Catherine Banks

The main character was just whiny. She whines about everything and it got old real fast. It was listed as young adult but if it wasn't for a handful of mentions of rape - I would peg it as an older middle grade. The writing and the characters feel very young, ridiculously so - which also annoyed me - it wasn't what I was looking for in a book titled Little Death Bringer. It was easy enough to read but it was just too sweet for me to care. I'd be better rereading [b:Magic Bites|38619|Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331612872s/38619.jpg|38381].… (mere)

This collection of 20 dystopian urban fantasy novels is a great deal. I am reviewing Kiersten Fay's The Vampire's Masquerade. Vampire's Masquerade is the 4th book in the Creatures of Darkness series and a follow up to Keeping his Siren. Lex and Kasima meet at the Ever Nights club and it's instant attraction - what is initially meant to be a one night stand turns into a steamy affair with a bit of a surprise ending. It was nice to be reacquainted with the rest of the Ever Nights characters and I hope to see more of their stories.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (mere)

You can find my full review at http://booksandquillsmag.com/reviews/review-pirate-princess-by-catherine-banks/

When I was a little girl, I loved to pretend to be a princess, but only some days. Other days were reserved for playing pirate or wizard. Never once did I consider being all three at once. That is exactly what Catherine Banks gives us in Pirate Princess.

Join a high seas adventure. Tilia is a young girl being brought up by her pirate father. Her mother, who passed away, was royalty and heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Crilan. As per her mother’s request, Tilia goes to live with her aunt and uncle to learn the finer points of being a lady. It is soon learnt that one can put a lady in a pirate, but can’t take the pirate out of the lady.

Tilia is the best of all fantasy characters. Not only is she a strong female protagonist, but she is an enjoyable one as well. The side of her that is a pirate does occasionally overtake the magical and fairy-tale princess roles, but overall, Banks has blended the three into one well-rounded personality.

The side characters are equally as fun. The current King and Queen (Tilia’s Uncle and Aunt) are regal and proper one minute and deadly the next.

As with most young adult fantasy books, readers may find falling in love a little too easy for the main characters. Hold onto your hats though, this sets up some large adventures later in the book.

The cover art, in my opinion, is a smidgen too grown up for the story. A younger model may benefit potential readers.

The language and subject matter is geared towards young adult audiences. More mature readers may find that the outcome is a little too easy to predict. The story, however, is enjoyable for all ages.

Recommended read for pirate lovers!

Rated: 4 out of 5 stars… (mere)