Review: The Doomsday Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana

The Doomsday Trial by J.A. Armitage  and Claire Luana 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an advance copy via the author in exchange for an honest review.  This book was released on August 1st and is available on Amazon.

This is the third and final installment of Faerie Race Trilogy. This is by far the most creative of the 3 trials. I really loved that Jacq and Orin had to figure out and play a very strategic game, while also trying to thwart the very real danger of the Brotherhood. I don’t want to give too much away as I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this final installment.

This picks up just after the second books ends with Cass still reeling from her friends death in the 2nd trial and the knowledge that her sister is very much alive. She and Orin meet up with Cass and learn that the Brotherhood is in fact up to no good and find out what they are really planning at the end of the race. Jacq and Orin decide to head back into the dangerous race in an attempt to stop the Brotherhood and save both the Faerie and Human realms. Our favorite race team must figure out the rules of the game and protect their pieces of the game board because as we learn the battle their pieces face is deadly. I really liked that all of the contestants from the previous trials returned as pieces and that some of the pieces were very personal to Jacq and Orin, that was a nice addition and very authentic element of reality TV shows.

I think this was my favorite of the three books. It was fast paced, action packed, the plot was really unique and creative, and I liked that the romance was there but not in your face. Both Orin and Jacq are faced with very tough decisions and we see them develop throughout the entire series. I thought this series wrapped up in nicely, leaving the reader feeling satisfied. There were some good twists and turns and I really wasn’t sure which way this was going to go until the very end. This was such a fun series and I recommend it for lovers of fantasy.


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Review: The Elemental Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana

The Elemental Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This picks up right where The Sorcery Trial left off. Jacq and Orin have successfully made it through the first trial of The Faerie Race and they are on to the second trial only a few days later. This is just as action packed as the first book, but the trial is quite different. This time the teams have to work together to make it through.

First they must attend a ball and answer trivia questions or they will be eliminated. Next they must work together to navigate a goblin cavern and decipher a code to find their way out. Last they must transform and negotiate with mermaids or their lives may be at stake. Each step of The Elemental Trial proves to be more dangerous. In addition to the race, Jacq is still looking for her missing sister, and she thinks she may have uncovered a secret society. As Jacq and Orin continue forward in the race they find themselves facing more and more dangerous situations as sabotage, creatures, cheating, magic, and greed play into the game they are playing.

I really enjoyed this second installment. Much like the first one this is a really fun fast paced action, fantasy story with a really creative version of the fae world and the creatures within. This trial was a bit more focused on critical thinking and didn't have as much magic, but that was explained to the contestants. I'm looking forward to book 3 because of that cliffhanger ending and I really want to find out more about this secret society. I'm anxious to find out what the 3rd trial entails and how the ending all comes together.

While I suspected there would be a budding romance between Orin and Jacq, it was a bit insta-lovey for my taste. I do like them as a couple, but their relationship barely moved into friendship before they were in love. I like a bit more relationship development in my romance. They could have just kissed and acknowledged that they had feelings for each other, that would have been preferable and realistic given the circumstances. The one thing I liked about book 1 is that romance was not a plot driver, it was quite a heavy driver of the plot in book 2.

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review.  This will be out on July 15, 2019.

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Review: The Sorcery Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana

The Sorcery Trial by J.A. Armitage and Claire Luana 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a really fun book, I can't wait to see what the rest of the series brings us. There is action, magic, creativity, and the characters are interesting. So far there is no romance, but there is the potential for something to happen in the future and I like that romance is not a driving factor in the plotline.

Jacq Cunninngham has landed herself a role as a gopher on an L.A. movie set in the hopes of one day becoming a stuntwoman. She is learning the ropes and hopefully will move her way up the ladder in Hollywood. When her boss finally lands his big show, Jacq finds herself running errands for all types of Fae and humans as they compete to be contestants on a new type of show, think American Ninja Warrior meets The Amazing Race, meets The Hunger Games but with all manner of Fae creature and with magic. Sounds good right? Jacq isn't interested in the Fae or magic as her sister disappeared after getting involved in a coven several years ago. Jacq is hoping to enter the Fae world in order to find her sister and bring her back, she is hopeful that The Fairy Race is her ticket in to that world and might provide some clue as to where her sister went. Unfortunately, Jacq isn't allowed to participate.

Jacq has a bit of a hero complex, she has to save everyone around her. She wants to save her sister, and when she is presented with an opportunity to save an injured contestant on the show, she finds herself a fan favorite and a contestant. Jacq no intention of using magic, and she doesn't care about winning fan favorite after her initial actions, she just wants to find her sister. She does well in all of the physical challenges, but when she is finally paired with Orin a surly fae who doesn't like anyone and only wants to win things start out rough as the race begins. Orin has his own motivations to win the race. He and Jacq eventually work out their issues and begin to work together.

Overall, this was fast paced and really enjoyable. I thought the characters could have used a bit more development and the world building could have been a bit more descriptive. Jacq is a bit all over the place and I hope we get more development from her in the next books. For a girl who wants to be a stuntwoman and win a game to save her sister, she is extremely irrational and impulsive when it comes to making decisions and she doesn't actually try to win said races. She is constantly stopping to help the other contestants to help them which I like about her, but I can't yet see how that helps her find her sister yet. I'm sure that will become clear as the series unfolds.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I'm very much looking forward to the remaining books in the series. I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review.  This will be out on July 1, 2019.

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