Book Review: Ruined by Amy Tintera

Title: Ruined
Author: Amy Tintera
Series/Standalone: Ruined Series (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 355
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Year Published:2016
Format: Physical Copy (Own It)
First Line: "The wheels of the carriage creaked as they rolled across the dirt."

"A revenge that will consume her. A love that will ruin her.

Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents' brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia was kidnapped.

But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge Em sets of on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera's borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. but in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.

In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera's throne. if anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir's true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it's the only way to salvage Em's kingdom and what is left of her family.

Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em's rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life- and her family- on the line, love could be Em's deadliest mistake."

My Rating: 4.5/5

I went into this book tentatively because it was being compared to my favorite series, Red Queen and while I see where that was pulled from I didn't enjoy them for the same reason. In this story, I really enjoyed the main character and her motives, but more so I enjoyed the world and learning about the magic in this world. I also really enjoyed the romance for the first half of this novel, but by the second half, I found myself getting frustrated with the characters.  I also enjoyed the pacing of this book it was a fun fast read, and I plan to continue on with the story.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny