Greta and the Lost Army (Mylena Chronicles #3) by Chloe Jacobs - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Greta and the Lost Army (Mylena Chronicles #3)
Author: Chloe Jacobs
Publication Date: February 1, 2016
Publisher: Entangled Teen

My review of Greta and the Goblin King (Mylena Chronicles #1)
My review of Greta and the Glass Kingdom (Mylena Chronicles #2)

Synopsis: After spending the last four years trapped in a place of monsters, demons, and magick, the last thing the fierce teenage bounty hunter Greta expected was to ever be back on Earth. But a rare opportunity gives her and the Goblin King Isaac the opportunity to do just that. Now she’s home. With a boy in tow. And her parents have lots of questions.

Although Greta finally has her heart’s deepest wish—to see her family again—every step she takes to reconnect with them drives her further away from Isaac. Greta and Isaac planned for her to return to Mylena and become his queen, but she’s not sure if she can go back to that harsh world, though staying on Earth means giving up the boy she loves.

But a powerful enemy refuses to let Greta escape. A demon who will stop at nothing to destroy her and everything she loves. Even if it means following her to Earth and forcing her to face a fate as unavoidable as love itself.

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Review: I loved the first two books in this series. They're full of gorgeous world-building, incredible story-telling, and characters that I never want to leave behind. I was a little nervous going in to this book, because is it even possible to top all of that? Yes. The answer is a resounding yes. Chloe Jacobs managed to write a conclusion to this epic story that is everything I hoped it would be, and more! 

This book is split between Earth and Mylena. We get to meet Greta's family and see how they've been dealing with her disappearance, and now we get to see how they deal with her return. It was nice to see a different side of Greta - the side where she isn't a hunter, afraid for her life just because she's a human in a world where humans are hated, and where she has no real responsibilities other than going to high school. It's not the Greta we've come to know and love, but it is a Greta that existed once and might have existed if she hadn't been swept away to Mylena. 

Of course, things wouldn't seem right if everything stayed nice and easy! Mylena is under attack from the demon who started everything in the first place, and Isaac and Siona are desperate to return to save their people. I really enjoyed the wordplay with the title once we get back to Mylena - the "Lost Army" definitely has more than one meaning, and I loved how significant Greta's part was in reuniting the goblin army. Even though she's only a human and has no magick anymore, she's still just as important and powerful as any of the natives. 

And we can't forget Isaac, because he just keeps getting better and better. I'm so, so sad that we don't get to see any more of him, because he's such a great character. He's kind and loving, but he knows when to be firm and how to rule a kingdom. He's willing to sacrifice so much for Greta and his people, but they're also willing to give everything for him. Isaac is the perfect complement to Greta - he makes her stronger and supports her when she needs it most. He also knows how to calm her down and let her make her own decisions. 

I could really go on and on about how incredible this series, and this book in particular are, but you should really just read them for yourself! Especially if you're looking for a romantic YA fantasy. This was a perfect series ending, and the last line... I don't think anything else would have been so perfect! I am very much looking forward to seeing what Chloe Jacobs writes next, and it will be on my TBR as soon as I see it! 5/5 for sure. 


--Ashley

Greta and the Glass Kingdom (Mylena Chronicles #2) by Chloe Jacobs - Ashley's Review

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Title: Greta and the Glass Kingdom (Mylena Chronicles #2)
Author: Chloe Jacobs
Publication Date: February 9th, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Teen

My review of Greta and the Goblin King (Mylena Chronicles #1)

Synopsis: Once upon a dark time…

Greta the human bounty hunter never quite fit into the shadowed, icy world of Mylena. Yet she's managed to defeat the demon Agramon and win the love of the darkly intense Goblin King, Isaac. Now Isaac wants her to rule by his side—a human queen. And the very announcement is enough to incite rebellion…

To make matters worse, defeating Agramon left Greta tainted with a dark magick. Its unclean power threatens to destroy her and everything she loves. With the Goblin King's life and the very peace of Mylena at stake, Greta must find a cure and fast.

Her only hope lies with the strange, elusive faeries in the Glass Kingdom…if she can get there before the evil within her destroys everything.

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Review: It's been a long time since I've read Greta and the Goblin King. Almost 3 years. I was a little worried that I might not remember enough for Greta and the Glass Kingdom to make any sense, or to be able to fall back into Mylena. I was very, very wrong! Even though it's been years, as soon as I started reading Greta and the Glass Kingdom, I was immediately pulled right back into the world and the lives of these characters as if I had never left!  Even though there were definitely things that I didn't remember right away, there are so many subtle refreshers that everything came back very quickly. They're expertly woven into the story, and I never felt like I was taking out of what was happening now to be reminded of something that happened then. 

