Maximum Ride: Forever

Maximum Ride: Forever
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

The world has been destroyed, what's left is unrecognisable. With their new home unsafe, the flock is divided as visions and arguments and the aftermath of events pull them in different directions. The flock is split while they all search for answers. That will be and is their downfall. Max is alone. Things happen to her that shouldn't happen to anyone. Each flock member is being hunted. Loved ones are lost, found and lost again. But everything has to come to an end, and when in Russia...well....you take out the crazy terrorist guy who destroyed the world and is trying to kill you.

I can't even right now. I really can't. I started this series when I was in school and now it's really finished. For some reason I thought Nevermore was the final book and then it turns out this one is and I can't even, I'm feeling so many feels right now and it was really the perfect ending ever. I'm just sad the series is over to be honest, it's been such a fantastic series to read and ugh. So many feels.

This book hooks you from the first page, and it's action packed and fast paced right from the start. We get multi POV's, which is perfectly done, adding to the tension and the mystery and the general "OMG"ness. The narrative was mainly from Max's point of view, and her narrative continues to be engaging and entertaining with an amusing inner monologue that has you chuckling. I've really missed Max and the flock guys!
Each other POV has a distinctive voice, and each adds something to the story, making it dimensional and complex and multi layered, while switching between them smoothly and with perfectly pitched timing.

The setting was vivid, atmospheric and cinematic. You could practically feel the ash choking you and smell the rather....unpleasant...smells. It was quite scary when you consider all the things going on in the world that could lead to a similar thing in the present day. This well crafted setting is part of what sucks you in to the story, and it blocks out the real world. 

Fang and Max....the first ship I ever shipped. These two caused me some major feels this book, and I still love their relationship and how natural it is, and it doesn't half make you go "awww", and this book you saw it naturally progress even more, and while the circumstances where extreme, it seemed natural and the logical next step, as well as the happy ending to a horrible chain of events.

I still got annoyed at Angel once or twice, I haven't liked her much for a couple of books now because ever since the first book I've been firmly on Max's side, and Team Max. But this book, I kind of started to understand Angel a bit more and how things have affected her.

This book was such an emotional journey for me as a reader who's been with this series for so long, yet everything is tied up, everything makes sense, everything fit and everything is resolved, it was a truly perfect ending to a well loved series.

The plot had so many twists and turns and at points it was truly heartbreaking with shocking moments when you had to pause, because you can't believe you read that and it can't really have happened because the author wouldn't really do that to your beloved characters, and then something else would happen and you'd be all happy and then something ELSE would happen and you'd be devastated again. Old characters resurfaced and brought even more feels! 

You could feel the suspense oozing off the page, feel the blood drain from your face whenever something horrible happened to the characters. The plot was a mystery you try to work out, but I was glad I couldn't to be honest, because it meant I was surprised until the end, and when everything clicked in to place you where kicking yourself for not working it out earlier. I couldn't have come up with anything even like what actually happened.

Maximum Ride: Forever was the perfect ending to a fantastic series. Full of action, adventure, and heart stopping fight scenes, it was the perfect continuation. With everything you loved from the other books, all the characters you loved are back and you get one last deeper insight in to them. Forever was beautifully written and as heartbreaking as it was heartwarming. I'm really going to miss having new instalments of this series!

Angelfall

Angelfall
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When Penryn and her family stumble into an angel smack down, the angels are so busy trying to cut off one's wings, that they nearly get away.....nearly. When the angels fly off with her sister, Penryn will do anything to get her back...but when she does...she might not be the same.

Penryn will have to work with the angel she saved to get to the angel's base and rescue her sister, while Raffe just needs to get his wings sewn back on...but things are always more complicated than they should be....especially when feelings are involved.

HOLY SHIT! I can't believe it took me THIS long to read this book! Don't get me wrong, I've been intrigued for a while, but I don't have a lot of time to read books that aren't review books right now, and so I've been eyeing this up, then it popped up on Bookbridgr, presumably because the final one is out next month! But anyways, I had to grab it and I've been itching to finally get round to it and oh my god it has everything I want in a book!

First of all the originality is all over the book, I mean it's so unique I got far too excited, we all know I love to read unique books, that are a little bit different from the norm, and this is no exception. I mean we have an agnostic angel and I seriously was just like....that is freaking brilliant! If I didn't already love Raffe that would have done it!

The main thing was the premise, so unique, apocalypse by angels! I was sucked in from the beginning and totally glued to the page. I seriously couldn't put it down, I was fascinated and enchanted by the book and it's world. The world was so vivid, you could picture every setting, every single thing described, characters, buildings, the atmosphere oozed off the page and engulfed you as you where reading, it was incredible. I was delightfully disgusted at more than one point, it had a nice dark edge to it in places.

The premise was just as strong as it's plot, I didn't even bother trying to guess what was going to happen next, I just rolled with it and went along for the ride. And what a ride it was, there was always something going on, something to keep you reading, action and what not. The plot was complex, there was the whole deal with Penryn looking after her sister and Raffe helping her, but there was a complexity in the angels. They have some serious political mess going on, they don't know why they're there, or what they're doing and their messenger was killed and now they need a knew one, so they're kind of all fighting over it, and one angel wants to be the new messenger, but Raffe's soldiers want him to be it and so on, but Raffe has gone missing as far as they're aware, none of them seem to know he was ambushed by the angels working for the dude who wants to be in charge and had his wings cut off and that he hasn't abandoned them. So yeah, it's complex!

The other thing about the angels that added a sense of originality was that the angels all looked different, in that they all had different wings, most books have them all looking the same but this one added this cool element! I'm trying to work out what each wing means!

Penryn was an awesome main character, she's everything I love, she's badass, her dedication to finding her sister was inspiring, and just amazing. She was written so strongly that you connected with her immediately and you have nothing but respect for her character, looking after her sister, going after her to rescue her, and having to deal with her mother at the same time. I'm slightly convinced there's more to her mother's illness than meets the eye, but maybe I'm just overly suspicious!

Raffe. I liked Raffe. I didn't suspect what his real name was and as a fan of Supernatural I'm slightly aware of angels and who is what. Should have seen it coming. I loved his interactions with Pen, their banter and bickering where hilarious, and they work together, they have a certain chemistry that jumps off the page. I was so gutted when someone stole his wings and he got stuck with the demon wings, but he's so adorable, trying to be all " I don't even like you" yeah...sure mate, whatever you say, and then checking they had her in the van and everything. So adorable. He better get his damn wings back and takeover and kick the asshole angels asses. I swear.

I enjoyed how the romance was almost secondary to the plot, it was subtle, growing naturally and then kind of coming to centre stage towards the end, and I can't wait to see how their relationship develops in the final two books! It's going to be very well done either way and probably with lots of feels and aaawwss!

So yeah, before I gush on about it for pages and pages and pages, I'd better end the review here! The ending just left me wanting more and I really didn't want to leave the characters or the world! I can't wait to get my hands on the second book and I may have to take a break in my reviewing schedule to fit it in, because I'll be damned if I'm waiting months!

Angelfall is darkly atmospheric, enchanting, enthralling, original, expertly crafter, incredibly written, atmospheric, macabre....I could go on all day! Not to mention the rich background and history and mythology to the book and the angels and the world. I love me some rich mythology and background! Especially when it's slotted in perfectly with an engaging narrative.

