Thursday, February 4, 2016

Review: Greta and the Lost Army

Greta and the Lost Army (Mylena Chronicles - Book 3) by Chloe Jacobs

Publication Date: 02/01/2016
Publisher: Entangled
Imprint: Entangled Teen
Genre: Paranormal Teen
Pages: 338
ISBN-10: 1682811026
ISBN-13: 978-1682811023

(Received from Entangled Teen for an honest review)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, iTunes

Chloe Jacobs on the WEB: Website, Twitter, Facebook, goodreads

Books in the series:

Mylena Chronicles

1. Greta and the Goblin King
2. Greta and the Glass Kingdom
3. Greta and the Lost Army


Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.




Synopsis:

After spending the last four years trapped in a place of monsters, demons, and magick, the last thing the fierce teenage bounty hunter Greta expected was to ever be back on Earth. But a rare opportunity gives her and the Goblin King Isaac the opportunity to do just that. Now she's home. With a boy in tow. And her parents have lots of quest ions. Although Greta finally has her heart's deepest wish-to see her family again-every step she takes to reconnect with them drives her further away from Isaac. Greta and Isaac planned for her to return to Mylena and become his queen, but she's not sure if she can go back to that harsh world, though staying on Earth means giving up the boy she loves. But a powerful enemy refuses to let Greta escape. A demon who will stop at nothing to destroy her and everything she loves. Even if it means following her to Earth and forcing her to face a fate as unavoidable as love itself.

Thoughts:

Chloe Jacobs brings readers the conclusion to a great series with the last book in the Mylena Chronicles, Greta and the Lost Army. This series is a combination of paranormal teen fiction with a touch of science fiction and fantasy thrown in. Greta is a strong, young heroine who is faced with a choice of returning to her family on Earth or staying with the boy she loves in a world where danger is around every corner. Readers who like a plethora of paranormal character from goblins to witches, fairies and gnomes, will find this one right up their alley. 

What I liked:

With any title that is remotely paranormal or science fiction related the world building has to be spot on. The author has to be able to create a world or a mythology that speaks to the reader. I think this especially important with teen fiction, because if you screw it up, they aren't afraid to let you know it. The world that Chloe Jacobs has created for the Mylena Chronicles is vivid and somewhat dark. There are both monsters and villains and an air of urgency. The world of the Goblin King is no fairy tale place and Jacobs does a fantastic job with description and attention to detail. You would have to be strong to live in a place like and Greta is certainly that.

Greta has been a great heroine for this series. She is strong and hard headed. Her independence is everything to her and she knows how to handle herself in a dangerous situation. But in her heart, she is still just a young girl, in love with a boy, who misses her family and an easier way of life. I was glad that the author gave Greta a choice in what her life would be. This book is a lot about love but it's also about trust and faith and knowing where you belong. A coming of age story in the guise of adventure tale if ask me! Well done...

Isaac as usual, was my favorite character. Just the lines of dialogue that Jacobs gives him is enough to make readers swoon. He is so eloquent and poised. He reminds me somewhat of Ash from the Iron Fey series. He understands Greta. He gets her and that's so important in any relationship. I love these two together. There is no push and pull with their relationship. There is a lot of mutual respect and understanding of each other abilities and quirks, good and bad. Just a great relationship for a teen novel. 

Since this was the conclusion of the series, I was expecting a lot of unanswered questions to be settled and I was really happy that the author didn't leave too much to chance. But she did leave an opening for more stories from the Mylena world, whether they be short stories or even a novella or two. Don't think I could ever get too much Isaac, what a great leading boy/man. 

What I didn't like:

There were moments of predictability in this one, but they were not overwhelming. I thought there could have been a little more depth in a couple of the side relationships and I was not completely sold on the reaction of Greta's parents to her return after so long. I mean the reunion was nice, but needed a bit more realism. If your daughter was missing and showed up with a lover in tow, who happened to be a Goblin King... that might be a little hard to swallow... LOL!

Bottom Line:

This was great series. I'm sad that it's over but have hope we will still hear from these characters again at some point. Greta and Isaac got the ending I was hoping for and Mylena is still the same place it's always been. There were tons of paranormal characters which can be confusing in some books but not in this one and there was a lot of soul searching and a ton of action... Did I mention the bad guy was phenomenal? Probably had a great demonic laugh going on. A very good conclusion to a great series. Greta and Lost Army may be a teen book, but most of the adults I know would love it!

Greta and Lost Army is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!




About the Author:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around topographically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

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