Showing posts with label Laure Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laure Eve. Show all posts

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Review: The Curses by Laure Eve

In this follow up to The Graces by Laure Eve, the youngest Grace, Summer, is the narrator. Everything is colored by her perceptions and impulses. Family is still the most important thing to the young Graces - Thalia, Fenrin, and Summer. Wolf has become family to them too.

The first order of business becomes getting thrown out of the boarding school they've been put into since the events of the last book. They need to be together and more readily accessible to each other. As a result, they end up back at the same school as River and their other old friends like Marcus. But something funky is going on. Someone has been taking money for wishes and granting them in a way that borderlines on curses. At first, they think it's all River's doing, but as the novel goes on, it becomes clear that there is more to it than meets the eye.

A second subplot involves the curse on the Grace family and examination of whether it is possible or not to break it. There is a third subplot, but spoilers. Each of these plot points receives good coverage, but as the plot winds to a crescendo, things begin to happen quickly and out of control.

Magic is very much a part of the novel. Both in the ritualistic sense and in magical realism sense. Magic occurs whether they want it to or not. It's just more effective when they actually try to create it.

The resolution is well done. I was a little confused about the party and its popularity since the Graces had been somewhat ostracized during much of the book. Still, overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's interesting and well written. Being told from Summer's point of view is a plus. She is a somewhat unreliable narrator, but she suits the story.

The Curses by Laure Eve is due to be released December 31st, 2018 from Amulet Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #258: The Curses by Laure Eve


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.


Synopsis from Goodreads:

Picking up the pieces after the chilling events of the previous year isn’t easy, but the Graces are determined to do it. Wolf is back after a mysterious disappearance, and everyone’s eager to return to normal. Except for Summer, the youngest Grace. Summer has a knack for discovering the truth—and something is troubling her. After a trail of clues leads her to what could be the key to both her family’s mysterious past and the secret of Wolf, she’s determined to vanquish yet another curse. But exposing secrets is a dangerous game, and it’s not one Summer can win alone.

At Summer’s behest, the coven comes back together, reluctantly drawing their erstwhile friend River back into the fold. But Wolf’s behavior becomes unpredictable even as Fenrin’s strength fades, and Summer must ask herself whether the friend she so loves is also planning her family’s ultimate, cursed demise.

This riveting sequel to The Graces is saturated with magic, the destructive cost of power, the complications of family, and the nature of forgiveness.


The Curses by Laure Eve is the second book in The Graces series. It's due to be published December 31st, 2018 from Amulet Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? I enjoyed the first book, The Graces. It was just weird enough. I want to know what happens next.  I am surprised that it says River gets drawn back into the group. I thought she'd had more than enough of the Graces. You can read my review of the first book here.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #209: The Curses by Laure Eve


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Picking up the pieces after the chilling events of the previous year isn’t easy, but the Graces are determined to do it. Wolf is back after a mysterious disappearance, and everyone’s eager to return to normal. Except for Summer, the youngest Grace. Summer has a knack for discovering the truth—and something is troubling her. After a trail of clues leads her to what could be the key to both her family’s mysterious past and the secret of Wolf, she’s determined to vanquish yet another curse. But exposing secrets is a dangerous game, and it’s not one Summer can win alone.

At Summer’s behest, the coven comes back together, reluctantly drawing their erstwhile friend River back into the fold. But Wolf’s behavior becomes unpredictable even as Fenrin’s strength fades, and Summer must ask herself whether the friend she so loves is also planning her family’s ultimate, cursed demise.

This riveting sequel to The Graces is saturated with magic, the destructive cost of power, the
complications of family, and the nature of forgiveness.


Why am I waiting on this one? I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Graces. There was definitely room for a continuation. I am surprised that it says River is drawn back into the group, but I'm sure that makes for good storytelling. I want to know what happens next in this series, so I will read on. The Curses by Laure Eve is due out January 9, 2018 from Amulet Books.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Friday, August 5, 2016

Review: The Graces by Laure Eve

River and her mother have just moved to a new city and are starting over. Her mother is mostly an absentee. River is often left to her own devices. This gives her the freedom to concentrate on what she really wants.

Many teenagers want to fit in and belong with a group of their peers. River wants this too, but to an extreme. It's actually kind of creepy how much she wants to fit in with the Grace family.

In their community, the Graces are both liked and a little feared. There are rumors that they are witches. Everyone seems to want to be friends with them and there is an elite sort of group that is. There are 3 children in the family. Fenrin and Thalia are a set of twins and a little older than River. Their younger sister, Summer, is the same age as River. They are all teenagers.

River sets out to befriend the Graces, but as I said, she is kind of creepy about it. It makes her into a kind of anti-hero. She doesn't let herself be herself. Instead, she is constantly trying to act in ways that will endear her to Summer and the other Graces. It isn't until late in the book that she acts differently and even then, you're not sure you can trust what you see.

Magic is a topic in the book. Summer, River, Thalia, and Fenrin all try and do spells at different points. The results are mixed. Is it real or just coincidences?

The plot advances at a sort of slow and steady rate for most of the book. Towards the end things suddenly pick up. The ending itself is an unexpected twist. I expected it to end several pages before it did. This is listed as The Graces #1. I'm not sure what direction a follow-up book would go.

Still, I liked the book despite its slow action. I read on to see what River would do in her efforts to fit in. And I wanted to know if she ever got what she really wanted. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Graces is due out September 6th 2016 from Amulet Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.



Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Teaser Tuesday: The Graces by Laure Eve


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
 Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
 BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Expected publication:
September 6th 2016 by Amulet Books
"So at the risk of looking like an idiot coming back for another serving," he said to me, "Why do you enjoy being alone?"
from father down the same page...
I forced myself to look straight into his eyes. "I can stop pretending when I'm alone."
4% through on my Kindle
The Graces by Laure Eve is a YA book due out September 6,2016 from Amulet Books. These teaser sentences come from an ARC and may appear differently in the final copy.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #137: The Graces by Laure Eve


"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.  

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.
 
Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.
 
This fabulously addictive fantasy combines sophisticated and haunting prose with a gut-punching twist that readers will be dying to discuss. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars as well as nostalgic classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 1996 movie The CraftThe Graces marks the beginning of a new wave of teen witches.

Why am I waiting on this book? I usually enjoy books written about witches. I'm interested in how she portrays these teen witches.The first rule of the Graces seems to violate the common witches' philosophy, "An it harm none, do as you will." And the synopsis suggests that it's perfect for fans of nostalgic classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer among others. The Graces is due out September 6, 2016 from Amulet Books and is considered a YA title.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy reading!