The Unfailing Light

Nov 28, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-whole-new-level-of-boring, don-t-need-my-clairvoyance-for-this, i-screamed-at-it, shit-or-get-off-the-pot, such-a-disappointment, stupid-love-triangles, the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, wrong-brand-of-creepy

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What happened? When I read The Gathering Storm, I was halfway in love with it, though there were a few elements that never impressed me. The plot was well-paced, Katerina was awesome, and the book knew just when to time a switch to another plot line. Either my tastes changed or The Unfailing Light is a serious step down in quality. I spent most of the novel wanting to scream at it.

Katerina is still nothing short of fantastic and I love her only slig...more See more of my reviews sooner on The YA Kitten!

What happened? When I read The Gathering Storm, I was halfway in love with it, though there were a few elements that never impressed me. The plot was well-paced, Katerina was awesome, and the book knew just when to time a switch to another plot line. Either my tastes changed or The Unfailing Light is a serious step down in quality. I spent most of the novel wanting to scream at it.

Katerina is still nothing short of fantastic and I love her only slightly less for a reason that will become clear in a few minutes. Some will read her repeated mentions of how much she wants to become a doctor as too much telling with not enough showing, but it works for me somehow. I even started to grow a little fond of the Montenegrin princess Elena, though the efforts to give her deeper characterization are more than a little slapdash.

Where The Gathering Storm was well-paced and seemed to know exactly when I wanted to get back to another plot line that got put on hold, The Unfailing Light is not so well-paced. The ghost mentioned in the jacket copy does not become anything major until over halfway through the book, and only stubborn persistence got me through that slow, uninteresting first half. Then the ghost is taken care of fairly easily. Only the plot point barrier put up by the empress kept it from being dealt with sooner.

George and the love triangle didn't impress me the first time around, but this book made me hate George. He needs a swift, hard kick in the nads. The girl he loves is a necromancer powerful enough to bring back the lich tsar everyone is so afraid of (along with hurting George himself with a mere kiss) and he says it's too dangerous for her to know what he's doing? Really? Then Katerina forgives him with nary an objection for how he fails to give her the respect she deserves. This is why I lost a little love for her. Danilo isn't even fun anymore. Now he's just flat, creepy, and in need of a kick in the nads. What are his motives? For that matter, where are the motives for the majority of the cast?

Irritating as this novel was, I'm not sure I want to stick around for the final book of this trilogy. Katerina's story disappointed me and if the third book is going to end up doing the same, I'd rather not waste my time. It always sucks when this happens to a series I like.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, books-reviewed, fantasy, ya-books, book-tour

I am as much in love with Katerina's story as when I finished book one. Katya is still as independent and inquisitive as ever--and still far from safe. After discovering that Russia's greatest nemesis is still alive in the grey, Katya is confined to the old finishing school she thought she had finally left behind. With her necromancer powers blooming, Katiya has also become a threat to the stability of the empress's home, as the empress wants to keep George in the Light Court, and his love for K...more I am as much in love with Katerina's story as when I finished book one. Katya is still as independent and inquisitive as ever--and still far from safe. After discovering that Russia's greatest nemesis is still alive in the grey, Katya is confined to the old finishing school she thought she had finally left behind. With her necromancer powers blooming, Katiya has also become a threat to the stability of the empress's home, as the empress wants to keep George in the Light Court, and his love for Katya threatens to pull him to the Dark Court. Still, George and Katya are still very much in love and looking for a way to be together.

As I mentioned in my review of book one, Robin Bridges has created a fascinating world. In the Katerina books, Robin has given new life to familiar creatures of myth, among them vampires, werewolves, faeries, while casting a magical light on court life in Russia. She has also stirred up so much intrigue that, with all the power struggles going on, you don't know who you can trust, other than Katya. Even George is suspect, though he was so noble in the first book. All this has been interwoven so skillfully throughout the novel that it continues to move at a strong pace without getting bogged down in too much detail.

Even while introducing new plot lines, The Unfailing Light continues to develop the characters introduced in book one and set the stage for the third book in the Katerina trilogy, though not as much as in the first book. Danilo is an ever (disturbing) presence at the back of Katya's mind, new friendships are formed, and new enemies unmasked. I missed Dariya's presence in this book, as she doesn't have as much stage time as in the first book, but I did appreciate Princess Alix's role in this one. There are some moments when her loyalties become questionable, but I warmed up to her by the end of the book. I even feel some sympathy for Danilo's sisters (not so much for the prince himself).

My only wish is that the ghost plot line were more developed, as I was expecting more from it after reading the synopsis. I can't complain much though, as ghosts will appear in their own sweet time, and Katya is still in the process of understanding her abilities. As I mentioned earlier, this book has set the stage for the greater conflict to take place in the third book, and I absolutely cannot wait to read it!

