Fated: Cinderella's Story (The Destined Series)

Title: Fated: Cinderella's Story

Series: Destined (Book #1)

Year: 2017

Author: Kaylin Lee

Summary: All Cinderella wants is to take care of her family.

After working tirelessly for five years to prove herself among the city’s elite, she’s about to graduate and win a coveted spot in city government. Then it all blows up in her face—literally.

A violent, anonymous force has been targeting commoners in horrifying attacks. Now they’ve set their sights on Cinderella. Either that, or she’s losing her mind. It doesn’t help that she’s falling for a mage who’s way out of her league.

Just as she manages to recover from the attack that left her scarred and traumatized, the city’s mysterious enemy destroys what’s left of her future. But when they go after her family, they cross the line. The whole city is in danger now.

How much is Cinderella willing to risk to save the city that has always hated her?

Review: For any fans of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, the Destined series needs to be the next series you read. I've not read past this first book, but the story here blew me away. We're missing the galaxy/other-worldliness of Meyer's world, but we've got hardworking heroines and snarky dialogue and sweet romance and heart-pounding suspense and political intrigue and all the things. Just saying.

Ella wants nothing more than to graduate well and land a much-coveted government position that will enable her to take care of her family. Well, her stepfamily -- a loving mother with lots of secrets and her two young daughters. But unlike the traditional Cinderella, this one is loved by her family and she chooses to work hard to support them since they can't step a foot outside of the family bakery. Cinderella's stepmother, Zel, has a secret power and a scent that any government tracker could pick up. If caught, Zel could be forced into tyrannical service -- deadly in the wrong hands.

Studying and running the bakery is Ella's life before her final exams. And then the Scarlet Blight enters the picture. Before she knows what's going on, the coveted position is far out of reach, and she's back burning stinky cinderslick to scrape whatever living she can from the bakery.

The Cinderella elements from the original fairy tale were so cleverly woven into this story! The fairy godmother isn't anything like what you'd expect, but fits in so perfectly -- given the "godmother's" unique talent. The ball, and everything... wow. And then, once I hit the end of the book, I had to scrape my jaw from off the floor BECAUSE THERE'S MORE. In addition to a beautiful Cinderella retelling, we've got a Rapunzel AND a Beauty and the Beast retelling adding to the whole story. I won't gush. But seriously. I didn't start this novel intending to give it a full 5 star rating, but I think I have no other choice. I need more books from this author.

Advisory: Some light romance, but pretty light, and built slowly and effectively. A few characters "swear" but no actual words are given.

Some action/violence. The Scarlet Blight is a terror organization putting off bombs and such in the city, leaving people wounded and dead behind them. Expect blood and injuries and the like.

This book also contains magic. However, there are only certain people who have the ability to wield it, and those who don't have that "spark" apparently cannot learn it. However, those who are able to do magic (like the mages) must exercise their talent like a muscle to grow it and develop it.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Courage and Corruption (Tales of Taelis)

Title: Courage and Corruption

Series: Tales of Taelis (Book #3)

Year: 2016

Author: Sarah Holman

Summary: Catherine is going with her mother and younger siblings to the mountains to hide from the coming war. While she fears what might happen she is looking forward to some time away from her twin brother, with whom she often fights. One foolish act changes all their plans, and one story caused not only confusion, but more fighting. 

Christopher does not believe his father’s story that they are descended from royalty. He is sure the story his father tells cannot be true. However, he is forced to go to the mountain castle of Coraway along with his mother and siblings. Will his father ever see him as a man? Will he and his twin ever be able to stop fighting?

Little do Catherine and Christopher realize that they hold the key to Taelis’ future in their hands. While they discover the truth before it is too late? 

Review: Book Three in Sarah's Tales of Taelis series did not disappoint. It'd been a while since I read the first two books in this series, but I was able to jump back in without much trouble. These books, I would say, could be read as standalones, but there are some plot points that tie in with the previous books, particularly the cliffhanger that we got from Alditha's bravery.

King John, Bryon, and Brianna return, but mainly as cameo appearances. It's been years since the events of book #2, and new heroes are arising. Christopher likes to think he's one of them, but some quick words from his father cut him down. He's constantly fighting with his twin, Catherine, and his father doesn't think he's acting like a man, and therefore, he's not allowed to accompany the knights to the looming battlefront. Since Christopher believes that a man's place is to prove himself in a fight, it feels like the worst betrayal getting sent with the women and children to safety.

Catherine, in turn, wishes her twin hadn't been sent to accompany them, but there's not much she can do about it. Except keep fighting with him, much to everyone's dismay.

But a surprise tale from their father has them laughing at the possibility that they're descended from royalty. With the current king of Taelis nearing death and without an heir, it's very possible that their family could be called upon to step up to the job. Only -- Christopher and Catherine can't accept the tale as the truth. How in the world could they be the heirs to a throne, descended from a legendary prince who went missing in childhood?

Overall, I liked this book. It had the same tone and feel as the other books in the series, and I think it fit in quite nicely. I can't say that this is my favorite of the series, but it helps answer a lot of questions that come from the ends of the previous books.

The characters were great. It was awesome to see some returning characters from book two, and get a glimpse of how they aged. The whole book seemed to be leaning towards a great conflict, but to be honest there wasn't a ton of action. I do wish we could have seen a bit more action and adventure, but I guess after the first two books, we're getting a nobility, sit-around-and-talk reprieve. Lots of stories about hidden doors and conflicts, but we didn't get to see much action around them.

The main conflict was the inner fightings of both Catherine and Christopher, as each tried to learn the lessons thrown at them. Thus, there was a lot of character development. However, I think this is one of Sarah's more preaching-heavy books. Lots of words of wisdom and truth given to these two fighting twins, and while I didn't disagree with what was said, it felt pretty preachy and sometimes heavy to wade through for a fiction book.

Advisory: Some medieval fighting/violence. A jousting tournament is held, and later on the king leads an army into battle. Some injuries are described, but nothing graphic.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars