Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined."

This book has been sitting in my TBR pile for a while now, but I read Rogerson's last book, An Enchantment of Ravens, and while it wasn't bad it did drag a little bit. I was sure her second novel would be just fine, but I've had so many other things I was pumped to read that it ended up on the back burner. It kept calling to me, though, because...well...

It's so pretty!

I mean, look at it. One thing Margaret Rogerson's books definitely have going for them is that their covers are to die for. Something else that this particular book has going for it? That it kicks ass.

Yeah, that's right. I was sleeping on Sorcery of Thorns! I finished the book I had been reading before bed and needed a new one, so I was like meh...I've been waiting long enough on this one, might as well give it a go and see how it is. Y'all...I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this in three nights (and that's no joke! I'm fucking serious about my bedtime, I have an alarm set and everything). This book rocked. In the words of Pam Beesley, it rocked my ass off.

For starters, there's the dedication: "For all the girls who found themselves in books." 

I have observed to my friends on countless recent occasions that the older I get (or maybe the more librariany I get? I don't know, I just know that's when it all started), the more emotional I seem to become, and this book got me good. Elisabeth is intelligent, assertive, and courageous, basically everything that sweet baby Dewey wanted to be growing up, and while I feel like I've done pretty well by sweet baby Dewey in the grand scheme of things, I grew up being told that women were meant to be meek and submissive, so it is always a privilege when I get to read about a character who is strong, driven, and tough and who fights for what she believes in the way Elisabeth does. I wish that I had more examples like her growing up, and I will never stop being thrilled at all of the examples of strong women that are around in literature and movies today. Give me more tall as hell library workers with swords, please! I'll take them all.

As far as my worry that this book would drag the way Ravens did, I had no need to fear. It doesn't take long for things to get going, and once they do, the pace does not slow. And the characters, you guys. As mentioned, Elisabeth is fierce as fuck, which won me over immediately, but then we also get Nathaniel, who just...I mean...you couldn't ask for a more tragic, reluctantly heroic love interest (possible spoiler, I guess? But come on. You know as soon as he's introduced). And then there's Silas, arguably the best character in the book. (Don't argue with me, though. It's fine if you disagree, we're allowed to have different favorite characters.) The nuance he brings to the table and the way his narrative forces us to question  the black-and-white evil versus good worldview Elisabeth grew up with is a thing of beauty. I fell in love with him immediately, and even with his repeated reminders that however he might seem, he shouldn't be trusted, I couldn't help it. I also adored Elisabeth's roommate, Katrien, and if I had one wish for this book, it would be that she was in it more. But come on, if my one complaint is that the characters were so good that I wanted more of them, well...that's not so bad, is it?

Alright, I've talked a lot about this book without saying anything about the plot. I know that's weird, and honestly, I want to talk plot. So badly. But I'm a little afraid that if I do I'll spoil something without meaning to, and given the number of times I gasped out loud or had to stop and text my husband that my mind had just been blown, I really don't want to do that. So...I'm not going to. I'm just going to say that this book is magical and strongly recommend that if you are a fan of fantasy, strong female characters, and magic, you pick up a copy. You won't regret it!

The True Queen - Sarah Fine

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Now that Ansa knows she is the destined queen of Kupari, she is desperate to find a permanent home for her people, the Kriegere, in the Kupari lands. But as the small band of warriors crosses into the foreign territory, Ansa loses her fragile grip on her newly-acquired—and violent—fire and ice magic and puts everyone, including her love Thyra, in danger.

Inside the walls of Kupari, Elli maintains the facade that she is the magical queen, with her secret—that she has no magic at all—on the brink of exposure every day. But as she tries to prepare the citizens to protect themselves from another invasion, unrest spreads as wielders like her beloved Oskar begin to lose control of their powers.

As Kupari grows increasingly unstable, with the land literally crumbling beneath their feet, and a common enemy once again threatening everything, these two young women on a collision course with destiny must find a way to save the realm and their people from total destruction.In this epic conclusion to the Impostor Queen series, Sarah Fine’s sweeping tale of two fierce leaders imbued with unimaginable power and called to unthinkable sacrifice finally answers the question: who has the strength to be the True Queen?"

