Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Little, Brown Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Wolf by Wolf
Author: Ryan Graudin
Recent Release Date: October 20, 2015

Synopsis: The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

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Review: This is one of those hard to explain stories. I don't know how Ryan Graudin came up with this story, but it is super imaginative. Wolf by Wolf is an alternate history story. In this world, Hitler won. It's been a few years since and across the victors' nations, a race is held. Youth ride motorcycles across many miles over many days to show the unity and strength of these people. 

The protagonist of this novel has some special powers that allow her to enter this contest under a guise. If she wins, she may be able to get close enough to Hitler to kill him. 

This book took me a while to read. It had a slow start, but i enjoyed it the whole time. The relationships in this novel are complex. I liked how the history of the protagonist was slowly revealed throughout the novel. 

I give this novel a 5/5. The concept may sound strange, but this is a wonderfully written book. I recommend it, especially fans of alternate history stories. If you are more familiar with the time period, you'll probably enjoy it even more than I did. 


--PAUL

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz - Paul's Review

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

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Title: The Ring and the Crown
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Year Published: 2014

My Pre Reading of The Ring and the Crown

Synopsis: Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

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Review: I heard so much hype about the book even before it was released. Melissa de la Cruz has an awesome presence on social media. She posted a lot of cool pictures on Instagram with fans and fellow authors wearing flower crowns. Although I did really enjoy this book, it unfortunately did not meet up to all the hype. 

This book is one of those books where the synopsis gives way too much away. I wish I hadn't read the synopsis on goodreads before starting the book. 

I heard this book compared to a YA Game of Thrones, but the amazing characterization and complexities found in George R.R. Martin's epic are not present here. There is the royal court intrigue. There also is the magic, but there isn't that realness and depth that makes me want to try and read a 1,000 page book in one night. I didn't really connect with any of these characters and there were too many. It seems to be the popular thing right now to have a lot of different perspective characters, but it takes a lot of work to get that many characters across. With so many characters, I think this book would make an excellent tv show. It would be like Downton Abbey meets Game of Thrones except with a The CW vibe. There are so many romantic pairings that seem obvious from their introductions. 

Although I didn't connect with the characters, I absolutely loved the world building. The alternate history world where magic exists is what kept me reading. I always like when an alternative history takes some more modern moral stances on social issues. I enjoyed that de la Cruz included queer characters. I also liked that the chapters were very short. I always seem like I read a book faster when the chapters aren't 20 pages long. 

The last 5% of the book is a dump of reveals. It didn't flow well for me. 

I have heard that this is the first in a series, but it definitely can stand alone. I don't know if I will be interested in a sequel unless it is set further in the future and showcases the next generation. I felt everything, although dumped all at once, was tied up nicely in the end. 

Although I didn't connect with the characters, I did enjoy the concept of this book and the world de la Cruz created. I would absolutely watch this as a tv series. Oh, I forgot to mention the pop culture quotes. I loved them! It's always cool when an author connects modern pop culture with an alternative history fantasy. I give this novel a 3.5/5. I do recommend it to fans of fantasy YA, but stay away from synopses! And don't expect something as amazing as Game of Thrones. I think the hype is what might have ruined the book for me. 


--PAUL

The Ring and the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz - Paul's pre-reading

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

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Ring and the Crown
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Year Published: 2014

Synopsis: Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. 

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.

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Why?: I've heard great things about this book. When it was released, I loved seeing all the pictures on Instagram with the flower crowns. Aside from the hype, the cover and synopsis alone capture me. It sounds like an alternate history England with magic. Everything about that sounds amazing. I am just imagining Downton Abbey with wizards.    

Expectations: I'm expecting a really cool fantasy alternate history. I'm sure there's going to be awesome royal intrigue. The magic element added really gets me excited.   

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is gorgeous. I love the background colors, how the red and blues are marbled together. The flower crown is also spectacular. The light skin of the woman is also very contrasting.  


--PAUL