Land of Strength and Sorrow (Secrets of Orendor #1)

One cure can save them all...

Princess Jovi's sheltered life has taught her nothing about Orendor, the kingdom she will one day rule. Longing for adventure isn't the same as being thrust into the middle of one, which is exactly what happens when the Frost Mages attack the castle in Kingsperch.

Determined to save her kingdom, Jovi must gather an army of brave warriors to defeat the Frost Mages and protect the people she loves. She seeks help from the bravest Mammoth Rider in all of Orendor—her fearless uncle, Meical.

Jovi will endure harrowing trials she never imagined she’d face, but as a daring new enemy emerges from the darkness, Jovi will discover a startling truth about herself that might open the door to a brand new future.

Will she choose the lives of many or the heart of one?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Cassandra Fear begins a new fantasy series with her novel, Land of Strength and Sorrow, in which a sheltered princess finds herself the key to stopping an all-out war -- if she can provide a cure for her father's curse, cast twenty years before. 

Jovi represents the idea of a typical sheltered princess, but she differs from the stereotype through her strong personality, her understanding nature, and her intelligence. It's obvious through the choices she makes that Jovi would truly make a good Queen of Orendor, if she isn't killed by the enemy first. I think readers will like her determination, her caring heart, and her loyalty. Those three things motivate her to make the right decisions and stay calm in the midst of chaos. The only aspect of Jovi's personality that bugged me a bit was that she seemed a little wishy-washy at times. I also didn't really enjoy the love story as a side plot. It felt a bit awkward to me. She falls for a guard within a few days of knowing him. At one point she does admit her feelings could be because he's the first male her age that she's connected with and I think that was exactly what happened. I also struggled with the writing style at times. As the beginning of an epic fantasy, I expected more detail and a bit more weight given to the situations. 

The plot of the novel was interesting and held my attention throughout. To break it down a bit, there are three main groups: Jovi's people, Fire Mages, and Frost Mages. Twenty years prior, Jovi's father (the King) cast a curse on the Mages so that they could never have children because one Mage murdered his only son. Now, the Mages want to be cured of the curse and will either get their way or kill until they do. Thus, Jovi sets out to find the cure to save her parents and her kingdom. Though readers know that Jovi's journey for the cure is doomed from the start, there's still an air of hope that she'll succeed somehow. As this is the beginning of a series, there was a cliffhanger ending that sets up the next book pretty well. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers who enjoy a female leader who's coming of age and building her strength. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

What's Next, Wednesday (97)

•  To play along share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.

I'm looking forward to...

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. This book is the last full-length novel for the class I'm currently taking. This Japanese novel follows the love story and coming-of-age of Toru, a college student whose relationship is marked by his best friend's death years before. I'm excited to begin reading this book because I've really enjoyed reading other Japanese literature and Asian Literature throughout this class. 

Teaser Tuesday (308)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

Land of Strength and Sorrow (Kindle 60%)

     - Cassandra Fear

"I think they held back a lot when Jovi told them she'd give them the cure first."

"That's what they're after?" Bastien paced in a circle. "Of course." 

Years in an Instant

When we last left our heroine at the end of the critically acclaimed novel "Like a Closed Fist", Phoebe was floundering. Left with a broken heart and shattered pride, she turns to the much older Mitch to pick up the pieces. This time, her father’s best friend doesn’t resist her.

Bruce, everyone’s favorite tough-love dad, finally takes a stand and tries to break the mismatched pair up. Phoebe, hurt and humiliated once again, runs away from home. Out on her own for the first time, she learns life’s greatest lesson: how to grow up.

Phoebe 2.0, mature and enjoying her independence, is determined to take a break from romance. But, as often happens, her best-laid plans go awry. Is it just a rebound, or will Phoebe fall in love?

With Bruce, Mitch, Annie, Mark, Frankie, Mason, Leo, and another trip to beautiful North Carolina, this California girl has another adventure in store for her!

*May Contain Spoilers*

Years in an Instant by E.H. Nolan is the sequel to Like a Closed Fist, which I reviewed a little over a year ago. With the ending of that book leaving Pheobe's life in complete chaos, the second part of the story was bound to come out. Though highly immature in the first book, this sequel shows Pheobe attempting to grow up and be her own person -- but relationships, love, and heartbreak get in the way once again. 

In this installment of her story, Pheobe tries to be a mature adult, but the way she begins is anything but. Involved with a married man since her wedding-that-never-happened, Pheobe thinks Mitch will leave his wife for her. But he won't. Though she doesn't realize this -- her dad does and puts a stop to Mitch's interest in his daughter. Thank goodness! Pheobe's dad was my favorite character in the first book and he is sadly absent for most of this novel. Though he does do the right thing for his daughter before he steps aside from the cast list. Pheobe's reaction to her father's actions are a bit ridiculous. She moves out of their family home without so much as a text message and into an apartment listed on Craigslist. Then Frankie comes back in the picture and she's completely over Mitch and moving on to fall in love with the Merchant Marine who lives across the country. 

Though the book was entertaining, it was really difficult to take Pheobe seriously. She falls in and out of love a lot. And I know that your 20s are all for figuring stuff out, but I was judging her decision-making skills from the start. A few times throughout the book I almost didn't want to continue, but it never got that bad. 

However, let me emphasize it wasn't the writing style. It wasn't the storyline. It was the main character. I felt like I couldn't connect with her. She's described as the woman who every man wants because she's so beautiful, but she's so trusting and naive that those men end up using her or trying to abuse her. To say it's bothersome is an understatement. Overall, I didn't feel like she was realistic enough to connect with. I want her to grow into a stronger character and a stronger woman who doesn't need to fall in love with every man who shows interest in her. And I want her to decide for herself who she wants to be with, not jump at every opportunity. I also want her to put her life goals ahead of her constantly shifting love life. I mean, she loses her job in this book because she's chasing after a man who told her he did not want to be with her. 

I'm starting to ramble, which is something I do a lot. My own character flaw. As a novel full of drama and entertainment, I would recommend this book. However, as a book that readers can connect to, I think that's a struggle... And even though there was a cliffhanger ending (again) I don't know if I'll read the next book. It doesn't seem like my cup of coffee. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Read the review of book one, Like a Closed Fist.