Taken (Dark Legacy Duet #1) by Natasha Knight

 

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BLURB

I’m one of four Willow daughters.

He’s the first-born son of the Scafoni family. And we have history.

For generations, the Scafoni family have demanded a sacrifice of us. A virgin daughter to atone for sins so old, we don’t even remember what they are anymore.

But when you have as much money as they do, you don’t play by the rules. You make them.

And Sebastian Scafoni makes all the rules.

The moment I saw him, I knew he would choose me. Even though the mark on my sheath declared me unclean. Even though my beautiful sisters stood beside me, offered to him, he still chose me.

He made me his.

And then he set out to break me.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42269627-taken 

 

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review*

I thought the premise sounded intriguing and a change in mafia type romance stories. This book turned out to be just as exciting and mysterious as I would have liked for it to be. The author gave just enough background on the characters for readers to be able to connect with them and enough breadcrumbs to the mystery to leave readers wanting more.

I had thought that Sebastian was going to be a one dimensional character but I was pleasantly surprised as the book went on. He wasn't a very kind or pleasant person but had a cleverness and further reasoning behind his darkness than I had first suspected. I wouldn't say that I liked him per say but he was a very intriguing character. His brother Gregory holds my attention easily in the book as well. I thought that the author did a great job of making him mysterious while giving readers breadcrumbs as to who he is. It was easy to like Helena as she felt like the only character to clearly root for within the madness of the deal between their two families. She tries to keep being brave and to fight even though she is a prisoner.

I want to know more about Sebastian's family in the next book because one of the aspects of this book that kept me reading was the family dynamic. It was uncomfortable and tense between them. I had a feeling that things would escalate but I want to know the secrets and the motivations of the family members. I'm also interested in learning more about Helena's family and why they continue to go along with the deal.

PURCHASE LINKS 

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COMING SOON

#2 Torn – Releasing November 14, 2018

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CA: https://amzn.to/2EN0DL2

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B&N: http://bit.ly/2SlSNKX

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2z34Jsk

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2O9c3Iy

AUTHOR BIO

USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, Natasha Knight specializes in dark, tortured heroes. Happily-Ever-Afters are almost always guaranteed, but she likes to put her characters through hell to get them there. She’s evil like that.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://natasha-knight.com

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The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani

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The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…? 

I don't even remember what it was that drew my attention to this series but I am glad that I read it. Initially, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it because it is a middle grade book but I think that it can be enjoyed by an older audience as well. The School for Good and Evil was a darker book than I had originally expected. It reminded me of a darker version of Shrek in that it takes fairy tales and flips them to the point where all is not as it seems. The side of evil may not be as evil as it seems and good may be more stuck up and shallow than anticipated. 

I loved the themes in this book! I was impressed with the author focusing on friendship, beauty beyond the surface, and being able to be brave and set your own path in life. I loved that neither side was what it seemed in this book and that everyone can be good or evil. It just depends on what you do about it. Will you let others tell you where you fit or will you forge your own path that may not be perfect but is yours and yours alone?

I also found the story itself to be enjoyable and entertaining. I thought that the characters were well done especially Agatha. She was by far my favorite for the simple reason of being about to relate to her easily. I enjoyed her cynical, courageous nature. She was selfless and kind. I didn't like Sophie as much because she just seemed like a shallow piece of work. I grew to like her in the end but I found her annoying throughout the majority of the book. I'm excited to read the next book to see where the author takes the series next. There is a clear ending to this book so I can only guess how Agatha and Sophie's story will take readers next. 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

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What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

I can't believe how much I loved The Princess Bride! I felt like seeing the movie so many times and loving it would put me at a disadvantage. When it comes to movies that are based on books, I tend to hate the movies. They seem to take so many liberties and in the end don't seem to be based on the books at all. I thought that this experience might be the opposite where in reading the book might make me dislike the movie. I was surprised to find that The Princess Bride deviates from the norm. With the exception of some wording choices and a few additions of things in the book that were left out of the movie they were extremely similar. 

I found that I loved the extra details in the book. I fell in the love with the idea of the Zoo of Death and the extra information that was given about Inigo and Fezzick. I also appreciated what was done with the character of Prince Humperdinck. He was much more menacing in the book which gave it a different tone that I enjoyed. I didn't like Buttercup at first but learned to as the book progressed and she grew more as a character. 

I think that there is really only one complaint that I have about the book. I HATED the prologue. It just seemed so clunky and confusing. I had thoughts of DNFing the book because there was nothing that I enjoyed about this part of the book. I eventually decided to skip the rest of it and move on to the actual story which greatly improved my attitude towards the book.