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For more of my reviews, visit my blog Imaginary Reads.(less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Melissa Simmons rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, net-galley, young-adult

Originally published on

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Oct 29, 2012 Gretchen Hohmeyer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, reviewed, on-amazon

When I finished my review of the first book of this series, I mentioned that despite my problems with the first book I wanted the second one because I had hopes Bridges would settle into the story and much more of it would make sense.

My prayers were answered.

I was deeply worried I wasn’t going to be able to remember much from the first book and that I had done this review a deep disservice by forgetting to bring book 1 to college with me. I was genuinely surprised to find that the first part of...more When I finished my review of the first book of this series, I mentioned that despite my problems with the first book I wanted the second one because I had hopes Bridges would settle into the story and much more of it would make sense.

My prayers were answered.

I was deeply worried I wasn’t going to be able to remember much from the first book and that I had done this review a deep disservice by forgetting to bring book 1 to college with me. I was genuinely surprised to find that the first part of the book did a really good job summerizing the events of book 1 while not dragging down the new events of book 2. Usually, this is not the case when authors do make the decision to remind the reader of what happened in the previous book.

As predicted, the ending of the last book was far too tidy and didn’t come to pass in this one. (The blurb tells you this.) Honestly, I was kind of annoyed that Katerina had to go back to Smolney after the global adventure I thought I was promised by the end of book one. The characters that surround her there were underdeveloped and flat in the last book and were the same in this one. (I also just don’t like school settings. Far too many clichés.)

Still, I found myself enjoying the beginning just because I felt more secure in what was happening. Bridges has severely paired down on the mythology that’s sprung on the reader and we’re given much more time to understand what all the different Russian folklore names are and mean. The differences in vampires and fae were made much clearer, and the werewolf connection was greatly expanded. My heart rejoiced.

At the same time, I have no idea why Katerina’s powers are downplayed for most of the book. The spell that’s cast on Smolney literally shuts it off, for the most part. She raises another person from the dead, yes, but we–and she!–still has no idea how that happens. There is nothing special that occurs, no attempt made to do so, no NOTHING. For being 2/3rds of a way through these books–with this supposed to be a focal point!–the fact that both us and Katerina herself are so in the dark seems to be disturbingly off.

The Danilo-Katerina-George thing is still going on, but honestly they weren’t around for much of the book which made me happy. The lack of typical love triangle gooey-ness is always a plus for me. Still, the whole situation seems strange, and Katerina questions it herself, but we’re still given NO ANSWERS about the blood bond, etc. And George as a character appears fairly bipolar and out of whack. I think this is supposed to be happening because George is falling towards the Dark Court, but it felt jumpy.

I think my biggest problem with this book was the pacing. I honestly forgot that there was only one more book to this series, not two or three. I wanted Bridges to slow it down and she did, but then it seemed like nothing was happening. The ghost that appears at Smolney isn’t as scary as she seems, and half the time Katerina forgets about her to think about George or something. It’s strange because SO many other things are going on, but the book seems to progress at a slow plod. But then, that could just be middle/second book syndrome kicking in.

Though I gave this book the same rating I gave book 1, I find it to be a large improvement over The Gathering Storm–in terms of understanding what’s going on. I feel much more confident about the mythology now, and I really want to reread book 1 because I feel like I’d be able to understand it a lot more. Many of the characters with the confusing names also became clear, and the large cast was cut down to a smaller number of important people who I could keep track of. The characterization itself still seemed to be a bit off, however. As I said, my biggest problem was the pacing just because I prefer my books to zoom at the speed of light. As with book 1, I felt the ending to be a bit odd. However, since it does leave me genuinely puzzled about where book 3 is going to go, I guess that’s a good thing? Either way, I completely intended to pick up the third and final installment. With all the questions yet to answer and the foes yet to be dealt with, there is no possible way that it could go anything but fast.
(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finishedreviewcopy, yabc-reviews

3.5 stars

Russian history has, for whatever reason (ngl, probably because of the movie Anastasia), always been among my favorites to read about, in both fiction and nonfiction. As such, Robin Bridges' debut The Gathering Storm sprinted to the top of my to-read pile a little over a year ago. I liked it, but not unreservedly. The Unfailing Light is one of those rare cases where I feel precisely the same about the sequel as I did the first book. If you liked The Gathering Storm, good news; you will...more 3.5 stars

Russian history has, for whatever reason (ngl, probably because of the movie Anastasia), always been among my favorites to read about, in both fiction and nonfiction. As such, Robin Bridges' debut The Gathering Storm sprinted to the top of my to-read pile a little over a year ago. I liked it, but not unreservedly. The Unfailing Light is one of those rare cases where I feel precisely the same about the sequel as I did the first book. If you liked The Gathering Storm, good news; you will enjoy this one as well.