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

When Ben's father tragically dies in a climbing accident, it's up to Ben and his mother Caroline to open his final project, a fancy hotel. But it's at this opening that their fate changes forever. When there's an air accident, Ben and his mother have to rescue the two pilots who bailed out, a daring feat, one that catches the attention of entrepreneur Jason Truby.

Ben gives his mother an idea, start a rescue team, but it's Truby who takes it to another level. He recruits Ben's mother to join his top secret, uber cool international rescue force....Gemini Force. Ben's itching to get on the team but his mother is determined he's going to finish school. That doesn't mean Ben can't visit on holidays....and he does.

It's Ben's first holiday trip out to hang with Gemini Force when everything goes wrong. A mission comes in, and Ben's mother is determined to go along....but in the middle of the rescue she becomes trapped, and suddenly Ben is parentless. Ben is determined to continue her work with the Force, but he's going to have to fight for his place....even if it means disobeying what he's been told and putting himself in danger....

Oh my God this was so good I can't even! I knew I had to review this because my Dad loves Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and I used to watch all of them when they where on TV, I've seen the film as well, which was okay, but yeah I'm so glad I got a proof of this because it was everything I  was hoping for and more!

I was sucked in from the first page, and it was all go from then, daring rescue missions...danger....fantastic characters you instantly feel connected to and get emotionally attached to, and what a cast of characters they are! Addie is my favourite, I'm not going to lie, I loved her, she's awesome! I'm not sure what the situation is with the books, but assuming the other books are happening, then I hope to see and learn more about the other team members and get to know them better, it's going to be interesting to see what's going to happen to Ben now he's on the team!

The setting was vivid, I could picture everything, and trust me, it gave my imagination a workout! Picturing all these cool devices and planes and everything. So vivid, so cinematic....just saying! The world is so well constructed it sucks you in and keeps you glued to the page, wanting to know more about the Force and what's going to happen next!

I was so gutted when Ben's mum died, I kept thinking it was going to be like, I don't know...that she was actually fine and they'd got there in time but no, it was so sad, and the book really brings out your emotions when you're reading. I was on the edge of my seat, riddled with tension when I was reading some of the missions!

I was never sure what was going to happen next, and it was a wild ride of a read, fast paced, slick, smooth, I can't gush about it enough to be honest! I wish it was longer! I wanted to keep reading and I didn't want it to end!

I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of the bad guy in this book, I got vibes about it, and I'm convinced he'll make an appearance again! It was cool how the two connected as well, to create a mini plot within the main plot!

I really can't get over this book, I had some expectations for this, and every single one was met and exceeded and I think this is a fantastic set up for what's going to be a fun and action filled series!

Terminal

Terminal
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

The Virals are back and a month after the events of Exposure they're working with Chance, ya know..the same Chance that accidentally infected himself, using his lab connections specifically, to try to work out what exactly has happened to their DNA and what the future holds for their powers, the answer? It will continue developing and ya know it could kill them. 

But it soon becomes apparent that there's another pack of Virals, rogue ones called the Trinity, created by the same strain that infected Chance, one of them is obvious...Chance's partner, but they need to work out who the other two are. Especially as these new Virals aren't exactly friendly...

....it started with warnings. Really specific warnings, and soon it becomes clear that this new group want to be the dominant pack and want Tory's pack gone. They'll stop at nothing to get rid of them. Destroying everything and setting them up to be caught by a shady government agency who has just started coming after them. 

Did I not already mention the shady government people? You know...stealth helicopters? Enquiring about them from acquaintances? Pretty much trying to capture them all to poke and prod at them? No? Yeah well that's happening and the other Virals are determined to turn Tory and the pack over. 

But Chance has been hiding something, a cure for being a viral, and with the net closing in on them from all sides, a shocking revelation later, and a trap gone wrong....Tory and co are going to have to make a very difficult decision.....

Holy shit! This installment though! It was so tense, the entire way through, there was one point where I was holding my breath as I was reading and there was never a moment when I wasn't totally glued to the page, totally engrossed in what was going on, I couldn't put this down for anything, not even eating.

The book starts so incredibly, creepily perfect. We get a mysterious surveillance report, detailing a conversation between Tory and Chance, then the creepy prologue and it's the perfect start to the book to be honest, it sets up the tone for the book, a problem and intense danger both at the same time. This time the stakes are even higher, this isn't them facing a killer or following clues, this is them fighting to not be kidnapped and never seen again, secreted away in a lab and dissected.

This book had an entirely different tone, it was tense from the go, and majorly creepy with the suited guys following them about, the stakes where higher than ever before. It's like a mysterious book, with hints of war in it, because seriously, there where some serious tactics going on in this, and then it was like any alien film or book you've ever read where something alien or different or supernatural is hunted and then locked in a lab to be taken apart. There's no clues, no treasure to follow and find, this is pure survival and it was...well...intense. It's the only word.

I've gotta say, I liked the creepy surveillance reports, it kept the book fresh and it was interesting to see what was going on that they didn't know about, what others knew about them, I mean they talked to Hannah and the Gamemaster and other various people, and it was interesting to see how some of them where doing, what became of them and what they saw that they shouldn't have. The first one reminded you of the events at the end of Exposure, and set the tone like I said, the rest added intrigue and a hell of a lot of it.

One thing I have to note...Madison being nice. I love it. She's on the football team with Tory and wants to be friends, and I enjoy the fact Tory could be about to have another female friend, even though at the end of the book she was kinda keeping her distance because of something Ella did, but still. She didn't even tell the MIB's what she saw, and we all know she saw Tory's eyes. Although her and Jason...didn't see that coming, I still find it a bit weird, and I'm unsure if we'll see less of Jason at this point?

The entire group's dynamics have changed at this point, Chance is working with them, trying to solve how what happened...happened, and what's likely to happen next. None of it good, they might not be done evolving and then they might die. But anyway, Ben and Chance don't really get along, and the gang have trust issues with Chance. As much as I like Chance, I had trust issues with him, I mean when the agents nab them? I sat there for 5 minutes thinking I'd pegged him wrong the entire time, then carried on reading and was like "as if the author just played my emotions that easily!". 

Whitney continues to tick me off, but she slightly redeemed herself in this book. I mean, what annoys me most about her is her making Tory do this cotillion gig, then not even letting her do the project she wants to do, like I said before, I can't stand being forced to do things I'm not down for, and it grates me seeing it happen in the book, especially as Kit goes along with Whitney, oblivious to his own kids discomfort. Like seriously dude? I was so gutted when they announced they where getting married, but then when Kit dropped the moving bomb, Whitney surprised me, it was so...un-Whitney.

This book was a bit of a shocker character wise. Chance said he's in love with Tory, and seeing as I ship them, I was all "awwww" and super excited, Madison, Whitney being surprisingly not stupid for once, but most importantly Ella.

This book had SO MANY twists I did not see coming. SO MANY. Cole. Jason and Madison. Chance.  Ella. Most importantly Ella. I seriously did not see it coming, but I got the most sinking feeling ever at the description of the third member of the Trinity, I just didn't want to believe it. Like wow. She REALLY hated Tory and I was SO gutted, so so gutted. I love their friendship and I love Ella, she's one of my favourite characters! But it was all good in the end, and look at Tory being all forgiving and yeah. I'd be hella mad if things hadn't been resolved but it's all good.

