Review: The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

Publisher- Balzer + Bray 

Released- Feb 16th 2016

Purchase- Amazon / B & N

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

My Thoughts:

Queen Irina is an evil magician who tricked the King of Ravenspire and it's people with gleaming red apples with innards of rot. She spelled her way into lands with her cursed magic, but Princess Lorelia has magic of her own and stopped the Queen long enough to break the spell over her family and the guards. Though it was too late for the King, Lorelia and Leo managed to escape with Gabril, one of the palace guards. Nine years later, Lorelia, Leo and Gabril is planning to avenge the Kings death and challenge the Queen for the lands that has been destroyed by her toxic magic.

In the neighbouring kingdom of Eldr, Kol was celebrating his latest infraction and awaits his father disapproval when he was met with the news that his parents and older brother has died by an ogre attack. Now, as the second prince in line for the throne, Kol is the new king of Eldr and is faced with the great task of leading his people from the magic wielding ogres that threaten their kingdom. But Kol can't fight them with mere weapons. He needs magic and he knows just where to find it.

To tell you the truth I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. Don't get me wrong, I love fairy tale retellings, but in ways it all feels the same. So while reading this book I was searching for something to standout and looking to see how C.J Redwine would put her own spark to the much loved classic story of Snow White, and I found it...with Dragons! Yup, poison, powers and dragons people, now this is one fairytale fantasy that was impressive, consuming and a blast to read. I really enjoyed Redwine's take on this story. Sure it did have a lot of the same aspects of the original fairytale and it also reminded me a bit of the movie, but It was interesting from the start and then it just grew to be more fascinating as the story plays on. I think this has a lot to do with the dragons part of the story. I absolutely loved this lore and it really does bring an explosive element into the mix and was my favorite moments in this world.  But I also really enjoyed Redwine's writing and storytelling, it's delivered quite smoothly, loving the pace and flow that was always kept moving, intriguing and suspenseful. 

All of these characters are wonderfully developed with strong chemistry and crisp voices. Even the evil ones. Lorelia is a fierce girl that is incredibly determined to winning back her rightful throne. I loved watching her embrace her power and was so proud of how she helped Kol. Leo is such a loveable, clever and protective brother while Gabril is a wonderful man and a father in all the ways that matter. As much as I loved the family closeness that Gabril, Leo and Lorelai share, I think that Kol and the Draconi's stole this book for me. Kol is a dragon with two hearts. One human, one dragon, but they both beat with passion and strength. Did he make mistakes? Yes, yes he did. But he did it with the best of intentions and wasn't always in his right mind, plus, his proven actions and inner struggles more then made up for it. I also loved Kol's friends Jyn and Trugg. They are so loyal, kickass and brought a lot of comedy to the story. The romance came a little late, but it was still very sweet and made me smile. I liked the ending but my heart broke with the fate of one of the characters.

Bottom line, I really enjoyed The Shadow Queen, more then I thought I would which is always something I appreciate in a book. I like to be surprised and entertained and this book delivers just that. Great world building, stunning and terrifying magic. Action punched with heart and soul characters that I was attached to and invested in from start to finish. A great fairytale fantasy!

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                              4 Snowflakes

Teaser Tuesday, #68 Deliverance by C. J. Redwine

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...


Deliverance (Defiance, #3) BY C.J. RedwinePublisher: Balzer + BrayExpected Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One.
Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.
Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.
But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?

*Quotes are from an Advanced Readers Copy. They may change in the final copy.*

Quotes are from ebook pages: 9 & 32

"The foundation on which I built my life is lying in pieces around me, but I can't stop to put it back together. I have a prison break to engineer, an innocent city to protect, a murderer to track down, and two power-hungry leaders who need to be stopped. Personal reflection will have to wait."

"You can't kill me." He sounds insulted.
I smile. "We both know I can."
"Samuel and Heidi would punish you in ways you've never dreamed." 
My smile grows. "No, they wouldn't. I have to arrive in Rowansmark alive and well or they'll pay the consequence for their failure. You, on the other hand, never have to arrive at all." I turn my back on him and walk away.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks! 

