Book Review: Queen of Tomorrow by Sherry D. Ficklin

Queen of Tomorrow

(Stolen Empire Series #2)

by 

Sherry D. Ficklin

 

Synopsis

 

Sophie―now Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russia―had a tough first year at Imperial Court. Married at sixteen to Grand Duke Peter, heir to the throne, and settled in their own palace, things start to look up. As a new day dawns, Catherine thinks only of securing her future, and the future of their country, during one of the greatest political upheavals of her time. Fighting desperately against forces that try to depose the Empress Elizabeth and put the young Prince Ivan on her throne, Catherine soon finds herself in the middle of a war brewing between her beloved Prussia and her new empire. While navigating the fragile political landscape, she quickly realizes that she has only begun to discover the tangled web of deceit and infidelity woven over the lavish court of Oranienbaum Palace.

When a strange and delicate alliance forms between the young couple, Catherine glimpses a future of happiness, only to see it vanish at the hands of those who still seek to end her life―and prevent her reign. Out of favor with the empress and running out of options, Catherine must sacrifice her own innocence on the altar of Russia if she is to save the nation and herself. To survive, she will have to do the unthinkable, betray those closest to her and become something greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined she could be… a queen.

Review

I became obsessed with this series while reading Queen of Someday, which you can get get for free in the Kindle store. I got the paperback of Queen of Tomorrow for Christmas and I started it right away. (I actually finished the book weeks ago, but because I've had to focus on hitting my editing deadline, I've had zero time or motivation for reviews...or for anything else. Hopefully things will go back to a normal pace next week.)

Book #2 has all of the intrigue, history, and romance that I loved about the first one. Things were a little different this time around though. Peter's wrath gets more intense and there's some pretty dark stuff that readers will have to deal with. The story takes you back and forth between two castles and courts. I was surprised to find out I didn't want to leave Winter Palace as much. After reading the first book, it kind of felt like home.

There is great character development for our dear little Sophie. After the heartbreaking events in Queen of Someday, she is certainly hardened. She has a lot of tough decisions to make and there isn't always a "right one". After she is finally pushed to her breaking point, she resolves to do something I don't think anyone saw coming.

Ficklin's story telling is beautiful and brilliant, as always, and I didn't want this book to end. I think the only real problem I have with these books is that they're too short! I'm definitely getting the conclusion, Queen of Always, soon, so catch up to me and watch out for the review!

5 stars   

* * * * *   

Book Review: Playing With Fire by Sherry D. Ficklin

Playing With Fire

by 

Sherry D. Ficklin

Synopsis

 

 

One brilliant young hacker. 

One experimental government aircraft. 

One chance to keep it all from going up in flames. 

Still recovering from her troubled past, Farris is no stranger to change. But when the military transfers her father across the country to an experimental aircraft squadron, settling in to a new life is the least of her problems. As a series of apparent computer glitches threaten the security of the fleet and the blame falls on her father, she decides to put her computer skills to use digging up the truth. Soon she's drawn into the perilous world of a hacker who is determined to ground the fleet--at any cost.

When all signs lead to someone close to her as the mastermind, Farris will have to burn more than bridges to get to the truth. She will have to risk her fragile new life to uncover the identity of the cyber criminal before they can escalate from harmless tampering... to all out murder.

Review

 

 

I was absolutely enchanted with Sherry D. Ficklin's historical romance Queen of Someday. Check out my review. When I found the first book in her #HACKERS series was also free, I had to check it out. 

I was pleasantly surprised with Playing With Fire. It's been awhile since something in the contemporary genre has really grabbed me. I haven't ever read a teen book that takes place on a military base so the novelty of that was intriguing, as I'm not at all familiar with that lifestyle. I was really impressed by the technical jargon but also relieved that it was all worded in a way that someone like me, who's head is consumed in a fantasy world, can understand. Sort of, anyway. I think I understood it. Something about digital portals and codes, and stuff. Either way, it made sense enough for me to follow the plot and Ferris's clever line of thought. The voice of the story was everything I've come to expect from Ficklin after reading Queen of Someday. Even though the genre could not be more different, she did not disappoint.

Military brat Ferris is a typical outcast as it comes with her calling, but the author made sure to round out her character with just the right amount of punk and girlishness. Instead of scoffing at the prospect trading in her Vans for homecoming heels, she embraced her inner princess and does a great job at being the social butterfly, which I haven't seen a lot of lately with teen rebels. I hope this means rebel and girly are starting to get along again.