I am, however, still incredibly gutted about the bunker. Like where are they going to meet now?! How could you destroy it?! Nooooooo! It's one of my favourite locations in the book, and always makes me jealous that I don't have one!

There was romance in this book guys, in between the action and danger and shocking twists, subtle romance, but it was there. So like, I ship Chance and Tory, and he said he loved her and she was having some feelings and there was a kiss that was described as waaaaay better than her kiss with Ben, but whatever. My ship sunk. She chose Ben, so don't worry there's no love triangle. I was gutted, especially when Chance was all moving on like 5 seconds later with Ella. But whatever. Ben and Tory are quite cute I suppose. We just need to find Shelton and Hi someone now muahahhaaaa

Terminal is everything I have come to expect from this series, slick, engrossing, action packed, funny, intriguing, fascinating, I learned some cool science things, the book took a different spin than the others keeping it fresh, and it was genuinely enjoyable. The books just keep getting better and better to be honest, there's always a new twist, a new element, a new take, and the virus is ever evolving. The books, Terminal being no exception, are always unpredictable and full of shocking twists you don't see coming, and they always have killer endings.

I've had a prowl on GoodReads, and there's no other book listed. Now things have been wrapped up quite nicely....mostly....if you don't count the fact Tory's eyes where glowing blue at the very end. I'm assuming there's another book, if there is, I'm even more excited, because clearly they aren't as Viral free as they thought, and it's changed or something and who knows what the hell happens next! On the other hand, if this was the last book, then that's cool, it's been wrapped up quite nicely, the blue eyes thing leaves you hanging a bit, but it's also pretty obvious what has happened, and it's equally as fun to imagine for yourself what might happen next, or become of them. It's a strong series, and if this is the end, then it had a strong end, if it's not, then I look forward to another awesome instalment, but I can understand if the series has come to a natural end with no other way forward.

This week has been a bit of a journey and I can't thank the publisher enough for sending me not just Terminal, but the first four books so I could read them all. I've read all the books back to back and been on quite the journey with Tory and her friends, and I was hooked from the first page of the first book, never wanting the adventures to end, and I'm quite sad now I've finished the final book in my possession. It's fast become a favourite series of mine, each book incorporates some element I find intriguing and it's such a fresh series, serious, full of danger, but with some laughs courtesy of Hi and Shelton!

So yeah....Virals week is officially over. Whether this is the end for Tory or not, I'm gonna be re-reading this series for a loooonngg time! 

Code & Exposure

Code
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

The gang is back and things are quite quiet over on Loggerhead, no-ones shooting at them and trying to kill them, but we all know that won't last for long and it doesn't. See Hi has got a new hobby, it's called geocaching, and Hi and the gang find the only geocache located on Loggerhead. The cache contains a mystery box, and inside the mystery box is the start of a game, a very dangerous game.

The gang have to follow the clues to the next locations and it soon becomes apparent that this isn't an innocent  hunt, soon the gang are being put in one impossible position. Follow the rules of the game, win the tasks, find The Danger, or innocents are going to get hurt. They have no choice but to play the game, a game that's trying to kill them and those they love.

Tory and the gang have to solve the puzzles while working against the clock and keeping everything a secret, while trying to hunt down the Gamemaster. But that's not all they have to worry about, Chance is out and free, and he's on to Tory's little secret...the question is...will he work it out?

Okay, so again, this book is different to the first two books, this one was almost like a treasure hunt, but it was more intense, and more serious. The creepy "I'm watching you vibe" was very PLL and the overall vibe was quite junior NCIS or something similar. This book had a whole different levity to it with the consequences if they fail and so on, the stakes where way higher!

We got more of Jason in this book, which was interesting, as we didn't see him much in the first two books, you got loads of him and got to know him a bit better in this book, I'm still curious about him though, he still seems a bit mysterious.

This book gave us what we've all been waiting for as well.....the confirmation that Ben has a thing for Tory which was obvious at one previous point in the book, and it's all like screeching and wooing and omging, because like....FINALLY. It's now a case of what happens next....where will it go? If we do get some romance, I'm certain it's going to be secondary to the main plot, and very subtle, like it has been so far.

We got more of Chance this book as well, I like Chance, I really do, and I spent the whole book praying he wouldn't be a dick, then there was a point when I thought he was and I was like omg no but he wasn't, but he was totally shady for most of the book, and then right at the end of the book I was like dammit Chance, you're gonna be a dick aren't you?! I can't even. I want to know more about Chance, I really do like him, and I slightly ship him with Tory, not gonna lie.
His mole at LIRI is going to be interesting to watch play out as well. I hope he gets found out soon.

Like with the other books, our characters developed more, their bond strengthened...sort of, we saw more locations in the books world, and got a nice vivid image of them, the book was fast paced, just as slick and full of action, and it was incredibly hard to predict what was going to happen next. I always think I've pegged my suspect, or pin pointed what's going to happen next and I'm always wrong, and I love it.

Which is why the plot twist with Ben hit me like a truck. I did not see that coming. I thought the thing he was hiding was his thing for Tory, but no. I'm constantly shocked and surprised by every single plot twist in these books, and this was the worst so far. Like I can't even. I'm wondering how much it's going to change with his relationship with Tory, and how much it'll change the dynamics of the pack. Not to mention what will happen next with Ben himself.

I love how each book has a prologue that draws you in, and this was the creepiest one so far! I also love the little chapters in between the main narrative that are from a different POV, of someone who's a suspect, or from the bad guy, that all add huge amounts of intrigue and a nice dose of creepy.

It was interesting to see how things played out from the second book, everyone is closer, Kit now has an enemy within his own workplace, what things have changed in LIRI, douchey security for example. I quite liked Anders, I hope we see more of him! This book has taught me to be a bit suspicious of new characters, so I was mildly suspicious about him while hoping he was just a normal person haha

Now the suspense and the tension oozed off the page in this book multiple times, half the time it was like a physical thing, and it totally engulfs you. I was on the edge of my seat, nail biting, and generally freaking out when they where doing the challenges, and don't get me started on the scene under the ballroom! Couldn't put it down even if I tried. 

This series gets better and better, each book brings a different element, keeping the series fresh, there was still science in this one but there was a lot of cool puzzles as well. I love how there's still more to learn about their powers, especially with the new source of info they found, and I'm always excited to see where their powers are going to take them, what new ability they'll develop, I mean Tory is all mind reader, mind speak right now and it's so awesome!

I'm very excited to see what happens in the next book, especially after the last chapter!

Exposure
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

It's been 5 months since the events of code, and we join the gang in the midst of the Gamemaster's trial as it's coming to it's conclusion. While the Gamemaster pretty much seals his fate, two of the gang's classmates go missing, twins to be precise. So of course Tory and the gang decide to investigate, I mean....weird, creepy card left as a clue? How could they not. But when they stumble across blood, and lots of it, things get a whole lot more serious...and then when Tory's friend Ella goes missing? Tory becomes hell bent on finding the missing students before anything bad happens. Well...worse than being kidnapped. 

