Summerkin audiobook

This is a little younger than I usually read, so I'm rounding up a smidgen to correct for that. Overall, a fun read.

4.5 stars.I really enjoyed the plot of this one, there was a competition and intrigue and weird new creatures and lands for us to discover. I found the characters, old and new, all very enjoyable and the part with the Hunt had my heart in my throat! I gave the first book in this series 4 stars, this one is even better!The reason why I can't give this 5 stars is because I feel a bit uncomfortable with how Fer is forcing her view upon the other Lords and Ladies. Is she right? Yes, Fer is definitely right. But it feels forced and I think that it is better to let people see and come to their own conclusions than forcing them like this. I also feel like it's not like Fer to force the others to do things the way she wants them to do it. So I took off half a star for that.

Full stars

A really interesting arc for this fae series. The first book was about non-violence, with medicine as resistance, and this one is about non-hierarchical servant leadership. I'm really interested to see where book three goes. I mean it's technically about a competition to see who gets to be the Lady of the Summerlands, with archery contests and a magical fashion show. And trickster babies who are sometimes puppies. And government-led extermination campaigns against said tricksters. MIDDLE GRADE IS FOR KIDS THEY SAID. KIDS READ EASY BOOKS I THOUGHT. SOMETHING LIGHT AND FLUFFY.

As predicted, I enjoyed this one even more than book 1!And Sarah Prineas really has a way of getting you attached to side characters in a relatively short time. And as a big fan of side characters, I appreciate that!

4 stars.I cant decide if Iiked this better than the first book or the same. Such a great story and I cant wait to see what the third book is about. I really liked how everything turned out.

4.5 Sterne für ein weiteres Abenteuer mit Fer und Rook :)Rezension folgt

I liked this second in the series slightly less than the first book, I think there was less danger. I love how Fer is taking the best of humanity with her and changing her new home.

Fer. Actually Lady Fer, ever since she defeated the Mór, the powerful, corrupt ruler of the lands on the other side of the Way. For the longest time, Fer felt like she didn't belong in the normal, human world. All her life she was lonely, that is, ever since she came to the Summerlands. The land lies across the human world, through a series of portals, and now, Fer has been crowned the Queen of the ever-changing land.One fine day, Fer's assistant and best friend, Rook, delivers a letter to Fer. It is from the High Ones, and it states that she must prove herself worthy of the Summerlands through a competition. When Fer travels to the nathe palace, she must find out her true heart, make new friends, compete with tricksters, and retrieve old friends in order to keep control of the new home she is meant to love and her peoples' fate.

Reader thoughts: The best parts were that Fer was different from everyone in the magical lands. I was impressed enough that I shared the ending with my husband. (view spoiler)[Everyone else expects their subjects to swear fealty to them and promise to serve them and whatnot. Fer turns that on its head and swears to serve her people. Actually, this is a Biblical idea, and so I love it even more. Oc course a ruler has to be a servant! (hide spoiler)]The games and trials Fer had to take part in seemed a bit cliche. Oh, she has to do a test of magic and a test of speed and a test of archery. She is racing/fighting against other potential rulers and losing. She only (view spoiler)[ wins because of her compassion on her fellow players. I wanted her soft skills trials to be more varied. Like, test 1 her compassion is tested. Test 2, it's her honesty. Nope. Just compassion, I guess. Oh, and that one evil guy was obviously evil from the first time we met him. Fer was being a bit dumb to trust him. (hide spoiler)] The tests didn't really seem to have that much to do with being a ruler anyway. I was not impressed with the magical elder people who decided the trials Fer had much more sense.Rook. I don't know what to think about him. His mischievous nature adds dimension, but the life of a puck doesn't actually make logical sense to me. They're all boys, all brothers, none old, and all spend all their energy causing mayhem? They have magic but only spend it to be ornery? How is that supposed to work? Why? Rook seems to think like a rational being, just one who thinks it is his duty to cause trouble.Writer thoughts: This book was in one way not as good as I hoped and in another way better than I had hoped. I find this to be a large factor in how much I like a book.Authors, pay attention. If a reader can predict an ending to the book that is better than yours, change your book. If a reader tries to predict an ending, but the book is even better (more unexpected, more satisfying, etc.) than the reader could have imagined ... that is what makes a truly great book.

I think Rook is one of my favorite characters, something about his personality is really loveable to me. *hugs him* Fer is even better in this book. Her leadership skills and kindness is awesome! I like the grandma a lot more now. (I thought she was kinda grumpy in the first book haha). And I love the beeeeeees. This was more interesting then the first book I think. It had a different plot, but followed pretty well after the first book. More characters and learning a little more about the world. It was cool. Especially to see more pucks. (Though one of them only wears paint. No clothes at all. Which. You know. Is kinda weird in my opinion ... meh).There is a theme in this book. And I doN't know if I agrEe. Or not. I half agree at least. Pushing your power on people and being a tyrant is a no-no, and yes, leaders should be servants to their people in a way, but there should still be laws and some sort of rule, otherwise it won't work. But it was still shown really well in the story, so I applaud. I really like these characters and their adventures, so I am both excited and nervous for the last book. As a last note: I will toss Rook and Fer into a room and lock them in if they can't figure out their friendship soon! :)

** spoiler alert ** Another book by Sarah Prineas that has an intriguing plot that kept me reading. A bit predictable at times (spoiler: it was easy to see Fer would save Gnar and Lich at least once over the course of the book) but the plot did deviate from what I thought would happen regarding Rook, the summer crown, and Arenthial. The puck characters are a delight and the plot was original enough and intriguing enough that I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. For older readers, it may be a bit of a quick, light read but again Fer is a beautiful heroine and the plot is good enough to keep you entertained regardless of it being written for a younger audience. I love what Fer represents.

I was very happy with the High Ones, I thought they were just the right amount of mysterious and wise, but also fair. I was disappointed that there were no new friends added, but I was glad to see that she became closer to the friends she already had. I was also happy with the character development with Rook, but I did think that she could have taken it a little farther. I would have liked Fer to have a solid friendship with him by the end of this series. Now, though, I am very excited for Moonkind.

Most people Fers age have the everyday dealings with trying to feel like they fit in and are accepted by their peers and viewed as equals by all. Fer takes it to another level as she goes to an area in the world she was from and has to fight for acceptance and respect from a group of peers who definitely have different ideas as to how their world should be run. I finished this book in a matter of days.

As lovely as the first!The concept of an actual contest for the crown (although not a new one to the book community) is a new thing to me, and I love it! Way to go! The uncertainty between Rook and Fer and just Fer in general made me read so fast, haha.I think one thing that stood out to me was how predictable the book became halfway into it. That is where this sequel takes a step back, but it’s still a fun one!