Oddly enough, the book that I am reminded most of in thinking of The Unfailing Light is Harry Potter. Of course, there are abundant magical creatures, but the real parallel is in the villain. Konstantin, lich (undead) tsar, seeks to return to power. Like Voldemort, he cannot be dispatched easily. At the end of the first book, they thought he was gone for good, but...not so much. The fact that he requires the aid of the main character, only to be foiled by her, brought that to mind as well.

To rejoin the living, Konstantin and his forces require the services of a necromancer, which our dear heroine just happens to be. Katerina dreams of becoming a doctor and has plans to attend medical school in Zurich. I love her determination to work in medicine, that she would voluntarily venture into a tough field where she will constantly endure sexist remarks though she has no need of a profession. She could live off her wealthy parents idly, or find a husband with ease. She, however, has bigger dreams. Unfortunately, Katerina's dreams, like many people's, get squashed.

Katerina, guess what! You know that evil dead tsar who tried to take over all of Russia again a little while back, who you though you killed with great difficulty? Well, he's not so much dead, or, at least, no more dead than he was before. Also, Katerina, this means that the tsar (the living one) who doesn't think women should be educated, your love, and your family will use this chance to protect you right back to The Smolny Institute for Young Noble Maidens. Even better, you'll get all this news from the guy you love.

George, Katerina's love interest, was probably my favorite character in the first book. He had this whole awesome broody, I-like-you-in-spite-of-myself, Darcy-ish thing going on, which I, of course, totally fell for. People who don't like Darcy often say that they doubt he and Elizabeth would work together long term, because he would continually try to boss her around. Well, I don't know about Darcy and Lizzie, but George sure is a bossy jerk in this one. Protecting the girl you love from harm is certainly a good thing, but not if you have to reduce her quality of life for all of the foreseeable future to do so. Plus, she should have a say-so. You don't just tell her what to do and threaten that the tsar will make her go. Ugh. Not to mention that protecting her means locking her into basically just that one (admittedly large) building for almost a year. She is NOT your crazy wife; don't lock her in the metaphorical attic, okay?

Of course, Katerina does not help matters by going along quietly. Me, I would have put up a fight. Katerina's intelligent and I know this and enjoy her narrative voice. She's also has guts like whoa. To protect others, she will stand up to anything, risking life, limb and reputation. I love this about her. When she's threatened mentally, though, she just does not exhibit her strength. She obeys orders that take away from her happiness (like going back to Smolny) and, because she fears embracing her necromancer powers, she does not research them like she should. If she embraced the practice of necromancy like she has medicine, she would be an unstoppable badass. You only have one more book, girl, so go read that Necromancer's Handbook and memorize the dang spells ASAP.

As far as the plot and world building go, I bounced back and forth, both in this book and the last, between having suspension of disbelief issues and thinking it's the best. Thinking about this, I believe it's because this is an alternate history version of Russia where magical creatures exist, but the tsars and everything are the same. I'm not sure what the jumping off point was, and, if it has always been this way, then why are the same personages in power? I suppose this is why so many historical fantasy books take place in culturally-inspired places, rather than the actual historical country. At the very least, despite that questioning, this alternate vision of historical Russia is engrossing and fascinating.

Yet again, I realize my review sounds way more critical than I necessarily intend it to (though I'm going to leave it that way because I did want to say those things). All of that nitpicky stuff aside, I blew through this book, eager to flip pages. The Unfailing Light kept me completely entertained, and, if I had the next book sitting with me when I finished, I would have happily started reading that one too.

This book has drama and romance and betrayal and a seriously creepy ghost and so much more. Also, I really loved the twist at the end that happened to one of the people in her family. It totally changed some dynamics in an awesome way. The Katerina Trilogy is just so much fun, and I will definitely be looking out for the final volume!(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Kimba (Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 As one of my most highly anticipated books of 2012, I was delighted to step back in time to 1889 and visit the Russian Imperial Court in St. Petersburg. As the second installment in the Katerina trilogy, The Unfailing Light takes us back into the life of seventeen year old Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg. Once again I was swept up by the courts of dark and light. The tale captivated me and I only came up for air when I reached the end.

Katerina is enjoying holiday and looking forw...more 4.5 As one of my most highly anticipated books of 2012, I was delighted to step back in time to 1889 and visit the Russian Imperial Court in St. Petersburg. As the second installment in the Katerina trilogy, The Unfailing Light takes us back into the life of seventeen year old Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg. Once again I was swept up by the courts of dark and light. The tale captivated me and I only came up for air when I reached the end.

