Review: Nightborn by Lou Anders

Nightborn by Lou Anders
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 14th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

From the author of "Frostborn" comes Book 2 in the acclaimed Thrones and Bones fantasy-adventure trilogy for fans of Lloyd Alexander and Brandon Mull.
Karn Korlundsson is a gamer. "Not" a riddle solver. But in order to rescue his best friend, Thianna Frostborn, he will need to travel to the faraway city of Castlebriar (by wyvern), learn how to play a new board game called Charioteers (not a problem), decipher the Riddle of the Horn, and tangle with mysterious elves.
Meet Desstra. She's in training to join the Underhand--the elite agents of the dark elves. When she crosses paths with Karn, she is not all that she appears to be.
Everyone is chasing after the horn of Osius, an ancient artifact with the power to change the world. The lengths to which Karn will go in the name of friendship will be sorely tested. Who knew that solving a riddle could be so deadly?
The novel includes instructions for playing the board game Charioteers. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more! 

My thoughts:
This was such a fun book!  While I did like the first one, I absolutely adored Nightborn.  It was unique and just a really fun adventure with humans, elves, dwarfs, giants, and gnomes!

Nightborn takes off pretty much where the first left off.  Karn is settling into his new role and learning how to trade and Thianna is off learning more about where her mom came from. All is okay until Karn is whisked away by a wyvern and finds out Thianna is in trouble.  Karn knows he has to help his friend so he sets out on another adventure to find Thianna.

This story is full of adventure and I loved the introduction of the elves. I have always been a sucker for a good elf story and Lou Anders has created some interesting ones.  I would honestly love another book based on just the Shadow Elves, but for now I will take what I can get.  

I really loved the rich world that Anders has created.  Just when I think he can't possibly throw anything else in he does and it fits like a glove!  He has created a huge world that has so many possibilities and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

What I lacked in the first installment I more than got with this one.  I fell into this story with ease and I loved looking through Karns eyes as well as his companions.  This also has a very nice balance between action and storytelling.  With some fantasy books they will be heavy on one side of those two, but I found this book to be very balanced which worked great for me. I loved all the history that was woven in, it just gave the book an extra spark.

This is a really fun series that I think adults will also enjoy as well as younger readers.  It definitely kept my attention and I can't wait to read the next installment because not everything was wrapped up nice and neat and I need to find out what happens!!  Plus I think we will finally get to see Thica and I have been dying to see it!!

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Also I have some exciting news to share!  The first book the Thrones & Bones series, Frostborn, has just been released in paperback TODAY!!  You won't want to miss the first adventure of Karn and Thianna so be sure to click on the links below to purchase your copy!
Amazon / B&N

Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He’d rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones.

Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She’s too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant.

When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you’re being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants.

PRAISE
“Frostborn is the fantasy adventure book I wish I’d had when I was a kid.”
–Charlie Jane Anders, i09

“While I cut my fantasy-reading teeth on the works of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman’s DragonLance and Darksword, I would have gobbled up this book at that age. Hell, I thoroughly enjoyed it at my current age.”
– Rob H. Bedford, SF Signal

“Future fans of Tolkien and George R.R. Martin can happily cut their serial-fantasy teeth on this first book of an eventual series.”
─ Kirkus Reviews

⋆“The setting is rich, the characters well-defined, and the danger ever-paramount. It’s a strong and thoroughly enjoyable start to the Thrones and Bones series.”
─ Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“. . . adventure fans will enjoy the action, the Norse background, and the occasional flash of humor.”
─ Booklist Reviews

"Anders sculpts a rich world filled with his deep sense of family and fantasy into this powerful journey of discovery and friendship not seen since Alexander first introduced readers to Prydain."
─ Scott Taylor, Art of the Genre

"Lou Anders's FROSTBORN is sure to appeal to young readers looking for a dose of monsters and magic. Not just a classic fantasy romp, Anders's debut novel explores the experience of feeling young and out of place in a world that refuses to see you for who you are—something readers of all ages can identify with."
─James L. Sutter, author of Death's Heretic

ABOUT LOU ANDERS
LOU ANDERS’s research on Norse mythology while writing book one in the Thrones and Bones series, FROSTBORN, turned into a love affair with Viking culture and a first visit to Norway. Anders is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. He has published over 500 articles and stories on science fiction and fantasy television and literature. A prolific speaker, Anders regularly attends writing conventions around the country. He and his family reside in Birmingham, Alabama. You can visit Anders online at louanders.com and ThronesandBones.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter at @ThronesandBones.

 

Review & Giveaway: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense

My Thoughts:
Mead has created possibly one of the most complicated worlds I have ever read.  In the beginning this was a very very bad thing and it felt like she was trying a little to hard to make the jump into the adult genre, but after I hit the middle part of the book I was totally engrossed and knew what was going on.  It kinda felt like in the middle she dropped some of the confusing elements and just finally went with the story which she has always been amazing at creating.

Don't get me wrong I ended up really liking the world but man was it hard to grasp. There is so much that went into this, Gods, sci-fi elements, romance, backstories and that is just the stuff I can put into words.  I probably should have taken notes because I know that when I pick up the sequel I am going to be oh so lost, but I will definitely pick it up nonetheless.  I did end up really enjoying what Mead has created and I am totally enthralled with this new series.  She has created something so unique and different and if you can get past the difficultness of it then I think most will fall in love with this series as well.

I loved Mae.  She is the kick arse heroine that Rose with just kicked up a notch if you can believe it.  I always love the girls that can hold there own and she can with the best of them.  I am very excited to see her relationship with Justin grow as well.  These two definitely have some hurdles to overcome and Mead is a mastermind at creating tension among couples so I know I am in for a bumpy ride, especially given all that was revealed at the end.  Justin was a little harder to warm up to.  I like that he is super smart at what he does but his sleeping around has to stop.  I am not a fan of this type of behavior so I really hope he tames that down in the next installment.  Mae deserves better even if she had a few side distractions as well.  Those also need to stop.

The one part that truly bothered me was Tess and wasn't her character it is just the fact that she is as involved as she is.  When I picked this up I knew it was adult so I assumed every character would be over the age of 18 and while I don't mind having younger characters in adult books I don't like them having chapters in their POV's unless they are needed.  Tess wasn't needed.  I am not sure if Mead just wanted to have that YA element in it so she felt more at home or if it is for her readers so that they feel more at home with the story, but it didn't work for me.  I wanted to stay in the adult world and every time Tess took over I felt myself slipping into YA territory.  I am hoping that Tess will play a larger part in the gran scheme of things since Mead made her such a relevant character and since I know she isn't going anywhere.  I don't want her to be an empty character.

If you are a fan of Meads other 2 series' then I hope you pick this up.  Yes it is complicated and yes you will have a headache while reading it, but I promise the last 1/3 of the book is worth the headache and aggravation.  I promise you won't want to miss this!

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