The Kiss of Deception

 The first book in the Remnant Chronicles was one I was suggested on a social media group and, boy, was I astounded on how much I liked it. 

Lea is a princess and is forced into an arranged marriage to a prince she doesn't know. She doesn't like the idea of being tied down to a old man for the sake of diplomacy, so she runs away with her ladies maid. Leaving false leads and trails, the two girls flee to another nearby country to disappear all together. But leaving behind her past is far harder than she thought. Her marriage cavah (henna tattoo) on her back which was supposed to fade after a few baths, seems to becoming more vibrant and colorful. And the Gift she was supposed to have but never able to tap into starts to bloom in her.  Becoming a tavern waitress and starting a fresh and anew, Lea finds that her past is still very close at hand. Unknowingly, the Prince she was supposed to marry and an Assassin sent to kill her follow her trails and board at the tavern she works in. And slowly, she finds that she is falling in love with these two men and whom they portray. But then when news from home spurs her to head back and turn herself in as a traitor for running away, she finds herself kidnapped by this Assassin who can't quite bring himself to kill her so instead takes her back to his home country, across desserts and plains, through ruins of the ancient and canyons; all the while the Prince is hot on their trail to find her and kill him before they are out of reach. 

I'm not much one for love triangles, but this one isn't so bad. I think the thing that makes this  love triangle okay is that the characters are their own. They are full, deep, and lively characters that push the story on more than just pining over "my love for you" and whatnot. A good part of the second half is the knowing that the Assassin lied to her and he keeps lying to her because he's loyal to his country and yet still doesn't want to kill her, he's saved her--yet obviously this is a bad thing because he's still kidnapped her. Their relationship is very twisted and dependent on one another even if she doesn't want it to be. 

I also liked at the beginning we don't actually know who is the Assassin and who is the Prince. There is enough ambiguity between the two men that the reader is constantly guessing who is who and if this guy is going to kill her by throwing her off a cliff or dagger in the night or other instances. 

The character development for Lea is great and you can see the turmoil that happens for the boys (though I wish there was more of them in the story--specifically Rafe). 

I also really like the Ancients and the ruins and the stories/remembrances that are threaded importantly throughout the story. Lea is "The Chosen One" and has a prophecy about her that we find out more about as she does. I want there to be ghosts in the ruins. I want there to be more that others understand about the prophecy as they nod knowingly. I want more information about these ancient civilizations, specifically the truths behind why and how they collapsed more than just "The Gods did it." And what's fun (because I started listening to book two already), we do. 

I've really enjoyed this series.  

Castle in the Air

 I was not disappointed with this "companion" to Howl's Moving Castle though it was not what I expected. 

This story follows Abdullah, a humble carpet merchant from Zanzib. One day, a traveler comes and sells him a flying carpet. Seeing that it does fly, he buys it but then can't seem to make it work. To make sure it doesn't fly away, he falls asleep on it only to wake up in a garden that could only be from a dream. Abdullah also sees a beautiful woman who's name is Flower-In-The-Night, who happens to be the princess. On his second miraculous visit the next night, she is kidnapped by a djinn and he can do nothing to stop it. After getting thrown in the palace dungeon by her father the Sultan, with help from the carpet he finds himself in the dessert in the hands of bandits with a genie at hand. With a wish to help him find Flower-In-The-Night, he finds himself in the northern non-dessert country of Ingery and at he disposal of a vagabond soldier who is supposed to help him find the most beautiful, smart, and kind woman he's ever seen. 

It was a jolly read that I very much enjoyed. 

At first I was a bit perturbed that this sequel didn't star Howl, Sophie, and Calcipher, but I found that I enjoyed Abdullah, the genie, the cats, the soldier, and the others. I liked Flower-In-The-Night, though I would have liked it more if she had gotten a bit more screen time. But she was a powerful woman who didn't take any flack from anyone, even a djinn. The other princesses we meet were pretty awesome, too. 

I also liked the expansion of the world in Howl's Moving Castle. There is much in the world that I wanted more of and happily got it through a different narrator. 

I don't think I have anything negative to say about this one. It was very much a joy to read. My son really liked it too and got into the story. 

The Storm Runner

 Rick Riordan wanted more cultures to be represented in Percy Jackson like ways and got many other authors from different cultures to write about mythologies. This book, written by J.C. Cervantes, is a dive into Mayan Mythology. 

Zane is a kid who constantly got picked on because one of his legs was shorter than the other meaning he had a very dominate limp and was forced to walk with a cane. With his back yard in New Mexico being home to a volcano and walking around and on top of it all the time with his dog, he became pretty good at keeping his balance on uneven terrain. It was just about time to start at another school when things start to go loco. A girl that can shapeshift into a hawk appears and demons flying airplanes fly into the volcano. He finds out that practically all the people around him are keeping secrets from him and that they aren't who they appear. He isn't even who he thinks he is.  Zane discovers more about himself as he dives deeper into the mythology of his ancestors. Dealing with the God of Death and Darkness is no picnic either. 

This book felt very much like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Full of snarky humor of a teenage boy, it was fun to get into Zane's head and discover more about Mayan culture as we understand it presently. There is so much that I didn't know about and it was fun to learn. The book was written well enough that it wasn't confusing for me an "unknowledgeable" person when it comes to this sphere. 

I enjoyed the characters. Zane's uncle was funny and wasn't "useless" like some characters have been in this type of series. Brooks was alright though not my favorite. There was so much "mystery" about her and it took her forever to explain so many things--she was needed to inform us as the reader and Zane as to what is up with the Mayan world. His Seer neighbor almost seemed unneeded, though I can potentially see her being potentially bad guy worthy later but probably not. I also found it nice that Zane's mom didn't just sit back and do nothing while Zane was off adventuring. She tried to help in as many ways as she limitedly could. 

It was good, though I think the concept of "not knowing who you can trust" when you find out that you can trust most everyone was kind of obnoxious. Unless it's foreshadowing for more books, I found it kind of unnecessary. I did like the fact that The Twins  that Zane has to ask for help from turned out the way they did--trying hard for no spoilers here. I also liked the lady who took over Shibalb; she has the potential to become a very fun character and I hope we get more of her as the series goes on.

Over all I enjoyed it. For those who get upset about "the dog dies" books, take a breath and keep reading. Much of the book aside from facing the God of Death is Zane trying to get his dog back. And as you can see from the next cover, he does. So it's okay, it just take a while for him to accomplish it. It's okay, don't stop reading.