Enchantress by James Maxwell Review

I won a copy from Goodreads First Reads.

"Ella and her brother, Miro, are orphans, their parents killed long ago in the ongoing struggle against the mad Emperor.

From the day Ella witnesses an enchanter using his talents to save Miro from drowning, she knows what she wants to be. But the elite Academy of Enchanters expects tuition fees and knowledge. Determined, Ella sells flowers and studies every book she can. Meanwhile, Miro dreams of becoming one of the world's finest swordsmen, wielding his nation’s powerful enchanted weapons in defense of his homeland.

A dark force rises in the east, conquering all in its path, and Miro leaves for the front. When the void Miro left is filled by Killian, a charming stranger from another land, Ella finds herself in love. But Killian has a secret, and Ella’s actions will determine the fate of her brother, her homeland, and the world.

The first book in the epic Evermen Saga."

After a couple emails sent because I was sent the wrong book (same title, but wrong things within the cover), I was finally sent the right book. Honestly, Enchantress is better than Enchantress. Heh. Now that makes things a bit more complicated, eh? Alright, let's break it down. The case of mistaken identity is irritating at least, but the book, Enchantress, is worth it.

Oh, wait. Which Enchantress? 

This Enchantress. Written by James Maxwell. Not the other one written by Constance O'Banyon (which I had to look up because I forget authors' names way too easily). Enchantress does indeed involve enchantresses. Ella is one, obviously. Miro, her brother, is not. I'm going to say upfront that Enchantress is better than I thought. I'm going to tell you that it is really long (about four or five hundred pages) and super thick.

But the story gets interesting. Maxwell starts adding in a bunch of concepts (such as technology, magic, and other things which may or may not include aliens/gods). For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to say that it is complicated. But Maxwell does a great job of balancing all these crazy facts. I never got lost. Not even once. And yes, I do remain addicted to Enchantress to the very end. It is utterly fascinating. 

Ella is the more interactive of the two siblings. As an enchantress (and perhaps the girl in the cover), she is willful and determined. I actually like her a lot. She doesn't whine. She doesn't complain. She is smart, but a bit too smart for her own good (and other people's own good). She is a bit naive, but she has a very steep learning curve. Reminds you of anyone, eh? Perhaps Dr. Brennan from Bones, the tv show. "Very steep learning curve."

Okay, I'll stop making references.

Miro, on the other hand, is less active. He is a bit too passive for my liking, and he is like a toddler (way too naive and kind). 

Killian is the love interest for Ella. He may be a very questionable character (like Once Upon A Time's favorite pirate), but he shares great chemistry with the main character (eww... Not with Miro. That is gross). 

Overall, Enchantress is worth reading (unless you don't have much time). I say it will take about four hours to finish it, three if you hurry. It is totally not recommended for immature people who would most definitely not understand adult problems. Well, I wouldn't call them adult problems, but thievery and chemistry totally runs pretty close. To at least older teenagers, who have raging hormones. 

Rating: Four out of Five

The Sleepwalker by Robert Muchamore Review

"345 people are dead...

An airliner has exploded over the Atlantic leaving 345 people dead. Crash investigators suspect terrorism, but they're getting nowhere.

A distressed twelve year old calls a police hotline and blames his father for the explosion. It could be a breakthrough, but there's no hard evidence and the boy has a history of violence and emotional problems."

Ooo... A plane crash. Now doesn't that sound like recent events? A bunch of plane crashes. Malaysia? Yeah, it is still way too soon. It may had happened months and months ago, but you can't help but be reminded of all those terrible deaths. And that number in the synopsis... It just sounds so similar to both flights. 

Anyway, The Sleepwalker surprisingly doesn't refer to anything but a character. Its relevance is pretty much close to nothing. Honestly, I have no idea why Robert Muchamore named it The Sleepwalker. Aren't there better names than that? Like maybe The Con Artist or The Possibly New Recruit for CHERUB. Honestly, there are much better names than The Sleepwalker. The title is just boring. And weird. Awkward. Irrelevant.

