Professor Owl’s Book Corner ~ Book of the week ~ 12th. February, 2016

Red Queen

Victoria Aveyard (Author)

 

 The #1 New York Times Bestseller Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard’s sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king’s palace. Will her power save her or condemn her? Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood–those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard–a growing Red rebellion–even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

Red Queen is a fast paced, breathless kind of read. A true edge-of-your-seat story. Intrigue filled, action packed, twisty and highly dramatic, it’s a real page turner. Impossible to put down. I really loved the world Aveyard created. It was dark and dangerous, but also oddly beautiful and enchanting. It’s a world where old clashes with new.

 

About Author:

Victoria Aveyard graduated from USC, where she majored in screenwriting. RED QUEEN is her first novel. She splits her time between Massachusetts and Los Angeles. You can visit her online at http://www.victoriaaveyard.com.

Glass Sword (Red Queen)

by Victoria Aveyard (Author

Released February 9, 2016

Watch for the review in Professor Owl’s New Releases in our March 2016 Newsletter

Available from http://www.amazon.ca and http://www.amazon.com

 

Professor Owl’s Book Corner ~ Book of the week ~ 6th. January,2016

An Ember in the Ashes

Sabaa Tahir (Author)

 

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER AMAZON’S BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF 2015 BUSTLE’S BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF 2015 “This novel is a harrowing, haunting reminder of what it means to be human — and how hope might be kindled in the midst of oppression and fear.” — The Washington Post “An Ember in the Ashes could launch Sabaa Tahir into JK Rowling territory…It has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones.”—Public Radio International “An Ember in the Ashes glows, burns, and smolders—as beautiful and radiant as it is searing.”—Huffington Post    “A worthy novel – and one as brave as its characters.” —The New York Times Book Review   A “deft, polished debut”  (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Sabaa Tahir‘s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and pulse-pounding read. Set in a rich, high-fantasy world with echoes of ancient Rome, it tells the story of a slave fighting for her family and a young soldier fighting for his freedom. Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.   Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.   It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.   But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.   There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

This is well-written Young Adult novel, that has a stimulating story. While it is fiction, it also shows what life may have been like in the Spartan warrior-society culture. It also is a story about trying to change the world for better in whatever way best suits your abilities. This is one of the best books I have read in 2015 and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to experience the thrill that comes with reading a fascinating and thrilling book!

 

Available at www.amazon.com and www.amazon.ca