Candidate by Rachel E. Carter

Title: Candidate
Author: Rachel E. Carter
Page count: 326
Date published: October 2015
Publisher: Clean Reads
Format: Ebook
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Summary (from Goodreads):

Welcome to the Candidacy. Where dreams go to die. 

Twenty-year-old Ryiah is a black mage of Combat, but she is not the Black Mage. Yet. She’s had her eyes on the legendary robe for as long as she can remember, and in just one year she will have a chance at her country’s prestigious – and only – tourney for mages... Too bad she is going up against a certain non-heir. The one person she has yet to beat. 

Meanwhile Ry has a year to prove herself in her new role as a war mage and the prince’s betrothed. Neither is quite what she expected and complications arise on both fronts. War is on the horizon, and with so many enemies the kingdom of Jerar’s fate is more than ever at risk. 

The Candidacy finally arrives, but it’s only the beginning. Nothing can prepare her for what comes next.

After dwelling on this review for a few weeks, I decided that I'm going to boost my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. During these few weeks as I reflected upon Candidate, I felt more and more pleased with the way it turned out - so much so that I re-read it. 

There is little that I didn't like about this book. Really the only thing that I didn't like was the back-and-forth of Ryiah and Darren's relationship. But, let's be honest, that's a part of what makes their relationship great. It's real. 

What I really enjoyed about Candidate:

- The action. As usual, Rachel E. Carter does not disappoint on this aspect. This book is action-packed, especially toward the end, and will have the reader biting their nails in anticipation for what's to come. The Candidacy is also in this book so you now that's gonna be wild. 

- The emotion. There is so much emotion in this book. The characters go through some awful things. They break down. They lose it. The intensity of their emotions in this book makes it special. I had chills during two different scenes in the book. 

- The romance. Okay, I KNOW I just said I didn't like their back and forth I-hate-you, I-love-you ways but I can't deny that I smile every time they have a scene together. They've been through so much together. They may bicker like old people and get angry too quickly, but I have to admit that I love the fiery nature they both have and the passion that consumes them when they're together. 

- The plot twists. Man, the last few chapters will have you wanting to cry, laugh, and scream. Beware. The ending is great. It's a cliffhanger (which I hate because I'm impatient.. thanks Rachel lol) but it'll have you craving the release of Last Stand. 

- New characters. The reader is introduced to new side characters like Paige. I really loved the dynamic relationships that the side characters make with Ryiah, Darren, and others. It brought a fun quality to the book that I didn't know was missing.

- You get to find out who the Black Mage is. Is it Ryiah? Is it Darren? 

Overall, a great book. I binge-read it, which is becoming a norm when I get my hands on Rachel's books. Personally, I think Candidate is my favorite book of the series so far. I can't wait to see what happens in the final book. I am anxiously awaiting its release date. 

Side note: I know that a lot of readers/reviewers get feisty when an author is rude to a reviewer for whatever reason. You absolutely don't have to worry about that with Rachel. She's sweet, funny, and genuinely cares about her readers and fan base. We've talked several times and she's been nothing but kind to me. I've never seen her act rude or mean to anyone in the book world. Just sayin'.

Until next time, 

         

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Page count: 444 pages (hardback)
Date published: Feb 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Blurb (from Goodreads):

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

MY REVIEW:

If you haven't already read Red Queen .. you should probably click off of this page immediately and go pick it up. Then you should read my review on Red Queen. This review has MAJOR spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the first book. Ye Who Enter Shall Beware.

Okay, so. This book. There was so much riding on Glass Sword that it's not even funny. Because Red Queen was just so dang brilliant this book had three options: 1) be even better than the first and totally blow my socks off, 2) be absolutely awful, or 3) be dull and boring. I have to admit that I came into this book with super high expectations and when I do that it usually comes back to bite me. 

Victoria Aveyard doesn't take her time to get things going. The beginning chapters of Glass Sword will leave you breathless. You'll think to yourself, "Wow, this is amazing! I can't believe it!" But don't get too ahead of yourself. While the first couple of chapters are mind-blowing it doesn't last long. The majority of this book is slow. 