Great. I'm now a talking parrot. 

The plot isn't that bad actually. Lauren takes control of the plot (for like most of it, I guess), and she shows great potential as a character and a spy. She is already a wonderful CHERUB, and she would probably be the best of them all. Yes, she is pretty much that legendary. I like her better than James Adam, who still can't keep his wandering eyes off of some random girl's rack. And I'm not kidding about that.

The villain is interesting, too. He is a possible murderer along with the titles of a businessmen and possible killer of all those 345 passengers (including poor Dr. Mac's grandchildren and wife). Despite all those sad moments, Muchamore managed to keep it upbeat. Dr. Mac's grandchild managed to make part of the tragedy amusing yet also sorrowful. Very nice work.

Overall, The Sleepwalker is a great book. Because of Lauren's awesomeness (but not because of James' arrogance), you should probably read this book. After reading the first book, of course. It is great for fans of Alex Rider, and it is similarly written like Alex Rider and some other spy books I'd long forgotten. 

I should also note that the writing is getting a bit more... Cussy? More cuss words. I don't think "cussy" is even a word, is it?

Last wish: James Adam, would you please stop trying to undress every girl who walks by? Oh, I mean, mentally undress. As a girl, I do not nor ever wish to hear whatever you are thinking in your fifteen year old mind.

Rating: Four out of Five

Mad Dogs by Robert Muchamore Review

"The British underworld is controlled by gangs. When two of them start a turf war, violence explodes onto the streets.

The police need information fast and James Adam has the contacts to infiltrate the most dangerous gang of all."

James Adam goes back to a previous case. Keith Moore may still be in jail, but his son is still crazy and stupid. Yeah, Junior Moore is the way in to a new gang called Mad Dogs. It is one of the five major gangs controlling the area Keith Moore once controlled. I'm going to say that it is quite fascinating to see the effects James Adam caused by breaking in and working for the CHERUBS/MI5. He made a lot of changes. Some of them good. Some of them bad. But it is certainly progress in the war on gangs. 

The new guys, Keith's former business partner, is controlling the Mad Dogs. I'm going to tell you that for once, I wish the bad guys know about the CHERUBS. Alex Rider certainly got caught a few times, and he manages to use his wits to get out of his troubles. Why can't James Adam? In my opinion, James Adam has been trained longer, (sees more women/girls than Alex Rider,) and went on many more missions than Mr. Rider. Why can't he be caught? It would make the book very interesting for once.

James Adam still has his wandering eyes. I have pretty much nothing else to say about him. Other than the fact that he is a few more steps closer to being Mr. James Bond. Someone seriously needs to give him a reality check. He is so arrogant. And conceited. 

And Mr. Muchamore (the author) dropped some very interesting references to pop culture. I guess that is worth a mention, huh?

Lauren is far more interesting. It is such a pity that she is pretty much a secondary character (second class citizen). But Lauren is certainly a toughie. Especially for a twelve year old girl. 

Mad Dogs is a somewhat okay book. It is actually better if you don't ignore it, because it explores the effects and consequences of James Adam's actions in a previous book (which means you can't skip that one either). But it is good. In plot, it is good. In conflict, it could had done a bit better, but it does explore the sides of secondary characters a bit more. Especially Gabrielle's boyfriend whose name, I believe, is Michael. I can't remember names very well. After a while, it all starts getting blurry and the letters merge together. Especially if they are of the same letter in the beginning. 

Okay, I'll stop talking now.

Rating: Three out of Five

The Fall by Robert Muchamore Review

"When an MI5 mission goes disastrously wrong, James Adams needs all of his skills to get out of Russia alive.

Meanwhile, his sister Lauren is on her first solo mission trying to uncover a brutal human trafficking operation.

And when James does get home, he finds that his nightmare is just beginning."

Hmm... The Fall isn't where it gets particularly interesting. Human trafficking? Eh... It is more disturbing than exciting. Especially when it gets to those most disturbing parts, of course. That is when it gets weird...

