Hidden Series Review

Book One

Synopsis

  “The Chameleon is on the loose.” Despite the whispers that sprung up, the Speaker continued, “He’s stealing our masks and assuming the identities of the victims. It is our duty to warn you—do not trust the masks alone.”

In Venesia, your mask is your life. It is your face, your rank, and your identity. Without a mask, you are nothing.

Which makes the Chameleon the most dangerous criminal in the land.

When the Chameleon attacks the talented mask maker Evie, he not only strips away Evie’s mask, destroys her home, and kills her father, but he also brands her face with his own criminal mark that would incriminate her for his wrongdoings should it be discovered. Her only choice is to go into hiding—at the royal palace. But as she creates a new identity —and plans to exact revenge— Evie soon learns that masks hide more than just faces ...Unmask the secrets that Venesia holds in this unique and romantic spin on the classic tale of Cinderella. 

Review

This is one of those books that I just wanted to fall into. Such a beautiful world and fun concept! I didn't really catch the Cinderella theme until the closer to the end, but that was fine. There was enough going on and intrigue that I didn't really care. If allowed, I would give this 4.5 stars because it was soooo close to perfect. (for me)One solution seemed too easy and I think I figured out the twists before the reader was supposed to. But I'm not sure on one because the secret becomes pretty obvious as the book goes on. Perhaps my reader revelation was intentional, and the real suspense comes from the MC's reaction. But I should shut up now...

Gorgeous world, delightful voice, chemistry and bond between characters, frills and masquerades, everything I like in my YA fiction. :) I hope I get the next book for Christmas!

4 stars

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Book Two

 

 

Synopsis:

Angry at his failure to exact vengeance on the prince, mask maker Joch flees Venesia to find his lost love. When a red-cloaked assassin promises answers, he has little choice but to trust her-though he may be walking into a trap. Unravel the deception in this dazzling story of second chances that will keep you guessing to the last page.

Review:

What is Lost was surprisingly my favorite in the series. When I read the synopsis I wasn't too thrilled about reading an entire book about the antagonist of book one. But the author did a great job with What is Hidden, so I figured she knew what she was doing. Turns out, she's great at writing male POV. I was captivated from the first chapter. This book is full of page turning chases, intrigue, and daggers at the throat moments.

While Joch wasn't someone I added to my list of book boyfriends, he was a very complex character. He had a few more flaws than saving graces, but the author illustrated each aspect in a "This is who Joch is. He is not perfect. Take it as it is" kind of attitude and I really respected it. I loved following him along on his road to redemption and his interactions with the other characters were brilliant. Kit his perfect companion. I loved their bitter banter and the slow kinship that developed between them.

Unlike What is Hidden, I never saw the plot twists coming. I was completely shocked by the ending. So much so, that I just sat the book down for a second and laid there with my mouth open staring at the ceiling. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that kind of an ending in a book.

What is Hidden is great, but What is Lost is what makes the series worth the read. 

5 stars

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Book Three

Synopsis

Princess Bianca returns to her court to find it poisoned from the inside out. Faced with mysterious sicknesses, power disputes, and whispers of impending death, Bianca turns to an unlikely ally—a former assassin—to find the antidote that will save her kingdom. But Bianca quickly realizes that she might not even be able to save her own life in this Snow White story.

Review

Upon seeing the cover for The Fairest Poison, I was confused as to whether or not it was a continuation in the Hidden Series, especially since it didn't follow the "What is" title theme. It definitely is, following Princess Bianca that was briefly mention in book one and introduced in book two. If you read my interview with Lauren Skidmore, you will find out that the publisher was intending to market The Fairest Poison as a standalone, therefore making the title and cover different from the rest of the series. Fun fact: The original title for book three was What is Found.

I went into this book with high hopes because I really enjoyed the first two. I'll admit, I was a little let down. On paper, The Fairest Poison had great stuff I love to see in books: castles and courts, royals, romance, scandals, and danger. But for me, it just didn't all come together like I expected it too. Maybe because Evie wasn't in it nearly as much as I had hoped. Bianca was nice enough but I just never felt a connection to her like I did in book two. There wasn't as much story driven action as the previous books and it felt a little slow moving. Perhaps that's partly because due to the title, I knew she was going to get poisoned eventually, also as this is a snow white theme. But there were few twists and less surprises than the first two.

It was a still a fun, quick read. I imagine that if I had read this in the days before I was married with a child, I could have finished the whole thing in one rainy afternoon. The ending was sweet and satisfying and I felt like I had said a proper goodbye to the characters. I think if I had just read The Fairest Poison as a stand alone I would have liked it a lot better, having not compared it to the first two. But that's not my recommendation at all. The characters and the history of this world are too rich to just skip to the ending. If you haven't already, definitely pick up What is Hidden.

3.5 stars

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Author Spotlight: Lauren Skidmore

Lauren Skidmore

In honor of the release of Lauren Skidmore's third book, The Fairest Poison, we're sitting down to have a chat, reader to author. Watch out for a series review of her books later this month, and be sure to check them out. The Fairest Poison is the third in the series, but can be read standalone. (But don't be silly, read all the books! I loved them!)

