The Gathering Storm (Katerina Trilogy #1) — Robin Bridges
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.
An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources…including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar’s standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina’s help to safeguard Russia, even if he’s repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.
The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
Duchess Katerina Alexandrovna has a dark secret — she’s a necromancer, which means she’s capable of raising the dead. Her only wish is that no one learn of her curse, yet it seems everyone can see the darkness in her soul. Katerina finds herself thrown amid a dangerous power play, one where she’s suddenly a key player, unsure of who to trust.
I was first drawn to this novel because I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and the paranormal twist enticed me. However, as soon as I started reading, I found myself frustrated and overwhelmed. Trying to keep track of the Russian customs, names, and society was hard enough. The addition of the paranormal backstory completely flummoxed me. I was prepared for a necromancer, but not faeries, vampires, werewolves (I assume they’re werewolves, as they’re referred to as the “wolf people”), witches, ghouls, and probably more. After the first forty pages, I was ready to stop reading, but I hung on, giving debut author Robin Bridges the benefit of the doubt. And I’m glad I did.
As the story develops, I come to admire Katerina. She’s headstrong, intelligent, and deeply caring. She prioritizes family above all else, but second in her heart is studying to become a doctor, a desire that never wavers even in the face of marriage. Whereas most girls in this time period value obtaining a prospering husband, Katerina would prefer to make the world a better place and I love that she never gives up on this dream, even though it seems like everyone expects her to.
While the existence of vampires and witches feels awkward and out-of-place in the beginning of the book, the presence of these creatures slowly becomes more believable, especially when Katerina actually meets the charming Prince Danilo of Montenegro. Before meeting him, I, like Katerina, had a tough time believing in vampires as anything more than just myths in Russia, but his instant allure screams “otherworldly.” From there, all the other paranormal factors are much easier to wrap my mind around.
I think one of the main reasons it took so long for me to get into this book is the huge cast of characters. The foreign names, while authentic, make it even harder for me to keep track of everyone. And not only do you have to keep track of who everyone is, but you also have to remember how each person is related, and they’re almost all related in some way. But by around the middle of the book, I found I didn’t have to mentally run through each characters’ ancestry anymore. Plus, the large cast of characters makes all the plot twists intriguing and utterly unpredictable. And don’t worry, there are no shortage of plot twists in this story. Every time I’d finish a chapter, I’d tell myself, “All right, just one more,” and continue reading for another two hours.
And yes, as the book synopsis suggests, there is a love triangle, involving the handsome Prince Danilo and the tsar’s oddly cold and distant son, George Alexandrovich. But this isn’t your typical love triangle because Katerina’s choice is clear. The only thing is, you don’t realize which boy has stolen your heart until your already in love with him, which is kind of exactly how it happens with Katerina. And it’s magnificent! One of my new favorite love interests! Bonus point: the love triangle in this story doesn’t eclipse the plot at all, which leaves the reader feeling satisfied.
The ending battle scene feels oddly rushed, especially given the somewhat slow start of the book. But there are still a lot of loose ends and I’ll definitely be reading the second book in The Katerina Trilogy. While this book is a historical fiction piece, I think it will appeal more to paranormal lovers. But for those who enjoy historical fiction with a twist, I definitely recommend trying out The Gathering Storm. If you stick with it, it won’t disappoint. I mean, it’s probably worth it for the descriptions of the beautiful gowns and romantic balls alone.
Pages: 386
Publication Date: January 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Format: ARC
Rating : 
Teaser Quote: “You seem very surprised,” Queen Milena said with a laugh that sounded almost like a cackle. “I don’t suppose my dear sister ever mentioned me?”
“Only that your son is about to become a blood drinker. And that your daughters are powerful sorceresses.” I hesitated before adding, “I take it you were never close.”
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1) — Michelle Hodkin
Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.
When Mara Dyer wakes up from a coma in the hospital, her memories are fuzzy. Slowly, bits and pieces start coming back to Mara and she realizes that she is the only survivor in a terrible accident that killed her best friend, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s sister. Mara can’t return to school without seeing Rachel’s face at every turn, so she and her family move to Florida for a new start. But even in Florida she’s haunted by frighteningly lifelike hallucinations. Wherever she goes, death seems to follow.
Mara’s mom is convinced that Mara is unstable and Mara is starting to agree with her when she meets Noah. Noah doesn’t think she’s crazy. And at first, when she’s around Noah, Mara doesn’t feel crazy. But even Noah can’t stave off her hallucinations forever. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Mara, though, if only she’s willing to trust him.
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is definitely worth the hype, though it took me until about the last fifty pages to realize it. The entire book was great, but until the end, I felt like I was still waiting and waiting to be blown away. And then I was.
