Review - Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

 

 Burning Glass (Burning Glass #1)
By Kathryn Purdie
Published March 1st, 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
512 pages

3.5 stars - Good start!
 
Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

 Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.

Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, and she can’t always decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.

As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the charming-yet-volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

Review:

The synopsis of this book had me pretty interested in reading it. The cover is awesome as well and so I was completely looking forward to giving this book a try. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy Burning Glass as much as I thought I would. The whole idea of the book was great but I feel like it fell flat. 

Sonya has the ability to feel what those around her feel - emotionally and physically. Even though there are others like her, she is still different. She is an Auraseer and, after a horrible accident, soon becomes the sovereign Auraseer for the Emperor Valko. Once in the palace she must deal with the emotions of all those around her while figuring out those of Emperor Valko and Prince Anton. 

I really liked the idea of Sonya being an empath of sorts. I thought it was interesting and I thought that there would be some even more intriguing twists. I was kind of disappointed. I kept thinking that Emperor Valko had some type of surprising secret that Sonya would figure out, but that wasn't the case. 

Then there was the whole love triangle. I don't always have a problem with a love triangle but only if it's done right. This one just didn't feel right. I felt like we got more of one side of the triangle until the end where things felt kind of rushed. 

Sonya, Anton, and Valko were pretty interesting but I felt like we didn't learn too much about them. This is supposed to be a trilogy so maybe we might learn even more about a few of the other characters. Either way I just felt like I couldn't fully connect with these characters. I liked Anton from the beginning but then I felt like I didn't get to know too much of him after. 

Overall, it was an interesting read. I kept reading because I wanted to know what the outcome would be, but I wasn't fully devoted to the book. I had all these thoughts about what would happen and then the ending turned out to be nothing like what I thought. 

Again, good story but maybe the next two will be better. 

Vanessa

Review: Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

 

 Wink Poppy Midnight 
By April Genevieve Tucholke
Published March 22nd, 2016 by Dial Books
247 pages

4 stars - Intriguing Read!!

Summary from Goodreads.com:

 Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.


Review:

I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book. I love the black background with the bright colors all over. I just knew that I had to have this book. The synopsis was just as intriguing and promised an unreliable narrator which I pretty much forgot as soon as I got my hands on this book. 

Wink Poppy Midnight was not what I was expecting at all. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I really enjoyed this reading experience. I loved the way Tucholke drew me into the book with her writing style. I just felt like I was actually there with the characters. It was an almost dream like feeling. 

Speaking of characters, each one was as intriguing as the other. Wink, Poppy, and Midnight each had their own stories and were apart of each others' stories. I enjoyed learning about why Poppy was the bully, why Wink was odd, and why Midnight was the boy stuck between them. 

I definitely did not see that ending coming. I was fully caught up in the story and thought I knew who the villain was and who the hero was, but I was definitely wrong. I absolutely loved the surprise twist and figuring it out with Midnight. I won't say anymore because it's best, in my opinion, to not know too much going into the book. 

Overall, this was a great read for me. I was intrigued from the beginning and I couldn't stop reading. I read in one day off and on. The writing style instantly transported me to the home of Wink, Poppy, and Midnight. And the storytelling aspect had me believing each character. Still not too sure how I feel about the ending but I can say that I will definitely remember it awhile from now. Definitely check this one out soon!! 

Vanessa