I'm not really sure if what I didn't like about the book would bother very many other people. Some of the language was a bit too colorful and too frequent for me. The actual story and conflict took a long time to get going. Too much of your basic high school drama between characters and not enough intrigue and hacker hi-jinks. If it wasn't for Sherry D. Ficklin's voice that I love, I might have put it down for a bit. Thankfully, at the exact line I was thinking, I'm a little bored, things picked up immediately. The pace from there was excellent.

There's a great love triangle to follow. I personally was rooting for the guy that turned out to be a jerk-face, but I think that testifies of Ficklin's storytelling. She doesn't always follow the rules. Most of the rest of the characters are interesting enough to care about and I'm looking forward to getting more of their stories in the sequels. I'll definitely be reading the next book, partly because I won it in a Facebook giveaway! (I'm telling you, it really pays to follow your favorite authors) But honestly, I would have read the next book In Too Deep, anyway.    

4 Stars

  * * * *  

 

Book Review: Queen of Someday by Sherry D. Ficklin

 

Synopsis

Before she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophia will have to survive her social-climbing mother's quest to put her on the throne of Russia - at any cost.

Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophia has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family - and herself - Sophia vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.

Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophia will need to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.

In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?

*** Rant ***

I'm very conscious of the fact that I read a lot of the same, closely linked genres. Because of that, every few books or so I try to mix it up and read something a little more contemporary. Something without a pretty girl in a dress on the cover. With this past week being Halloween, I decided to read something paranormal. I had my heart set on werewolves, so I searched my kindle for that among my endless list of free downloads.

I must have started a dozen books and nothing caught my attention. NOTHING...except some pretty chapter layouts that didn't seem to fit with the quality of writing. Finally, I got so fed up, I decided to break my rule and start a book I've had my eye on for months.

And you know what? I'm so glad that I did. Life is short, and ain't nobody got time to waste reading something of mediocre quality and that doesn't interest them. I'm a mom, and an author myself, so I'm not giving up my daughter time or writing time for something that doesn't give me chills.

Yes, I read a lot of fantasy, especially YA, historical fiction, and romantic fantasy. Magic excites me. I love exotic worlds and quirky characters. I wish more than anything I could enroll in Hogwarts and spin around in frilly dresses all day long when I'm not off on some epic adventure. Most other stories just don't do it for me, okay? I like what I like and I can't escape it.

My point is...I tried. I tried to read something different, but it didn't work out. From now on, I'm not going to trudge through something just for the sake of variety. I'll continue to explore other genres, but my favorites will always be my favorites. I don't care if I'm dorky. 

***note: I'd still like to get my werewolf fix. If you have any suggestions, let me know!  

Review

 

A couple of my blogger friends really liked Queen of Someday and when I went to check it out I found out it was FREE on Amazon! (at this date, it is still currently free)

I completely devoured this book. I took long lunches at work, put the kid to bed early, and kicked my husband out of the bedroom when he started wrestling with the dog in my reading space. Sherry D. Ficklin is amazing in every aspect. She gives the reader just the right amount of imagery and intrigue to keep reading to find out what happens next. One of the most important things to me in a novel is the narrative. And this author nailed it! Her voice is so captivating, I would seriously read about her describing a slice of pizza she was eating. 

The main character, Sophie, is headstrong and a bit conniving at times, but smart enough to know when to reign in her feelings. Her driving force is her need to protect and secure her family's future (like most historical fiction female protagonists) but also her growing desire for love and companionship. Boat-loads of romance in this book, as Sophie is a teenager and daydreams about every dashing young man she meets. Not really my kind of thing, but like I said, because of Ficklin's storytelling magic, I would read pretty much anything she put on paper. And in honesty, I can't really blame Sophie. I remember being the same way when I was 16. Maybe I liked this book so much because it brought back the excitement of young, tragic love.   

 A few disgruntled readers argue that this story has no plot. I disagree. Though the plot itself was subtle, lacking any disasters or sword fights, the pages turned uncontrollably. I did find one teeny snag in the ending conflict, where I was like, "Yeah, but she could just fix "that" by doing "this". But you know what? I love this book so much I don't even care. I just went with it. Oh! And did I tell you the best part?? At the end of every few chapters, there are little one minute videos of commentary from the author! Brilliant! This really gives the readers a more personable experience and insight into the true history of Cathrine the Great. I hope more authors start doing this if the concept applies to their book.

If you haven't guessed already, I'm definitely going to read the entire series. In fact, I put all three paperbacks in the series on my Christmas list. If I don't find them under the tree, I'll be soooo disappointed.

Queen of Someday is a beautiful, tragic love story, filled with satisfaction. It's a great guilty pleasure to curl up with on a cold evening with a cup of your favorite cocoa. Ahhh....   

 

5 Stars

* * * * *