Review: Deception by C.J. Redwine

Deception (Defiance, #2) by C.J. Redwine
Expected Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Amazon / B&N

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

My Thoughts:

Deception is full of exactly that--Deception. Who can you trust when the greed for power takes precedence over loyalty? The ruthless Commander is back to claim the tech device and he has paired up with another city-state.

Logan and Rachel have their hands full. Not only does Logan have the weight of leading the remaining Baalboden citizens, but he is constantly having to reassure them that he is a nineteen-year-old fit for the job, even if he questions it himself at times. He doesn’t want to disappoint the people who have lost so much already at the hands of their former Commander, and to the Cursed One. Obstacles of inexperience and age are just a few minor implications against a much larger picture. Besides the fact that the Commander is after them, Rowansmark want what they believe was stolen from them, so the Baalboden survivors high-tail it to Lankenshire, in hopes that they can form an alliance and help against those that are coming after them.
The Wasteland proves to be vicious. Not only are their landscape hindrances, but Highwayman, an army, and the threat of the Cursed One at their feet. Deception is the perfect title for this story, as there is deception at every turn. Not only are they being tracked by a Rowansmark tracker, one of their own is hiding a secret as well. Who is the traitor amongst them is the big question.
Rachel is facing her own demons with difficulty. Even a strong willed woman can’t shake the hurt, betrayal, death, and thirst for revenge. It claws away and beats her up mentally. Loss has become second nature, but the effects have hindered her judgment.  Her loyalty to the people and to Logan, exceptionally to Logan as he is the one thing she has left to live for, keeps her in line. Sylph is another that Rachel loves. Even through the most difficult of times, she keeps a smile on her face and spreads her love across her friends and the others. Her humor and kindness was a light in the dark.
 “You aren’t unfeminine. You just stink at setting a nice table or sewing a decent dress.”
“It’s nice to have my differences be an asset instead of something that makes me the most unfeminine girl in the room.”

I was on edge as the story unfolded and trying to figure out who was the traitor. I cheered the group on while they were facing difficult passages, and waiting to see if they would even make it was driving me mad! The story flowed well but at one point I was beginning to wonder if there was a bigger bomb waiting to be dropped. AND let me tell you…you will be shocked when it does. I was totally blindsided by it.

These characters really grew on me. A few particular really stole the show in my opinion. I just love Willow and Quinn. The brother and sister duo fighting machines. Willow is fierce and says what’s on her mind. She is the one who will tell you what you don’t want to hear, but need to hear. She says it how it is and I just loved her for that. Quinn…sigh…He is the epitome of a knight in shining armor. Talk about a swoonworthy character! He is smart, strong, a great listener, and sooo much more. The relationship between Willow and her brother is strong and I just love how they are there to protect one another.

I love the action and suspense and those twists that threw me for a loop time and time again. Logan and Rachel are so sweet together, but man, they have so much on their shoulders. Both of them have a lot to work through as individuals, but knowing they have one another to lean on, keeps faith that everything will work out in time.

I usually get a tad bit annoyed when a character constantly is fighting an inner battle, complain about it, push it aside, then dwells on it more.  I know Rachel is dealing with a lot, but it did get a little old. But when she has a conversation with Quinn, I couldn’t help but feel admiration for him, and sorrow for her. Always the tough girl and expected to be just that, it was time for Rachel to feel the natural emotions instead of pushing them away and face them.

I enjoyed Deception. I loved the action, the pacing and the characters. This left off on a little cliffy, and I cannot wait to see what will transpire in the next book.

For More about this author, please follow the links provided below.

http://www.goodreads.com/cjredwine

http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/

   

Teaser Tuesday, #38

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...

 

 

 

 

Deception (Defiance, #2) by C.J. Redwine

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Expected Publication Date: August 27, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teasers from pages: 2 & 3

 

"They're going to argue."

"I'm going to win. '

 

"But one hundred and fifty-seven stayed. And now I get to put their faith in me to the test."

