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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Analiese Rising is a solid start to what I hope will be a triology or more. Meet Analiese, a teen who has experienced more than her fair share of tragedy in her short life. She meets a cute stranger with a strange list... one that her family members and herself are on with no explanation. In the coming weeks, Analiese's world will be turned upside down - she isn't who she thinks she is, she's got unexpected powers and it's really hard to know who to trust!
In my opinion, Analiese Rising is one of those books that falls into the fantasy world of humans who have powers and there are other non-humans who are trying to influence the real world for better or for worse. What makes this book different is that there are puzzles throughout the book that challenge the characters to use their minds and there is mythology involved. While Analiese is somewhat of a naive character, she sure knows her mythology.
This wasn't a complete home run for me though. Where I feel it felt short was that first, Analiese's character will be frustrating to some people. She's a teen who is, as I said before, naive, and strong willed. She makes some incredibly questionable decisions and some of which could be questioned for her age such as traveling the world without her mother knowing and none of the parents really freaking out at the end. Secondly, there is a ton a mythological gods and goddesses in this book but they really just make cameo appearances.
If' you're looking for a fast, fun, adventure-filled read, you should definitely check out Analiese Rising!
*I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it - all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
In my opinion, Analiese Rising is one of those books that falls into the fantasy world of humans who have powers and there are other non-humans who are trying to influence the real world for better or for worse. What makes this book different is that there are puzzles throughout the book that challenge the characters to use their minds and there is mythology involved. While Analiese is somewhat of a naive character, she sure knows her mythology.
This wasn't a complete home run for me though. Where I feel it felt short was that first, Analiese's character will be frustrating to some people. She's a teen who is, as I said before, naive, and strong willed. She makes some incredibly questionable decisions and some of which could be questioned for her age such as traveling the world without her mother knowing and none of the parents really freaking out at the end. Secondly, there is a ton a mythological gods and goddesses in this book but they really just make cameo appearances.
If' you're looking for a fast, fun, adventure-filled read, you should definitely check out Analiese Rising!
*I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it - all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Analiese Rising follows Analiese, whose parents died when she was young. She was then raised by her uncle and aunt, but then her uncle also died four months ago. Then a random old man dies in front of her, and gives her a bag that she has to bring to his grandson. The grandson is Marek, and together they travel to Europe to follow the leads his grandfather left behind. They are also hunted, by gods.
This book could have been great, it has a lot of my favorite aspects in a fantasy novel. There is a mystery, a journey and mythology thrown into the pile. But it just not work for me, at all. I’m so glad this book is over, because I did not enjoy reading it. Luckily for me it, it was an easy read and the pages flew by when I was reading. Cudos for that.
Analiese is such a.. boring character? I have no idea why is the main character, because she has nothing to contribute with. Seriously. I just, urgh, I don’t even know what to write about her because it feels like there is nothing to write. She has anxiety disorder, which the author also acknowledges she has herself. I don’t know how well this was portrayed, but it really feels like that was the only trait Analiese had as a character.
The love interest was boring as well, it was too obvious to begin with. I don’t have an thing against them being together, they just didn’t make me feel anything at all. It really felt it was thrown in there like everything else.
The plot and the writing itself was so .. weird? They go to Europe on this hunt, this should have been fun and interesting, but it was all rushed over and odd? Sometimes the scenes are described and used a long time on, but there are several parts of the story when we just suddenly cut to the next scene. Like when they were going to Europe, they were just suddenly there. So things happens too abruptly. Also, when they solve the clues Marek’s grandfather left behind, they use such a short time on them? And right afterwards they are like: omg, that was so hard?
They literally just stare at the paper and the answers come to them. Marek himself say that his grandad would make the clues so no one but him could get them, but there are literal gods after them, surely they can’t be this stupid?
That brings me to the next part. Gods are after them, and then I’m not talking about one god, but several. Like from all mythologies in the whole world. The author has included all of it, and we get about one sentence for each of them when they decide to pop up, for who they are and what they can do. And we are supposed to remember that? It wasn’t even fun to have the gods there, they just popped in and out when it was convenient and they never felt really there or inserted into the story well at all.
Now the reason behind all if, the hunt and such. I am mildly interested, I liked the thought of the story behind it all. But it was badly explained, if explained at all, that it has just left me confused. The books gives a lot of questions it does not answer, I guess since this is the series. However, there was a point of the story where they went a place to “get all the answers”, but that didn’t really happen. So.
I give this book 1.5 stars. Really disappointed, and not something it would recommend.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with this eArc.
This book could have been great, it has a lot of my favorite aspects in a fantasy novel. There is a mystery, a journey and mythology thrown into the pile. But it just not work for me, at all. I’m so glad this book is over, because I did not enjoy reading it. Luckily for me it, it was an easy read and the pages flew by when I was reading. Cudos for that.
Analiese is such a.. boring character? I have no idea why is the main character, because she has nothing to contribute with. Seriously. I just, urgh, I don’t even know what to write about her because it feels like there is nothing to write. She has anxiety disorder, which the author also acknowledges she has herself. I don’t know how well this was portrayed, but it really feels like that was the only trait Analiese had as a character.
The love interest was boring as well, it was too obvious to begin with. I don’t have an thing against them being together, they just didn’t make me feel anything at all. It really felt it was thrown in there like everything else.
The plot and the writing itself was so .. weird? They go to Europe on this hunt, this should have been fun and interesting, but it was all rushed over and odd? Sometimes the scenes are described and used a long time on, but there are several parts of the story when we just suddenly cut to the next scene. Like when they were going to Europe, they were just suddenly there. So things happens too abruptly. Also, when they solve the clues Marek’s grandfather left behind, they use such a short time on them? And right afterwards they are like: omg, that was so hard?
They literally just stare at the paper and the answers come to them. Marek himself say that his grandad would make the clues so no one but him could get them, but there are literal gods after them, surely they can’t be this stupid?
That brings me to the next part. Gods are after them, and then I’m not talking about one god, but several. Like from all mythologies in the whole world. The author has included all of it, and we get about one sentence for each of them when they decide to pop up, for who they are and what they can do. And we are supposed to remember that? It wasn’t even fun to have the gods there, they just popped in and out when it was convenient and they never felt really there or inserted into the story well at all.
Now the reason behind all if, the hunt and such. I am mildly interested, I liked the thought of the story behind it all. But it was badly explained, if explained at all, that it has just left me confused. The books gives a lot of questions it does not answer, I guess since this is the series. However, there was a point of the story where they went a place to “get all the answers”, but that didn’t really happen. So.
I give this book 1.5 stars. Really disappointed, and not something it would recommend.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with this eArc.
This YA novel was a mystery book desperately trying to be a fantasy. The majority of the time Ana and Merrick were searching for clues and trying to solve a puzzle that Merrick’s grandfather left them. Along the way they meet so many gods and goddesses from different mythologies that your head spin. But what made it so hard to read was how much Ana obsesses over her crush on Merrick. I think if perhaps Analiese Rising only focused on one mythology or didn’t mention how cute Merrick was every other page, this could have been more successful.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I absolutely love mythology and love when authors mix it into the current world settings. Going in, I didn't know that this book would be so entrenched with mythology so that was a very pleasant surprise.
There's something special about Analiese but she's not quite sure what it is. It all starts when she touches a dead frog in science class and it immediately comes back to life. That's not normal and it's enough to freak a girl out. Add that to watching a stranger die - a stranger who knows her name and has a list with her name, along with her deceased parents, on it. Suddenly Analiese's life is thrown upside down and she's on a quest across the sea to figure out just who she is and what she's capable of.
This book is full of Gods and Goddesses and not your typical ones that everyone knows. No, there were obscure ones and ones that I've never heard of. Every time a new one came on the page, I was trying to solve who it was before it was revealed. Side note: I got maybe a handful. But I loved that! I loved that it wasn't Aphrodite and Zeus and Artemis - all the ones everyone knows. I mean, Ares was here, but being the God of War, that made sense.
And for all you romantics out there, yes, there is a love story. And it's cute. Analiese and Marek were thrown together by fate - so to speak. But I liked watching them come together and work towards solving all of the clues. I also liked that the love story didn't overpower the main plot. It still stayed a quest type book and I was here for it.
This wasn't my first book from Brenda Drake and it won't be my last. I find that I enjoy her writing and her stories. But what was up with that ending? Is this really a standalone because I feel like so much was left open that there has to be more.
There's something special about Analiese but she's not quite sure what it is. It all starts when she touches a dead frog in science class and it immediately comes back to life. That's not normal and it's enough to freak a girl out. Add that to watching a stranger die - a stranger who knows her name and has a list with her name, along with her deceased parents, on it. Suddenly Analiese's life is thrown upside down and she's on a quest across the sea to figure out just who she is and what she's capable of.
This book is full of Gods and Goddesses and not your typical ones that everyone knows. No, there were obscure ones and ones that I've never heard of. Every time a new one came on the page, I was trying to solve who it was before it was revealed. Side note: I got maybe a handful. But I loved that! I loved that it wasn't Aphrodite and Zeus and Artemis - all the ones everyone knows. I mean, Ares was here, but being the God of War, that made sense.
And for all you romantics out there, yes, there is a love story. And it's cute. Analiese and Marek were thrown together by fate - so to speak. But I liked watching them come together and work towards solving all of the clues. I also liked that the love story didn't overpower the main plot. It still stayed a quest type book and I was here for it.
This wasn't my first book from Brenda Drake and it won't be my last. I find that I enjoy her writing and her stories. But what was up with that ending? Is this really a standalone because I feel like so much was left open that there has to be more.
First off, there was a LOT of stuff going on in this book. So many different gods and goddesses from different mythologies from all over the world. Some I recognized, some I did not. But this was really cool! I love when I hear about things I don't know, and then the story makes me want to go learn more about them. And that is what this story did. There was a lot of adventure, a lot of history, a lot of action, and a little romance thrown in, all together these made for a good teenage story. As I read, I was totally thinking about how I'd love to visit all these places mentioned, the Coliseum, the Louvre, etc. I'm guessing that if there are more books after this, which it sounds like there will be, we will get to go to even more exciting places. For one, I'd love to see some time spent in Egypt, or over in Asia with their mythology as well. Another thing I really liked about the story was how Analiese had been taken in by her uncle, and that she'd grown up with him as her dad. I think it is nice to once in awhile see a healthy step-parent situation, when so often there is not. Although I wasn't sure I liked her step-mother, Jane. By the end of the book I still was unsure about her. Although I haven't read Antigoddess, all of the other books this is compared to in the summary are exactly right. Definitely there is the feel of solving a puzzle like in The Da Vinci Code. You've got all these different gods just wandering around, getting in trouble, or even just being a part of the world, like what little I remember from reading American Gods. And you get the teen angst and fighting monsters that is a bit similar to one of my favorite series books, Half-Blood. Definitely a recommended title for anyone who enjoys paranormal romance, or mythology of all kinds.
This review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
This review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy for review.
I am honestly not sure how I feel about this one. I liked the concept of the story. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, which comes with powers. She finds out about this through a guy who had a list of names, and hers and her family were on it. The man directs her to his grandson, Marek, and to solve this mystery they take a little romp through Europe. Herein lies my first issue with this book. Marek is first seen sweaty and half naked while working out, a description of the typical perfect male physique follows. This is all fine and good, and Analiese takes an eyeful, again cool. What I DON'T NEED is almost every other paragraph from here on out being her just mentally gushing over EVERYTHING he does. There is boy crazy and then there is this. I'm honestly not sure how she manages to get anything done in this book as her main concern is Marek and what he thinks of her. Outside of this, there is some big war between gods going on. I really wanted the gods to be a bit more involved in the story. For all the talk of a war, they are pretty passive observers, and occasionally try and kidnap Analiese. The writing felt a bit choppy to me overall. At times there was too much detail. The characters were fine, maybe a little flat. The end felt a bit rushed, but it did end well, and open enough for a potential sequel.
I am honestly not sure how I feel about this one. I liked the concept of the story. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, which comes with powers. She finds out about this through a guy who had a list of names, and hers and her family were on it. The man directs her to his grandson, Marek, and to solve this mystery they take a little romp through Europe. Herein lies my first issue with this book. Marek is first seen sweaty and half naked while working out, a description of the typical perfect male physique follows. This is all fine and good, and Analiese takes an eyeful, again cool. What I DON'T NEED is almost every other paragraph from here on out being her just mentally gushing over EVERYTHING he does. There is boy crazy and then there is this. I'm honestly not sure how she manages to get anything done in this book as her main concern is Marek and what he thinks of her. Outside of this, there is some big war between gods going on. I really wanted the gods to be a bit more involved in the story. For all the talk of a war, they are pretty passive observers, and occasionally try and kidnap Analiese. The writing felt a bit choppy to me overall. At times there was too much detail. The characters were fine, maybe a little flat. The end felt a bit rushed, but it did end well, and open enough for a potential sequel.
Full Review posted at Book Lovin' Mamas
Rating: 3 stars
Do I recommend this book? Although, this book did not grab my attention that does not mean other readers may not like it.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes, definitely.
Elements: Adventure (Travel with history elements due to traveling to Rome/Paris) and Mythology (Gods/Goddesses)
Rating: 3 stars
Do I recommend this book? Although, this book did not grab my attention that does not mean other readers may not like it.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes, definitely.
Elements: Adventure (Travel with history elements due to traveling to Rome/Paris) and Mythology (Gods/Goddesses)
3.5⭐*
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All of the following opinions are my own. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Analiese Rising is a supernatural modern mythology romance young adult novel which is most definitely going to be the first book in a series and it is a really fun read. I know I used up about all the genres in existence to describe it but it is what it is folks. I keep it real around here xD. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Anyway, the story begins when Ana is an unfortunate witness of a man's death who uses his last breath to tell her to pass on a belonging of his to his grandson. Also this apparent stranger knows her name and everything and that freaks her out big time. Then when she meets the grandson, he is not only what one might call eye candy, but also the bearer of all things not so fun and dandy. There's a quest. Freaking Thor chasing them around. Lots of action and a little bit of smooching. It's fun, like I said. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I really enjoyed the plot in this novel, but I had issues with structure and pacing. Something was just...off about them. It is a page turner, but it does miss that certain "umpfh", you know? I would spend all day reading the book, sure, but the moment I closed it, I was just...out of the world. There was nothing keeping me immersed there. This, when I compare it with something like Crooked Kingdom which was so immersive that I remembered even the tiniest of details for days, was something that was a let down.
The same goes for the characters in this novel. They're okay...kind of captivating but they're missing something but I'm not sure what. I'm sure a sixteen year old teen reading this would be enjoying it but I can't tell if she'll like the characters because they're actually relatable or because they're bland enough to let the teen project herself ont them. There is, however, an immense potential for a series in this novel, so I'm looking forward to how the characters are developed there.
Another thing that really impressed me was the anxiety rep in this novel. It wasn't over the top or pivotal to the story, but it was kind of nice to see this girl thinking about her medicines and taking them when she needed them even when she was running around being chased my demon gods and what-not.
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The writing in this book is actually pretty good...except..it doesn't do anything to elevate the story as such. It's perfectly okay for the story, but it isn't adding that something-extra to the story. It was more reporter-styled than anything else and I think it could have been more enjoyable had it been a little more engaging.
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The ending though...whooo! That was some fun stuff right there. The whole novel was a little on and off for me, but the ending was definitely very engaging and action packed and it was SO MUCH FUN! It definitely made me want to keep reading more...except there's no more here.
I've seen book series' that start out very okay and develop into something really impressive before and I'm hoping this book turns into a series and does the same because I WANT TO SEE MORE! I want to know what happens with Ana and I was a war, GODDAMNIT! Is it too much to ask for, really?! XP
All in all, I found this book to be a pretty okay read. Like...I wouldn't recommend you stop everything you're doing to go read it, but if you're free and are looking for some chill YA to chill with, you should definitely check this out!
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All of the following opinions are my own. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Analiese Rising is a supernatural modern mythology romance young adult novel which is most definitely going to be the first book in a series and it is a really fun read. I know I used up about all the genres in existence to describe it but it is what it is folks. I keep it real around here xD. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Anyway, the story begins when Ana is an unfortunate witness of a man's death who uses his last breath to tell her to pass on a belonging of his to his grandson. Also this apparent stranger knows her name and everything and that freaks her out big time. Then when she meets the grandson, he is not only what one might call eye candy, but also the bearer of all things not so fun and dandy. There's a quest. Freaking Thor chasing them around. Lots of action and a little bit of smooching. It's fun, like I said. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I really enjoyed the plot in this novel, but I had issues with structure and pacing. Something was just...off about them. It is a page turner, but it does miss that certain "umpfh", you know? I would spend all day reading the book, sure, but the moment I closed it, I was just...out of the world. There was nothing keeping me immersed there. This, when I compare it with something like Crooked Kingdom which was so immersive that I remembered even the tiniest of details for days, was something that was a let down.
The same goes for the characters in this novel. They're okay...kind of captivating but they're missing something but I'm not sure what. I'm sure a sixteen year old teen reading this would be enjoying it but I can't tell if she'll like the characters because they're actually relatable or because they're bland enough to let the teen project herself ont them. There is, however, an immense potential for a series in this novel, so I'm looking forward to how the characters are developed there.
