L.R.W. Lee's Blog, page 2

Review of The Wrath and the Dawn

This cover is SO cool and is just one reason I love this book so much!! I was very familiar with the red cover and when I went on Amazon to download it I found this new version…and that’s when I realized the image behind the original red cover. I’d never noticed before. How beautiful and fun is that?

The plot is what grabbed my attention first, but the writing and slow reveal of a deep and dangerous mystery kept me intrigued. The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of 1001 Nights (sometimes called the Arabian Nights).

I found the heroine, Shahrzad, to be a delightfully intelligent woman who... Read full review at my blog: https://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/04/15/re...

Review of The Winner's Curse

I loved this novel, the first in the The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski!

The world the author creates is one where one people have conquered another and turned their captives into slaves. This situation lasts for a decade, but when the captives rise up and retake power, everything turns upside down. I loved how the author helped the reader empathize with the captives…how would it feel if your freedom was suddenly taken away and you were made a slave to the victor. Would you swallow your pride and suddenly serve the needs of your captor? Would you do even the most menial of tasks? And for a decade with no promise that things will ever change?

Read the rest of review at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/04/07/rev...

Review of Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors

Creative. Engaging. Well written. These adjectives summarize well the fun steampunk novel, Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors by H. L. Burke.

I’ve never read anything by H. L. Burke before but when she offered her latest release to me for an honest review, I thought I’d check it out and I’m glad I did, for this fun adventure did not disappoint.

I love steampunk for the creativity authors show re: inventions in the Victorian era that could have been. This novel captured Burke’s vivid imagination as we find...Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/03/10/rev...

Review of The Affiliate

Engaging plot. Complex world. Scintillating romance. This is how I summarize The Affiliate by K. A. Linde.

I’m a sucker for a believable romance and this book definitely had that in spades. But there’s more. Linde introduces us to the complex world of Byren that is filled with numerous factions vying for their own gain and thus not friendly to each other…it’s the stuff great stories are made of, right?

The writing flowed and drew me in to the world. One thing...Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/03/07/rev...

Review of Agent of the Crown

Who do I want to be? This is the central question of the well-written Agent of the Crown (The Crown of Tremontane Book 3) by Melissa McShane.

I enjoyed the previous two books in this series. They were thought-filled, inspiring, and romantic and book three lives up to that same standard. While the cast of characters changes slightly, focusing this time on Telaine North Hunter, niece of King Jeffrey, there were many carryovers from the first two books to keep continuity... Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/03/03/rev...

Review of The Snow Globe

I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover as well as the premise that an entire world exists within a snow globe. Unlike Alice in Wonderland though, the main character, Sondrine, doesn’t have to fall down a rabbit hole to arrive. This is a debut novel and as such had... Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/02/29/rev...

Review of Rite of Revelation

Delightful craft. Expanding world. Flawed but growing characters. These phrases well summarize Rite of Revelation by Sarah Negovetich.

When I started reading this second installment in the Acceptance series, I wasn’t clear what the title, Rite of Revelation, meant especially in the context of the series. It becomes clear at the end and that revelation is what will move the narrative forward into the final book. It was definitely appropriately titled.

Sarah Negovetich’s craft again delighted me for her prose are crisp and dialogue efficient. It’s clear she’s studied craft and I appreciate her mastery... Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/02/18/rev...

Review of Rite of Rejection (YA Dystopian)

Amazing writing. Evolving characters. Engaging plot twists. This is how I summarize Sarah Negovetich’s debut novel, Rite of Rejection.

First, I loved the premise of the book–a future society uses a machine to predict a person’s tendencies while still a teen, to weed out people who will harm the society in the future. I’d not seen such an idea explored and it’s pretty scary if you really think about it... Read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/02/15/rev...

Review of Earth's End

This book touched my emotions in so many ways! Earth’s End by Elise Kova made my emotions soar, just to turn them raw. Rarely have I felt a book so deeply.

Elise Kova is proving to be a master storyteller! I wanted to believe in the fairy tale relationship of Vhalla and Aldrick. I longed to. At the beginning of the book the narrative picks up resolving the angst left at the end of Fire Falling where we didn’t know if Prince Aldrick perished in his fall or not. I sweated three long months refusing to believe he could have died. And I was...read my full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/02/11/rev...

Review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns

How do we really know what to believe? This summarizes The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson well.

I have to say I don’t usually like reads that focus on a religious belief system, but I’m glad I stayed the course because this is a well written series.

In the first book of the trilogy, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, we meet Elisa, second in line to the throne, and in her mind, second in everything–she’s overweight, politically inept and expendable, therefore she’s married off to a foreign magistrate to strengthen the bonds of peace with that land.

What Elisa doesn’t fully appreciate, however, is the godstone that appeared in her navel as an infant on her naming day, something that occurs only every 100 years. She’s... read full review on my blog at http://blog.lrwlee.com/2016/02/08/rev...