One of my favorite things about Greta and the Goblin King was the beautiful world-building, and this book was no different. Even though I thought I knew a lot about Mylena, I learned so much more about this incredible world. It was really neat to learn things as Greta learned them, especially since it made for seamless story-telling. I felt like I was trudging through the snow, stuck in the forest, and experiencing the Glass Kingdom with Greta, Siona, and the faeries. I could feel the excitement of the goblins when Isaac reveals his surprise at the party, and I felt just as terrified as Greta as the dark magick starts to take over.

Greta is still as bad-ass as I remember, maybe even more so, and I really enjoyed watching her grow and mature and deal with the magick inside of her. She's still scared that she's no good for Isaac, but she still never gives up and still keeps pushing forward, trying to prove herself and save the world she's come to care about. And speaking of Isaac, I still love him just as much as I did before. He believes in Greta, and he is willing to give up everything to be with her. He goes through so much in this book, and there were several times when I was afraid he wasn't going to come back. 

Basically, everything about this book was fantastic! It's full of adventure, danger, romance, magick, friendship, and so much more. The world-building and story-telling are gorgeous, and I can't wait to read the final book in this amazing trilogy! Luckily, the wait this time is very short!! If you're a fan of YA fantasy, this is one series you don't want to miss, especially if you like books like Rae Carson's The Girl of Fire and Thorns and Amber Argyle's Winter Queen. 4/5! 


--Ashley

Greta & The Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review*

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My Pre-Reading

Greta and the Goblin King did not disappoint me! It was pretty much everything I was looking for, and then some. Full of magic, mystery, a fantastical world with its own rules, and just enough romance without being overwhelming, Jacobs' debut was absolutely fantastic. 

I loved how Greta starts out as a bounty hunter, caring only about keeping her humanity hidden. Well, and her complicated relationship with Isaac. But, as events progress, everything changes for Greta, and she becomes much better and much stronger because of them. I don't want to be too spoilery, so I won't say much about what those events are, but I really think Greta handled herself and the situations in the best way possible, even if they weren't the easiest choices. 

Jacobs' world-building was amazing. From the very beginning, I felt like I was in Mylena with Greta and Isaac, and I almost didn't want to leave. Plus, the magic and mystery and everything surrounding the world and Greta's story just made it all the more exciting. Until the eclipse of course; Jacobs' made the whole transforming into killer beasts with no control over themselves terrifying and I would not want to be around to see that happen. Although I hated seeing Isaac affected just like everyone else, I thought that it was so well done and such an integral part of the story. 

And speaking of Isaac, he definitely added so much depth to the story. Even though he's headstrong and arrogant, he's also caring and funny, and he does whatever he can to help and protect Greta. I have never really pictured goblins as being attractive or caring, or anything other than short, scary, little creatures that haunt the dreams of children... but I'll take a goblin like Isaac any day. I think he's probably one of my favorite heroes in any book I've read recently. 

I definitely have some unanswered questions, but they just make me look forward to the next book all the more! The sooner it comes out the better... and I'll definitely be trying my hardest to get an ARC so that I can read it ASAP and learn more about Greta, Isaac, and Mylena! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy novels, especially those with a strong heroine who doesn't depend on anyone to save her. Even those who aren't really fans of YA would probably like this, although fans of YA fantasy would definitely like it more. I would rate this book as a 4/5. 


--Ashley

Greta & the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Greta and the Goblin King
Author: Chloe Jacobs
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse.

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...

Why?: A strong heroine, a dark, mysterious, attractive goblin king, mystery, fantasy, and magic? Count me in! This book has been on my TBR shelf for a while, and it sounds like it has all the makings to be really fantastic. I haven't read a YA Fantasy in a few months, so I'm really looking forward to reading this one.

Expectations: I expect a pretty epic story, with magic, romance, danger, mystery, and adventure. I've heard so many good things about this book, I'm really expecting quite a lot from it. I hope it delivers!

Judging a book by its cover: I actually really like this cover. The moon and the guy in the trench coat (who I assume is Isaac), are kind of reminiscent of werewolves... But I guess since everyone in the world transforms into something dark with the eclipse it's ok. I would probably pick this book up off a shelf though, so props for that!


--Ashley