The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 
1 May 2014 (UK)

Ashley's Pre-Reading
Ashley's Review
My Pre-Reading

Cassandra's TOP TEN Wizards

Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

Ashley's The Assassin's Curse Review                   Paul's The Assassin's Curse Review

Ashley's The Pirate's Wish Review                       Paul's The Pirate's Wish Review

Ashley's The Witch's Betrayal Review                  Paul's The Witch's Betrayal Review

Ashley's The Automaton's Treasure Review

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Review: I really liked Cassandra Rose Clarke's other fantasy duology consisting of The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish. The world she created is full of interesting places and people. I love how the magic is such a mystery. In this first book in a new duology, magic is more at a forefront since the protagonist has some wind powers herself. I like the elemental nature of the magic and how complex it is. It's not a simple system. It's a system based on will and natural feel. It also uses many natural objects like bones and herbs. 

There are many allusions to the original duology, but it isn't necessary to have read it. The protagonist shares our favorite pirate princess's name, but goes by Hanna instead of Ananna. I liked all the references. Hanna shares little with Ananna other than her name. She isn't a pirate. Instead she is working as a fisherman's apprentice, guiding the winds to their advantage. Ananna unwillingly finds her way on an adventure away from home. 

I really enjoy an adventure on the high seas. Fantasy worlds that take place on island chairs are always so interesting. Clarke really did an excellent job world building, showing the differences in the different island cultures. I liked how common the people were. Royalty was only referenced. 

The Mists are such an interesting otherworldly force. I can't wait to see where Hanna's adventure takes her in defending her world. After this duology, I really hope Clarke continues writing in this world. It reminds me of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra. 

I give this novel a 5/5 and highly recommend this series! The first duology gave me difficulties getting into at first with Ananna's unique vocabulary, but this whole series is definitely worth sticking with. 

--Paul

The Wizard's Promise (The Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 
1 May 2014 (UK)

My Pre-Reading
Paul's Pre-Reading

Cassandra's TOP TEN Wizards

Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

Ashley's The Assassin's Curse Review                   Paul's The Assassin's Curse Review

Ashley's The Pirate's Wish Review                       Paul's The Pirate's Wish Review

Ashley's The Witch's Betrayal Review                  Paul's The Witch's Betrayal Review

Ashley's The Automaton's Treasure Review

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Review: I have loved everything I've read by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Her adult novel, The Mad Scientist's Daughter, was absolutely brilliant and heart-wrenching, and The Assassin's Curse series is one of my favorites of all time. I love the world and the characters and her writing style and I was just so, so happy when I found out about this book and even happier when I got my hands on an early copy. 

The Wizard's Promise was everything I hoped it would be and more. You would think that after two books and two short stories, we'd know as much about Naji and Ananna's world as we'd ever need to. But somehow, Cassandra continues to grow this world even more, and it's just so vast that I don't think we'll ever know everything about it. It's inhabitants and their homes just keep surprising me, and I'm really glad that we got to see a whole other side to things. 

One of my favorite things about this book were all of the subtle (and not so subtle) references to The Assassin's Curse books. This book could totally stand on its own as the beginning of a new series, but I think knowing the characters, the plot, and the world already makes everything richer and brighter. Connections are made that will not make sense to someone who might decide to start with The Wizard's Promise, although enough of an explanation is given that it's probably enough to understand the gist of what happened previously.

I also really loved that this duology focuses on Ananna - who goes by Hanna - and that this Ananna is completely different from the one in the first two book. She's apprenticed to a fisherman and is not a pirate princess. She's never had an adventure. Her magic is tied to the wind. Oh, and she's not on the run from an arranged marriage. She's her own Ananna, and the only thing that the two girls share is their name. I really enjoyed watching Hanna learn things on her own and grow into her magic abilities and figure things out without being able to really rely on anyone. 