 

 

 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

 

 

Defiance (Defiance, #1) by C.J. Redwine

 

Title: Defiance (Defiance, #1)

Author: C.J. Redwin
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Hardcover: 416 pages 
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Preorder: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

My Thoughts:

Defiance is a delicious debut by C.J. Redwine, and one you will want to mark on your TBR list, no doubt.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous!! I love the detail of the castle in her cape. The story is filled with tension, betrayal, murder, heartbreaking moments, action avenging love and romance. You will fall head-over-heels in love with Rachel and Logan.

In the city-states the people are deemed safe from the Wasteland and somewhere beneath it, the Cursed One that roams and seeks to devour what's left of a once great civilization. The Cursed One is one to fear. He poses a huge threat to the lives of anyone, but especially those in the Wasteland. In Baalboden, they are ruled by the evil Commander. Rachel's father, Jared Adams, was Baalboden's courier, but also their best tracker. He never returned from a mission from Rowansmark. The Commander deemed her Dad dead and placed Logan as her protector, until she is legally Claimed. Rachel was furious her father chose Logan as her protector and Logan was equaly confused, but Logan wouldn't fail the man who trusted in him the one thing that meant the world to him. Logan was Jared's apprentice.

At 15, Rachel told Logan she loved him, but he couldn't say the same. He didn't want to lose his apprenticeship over it. Rachel opened her heart and was so completely vulnerable, but that rejection left a scar on her and I think when that happened it really changed her into the tough, closed-off headstrong protagonist she is.

The story was written so well, and when Rachel's father was deemed dead, you felt heartbroken for her. All she had left was Oliver and Logan. Oliver was like a grandfather to Rachel, he was kind and loving and was always there for her. I loved this character and felt a soft spot for him. One by one the nasty Commander took the ones Rachel loved from her. I couldn't believe how ruthless that evil Commander was. I wanted to kick his butt too! I was rooting for his demise right along with the characters.

There was a package that Rachel's father was supposed to deliver to the Commander. It was of high importance because not only would the Commander go to extreme levels to ensure that he got it, but the trackers from Rowansmark were after it too. Rachel made a deal that her and Logan would go into the Wasteland to retrieve the package and bring it back. The Commander made sure that Logan would not accompany her, but send his tracker Melkin with her. The Commander said if she didn't return the package to him, Logan would be tortured and killed.

Rachel was trained to fight by her father. She wasn't the typical girl in Baalboden. She was a fighter. I loved this about her. She wanted out of Baalboden, but so did Logan. He watched his mother die because she went into the market without a Protector. See, the women are not allowed to wander in the market without their protector with them. They could be killed if caught. My heart just broke for him.

On the mission, Rachel met a few new friends and learned the truth of what happened with her father. I admired Logan and the promise he tried so very hard to keep, and that was to keep Rachel safe and avenge the deaths of their loved ones. The chemistry between them pulled at me and made me love them. They had some very sweet moments that made me melt and feel all gushy inside. I could feel how much he loved her and her him. Together, they made a great team. Logan is a great hero. He is smart and witty, quick on his feet and always trying to stay one step ahead. I love reading the male POV. It just does something for me, and I LOVED Logan! He was such a warrior and his determination was captivating.

The plot was strong and the writing was smooth and easy to melt into. The ending was great! I loved the action and the determination in Rachel and Logan. I can't wait to see what C.J. Has in store for Rachel and Logan in the next installment. This has to be one of my favorites in 2012.

5 Snowflakes!

                                                         

Find the author:

Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Waiting on Wednesday, #2

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on.

This week, we are featuring Defiance by C.J. Redwine. From the moment I saw this book, I've been so excited to read it. Not only is the cover stunning, but the synopsis just sounds amazing! August 28th, can't come fast enough!


Defiance by C.J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzar & Bray
Release date: August 28, 2012

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city's brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father's apprentice, Logan--the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city's top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor's impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

So what book are you waiting for?  Let us know in the comments below!