Showing posts with label V E Schwab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label V E Schwab. Show all posts

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Review: Vengeful



Vengeful 
Rating: 3.5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.
But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she's finally gained the control she's always sought-and will use her newfound power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She'll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other once more.
With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity-and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning. 
This review is quite late, and in truth it's because I've been debating what to rate this book and trying to decide just how I feel about it. You guys know that I really love Victoria's books and I really, really loved Vicious...which makes me feel so awful about giving this book only 3.5 stars but I have to be honest. 
The start of the book, for me, was explosive and enticing and pulled me back in to the world and everything came flooding back from the last book. I really do love the storytelling for this series, switching back and forth through time and POV's helps to keep your interest and keep you intrigued and wanting to know what happens next. I also feel like it makes the book feel a bit more fast paced, even when nothing much is happening, plus we get to dip in and out of the characters and their backstories and see how they got their powers. In short I feel like it's a brilliant way of showing us the character's pasts, without sacrificing the pace and the plot. 
We have Victor trying to find a cure for his little...problem and suffering with it. Sydney is feeling guilty about what she did to Victor but she also knows he killed a certain person and she starts to befriend June. June...honestly I didn't really trust her from the start. I thought it was odd that she decided to be BFFS with Syd and I'm still not sure why she did. I just figured she was trying to get her away from Victor, but he's my little cinnamon roll okay, and whatever she was thinking, she was wrong! Either way she was on board with Marcella's plot and I just side yeed her more and more, and I'm actually sad we didn't get to find out more about her. 
As for Marcella, I actually felt for her and was like "yaaaas girl, get your revenge!". I got where she was coming from, and I did actually like her, but at the same time I was like "oh honey, don't do it because EON will come for your ass". By the end though, I was actually team Kill Marcella because she was gunning for Sydney and I wasn't having that. 
Interestingly we get a lot of Eli's background this time round, and see some of the events of the last book from his POV. But we delve deeper into his character and while I don't hate him as much as I did before....I still don't particularly like him. And once again we get to see our faves from the previous book, plus we get a whole new host of characters that are as equally morally grey.  
My issue is that I just didn't enjoy this one as much as Vicious, and it reached a point halfway through when it was a struggle to pick up the book and keep reading and I would procrastinate from reading. I felt like it was a bit slower, and the action wasn't really there until the end. We did build up to it nicely however, with threads being woven in, and things explained and set up for the big final event, but we had so many side characters and some of them, like June, I don't feel where delved in to properly. Like I said, her motivation for me is still a question. And while I thought it was fun to get these new characters and see more EO's....a lot of them I just wasn't particularly interested in and as much as I enjoyed Marcella and June....I wanted to get back to Victor and Eli. 
The ending in general was an issue for me too, because I was left with question, and I just wasn't satisfied with the ending at all. I don't know whether it was just me, or what, but I just didn't love this one as much as the first book and I went in to this one fully expecting to give it 5 stars and be raving about it but it was just...a bit of a struggle towards the middle part.     

Friday, 23 June 2017

Review: Our Dark Duet


Our Dark Duet
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Kate Harker is a girl who isn’t afraid of the dark. She’s a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human, no matter how much he once yearned for it. He’s a monster with a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be. When a new monster emerges from the shadows—one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim’s inner demons—it lures Kate home, where she finds more than she bargained for. She’ll face a monster she thought she killed, a boy she thought she knew, and a demon all her own.
 


When I read This Savage Song, I completely loved it and immediately devoured it, so I couldn't wait to get stuck in to its sequel! This was everything I was hoping for and more, and the ending completely gutted me. 

We start off Our Dark Duet with a quite frankly, chilling opening. When we rejoin Kate and August it's been six months since the end of This Savage Song and things are quite different for the both of them. We jump straight in with some action as we join Kate hunting and I loved seeing Kate in her element, hunting down monsters with her little team. I really feel like there was a CSI: Monster Edition kind of vibe, because you've got Kate in Prosperity, which supposedly has no monsters, hunting them down with her team. There's Teo, Bea, Liam and Riley and I was quite disappointed we didn't get to see more of them! They all seemed to work together really well! Anyway, they're working with Kate, it was kind of like Arrow with the Vigilante team at one point, and then at others it was a bit CSI with Kate investigating a murder and so on. I loved it. It felt like such a different vibe to me than the first book but was still recognisably the same world. 