Glass Sword starts off immediately after the events of the first book. Mare, Cal, Kilorn, Shade, Farley, and others are on the run from the traitorous King Maven and his army. Still rocking from betrayal, Mare barely gets it together long enough to get her friends to safety. Cal is practically a stone figure after being forced to kill his father. Shade is hurt. Mare is desperate to find a safe haven for good. But escaping Maven isn't the only thing they must worry about. There is a list of Reds with Silver abilities that Maven is surely looking for. If Mare wants to stand a chance against the crown she's got to find these people and bring them to her side. 

75% of this book is spent with Mare, Cal, Farley, Shade, and others searching for these people on the list. While they can't save every person they can try to save and recruit as many as they can. This gets super boring as the same thing plays out time and time again. Mare will either find the person and recruit them or they'll already be dead by Maven's hand. It gets a little old. What I did like, however, are the new characters and their abilities. Mare recruits a lot of new Red-Silvers into her "army" and each one has their own personality that gives the group a new dynamic. If you thought that the characters were getting a little boring this adds in a whole new element that gives it a fresh start. Age doesn't matter when it comes to the people Mare is recruiting - if they have a Silver ability then she'll take them (albeit she won't trust them) - regardless if they're a child or an 80 year old woman. You can imagine how crazy this can get. 

Even with all of her new recruits, Mare can't get over this feeling of distrust. Maven's betrayal nearly cost her everything. She's not willing to put herself out there again like that for fear of being used like before. And while I understand this I can't say that it didn't get annoying to be reminded of it on every page. We as readers realize that Mare is incapable of trust at this moment. I don't want to read about how she can't trust so-and-so every other sentence. I get that this is a part of her character and personality but I want more from her than just that. 

Mare was such a strong character in Red Queen because she didn't know who to trust but she decided to put herself out there and try anyways. She was brave. Did she do the right thing? We don't know yet. But she tried. She went out on a limb. In this book she didn't even try to trust or care about anyone. It was like she was a robot. The reader would see a glimmer of emotion within Mare at certain moments and then it would vanish just like that. It was hard to read. Yeah, Mare was betrayed by one of her closest allies. Yeah, he's a crazy psycho who is hunting her down at every turn. I get that. But not everyone is a coo coo, okay? That's like saying a boyfriend/girlfriend you had treated you badly and now every person you might possibly date is going to treat you just as bad.

Even her relationship with her friends and Cal was strained. It didn't even feel real anymore. Anytime Mare reacted with her family it was like I was reading from another person's view. I didn't feel like Mare cared about what happened. Her relationship with Cal felt the same. Both of them are broken because of Maven. They can't go back to how it was before. They can't seem to find the strength to go forward. So where do they go now? I felt this constant struggle between them because of this. Even though Mare really loves Cal she never lets him in. She doesn't trust him enough. Because of this there relationship felt dull. There was no spark. I felt no emotion when they were together. 

Now, I've been mentioning Maven quite a bit but haven't really talked about him. That changes NOW. He is the only character that stayed faithful. He is one of the most dynamic characters I have had the pleasure of reading about in a very long time. Maven is someone you know you shouldn't trust but you want to. You want to know what's really going on in his head even though you shouldn't care. He's the monster - the villain - of the story who broke everyone's hearts and ignited a war. But you just love him anyways. I wished I had seen more of Maven in this book. He was a looming shadow around Mare in this book than an actual presence. But the few chapters that he was in were amazing. He keeps the story interesting. There are so many layers to him and I'm sure I haven't even gotten down to the nitty gritty. I can't wait to see more of him in the next book. 

The ending. What can I say? Victoria Aveyard sure does know how to make an amazing cliff-hanger. If you despise cliff-hangers, I'm so sorry. It's going to killlllll you. I personally hate cliff-hangers because I'm an impatient person and want to know what happens right away. Cliff-hangers are the bane of my existence. Victoria Aveyard, why must you do this to your fellow readers?

Here's to hoping that the third book has more action and less trust issues. And more Maven. There can never be enough Maven. 

Until next time,