Nightspell by Leah Cypess

I enjoyed reading Leah Cypess’ debut novel, Mistwood, last year and I’ve been looking forward to her next novel, Nightspell, ever since. Thankfully, my friend Celina allowed me to borrow her copy so I bumped it up the TBR pile.

Here’s the summary from Leah Cypess’ website:

When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.

In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned – and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

So I’m usually not a fan of ghost stories but I made an exception with Nightspell because of its intriguing premise. Besides, even if the Ghostland setting is a bit creepy, it wasn’t really scary. I’m a big scaredy cat when it comes to ghosts, I don’t even watch horror films. I didn’t have to worry about that in this book. Darri travels to Ghostland, a country where every murdered person comes back as a ghost to avenge his or her death, only then could they move on. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way in the past hundreds of years. Most ghosts are content to just pretend to be alive instead of focusing on vengeance. They distract themselves with various amusements and the intricacies of court life. The dead would rather exist as ghosts than fade away into the unknown. Also, the ghosts in Nightspell only become insubstantial when they want to. Foreigners are never even sure whether a Ghostlander is alive or dead until they get confirmation. Darri, with her brother Varis, land right smack in the middle of the political conflict between the living and the dead in Ghostland. Add to that her shaky relationship with her both siblings, Callie and Varis, and Darri is one unhappy Ghostland visitor.

I’ve heard others say that they liked Nightspell more than Mistwood but I like both about the same. Both books are set in the same world but in different places and they share only one common character. Just like Mistwood, there’s also a lot of court intrigue in Nightspell and you never know when a character is telling the truth or keeping secrets. I did figure out one plot twist but I was kept guessing for the rest of the book and I enjoy that kind of suspense. I wanted to keep on reading until I discovered how everything fell into place. One minor quibble about the book, I didn’t feel like there was enough romance in it but maybe that’s just me. I’m kind of used to having a swoon-worthy male lead in my YA fantasy reads. Darri reminded me a bit of Harry from Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword because their names rhyme. Just kidding! It’s because Darri is strong-willed, loves to ride horses and is more comfortable in the company of the warriors in her tribe than with the courtiers of Ghostland. Recommended for readers who like their YA epic fantasy with a dash of political intrigue. I’m curious where Leah Cypess will go with her next novel.

Other reviews:
See Michelle Read
Book Harbinger

Waiting on Wednesday: Mistwood and Forget You

It’s a sunny Wednesday morning here and I thought I’d participate in a weekly meme called Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. WoW posts are about books that you can’t wait to get your hands on. I have two books for this week.

The first one is Mistwood by Leah Cypess, which is a debut novel. I’ve seen reviews of this around the blogosphere and I can’t wait to get it because it’s being recommended to fans of Megan Whalen Turner, Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce and I’m a fan of the three authors. Plus the premise is really interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a book with a shapeshifter main character. Mistwood’s release date is April 27 but I don’t know when the bookstores here will get copies. I already have a reservation with Fully Booked.

Here’s the summary from Leah Cypess’ website:

Everyone tells Isabel that she is the Shifter – the ancient shape-shifting creature who has protected the kings of Samorna for centuries. They need her to be the Shifter. Prince Rokan risked everything when he rode into the Mistwood to summon her to his side; Ven, the magician’s apprentice, has devoted his life to studying her legend; and even Princess Clarisse, who fears and hates her, depends on Isabel’s powers to further her own plans.

But Isabel doesn’t feel like the Shifter. She feels like a lonely human girl, beset by flashes of memory that do more to confuse than to help her. If she is the Shifter, why can’t she change her shape? Why doesn’t she remember what made her flee the castle so many years ago? As she is drawn deeper into a web of magic and assassination, Isabel will have no choice but to look for answers. But her search will lead her to the one question the Shifter hasn’t faced in a thousand years: where does she come from, and what does she really want?

Doesn’t that make you want to check out Mistwood? The second book that I’m waiting for is Forget You by Jennifer Echols. I loved Going Too Far and I can’t wait to read Jennifer Echols’ next book! I was reminded of how much I wanted this book by Adele of Persnickety Snark’s recent vlog about her first impressions of the book. Forget You is due out July 20.

Here’s the summary from Jennifer Echols’ website:

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. With her life about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people—suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

How about you, what are the books that you’re waiting for?