A Dream Within A Dream: Assassin of Truths Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-assassin-of-truths-by-brenda-drake/

Assassin of Truths (Library Jumpers #3)

Author: Brenda Drake

Publication Date: February 6, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

The gateways linking the great libraries of the world don’t require a library card, but they do harbor incredible dangers.

And it’s not your normal bump-in-the- night kind. The threats Gia Kearns faces are the kind with sharp teeth and knifelike claws. The kind that include an evil wizard hell-bent on taking her down.

Gia can end his devious plan, but only if she recovers seven keys hidden throughout the world’s most beautiful libraries. And then figures out exactly what to do with them.

The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of falling in love. But when an impossible evil is unleashed, love might be the only thing left to help Gia save the world.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Assassin of Truths is the exhilarating final installment in an absolutely wonderful young adult fantasy series that will leave readers with closure, but still wanting more. After reading the first two books and knowing that this was the last one, I had lots of hopes and certain expectations for it. I'm so incredibly happy that this novel lived up to and even surpassed my expectancies. There are so many series that start out really strong only to tank when it comes to the following installments. This book is just as good - if not a bit better - than the first two, which was a very happy surprise for me.

As with the first two books, a ton of stuff happens throughout the story - to the point where I can't elaborate much on the plot because of potential spoilers. There were a ton of fantastic secondary characters that I enjoyed getting to know on a better level. Gia continues to evolve throughout the book. She's wiser, more mature, confident, determined to do what has to be done in order to finish the war - no matter the costs (and there are definitely some big ones). She's a realistic character with both positive traits and faults, and I was able to easy reconnect with her right away. The romance between Gia and Bastien was sweet and I loved watching them continue to grow closer as the story evolved. As I mentioned a couple reviews ago - I don't normally do the "book boyfriend" thing but in this case, Bastien definitely makes my list. Talk about swoon!

Another big plus for me was the author's choice of writing style. She uses the first person point of view - which I'm a huge fan of for several reasons. The story is told from Gia's perspective, so we really get to know her on a deeply personal level. I think it's a perfect fit for the series and captures the inner workings of Gia's heart and mind, allowing the reader to really identify with her character. The author used vivid imagery and lots of detailed descriptions that brought each aspect of the story to life before my eyes. I easily slipped back into Gia's world from the beginning pages of the book, and I didn't come back out until I had finished the novel (which I ended up doing in a matter of a few hours). The last book in a series is always bittersweet because you usually get a good amount of closure, but it makes me sad that there will be no more new books to look forward to. I know for a fact that I'll be re-reading this series plenty of times, so I guess it's not really goodbye for me at least. :) Very highly recommended for fans of fantasy, along with fans of young adult fiction, paranormal, contemporary, and even romance!

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother's animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda's world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there's always a romance warming the pages. Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she's not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).