The Falconer

Title: The Falconer (The Falconer #1)
Author: Elizabeth May
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

"One girl's nightmare is this girl's faery tale

She's a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.

She's a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she's leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.

She's a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.

She's a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother's murder—but she'll have to save the world first.

The first volume of a trilogy from an exciting new voice in young adult fantasy, this electrifying thriller combines romance and action, steampunk technology and Scottish lore in a deliciously addictive read."

***

Life has been so hectic lately, it took me way longer than it should have done to finish The Falconer; especially because there's very little not to love about this book.

I'm a sucker for historicals, so that probably helps. But the plot itself is beautifully woven, and the reveals are expertly delivered. May does a great job of keeping the balance between showing the world and introducing new characters, and keeping the pace at a level that will keep the reader interested.

And Kam was an absolute delight of a narrator. Spunky and self-assured, she is deeply flawed, and she knows it. She owns her flaws and uses them to her strength.

But what I loved, loved, loved about The Falconer was that, while the romantic elements certainly ran in an undercurrent throughout the novel (hard not to, when the society depicted is one that still places so much emphasis on marriage), it by no means eclipsed the actual plot; and, most wondrously, the love interests played other parts in the novel, rather than just pretty furniture for girls to fight over. Even more shockingly, all the attention and love wasn't instantly directed to the boys - yes, they're beautiful, but they also serve as very important plot elements (and I'm saying 'them', when really it's just 'him', but I had to include Gavin in there, because of reasons... though I adore the fact that May didn't try to make it into a love triangle with him).

Definitely give this one a read! It's filled with action, and all around amazing characters (I want a Derrick!)

Forsworn

Title: Forsworn (The Last Oracle #2)
Author: Emily Wibberley
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Cover: 7/10

I'd like to thank Emily Wibberley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"It’s been a year since Clio made her sacrifice to the Deities and embraced her destiny as the Oracle to save her people.

The only family she has left is a brother who wants her dead.

The prince, her oldest friend, is a king with his own agenda.

And the man who once loved her, now hates her.

All she can do is try to forget about Riece, the enemy commander whose heart she broke to save his life, as she serves the Deities. Her days are filled with Visions and bloodshed in a never-ending war against the Untouched. To add to her problems, she must pose as King Derik’s mistress to conceal her forbidden powers from the Emperor’s spies.

When Riece unexpectedly returns to Sheehan with a new and beautiful ally, Clio knows she must put him out of her mind once and for all, but first, they are thrust together into battle against a mysterious Untouched warrior with otherworldly power. To reclaim her city, she must team up with the man she hurt, the man she still loves but can never be with, and finally confront the questions about her origin—questions with answers that Clio may not be prepared to face."

***

You can read my review of the first book of the trilogy, Sacrificed, here.

Forsworn was a delight to read. As someone who's been struggling to find a plot that captivates me long enough recently, Wibberley provided me with the perfect place to dive back into books.

Clio, continuing from Sacrificed, is still the strong, spitfire, headstrong girl she was. I loved seeing how accepting the mantle of the Oracle changed her, and it was great to see her relationship with Derik evolve and change.
Most important to me, though, was see Clio flourish on her own. Yes, she is pining after Riece (and, really, who can blame her, right?), and yes, she still loves him. That doesn't stop her from carrying on with her life without him, and kicking some serious butt. It also doesn't stop her from running into his arms the second the opportunity arises. I love that, that we were able to see Clio act on her own, that she was perfectly capable - if reluctant and saddened - to live without Riece, before we got thrown back into the romance.
And I absolutely loved her relationship with Ashira. The speech at the end, about how being strong doesn't mean being hard and unfeeling was truly beautiful, and a message young girls should be told more often. You can still be feminine and be strong and independent (part of the reason why I'm absolutely in raptures over Zarae, I think haha).

Diazon was a surprise, and, while I'm glad that was sorted, I also love the can of worms he managed to overturn while he was still kicking; I'm looking forward to what this will all mean to Clio going forward.

ps: in case you were wondering, I'm in denial over Lireen. And I will never not be.

Cover Love: Head Over Heels

If you've read my review of the last Geek Girl book, All That Glitters, you'll know I'm a big fan of Harriet Manners. And All That Glitters was a brilliant book, so here's to hoping that Head Over Heels will follow suit!
Now, covers have never been Geek Girl's strong suit, with them all being relatively similar, so not much to comment on with this new one. Still, we also got a release date, which is pretty cool ;)

Head Over Heels is scheduled for a March 3rd release.