OMFG you guys, I posted my First Page Friday for this book and said it was weird reviewing this one since I hadn't reviewed the first two of the series, and then I went back to look through my old reviews, and I did review the first one! HA! How did I forget? And why did I review the first and decide to review the third, but I never reviewed the second? (Honestly...because I read the second book on a plane flying home from Italy, and that flight destroyed me.) I don't want to leave the second book out, so I'm going to turn this into a two-fer.

So...The Cursed Queen is the second book in this series, and it follows Ansa, who was stolen from her people by the Krigere, a warrior clan, as a small child. After a run-in with the Kupari's Valtia during a battle on the water, Ansa is imbued with the Valtia's powers over fire and ice. The young warrior believes herself to have been cursed by the Kupari leader, and, fearful of witchcraft, she struggles to hide and control her new powers. Gradually, she learns the true meaning of her powers, and as she gains knowledge about her past and future, she struggles to determine who she can trust. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Ansa's journey was stressful and terrifying at times, and while I was pretty sure I knew who she could trust, there were definitely times where I, like Ansa, was terrified that she couldn't trust anyone. I also felt her powerlessness in the moments where she couldn't figure out how to control the fire and ice, and whew...this book was equal parts stressful and awesome.

The True Queen picks up with Ansa preparing to follow Thyra and her people into Kupari, to remove the person she believes to be a false queen from her throne and create a new home for the Krigere. It alternates between Ansa and her journey and Elli, who is struggling to lead the Kupari people as the land around them revolts, causing terrible earthquakes and, worse, weakening magic-wielders and causing some to lose control of their magic. Ansa must avoid falling under control of the evil elders who were responsible for the deaths of the Valtias before her while also harnessing her seemingly uncontrollable powers before they destroy her, and Elli must find a way to hold her people together and stop the earth itself from shaking apart so she can unite with her Valtia and, together, lead their people. I enjoyed parts of the third book in this trilogy, but I didn't feel the story was as compelling or as strong as the first two books. Much of the first two-thirds or so felt repetitive. The first two books were action-packed, while this third installment primarily featured Ansa wandering in the woods at the Kupari border and Elli wringing her hands about how to stop the earthquakes. I wish things had moved more quickly in the beginning so we could have had more action in the end. Overall, though, it was a great trilogy, and I enjoyed it!

Umbertouched - Livia Blackburne

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi—and himself—where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer’s vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself—especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left.

Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way."

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Some of the characters pulled me in, and I found myself eagerly reading certain chapters because I had to know what would happen to them. Exactly what you want from a book, right? So why the mixed feelings? Because when I wasn't eagerly reading those certain chapters, I kept forgetting I was reading this book. 

Just like with the first book in the series, Rosemarked, while the plot is intriguing and the characters are compelling, the book is too long for the story it's telling. It's like wandering in the desert alongside Zivah and Dineas...every once in a while, you may come across an oasis of a few chapters and can't stop reading, but in between are long stretches of nothing progressing. It's not a bad read, but the pace was too slow to keep me consistently engaged, and in the end there wasn't even any of the resolution that I expected. Ultimately, if you need something to read and this duology is what's available, go ahead and pick it up. If you're weighing your options and this is one of them, there are better books out there.

The Reader - Traci Chee

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story.

Sefia lives her life on the run. After her father is viciously murdered, she flees to the forest with her aunt Nin, the only person left she can trust. They survive in the wilderness together, hunting and stealing what they need, forever looking over their shoulders for new threats. But when Nin is kidnapped, Sefia is suddenly on her own, with no way to know who’s taken Nin or where she is. Her only clue is a strange rectangular object that once belonged to her father left behind, something she comes to realize is a book.

