If I Should Die by Amy Plum

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

ARC received from HarperTeen

Release Date:  5-7-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Heart-breaking and romantic, Amy Plum’s If I Should Die will take you on a rollercoaster of life and death; but this time, death could truly become permanent.  This is it—the end is here.  A champion will emerge, a war will be fought, a prophecy will be fulfilled. 

Final books in a series—I both love and hate them.  Finishing a series is like closing a chapter on your own life.  You have come to know and love characters and settings, and watching them end is an unbearable relief because you want a conclusion to the trauma and conflict, but at the same time, you don’t want to leave those characters behind.  Vincent, Jules, and Kate, along with so many other of Amy’s characters will be truly missed.

After that unbelievably torturous cliffhanger at the end of book 2, I just had to know what was going to happen next; and this third book does not disappoint in its ending.  However, the first 200 pages were a bit of a disappointment to me.  Don’t get me wrong, this was good book, but it was just really slow starting.  I had a hard time pushing through to get to the action and revelations.  But, if you are like me, and you just have to know what happens with Vincent and Kate, then this is well worth the slow parts to find out if there will be a happily ever after.  So, push through those parts because starting with Part 2, the action really picks up.

I really loved Vincent so much in this book, even when he was being overly corny with his gushing feelings.  He is very much the epitome of a hopeless romantic, and I think many girls love him for this.  I love his strength and determination to fight for the bardia and to protect the ones he loves.  He’s self-sacrificing to a fault, but I just can’t help but love him.  Unfortunately, the other guy I love so much, Jules, wasn’t in this one too much.  I really missed his humor and quips, and sadly, I think the book suffered because of his absence.

Kate was such a great heroine!  She’s strong-willed and confident, and she knows what must be done for the greater good.  I admired how she was able to absorb the heart-breaking sadness of revenants dying around her, yet still fight on.  She seems much more mature in this final book.  I also really loved Georgia.  She adds some much needed comic relief, and she is completely fierce despite her weaknesses.  Her fiery temper and hard-to-get acting definitely made me laugh at times.

Besides the slow parts, the other thing that bothered me was the predictability.  I won’t go into detail because it would be a major spoiler, but I pretty much knew how everything was going to turn out before I even started reading this final book.  However, even with the predictability, I found myself still being emotional.  I will admit to a few tears near the end, and I am not usually a crier.  But, Amy didn’t shy away from death, and I admire her for that.  It made the war more realistic, and it added an emotional depth that many books about good vs. evil don’t have. 

Overall, I was happy with the way this series ended.  I felt like Amy wrapped everything up well without leaving some lingering questions.   While it is a slow read for most of the book, it was definitely worth it to get to the amazing ending.  I will miss the world of the Revenants, but mostly, I will miss the epic love story of Kate and Vincent.

Review: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

ARC received from Harlequin Teen

Release Date:  2-26-2013

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Traumatic, Tempting and Thrilling

 Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

(If you have NOT read the first two in this series, do not read the review, as it contains spoilers from the first 2 books).

The end is near, the war has come

And all are caught beneath Cronus’s thumb

The Council fights back, but is it in vain?

Will they fall under Calliope’s reign?

 

Or will love manage to beat back the dark

To light a beacon, to create a spark?

Til the end they will fight, both Henry and Kate

Will they live or die?  What is their fate?

 

Reading the last book in a trilogy that you’ve enjoyed always brings forth all sorts of emotions—happiness because there is no more waiting, no more cliffhangers; and sadness because you will miss those characters that you’ve known for the past few years.  I had put off reading this one for a few weeks because I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.  This was my first Hades/Persephone retelling, and I’ve always been partial to it because it introduced me to something new and different than what you learn in school.  It made it personal and real, even though it was in the paranormal genre.  It made a connection, and for that, I will always love this series.

This one starts 9 months after Goddess Interrupted left off, and it jumps straight into the heartbreak and action.  I liked that we didn’t have to read about the 9 months of Kate’s imprisonment and the pregnancy because I just don’t know if I would have been able to watch her go through that much pain and suffering.  Still, prepare yourself for some heartache!

This final book didn’t lack in the action.  There was constantly a battle raging, whether it was internal or external.  I didn’t find in lulls in the plot or anything that made me want to rush through, which is great because I hate it when books add too many details.  It was actually shorter than I expected (the ARC was only 300 pages), and I’m thinking some things were added to the final copy because it ended up 380ish pages.    

My favorite part of this book, of course, is Henry (Hades).  I like thinking about him the way that Aimee Carter writes him—broody yet loving, hard yet caring.  Add that to his dark power and he is by far the most interesting god in my opinion.  He has dominion over the dead, so there is something heartbreaking and poetic about his views on life.  It begins and it ends—that’s the way life is, and I really love how Henry is so poised in the face of death.  Power drips off him in waves, and he is one of the most powerful of the Olympians, yet that power hasn’t corrupted him like it did Walter (Zeus).  He was much more open in his feelings in this one, which is great, because he did get a bit annoying at times in the first two books when he wouldn’t just say how he felt.   That insecure Henry is gone, replaced by a loving and revenge-bent greek god.

Kate is much stronger in this book, although she still has that annoying think before you act habit that makes me want to knock her upside the head.  James (Hermes) even mentions it multiple times---her martyr complex he calls it.  She really bugs me how she doesn’t open up to her family for help.  Instead, she concocts a plan and runs straight into it without thinking about the consequences, which is infuriating!!  So if you were one of those readers that got annoyed with Kate before, just know it’s not going to go away in this one.

I do wish the romance would have been more profound.  If the world were about to end, I wouldn't just be sitting around being scared to be "loving," I would pounce on it every chance I got.  But, of course, Kate made an excuse.  Bad Kate.

Loss, love, hate, and revenge all collide in this final book causing a cacophony of emotions to swell up and pour out.  This was a fitting (albeit sad) ending to such a great story, and I will definitely miss these characters.  But as Henry says, “the time has come to fight,” and fight they will.

If you want to read our review of The Goddess Test click here
If you want to read our review of Goddess Interrupted click here
 

Teaser Tuesday: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

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The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Published by Harlequin Teen

Release Date:  2-26-2013

 

 

"'But the time has come to fight not just for the lives of those you love, but for your own as well,' he said, 'If only so you do not hurt those same people by leaving them the way you're so afraid they will leave you.'" (said by Henry) ARC, pg 156

 

"He kissed me again and hand a finger above the waistband of my jeans, leaving searing heat wherever he touched me." ARC, g 155

 

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I know so many people think that the Hades/Persephone myth is overdone, but I disagree.  I love this myth, and I really love when someone modernizes it because it's full of romance, pain, betrayal, and sizzling attraction.  I am really enjoying this one so far, even though Kate can be annoying.  Henry makes up for all the (insert your choice of noun) that comes out of Kate's mouth and/or actions.  I will admit, I am going to miss Henry when this book is over.  (I wish someone would write an NA or Adult version of the Hades/Persephone myth!)