However, they have a bit of a problem. While investigating they have to deal with Ben, who's flaring all the time, in public, and the fact that their flares are becoming are more unstable, to the extent they can't flare without pain at some points or flare without realising. It's getting harder and harder to keep their secret. Which is crappy timing, considering Change is not just suspicious of them...he's on to them. He has a theory and he thinks he's worked out what's going on with them....he's also commissioned some secret project at his new place of work....Candela Pharmaceuticals. 

As the threat of exposure gets higher and higher, the evidence surrounding the students disappearance gets more and more confusing, and when Tory herself is dropped straight in to danger...the Virals are going to have to risk themselves and their secret to save the missing students. 

So in this installment, we jump in 5 months after the little game the psycho master had them playing, and I loved getting to see how it all played out, what happened to the Gamemaster and how the events effected everyone involved, we got to see the previous storyline conclude pretty much perfectly. 

We also got to see how the plot twist from the third book played out, and the answer is, not well for Ben, the gang's kinda fractured when we join them in the book, they aren't a pack and they aren't working well together, Tory and Ben haven't spoken in months and Ben has this weird addiction to the flare almost. I will admit, for the majority of the book, Ben was being kind of a douche, and at points I really wanted to punch him in the face and didn't particularly like him much. I am Team Tory and always on her side, so yeah. But then eventually the gang got back to working well together and fixed themselves and Ben actually came across as quite sweet at one or more points, rather than his usual stoic self, so it was all good. But for a moment I was worried I was about to have issues with one of them! 

I'm beginning to have vibes about Tory, there's a lot unresolved, with her mother's death, and I'm slowly convincing myself it wasn't an accident, and I know it's probably because I watch too many crime shows but still. Also with each new book, Whitney annoys me more and more. As someone who doesn't like being forced to do things, or told what to do, Whitney really grates, as does Tory just taking it and go along with whatever she wants, I'm hoping it'll eventually come to a head and Tory will finally get Whitney to back off and stop trying to make her in to her, because to me, Tory is a strong character, and she seems quite independent at times, and her just going along with Whitney for the rest of her life doesn't mesh with the sense of her that i have as a character. Or ya know....Kit could finally dump her. Whichever. 

An intersting point of this book was that, we didn't have a creepy bad guy POV until we knew who the bad guy was, I was sad, because they're my favourite, but at the same time, it really added more intensity and foreboding and danger to the book as well as intrigue, we did have the creepy first chapter though! More importantly we got the POV of Ben, Shelton and Hi, briefly towards the end, which I liked because it gave you a sense of each character a bit better, and made the whole disappearance thing even more heart pounding, as they raced to put everything together and find her and so on. I don't know, I love Tory and her narrative, but it made it more interesting than just being from Tory's POV and then finding out what the boys did.

I gotta say, I love Hi and Shelton more with each book! They really do crack me up and stop the books from being all dark all the time. I particularly enjoyed how they where all heroes after the events of the third book and even the Tripod decided to creepily be nice to Tory! 

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the boys, really I do, but I LOVE ELLA SO MUCH. Seriously. She's a fantastic addition to the cast, she's the friend Tory needs, and it's so great to see her interact with a female friend who can make the fancy events she's forced to go to less boring. It's great to see Tory finally have someone other than the guys to talk to about stuff, and with the whole Ben thing, I think she's gonna need her. I was so devastated when she was kidnapped, not to mention also slightly gutted cos I started to think she had something to do with it all! These books have taught me to be suspicious of all new characters added to the mix! 

There's less of Jason, but there's more of Chance, and even a little Chance POV to give us an insight in to what he's doing and why, which was interesting, because at one point I really thought he was going to be a huge, "I'll kill you all" crazy person problem, but I can see where he's coming from and his determination to find out what the hell was going on, as can Tory, I think. He's clearly up to something dangerous that he then realised was dangerous and then the ending? Man I'm excited for the next book to see how this plays out, I had my suspicions about the "weird feeling" Tory was getting and it is the ONLY thing in these books I've ever worked out right! But yeah....interesting to see what changes. 

So I always say how I like seeing their powers change and develop rather than being a stagnant thing that they just have, and this book shows how potentially unstable their powers are. Either they where out of whack because of Chance, or Ben's theory was right, or they genuinely are dangerous and could kill them, but it was interesting to see them take a sinister turn. The Flare snapping off randomly, not being able to Flare, intense pain trying to Flare, it's going to be interesting to see what's behind it in the next book and what's going to happen with it next. 

This book, again, had a different vibe to the other books, they where looking for their classmates, while the noose tightened on them from Chance's investigations. It was kinda like a junior Criminal Minds or something, I don't know, but it was cool and a different take to the other books.

The creepy calling cards where suitably creepy, and I will admit, I found all the stuff about the Zodiac really interesting, so interesting I looked it up to check on my star sign, but I'm still narrowly a Pisces! Not sure whether I'm pleased or not to be honest! Speaking of the Zodiac, we see another corner of the world in this book, from the fairy shop to the huge estate with plenty of interesting history to it, I'm always interested to hear what historical tidbit about the area will be revealed!

The ending though...holy wow. It's like a punch in the freaking face. I was literally sitting, totally stunned for a good few minutes. Then I was freaking out and then I was thanking my lucky stars I can move on to the next book straight away. Props to the fans who've had to wait however long after that bombshell. I can't even. So many interesting paths have opened up, I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! 

Nunslinger

Nunslinger: The Complete Series
Rating: 4/5
Buy Or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

The year is 1864. Sister Thomas Josephine, an innocent Visitantine nun from St Louis, Missouri, is making her way west to the promise of a new life in Sacramento, California. When an attack on her wagon train leaves her stranded in Wyoming, Thomas Josephine finds her faith tested and her heart torn between Lt. Theodore F. Carthy, a man too beautiful to be true, and the mysterious grifter Abraham C. Muir. Falsely accused of murder she goes on the run, all the while being hunted by a man who has become dangerously obsessed with her. 

Using GoodReads synopsis because I couldn't have said it better myself without giving everything away in my excitement! Well, this was an engaging, funny and unique read! I mean....a nun who turns in to an outlaw of sorts, being reported in the papers for her daring deeds, with a liiiitttle bit of romance. I mean, I loved it! I wasn't sure what to expect and I ended up being totally surprised, the book is quite hefty at like 600 pages, but the chapters are short and it's easy to read and you end up speeding through it, because you just have to know what happens next. 

I'm really glad I got  to read this all in one, reading the little books separately and then waiting for the next one? Hell no! Each of the "books" ends leaving you wanting more, so when you have the complete series, it's pretty much guaranteed you won't be putting the book down until you've finished it! I loved the little bits at the beginning of each book saying what was going to happen, it intrigued you and added some excitement of the "oh my God I can't wait" variety! 

The setting was vivid, and very well described. It's very gritty, there's no making the setting and the time all pretty and romantic, it's portrayed as it would have been, violent and dark and slightly grim, with an atmosphere to match, although the atmosphere does change, it still consumes you. The world created is a world you can get lost in and it doesn't half make you want to watch one of the old Western films!

Now I know I said the setting is quite dark, meaning the whole hanging and dodgy goings on, but that's okay because while something really shitty or violent or both might happen, our two main characters, Sister and Abe, will make you chuckle, I even found myself starting to quite like Colm. This book is incredibly funny when it wants to be, as well as serious, with action and fighting and daring escapes. It's like a Western movie in book format and it plays like a movie in your head. 

