The Devil's Thief by Lisa Maxwell Published by Simon and Schuster on October 9, 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Time Travel, Social Themes, Prejudice & Racism
Pages: 704
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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In this spellbinding sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Last Magician, Esta and Harte set off on a cross-country chase through time to steal back the elemental stones they need to save the future of magic.
Hunt the Stones. Beware the Thief. Avenge the Past.
Esta’s parents were murdered. Her life was stolen. And everything she knew about magic was a lie. She thought the Book of Mysteries held the key to freeing the Mageus from the Order’s grasp, but the danger within its pages was greater than she ever imagined.
Now the Book’s furious power lives inside Harte. If he can’t control it, it will rip apart the world to get its revenge, and it will use Esta to do it.
To bind the power, Esta and Harte must track down four elemental stones scattered across the continent. But the world outside the city is like nothing they expected. There are Mageus beyond the Brink not willing to live in the shadows—and the Order isn’t alone in its mission to crush them.
In St. Louis, the extravagant World’s Fair hides the first stone, but an old enemy is out for revenge and a new enemy is emerging. And back in New York, Viola and Jianyu must defeat a traitor in a city on the verge of chaos.
As past and future collide, time is running out to rewrite history—even for a time-traveling thief.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Thoughts:
The Last Magician was a really great start to a unique time traveling fantasy series and I was really excited about The Devil’s Thief! In fact – I waited in a really long line to get it at ALA Annual in NOLA. I was a bit disappointed though as I think it suffered from second book syndrome slightly.
The premise remains so unique and the set up for this second book is really interesting with new elements being put into play as well as many new POVs. I truly love these characters and they make the book and definitely elevated my opinion of the book. However, this book was too long. It’s over 700 pages and felt like many of those pages were unnecessary. The pacing started to slog and some of the plot points started to meander and lose focus in my opinion. My investment waned as the book started to drag which is a bummer because there are so many good aspects in this series!
I will definitely be finishing out the series, of course, since I have come so far! I do hope that it will get over that second book slump and feel less long though.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White Published by Random House Children's Books on September 25, 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Monsters, Horror
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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New year, new you! Don't miss this monster of a New York Times bestseller, a stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Garber raves is "exquisitely disturbing." Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.
Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.
But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.
**Ebook exclusive: the full text of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN** AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "A masterful and monstrous retelling."—STEPHANIE GARBER, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary
"Inescapably compelling." —VICTORIA SCHWAB, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Savage Song "An inventive, grotesque, and completely unexpected reimagining of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley would be proud."—MACKENZI LEE, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Thoughts:
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein was a really interesting Frankenstein retelling and was such a great atmospheric read! It had that creepy tone throughout and immerses you into that gothic atmosphere.
This was a quick page turner for me and I really enjoyed seeing Elizabeth’s POV and her character arc culminate through this book. She was a fascinating character and this book is very much a character driven book. It’s not plot heavy, there aren’t a lot of driving events, but at the same time I was kept riveted. The characters are the driving force and I kept needing to see what and how they were going to act and react next.
I would definitely recommend for those looking for a unique retelling that puts such an interesting spin on Frankenstein. Character driven and atmospheric, I hope you enjoy this take as much as I did!
I am so intrigued by the Frankenstein retelling! Its just so different from all the other retellings out there. Great reviews!