Katerina is enjoying holiday and looking forward to attending medical school in the fall. While exploring a cave, Katerina finds herself in the grey; the place between life and death. She comes face to face with Russia’s arch nemesis and he is still very much alive. With her life in possible danger she receives Imperial orders to returning to finishing school. Katerina is devastated and only George’s pleading has her agreeing. The empress casts a spell over the school to keep her safe, but it cuts of her powers. Only the vampire prince, Danilo can communicate to her telepathically. While she worries about George, she soon finds plenty to deal with as the school is haunted by a violent ghost. The tale that unfolded was filled with suspense, secrets, danger and the sweetest forbidden romance.

Necromancer Katerina Alexandrovna is a delightful protagonist. I imagine that even without her powers she would be inquisitive, head-strong and always in the thick of things. She is noble, cares for others and can even find good in those who torment her. After the blood bond she finds the vampire prince in her head, and rather than let it freak her out, she uses it to find out information about the Order and George’s well-being in Paris. George Alexandrovich is a duke and the son of the Tsar. He has professed his love for Katerina and asked her to give him a year to convince his parents. Danilo is creepy and tries to weaves himself once again into Katerina life. He constantly refers to "when we get married" and his sisters once again cause problems at the school. Thankful there is no love triangle as Katerina’s heart belongs to George. The two share a few stolen moments. A new student and a ghost add to the adventures at the school and put everyone in grave danger.

The world-building in Unfailing Light was delightful and suspenseful.. Bridge brings us a world with Fae, vampires, wolves, witches, and fairies. She skillfully weaves them into the history of the Russian court creating a light and dark court. I can just imagine the school, the countryside and the caves. I enjoyed how she gave us details without bogging the tale down. The new characters and events at the school adding suspense to the tale. We see character growth with Katerina and plot advancement. The plot has clever twists and turns, causing me to never be sure where loyalty lies. When an author keeps me on edge like this I become completely enthralled in the tale. The ride kept me spellbound as the tale was well paced from the beginning. I cannot wait for the final installment for this series *sighs*

Fans of historical paranormal fiction should delight in Unfailing Light. Bridge brings Katerina’s Russia to life and I look forward to revisiting it when the final book arrives. At this time no information is available on when that would be, I for one hope it is soon.

I want to thank Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer (less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Kimmy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the sequel to The Gathering Storm, which I read in September and really liked. Here is the Kobo store’s summary:

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She’s about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia’s arch nemesis–who she thought she’d destroyed–is still alive. So on im...more This is the sequel to The Gathering Storm, which I read in September and really liked. Here is the Kobo store’s summary:

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She’s about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia’s arch nemesis–who she thought she’d destroyed–is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She’ll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina’s horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Everything that I liked about the first book was back in this one: the setting, the characters, the talk of dark vs light powers…this was as good a book as the first one.

However, the cover for this one just doesn’t do anything for me. It does show the dark and the light on either side of Katerina, but something about it just doesn’t appeal to me the way the cover of The Gathering Storm did.

As for the book itself, if you read and enjoyed TGS, I definitely recommend this. The story picks up not long after TGS left off, and Katerina is looking forward to attending medical school, which has been her dream. She learns, though, that the lich tsar is still around, despite their attempts to defeat him in TGS, and she is ordered to return to Smolny for a final school year, where the imperial family can protect Katerina and the school from magic. However, this results in Katerina not being able to use her abilities, or leaving the school grounds.

I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to read about Katerina’s new life abroad at medical school, but I enjoyed reading about Katerina and the other girls at the school – I love boarding school settings – and the balls they attend. There was also some intrigue at the school, as a ghost has appeared and is growing more and more dangerous, particularly without Katerina able to use her abilities.

Katerina still has feelings for George, but fears that his mother would never approve of a match between the two of them, as Katerina belongs to the dark court and George’s family to the light court. Complicating matters is the blood bond that she now shares with Danilo, the Montenegrin prince. He seems to be able to communicate with her telepathically, which of course infuriates Katerina, and yet he helps her at times, which also makes her suspicious. I liked Danilo’s role in this story much more than in TGS, although he seemed very confident that Katerina would marry him at some point. Dude, get the hint – she isn’t interested in you! Haha. But this blood bond seems to be an issue that won’t go away, and I’m sure will be a focal point in the next book.