The characters are all written incredibly well, you get a real feel for them and their personalities, they have plenty of depth and they're....colourful, shall we say? None of them are arty farty, totally useless and floating around being all dashing and so on, well, except for Templeton, he's a bit useless, but even he managed to redeem himself! Abe, Colm and Sister are all very gung-ho, they're all capable of taking care of themselves and they're all intelligent and quite cunning. Except for that one time they did need rescuing, but it was suitably daring and dangerous! I loved how all of the characters could stand on their own, how they where all strong and brave and full of courage, although it could probably said at times it was stupidity, at least from the blokes! I'd even say Colm and Abe where oddly charming! 
The characters where easy to love and connect to and empathize with.

The plot was a rollercoaster, going from danger, to daring escape, to rescue mission and so on, there was always something going on, there was never a dull moment and the plot flowed easily from point to point, organically growing and changing and throwing situations at the characters. Nothing felt like it was out of place or just there for the sake of some drama, everything with the plot made sense and fit. It twisted and turned and was full of surprises and shocks, nothing was predictable, there so many times when I was like "shit...they're done for" then the narrative was like "Oh no, have no fear, they're more intelligent than you are and unlike you if you where in this situation, they're gonna kick ass and escape in a totally ingenious way". I could not tell what was going to happen next and I LOVED it. It was complex, there where lots of threads that came together perfectly to make up the plot, including the over arching plot that I reaaaalllly did not see coming!

Not only is Nunslinger a very pretty book, but it's a book that is totally unique. When was the last time YOU read a Western about a nun and her growing reputation as a badass? Never, I hear you say? Correct. Unique. Through and through.

Nunslinger is fast paced, full of thrills, danger, daring escapes, bad guys, and plenty of action. Never a dull moment, the book takes you on a vast journey across the US and even in to Mexico. Nunslinger has pretty much everything you could want in a book, it's humour balances the violence and occasional darkness of events, not to mention the betrayal and the sense of "man I've never wanted to punch a fictional character more" feelings that where abundant. I honestly, never wanted the book to end, and then it did, but it leaves you with a little teaser where you realize maybe it's not entirely over, maybe what you thought happened didn't happen.

To be blunt, this book is a must read and I'm going to be keeping an eye on the author to see what he/she comes up with next! Oh and don't be alarmed about the "romance" I told you about. It's subtle, very subtle, it's there but it's not the main thing and the book isn't all about it. The authors awesome like that.

Stolen Songbird

Stolen Songbird
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

Forsaken Mountain. For five centuries a witch's curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the mountain. Plenty of time for the trolls and their magic to fade from the memories of humans, and lodge them firmly in myth and legend. But there was a prophecy, a prophecy that speaks of a union that can lift the curse and set the trolls free.

Enter Cecile de Troyes, she is kidnapped by her friend, and taken beneath the mountain where she is sold to the trolls. As if the shock of finding out the myth of the trolls isn't a myth, and there's so much more to it, she also finds out that the King is the one who bought her, to marry his son Tristan. *whispers* the prophecy oooohh. Cecile has no intention of staying in Trollus. Her first order of business is escaping, but the pesky issue of the bonding ceremony between her and her new husband Tristan, and the fact that they can feel each other's emotions, throws a bit of a spanner in the works. Then there's the fact the trolls are clever, fast, inhumanly strong and pack some magic. Biding her time it is.

But while biding her time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape, something unexpected happens. The enigmatic (aka rude) troll prince begins to capture her heart. She begins to make friends, friends that she can't bear to leave behind. As the treachery mounts, and the King shows his nasty side, Cecile begins to see that she's the half-bloods only hope, the slaves who are part human, part troll. The rebellion is brewing. Prince Tristan, her husband, is the secret leader. Cecile goes from being a farmer girl to being a Princess, a witch, the hope of the people and is swiftly entangled in an intricate political web.

*KLAXON* NO LOVE TRIANGLE. NO INSTA LOVE. I REPEAT. NO LOVE TRIANGLE. NO INSTA LOVE.

This is an honest to God YA book with no insta love, and no love triangle. I do love a good love triangle don't get me wrong, but it's so rare and refreshing for me to find one without a love triangle and the whole "oh I want her with him" thing going on. Don't even get me started on insta love.

We also have another unique addition to the YA genre. I cannot tell you how bored I am of vampires, even werewolves and fey at this stage. They're everywhere. They're always the same. Stolen Songbird gives us another unique premise, world and mythology.

In Stolen Songbird we get introduced to the rich mythology of the trolls, amid a rich and complex plot. I haven't read a YA book about trolls  before, I was super intrigued, and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed delving in to a new, never before covered (at least by me) creature. Before you see the word troll and go "EW SHE CAN'T MARRY A TROLL BLAH BLAH BLAH" don't worry. Jensen made him hot for all of you.

The characters in the story where all written extremely well. They had depth and complexity to them. Prince Tristan in particular is presented as a rude, ruthless kinda douchey prince, but he's maintaining an act, and has an entirely different side to him. Cecile starts off as an ordinary girl, she's strong willed, determined, she makes mistakes but never the same one twice. I love a character who can freely admit they screwed up, and they're not perfect, and that's Cecile all over. She's alone, it's interesting seeing how she gets treated in a place where she is pretty much reviled because she's not a troll, but she never lets it break her. She's strong.

Let's hear it for the fact the female characters are written as brave, and there's no debasement. I fell in love with Marc, please please please Danielle give him someone to love him! PLEASE!

As I said, no insta love WOOHOO. Hatred, to mistrust, to alliance, to friendship, to love (after alot of faffing). I love getting to see the relationship develop and watching as the characters get to know each other, and the romance was written to perfection.

The plot as I previously said was rich and complex. We think we're getting one thing, but then amid the romance and the kidnapping there's a rebellion brewing, a King who could do with some anger management, some dodgy family business and plenty of backstabbing and betrayal. I never saw any of the plot twists coming, I was glued to the book for the most part. The plot had a lot of elements that where all brought together to create the plot, and you really don't expect it.

My only problem with the book is the beginning. I don't know how to describe it. I just kind of started reading and was like "here we go again", the beginning for me would have put me off if this wasn't a review book, which would have been a shame because I really enjoyed it.I also felt it dragged a bit in places and was a tad longer than it really needed it to be.

Caged

Caged
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY!
Source: Copy courtesy of the author, Sophie Davis.

It's been 9 months since Talia was injected with an unknown substance and shot at Ian Crane's compound in Nevada. Since, she's had to learn to walk all over again, and has been dealing with regular seizures. Talia feels like a prisoner, she's been confined to her childhood home while recovering, with no contact with anyone, and her dream of being a Hunter on hold...possibly forever. So when the Agency director, Mac, asks her to go undercover at the McDonough School for the Talented to find the spy who set the trap for her in Nevada, Talia jumps at the opportunity.

Until she see's she'll be working with Donovan, the ex-boyfriend she's known through childhood that cheated on her. That she's not so jazzed about, to say there was some tension would  be an understatement. But after a fight ends in a seizure, a tentative friendship begins to form. Enter Erik, Talia's former team mate, and make out buddy in the week leading up to her mission, and the guy she's got some very strong feelings for. But hey, atleast she's got her best friend Penny there, to assist her in uncovering the spy, and help her deal with the boy drama.