Lauren Skidmore grew up in Kansas, with stints in Ohio and New York, and currently lives in Utah. She attended Brigham Young University where she earned a BA in English Teaching with an emphasis in Teaching English as a Second Language and Japanese. She then spent a year in Japan teaching and travelling. She hasn’t made it to Europe yet, but it’s on the list and has been to 30 states in the U.S. so far. When she’s not exploring new places, you can probably find her on the internet with fifteen windows open and looking at just one more thing before actually getting something done.

You wrote What is Hidden as a Nano novel. Had you written anything before that?

What is Hidden was my first original novel, but I had written a few novel-length fanfics before. That kind of background lends itself really well to doing fairy tale retellings, since both are based on taking an already established story or characters and molding them into something new.

How did you find the inspiration for Venesia's culture? The masks, the hierarchy, ect. 

I find the masks of the real-word Venice so beautiful and inspiring that it didn't take much for me to create this whole culture that really surrounds them. I also liked the way I could play with literal and figurative masks because I enjoy wordplay and it makes me feel clever. The fashion industry also influenced my idea of the culture because we base our opinions of people by the way they dress in our own world all the time, and I thought it would be interesting if we could just look at a person and know everything about them based solely on what they wore, in the colors and designs or patterns.  

Have you ever written a character that was based on someone you knew?

Not really, though my three younger brothers have requested cameos. I almost used them as bodyguards in The Fairest Poison, but it didn’t work out the way I wanted, so I’m saving them for a future project. I do write characters inspired by other characters occasionally. Bianca was influenced by Kayley from Firefly, for example. They're both incredibly optimistic and look for the best in people, no matter what. 

What is Lost is centered around the antagonist of What is Hidden. Did you feel like you were taking a risk by writing a book about the person everyone hated by the end of book 1?

I never really thought of it in that way. I wrote what I wanted to, and I thought it would be interesting to see what happens to the villain after his plot fails, so to speak, and it's not something I've seen a lot of in other books. I had a lot of fun with the Chameleon’s character and how he developed throughout all three books.

The third book in the series is called The Fairest Poison. Why did you decide to ditch the "what is" theme?

Originally the title was going to be What Is Found, but my publisher wanted a title that hinted more at the fairy tale I was playing with, as well as make it more accessible as a stand-alone read. So we decided on The Fairest Poison. 

Will we get to catch up with Evie and Aiden in The Fairest Poison?

Oh yes. We get to see Aiden in a new way, and wherever he is, Evie is, too.

It's really interesting how each book takes on aspects of a fairy tale. Do you plan on writing anymore books like that?

Maybe. I have a lot of fun twisting fairy tales into new stories, but retellings also come with a lot of limitations. I have a couple more fairy tales I’d like to do, but I’d also like to branch out and do something new.

What's your favorite Disney/childhood movie?

Beauty and the Beast. I toyed with the idea of doing a retelling of that one set in the Venesia world, but ended up going a different route. I also love Mulan.

Are you working on anything new or taking a break?

I’m taking a little break, but I definitely have ideas for future novels. Right now I’m feeling out a few different ideas and haven’t settled on one yet.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Ask yourself: how badly do you really want it? Do you want it more than you want to catch up on a tv show, or more than spending time online? If you can answer yes, it’s a lot easier to make the time to write, and that’s often the most difficult part.

Thanks Lauren!

Be sure to come back for my review of What is Hidden, What is Lost, and The Fairest Poison. Coming soon!

Other Books of Honorable Mention (2015)

I'm officially reading my the last book I will finish in 2015. Normally, I save this blog space to talk about independently published and small press books. Before the year closes, I wanted to highlight some great books I've read this year that are from more well known publishers or bigger companies that I haven't mentioned here before. Because let's face it, who wants to limit their reading experience to just one genre/author/publisher?

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I instantly fell in love with this cover and decided I must have it. (Little tip: Target will price match anything Amazon sells so I got this HARDCOVER for 9 bucks!!) I found out I was slightly deceived, though. The artwork suggests Renaissance court intrigue and drama, which there is, but this story is more dystopian/sci-fi, which kept throwing me for a loop since they would run around castles in pretty clothes and then use their electric super powers to glitch out the security monitors. But all that aside, it's a great book. Kind of reminded me of Game of Thrones and X-men. Definitely getting book two. Hopefully in hardcover. 

My family knows how much I love anything Renaissance so I got this for Christmas last year. It's different than anything I've ever read. It's a collaboration of about 12 different authors and each author writes an act. It's a very interesting story, but drags a lot, depending on who's telling the story. It's kind of a heavier (and long) read so I'd recommend doing a little research on it before investing in it.

This book was great. It's a very subtle Cinderella retelling, but what I liked most about it was the beautiful, unique world and the elaborate masks and costumes. When I read a book I want to escape to another realm, and What is Hidden provided me with just that. I'm definitely reading the sequels! Coincidentally, this book comes from the same publisher who is doing my latest book Sigil in Shadow. So, if you're familiar with this book, you'll probably like mine too!

This is one of the last in the Bloody Jack series - a chronicle of adventures concerning a young orphan girl who disquises herself as a boy to get a job on a ship. Excellent, excellent story telling! This series got me through some tough times and one I hope my daughter will read one day. "Jackie" and I have been through a lot together and I will be very sad to say goodbye to her.

I re-read this before I went to see the movie. Not the best in the series but still, "not the best in the series" in a brilliant series is still an amazing book.

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I've got one more review coming up before 2016, but I'll be busy as I expect to get a lot of books for Christmas! What were some of your favorite books this year, indie or otherwise?