The end of this book hints at some plot points for the next, and I’m really looking forward to reading that. As fun as this book was, I didn’t feel as though it told me anything more about Katerina’s powers and this blood bond with Danilo. But as I said, if you enjoyed The Gathering Storm, I think you’ll like this book too.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Roxanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: damn-cliffhangers, to-get-books, upcoming-books, ghosts, paranormal, ya-books, judge-a-book-by-its-cover, if-i-could-marry-this-book-i-would, im-going-to-burst-with-love, one-of-the-best-books-ever, one-of-those-keep-you-up-books, super-fine-guy, romance, super-fine-guy-i-wouldnt-mind-marry, supernatural, this-book-looks-beast, vampire

Every aspect of this book pulls you in.
I mean, let's list:
Vampires (kinda)
The cover
The intrigue
Dark magic
The HOT prince (sorry, I'm addicted to these YA hotties. ;) )
The Plot
Stubborn Protagonist (LOL)
The setting (I don't know why), I've never read a book set in Russia.
... This could go on forever.

The Unfailing Light is true to it's preceding book in this series. It is just as captivating, intriguing, suspenseful, and HOT as the first. It does not disappoint.

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Mar 25, 2012 Asim marked it as to-read · review of another edition

it is a nice cover.

as for the comments:

hair:
in the first book it already say's shes has blond hair * “Perhaps you would permit us to take him a lock of your hair, to show him what a beautiful golden color it is?”
“My hair?” I laughed nervously.*(also the hair color on the previous cover was pretty similar in terms of brightness)
Waist:
definitely a corset, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia... (Wikipedia - pic of a corset)

Katie(wrote a response to jennie) nailed it on the head(that corsets ca...more

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Oct 19, 2012 LAURA KAY A Novel Review rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://www.anovelreview.blogspot.com/...

The story takes place in Russia in 1889. Katerina (Katiya) Alexandrovna, the Duches of Oldenburg is a necromancer (can bring people back from the dead) and many of those around her also posses supernatural abilities. Katiya wants very much to be a doctor and has been given permission to do so, until Konstantin the Deathless returns threatening Katiya. Instead of being able to go off to medical school, she is sent back to her old finishing school where the...more http://www.anovelreview.blogspot.com/...

The story takes place in Russia in 1889. Katerina (Katiya) Alexandrovna, the Duches of Oldenburg is a necromancer (can bring people back from the dead) and many of those around her also posses supernatural abilities. Katiya wants very much to be a doctor and has been given permission to do so, until Konstantin the Deathless returns threatening Katiya. Instead of being able to go off to medical school, she is sent back to her old finishing school where the empress is able to protect her using a spell. The spell however, has awakened a ghost.

I rather liked Katiya who is just 17 and seemed to me dealing with all this supernatural stuff by herself. At the beginning of the book she was very close with her cousin, Dariya but after Katiya returns to her old school she no longer feels she can trust her cousin (a lady in waiting). There is also an interesting love triangle. There is George who has Katiya’s heart, but after he goes off to Paris he really doesn’t seem to have too much to do with her. Then there is Danilo, whom she has a blood bond with (not sure of the whole back story, but she isn't interested and he wants to marry her). During her time at the school Danilo is able to communicate with her telepathically. Oh and she wants nothing to do with Danilo!

Katiya for me was a very likable character. I felt bad for her because she wanted nothing more than to help, but sometimes her helping caused more issues. I also felt bad for her because she clearly needs some sort of a mentor to help her with her powers.

The story starts kinda slow with little bits of action and information, but sort of explodes at the end of the book. There was even a moment where I was blown away! I'll be honest and say I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters and keeping straight who was in the dark and who was in the light court (a chart in the front would have been helpful). Also, all those Russian names! The story itself was very enjoyable. I wished I had read book #1 THE GATHERING STORM and I will be watching for the next book in the series.

If you enjoy Gothic books at all I would recommend this one!(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This whole review will toss spoilers in indiscriminately and I probably won't warn you. Except for this. This is your warning.

In some ways I liked this better than The Gathering Storm because Katiya knew, mostly, what was going on and also because she and George were open about their affection for one another. So even without as many balls there was considerably more romance. And I always enjoy the way he can read her mind and Robin Bridges works that in so fluidly.

But I knew about Alix since t...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Adrienne Amborski rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-titles

Set in Russia’s Imperial Court of St. Petersburg in 1889, The Unfailing Light is the second installment in the Katerina Trilogy. Katerina, a seventeen year old duchess desires to break free from the conventions of her class and gender to become a doctor. However, Katerina harbors a secret talent, she is a necromancer and her ability to raise the dead is in high demand with the Light and Dark Faerie forces that rule over the tsar’s court. In the first book, The Gathering Storm , a premarital bloo...more

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Dec 10, 2012 The Library Lady rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-books

Yes, the Quibbler is back, and I don't mean the newspaper in "Harry Potter", though you may find my quibbling as odds as anything Mr Lovegood wrote.And the quibble for this book is: muffins.