August is now a leader of his own little group made up of Rez, Harris, Jackson and Ani. There's also a new Sunai in town, Soro and I'm still not sure if I actually liked him! August is obviously in Verity as they're all fighting against Sloane, Alice and his organised force of monsters. They've got people escaping from one side of the city in to their side and needing to be checked out and trained and so on. We get to meet a couple of the new recruits like Colin, although I couldn't remember if we'd met him in TSS or not. Again, Augusts scenes had a different vibe to Kate's and it was a nice contrast between the two. I had wanted to see more of the world of the book and Victoria really delivered! 

Kate's just as badass as ever, she's determined to fight and help and take out the monsters. But she has one struggle. A struggle that makes things very difficult for her.....friendship. Yep. Kate's got friends. I loved seeing her interact with her little group, and worry about them and she's not used to having friends so it was nice to see her with friends who cared about her and worried about her, and how she dealt with that and this new friendship thing that she'd never really experienced much before. Forever loving her sarcasm and witty one liners too! 

August has changed a little, he's become colder, more distant and perhaps a bit darker. He's got Leo in his head messing with him, affecting how he thinks and acts. He's trying to do what's right, trying to protect people but he's not the August we know and love from TSS. It was interesting to see this other side of August, and even more interesting to see how he changed again when Kate was back and challenging him. It was like she made him finally question himself and realise how he's acting. 

I read Our Dark Duet in two sittings because I was completely glued. There's more action, more monsters, more fighting, more gore, more darkness and more interesting looks at human nature and what really makes a monster. I love how that's woven in and makes you think. There's a new threat to face. We get to see more of the FTF and how it works, and the inner divisions between them all. The different plot threads all tie together brilliantly to make the overall plot, as do the three different POV's we get. Kate, August and Sloane are interesting narrators and they're all different from each other, so they have interesting and differing viewpoints on what's going on. Sloane is just plain creepy to be honest. The plot is filled with nuances and sly plans from Sloane, and it keeps you intrigued, keeps you invested. 

I have to say, the ending of this completely broke me. As we get to the end the pace is so snappy that I was forcing myself to calm down and read slowly instead of reading too fast and missing things. The ending...I had to sit there after I'd closed the book for a good few minutes. It was devastating for me. But the last sentence...there was just something about it. The entire book, much like the first, is very vivid. Verity and Prosperity rise up in front of you, the contrasts obvious. You can picture each one of the settings, and you get completely sucked in so that you feel like you're there, helped along by the atmosphere that permeates the book. 

When I read that last sentence in the book, I could picture it so vividly, like it was playing out on a cinema screen, and after that last sentence it fading to black and the credits rolling. If this is the final book...then it's brilliantly wrapped up and a very satisfying if not heartbreaking conclusion to the story. Having said that, while it's heartbreaking...the ending and how things end up are actually very fitting for the book if I'm honest. 

Buuuuttt I've heard that this is a duology and then that this is a series...I mean...I wouldn't say no to a third book you know? But at the same time...I feel like August and Kate's story is done. I would really like to see some more of the world of the book though, there's so much left to explore! 

SaveSave

Friday, 5 August 2016

The Month in Books: July

Hey guys! 
Soooo I did a lot better this month at reading! Last month was horrific and I was all reading slumpy and it was such a slog to read anything, even good books. This month I'm right back at it again, and I'm working my way through the backlog my reading slump gifted me. I'm making speedy progress because I have a lot of reading time on my hands, thanks to being on set! Although there was more talking going on than reading, which is unusual! 
All of these have been reviewed right here on my blog, or will be in the near future! Scheduling is a nightmare right now because I'm trying to get all of them out as fast as possible! Which is why there's none of my other usual blog posts up, but TBR Bites, and Bookshelf Tours will be coming back shortly when I've calmed down with the reviewing! :) 


I'm doing quite well with Classics these days and it's not taking me as long to get in to the writing style of some of the older ones as it has before! While I was a bit iffy at the beginning, I did find myself being drawn in to the story, at one point it felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland but more adult, and I'm probably the only one who thinks this but at some points it felt a bit Terry Pratchett as well! 