The conflict isn't too interesting. James' problem is more of an assassination mystery than espionage while Lauren is more like espionage. She is covertly trying to dig information out of a suspected girl who was involved with a human trafficking operation. And then there are a few subplots like Kerry's relationship and Dana's flirtation with James. 

I swear, James Adams is becoming closer to James Bond with each book I read. He is already getting a lot of attention from girls. Seriously. He is arrogant. Smart. Conceited. Brilliant. And utterly fails when trying to keep a relationship without cheating with the closest girl he sees. This guy is as bad as James Bond. How many girls has he slept with? Eh... Not yet. He is still a virgin, but he might as well not be one. The guy is a rake. An immoral pleasure seeker. Sorry, I had been watching way too many reruns of Jeopardy! 

Lauren, on the other hand, is the better sibling of the two. She, for one, actually has some self-control. Besides, she has much more common sense than James and doesn't sleep around with a bunch of guys. Then again, she is only twelve years old, so... That might be a fluke, but it is highly unlikely that Lauren would go roguish. She is nothing like James. In fact, she is a much better version, not to mention more mature, of a CHERUB agent. There are a lot of layers in her while James is just... Bond, James Bond.

And cue the music.

Overall, The Fall slows down the series. It isn't as fast, but it goes deep down into CHERUB and MI5's organization. Plus, it also reveals more of Muchamore's fictional world. And I'm deeply disappointed that there were some references to real life fake spies. Oh, does that sound complicated? Maybe I should had said this: subtle references.

Last word: The Fall could had been better, but it proved to be very interesting and relaxing compared to the rest of the series. 

Rating: Four out of Five

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas Review

"Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?"

Heir of Fire took awhile for me to finish. It was long, and I was really busy with things. It is a good thing I was ahead in my reviews, but I started slipping a few days ago. I manage to keep a good slope, but I think I might slip again. 

Anyway, Heir of Fire isn't as good as the previous book in my opinion. Sure, Celaena (crazy name with a very difficult spelling and an unimaginable pronunciation) may had grown in character depth, but I'm still confused about some parts of the book. This, I know for sure: Heir of Fire is definitely better than the first book, which I can't name because I somehow forgot its title. Along with the second book's title. 

I'll break it down.

Celaena's ending speech of the book (which is a huge character change from the beginning of Heir of Fire) is remotely similar to the one at the end of the second book. More or less, Celaena ends up stronger and more hopeful to the battle/war ahead. Was that spoilers? Eh... I think not. Most books end up in a somewhat hopeful way. Even the Mark of Athena did that. (Remember Percy and Annabeth about not letting each other go? That was the hopeful part). And I should totally focus more on Celaena, the character and not the ending.

Celaena Sardothien, the character, is bratty. Well, she is most certainly bratty, but I suspect there is a softer side in her. Or a monster. Either way, she uses a mask to hide what is really underneath, and Heir of Fire did a great job of exploring what was underneath all those layers of a bratty, spoiled, rich assassin. And it was amazing.

However, there were some bad parts of the book like the ending. (What? Ending was totally like a repeat, a filler ending reused from previous book. There are some differences, of course). Heir of Fire was told from one, two, three, four, five, six characters. One was Celaena. Two was her former prince, Dorian. Three was Chaol. Four was Rowan. Five was Manon. Six was Celaena's cousin. Oh, and there was a seventh but also minor chapter for another character. Honestly, I'm quite surprised there were so many, but there were a lot of plots going on at the same time. You got Dorian's father. Then Mae (or was it Mab?). Our assassin heroine has a few up her sleeves, and even Dorian's brand new lover seems a bit suspicious. 

But I do have to congratulate Ms. Maas for managing to keep it all straight. And yes, it was easy for me to follow along. It was easy but annoying. I couldn't understand why Manon was important other than as the King's weapon. Then there was Rowan. Do I really need a front row seat into his mind? But Choal is a welcome change.

Overall, Heir of Fire could had been better (and cut down), but it wasn't that bad. 

Rating: Three out of Five