Don't laugh. Because the muffins are baked by a character who is one of the keys to a plot twist and the idea of a cook in St Petersburg baking any kind of muffins--let alone BLUEBERRY muffins in the dead of winter--is absurd!

Again, if you are going to write historical fiction, even if it is mashed up with t...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Megan Bacchus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love the world that this book takes place. The supernatural mixed with history is perfect. I really like Katerina but she seems to be at times a little pathetic. She has gifts that she doesn’t know how to use properly and she has yet to make an effort to learn them. At the end of the book it seems she is finally going to start acting. In terms of romance, George is rarely in the book. When he does appear the love the two have is obvious but it is very much a tease. There was not nearly enough...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The upside to reading the second book in the Katerina trilogy was that I could finally differentiate the characters from one another (thank god! I was so close to jumping up and down in frustration). I don't think I've ever had this problem before. Maybe it's because everyone has extraordinarily long names and titles along with it. There's like 100 princes and princesses when you'd only expect a few, duchesses/counts etc. are all greeted as your highness (I thought this was only reserved for the...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, young-adult, fey, russia, historical-fiction, series, childrens-lit

Katiya thought she'd be heading off for medical school, but the tsar has other plans. She is too remain at finishing school for another year. This is apparently in her best interest, but mostly the tsar wants to keep her and her powers close. The empress places a protection spell around the school so that nothing supernatural can get in or out. That means Katiya is basically a prisoner. The problem is, something wicked was awakened when the empress placed the spell. A malevolent ghost is on the...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Erin Arkin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, fairies-and-witches, swoony-book-boyfriends

Bridges does a great job of combining Russian aristocracy/history with the paranormal. Katiya's world is a mix of ballets and balls as well as werewolves, blood drinkers, faeries, zombies and magic. The fact that it all takes place in 19th Century Russia is what makes it different.

This book picks up pretty much where the last one left off. George and Katiya are in love but for many reasons, decide to keep things quiet. Because of her blood bond with Danilo, Katiya still has him in her head whic...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Emily Messer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well now this was a little bit better. The pace was still a bit slow but more happened in this book. What I really like was how everything in this book was more described and easier to follow. And the characters are ten thousand times better! Now there is so much more depth to Elena, Katerina and the others. I actually cared about them and felt bad when things didn't work out their way. I would change the focus on certain elements of the plot like the ghost, who Katerina didn't do much about in...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Nicole Dreibelbeis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, young-adult-fantasy, fantasy, faerie, friendship, female-protagonist, romance, supernatural-romance, read-in-2013, young-adult

I enjoyed this installment in the Katerina trilogy (?) by Robin Bridges. I really enjoy the 19th century Russian setting, but I have to say the names get very confusing! I wish I could distinguish between the characters more easily, since political/court intrigue and double crossing come into play in the plot, and I have a hard time remembering who is allied to who. I think Katiya is a great protagonist- strong, independant, and determined, and I really enjoyed getting to know the other girls at...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Alaina (Bibliophilic Barista) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, captivated-by-the-covers, firstreads-wins-and-review-copys, historical-fiction, ghosts, vampires, magic, zombies

I loved every minute I spent traveling back to the Russian Imperial Court. Robin Bridges did a great job of sucking me in to all the balls, palaces, and fights. This book moved much quicker for me than the first, and the plot was still just as captivating. I only ended up guessing a couple things that happened, and in the end all of the things I was confused about and extra plot points added tied together nicely. There were only a few little things that kept this from being five stars for me. Ev...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

The second book to Robin Bridges’ Katerina Series, The Unfailing Light, takes the reader back into 1889 Russia following the remarkable life of Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg. Like its predecessor, the tale with instantly captivate readers with Katerina’s special powers as a Necromancer. She once used this power before as she was left with no choice but to use in order to rid of the dark forces in Russia. As she’s about to pursue her dream of attending medical school, she would rath...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Amie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Unfailing Light is Robin Bridges’ second volume in the Katerina Trilogy (you can read my review of the first book, The Gathering Storm here). The second book picks up just a few months after the end of Volume I. Katerina has spent the summer resting with her mother, aunt and cousin, counting the minutes until she can begin her dream of attending medical school and trying to forget the night she discovered she was a necromancer and the danger she could put everyone around her in, especially t...more The Unfailing Light is Robin Bridges’ second volume in the Katerina Trilogy (you can read my review of the first book, The Gathering Storm here). The second book picks up just a few months after the end of Volume I. Katerina has spent the summer resting with her mother, aunt and cousin, counting the minutes until she can begin her dream of attending medical school and trying to forget the night she discovered she was a necromancer and the danger she could put everyone around her in, especially the man she loves, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich. But an unfortunate discovery in a dark cave forces the emperor to send Katerina back to the Smolny Institute for Young Noble Maidens, the finishing school she thought she was finally able to leave behind. Practically imprisoned for her own safety, Katerina must now deal with the constant scrutiny of the Montenegrin Princess Elena, the moody new girl—Princess Alix—and a strange presence threatening the safety of every girl at Smolny.