The first thing I loved about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was how absolutely well-written it was. Michelle Hodkin knows her way around the English language. Her vocabulary is impressive and even introduces the reader to new words (quite a feat in the eyes of many avid readers and reviewers). Her descriptions were lyrical and powerful, avoiding cliché at every turn. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is filled with alternating chilling and searing romantic scenes. It’ll make your heart race in anticipation for a variety of reasons – and you’ll love every second of it.
I really liked Mara. She experienced so much trauma, but she never gave into defeat. Despite all the awful things happening in her life, she still persevered, refusing to give up on herself no matter how crazy she thought she was. Her strength was so, so likable. Especially when she started at a new school during her Junior year and attracted the attention of the resident mean girl and her entourage. And I liked that she didn’t automatically melt in response to Noah’s romantic advances. He had to work for her attention and friendship so that their relationship turned out extremely gratifying.
But as much as I liked Mara, her thought processes confounded me. She suffered from the typical self-doubt the comes with falling for the most desirable guy in school – the he’s-realized-I’m-not-worth-it-so-he’s-going-to-leave-me-and-there’s-nothing-I-can-do-about-it syndrome. I don’t know why it’s so hard for our favorite heroines to believe that they actually deserve love, but this rampant phenomenon is starting to grate on my nerves. Also, I didn’t understand the justification behind Mara’s actions at the end of the book. Her reasoning felt flimsy and contradicted everything we’d learned about her character throughout the entire book. I didn’t believe that she could make such a huge decision so easily, that she was willing to give up due to that one action.
Still, despite my problems with the ending, it left me even more intrigued than when I began the book. I absolutely cannot wait for the second installment of the Mara Dyer series. If you’re looking for a well-written book that’s heavy on romance and light on paranormalcy, then get your hands on a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. You won’t be disappointed.
Pages: 452
Publication Date: September 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Challenge: Debut Author
Rating :
Teaser Quote: “You’re my girl,” he said simply, because it was true. “But if you do this, you’ll be someone else.”
Destined — Jessie Harrell
When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.
As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.
ADORABLE. Days after finishing Destined, I can’t stop thinking about it. And every time I do, I get this warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach. After a slew of contemporary and dystopian novels, Destined was exactly what I needed. This book retells the classic myth of Psyche and Eros, otherwise known as Cupid. It takes place in ancient Greece and while the story is set in the past, it’s given a current spin. The dialogue, mannerisms, and ways of thinking all reflect the present. This gives Destined a unique, incredibly fun flair. It’s also hard to put down and easy to love.
Destined reminds me of a mix between three of my favorite movies: Hercules, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. I think it’d be pretty hard to read this book and not make the Hercules connection. I mean, that’s where my basic knowledge of Greek mythology comes from. Harrell portrays all the gods and goddesses in a comedic and distinct light. At no point does it feel like she’s just relying on the reader’s preconceived notions of how these immortals should act. Harrell takes the time to characterize each god or goddess, bringing them to life in a refreshing manner. She doesn’t just accept that you already know who Aphrodite is, but instead shows you the real Aphrodite. I loved all the mythology and traditions present in Destined. I also loved the fantastical and sometimes frightening/creepy elements that reminded me of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. It wasn’t super creepy or anything, but just imagining myself in Psyche’s shoes as she faced the creature that “even the gods feared” allowed me to sympathize completely with how freaked out she was. Honestly, in her place, I would’ve been freaking out ten times more.
The relationship between Psyche and Eros is perfectly swoon-worthy. This is one of the few instances where I don’t want the amazing love interest for myself, but only because he and Psyche are so perfect together. I was rooting for their relationship from the moment they met. Harrell provides the benefit of switching between each of their points of view, which gives Eros dimension and substance, so that he doesn’t just come across as a physically flawless, yet empty shell. The only problem with seeing his point of view is that it’ll make you fall even more in love with him — and then silently beg Psyche to do the same. Even as I think of it now, I just want to read it again.
If you’re looking for the world’s most heartwarming and heart-achingly romantic love story, do yourself a favor and read Destined. Harrell’s writing style is succinct and elegant. She engages all five senses and paints amazingly vivid scenes. I’d also recommend listening to “Crack the Shutters” by Snow Patrol — Harrell’s “signature song” for Psyche and Eros — before, during, and after you read it. The song fits their story perfectly. And it’s also just plain beautiful, kind of like Destined.
Pages: 209
Publication Date: November 2011
Publisher: Mae Day Publishing
Challenge: Debut Author
Rating : 
Teaser Quote: Her touch sank into me like a sun-warmed stone. “This is what I’ve been waiting for. This day. I learned from my mistakes with Helen. But you?” She shook her head and smiled. “Oh, Psyche, you’re going to make me proud.”
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