Though reading is unheard of in Sefia’s world, she slowly learns, unearthing the book’s closely guarded secrets, which may be the key to Nin’s disappearance and discovering what really happened the day her father was killed. With no time to lose, and the unexpected help of swashbuckling pirates and an enigmatic stranger, Sefia sets out on a dangerous journey to rescue her aunt, using the book as her guide. In the end, she discovers what the book had been trying to tell her all along: Nothing is as it seems, and the end of her story is only the beginning."

If it hasn't already become clear, I'm a sucker for pretty book covers. I mean, realistically, who isn't? That's the point of a cover, to make you want to read the book! This cover...ohh boy, it made me want to read this book. Look at it. Feast your eyes. It's gorgeous.

Then read the words, "This is a book. You are the reader. Look closer. There's magic here."

I couldn't not be tingling with anticipation after that. I wanted to love everything about this book. It's such an intriguing concept, after all. In a world where books are not allowed and no one (or mostly no one) even knows how to read, Sefia is on her own, on the run from the unknown assassins who murdered her father and kidnapped her aunt Nin, protecting a mysterious rectangular object...The Book. She rescues a young man from a group of men who kidnap boys to brutalize them and force them to battle others in fighting rings, and the two of them team up to discover who is behind the kidnapping of her aunt and uncover the man they have been told is behind these horrific fighting rings. What's not to love about this premise?

As it turns out, the fact that this is all laid out by about page 65, and then nothing much new happens until roughly 350 pages later. It wasn't bad...there was enough to keep me reading, even if I wasn't dying to pick up this book over some of the others I'm working on. There was some excitement and intrigue, and I really enjoyed some of the characters. I just wish things had moved a little more quickly. The pacing of the book felt off, and the transitions between Sefia's story and her reading of The Book weren't always the smoothest. 

That being said, Chee did manage to reel me back in. Just when I was getting to a point near the end of the book where I had decided if it didn't grab me soon, I wasn't going to be reading the next book, I got to a chapter titled, appropriately, "answers." Those answers weren't much, but they were enough to convince me to give The Speaker a chance. I'm hoping now that most of the world-building is done and characters have been established, the pace of the next book will keep me more engaged. If not...at least there are plenty other books in the sea. Or something.

American Street - Ibi Zoboi

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"The rock in the water does not know the pain of the rock in the sun.

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.

But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice,  will she pay the price for the American dream?"

Fabiola came to the United States with her mother from Haiti, planning to move to Detroit and live with her aunt and cousins. When they arrive in the United States, however, Fabiola's mother is detained by immigration, and Fabiola is forced to continue on to Detroit alone. Once there, she pushes tirelessly to find a way to free her mother, even as she adjusts to life in the United States, making friends and even getting a boyfriend. Sadly, however comfortable she may start to feel, Detroit is different from Haiti in ways she couldn't expect, and there are things about her new life she couldn't possibly understand. When Fabiola gets in over her head in her quest to get her mother to Detroit, will she be able to find her footing and make things right? Or will her new life be forever altered?

I've been putting off writing this review for a long time because while there were things I really enjoyed about the book, it also had some pretty big flaws, and I wasn't sure what to say about it. The one big issue I struggled with was that it tried to do a lot and consequently lacked character and plot development and seemed to lose the thread of different storylines partway through, then pick back up later in ways that didn't quite connect to me. Possibly the biggest example of this, for me anyway, was Fab's relationship with her boyfriend...there just wasn't enough buildup to the relationship for any of the interactions between the two of them to hold any impact, and a lot of the tension in their relationship made no sense to me and seemed over-the-top as a result. I wish some of the branches in the plot had been pared down, because despite doing way too much, it was a good read, and the world needs more titles like this one. Ultimately, while this wasn't my favorite book, I did enjoy it, and I recommend picking it up if you're looking for something new to read. If you're an audiobook fan, the narrator did a fantastic job--it's definitely worth a listen.

Turtles All the Way Down - John Green

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship."

This book is wonderful in so many ways. A few of those ways: 

First, Aza and Daisy's relationship is so interesting...both the way they balanced each other out and the way they handled conflict. It's always refreshing when I read a book like this, with best friends who genuinely love and want the best for each other, even when they clash with each other. They got upset with each other, for valid reasons, but they never lost sight of how much they cared about each other, and they did their best to show that even when they were fighting.

