Endless Knight by Kresley Cole; Review and Theories!!!!

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole (The Arcana Chronicles #2)

Book received from author (Huge thank you!!!)

On Shelves Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Enthralling, Seductive and Heart-wrenching, A series that I wish coud be “Endless"

In this seductive follow-up to Poison Princess, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole takes us deeper into the dark world of the Arcana Chronicles.

Shocking Secrets

Evie has fully come into her powers as the Tarot Empress, and Jack was there to see it all. She now knows that the teens who've been reincarnated as the Tarot are in the throes of an epic battle. It's kill or be killed, and the future of mankind hangs in the balance.

Unexpected Allies

With threats lurking around every corner, Evie is forced to trust her newfound alliance. Together they must fight not only other Arcana, but also Bagmen zombies, post-apocalyptic storms, and cannibals.

Gut-Wrenching Treachery

When Evie meets Death, things get even more complicated. Though falling for Jack, she's drawn to the dangerous Endless Knight as well. Somehow the Empress and Death share a history, one that Evie can't remember—but Death can't forget.

There are so many words that I could use to describe the magnitude of Kresley Cole’s new series.  I could go one and on with the, as Evie says, “SAT words.”  But instead, let me put it simply.  This is a beautiful story of how love and hate collide, how truth and deception walk hand in hand, and how the past always comes around again.

When I first read Poison Princess last year, I just knew that this was going to be an amazing series; and I am so glad that KC’s second book didn’t fall into the sequel slump.  Trust me on this one, this installment is even more amazing than the first.  There is action in every chapter, betrayal around every turn, and romance that will squeeze your heart and warm your extremities!

Endless Knight starts right where Poison Princess lets off, and right away we see how Jackson reacts to Evie becoming the Empress.  I just love how KC is able to capture the emotion in this scene. 

“This is what I truly am…

Jackson stumbled back from me, making the sign of the cross.  Just as I once predicted.

With that one gesture, he has broken my heart utterly.”  PG 1

I can just feel the pain as the boy she loves stumbles back in fear.  This was such a perfect beginning to the book.  The rain is pelting down, and we know that with the rain comes the darkness, just as Matthew predicted.  And be ready, because with the darkness comes anger, fear, betrayal, and blood.

I just love KC’s characters.  So many books have minor characters that are completely flat, but KC manages to breathe life into each of them.  Good or evil, I feel like I know them; and that just shows you how amazing of a writer she is.  While I really do like many of her characters, one of my favorites remains Matthew, the Fool.  I love how his jibber-jabber is both nonsensical and cathartic at once.  He says so many things that are poetic and disturbing, and if you are like me, you spend much of the book trying to decode each of his messages.  Then when it comes clear, Wham!  It’s like you finally found the missing puzzle piece that has been troubling you.  But then, you discover that another one has gone missing.  I want to go back and re-read this just to hear Matthew’s not so random advice.

There is so much action in this book that you will NEVER get bored.  Page after page is filled with either blood and terror, love and romance, or mystery and deceit.  I was so wrapped up in the book that when it ended, I wanted to tear my heart out because I needed more!  I am dying knowing that I have to wait another year for the next installment.

One of the best parts of this book is the increase in the amount of romance.  I am a romance buff, so when all the kissing started, you can bet I was fully focused!!!!  Minor Spoiler (though not really because the blurb talks of Death’s seduction):  There is a sort of love triangle in this book, but I really loved how it was done.  We see Jack and Evie’s relationship grow, and there are points where you really can see how much Jack cares for her.  But Jack isn’t the sole focus in this book, now we have Death.

Death and Evie share a past (again, not a spoiler as its in the blurb), and let me just tell you—I love the bad guys.   I love the passion that drives them, whether it be from lust, anger, hatred, or whatever.  It’s always so potent, and that just makes their relationships all the more volatile.  This is extremely true when it comes to Death and Evie, and I really loved getting to see glimpses into their past.  Furthermore, you really get to see Death’s true self, and I have to admit, I’m kind of glad I liked him (even with the death threats and what not).

Kresley Cole has a forever fan in me.  This book is nothing short of amazing, and I highly recommend it to EVERYONE!!!  Seriously, go buy this series now because it is a must read.  KC has created the most unique post-apocalyptic world I have ever seen or read about, and I love the idea of people being Tarot Cards.  It’s so utterly distinctive, and there is just so much symbolism and mystery surrounding each of the Arcana.  Her world is bloody and beautiful, and if I were to be plunged head first into an apocalyptic fight to the death, I would certainly want a few of her characters by my side.

