Amazingly Unique World Building
350942
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first book in 2013, so it might have led to a little bit of a lag in the "catch up" factor at the start of this book, but once I remembered what was happening -- this book really took off!  It slammed you with tons of action, heated chemistry, oodles of mystery, and stunning revelations.

Gaby (aka Gabe) is still trying to balance the life she can't remember (as a Rephaim), and the life she leads now.  After waking up in the hospital and finding out her twin was dead, she became a completely different person.  Not knowing that she's part of a supernatural race made her into a softer, more trusting person.  This is the type of person that is stuck in a hot and cold relationship with Rafa (another Rephaim).  On top of trying to figure out her past with Rafa, reconciling their heated kisses, and worrying when they will be attacked again, Gaby is also struggling to accept that her brother might actually be alive.

This book took us on a tour of all the different warring factions and how Gaby could fit into each one.  The underlying motivation for her actions is always the hunt for her brother and her own reluctant acceptance of the past.  Yes, this ends in a cliffhanger, so if that scares you, I would recommend lining up the next book to read immediately following.  For me, it wasn't bad enough to warrant a binge reading session, but it still gave me that less than satisfied feeling.  Overall, this series is still 100% unique and original enough to keep me constantly guessing.  There were some truly stunning moments in there, which only makes me want more.
3264241
Sunborn Rising is an exciting, inventive novel that combines gorgeous artwork with thrilling text. This book felt like so much more than just a book. It honestly felt more like an entire new world, full of unique, vibrant characters and an incredibly in-depth, expansive world that I am eager to learn more about.

Sunborn Rising introduces a unique world unlike any I've ever read about;-- Where the descriptions occasionally lacked, the images completely made up for. I really enjoyed the entire basis of the plot surrounding Cerulean and how the world came to be the way it currently is (keeping it vague so as not to say too much in case of spoilers). The Creepervine was wonderfully creepy and added a really great dimension to the various elements within the world.

Another aspect as this story that I enjoyed was the large variety of characters. Safronoff has created a medley of interesting species that interact with one another and each seems to truly have their own unique culture and personality. The dialogue was, for the most part, written well and realistically, though there were a few occasions where it felt a bit jilted. The characters felt extremely realistic and human (despite not being human), and I enjoyed getting to know each one's personality. Barra, for instance, is strong-willed, rather stubborn, and somewhat emotional. I began to see the similarities and inherited traits Barra shared with her mother, Brace, which I felt strengthened the mother-daughter connection.

The only issues I had with Sunborn Rising were the seemingly random POV changes and the sometimes awkward writing. The POV changes seemed to come at random moments with little to no warning; at times a new chapter would change the POV, at other times it would just be a page break. I wouldn't have minded the switches as much if they were done more consistently, rather than having one character narrate for a long while and then suddenly switch over to someone else. The writing was also occasionally a bit abrupt or awkward, which I feel is something some extra editing could easily fix, but overall it was minimal enough that it did not interrupt my enjoyment of this book too much.

If you like action books, then this is for you. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with action, personally, because I just tend to get bored when there is too much fast-paced action and not enough dialogue or description. Sunborn Rising is constantly moving, which I think would make this perfect for its targeted age range, plus anyone else who prefers a more fast-paced and thrilling story.

After checking out Neoglyphic Entertainment's site, I'm really excited about their work in general. I'm intrigued by this idea of "marrying art and science" because it just seems to open so many doors and combine so many different areas into well-rounded masterpieces. Also, it looks like they are working on even more (goodies) to go with this book, such as games and animated media, which I find extremely exciting.

Overall, I am giving Sunborn Rising four stars for its delightful, expansive fantasy world and page-turning abilities. I would highly recommend this for someone looking for a unique fantasy story with gorgeous graphics to accompany it.
4041390
This is a fantasy that has great balance of world-building, romance and character development.  With intrigue, mystery and bright flashes of humor, it's a story that keeps the pages turning. The story starts with a bang and the pace move along well throughout.  The characters all feel different and unique, with some amazingly descriptive scenes that have me thinking about the book long after I finished reading.

Overall the plot is well developed, with a few good surprises along the way and I can't wait for the sequel.
I'd recommend for readers 12+ and not just girls.  I'm handing it off to my 13 year old boy, too!
3508487
I loved this so much and can't put into words how amazing it was. There's Courts, adventure, secrecy, romance, and sass. The story is engaging and kept me hungrily turning the pages to see what came next. The characters were very complex and multi-dimensional, but I loved the author's extra attention to creating strong, intelligent and diligent female characters who were forces to be reckoned with. The dynamics between Zera and Luc left me both snickering and swooning. The world building and storyline were extensive and it felt as though I found new layers to explore as the story progressed. I both loved the ending and am dying to read more of Zera's story.

