DNF Review - The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

Title: The Queens of Innis Lear

Author: Tessa Gratton

Pages: 576

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Release Date: 27th March 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

A KINGDOM AT RISK, A CROWN DIVIDED, A FAMILY DRENCHED IN BLOOD

Tessa Gratton's debut epic adult fantasy, The Queens of Innis Lear, brings to life a world that hums with ancient magic, and characters as ruthless as the tides.

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king’s three daughters – battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia – know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war – but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HarperVoyager and NetGalley*

DNF @19%

 

The island of Innis Lear is ruled by a king who is obsessed with the prophecies of the stars.

Lear summons his three daughters, intending to name his heir.

The eldest, Gaela, has no love for her father and is hungry for war. Reagan supports Gaela who intends to name Reagan's future children as her own heirs. They both dislike their youngest sister, Elia, who Lear loves best. Elia has no intention of becoming Queen, content to watch the stars instead.

Who will Lear name as his heir?

I was so looking forward to reading this - the cover is gorgeous and the blurb intrigued me.

However, I struggled to get into The Queens of Innis Lear from the start. The main problem for me was that there was a lot of description and not much action. I can read slow books with lots of description, but the writing style just didn't hold my attention. It got to the point where I was skim-reading and I couldn't read any more.

I might revisit this at some point in the future.

I'm disappointed that I didn't like this more.  

 

Review - Zenith (The Androma Saga, #1) by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Title: Zenith (The Androma Saga, #1)

Authors: Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Pages: 368

Publisher: HQ Young Adult

Release Date: 11th January 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

There is darkness sweeping across the stars. 

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness: a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her fearsome glass starship the Marauder, she’s just Andi, their captain and protector.

When a routine mission goes awry, the all-girl crew’s resilience is tested as they find themselves in a most unfamiliar place: at the mercy of a powerful bounty hunter connected to Andi’s past and a harrowing betrayal.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HQ and NetGalley*

DNF @38%

Androma Racella - Andi to her friends, and the Bloody Baroness to her enemies - is the captain of the Marauder, a glass spaceship with an all-female crew.

When Andi and her crew find themselves at the hands of a bounty hunter who is linked to Andi's past, they are given a job offer.

Can the crew of the Marauder complete the job?

First off I want to say how excited I was for Zenith. I queued for ages at YALC but missed out on a copy. So I was very happy when my NetGalley request was accepted.

From the very beginning, I had trouble connecting with the writing style and the story. The plot was okay, but I lost interest several times and, in the end, I couldn't bring myself to read any more of the book.

The characters were average. I'm not left with any particularly strong feelings about any of them.

Every time I saw 'Bloody Baroness', I thought of the Bloody Baron in the Harry Potter books. The name of Andi's ship (the Marauder) also made me think of the HP books (the Marauder's Map).

For quite a long time I actually read 'Androma' as 'Andromeda'. Oops.

I liked that the Marauder had an all-female crew.

I might try to read this again in the future.

Overall this was a disappointing read.