The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

Summary from Goodreads:

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Review:

This was a mixed bag for me. First off, Kiera Cass is always so lucky with her book covers! This one is so pretty! All of her books are so pretty. I always pick them up, always. I really enjoyed the Selection series (at least the first three). And when I had the chance to pick up this ARC, I went for it –no regrets.

I read this book remarkably fast. It reads a bit like a typical royal romance novel. But, I guess that’s what I was in the mood for when I read it. It has some things in it that I really don’t like (ie: insta-love, ignorant main character, mean girls, awful parents, etc.) but I never once thought I didn’t want to keep reading. Something in this book grabbed me and allowed me to escape the craziness that is the world right now, so I just went with it. Sometimes, you just need a typical romance.

Also, sometimes I don’t mind an ignorant main character if she learns. And Hollis did learn. She accepted that there was a lot she didn’t know. And she grew. I liked that about her. She was redeemable. I never liked her best friend (aka: mean girl), but I don’t think I was supposed to. I also never liked her parents (they were really awful). And I never fully got behind the instant-love attraction she had with Silas, the guy who could compete with the King, who took up the first half of the novel.  But, again, I went a long with it. I wanted a romance novel, and I got one.

Then, right when I thought I knew how this was all resolving, BAM, major plot twist. And I actually found myself crying. I didn’t even realize I was so invested. But, yikes, what a crazy ending. So, I guess I liked being surprised. But, I almost didn’t want that. I wanted the fluffy, expected romance I was given for the first 95% of the book. So, I have seriously mixed feeling for everything. I do want to know what will happen next and see if my guess will for everything will come to light. But, I also feel a little betrayed by that twist. It was brutal.

All in all, I mostly enjoyed this. It’s not the best book. It was a nice distraction for the time (at leas until that crazy ending). It’s not as good as The Selection. I will probably continue with the series when more books come. I will definitely be attracted to the next cover. I give this one a 6/10.

A Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

Summary from Goodreads:

A Castle in the Clouds follows a girl as she navigates secrets, romance, and danger in an aging grand hotel.

Way up in the Swiss mountains, there's an old grand hotel steeped in tradition and faded splendor. Once a year, when the famous New Year's Eve Ball takes place and guests from all over the world arrive, excitement returns to the vast hallways.

Sophie, who works at the hotel as an intern, is busy making sure that everything goes according to plan. But unexpected problems keep arising, and some of the guests are not who they pretend to be. Very soon, Sophie finds herself right in the middle of a perilous adventure--and at risk of losing not only her job, but also her heart.

Review:

This book was a delight! Mix in a full cast of a quirky Stars Hollow type community, a Grand Budapest Hotel-type setting, a witty main character, a forbidden cat, a love triangle, diamonds, and mayhem, and you only partially get the magic of this book.

There was a little bit of a slow beginning to this novel, but it didn’t matter. I was so in love with the crazy setting and characters that literally nothing could happen for ages and I wouldn’t have put the book down. There’s a definite quirky Gilmore Girls vibe to this weird hotel. There are strange characters make this hotel come alive. And if you are not into weird people and their stories, this might not be the book for you

That being said, eventually the plot leads to a crazy heist/kidnapping/mystery and it left me going “how did we end up here?” but in a really good way. This book had a lot of unexpected twists and turns, both literally and figuratively. The hotel had secret passages and plenty of hiding spots….

I loved Sophie. I loved how she got along with the rest of the staff. I loved her rocky relationship with some of the other maids. I love how she made friends with animals and learned the ins and outs of the hotel. I found the whole book to be fascinating, and I was so sad when it was over.

I found the romance to be fun too. It wasn’t my favorite element, but I like that was there. I’d watch this movie. I really enjoyed other books by this author, and I’m so glad she continues to write for a YA audience. I hope she does more. I give this one a 10/10. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re looking for something light to escape into.