Review: Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

Title: Burning Glass
Author: Kathryn Purdie
Series: Burning Glass #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publication Date: March 1st, 2016
Source: Received for review from publisher via Edelwiess
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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. One mistake, one small failure, will cost her own life and the lives of the few people left in the world who still trust her.

But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, her feelings easily usurped, and she sometimes can’t 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 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.

BURNING GLASS is debut author Kathryn Purdie’s stunning tale of dangerous magic, heart-rending romance, and the hard-won courage it takes to let go.

I know Burning Glass doesn't come out until March, but I couldn't resist picking it up early. I was really itching to read a fantasy. There are so many things I really liked about this one. I'll start with those. 

Sonya's gift. I felt that was the most fascinating part of this story. You read so many stories with characters having a "special gift" these days. This one can freeze stuff on contact or that one can poop lightening.. you get the idea. One of the most popular ones is mind reading. For whatever the reason, I was under the impression that's what would be in Burning Glass. But it's not. It's so much more than that and I would know that had read the blurb again before starting it. I purposely don't sometimes because I enjoy the surprise. 

I really like how all that was written. I felt confused at times too with her feelings.. because were they her own or someone elses. That added a fun element to the book. And the fact she's thrown into this position to protect the emperor by reading others feelings. Talk about a high stress job. That part reminded me of poison study a bit. 

And there is a little bit O romance.. I dare say. I really liked that. Her ability makes that whole situation tricky.

The one thing I didn't really like about this book, I of course can't really discuss it because it would be spoilery. And it's not horrible, it just cost it a star from me. I don't even know how to vaguely mention it. I guess I could say that it all seemed a little too "easy" and I'll leave it at that. 

However, there are more books, so what I thought might have been too easy, could be a world of shit in the sequel. We shall see. I will definitely continue the series. 

About the author:

Kathryn’s love of storytelling began as a young girl when her dad told her about
someone named Boo Radley while they listened to the film score of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. In high school and college, Kathryn focused on acting, poetry, guitar, and extensive journal writing. Years later, when she was in recovery from donating a kidney to her brother, inspiration for her first novel struck. She’s been writing darkly fantastical stories ever since. Her debut novel, BURNING GLASS, releases winter 2016 from HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.

Find Kathryn:

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Labels: 2016 debut, Burning Glass, fantasy, Katherine Tegen books, Kathryn Purdie, reviews

Review: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Author: Kali Wallace
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 26th, 2016
Source: Received for review from publisher via Edelwiess
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace .

I know Shallow Graves doesn't come out until January, but I just had to read it early because... Halloween! :) It certainly did not disappoint when it comes to the creepy factor. That's for sure.

I have to say, I liked it. I'm still stewing on it a bit, because it was so different. I don't read a ton of books like this. I like your mushy romantic type stories. There isn't any romance here, so if your looking for that, look elsewhere.

I didn't go into this story expecting love. I expected a zombie.. a zombie isn't what I got though. I mean, I guess that might kinda be what she is.. but not. Breezy is an interesting creature and I was kinda digging what she could do and sense. I felt so bad for her. I mean, the poor girl wakes up a year after being murdered. That can't be pleasant.

This story is basically about her trying to discover what she is and how she became that way. I'm not lie, there were some slow spots.. but I feel like it was my confusion dragging me down. It was hard to wrap my head around the people/creatures she runs into on her journey. I'm still not sure I've fully grasped wtf was happening, but it was an entertaining ride at least.

I think my biggest problem was... it started out with a certain feel to it. And then all of a sudden, she ends up at this place and it becomes a totally different kind of book than I thought it would be. But it's great for this time of year. There is some creepy shit going on. Overall, I did enjoy the story. Especially for this time of year. :)

About the author:

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing
imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

Find Kali:

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Labels: creepy, ghouls, halloween, Katherine Tegen books, living dead, murder, review, Shallow Graves