More often than not, I have found the second volume in a trilogy to be the weakest, disappointing me in more ways than I can count (best example—Crossed, the second book in the Matched trilogy). I am always hesitant to pick up the second book, (even though I almost always do). Well, Bridges doesn’t disappoint, instead she has written an engrossing novel that kept me flipping pages late into the night. She does not disappoint, keeping Katerina’s story flowing and interesting, without that boring lull that often appears in a sophomore book. If anything, I enjoyed The Unfailing Light more than The Gathering Storm. Maybe it was because this time I didn’t have to muddle through the various houses of Russian royalty, trying to remember who was who. While there are still a lot of characters to keep straight in this book, it seemed much easier this time around. Bridges also keeps the action coming, throwing things out that aren’t expected and keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Katerina next.

I find Katerina to be a very strong female character, especially considering the time in history in which she lived, but she did seem a bit more vulnerable in this book. I actually liked that; I felt that after all that happened to her in the first book, Katerina would be struggling to find her way. Watching her grow more and more confident in herself and her decisions just made the book better. Bridges manages to show that growth, along with the doubt and vulnerability Katerina experiences while never taking away what I liked about Katerina—her willfulness and independence. She just let those characteristics grow more pronounced as the book progressed. Katerina continues to be a character that young adult readers can look up to and enjoy.

The Unfailing Light is a fantastic addition to the Katerina Trilogy. It keeps the story moving forward, it’s entertaining and it is beautifully written. Just as she did in the first book, Bridges weaves a beautiful world, one made even more fascinating by the fact that it is based on actual people and history. I loved this book and I cannot wait for the next (and sadly last) book.
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Oct 01, 2012 Krista rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult, physical-arc

There were so many interesting concepts of this story
Blood sucking moths that are vampires (new twist on vampires that I could safely sink my teeth into, unless I was a room mate to one then they would be sinking their teeth into me)
A HUGE struggle between light and dark faerie courts. (this was interesting because you start to question both sides, pick your side in the beginning of the book)
Loved the rich Historic places that Author Robin Bridges took me to, a book is an escape. Reading The Unf...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Girls*heart*Books rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mel-s-favorites, blog-tours

This review originally posted on Girls * Heart* Books on September 29, 2012
The Unfailing Light is the second book in The Katerina Trilogy. The first book, The Gathering Storm, was already on my To-Read list, so I was super excited to have an excuse to get to it. The idea intrigued me from the first time I read the summary, and the covers are beautiful-- It would've been one of those books I just bought due to the prettiness and unique backdrop if my bookstores ever had it. *cough*

While I had an...more This review originally posted on Girls * Heart* Books on September 29, 2012
The Unfailing Light is the second book in The Katerina Trilogy. The first book, The Gathering Storm, was already on my To-Read list, so I was super excited to have an excuse to get to it. The idea intrigued me from the first time I read the summary, and the covers are beautiful-- It would've been one of those books I just bought due to the prettiness and unique backdrop if my bookstores ever had it. *cough*

While I had an extremely hard time getting through the first book, The Unfailing Light was actually quite enjoyable. Katiya didn't aggravate me nearly as much (I never like the main female, take that with a grain of salt), and the twists actually got to me this time. The characters grew a lot, and the story rolled easily.

The book is charged with all that is awesome, from romance to evil, suspense to humor. I am very glad I continued with the trilogy, and will be keeping an eye out for more from Bridges! 3.5/5 Quills ~Lana

The Unfailing Light is the second book in the Katerina Trilogy by Robin Bridges. When we were approached about being a part of this blog tour, Lana and I were both very excited. Just the synopsis had me hooked. I read this book in less than a day, I could not put it down. This book surpassed all my expectations.

The story is told from the point of view of Katerina, the main character. Katerina is a very unique girl for her time. While other girls her age are hoping to snare a royal or rich husband, all she desires is to go away to medical school so she can become a doctor and help people. She is selfless, brave and funny, without seeming perfect in that annoying way some heroines are. I loved that she always sought to solve her own problems. She didn't go looking for a white knight to swoop in and fix everything for her.

There was no way to predict what would happen next in this book and that is always a good thing, in my opinion. I was riveted, carrying my kindle throughout the house reading as I went about my day. The suspense and the twists made this book thoroughly enjoyable for me. There was just a dash of romance thrown in the mix as well and I found Bridges balance perfect. I love the way she tells the story, keeping the reader engrossed from the first page until the end.

This book was a quick and exciting read and I am looking forward to reading the conclusion to this enchanting trilogy.
5/5 Quills~Mel

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Oct 10, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Don't get me wrong, this was definitely a unique book that had a great storyline, I just couldn't seem to get into it. Maybe it's because I didn't read the first book in this series, but I found myself not being able to connect with Katerina and her story.

Katerina is a necromancer living in Russia in 1889. Katerina is so excited to finally be able to go to school to become a female doctor, but in order protect herself from the dark forces, she must stay at her finishing school where she'll be s...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

GoodReads Synopsis: Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empr...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Ange (MarmaladeLibby of Libby Blog) Schmelzer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, is a necromancer. A very powerful necromancer who is the Zsar's connection to becoming an all-powerful creature who can protect Russia from evil. Except, this year Katiya is off to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor by attending medical school. Perfect, right? Not quite. When it's discovered that Russia's greatest evil wasn't destroyed and is in fact trying everything he can to come back with all of his might, the Zsar forbids Katiya from...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Savindi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, arc

Cover Gushing Worthiness:I think Trish Parcell has done a wonderful job with the cover design and Michael Frost’s jacket photography is beautiful. I like the wisps of smoke appearing behind Katerina. The Midnight Blue is also beautiful, although I do think Katerina’s dress steals the show. The pale Pink and high waist of the dress suits Katerina and the embroidery work done on the dress is gorgeous.

Review: As you know The Gathering Stormwas one of my favourite reads of the year and I’ve been loo...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Jaylia3 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Katerina Alexandrovna discovers that the Tsar himself has decided she must postpone going to medical school in Austria and instead return to Smolny Institute, a finishing school in St. Petersburg and the site of the first book in this series, I was just as disappointed as she was. It felt like a step backward to both of us. Being a necromancer with the ability to raise the dead gives Katerina dark powers she wishes she didn’t have, but she was able to use her powers to save the life of the...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Midnight Bloom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the blend of historical fiction meets supernatural which Robin Bridges first introduced in The Gathering Storm, and couldn't wait to enter Katerina's world all over again in The Unfailing Light. Just like in the first novel, the opulent lifestyles of the aristocracy in imperial Russia continued to enchant me, sweeping me away to glittering palaces and mansions.

Just when Katerina believes she can finally leave St. Petersburg and travel to Zurich, Switzerland to pursue her dreams of studyi...more I loved the blend of historical fiction meets supernatural which Robin Bridges first introduced in The Gathering Storm, and couldn't wait to enter Katerina's world all over again in The Unfailing Light. Just like in the first novel, the opulent lifestyles of the aristocracy in imperial Russia continued to enchant me, sweeping me away to glittering palaces and mansions.

Just when Katerina believes she can finally leave St. Petersburg and travel to Zurich, Switzerland to pursue her dreams of studying medicine, the tsar orders her instead to return to her old finishing school, Smolny Institute, where she can be better protected. The empress casts a spell on the school preventing anyone supernatural to leave or enter the grounds, but she also unknowingly awakens a vengeful ghost. And to make matters worse? Konstantin and his followers still very much pose a threat to Russia...

The handsome and magnetic Crown Prince Danilo of Montenegro was still infatuated with Katerina more than ever before, but she was understandably wary to accept any of his help after the events which occurred in The Gathering Storm. Katerina's heart may belong to Grand Duke George, the tsar's son, but she was afraid to let him reciprocate those feelings because of her association with the Dark Court. She feared the darkness within herself could hurt only hurt him.

Katerina's character frustrated me sometimes in the novel. While I admired how she would do anything to protect the people she cared about, I wished she wouldn't be so afraid to embrace her abilities as a necromancer. Katerina would throw herself into potentially dangerous situations, but she wouldn't arm herself with more knowledge about her own capabilities, something which would have certainly helped her during those times.

Robin Bridges's The Unfailing Light is a suspenseful page-turner which will leave you anxiously awaiting the release of the final novel in The Katerina Trilogy. Beneath the glamour of imperial Russia, Robin Bridges has envisioned a world where the Dark and Light Faerie Courts try to grasp more power... and other creatures of the night lurk in the shadows.(less)

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The Unfailing Light (Katerina #2)

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