Second, it was touching to see the relationship between Aza and Davis develop. The two of them were so unique and had been through so much, I was worried that their burgeoning relationship would end up being just like every other realistic fiction romance. Now, this is John Green we're dealing with here, so I'm not sure why I was worried, but of course I didn't need to be. The two of them together were just as one-of-a-kind as they are individually, and as bittersweet as it was to watch them struggle to find a balance as they grew closer to each other, I loved every minute of it. 

Finally, Aza's struggle with her mental health felt so real that at times it was difficult to read about. As hard as it was, though, we need more books like this. We need books that dig into what it's like to struggle with things like OCD, depression, anxiety...more books that help us realize that, while we may feel like everything is wrong with us and nothing about us is normal, there are people all around us going through that same struggle. The thing that particularly resonated with me was Aza's worry that if you need a pill to make you feel like yourself, then the self you are while taking that pill is not actually you. I know people who have struggled with this very thing, so to read a book with a character going through that hit me hard. Give me more books that help me understand what struggles like this feel like. I want them all.

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. "

Everyone should read this book. It might as well be non-fiction...it sure as hell felt like non-fiction. I don't live in Starr's world, and THUG is such an eye-opening glimpse into how differently kids in her situation grow up compared to how I did. I get nervous when there's a cop behind me in traffic because getting a ticket would be inconvenient. Kids like Starr grow up being taught how to behave with police officers to hopefully, fingers crossed, if everything goes well, not end up beaten or dead. 

Let that sink in, man.

Kids in Starr's situation are growing up legitimately afraid for their lives. Jesus Christ. 

Read this book. Then give it to a friend and get them to read it.

All American Boys - Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Rashad is absent again today.

That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all…

Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all. Because it didn’t matter what Rashad said next—that it was an accident, that he wasn’t stealing—the cop just kept pounding him. Over and over, pummeling him into the pavement. So then Rashad, an ROTC kid with mad art skills, was absent again…and again…stuck in a hospital room. Why? Because it looked like he was stealing. And he was a black kid in baggy clothes. So he must have been stealing.

And that’s how it started.

And that’s what Quinn, a white kid, saw. He saw his best friend’s older brother beating the daylights out of a classmate. At first Quinn doesn’t tell a soul…He’s not even sure he understands it. And does it matter? The whole thing was caught on camera, anyway. But when the school—and nation—start to divide on what happens, blame spreads like wildfire fed by ugly words like “racism” and “police brutality.” Quinn realizes he’s got to understand it, because, bystander or not, he’s a part of history. He just has to figure out what side of history that will be.

Rashad and Quinn—one black, one white, both American—face the unspeakable truth that racism and prejudice didn’t die after the civil rights movement. There’s a future at stake, a future where no one else will have to be absent because of police brutality. They just have to risk everything to change the world.

Cuz that’s how it can end. "

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." -Desmond Tutu

I wish this book wasn't so necessary, but god damn. It might as well be non-fiction. Rashad stops by the corner store on a Friday after school to get a bag of chips. When he bends down to get his cell phone out of his bag, a woman trips over him. When the shop owner and a police officer see a bag of chips fly out of his hands, they assume he was shoplifting, so naturally the police officer cuffs him and then proceeds to beat the shit out of him, landing the teenaage ROTC student in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken nose, and internal bleeding.

Quinn is waiting outside the corner store to score some beer for a party when he sees his best friend's older brother, a police officer, beating a black teenage boy outside the store. At first, Quinn can't come to terms with what he's just witnessed. Paul has been like a father to him since his own father died, and he wants to believe there was a reason for what went down. But what reason can there be that would explain what he saw? As much as he wants to support his best friend's family, Quinn has some difficult decisions to make about what he believes and what kind of person he wants to be.

This book might make you cry. Honestly, it probably should, for all the people who are #absentagaintoday.

