Review: Coexist by Julia Crane

Book: Coexist (Keegan's Chronicles #1) by Julia Crane
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy 
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback 

Publication Date: June 19th, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: Blog Tour
First Sentence: "Keegan's call echoed in Rourk's mind as he was finishing his set."
Preview Book: Read Chapter 1
Description: Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends—she’s an elf, descended from a long line of elves that lives in secrecy alongside humans.
In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are 18. Against tradition, Keegan’s brother Thad told her Rourk’s name because his visions warned him she’d need Rourk’s protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan’s side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.

An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan’s family in the future of their society. Depending on the outcome of the battle Keegan and Rourk may never have their life together.

I love the concept of Coexist. I idea that your soul mate is predetermined and you would never have to search for them. Sure it sounds like a familiar concept, but in Coexist it actually works. When I think of someone not having the ability to chose their partner, I immediately think of dystopian books/societies. But Crane presents this has a sort of utopia. There are flaws in Keegan's elfin society, but the system isn't flawed; it's magic. People are actually happy and in love. So although Crane took a concept that has been used before, she turns it completly on it's head.

I loved the connection between Rourk and Keegan. I'll admit, I was a bit weary of Rourk - his narratives did not really do much for me. But when Keegan and Rourk finally meet, all of my doubts were gone. They are simply wonderful together. I do not want to spoil anything, but their meeting was both touching and beautiful. I am definitely a huge fan of these two. That beings said, I did have a few issues with Coexist.  While I enjoyed the majority of the characters, I found some of them to be rather flat. Especially Donald. I don't know a blasted thing about Donald.

And I am a little disappointed at the sheer amount of magical creatures Keegan ends up knowing. That just seems incredibly far fetched to me. I was also not a huge fan of the ending. Let me tell you folks, the final plot twist was a doozey. A game-changing, head-spinning doozey. And I for one, did not like it. Plus, the final obstacle that the characters face was settled entirely too quickly and easily. There was such build up and then it was all over so quickly.

In short, I was loving Coexist until about the last fourth of the book. Then things went a bit haywire. But I still enjoyed it and I am interested to see what becomes of the characters; especially Keegan, Rourk and Thaddeus (Keegan's little brother).

Favorite Quotes:

"If he's not able or willing to protect you, he is not worth your time."

When she thought his name, it pierced through his heart.

His face looked rugged, angled with eyes that were confident. He looked exactly like what he was, a warrior. She could not believe he was all hers.

Review: The Tinkerer's Daughter by Jamie Sedgwick

Today is my tour stop for Jamie Sedgwick's The Tinkerer's Daugther! This tour was put together and hosted by Book Lovin Bitches.

Book: The Tinkerer's Daughter by Jamie Sedgwick
Pages: 314
Genre: Fantasy / Steampunk 
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: January 25th, 2011
First Sentence:  "My only clear memory of my father is from the day he left me."
How Did I Get This Book:  From Book Tour (Book Lovin' Bitches)
Description: Breeze is an outcast, a half-breed orphan born into a world torn apart by one thousand years of war. Breeze never knew her elven mother. When her father -a human soldier- is called back to the war, he leaves Breeze in the safest place he knows: in the care of a reclusive tinker. The Tinkerman's inventions are frightening at first; noisy, smelly, dangerous machines that have little practical use. But elves mature quickly, and Breeze is no exception. When the war comes home, Breeze sees an opportunity. If she succeeds, she will change the world forever. If she fails, Breeze will be considered a traitor to both countries and she'll be hunted to her death.

The Tinkerer’s Daughter is certainly an interesting undertaking. It aims to combine steampunk and high fantasy and yields so-so results. Breeze is a half-breed; half Tal-mar (elvan), half human. Due to her unusual heritage, she has led an extremely sheltered life, but that all changes when she is left in the care of the Tinkerman. 

Breeze is, if anything, an intriguing character. She has inherited features from both her parents; which makes her an entirely unique individual. She possesses magic, but does not suffer from the ill effects that iron usually has on the Tal-mar (Elves/Fae). While her magic presented a sort of exciting unknown quality, I thought that some of Breeze’s other qualities hindered the story – mainly her strange aging. Breeze has an unusually long lifespan and physically matures faster than normal humans. So, her body matures faster than her mind. This means when she looks like a teenager, mentally she is still a child. But then, she is incredibly smart – like genius smart. She begins helping the tinkerer with his projects and is instantly able to grasp extremely difficult concepts and ideas. Long story short, I had a rather difficult time getting a hold on her character – which means I struggled to connect. Unfortunately, I just was never able to really get a read on her.

I also struggled with the plotline of the story. I thought there were elements that were well-done, but there were also things that I wish were done differently.  Let’s start with what I liked about the plot. I was a huge fan of the relationship between the Tinkerer and Breeze – I thought there was something so genuine about it. I love that neither one of them were expecting to find solace in each other – yet they did. I also enjoyed the whole racism twist on things – a lot of hate is thrown Breeze’s way. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like stories about underdogs overcoming the odds and finding acceptance? 

However, like I said, there were some things I did not like about the plot. My main issue with it was it’s predictability. Honestly, it was incredibly easy to work out. I for one, like stories to surprise me and unfortunately, The Tinkerer’s Daughter didn’t. 

I also wasn’t overly impressed with the writing style. It’s not that I found errors or struggled to understand things, it’s just that the writing didn’t grip me. I am not sure if this can be attributed to the predictability of the plot, but the writing seemed, for lack of a better word, bland - I wasn’t swept up by it.

That being said, I did enjoy The Tinkerer’s Daughter. I am a sucker for steampunk stories and I was really intrigued by Sedgwick’s decision to combine it with a high-fantasy storyline and setting. It took me a while to get through this one, but in the end, I was glad I read it.

Favorite Quotes

"No it wasn't just that he was gone forever. We were gone. That magical spark between two people who love and understand one another explicitly was gone forever from my life, and it left me less than whole."

"Anything's possible, if you try hard enough."

"There are millions of things that could go wrong every day, from the time we get up in the morning to the time we hit the pillow at night. We can't live our lives worrying about what-ifs. We have to focus on doing the best we can, and making the most of what we've got."

"I turned away and left him standing there with his jaw hanging open, stricken speechless by the very audacity of the half-breed girl who wouldn't take "no" for an answer."