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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Janna of Castle Ambrose in Books

Sep 10, 2019

Janna of Castle Ambrose

Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Inappropriate mix of Young Adult and sexual content (0 more)

Janna of Castle Ambrose is the first book in The Serpent Riders series by the versatile Jordan Elizabeth. Set in the fictional land of Hamlin, Janna, who lives in Castle Ambrose, loses her father, brother and sister when an usurper invades the kingdom and slaughters hundreds of people. From then on, Janna has vows that the new king will be destroyed, however, it is not until she is 18 and discovers two of her friends are alive and imprisoned in the capital city that Janna finds the will-power to escape her tattered home and put the world to rights.

With the aid of a secret ability to freeze people and being the only person in the country to know of the existence of sea serpents, Janna sets off to the capital where she worms her way into the castle by becoming the apothecary's apprentice. To save her friends and defeat the usurper, Janna must round up rebels across Hamlin. Yet, as she adjusts to her life in the city, Janna realises there are two sides to every story and she may not be on the right side after all. With the rebels rallying troops from across the sea, she may be too late to prevent another civil war.

The story ends with one side becoming the victors and Janna's sea serpents earning their right to come out of hiding and being accepted by human society. The narrative is fast-paced with days, weeks and months speeding past within each chapter. There is an eclectic mix of characters whose personalities pull the story in different directions.

Janna of Castle Ambrose contains some adult scenes that may be unsuitable for younger readers. Although no sex scenes occur per se, they are eluded to in heavy detail. This is a new aspect to Jordan Elizabeth's writing, however, the young adult writing style clashes with the adult material.

Being the first book in a series, it is clear the story is going to continue, however, as the main issue has been resolved, the plot of the next book is unguessable. We shall just have to wait and see.

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Gail (4 KP) rated Pretty Reckless (Addicted Hearts, #1) in Books

Jun 4, 2018

Pretty Reckless by Jane Anthony

Five Stars

OMG! Yes this book was amazing. The author really knew how to put her words into emotions that you could feel. I laughed, cried and felt a variety of emotions. I wanted to be a shoulder for them to lean on when life just couldn’t give them a break. Kat was destructive and wild. There wasn’t a moment when I didn’t fear for her. Her change was powerful. Chase was a vast ocean of issues. He gave so much to Kat that I worried he would end up back in that sea of addiction. They were so toxic together. One wanting so much for the other. And the other not knowing what they were worth. Even though their relationship was toxic they were perfect for each other. They were puzzle pieces connected by curves and edges. I really enjoyed this story and the way the author presented these characters to me.