Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Release date: November 13th, 2013
Published by: Penguin
Sister's Say:  Dark, Dangerous, and Deliciously Different

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war
In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

This book has been on my radar for a while now.  With human-like creatures called Darklings, a scary war-torn dystopian society and forbidden love that no one can resist, how can anyone say no?  Black City had  a way of evoking emotion with me, so much so that I had to put it down and go talk about it on twitter.  At first, I wasn't sure how I felt, but the more I talked about it to friends, the more I realized how brilliant it was.  I think the joy in this book is it's uniqueness.  It made me terribly angry at points and even forced some unwanted feelings in me, but all of that adds to how refreshingly different this book is.

So, on to these "emotions" that this book drew out of me.  It was....dare I say it.....a love triangle.  Gasp! It did have a love triangle, but not one of your everyday run of the mill, heroine torn between her 2 guys mess.  This one basically ripped my heart out!  Before you read this book, just chuck out all of the normal YA stereotypical love triangles.  Ms. Richards gives you a triangle of the hero trapped between 2 girls.  The crazy part is, there is a CRUEL twist of fate in the story that truly makes this triangle torturous.  It made me question the rules of fate.  What makes someone a soul mate and what is it in another person that binds 2 people together? Terrible questions that will cause you to run to twitter like I did to seek solice and advice from fellow YA lovers.

The world setup is superb and  draws the reader into the characters plight for normalcy, justice, and equality.  It's very reminiscent of the history of this world that even though it is fantasy, this truly would have happened if Darklings exsisted along side humans on this planet.  I hurt, grieved, and empathised so well for these characters.  I wanted to step inside this book to prevent them anymore pain.  Emotions, emotions, emotions, I am telling you!

And if you want the big guns of emotion, wait until the end!  This book has a killer of an ending that will leave everyone craving more and quite possibly in tears!  It's a crazy, show stopping conclusion that left me dying for book 2, but NOT with a loathsome cliffhanger!  Three cheers for no cliffhanger, right?!?!

So in conclusion, if you are a fan of dystopian, fantasy, or YA in general, I think you will enjoy this book.  I give you fair warning, some of the emotions are not pretty that I felt, but feel free to come vent to me on twitter!  And, you like me will soon realize how brilliant an author has to be to be able to cause such emotions in her readers!

Teaser Tuesday: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

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!)

Black City by Elizabeth Richards

November 13, 2012

Putnam

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The roar of the crowd is deafening as I step into the town square.  I nearly throw up when I see the crucifixes, three of them, lined up near the wall.  Which one will be mine? (ARC, p. 358)

And, that quote right there is reason enough to pre-order this book right now! Right?!?  This is a great book that I really enjoyed!  It will take you by the heart and do some tormenting things to it before it finally lets go!  My review is scheduled to go up Thursday, so if you want more info be sure to check that out!

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Published by Putnam
On Shelves NOW!!!!
The Sisters Say:  Bewitching, Beguiling, Beautiful

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. Bu...moreEverybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

 

It’s 1896 in a world reminiscent of Salem, a world where witches are hunted, imprisoned, enslaved—or they just disappear.  And right in the middle of it all—the Cahill sisters, Cate, Maura, and Tess. 

The fate of the world rests on these three Witches and one clandestine prophecy. 

This is the first paranormal romance I’ve read that is set in the past, and at first, I didn’t know if I would enjoy it or not.  The first few chapters were very slow, and while it was interesting to see how life was during this time (the petticoats, tea time, misogynistic attitudes toward women), I didn’t know if it was going to keep me interested enough to finish; however, once I passed the first four chapters, I was hooked.  The mystery reeled me in, and I rushed through because I absolutely had to see how it was going to end.

I loved the idea that there is a trio of sister witches.  I mean, I grew up with 2 sisters, who, like me, wished they had magical powers.  I won’t give anything away, either, but I found that the sister’s personalities echoed our own.  Cate, like Amy, is the bossy one—sorry Amy.  Maura, like me, is the troublesome one.  And Tess, like Britt, is the know-it-all.  This made their relationships seems very real to me.

I really enjoyed getting to know Cate, the oldest of the three sisters and the pov from which the book is written.  As her mother was dying, she pleaded to Cate to watch over her sisters, to protect them.  As a result, Cate had to push back her desire to just be a teenager and become the woman of the house.  All is well until Cate turns 17, when she has to announce who she will marry or join the Sisterhood convent.  With this date looming very near in the future, Cate starts to panic not only about which to choose, but how to keep her sisters safe.  This is the part of Cate I loved—seeing her struggle made me connect with her, and I found myself wishing I was a witch in her world so I could help!

But, of course, my favorite part was the boys.  There are two again, and I adore me a good love triangle!  If there are two hot guys in a book, I break out into my happy dance.

First, there’s Paul—the childhood friend turned gentlemen who comes home from New London to court Cate.  He’s charming, rugged, and rich.  Cate has adored Paul since she was a child, and she knows that he would be the perfect man for her to marry.  Only, she struggles to choose because there is another man who has also caught her attention.

 Finn.  Oh, Finn, I absolutely love him.  He’s the gardener (who knows nothing about gardening) and he and his mother own the bookshop in town (which is the subject of scrutiny from the Brotherhood—the religious sect hunting witches).  Cate feels connected to Finn on a deep level, and you will love to see how the romance unfolds!

I loved the romance and the mystery in Born Wicked.  There are many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and the prophecy is a doozy!  I keep going over and over again in my mind how I think the prophecy will play out—especially after the cliffhanger ending!  In fact, I’m troubled (more than troubled, let’s say outright in turmoil) that I have to wait a full year for book 2 to come out! 

With the history of The Crucible, the magic of Harry Potter, and the love story of The Mortal Instruments, this is a must read for fans of paranormal romance!!!!  And it’s so original because there aren’t that many books out there that focus completely on witches! 

So—go buy this book, and let me know what you think!!!!! (I think you’ll daydream about Finn, too!)