Short but Sweet Reviews: The Midnight Sea, Blood of the Prophet, and Bluff

Book: The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1)
Author: Kat Ross
Published: March 26, 2016
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Number of Pages: 326
Format: ebook
Source: I received a copy of this via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Tags: YA, 4.5 Stars, Fantasy, Received for Review

Goodreads/Amazon

Synopsis: They are the light against the darkness.

The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.

And they use demons to hunt demons….

Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they leash wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.

Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he's possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other's emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.

As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius's past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…

-QUICK REVIEW-

Okay, I'm going to try not to spoil you! I read this trilogy really quickly, so the details on when one book ends and the other begins are a little fuzzy. Okay, I really liked Nazafareen! I thought that she was a really strong and independent, and I enjoyed seeing her grow up into a fearsome fighter. I thought that Darius was a really good match for her, and I loved seeing them grow throughout the series. Ross has a really unique mix real history, and fantasy. It was cool that I knew a little bit in this world where I knew almost nothing. There was a lot of action adventure, and betrayal that defiantly kept me on the edge of my seat. 

So overall I loved this book! With strong characters, some freaky demons, and action packed adventure, this is defiantly a must read.

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Book: Blood of the Prophet (The Fourth Element #2)
Author: Kat Ross
Published: September 12, 2016
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Number of Pages: 337
Format: ebook
Source: I received a copy of this book via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3 Stars
Tags: YA, 3 Stars, Fantasy, Xpresso Book Tours

Goodreads/Amazon

Synopsis: Visionary. Alchemist. Savior. Saint.

The Prophet Zarathustra has been called many things. Now he spends his time drawing pictures of weird-looking goats. That's what happens when you've been stuck in a prison cell for two hundred years. But the man who might be mad, and is definitely supposed to be dead, has suddenly become very valuable again…

It's only been a few weeks since Nazafareen escaped the King's dungeons with her daēva, Darius. She hoped never to set foot in the empire again, but the search for the Prophet has led them to the ancient city of Karnopolis. They have to find him before Alexander of Macydon burns Persepolae, and Darius's mother with it. But they're not the only ones looking.

The necromancer Balthazar has his own plans for the Prophet, and so does the sinister spymaster of the Numerators. As Nazafareen is drawn in to a dangerous game of cat and mouse, her newfound powers take a decidedly dark turn. Only the Prophet understands the secret of her gift, but the price of that knowledge may turn out to be more than Nazafareen is willing to pay…

-QUICK REVIEW-

While this book did suffer a bit from the second book blues, this was defiantly a good book! There was a lot of suspense in the build up to the three characters that we read about meeting. It was really cool to see their different paths, and it was cool to see them meet at the end of the book. I really enjoyed seeing Nazafareen and Darius's relationship grow more, and I loved learning more about Zarathustra. 

So overall I liked this book! While it did seem like a bit of a filler, I enjoyed the suspense and the characters in this book. While this isn't my favorite book in the series, this is defiantly a good book! :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Book: Bluff
Author: Julie Dill
Published: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Number of Pages: 250
Format: ebook Source: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Rating: 3 Stars 

Tags: YA, NetGalley, ARC, Contemporary
 

Goodreads/Amazon
 

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Chelsea Knowles is surrounded by the privileged. Michael Kors gym bags and designer shoes are part of her daily scene, but the talented cheerleader has a secret: she and her dad can barely pay the bills. Broken by his wife walking out on their family, Chelsea’s father ignores his responsibilities. Between cheer costs, grocery bills, electricity, and other regular financial burdens, it’s no surprise when a cut-off notice arrives in the mail. Chelsea knows it’ll be up to her to keep the lights on.

With the deck stacked against her, Chelsea decides to bet their future on the dubious poker knowledge she learned from her father before he gave up on parenting. Nervous but determined, Chelsea heads to a casino with very little security and wins big. Thrilled by her win, she’s quickly drawn to the casino again and again. She risks it all, especially when the attractive, young pit boss takes an interest in her.

Chelsea’s life, no longer filled with cheerleading, school, and hanging out with her friends, is now consumed by smoky casino floors and the ups and downs of a gambler’s life. True gamblers know when to fold, but Chelsea keeps betting long after her needs are met. The complicated web of lies soon begins to spin out of control, threatening to expose everything. Will someone see through her bluff?

-QUICK REVIEW-

This was a super interesting book! I have never read a YA book about a teen with an addiction of any kind, which is odd to me. So I was super excited to read this one. One of the cool things about this book is that we get to see Chelsea gamble for the first time, so we really get to see her addiction from the very beginning. I liked Chelsea at first, but then she started getting annoying, which made me dislike her a bit. She would make bad choices, and I couldn't help but criticize her at times. I never knew why people got addicted to gambling, and after reading this book I can totally see why. It's the thrill. So, this was defiantly an interesting book.

So overall I liked this book! I though that the premise of teenage addiction was really interesting, and the plot kept me engaged throughout the story. While Chelsea did get a bit obnoxious after a bit, I defiantly enjoyed this book. :)