warriors and the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity, her quest for revenge gets a whole lot more complicated. The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller blends romance and action with steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read.

As much as I love Fantasy and especially Young Adult Fantasy, I very rarely read low fantasy. I tend to read alternate world or world within a world kind of Fantasy. I was excited to read The Falconer because first of all, that's a badass title, but the book sounded really interesting. This book did not disappoint with great characters including a strong female heroine, an interesting steampunk fantasy world, and a thrilling plot.

My favorite thing about this book was the characters. They were all interesting and different. I'm usually a fan of secondary characters and in this case my personal favorite was Derrick, the pixie that lives in Aileana's closet. He was funny, sweet, and dedicated to protecting Aileana. I was also very intrigued by Kiran the fairy who is teaching her how to fight his own kind. He was full of secrets and I wasn't sure if I trusted him. Then there was the villain of the story a dasterdly fairy who is trying to kill off all the Falconers, those trained to kill fairies (cough cough Ailena cough cough). She was so devious as were many of the other fairies that Ailenna had to fight.

But the best character had to be Aileana, our MC and protagonist. Right away I was able to connect and identify with Aileana and her struggle to fight the fairy population in Scotland that few people believe are real. As a wealthy socialite and heiress she is torn between what society expects of her and who she wants to be. But she is also an amazing fighter and brilliant inventor. She is tough, sassy, and dedicated to the fight that no one even knows she has embarked on. She has definite Buffyesque tendencies and a lot of the book reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the characters, to the humor, to the romance it had Whedon like overtones for sure.

Speaking of that romance, I'm sad to say that it didn't quite work for me. I knew exactly the character they were trying to make into the romantic lead but something inside of me fought it from the very beginning. It's been a very long time since I read a book and I wanted to scream at the character that they picked the wrong guy. I'm not sure what it was about him that I didn't like. Maybe I didn't trust him or maybe I just clung to the more logical person for Aileana to end up with. I followed my head instead of my heart, unlike Aileana.

But despite my dislike of the romance I wasn't taken out of the story at all. The interesting steampunk fantasy world kept drawing mew further in. Aileana as previously stated was a brilliant inventor. She was always coming up with some interesting thing to help her in her pursuit of hunting fairies. Whether it was a weapon, a helicopter, or some other crazy contraption she had it covered. I've never read anything steampunk before but I loved the inclusion of these inventions in the world of fairies. The fairies or fae in this story were also a pretty fantastic part of this world that kept me hooked on reading. Many of them were familiar creatures from other stories I had read like pixies and red caps, but others were interesting and different. They each had diffinitive strengths and weaknesses as well as these ways that Aileana could detect their presence. For each one she could taste their essence when she came near them. The best thing is that even though they were diverse and interesting, they weren't complicated. And just in case you did get confused there is a handy dandy cheat sheet in the back (but it does contain some spoilers).

And with a kickass heroine commited to fighting fairies and an interesting world, there was of course a fantastic action-packed plot. From beginning to end this book was full of thrilling  sword fights, battle scenes, explosions, and narrow escapes for your life. Often times moments of Aileana's life as a Falconer would come to a head with moments of her life as a Debutante forcing her to make the difficult decision to disappoint one person or another. It was the kind of book that kept me hooked from the beginning and built to an amazing conclusion.

But of that conclusion. Not only does this book end on a cliffhanger, it ends on the climax. I read an interview awhile ago (I can't remember where) with Elizabeth May where she talked about how this wasn't the original ending of the book but she was advised to take out the original ending and put it as the start of the next book. And oh boy did it feel incomplete. It was the kind of ending where you keep flipping through looking for the last twenty pages because that can't be all. It made me so frustrated that all I wanted to do is curl into a ball screaming "WHY ELIZABETH MAY WHY!!!" Instead I pulled a Tobias and sobbed in the shower. So be warned!

But despite that torturous ending the book left me with a feeling of deeply devoted adoration for Elizabeth May and this fantastic debut. I can't wait to continue with this series. I need book 2 in my life ASAP!

I give The Falconer by Elizabeth May a 9.5 out of 10

I would recommend this book to anyone who is fans of Young Adult Fantasy, Historical Fantasy or steampunk stories. Fans of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series will probably enjoy it (I need to start that series!).

Have you read The Falconer? What were your thoughts? Leave me a comment. Especially leaveme a comment about the romance. Am I crazy for not liking this ship? Do you ship it? Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!