I am just so excited about this series and this world, and I can't wait to read the next book! I want to know how Hanna's story pans out, how she's able to help the beautiful, non-human boy save their world, and if she ever gets to train under a real wizard! If you've read The Assassin's Curse and  The Pirate's Wish, you will NOT want to miss The Wizard's Promise! If you're looking for a fantasy book with lots of magic, pirates, and even some assassins, you should definitely check out this series. It's just so good! 5/5! 

--Ashley

The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 1 May 2014 (UK)

Ashley's The Assassin's Curse Review
Ashley's The Pirate's Wish Review
Ashley's The Witch's Betrayal Review
Ashley's The Automaton's Treasure Review
Ashley's The Wizard's Promise Pre-Reading

Paul's The Assassin's Curse Review
Paul's The Pirate's Wish Review
Paul's The Witch's Betrayal Review

Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

Why?: I really enjoyed The Assassin's Curse and its sequel. I have read one of the short stories as well and I liked that too. My favorite part of that series is the world building. It is such a fantastically large and epic world! This book takes place in that same world so I am very excited to return to such a great place. 

Expectations: I'm expecting to learn even more about this world and travel to locations we may have only heard of in the prior series. It sounds like there will be more magic in this novel. I'm excited to see the magic system more established.  

Judging a book by its cover: I really liked the covers of the first series and this cover matches it in tone. It has a colder feel to it, so maybe we will be heading far North. The antler and skeletal face are creepy and intriguing.  


--Paul

The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads

Title: The Wizard's Promise (Hanna Duology #1)
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Cover Art: Sarah J. Coleman

Publication Date: May 6, 2014 (US/CAN) 1 May 2014 (UK)

Ashley's The Assassin's Curse Review
Ashley's The Pirate's Wish Review
Ashley's The Witch's Betrayal Review
Ashley's The Automaton's Treasure Review

Paul's The Assassin's Curse Review
Paul's The Pirate's Wish Review
Paul's The Witch's Betrayal Review

Synopsis: All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

Why?: I've loved every book and short story set in the world of The Assassin's Curse, so I was so excited when I learned that Cassandra would be revisiting the world in a new duology. I can't wait to learn more about this incredible world. 

Expectations: Since I enjoyed the first two books and the two short stories so much, I have really high expectations for this book. I think it will have more magic than the other two, but will be just as exciting and lovely and fun and mysterious as The Assassin's Curse books. I just can't wait to start it! 

Judging a book by its cover: I love this cover so much! It's so different from most other YA covers out there, and I think it just screams "fantasy" and "mystery," which is awesome! I'm also glad that it's different from The Assassin's Curse covers, but still ties in nicely and would look so pretty next to the other books. I would so pick this up if I saw it on a shelf! 


--Ashley

Paul's Top 5 Books Read in 2013

2013 was another great year for Young Adult books. I read over 50 books in 2013 and I want to share my Top 5 books that are not sequels. I'll also throw in the sequels I enjoyed at the end. One thing that I absolutely loved about 2013 was the inclusion of LGBT in so many Young Adult books. 

Here are the TOP 5 BOOKS I read in 2013 that are not sequels:

5. Crewel by Gennifer Albin

4. Skulk by Rosie Best

3. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

2. Pantomime by Laura Lam

1. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

And here are some amazing sequels, some of them even conclusions to a series:

          

       

     

What were your favorite books of 2013? Check out my reviews of these books by clicking on the titles for the TOP 5 and the cover images for the sequels. 

--PAUL

The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2)
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Year Published: 2013

My PRE-READING of The Pirate's Wish
My REVIEW of The Assassin's Curse
My REVIEW of The Witch's Betrayal
Ashley's REVIEW of The Assassin's Curse

Ashley's REVIEW of The Pirate's Wish

Ashley's REVIEW of The Witch's Betrayal
Ashley's REVIEW of The Automaton's Treasure

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.


Review: This world is one of my favorite fantasy worlds out there. It's up there with the world of Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue. The great thing about it is that we've only seen parts of it and there's so much more to explore. One of my favorite characters in this book was the manticore. She is a great character alone and also leads to a whole other interesting book of this world.

