ARC Review: Ruined by Amy Tintera

Ruined

Author: Amy Tintera

Series: Unknown

Pages: 316

Publisher/Source: HarperTeen

Release date: 3^rd May 2016

Synopsis: (Goodreads) 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 off 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.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Amy Tintera’s debut series Reboot so I was eager to read Ruined which is the first book in her new YA high fantasy series.

Our MC is Emelina Flores who is from Ruina, she is a Ruined that has no powers but wields a sword with ease. On a quest for vengeance for the family that killed her parents and kidnapped her sister Olivia, she journeys to the kingdom of Lera in order to infiltrate the royal family and exact her revenge.

When Emelina, acting as Princess Mary Anselo of Vallos arrives the first task in her plan is to reluctantly marry Prince Casimir Gallegos as part of the treaty marriage, it’s the only way in which to salvage her kingdom but he is not what she was expecting and they come to share a sweet bond.

I really took a liking to the main characters; Emelina was strong, confident and determined to bring justice to her family no matter the cost. Cas was a little innocent, I didn’t see any real future king traits from him until towards the end of the book but I did like that he was logical, was kind and took care of Emelina/Mary. All of the side characters were written well and played a pivotal part in the overall story; my heart did break for Damian, I liked Galo, Aren and Iria, I didn’t trust Jovita at all and I am most curious about what has happened to Olivia.

The plot was interesting and flowed well but there were a few aspects I still questioned; I found parts of the background history especially about Ruina were lacking, I needed to know more about the world they were living in and also about the Ruined and their powers, but despite this it was thrilling with some fabulous and at time gruesome action sequences, I thought the way the planning and plotting took place and the key players in it was well done; I didn’t quite know who at times could be trusted and during some scenes things seemed a little rushed but I liked the revenge theme.

Amy Tintera’s writing is wonderful, her setting, the storyline and the characters all kept me entertained and wanting more. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Overall, if you are after a story filled with deceit, character progression, ongoing action, enjoyable writing and an intriguing plot then you would quite enjoy Ruined by Amy Tintera.

About the author: (From authors website)

Hi! I’m Amy Tintera, and I write novels for young adults. I grew up in Austin, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. After receiving a masters in film at Emerson College I moved to Los Angeles, where I promptly discovered I didn’t enjoy working in the film industry, and went back to my first love, writing.

REBOOT and REBEL are published by HarperCollins/HarperTeen.