ARC Review: Burn by Julianna Baggott PERFECTION!

Title: Burn (Pure #3)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 4th 2014 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Provided by the kind publisher..


Inside the Dome, Patridge has taken his father's place as leader of the Pures. His struggle has led him here, intent upon bringing down the Dome from the inside, with the help of a secret resistance force. But things are not as simple from his new position of power and he finds himself tempted by his father's words: perhaps if the world is to survive it needs the Dome - and Partridge - to rule it...

As Partridge's resolve weakens, Pressia and Bradwell continue piecing together the clues left to them from the time before the Detonations. It is their hope that they will be able to heal the Wretches, and free them from their monstrous fusings and the Dome's oppression once and for all. But everything depends, too, on Partridge. Separated by distance and history, can they still trust their friend and ally? Or is the world doomed to an eternity of war and hardship?


-- My Rating --
5/5 Oscars: Really Loved It

-- My Thoughts --

     I read this series because I had received the third and final book, Burn, for review. I cannot believe I was missing out on such an amazing masterpiece of the dystopian genre, and the whole book writing career as a whole.
     Pressia and Partridge are separated again. Pressia is with Bradwell and El Capitan searching for the truth about their existence and why the Denotations happened and whether the world outside survived. Partridge is inside the Dome with Lyda, moving his father's regime and making his people accept to live with the Wretches outside the Dome. But it's not that easy. And a lot of things will happen that none of them would have expected.
     The world-building in this final book in the trilogy was phenomenal. It was dense, vivid, and it felt so real, you could almost feel like you are right there, with the characters. This is an amazing feeling that not many authors accomplish.
     But it's also clear that Julianna Baggott's books concentrate more on her characters and what actually happens to them. They are more character-oriented than plot-oriented. And I like that a lot. her characters shine through in this book. And she breathed new life into them. They are like long-time friends that you know every single thing about. The familiarity with the characters was increasing along with every single page, so it's really hard to part with any of them when the time comes.
     The romance was beautiful. Not as much present as I hoped it would be. But the times that it dominated over the plot were wonderful. I admire love stories in hard times, they are such a great example of how humans are capable of the purest of emotions in the worst of times. The ending was something I DID NOT expect at all. When I turned the last page, I was shocked. I kept tapping on my phone seeing if i got a bad version or something. Because it just could NOT finish like that. I have to say that when I first finished this book,I HATED the ending. Literally. But now that a couple of weeks have passed, I don't hate it anymore, I just wanted an ending with more definite shape. I wanted to know what was going to happen to my characters. There were too many loose ends for my taste.
     Nonetheless, I am very sad that this series is over. Because it turned itself into one of my favorites in the span of only a couple of weeks while i read all three books. I am waiting, patiently, of course, for Julianna Baggott to write her next masterpiece.

Review: Fuse by Julianna Baggott PERFECT!

Title: Fuse (Pure #2)
Author: Julianna Baggott
Publication: February 19th 2013 by Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy
Source: Owned


We want our son returned. This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price...


-- My Rating --
5/5 Oscars: Loved it

-- My Thoughts --

     This is becoming one of my favorite series, ever. I didn't know I was missing out on so much when I heard about the Pure Trilogy. I received the third book as an ARC for review, so I had to read the second one to get to it.
    Pressia is separated from Partridge. Pressia is searching for the truth, the truth about the secrets hidden by the Dome and the truth about the wretches and her people's fusings. While Partridge is with Lyda, and trying to figure out whether to get back to the dome and fight his father, once and for all.
     This book is pure, unaltered perfection. I have always had this idea that nothing is perfect, but this comes so close to being perfect, it nails it. The world-building is even more advanced than the first book. World-buildings are actually quite hard in the 2nd and 3rd books because authors have already built a complicated world by then, so what's more to add? But Julianna Baggott has a lot more in store for us and she surprised me with her vivid imagination through every single page.
     The plot is swift and fast-moving and there is no dull moment to be seen. There's so much at stake and you can feel the tension and the suspense building up. There is even more complicated alliances to behold but it's never too much or too hard to understand.
     The characters are more fleshed-out in this sequel. They are separated into two groups so it is really efficient for the author to keep chapters from different points of view, so that the reader can know what's going on as a whole. Then there are the characters themselves. I cannot believe that I can love them even more than I already do. Pressia and Lyda have proven to be perfect leading ladies in this series. I truly appreciate how the author didn't make them the stereotypical image of damsels in distress. No, they are strong women who can stand on their own.
    Then there's my favorite character, El Capitan. He always brings joy to the series, and I was so so happy that he finally got to fall in love, even though it is unrequited love. The romance in this sequel stands out more and it's more reckless, with the threat of death looming around them. I loved that about it.
     The ending froze my nerves and made me BEG for the third book. And how lucky I am. Because I'm reading it while writing this review. So, put your hopes up because this book is one PERFECT masterpiece for every fan of every genre out there!

ARC Review: Queen of Hearts: The Crown by Colleen Oakes

Title: Queen of Hearts (Volume One: The Crown)
Author: Colleen Oakes
Publication: February 14th 2014 by SparkPress
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...

Not every fairytale has a happy ending.
This is the story of a princess who became a villain.
***
A Father’s Betrayal. A Kingdom with a Black Secret. A Princess Slowly Unraveling. 

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath. 

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.


-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     I am a HUGE fan of Alice in Wonderland. i have watched the animation in my childhood, and read the book a year ago. It's quite fun and one extraordinary masterpiece of children's literature. I was quite excited when I read that this book is based on that story, and I read it on that assumption alone. It did not quite disappoint.
     Dinah will be the future queen of hearts, but she has to endure her father, the King of Hearts torturous hatred of her for a while, and her visits to her best friend and the guy she is in love with, Warley. But everything changes when her father announces Dina's half-sister that she never knew existed, Vittiore and nothing in the kingdom will ever be the same.
     I went into this book expecting it to be a lot like Alice in Wonderland. But there is no Alice her. We have Dinah, who is going to be the future Queen of Hearts. It is really refreshing to look at the story in Wonderland from someone in the heart family. I LOVED the references to the Alice in Wonderland. We have Dinah's brother, the Mad Hatter, whom I loved. We have the Cheshire, but not as a cat. And we have the Cards working for the king! It all reminded me why i loved this fairy tale so much and always will.
     The only thing that bothered me in this book was the slow-moving plot. It was too slow for my taste and nothing would happen for a very long time then BAM, something huge happens and you are left wondering how you didn't work it out. But the plot was quite predictable except for those little patches of surprise!
     The romance in this book is quite non-existent. You are left to wonder whether Dinah's love for Warley is unrequited love or not. but i am hoping that the author would add more romance to this story in the next books. What's a fairy tale without its romantic couple? If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland,  then you will definitely like this book. If you are not, you can still check it out and tell me what you think later!