Another of my favorite characters was Marjani. I love her backstory and her desires in life. She's a badass with a big heart. I need to read the short story about her soon!

I liked the way this duology used curses. I did want some of the impossible tasks to take longer, but I think that's just because I didn't want their adventure to end. 

Romance is also done in a way I liked. It's integral to the story, but there's so much more. And the characters are larger than their love lives. 

I've heard there are more books set in this world so I am very excited to read those! I give this book a 5/5 and recommend this duology to anyone who likes fantasy adventures in which the world itself feels like its own character.


-PAUL

The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Paul's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Pirate's Wish
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Year Published: 2013

My REVIEW of The Assassin's Curse
Ashley's REVIEW of The Assassin's Curse

Ashley's REVIEW of The Pirate's Wish

Ashley's PRE-READING of The Pirate's Wish

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Why?: The world created in the first book was so interesting. Curses, assassins, and pirates! I'm excited to jump back into that world and see what happens next. 

Expectations: I'm expecting to learn more about this awesome world, maybe adventure to new places and meet new characters. We left the main characters on a floating isolated island so I'm excited to see how they escape.

Judging a book by its cover: I like the cover. It's very similar to the first. The art style puts my mind into the world. I'm interested about the manticore.


-PAUL

The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads


Title: The Pirate's Wish
Author: Cassandra Rose Clark
Year Published: 2013

My Pre-Reading
My The Assassin's Curse Review

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.


Review: This book picks up pretty much where The Assassin's Curse left off, and I really appreciated that. It didn't feel like diving into the story right in the middle; instead, it felt like we were just picking up right where we left off. Getting back into the dialect was a little rough, but I still think it adds to the story and to understanding Ananna, and anyone who has read The Assassin's Curse really won't mind it at all. 

I still love Naji, and I'm so glad that he and Ananna are finally able to work through their differences and figure everything out in order to break the curse. Plus, they enlist the help of some old friends and we get to learn more about people like Marjani. I love when we're reintroduced to old characters in such a way that they become completely new, and Clark does an excellent job with that. And, we get to meet awesome new characters, like the chimera. I loved her, and her family. 

The way that Naji and Ananna end up completing all three impossible tasks is absolutely fantastic. The last one seemed like a huge stretch and kind of thrown together, but I guess anything is possible in this world. Plus, it does tie in to the rest of the story, so it ended up being alright. Nothing else really seems too strained or too far-fetched, especially considering the world. And even though we already know quite about the world, there's still a great deal of awesome world-building that goes on. 

Originally, I thought this was a trilogy. It is, in fact, a duology, so everything is pretty much wrapped up by the end, which is actually kind of nice. There are going to be two more books set in the same world, so I'm really looking forward to that! And two short stories so far, set before The Assassin's Curse. I would totally recommend this series to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure, magic, and all that jazz. Plus, this book specifically to anyone who read The Assassin's Curse! Trust me, you don't want to miss this fantastic ending. 4/5!


--Ashley

The Pirate's Wish (Assassin's Curse #2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Pirate's Wish
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Why?: I absolutely loved The Assassin's Curse and I was left hanging at the end, so I'm desperate to know  if/when/how Naji completes the Three Impossible Tasks. I'm also really curious about how Ananna approaches this growing attraction she has to Naji, because neither of them seem like very romantic individuals. Ananna is headstrong and not willing to listen to anyone, and Naji is so withdrawn that there's no way Ananna can know how he feels about her. So yeah. Bring it on.

Expectations: I expect a really nice conclusion to this series. Lots of adventure, fantastical places and creatures, pirates, and the crazy Mists people all mixed up in it. Plus, I'm hoping the chimera on the front means there's a chimera in the story somewhere!

Judging a book by its cover: I love this cover! It's very similar to the Assassin's Curse cover, and it always makes me a happy panda when book covers match. Plus, the orange is really eye-catching. And desert-y. If I saw this on a shelf somewhere, I would totally pick it up.


--Ashley