Mini-Reviews : Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson & Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Servants of the Storm
Author : Delilah S. Dawson
Publication Date : August 5th 2014
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.
 
Personal Thoughts 

Servants of the Storm opened up with a vivid and descriptive scene of two teenagers stuck in a house during a hurricane. It was atmospheric, rich and I knew for sure that I was in for a wild ride with the book. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The prologue of Servants of the Storm was the best thing about the book for me and after that it only went downhill. Connecting with the main character Dovey was impossible. She didn't come across as an approachable character and she made a lot of questionable choices. Additionally, there was this odd kind of love triangle (I'm not even sure if I want to call it that because it was so weird) and I had a terrible time being able to swoon over either of the guys. My problem with these characters were that they were one-dimensional and didn't possess much depth. The story, in itself, was just weird. Sure, there were some creepy moments, but I never had a good grasp of what was going on. I thought this would be more of a psychological thriller, but it was a paranormal story with demons. While the world building was decent, I wasn't into it for some reason. And then there was that ending, which just plain confused me even more. Apparently this is part of a series and I'm not sure I'll be continuing it. I'm just not the audience for the book.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 1/5
Characters : 1/5
Writing : 2/5


Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Gates of Thread and Stone
Author : Lori M. Lee
Publication Date : August 5th 2014
Publisher : Skyscape
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.
 
Personal Thoughts

Gates of Thread and Stone was one of my most anticipated reads ever since the cover was revealed. The blurb sounded like it would appeal to the YA fantasy fan in me. However, I was let down by this book. Not only was the plot weak, but the world-building, which I believe is essential for a YA fantasy, wasn't substantial at all. There were some serious issues with the pacing of the story. The story would jump rapidly from one scene to another, making it hard to take in what was going on. Several times I found myself re-reading sections of the book because I was confused as to how fast the book was jump into scenes. Moreover, I didn't like how dense the main character, Kai, could be. She had her good side, especially with her love for her brother, but for the most part, she really wasn't well-developed at all. I did like her love interest, Avan, but I didn't like how he stomached Kai's insensitive treatment of him. The ending regarding him was also just weird and I felt was placed only for the shock factor. Overall, this was a big disappointment and I won't be continuing this series.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 1/5
Characters : 1/5
Writing : 2/5


Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Simon Pulse and Skyscape for the e-ARCs of Servants of the Storm and Gates of Thread and Stone.


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