'Caraval' by Stephanie Garber : Mel's Review

Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

     

His Fair Assassin Book 1: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers: Review

Pre-Order Now on Amazon.com! 

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

(Goodreads)

Set in Europe in the late 1400's, spanning a period of more than 3 years Grave Mercy takes you back in  time when being a woman could be very dangerous. The story starts in a small village and we follow our main character, Ismae, as she's spirited away to a convent devoted to the god of death to save her life. 

Our story is told from Ismae's point of view, and we follow her progress at the convent and on to a royal court as she takes on her first assignments. She is a strong, honest person trying to fulfill her destiny as handmaiden to Death, Himself. Ismae is determined to do her best and follow the orders of the Reverend Mother at her convent & also to her God, Death as he shows her signs to follow. She is loyal and kind at heart even though she's being trained as an assassin. 

The story is fast-paced and filled with lots of action, intrigue, suspense and even some romance, too. The plot is riveting and the story moves along smoothly; you really MUST keep reading to learn who is betraying their country and plotting behind the scenes. The story is really well written and there are even a few twists thrown in to really keep you guessing. This book has a little something for everyone and I really loved it. 

This was a very satisfying read and I can't wait to read the rest in the series! 

My Rating:

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner-Review

In four days, someone is going to kill me . . .

Detective D. D. Warren is hard to surprise. But a lone woman outside D.D.'s latest crime scene shocks her with a remarkable proposition: Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant believes she will be murdered in four days. And she wants Boston's top detective to handle the death investigation.

It will be up close and personal. No evidence of forced entry, no sign of struggle.
Charlie tells a chilling story: Each year at 8:00 p.m. on January 21st, a woman has died. The victims have been childhood best friends from a small town in New Hampshire; the motive remains unknown. Now only one friend, Charlie, remains to count down her final hours.

But as D.D. quickly learns, Charlie Grant doesn't plan on going down without a fight. By her own admission, the girl can outshoot, outfight, and outrun anyone in Boston. Which begs the question, is Charlie the next victim, or the perfect perpetrator? As D.D. tracks a vigilante gunman who is killing pedophiles in Boston, she must also delve into the murders of Charlie's friends, racing to find answers before the next gruesome January 21 anniversary. Is Charlie truly in danger, or is she hiding a secret that may turn out to be the biggest threat of all?

In four days, someone is going to kill me. But the son of a bitch has gotta catch me first.

‘Catch Me’ is the sixth book in Lisa Gardner’s brilliant D.D. Warren series. The series focuses on Boston police detective, D.D. Warren and her coworkers as they try to solve high profile cases. This book is a perfect storm; Gardner’s characters from previous stories all come together in one way or another to assist D.D. on this case. I really loved the cameos from Roan Griffin (The Survivors Club), Pierce & Kimberly Quincy (FBI Profiler Series), David Riggs (The Other Daughter), JT Dillon and his wife Tess (The Perfect Husband). They made the book that much more enjoyable to me. The only way it could have been better is if Rainie Connor was in there somewhere breaking number two pencils.

There are several major conflicts raging throughout the story with the lesser worries weaving in and out, helping the plot to race on towards the conclusion. I really enjoy Gardner’s writing style; she gets inside her characters heads and shows you what makes them tick. The narrative moves right along, making you laugh out loud sometimes and shudder in horror in others. It was very hard to put this book down. I found myself staying up until all hours of the night, saying ‘just one more chapter and then I’ll go to bed,’ again and again.

When Gardner writes, she showcases strong female characters with depth, which I love. I have to admit that D.D. Warren has never been one of my favorites among her characters. However, she turned that around in this book. D.D. is growing in so many ways; being a new mother and learning to show that softer part of herself she has always kept hidden are just the more apparent ones. The growth in her definitely helps to make her a more likeable character and shows her potential for evolving into a more mature version of herself in future installments.

We see the story unfold from several different points of view and I really think that helps tell the story in a more complete way. You get to see all the different sides come together for a more detailed reading experience. This was a very fast read; you just have to know what happens next. Gardner’s books are always suspenseful & masterfully crafted and this one was no exception. The twists were just enough to keep you guessing, really it was perfectly executed. I look forward to D.D.’s next case.

My Rating: