Literally Lenny: series

What's the series about?

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

My Thoughts:

DISCLAIMER:I've decided to do a combined review on these two books because I literally read them back to back (because I was obsessed and needed more) so they might as well be one giant book in my head.

This series is my favorite series of all time. Honestly and truly. If you love historical fiction, I highly highly recommend that you pick up this series because you will not regret it. This isn’t your typical historical fiction novel: it goes back to the 1800s during the Gold Rush where the best mode of transportation was by horse and women were owned by the family male heir.

Characters:

If there’s one character in any novel that I would love to be, it would be Leah. If you ever need a perfect example of women empowerment and strength, look no further. She does not rely on anyone, she takes matters into her own hands, and is the most selfless character in the entire series. Yes, she has her flaws, but so does everyone else in the world.

The supporting characters and their stories were all very realistic with very realistic problems. There was a part-Native American boy who dealt with criticism from others because of his race, a war hero who struggled with his pride, a woman who was oppressed by her husband, and a "villain" who's main vice was greed.

Storyline:

These books and their storylines never get dull. There’s always something going wrong or some badass rescue being made. There’s something for everyone to love in this series. From romance to cowboys, what’s not to love?

Overall, the flow of the storyline is great. There’s no lull in the storyline, there’s no filler. It’s action packed with wonderful writing and wonderful imagery.

I mean, this series is historical fiction, but when reading it, it feels more like just pure history. Minus the magical powers, I would not know any better than to call this series historical. This says to me that Rae Carson did a very in depth research on this time period not only for the historical events, but also on women rights during that time, personal experiences, as well as criticism against Native Americans. It's historical fiction with a little bit of magic, and it's nothing short of amazing.

What's Next?

The next book and FINAL book, Into the Bright Unknown, is set to come out October 10th, 2017 and oh my goodness I cannot WAIT. Look at this beautiful cover.

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What's it about?

"Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?

Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal.

As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?

Finishing this book, I'm really confused about what I feel about it. I'm not sure if I enjoyed the story or found it to be too much. The writing was decent since the author was able to paint images very clearly for my mind, but I got incredibly annoyed when she kept going on and on about something as if she was just trying to use a filler! For example (no spoilers), there's one scene where the author is describing the way two figures are standing together, and it felt like an eternity for her to explain the scene.

What I did love though were the women in this book; June, Cassie, Elda, Tate, and even Lindie. Yes, each and every one had their flaws, but they also were able to learn from this and still "follow their dreams". Cheesy, yes. But what I mean is that the things that they did, were out of love for someone. Not one was selfish, regardless of what it seemed. Their characters were strong individuals. Individuals being the key word. Each was strong and very much capable without a man. They just each needed to find what was worth living for. And I admire them greatly for that. Whether or not their lives were what they had always dreamed of or not. They were never selfish.

The story was predictable for most of the novel, however, I was surprised to learn of what the true conflict was in June and Lindie's story. That in itself made the book for me. Completely out of left field, and turned the book into a completely different genre than I had originally expected.

I did not approve of the romantic relationships that occurred during both time periods, but that could just be me. I would never condone cheating, even in a fictional story. I don't like that the person that I saw as the "villain" (Jack) got a "happily ever after" and did not even suffer any consequences. And towards the end, it was almost as if the author was trying to make an excuse for why Jack was the way he was, saying it was okay because "he's better now". That just irked me because I found Jack to be an all-around terrible person. And the fact that the author can make me feel so much hatred for a character, kudos.

So. With that being said, I give June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore 3 stars.

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What's it about?
"She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him... or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because I wanted to read it for the Perustopia Book Club this month! I was definitely not expecting this book to be this good! It was so good and I felt like it was so different from anything else I had read, and not just because of the setting being a desert. The writing was fantastic. It did not capture me as much as other books have, and some parts seemed a bit like filler, hence the 4 star review. However. The romance between Jin and Amani has to be one of my all time favorite just because of how far they had both come from their beginnings, and the fact that they grew together so realistically.

(*SPOILERS*)

I didn't really believe (or just found it silly) that Amani had no idea that she was a Demdji. If I realized I was so significantly different from everyone else, I would have questioned that a very, very long time ago. But that's a minor detail.

I loved how the story unraveled by becoming one of the legends that Amani had heard at such a young age. I knew that ghouls and skinwalkers would eventually make appearances, but unfortunately for me they didn't add much to the story. I'm attributing that to me not being a massive fantasy lover, or just nothing living up to Lord of the Rings...

I will say that the story of Ahmed was incredible. I assumed that Jin was a prince, but I had no idea that he was going to be Ahmed's brother. That was a really fun plot twist and I have a feeling that Jin and Amani's adventures with Ahmed and his "army" are only going to get better. I loved the different characters that we met along the way, especially because each person was significant to the group. I cannot wait for the second book in this series!

I give Rebel of the Sands 4 stars!

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