Boy oh boy was I glad to finally get to this and I can't believe how long I've been missing out! I read the first two thirds of this in one sitting and had zero regrets! I got completely drawn in to the world that had been created, and Schwab always manages to get me hooked! Brilliant characters, plenty of originality and some amazing scenes. The opening for instance...this book definitely starts with a bang! (This post is scheduled because I'M TOTALLY MEETING HER TODAY! LIKE POSSIBLY RIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE READING THIS AT 7ISH!)

The third installment in Kagawa's Talon series and boy was it a doozy. The title of the book...the added POV...I knew it was leading to something and I had a bad feeling the more and more I read this. I loved Ember's character development, her very real struggles with everything that's happened, I briefly rooted for Dante to come to his senses, the romance is resolved. Ember makes her choice. But then the end comes in to completely ruin your life. I'm basically still in denial so don't get me started on it. 

One of my most anticipated reads! Witch Hunter was an instant favourite of mine and I completely loved it! I'm forever sad that this is only a duology, but hopeful that there might be books with other characters! I rated this a 5 because for all intents and purposes it was a cracking sequel and conclusion. Giant bloody battle? Check! Romance? Check! Obstacles so the romance isn't too unrealistically easy considering the fallout from the last book? Check! Elizabeth struggling now she's changed? Check! I totally loved seeing Elizabeth struggling with no longer having her stigma...no longer being able to do what she did before, feeling that her entire value was placed on that stigma by others, the conflict it caused with John. Everything wrapped up nicely? Check! Although I still need more Elizabeth and John and Fifer and Schuyler There is one issue with this. One. Malcolm. I had an extensive conversation with Naz about this and I won't get in to it too much but he ended up being quite the...hero in this book. But at the same time after what he did to Elizabeth he didn't get any punishment and I felt like we where supposed to feel sorry for him? I didn't know what to make of him, and I would have liked him quite a lot if not for his actions in Witch Hunter. 

This was a re-read for me, because I wanted to re-fresh my memory and because I think The Custard Protocol may just be my favourite of all Carriger's series. I just love Rue and Quesnel so much and I ship them so hard, so I re-read this super fast, it actually helped to pull me out of my slump enormously! It's such a great continuation of the main series, but with new characters and their own story, with the occasional appearance from our favourite characters. This book is genuinely a lot of fun and one of the best Steampunk books I have ever read! Or I should say series with lots of mini series. 

The sequel to Prudence and...as I was devastated to find out...the final book in the Custard Protocol. Turns out it's a duology *ugly sobbing* It perfectly wraps everything up not just with Rue and co but with her parents as well. There's an ongoing plot thread that hints of where mentioned in PP, and in this book you see it finally come to fruition and get dealt with. Everything feels like it's been finished well, but I'm still hoping Carriger might change her mind because I need more Rue and Quesnel! I read this book so fast it was ridiculous and the romance is adorable, and the world is captivating and it's just perfection. 

I enjoyed this book immensely. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I was sold on the whole "Guardians of the Galaxy meets the Hobbit" description. Now this book is huge, it's like 500 pages or something and even I struggle with that many pages sometimes, but I breezed through this thanks to the writing style, the action and how freaking hilarious it was. It's genuinely laugh out loud funny and the Dragon's POVs where just brilliant it has to be said. The characters are memorable and interesting and really bring the world of the book to life for you. 

Perfect for any fans of OUAT who also happen to have Red as one of their favourite characters! It's a quick, easy, and fun read, with an adorable romance that makes the show and the scenes to do with Peter and Red all the more heartbreaking. You get to learn more about Red and her life and what she's been through before we meet her in the show and FYI there's a character who is the most vilest girl I've come across in a while! 

Sing is the perfect summer read. Genuinely, it's got a cute romance, a relatable character and a beautiful setting that's described vividly so you feel like you're there. It also has its surprises, especially the ending, I wasn't expecting that ending I have to admit! But it did make a nice change to the usual. 

New Pompeii had some serious Jurassic Park vibes but with Romans instead of dinosaurs, like personally I'd take the dinosaurs because they aren't gonna toy with you first and make you fight people. They'll just eat you straight out. Probably. Maybe. New Pompeii starts out slow but soon reels you in with an intriguing narrative told from two different people, I was nerding out a little bit it has to be said! 

I took part in the blog tour for this book and it completely blew me away. I read it in one sitting and was surprised at every single turn. Even the bad guys weren't who I was expecting! The ending though...that was the biggest shock of all! I loved our MC, I loved our supporting cast and it was an original take on werewolves that had you glued to the page to see what would happen next! 