As Talia becomes more entrenched in her assignment, she quickly discovers the lengths Mac and the Agency will go to in the name of war, and what she's capable of, when the interrogation of a suspect goes horrifically wrong. Talia begins to realize that Crane's influence is spreading, and there are few operatives without a tie to the coalition. Forced to face hard truths, and dangerous conclusions, Talia realizes that it's those closest to her hiding the biggest secrets. As finding the traitor dumps Talia in to a constant state of frustration and desperation, with lies everywhere, she realizes she needs help. But who can she trust when everyone has something to hide. Who isn't who they say they are? Is Donovan responsible for her seizures? What is Mac hiding? And will Talia and Eric get to be together? You know...without the whole arguing and life threatening mission getting in the way?

So, Sophie very kindly sent me this to review, and man am I so glad for her kindness, because it looks to me like this is going to get better and better. We skip all of the recovery period and join Talia 9 months after the end of Talented, and as she's back on her feet.

The amazing world building from Talented is expanded on as we get to see one part of the world that was previously mentioned, in more detail...the school. An entire mini world is created in the world we're already familiar with, that encompasses you and sucks you in. The new scenery keeps the series fresh, and the readers engaged and interested. We also get to see more of how the world works, with the justice system and so on, which is really cool! Going back in to this world, I had to do a little happy dance, because it's so unique, and it's impossible for you to get tired of it!

The prose is just as concise with the background and details, and just as smooth flowing. The prose is so slick, you could slide right off if you where walking on it. There's just as much action, just as much intrigue and just as much humour, but on another level to Talented. I kept flashing back to Talented and how much I loved and enjoyed reading it and how I was consumed with the characters and story, much like I was with Caged all over again!

I loved all the characters in Talented, they where all so well written and full of life, and that's carried on in Caged, but we get to see even more depth to them, and find out more about them. We see Talia in a different way, she's not a Hunter, but she's still badass, but you admire her strength in dealing with the seizures and everything on her plate. I feel like I morph in to Talia, or atleast merge with her when I read, because I find myself not only following her thought process, but thinking some of the same things she does, like with Erik. Like Talia,  I really thought he'd run a mile when he saw her have a seizure, because I was kind of envisioning he-slut Erik, but shame on me. I loved Erik in Talented, he was perfect, and I should have known we'd see an incredibly tender, sweet and caring side to him in Caged regarding what Talia's going through. I love his protectiveness, although the scene after the Dinner scene...I really wanted to smack him one.

Donovan is complicated for me. I was kind of meh about his character in Talented, he was a sweetheart, as I said in my review of Talented, but at the same time, he was a bit of an ass sometimes, and my opinion of him morphed in to hatred after the Incident. I am fully Team Erik. All the way. BUT. Caged, I felt, gave us more of a look at Donovan, we saw deeper in to his character. I saw he had a sweet and caring side, even more so than I originally thought, he was there for Talia even though she was (rightfully) horrible to him, he was remorseful BUT he was kinda stupid thinking she'd take him back and I enjoyed seeing a side of him that wasn't shown very much in Talented, although I was reading and thinking "HELL NO" when Talia was confused about her feelings for him.

With Donovan and what was going on with him and Talia in Caged, I've seen a couple of people saying "Oh I thought the love triangle was out the way in Talented" and blah blah blah. Well, let's be real. Throughout the whole confusion with the guys (which was very realistic by the way and well done) Talia states she has stronger feelings for Erik, and he's who she wants, and I doubt she'll go for Donovan as second best. Donovan's kind of like a safety blanket for Talia, he makes her feel safe at a time when she doesn't. You need to remember that Talia's known him for years, so for me, it wasn't really a love triangle, because I was confident that Erik would prevail, and he did. It was more she wanted to be friends with him, and didn't want to lose her new friendship with him.

Back to Donovan,  I'm interested to see what happens with his character. Can they be friends? Can he get out from under his father's thumb? Speaking of Mac, I personally saw him as a pretty great guy in Talented, Talia's rescuer and protector who took her in, and cared for her. In Caged...well....he's shady. He's up to something, and he's done something, and it is killing me not knowing what and trying to guess.

Everything you thought you knew about the characters when you finished Talented....well...in Caged it gets turned upside down, no more so than with Penny. You see different sides to everyone, and get to know the characters a bit more, they're all built on from Talented, and some of them aren't what you thought they where.

Now. Penny. I really didn't see that coming, I came to the realization after Talia did, when she went storming into the room. I'm simultaneously gutted, because you know....betrayal of my favourite character, but at the same time, I'm intrigued, particularly about the revelation in the last 5% of the book I think it was, during the court scene. I'm frothing at the mouth with anticipation for the next book!

While i'm talking about Penny and shocking revelations, let's move on to the plot. As I said, it's action packed all the way through, we have romance, we have regular drama, bitchy girl drama (seriously, someone smack Cadence) and boy drama. For every question that's answered there are a million more. There's a tonne of twists and turns, and shocking plot twists that I guarantee you even Nancy Drew couldn't predict. You're incapable of putting the book down, but you don't want it to end. Seriously. I was on a night out for a friends birthday and I was thinking about the book.

Davis has a knack for giving you exactly what you want in the book, answering all your questions, but also giving you a load more of intrigue ready to be answered in the next  book, but still leaving you satisfied and ready for more. I honestly cannot get enough, and I feel like the books are just going to get better and better.

Caged ends on a hell of an explosive note, and the anticipation is ramped up as you get closer to the ending. The plot is rich, and complex, and blends the over arching storyline for the series, seamlessly with the storyline for this portion of the series. A lot of sequels aren't as good, but Caged isn't one of them, it's better. A lot of authors put more emphasis on the overarching storyline, and setting up things for the next book. Not Davis. Setting up the next book is provided, but it's not the sole focus. I can't stress enough how perfectly written these books are, and how much you will regret never reading this series!

Killer Frost

Killer Frost
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY! ALL OF THEM
Source: ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

The final showdown between Gwen and Loki is coming. Things have been pretty quiet lately at Mythos so obviously, something bad is going to happen very soon. And when Linus Quinn shows up at the Academy, Gwen's thoughts are confirmed. The Protectorate are at the Academy to pick up and guard an incoming shipment of artifacts rescued by Logan and his father (back in Spartan Frost), the Reapers are gunning for these artifacts, or atleast, one specifically, and they need Gwen to use her tough magic to work out which one it is.

When the Protectorate go to move the artifacts to the Academy, the Reapers launch an attack to get them. They've become more daring, and more lethal. When their attempts to get the artifact are thwarted one of Gwen's loved ones is put in more danger than ever before when they're kidnapped in the Reapers bid to gain control of the artifact they need. A pretty harmless looking artifact, but looks are deceiving.

Feeling betrayed by everyone she knows and loves when they refuse to make the trade, Gwen goes rogue. She may have gotten away from Loki and his Reapers with the artifact and her loved one thanks to her daring plan, but Gwen knows it's not over.

The final battle is coming, and everyone at the Academy knows it. As the Reapers prepare to storm the gates of the Academy, everyone must make a choice...whether to stand and fight. Loyalties are tested, secrets are revealed, but can Gwen work out Nike's riddles? Can she Loki for good? And will Logan and Gwen FINALLY get their happy ending with nothing getting in the way?

 Well. I 'm so sad this series is over, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to appreciate the finality of Killer Frost, even if I am sad we won't be reading about Gwen again, although there's been a door left open for Rory, so we might get to visit the world again. I've loved these books, and I've loved watching Rory grow as a character from a regular girl..well as regular as you can be with touch magic, with slight anti-social tendencies, to a fierce warrior, with friends she loves, and the fully deserving of her status as Champion.

I freely admit, there's a bit of repetition in the book with the Reapers attacking, and Vivienne always flying away on her roc, and I will admit to nearly screeching in frustration as Logan and Gwen had yet another thing come between them, although it was finally solved in this book!

I love these books because they're funny, they're relevant, they're full of action and romance. But my favourite part is the mythology. There is pretty much every type of mythology and God you can think of present in this book, and they're all blended together to create this fantastic world with rich legends and history.

Killer Frost starts roughly 2 weeks after the events in Midnight Frost, the Valentines Day Dance is coming up, and Logan and Gwen are back together but still dealing with Logan's fear of her hurting her. I love how what happened in Book 5 wasn't swept under the rug, and Logan is very realistically dealing with nearly killing Gwen, and still being wary around her. So many times something like that would be swept under the rug or fixed in the space of a page.

Relationships and loyalties are tested in Killer Frost. Logan's dad won't make the trade Viv proposes to save Gwen's Grandma, and she feels betrayed by her friends as well as Metis and co when they seem to just be about to let her Grandma die. This already puts a strain on Gwen and Logan's relationship but Gwen being Gwen she decides to go rogue to steal the candle, even though it's going to hurt her friends. We see Gwen become the strong girl we've always known her to be, independent and willing to do what she has to do to save the person she loves most. Well...slightly more than Logan. To add to the sense of hurt flying around, everyone finds out Gwen's mission from Nike is to kill Loki and she's the only one who can. So it's safe to say, the drama is not held back!

I love the friendships Gwen has with Daphne, Oliver and so on, and it really is satisfying to see friendships you've watched grow and develop in to this amazing friendship we have now between Daphne and Gwen.

I love all the characters, they've all grown and changed and dealt with their fair share of crap. Each character is full of depth and can stand alone. We have Daphne, the former mean girl, who knows Gwen well enough to know it's time to crack out the catsuit and grease paint, and enlist the other's in their friendship group to help out with Daphne's plan to help Gwen's plan. We have Oliver, full of jokes, but loyal to Gwen until the end, their friendship was truly beautiful to watch come to fruition in this book. We have warrior bard Carson, far more badass than any supposed Geek has any right to be. We have Alexei, boyfriend to Oliver, and the newest addition to Gwen's group, and as graceful as a dancer when fighting. And finally Logan, Gwen's boyfriend, the resident badass who can kill you with a paperclip, but is protective and gentle to Gwen.

This book is as much about friendship as it is about Gods and Goddesses, myths and legends and battles, and each friendship has been written and developed beautifully, and I choked up really badly when Gwen finds out they all knew she had a plan and where ready to help her with it.

I feel I should also mention that Nickamedes and Gwen FINALLY HUGGED. It totally happened. Cue more choking up from me. I loved how Nickamedes get's some love, and he and Metis get together, in my opinion it should have happened forever ago but it just added to the perfect ending.

In Killer Frost all the clues come together, every riddle and comment Nike has made all makes sense. Self-sacrifice. That's the theme of Killer Frost. It's what defeats Loki, along with free will, and it's what saves Gwen when Nickamedes makes his own sacrifice.

All the questions you've ever had about the book are answered, and I was especially eager to find out what the deal was with Raven. Directly after finding out who Raven really is, I am left with the feeling of truly wanting to slap myself for not working it out sooner! It's not like there weren't enough clues! Not to mention we find out about the Guardians!

Killer Frost is fast paced, and very action-centric, which is obvious with the whole warriors and final battle thing, and the writing flowed smoothly. There where plenty of twists and turns to the plot, ones that I personally didn't see coming, even though I really should have, because as I've said before, there are clues everywhere in the other books. Viv and Gwen's smack talk could use some work, it was a tad cliche and samey to the other books, but it didn't really take away from the story for me.

Everything is wrapped up nicely, there's nothing left unanswered and the ending is quite final. I was sad there wasn't more romance in this book between Gwen and Logan, but their relationship came together rather nicely!

Killer Frost is an explosive and emotional end to a series that is one of my favourites. I really didn't want it to be over and I really didn't want to leave the world or the character's behind, but the ending is just so satisfying. Fans will not be disappointed.

Killer Frost is full of action, and like me, you will find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat frantically turning pages, constantly being caught off guard as you gasp and swear at the bombs constantly being dropped. Statues come alive. Gryphon's fight Rocs. Artifacts and their powers are finally revealed. Gwen and Viv showdown. And there's one final heart stopping battle that will take your breath away. You really don't want to miss it!

Undertow

Undertow
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

Lindsay Sterling's niece has gone missing in the New York underground. The cops will do nothing about it, except pass along a name. Jack Cole. Back in High School they where best friends, but the death of Lindsay's entire family, and her subsequent guardianship of her Niece, not to mention the two years Jack spent held captive in New York's underbelly by sub-humans, more animal than human, has changed them both. Jack's experience was soul destroying and life changing, he's been left a shell of a man.

Jack refuses to descend in to that hell again, especially for a girl who's most likely dead already after being down there a week so far. But Lindsay will go down there with, or without him. When she attempts the latter, she's nearly killed, luckily Jack's friend Reggie showed up to help her out. Jack feels compelled by years of feelings to help her, and so he agrees to go down there and find her Niece. Jack navigates Lindsay through the strange territory, an entire underground civilization. It's populated by the eccentric, the insane and the desperate. Each encounter gets them closer to Lindsay's niece, but it also gets them closer to the insane creatures, determined to have their pet back, but Jack's found a reason to live again.

This book was insane! And I mean that in the good way, it was incredible! Right from the first page you're hooked by the plot and the prose. Then, when we first go into the UnderCity, Stelmack starts to weave an incredible world.

The world building is so incredible, that you can practically smell the rank air, hear the Moles scuttling about. The atmosphere created with words, glides off the page and surrounds you, your vision is fixed on the book, unable to put it down, and you're instantly transported straight in to the world, tagging along behind our characters, observing. I was oblivious to anything else, and that's a hard feat to accomplish with me these days.

The prose is incredible, it creates this incredible story, that's so unique, so different from anything else, it's a breath of fresh air and makes you sit up and pay attention, reluctant to put the book down. The flow is smooth, the past as fast as someone running from the Moles. There's never a dull moment, each word is carefully chosen to create the world, and keep you engaged, there's no pointless filler scenes at all.

Stelmack manages to create an entire world, believable, and incredibly detailed, with the different communities, and the names of the areas and passageways, not to mention the creatures living there, the myths and legends of the UnderCity and the intrigue surrounding the Gallery. I will never, in my life, be able to go on the tube again without wondering....what's really under London? What's down those "disused" passageways? What's through those secret doors? The story and the world sticks with you when you're finished reading, truly unforgettable.

