Court - Cat Patrick

Court was a book written in four point of views.  This got me a bit confused as I kept on jumping back and forth.  I liked all four characters to a point.  I started sympathising with Haakon in the middle of the book and hated him by the end.  I liked the way Cat ( the author ) developed the characters.   There were no black and white characters in this book.  They were all shades of grey.   There was no definite villain and you did not trust anybody in the beginning of the book.  Everyone was suspicious and kept up the suspense.   The book certainly kept up the suspense.   However, I think the book ended on an incomplete note, I think it was too open ended and we still want to know what happens next? Some people might like an open ended book but, I personally don't.  Thats my opinion.
The plot was basically about this country which was a monarchy in the middle of modern United States.   I found this a bit too unbelievable.  How could no one have found out about this different country.  Wouldn't someone have got suspicious?  I just don't think this is realistic.  Its not like a fantasy fiction where non - believable things are encouraged.  This is a dystopian fiction that is set in the modern world about a country which is hidden in one of the most developed countries in the world.

The Characters
Haakon - Haakon was an interesting character.  He vowed not to be like his dad when he becomes king and he changed the most from the beginning to end.   He was a bit of a player and he let drinks and drugs cloud his judgement as well as grief.  He was brainwashed very easily by people who did not want the best for the monarchy.
Alexander - Haakon's best friend who struggled going against the beliefs and the orthodox ways of the people in the monarchy.   He hated what his best friend had become and stood up against him.  I think Alexander needs to be developed further.  I wanted to know more about him.
Mary - A commoner in the monarchy whose mom left to go to United States leaving her and her father to fend for themselves.  I loved Mary's character.  I loved her bravery, her dealing with grief and her courage to stand out no matter what other people thought.  I commended her throughout the book for having a strong head on her shoulders and not believing everything that was thrown at her.
Gwendolyn - I was a little confused about Gwendolyn's character.  She had a bit of a insta love and I found her to be very chic - lit type, running away from her parents and her arranged marriage with Haakon.  I thought her friends in the democracy were her true friends and that got turned around.  In the end she suddenly got courage.  I don't think Gwendolyn's character was developed well.

All in All it was an ok book

I gave it three umbrellas

☂☂☂ 

Lailah - Nikki Kelly

Lailah - Nikki Kelly

This book was interesting.  It was basically about a girl who was very different from what she thought she was.  She had lived many lifetimes so she knew she was different.  She just didn't know how different.   There was a love triangle in the book.  However the author made it pretty clear who she wanted the main character the end up with.

The Characters
Lailah - Lailah was a confused girl in a confused surrounding, slowly finding out who she is.  I found her to be a strong character but she had lapses in judgement that made her more real to me.  Nobody can be perfect after all.  She was in a situation where there were vampires and angels.  Nobody can get their head around that in one sitting.  She constantly tried to be someone else during the course of the book but then realised there is nothing better than being herself.
Jonah - Jonah was the vampire that Lailah did not want to have feelings for but did.  She was forbidden but he ended up falling in love with her all the same.  I liked Jonah.  I found that even though he did not know the whole truth about Lailah and who exactly she was, he still managed to get under her skin.  He loved her for her and I loved him for that.  He was misunderstood during the entire book and I felt bad for him but that made his character grow stronger.
Gabriel - Gabriel was an ok character to me.  He was an angel who Lailah had always dreamed about but then they found each other.  I found Gabriel to be annoying truthfully.  He kept a lot of secrets from Lailah which he did not have to keep from her.  I think he molly coddled her and treated her like she was weaker than she was.  She was must stronger than he gave her credit for

All in all this book was a fast paced read.  Even the secondary characters who I have not written about in detail were well developed.  This was not a black and white novel.  There were certainly shades of grey.  A lot of them in fact.  It is a good book to pick up and I recommend everyone who has read this review to give this book a try cause thats what it deserves.

☂☂☂☂