Review: A Conspiracy of Alchemists

A Conspiracy of Alchemists (The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #1)
by Liesel Schwarz
Published March 5th 2013
by Del Rey

Summary from Goodreads:

LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. Eleanor “Elle” Chance, that is—the intrepid heroine of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, historical adventure, and paranormal romance into pure storytelling gold. 

In a Golden Age where spark reactors power the airways, and creatures of Light and Shadow walk openly among us, a deadly game of Alchemists and Warlocks has begun.

When an unusual cargo drags airship-pilot Elle Chance into the affairs of the mysterious Mr. Marsh, she must confront her destiny and do everything in her power to stop the Alchemists from unleashing a magical apocalypse.

Thoughts:
With the exception of The Friday Society, I found that most of the steampunk books I've read last year was a bit disappointing. Steampunk is such an exciting genre with a lot of possibilities for awesome world building but unfortunately a lot of books got bogged down by uninspiring characters and confusing plotlines. This book happens to be suffering the same fate.

While I find most of the gadgetry wonderfully crafted and imaginative, the characters are kind of flat and one dimensional. Elle is a female pilot and the daughter of a renowned inventor who found herself in a most unusual predicament. Within the first few pages of the book a fairy decided to lodged itself in her bracelet and the next thing we knew she was being abducted by an evil secret society hell bent on stealing a mysterious box given for safekeeping by her client.

I would dearly love for a bit more background on her and the secretive Dark World that the author keep mentioning in the book before embarking on a bumpy ride all over the world to escape the bad guys and later on rescuing Elle's father. And the predictable romance with the so-called Mr. Mash just didn't really add in the story. So while the idea sounds pretty cool in the beginning, I found myself slogging through most of the book.

Verdict: 3 stars.
In my Books in a Series Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon

My 2013 Reading Challenges

Last year I went totally crazy and participated in 7 reading challenges. It's hard to keep track of all of them and by the end of the year, eventhough I've achieved my target I feel so burn out that I don't even put up wrap up posts for some of them.

So this year, I'm being realistic and have decided to only join 3. Let's hope I have the time to actually read the books since I'm thinking of having another kid on top of my busy work schedule.

I love fantasy so this is a no brainer for me. Thanks to TheBookCellar for hosting this and the general aim is to read and review 10 Young Adult/Middle Grade Fantasy books. Easy peasy!

Tara from Hobbitsies is hosting the Debut Author Challenge. I love finding new authors to follow. Hopefully I'll get to read 12 debut books and review them this year.

Since most of the books that I've been reading these days are a part of the series then it just make sense to join in this challenge. Book stack on deck is hosting it and I'm aiming for the Sampler level ( 5 books).

Waiting on Wednesday #8 : Antigoddess

Waiting on Wednesday is a wonderful meme created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating.


Antigoddess (Antigoddess #1)
by Kendare Blake
Expected publication: September 10th 2013 

by Tor Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Old Gods never die…
Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath. 

The Goddess War is about to begin 

Babble:
Wait! Before you dismissed the not so enticing cover you must know the fact that I just totally love Anna Dressed in Blood which is written by Kendare Blake. She has a knack of creating strong scary heroine which is also evident in the blurb for this one. Fighting among ancient Greek gods? Bring it on!

Review: Prophecy

Prophecy (The Dragon King Chronicles #1)
by Ellen Oh
Published January 2nd 2013
by HarperTeen
ARC from Netgalley

Summary from Goodreads:

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king. 

Thoughts:
Some readers and bloggers I knew were displeased with the comparison made with Graceling which  is certainly one of the most memorable YA fantasy I've come across. This could be easily an Asian version of Graceling with so many glaring similarities. There's the pre-requisite feared female assassin with royal blood who become a trusted guardian to the wimpy prince, an unwanted noble suitor and enough twists and turns that will definitely make your head spin. But there's also many elements like powerful monks, ancient goddess, dragons and a prophecy about 'The One' which makes the book unique in my opinion.

I ended up really liking the story despite the obvious plotline and the simple writing. Maybe because of the Korean setting or the fact that Kira turned out to be a very likeable demon slayer. And the fact that the romance is very subdued (just like in Graceling) makes me appreciate the book even more.

Although a lot is resolved at the end of the story, I'm guessing that the writer will introduced some new conflict to keep the series going. And Kira's new love interest; Jaewon might provide for an interesting plot what with his mysterious past and the fact that he seemed like some runaway noble from a distant land. I really can't wait for that.

Verdict: 5 stars.
Available on: Amazon