Lindsay is an amazing character. I'm going to admit right off the bat that I would never have the lady balls to go down in to the UnderCity with Jack, let alone by myself. I'd be too terrified. Lindsay has so much drive, determination, and she is fearless. Yeah she has a fear of heights, but she overcomes it in the tunnels, doing what she has to do to get Seline back. What can I say about Jack? He's resilient. He's brave. He goes back to the place he barely escaped, the place that broke him, to help Lindsay. He's an incredible character.

All of the characters where so full of life, from our main characters, right down to the Moles themselves. Each unique. Each community in the UnderCity had their own beliefs, their own story. Each character had varying personalities, varying issues to deal with. They all jumped off the page and grabbed your heart, and your imagination. Even the tiny baby Mole who played with Jack.

The plot was fantastical. The idea of an underground City beneath New York, populated by different people, is unique. As I've said, I've never read anything like it, and I doubt I ever will. The plot was quite complex, we had different parts to it. Some of it was laid out straight away, providing the original engaging factor. Other parts where hinted at, Jack's past, what's down in the underground, and so on. You where kept intrigued the entire way through, and honestly, I don't even know how anyone would be able to guess the plot twists. Every twist totally blind sided me, and it's so so rare for me to find a book that can genuinely surprise me the whole way through!

Undertow is probably the most unique book you will ever read. Fast paced, intriguing plot, incredible world building, intense mythology and legends. I'm half convinced there's a portal in the book that sucked me in to the book, that's how great the world building is. The atmosphere, this sense of a dark, dank place overwhelms you. The romance was perfect. Absolutely perfect. We have an old relationship, that both wanted to be more at the time, and blossoms back. A damaged character needing that love to heal him.

Undertow is a smooth blend of romance, intrigue, pulse racing action and imagination. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It was truly mind blowing for me.

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: ARC Courtesy of NetGalley

17 year old Joey Gray has just moved to a new a town, when she's asked my her new neighbor to help carry some flowers to her husbands grave at the cemetery. As she goes to leave the cemetery she gets a little lost, and that's when she see's him. Tristan, a very cute, very mysterious boy she only ever meets at the graveyard. Looking back, she realises that should have clued her in, but when new years eve rolls around and an accident happens, Joey finds out that not only is he a ghost, but she's just managed to bring him back to life. The catch? He only has a year until a strange cloaked guy Joey calls Vigil, will come to "fix" him aka kill him.

As Joey enrolls at the local boarding school, her mother and herself pretend Tristan is her half brother in order for him to attend too. Due to her boyish name, Joey ends up rooming in the boys block with Tristan, and Seth. Seth fast becomes Joey's friend in the week before Tristan arrives and she knows no-one, and she fast becomes friends with his fellow band mates Sam, Josh and Harry. When Tristan arrives, the two are invited in to the band, The Lost Boys, to avoid music class, and soon an unbreakable friendship forms between the band members. For the first time, Joey has true friends, and she's not the only one.

When Joey first meets Tiffany, she's the classic mean girl, and Joey begins to believe she's already made a nemesis at school when she won't bow down to Tiffany. But Tiffany has always led a life where people only want to be friends with her for her money and who her parents are, and Joey is the lucky person to pass her test, and become her BFF. Joey has friends, she loves her school, she's in an awesome band, and she kinda sorta thinks she might have very strong feelings for Tristan....love type feelings.

But as the true extent of Tristan's situation becomes apparent, Tristan does everything he can to push her away. When it doesn't work, they can no longer fight their feelings for each other, and they have to clue in their friends. As bonds are forged, relationships cemented, and with a deadline looming....can they all work together to keep Tristan alive? Or will heartbreak ensue.

Okay, so, when I read the blurb I kind of figured the whole story would be just these two and she'd eventually find out he's a ghost and then it's all forbidden love, I had no idea what it was really about but I was intrigued. My worry is that the blurb I've seen here on Amazon and Goodreads might put people off reading, because they think it's one thing and they won't find out how awesome it is. SO I've expanded on the original blurb for my review as best as I can to give you more of an idea of what you're in for, because seriously, you will not regret anything more than passing over this book!

I absolutely frikkin loved this book! It wasn't what I was expecting and I was so incredibly surprised and delighted, I think I've found another favourite that I'll re-read again and again.

The whole book was so incredibly unique. I loved that instead of Tristan being a ghost the whole time like I was expecting, he became alive again, and there was more going on in the story than the love angle. I also loved how the mean girl turned out to be the BFF.

The world building was vivid, I could picture everything clearly and lose myself in the words and the images that where being painted for me with them. Never thought I'd say this, but I kinda wanna go to the school, if there's that many hot guys strolling about! The prose was fantastic, The Lost Boys was very beautifully written and each page spilled magic and beauty everywhere. I was hooked from the first page, and engaged the whole way through, nothing could distract me. The flow and the pace where fantastic, there where never any slow or dull moments, and there was just the right amount of drama sprinkled in.

As I've said, the plot is very unique, girl meets ghost, ghost isn't so ghosty, angst, romance, and a story you just can't predict. There was a certain character who's identity I never twigged, and when it was revealed I was incredibly shocked. I was in two minds with the ending, thinking it was going to be heartbreaking and we'd see something happen with her and another character, but then the happy ending came. I loved the mythology of Vigil and his, shall we say, species, not to mention Sky's mythology. Pretty awesome. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this book before. The plot had lots of twists and turns, and covered a lot of ground, and was literally packed with everything you could want, action, angst, romance, and humour.

I loved every single one of the characters. I loved Joey, I felt connected to her, I felt what she felt. All of the characters where so unique, I loved Tiff, just pure loved her. I really thought she was going to be the books resident mean girl, and was loving the fact she turned out to be Joey's best friend, and her reasoning for why she did what she did to Joey just made me feel for her more. I loved Tristan, as Joey said, he's like her very own Back to the Future boy, although he bungled a bit with the trying to do what's best thing. The Lost Boys. Seth, Josh, Sam and Harry. Man I loved them all. I wished I had them as my friends, watching my back. Each was unique and had their own personality, and you come to love all of them.

The characters where all so well written, had so much depth they could each stand on their own whether a main character or a secondary character. There was so much detail to them, and they all came to life and jumped off the page. The relationships where so real, so human, and they kind you can only hope to encounter. They all trusted each other, and when the truth was revealed, they rolled with it.

After reading The Lost Boys, I'm still kind of in a little bubble and slightly still stuck in their world. The Lost Boys is one of the most enjoyable reads of my year so far, and I was incredibly sad when it was over. I didn't want to leave the world, and I didn't want to leave the characters. It's one of those times when you see you're reaching the end of the book and wish for more pages to suddenly appear.

I can honestly tell you, that if you pick up The Lost Boys, you will not regret it. Yeah it's about this huge, epic love, but it's about so much more that the blurb doesn't do justice to. The Lost Boys, to me, is also about friendship, you see so many different friendships in this book, each having something to show you, and teach you. The Lost Boys shows you that true friends are hard to find, but when you do, they'll be your rock, they'll be there for you no matter what, and help you through anything, forgive you anything, and it was truly heartwarming to read.

The Lost Boys is an un-putdownable, fast paced, incredibly unique book that you will never want to end. There's friendship, music, romance, action, and even some mystery along with the magic. Not only is the book enchanting but it will make you laugh as well as make you kind of want to cry.

Do yourself a favour, take a chance, even if it's not in your regular genre, just read the book. It will be hours of fun and entertainment, and you really won't regret it!