Review: The Assassin's Curse by Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Series: The Assassin's Curse #1
Genre: Fantasy, Action
Format: e-galley provided by publisher, Published October 2, 2012
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Goodreads

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

My Review

Ananna of the Tanarau is the daughter of a pirate. She dreams of commanding her own ship and crew one day, not being sold off as a bride to the handsome Tarin of the Harari and she plans to do something about it. Jumping ship and running away on a camel, Ananna seriously angers her would-be future family who send an assassin after her. The assassin, Naji, has to change his orders when a curse that had been placed on him is activated as Ananna saves his life.

I adored the world building in this book. There is serious chemistry when the world of a raised-at-sea pirate ends up stuck with a magic wielding and highly trained assassin. All of these aspects of this world seamlessly weave together to make a fascinating scene that I couldn't get enough of. The two unlikely and fabulous characters of Naji and Ananna are the heart and soul of this book. Neither of them are physically beautiful people, as Ananna isn't described as pretty and Naji is facially scarred. For some reason I found this seriously refreshing and along with Ananna's well-written pirate dialect, the characters were realistic and three dimensional. There is commonality and great plot between Naji and Ananna as they are both rather cut-throat and kick-ass.

The writing in The Assassin's Curse is done really well. The dialects that could easily be awkward are used perfectly and the action is written so thrillingly. What kept me from giving this book five stars, however, is the lack of pacing consistency. At times, the book would slow down from the action-driven plot. Those who revel in character development, however, won't be disappointed.

Deserts. Sea. Adventure. Magic. Pirates. Assassins. What a perfect book to warm yourself up with this autumn if you're into that sort of thing (but who wouldn't be?). I was hooked at the summary, and I think you will be too! This adventurous book ended on a pretty sizeable cliffhanger, so I will eagerly await the next book!

Find Cassandra Rose Clarke: Website | Blog | Twitter

Find Strange Chemistry: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Stacking the Shelves (#18): September Edition

This is usually a weekly post I make (originally hosted by Tynga's Reviews) where I tell you which books I've acquired throughout the week. But, since I've been under the radar for awhile, I'll let you know what books I acquired for the month of September. 

E-books

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (Purchased)

Defiance by C.J. Redwine (Purchased)

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (Purchased)

Pledged by Gwynneth White (For Review)

Paperback

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Purchased)

Slated by Teri Terry (Purchased)

Link up your posts! I'd like to see what you've added to your shelves!

Feature and Follow Friday (#19)

Feature & Follow is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and AlisonCanRead. It's set up so bloggers to discover new blogs and gain new followers. Join in! Every week two different blogs are featured. This week's featured blogs are J'adore Happy Endings and (un)Conventional Bookviews. Here's this week's question:

Q: What is the BIGGEST word you’ve seen used in a book lately – that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition & book too.

A: To be honest, I don't find many words I don't know. It's probably a combination of my reading mostly YA books and my having a large vocabulary anyway. They say lots of reading can do that to you! Plus, I'm too lazy to look a word up. I just figure it out from its context. The last complicated book I read was Game of Thrones. I admit to having to look up who characters and places were because I had forgotten! Sorry if you think this answer is a cop-out. (Ha).

If you are a new follower, please leave a comment so that I can follow you back!

Also, please feel free to follow me on Twitter and add me as a friend on Goodreads!

Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Series: Lorien Legacies #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Action
Format: Paperback, Published August 23, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Rating: 2/5 Stars

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.
Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.
I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.
And I'm ready to fight.

My Review

This second book in the trilogy shifts its focus away from John, or Number Four, who was the main character from the first book. The Power of Six introduces us to a new point of view, Marina. She's Number Seven and hiding out in a convent in Spain. I didn't like the new characters as much as the first book, and I started to dislike characters that I really enjoyed in I Am Number Four. To me, this book was kind of a let down.

As I read this book, I truly did not understand why Marina’s story was alternating in and out of this book until the very, very end when the two storylines collide. I felt like skimming through her chapters about being an undertrained alien living in a convent. It’s as exciting as it sounds (which is not at all). 

John, Sam, and Six are pretty much on the run this entire book. For people who don’t want to get caught, they do some pretty stupid things. Only when they use Six's power to turn invisible do they actually accomplish things when the plot needs to move on. I cringed every time they did something brash. I won't give anything away, but I seriously wanted to smack John upside the head on several occasions. I really think he's changed since the first book and I’m gonna say it. I hated the love ‘square’. John loves Sarah, but has a big fat one for Six even though he knows Sam likes her. And Six conveniently has crushes on both John and Sam. Can I pull my hair out?

I give it two stars because, for some miracle, I actually finished. And I quite liked the end. It was the action and intelligent problem solving that I read the book for. Unfortunately it was the last few pages of the book, and I just don’t think it’s enough for me to read the Rise of Nine. I wish more worldbuilding was invested into this second installment. I wanted to learn more about the Lorien than we did in the first book. At least we find out what’s in the chests, but it’s not enough to have me continue the series.

Find Pittacus Lore:

Website | Goodreads Author Page

Find The Power of Six: 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. Every week I get to show you a title that I'm eagerly anticipating the release of! Please link up your posts or tell me which book you can't wait for!

Through the Ever Night 
by Veronica Rossi
(Under the Never Sky #2)
To be published January 8, 2013 
by HarperCollins (US Hardcover)
To be published February 7, 2013 
by ATOM (UK Paperback)

See It On Goodreads

A world-defying love is put to the ultimate test in the heart-stopping sequel to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece," Under the Never Sky. (Examiner.com)
It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.
Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?
In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

I was obsessed with Under the Never Sky when I read it earlier this year and I could not wait to get my hands on it. I've been following it's progress from the US cover release to the summary. Now it's appearing on my Waiting on Wednesday. Can't wait!

I'll Be Back

Forgive the clichéd line, but I'll be back online starting tomorrow. That's if everything's gone right. I've been living off of my iPhone and it's been a bit rough, but I've survived.

If you want to follow a bit of my personal, non-blogging life then you can follow me on my old Tumblr or Instagram when I don't put anything on Twitter.

Tumblr: American Invasion
Instagram: americaninvasion
Twitter: PaperbackFBlog

Thanks for sticking with me. I've got tons of reviews lined up for you!