The Impostor Queen - Sarah Fine

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sixteen-year-old Elli was only a child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic in service of her people. The only life Elli has known has been in the temple, surrounded by luxury, tutored by magic-wielding priests, preparing for the day when the queen perishes—and the ice and fire find a new home in Elli, who is prophesied to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between her love for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must choose the right side before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed."

Talk about an unputdownable book. There were so many moving parts to this book, and I needed answers to all of them. To start with, the Elders of Kupari and their acolytes have powers, just like the Valtia, so why does so much responsibility rest on her shoulders? Where did the magic go after Elli tried to take it? She felt it, so obviously there's something magical about her, but if she can't wield the Valtia's magic, what is she? Even more questions crop up when Elli is exiled and Oskar finds her. There are way more magic wielders in the outlands than she ever could have believed, and the things Elli starts to hear from her fellow exiles begin to poke holes in what she's been taught all her life. What the hell is actually going on?! Readers get some answers, but truth be told, the end of this book is only the beginning. It definitely leaves you wanting more.

Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover: 

"This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.


BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes."

This book is a fucking roller coaster ride. The audiobook is amazing, the book is unique and fascinating, and I highly recommend both versions. I don't want to get into any details of the story because how do I talk about it without giving stuff away? I don't think I can! But seriously, seriously, I cannot say enough good things about this book. Fans of Firefly, it's got a similar vibe. Fans of good books, this book is incredible. Anyone considering picking it up who is put off by the size--it's a tome--don't be! The book is so large because it's laid out like a real dossier, with case files, images, all kinds of incredible formatting. It seems huge, but it goes by surprisingly quickly. The audiobook does as well. It's read by a full cast, and it's more like listening to a movie than an audiobook. I loved both versions so much that I listened to the audiobook, immediately read the book version, read the book version again, and then re-listened to the audiobook. Four reads back to back, no lie. Truly, this is more than a book...it's a work of art. For the love of god, do yourself a favor...read it!

Rosemarked - Livia Blackburne

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"A healer who cannot be healed . . .

When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it’s only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she’s destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art—until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill.

A soldier shattered by war . . .

Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he’ll do anything to free them from Amparan rule—even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.

Thrust together on a high-stakes mission to spy on the capital, the two couldn’t be more different: Zivah, deeply committed to her vow of healing, and Dineas, yearning for vengeance. But as they grow closer, they must find common ground to protect those they love. And amidst the constant fear of discovery, the two grapple with a mutual attraction that could break both of their carefully guarded hearts.

This smart, sweeping fantasy with a political edge and a slow-burning romance will capture fans of The Lumatere Chronicles and An Ember in the Ashes."

I was lukewarm on this one. The concept was intriguing, and the execution wasn't bad, but it was longer than it needed to be. If I drew a line graph of the action throughout the book, it would look like someone flatlining and then finally being revived just when you thought hope was gone. The book starts off strong. Zivah is a promising apprentice healer who passes her final test just as a squadron of soldiers camped in her village falls ill with the rose plague, a vicious illness that kills most who succumb to it and leaves many survivors permanently infected and contagious to everyone around them. While caring for the soldiers, Zivah also contracts the plague, surviving but ending up one of the permanently contagious. At first, Zivah loses all hope, planning to live out the rest of her life in isolation, unable to put her skills as a healer to good use. When she and Dineas are forced together, another path presents itself and the two of them set off to the capital, planning to spy on the Amparan leader and help free their people from its rule.

Here's where the flatline begins. pick a chapter in the middle, any chapter, and I can pretty much guarantee you that what happens is 1. Dineas trains, 2. Zivah works as a healer in the rosemarked compound, and 3. Dineas comes to the compound for his regular visits with Zivah to make his report of what he's learned. Lather, rinse, repeat. At times, I wasn't even sure what, exactly, they were trying to accomplish with their infiltration. Fortunately, just when I was starting lose hope, the last few chapters blew up. Zivah and Dineas were forced into action, and the book ended leaving me wanting more. Good save, Blackburne!