*I received a complimentary arc copy from the publisher. I voluntarily chose to review it and all opinions expressed are my own.
3663939
A great start for this new world. From the start I thought the characters would be typical young woman running from a unwanted fate, saved by a male hero. But, it was exceptional world building, wonderfully flushed supporting characters, and a unique take on paranormal/sci-fi/steam punk (?). You can tell it's gonna be a good series with the many characters hopefully getting more fully developed stories as the series goes on. Now, I do wish the two main characters' story in this book was completed. I still get like I didn't quite know them by the end, but this may have been because they come across as very young. The ending definitely is set up as a continuation, our cliff hanger.
546158
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson combines so many fantastic elements to create an amazing world, and mythology of which I could not get enough. Drusilla aka DJ Jaco is a wizard who under the guide of her mentor and boss, Gerry helps keep the balance between this world and the world of the beyond. All sorts of creatures live in the beyond werewolves, pixies, vampires, and my personal favorite historical undead. Historical Undead are historical figures that survive, because of their fame. From my understanding, as long as people remember them, they have power. If people begin to forget them, they slowly fade away. In New Orleans, where Royal Street is set, that adds up to some interesting characters, and I sure there are even more to come in future installments.

Royal Street takes place right as Katrina hits New Orleans, and during the devastation DJ's boss, Gerry, goes missing. With the damages caused to the border between here and the beyond, DJ has not choice The Elders want her back in New Orleans to keep all the creatures and undead at bay, while they try to repair the borders. All DJ wants to do is find Gerry, but with Alex Warin, her newly assigned partner, that is not going to be so easy. Nor is the fact that with the borders down, Jean Lafitte, the historical undead, is going to be coming back to settle a score. To top it off, there is a voodoo serial killer on the loose, with possible ties to the beyond.

DJ is sarcastic and funny, and she may not be a kickass Red Congress (the most powerful) wizard, but she can hold her own, most of the time. I think it is more realistic, because everyone needs a little help sometimes. Alex Warin is not so bad after you get to know him either. He kind of grows on you. My favorite besides DJ has to be Jean Lafitte. He is sexy and dangerous, but also so funny. There is just something about him, and I cannot wait for the next installment where is sounds as if he will probably make an appearance or two. I love how the mythology allows for some amazing historical characters to make an appearance. I think Royal Street is just a wonderful start to a new series, and I cannot wait to see what DJ and Alex have to tackle next.

SIDE NOTE: As someone who does not live near Louisiana and has never been to New Orleans, I cannot possibly understand how devastating Katrina was to the city, or to all the people affected by that storm and the tragedy that followed. I do remember being horrified and heartbroken watching the news reports. The author, Suzanne Johnson, who is from New Orleans manages to capture the devastation of Katrina in her story and really opened my eyes to the extreme destruction and devastation that is still being felt today.

The next installment sounds like it is going to introduce even more creatures and another mystery for DJ and Alex to solve. I really cannot wait, for River Road, which releases in November. I cannot wait to see where Suzanne Johnson is going to take this adventure next.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review**
4547476
Jordan has imagined and written a wonderfully imperfect dystopian world. There is so much thought and world-building in this story above and beyond Lees character. (Im also a very big fan of first-person perspective, since I really enjoy getting into a characters head.)  This is one of those books I feel as though I couldn't absorb all the details as I read through the first time. Now that Ive finished, I want to go back through for a second time and see how all the pieces of the beginning tie into those at the end.
3105281
I purchased this book years ago on a Kindle Daily Deal whim because the cover art looked cool. Wow, was that a fortuitous decision! It is set in an engaging and unique fantasy world with extremely positive (but not preachy) values and inspirations. But it's also an extremely engaging and well-written adventure that will leave you looking to pick up Book 2 (So what that it's 2am?? I'm just going to start the next book...). I've read it through a few times and listened to it on audio during long drives. It introduced me to the many amazing worlds and works of Jeff Wheeler but I still periodically come back to this one. My musician wife even wrote a song inspired by this book!
2146632
I've read most of this author's other series, and I'm just blown away by her imagination in constructing each new world. This book is quite different from some of her other YA and fantasy books, a sort of dystopian society crossed with a murder mystery, with the added mythology and mysticism of the gods. Really interested to see where the series goes next.
4578566
Short and Sweet:

 I adore this action/adventure story, and I especially love the unique premise!

