The Camelot Papers

I received The Camelot Papers in a book bundle and it took me ages to get to it. I was immediately drawn in by the original one of a kind cover but sadly the cover was misleading and nothing that was listed as a scandal was even in the story.

Viviana is a young slave girl who is sold to the castle in Camelot. Resentful of her father for selling her into slavery Viviana has learned how to survive despite the horrible conditions she has had to endure. Hoping for a slightly better life in the castle Viviana attempts to keep her head down and work hard. Through good luck and being in the right place at the right time Viviana becomes hand maiden to the Queen.

While a retelling of the Arthur Legend I did not care for the Camelot Papers, it drug and lacked the humor I hoped it would have. The writing was well done but beyond that I just did not care for the dry story line full of useless details. For me the best part was finally finishing it so I can move on to something else.

The Assassin's Blade

The Assassin's Blade is a collection of five novellas in the Throne of Glass series.

Celaena is a notorious feared assassin and the stories explain some of her greater missions along with her relationship with Sam. A couple of the novellas felt a bit weak but I did enjoy seeing the earlier softer side of Celaena. Despite being a feared assassin Celaena clearly enjoys being a girl and flaunting her beauty. I like how stubborn and determined Celaena is while also showing a weak vulnerable side. All the stories added to Celaena's character development and I feel like I know her even more. All in a great read that pulled at my heartstrings at times.

Dark Frost

Dark Frost is the third book in the Mythos Academy series. I had high hopes for Dark Frost since Gwen's rival is finally stepping out of the shadows.

Having bested a reaper and seeing him safely imprisoned Gwen hopes her life will become a bit more normal. Still chosen as Nike's Champion Gwen knows she will remain a target so she agrees to spend extra time working on her fighting skills which are severely lacking. Her relationship with Logan is also rocky, due to her magic they both have misgivings about being together.

I am disappointed in the writing, once again certain words were all over and reused so many times I wanted to scream when I saw them. By this point in the series the reader should know that Carson is a band geek and Gwen's magic classifies her as a gypsy, no need to shove it at the reader every other paragraph. I do plan on reading Crimson Frost and I hope that the writing improves because I like the overall story line.

Leyla: The Black Tulip

Leyla: The Black Tulip is not my normal style of book. However my Goddaughter has been wanting to read about girls from other lands so I read it thinking she might enjoy it. Leyla is totally age appropriate and I hope to pass it on to my Goddaughter next time I see her.

When Leyla's father disappears during a way Leyla helps in the only way she can selling herself to slavers so her mother and younger siblings will not starve. Scared and alone on the journey Leyla is bought by the Sultan and being mentored by a mute lady in the palace in the art of gardening.

Leyla reminded me of a lot of the American Girl stories, some history and a lot more of the character development. Despite all her tribulations Leyla really came into her own and found her own strength in dealing with what life handed her.

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance sounded cute and fun from the description so I downloaded a sample on my Nook. I liked the opening and finally found it at the library. Sadly after the first couple of chapters I was totally bored with the story line. I had no other book with me to read so I went ahead and finished it.

Both Charlie and Fielding were annoying as heck. I could barely stand to read it when the chapter was from Charlie's point of view. Fielding was slightly better but not by much. The whole story felt like filler for the most part after about three or four chapters and I just wanted it to end. I saw no character growth or development.

Crown of Midnight

I have been wanting to read Crown of Midnight for ages but the wait list at the library has been massive. Hopefully Heir of Fire will not take as long to get.

Celaena is now the King's Champion and doing all his dirty work. Disgusted that she is working for tyrant Celaena works at finding a way out of her contract without putting those she loves in danger. Caught up in political intrigue Celaena wonders what move to make as she tries to keep one step ahead of the King's friends and avoid becoming a rallying point for the King's enemies. 

The writing was lovely and Celaena is a strong, thought out character. Despite being an assassin Celaena loves to be girly and chances to a normal woman in the court. I eagerly look forward to Heir of Fire.