The Unfailing Light (Katerina, #2) by Robin Bridges, Tour Stop + Book Review

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

Title: The Unfailing Light
Author: Robin Bridges
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (Delacorte Press)
Pages: 400
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Rating: 4/5

Let me start off this review by saying a huge thank you to Random House for letting me take part in this blog tour. Hope you enjoy reading my review!

It was revealed in the prequel, THE GATHERING STORM, that Katerina, a royal Russian, has a very dark, sinister gift...or is it a curse? Katerina's secret ability is to communicate, raise, and command the dead, and she can either use her talents for good...or evil.

One of the things I look for in every single book I read is a strong, independent female protagonist who isn't afraid to do things on her own, and Katerina is just that. She is so strong-willed and knows exactly what she wants, and doesn't let a man control her, which is odd in such a male-dominated culture, especially in Imperial Russia in the year 1888.

Speaking of Imperial Russia, let's talk about the setting of this trilogy: St. Petersburg, Russia, during the Imperial Age (1888). The setting makes for an amazing atmosphere. With most books set in the United States present day, it was a breath of fresh air to be transportation back in time to a foreign country.

I was kept guessing whodunit until the very end, which is very strange for me because I can usually pick up on who's wreaking all the havoc from the beginning, but Bridges wrote so much action, adventure, mystery, and magick into her book that you pretty much just had to "live in the moment."

I highly recommend The Gathering Storm and The Unfailing Light to lovers of YA paranormal romance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Buy the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-katerina-trilogy-vol-ii-robin-bridges/1111303785

Here is the complete list of the stops on the tour. Don't forget to drop by!
~September 25th: Casey’s Crew
~September 26th: Much Ado About Books
~September 26th: The Streetlight Reader
~September 27th: Infinite Reads
~September 28th: The Hiding Spot
~September 29th: Girls *Heart* Books
~October 1st: Mom Reads My Books
~October 2nd: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
~October 2nd: The Book Review Club
~October 3rd: The Book Review Club
~October 4th: Kimba Caffeinated
~October 4th: My Life is a Notebook
~October 5th: My Life is a Notebook
~October 6th: Candace’s Book Blog
~October 7th: Reader Girls
~October 8th: Bookish
~October 8th: Peace, Love, Books
~October 9th: YA Bibliophile
~October 9th: Reader Girls
~October 10th: Wastepaper Prose
~October 10th: Imaginary Reads
~October 11th: Imaginary Reads
~October 12th: Well Read Wife
~October 15th: Libby Blog
~October 16th: Cracking the Cover
~October 17th: A Bookish Libraria
~October 18th: A Novel Review
~October 19th: In the Best Worlds
~October 20th: Tripping Over Books