To Elaborate

Imagine a world where the lands aren't all in the same time period. From lands in an ice age to lawless barren strips, the world of The Glass Sentence is truly spectacular. The different operations and lifestyles of the different ages are absolutely fascinating, and this first book just scrapes the surface. The story opens with a debate on border closing in one of the ages, and it feels extremely realistic. It shows that no matter the time, humankind often wrestles with the same dilemmas.

There are so many good things to say about this book, but next to the world building, my favorite aspect of the story is the complex female characters. From gun-toting lady pirate captains to the heroine Sophia and especially to the antagonist, the women simply rock in this book. They have superb agency and really make the story shine. While I love middle grade stories, I sometimes feel like there is a heavy presence of male protags with a girl or two thrown in as a sidekick or a mother. This definitely  isn't always the case, but I am nevertheless surprised when a story like this perfects a balance and offers so many dynamic characters of all shapes and sizes.

What made me frantically flip the pages of this book is the conflict. You have Sophia/Shadracks good side and Blancas evil side, but of course, the best villains are the ones that deep in their soul believe they are doing something good, and that is exactly what Blanca is like. She is so convincing at times that I nearly forgot about all the horrible things she does without apology or guilt. Naturally, she also has a truly heartbreakingly tragic background that made me nearly cry when I realized what it was.

I cant rec this book enough! Luckily, I have the sequel handy and ready for me to devour.
3913630
This was such a unique book!  I tend to shy away from high fantasy, but books like Shadow and Bone make me keep coming back to the genre.  I was immersed in the world of the Grisha right from the first few pages, and didn't want to come back to reality!

I liked Alina right from the start.  I really felt for her: she is an orphan who is totally alone in the world except for her best friend Mal.  She has never excelled at anything, is very skinny and shy around other people.  Her one joy in life is her friendship with Mal.  They grew up together in an orphanage and forged a very strong bond.  Alina and Mal enter the army together and are assigned to the same regiment.  Mal is a tracker and Alina works with the cartographers (map-makers).

In the world Bardugo has created, there is a class of humans called The Grisha.  They are the most revered and feared members of society, and they possess magical powers.  The powers range from the ability to call the elements, healing, and fighting.  The Grisha live set apart from everyone else and are ruled by The Darkling.  The Darkling is the most powerful of the Grisha, and is feared by all, even the King.

Alina and Mal's regiment has to cross the Shadow Fold, which divides the nation of Ravka.  The Fold was like a dark, terrifying desert to me.  The sand is like a sea, in fact, it is called The Unsea.  It must be crossed on sand skiffs and it is always dark in the Fold.  There are flying monsters called volcra that eat humans---thus, the main danger of crossing the Shadow Fold.  While Alina and Mal are crossing the Fold, their regiment is attacked by the volcra.  One of the volcra snatches Mal up to take him away and eat him, and all of a sudden Alina's power is revealed.  She has no idea that she has any powers, but the threat of Mal's death unleashes her true nature.

After her display of power, Alina is taken away by The Grisha to become one of them.  She becomes The Darkling's favorite, as her power is so rare and valued.  The Darkling wants Alina to help him destroy the Shadow Fold.  But, all is not as it seems.  The people Alina thinks she can trust are actually conspiring against her, and suddenly, she has no idea what is real and what isn't.

These plot twists are what made the book so good for me.  I loved that the villain is not readily apparent, and that Bardugo makes the reader actually like the villain as well as the heroes of the story.  I truly had no idea what would happen, and I love that!

My one complaint about the story was that I had a hard time catching everything. This probably would have been remedied if I would have just slowed down and read more deliberately, but I was unable to stop myself from reading quickly because I just had to know what happened next!  There were some paragraphs I had to read twice, the story was just that nuanced and detailed.  I love a good, detailed plot, which was the best part of Shadow and Bone.

I loved the ending, which provides a good amount of closure, while setting up book two quite nicely.  I am on pins and needles to find out what happens next in the world of The Grisha.  I would recommend this book to anyone, especially fans of YA, fantasy, and paranormal fiction.  It was an excellent read!
4245009
I'm not sure how he does is, but Brandon Sanderson has the incredible talent of making interesting and unique worlds and magic systems. This world takes you in and leaves you wanting more.
4125447
I loved Shadow and Bone and found it to be wonderfully unique and exciting. I loved the world building and the setting. Everything was so different from anything Ive ever been exposed to in YA fantasy!

 I am extremely unfamiliar with any Russian mythology, so as to whether the novel did a good job of using Russian elements well, I cant really comment. There seems to be a sort of Goodreads opinion that it was horribly executed as far as introducing Russian elements correctly, but I think the author did a great job of introducing awesome fantasy elements for a Western culture. (And to be fair, even though Im very knowledgeable about Greek/Roman mythology, I love it when those elements are changed around, used in unique ways, even if certain myths are completely incorrect in the retelling. So yeah. I don't understand the bashing.)

Shadow and Bone was awesome. The world was unique and so were the characters. I liked Alina, although she started off quite weak. She grew a lot along the way and she learned to develop her power. I liked the way her character was developed and her journey from orphan to Grisha. I absolutely loved The Darkling. His character was fantastic. I think he might be my favorite villain ever. I swear I see some good in him and I could read about him all day. He was so fascinating. Genya was another amazing character. She was sassy, firm, and incredibly helpful. Her personality really radiated and I think she was crucial to Alinas development. The only character I didn't really like was Mal. I think perhaps he was under developed, but maybe I just didn't really care because hes not The Darkling? Im not sure.

 And perhaps the best part of the story was the incredible twist. Not much in the world of fiction surprises me anymore because I read so much. And I was truly surprised by the way the story just shifted in direction. I won't say anything else regarding plot details, but you guys that have read the book know exactly what I'm talking about!!

 If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend picking it up. Its awesome, unique, and a bit romantic, too.
386911
Everything about this alternate  world fantasy series just makes you want to read more- a vivid world brought to life with excitement following the heart-felt struggles of very unique band of heroes
1680789
This is probably one of the most amazing books that I have read in a long time. The characters are deep and very flawed which makes the story even greater. I love when the people in a story has some very deep issues that they slowly overcome throughout the story. This one covers a wide range of emotions for me. At times I was angry with them and at others I wanted to cry for them. It is a very beautiful love story but it is so much more than just romance. It is just a genuinely unique and interesting world that I truly love. In my own personal opinion this author is a master story teller that I would compare to Tolkien, Lewis and all the others that I consider great.
3539365
Where should I start? Once again, Sanderson has outdone himself in creating beautiful story in a unique world. In fact, it hooked me so much that I finished it in one sitting.
First off, the characters were very well done. I had one problem that he introduced a few characters at the beginning and made them look important to the plot, but then they all left, leaving them pretty flat. The characters who stay, however, each have something about them that makes them work. The three most developed characters are certainly Joel who has a pretty much religious obsession with rithmatics (the magic system) despite his inability to use it, Melody who likes sketching (particularly unicorns) and commenting on the 'tragedy' of her life, and Fitch, the stereotyped absent minded professor. Some things I found particularly interesting about the characters, such as Joel's insomnia. It may seem minor, but Brandon Sanderson himself is an insomniac, so he was drawing from personal experience there. However, some characters seem right out of Harry Potter, such as the Snape-esque character (you'll recognize him).
The world is strange, but at the same time believable. It is set in the early 1900's, but instead of using electricity, everything runs on clockwork from the lighting to trains. They've even made clockwork brains (a bit like that doctor who episode I guess). The history may sound similar because he uses real names, but things happen like JoSeun (his analog of Korea) conquering Asia... and Europe. You can tell it's Korea because of a small reference at the beginning to Kimchi as a staple food, and Sanderson does have a thing for Korea since he served as an LDS missionary there.
The magic system is great, but a little confusing. Basically, rithmatists can draw straight lines that make forcefields, circular lines that make barriers that other chalk things can't pass, and pictures of creatures that do your bidding. They use it primarily to fight evil chalk pictures on the island of Nebrask, but Joel particularly seems to like dueling.
Overall, I love this book. He did a fantastic job of building great characters in a believable world with an outstanding plot.
1132571
Fascinating blend of fantasy and a post apocalyptic world. Serious world building and very real and interesting characters. I found myself intrigued by Malja the heroine in the first few pages and it was a real treat to follow her adventures through the bizarre though sometimes familiar-sounding world. I found the system of magic particularly inventive.

The people she came across, whether friend or foe were very well written and the settings really came to life. For me, there was a little too much description - I prefer salient details and a slightly faster moving story, but that's my preference. If you love to be immersed in description, you'll love it, and Jaffe really knows how to write.

This book is a great start to a series.