Content Warning:  There are some more mature romance scenes in this book.

 

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Favorite Quotes:

Said by Death to Evie:  “Your death is mine, which means your life is mine.”  PG 114

Said by Matthew to Evie:  “You are the card that Death covets.”  PG 195

“Empress?  You awake?—

I’m up.  Matthew, give me some good news.

--The snow hasn’t come yet.—“  PG 210

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And Finally…a few theories I would love to discuss!!!  Let me know if you agree/disagree or if you have your own theories you want to share!!  (There are SPOILERS contained in these theories, so do not read further if you have not read EK!)

SPOILERS!

It is mentioned that there are 2 Arcana immune to Evie’s poison.  We find out one is the Ogre, but what if the other one is Death??  They both have water on their cards, and Evie is immune to Death’s touch—it only makes sense, he would be immune to hers.

It is also mentioned that there is an Arcana that will not be activated until he/she kills another Arcana.  What if that’s Jack, and that is why he is drawn to them and Evie?

Existence by Abbi Glines

Existence by Abbi Glines
Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany
Release Date: 12/13/2011 ... that's right kids... buy away! Ebooks are just $4.99 right now!
The Sisters say: Exciting, Eerie, Entertaining


What happens when you are stalked by Death? You fall in 
love with him of course. Pagan Moore doesn’t cheat Death, instead, she falls in love with him. 

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore, has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn’t let them know she could see them, they left her alone. Until she steps out of her car on the first day of school and sees an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead. Not only does he not go away, when she ignores him he does something none of the others have ever done; he speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What Pagan doesn’t realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul. He is Death and he is about to break all the rules.




Abbi Glines has done it again! I loved both of her previous contemporary romances, Breathe and The Vincent Boys, and now she's struck out into the world of the paranormal, and I couldn't be happier! I've been dying to read this book since she first revealed the cover... I mean... just LOOK at that cover. GORGEOUS. 


I know you're all drooling right now, but stick with me a little bit longer... it get's better! 


Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Greek Mythology has had a boom in YA lit, particularly modern day tales about Hades, the lord of the Underworld. I'm talking about books like The Goddess Test and Abandon. 


Though Abbi's book doesn't necessarily have any real reliance on Greek Literature, it does have a similar vibe to those books. Abandon (by Meg Cabot), in particular,  received a lot of hype, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't feel like it quite lived up to the excitement everyone stirred up for it. 


Abbi's book comes from a small indie publisher, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Existence was all the things that Abandon should have been, but wasn't! Existence deserves just as much hype as the similar books coming out from the big publishers! Abbi didn't just rely on a cool concept to carry her book through, she had the strong characters to back it up! 


Dank, despite his cringe-worthy, less than stellar name, is definitely one of Abbi's traditional swoon-worthy guys. He's death, and he has all the dark and mysterious qualities that you would expect death to have, but despite that, he manages to fall in love with Pagan. Not an unheard of storyline, I know, but I loved how even Dank seemed perplexed by the way everything went down. He has a job to do, and when that job directly goes against his feelings for Pagan, he takes a big risk and saves her. And after it's over... he keeps protecting her. 


I also loved Leif, the conceited quarterback, who turns out to be not so conceited, that Pagan gets roped into tutoring. I have to say... while I loved Dank... a part of me might love Leif more. I can't wait to learn more about him in the next book!


I think this book started really strong, and I will admit, towards the middle, it started to wander for me a little bit. Not drag, persay, it was definitely still exciting and interesting, but there were some scenes that I didn't really think added to the plot that could have been edited out. And towards the middle, I started to feel that this book was going to play out in a very predictable and cliche way. 


Boy am I glad I stuck it out to the end, because I was completely wrong. The last 25% of this book was filled with twists and turns that left picking my jaw up off the floor. What with the Heroine Tourney going on and all, I'd also been thinking about Pagan's character, and how she (and many females in YA Lit) seemed more like a damsel in distress than a Heroine. However, in that last part of the book, Pagan totally set me straight. She stepped out of the damsel role and made some bold, inspiring choices that were some of my favorite parts of the book. 


And the ending... if you're a fan of big twists and cliff-hanger endings, you will scream for several minutes after this book is over (just like I did). Argh... THAT LAST LINE. Guys, you have no idea. 


All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I still think it could have been stronger in some areas-- tighten up the middle, change poor Dank's name-- but it's a fun, fast, romantic read that's well worth your time!