Another thing that really impressed me was the anxiety rep in this novel. It wasn't over the top or pivotal to the story, but it was kind of nice to see this girl thinking about her medicines and taking them when she needed them even when she was running around being chased my demon gods and what-not.
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The writing in this book is actually pretty good...except..it doesn't do anything to elevate the story as such. It's perfectly okay for the story, but it isn't adding that something-extra to the story. It was more reporter-styled than anything else and I think it could have been more enjoyable had it been a little more engaging.
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The ending though...whooo! That was some fun stuff right there. The whole novel was a little on and off for me, but the ending was definitely very engaging and action packed and it was SO MUCH FUN! It definitely made me want to keep reading more...except there's no more here.
I've seen book series' that start out very okay and develop into something really impressive before and I'm hoping this book turns into a series and does the same because I WANT TO SEE MORE! I want to know what happens with Ana and I was a war, GODDAMNIT! Is it too much to ask for, really?! XP
All in all, I found this book to be a pretty okay read. Like...I wouldn't recommend you stop everything you're doing to go read it, but if you're free and are looking for some chill YA to chill with, you should definitely check this out!
3.5 stars
Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley and the author for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Analiese Rising is a fun and fast-paced story that takes its reader from the streets of New York City to Rome to Paris.
Analiese, a girl shouldered with grief and anxiety, is shocked when she is approached by a man moments before his death and given a cryptic message. Among his personal belongings she discovers a list with names of the deceased, as well as her own. Analiese soon finds herself thrown into a hunt of monumental proportions, alongside the man's grandson, Marek - the only other person in the world who can help her find answers.
Overall, this story was a little predictable and cliche, but certainly pleasurable with an aire of urgency. Brenda Drake did a wonderful job conveying the haste behind Analiese and Marek's search, as well as adding in fair bits of humor and romance. The almost quest-like nature of this book kept the pacing on point and the puzzles always had my mind working. I thoughly enjoyed the introduction of gods and goddesses, particulary those more obscure and how she blended their traits and talents into the story.
If you enjoy urban fantasy, cryptology, mystery and mythology - this is the perfect read for you!
Thank you to Entangled Teen for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley and the author for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Analiese Rising is a fun and fast-paced story that takes its reader from the streets of New York City to Rome to Paris.
Analiese, a girl shouldered with grief and anxiety, is shocked when she is approached by a man moments before his death and given a cryptic message. Among his personal belongings she discovers a list with names of the deceased, as well as her own. Analiese soon finds herself thrown into a hunt of monumental proportions, alongside the man's grandson, Marek - the only other person in the world who can help her find answers.
Overall, this story was a little predictable and cliche, but certainly pleasurable with an aire of urgency. Brenda Drake did a wonderful job conveying the haste behind Analiese and Marek's search, as well as adding in fair bits of humor and romance. The almost quest-like nature of this book kept the pacing on point and the puzzles always had my mind working. I thoughly enjoyed the introduction of gods and goddesses, particulary those more obscure and how she blended their traits and talents into the story.
If you enjoy urban fantasy, cryptology, mystery and mythology - this is the perfect read for you!
Not sure how I feel about this one. There was so much action in the book, but the last few chapters were extremely rushed and I felt completely let down.
*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
All that being said, I did enjoy 95% of the book, and couldn't put it down. I did get a little annoyed at Analies with how much she thought to herself about leaving the "hunt" and just going home. Marek was amazing and I just wish that my daughters could find someone half as caring as he was. I just can't get past how rushed the ending was. Everything was great, we got a lot of info and some crazy adventures, then bam... Slight fight scene...Death of a side character...Marek leaves... Marek returns...Book over... And all of that was like literally the last 2-4 chapters. I was just like HUH?? WHY?? I need more details!!!
If you don't mind the endings rushed and wrapped up quickly then pick this one up!
*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
All that being said, I did enjoy 95% of the book, and couldn't put it down. I did get a little annoyed at Analies with how much she thought to herself about leaving the "hunt" and just going home. Marek was amazing and I just wish that my daughters could find someone half as caring as he was. I just can't get past how rushed the ending was. Everything was great, we got a lot of info and some crazy adventures, then bam... Slight fight scene...Death of a side character...Marek leaves... Marek returns...Book over... And all of that was like literally the last 2-4 chapters. I was just like HUH?? WHY?? I need more details!!!
If you don't mind the endings rushed and wrapped up quickly then pick this one up!