A new YA fantasy... Analiese Rising by Brenda Drake (Review & #Giveaway) @BRENDADRAKE @ENTANGLEDTEEN


Welcome to my tour stop! Check out my review and a giveaway below...

Analiese Rising
(Analiese Rising #1)
By Brenda Drake
YA Fantasy, Mythology
Paperback & ebook, 350 Pages
January 8th 2019 by Entangled Teen

Summary

When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.

But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.

Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world—from herself.

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My Review

ANALIESE RISING is a mix of mythology and The Da Vinci Code in YA form. There's constant danger, puzzles to solve, and the characters travel to Rome and then France as they go from one clue to another. Add a romance and characters with powers in the mix and you have this story.

What I liked:
- I thought the various puzzles were interesting, as the characters had to work through and decode messages to find where they needed to go next.
- I liked the main characters, overall. There was an instant attraction between them, but they resisted in the beginning.
- I really liked that the romance was super sweet. It's my favorite kind. 🙂
- I also liked seeing how their childhood trained them for what they faced.
- I liked some of the side characters, like Lugh. I also thought all the different mythologies and how the different gods and goddesses had different powers or specialties was interesting.
- The overall plot was unique and intriguing... with there being those who had specific powers to fight against the gods and theirs, or to keep them in check.
- I liked the idea of a school to train these kids with powers.

What I didn't like:
- I felt like the puzzle solving went on too long.
- Some things didn't make sense to me in how the gods were all powerful and at the same time weren't. An example would be Ares appearing and disappearing at will, but somehow losing Annaliese and Marek. I felt like it all needed to be more consistent.
- I wish the romance hadn't taken over so much of the story, especially with this being a series. I prefer things to develop over more time.
- I got a little annoyed with Annaliese and her thinking/actions sometimes. She references Marek's grandfather as a serial killer after she knows about the gods and goddesses. Then she gets worried about some things and some people at moments that didn't fit or make sense to me under the situation.
- There were other things too that just didn't logically work for me.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was definitely an adventure. It stretched too long for me and I did have some issues, but otherwise enjoyed the read.

Content: Swearing (a lot of s-words), gay characters (for those sensitive to that), and some violence.
Source: I received an eARC from the publisher through YA Bound Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

About the Author

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother's animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda's world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there's always a romance warming the pages. Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she's not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).


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