How did you guys do for reading this month? 

Monday, 25 July 2016

Review: This Savage Song


This Savage Song
Rating: 5/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Titan! 

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwaba young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.


I don't even know how to begin reviewing this you guys, it was so freaking amazing! I love Schwabs books, I read A Darker Shade of Magic and completely fell in love and so I got all of her other books, I've read The Archived but I still need to read the sequel, Vicious and AGOS and I got sent this to review and I was freaking out because OMG NEW SCHWAB and it sounded so brilliant and I've been struggling to read a lot lately, it's taking me so long to read books for no real reason. I read like....2/3 of this in one sitting. I was only going to read a chapter or two and I read like...most of it in one go. I couldn't put it down, I was doing the whole "One more chapter" thing for hours. I was actually so reluctant to put it down but I really needed some sleep. So then I spent the next day doing whatever I had to do on my to do list, waiting for the moment I could sit down and finish this book. Then I finished it in record time and I was like...oh. It's over. But I need more!? 

This Savage Song has possibly the most badass opening chapter I have ever read. Seriously. This was my reaction to it over on Twitter...


So I read that opening and I was like "Oh Kate....I'm going to like you" I mean, I just....I was reading that opening like "Oh my God..she isn't....oh she is....OMG FORGIVE ME FATHER FOR I HAVE SINNED?! NOTHING PERSONAL?! SHE DIDN'T GO THERE" and like cackling to myself like a total weirdo but seriously. It gave me chills, it hooked me in, and it gave me a feel for Kate right off the bat. As did Augusts opening part, that gave you an insight in to what he was. 

I really liked August, bless him. He wants to help his father, he wants to be normal...human. He doesn't want to go around stealing souls, he's a badass but he's not really happy about it and I had to feel for him and his sister Isla. Kate in contrast wants to be just like her father who, to put it politely, is a monster. She wants to be at home in V-City proving to him that she is truly a Harker. But Kate isn't as cool and tough as she tries to be. She was equally as badass but in a different way to August, she was still relatable. I was rooting for the both of them, even when they where at odds.  You can feel for the both of them in different ways, they both just want to be accepted, to fit in. 

I just thought it was such an interesting concept, the monster that wants to be human and the human that wants to be a  monster working together, becoming friends and so on, and Schwab writes it so brilliantly. In my head, I was expecting August to be how Kate was, and Kate how August was, if that makes sense? Like August all cool and calm and collected for the majority of the time but Schwab writes him as...I kind of want to say human. You can see his vulnerabilities and you can feel for him, at no point are you like "omg you really are a monster" and starting to dislike him. Kate...I don't really know what I was expecting, part of me was expecting a regular girl who was a bit of an emotional mess perhaps, but I know Schwab and so I wasn't really counting on it. You see her vulnerable side a lot, but most of the time she's calm and calculating, everything is under the surface and as you read the book you see more and more of her and what happened to her and ugh. I loved Kate, she has metal nails you guys, it was awesome. The book is told from both August and Kate's perspectives so it goes a long way to letting you understand both characters, and see beyond the impressions they have of each other. They where brilliantly complex characters and Schwab brought them to life so brilliantly and believably. 

The book has a tonne of secondary characters that helped to bring the world of the book to life and helped to tell the story and I completely loved Isla, Augusts sister. She struck me initially as very kind if not all there, but then you learn something and she became mildly terrifying but I really liked her character and how she was there for August, my heart broke for her at the end of the book and I'm intrigued to see what this means for her. Leo. Augusts brother. There aren't really any polite words for him..you know when  you read books with angels in and they're all self righteous and everything? Like you want to punch them in the face because of it? That's Leo. He was such a....prat. I had such a bad feeling about him right off the bat. Augusts parents Henry and Emily where interesting characters, how they'd taken in these three and treated them like their kids, they really cared about August which was nice to see, you could see what made him want to be normal. 

Over with Kate we have Sloane the creepy ass Malchai...like.....so creepy. I don't know why but my brain flashed to the Gentlemen from Buffy briefly, before then picturing something else entirely. He is the character you love to hate. Seriously. Then at the end? Can't even. We also have Harker, Kate's dad. Now. I gave this dude the benefit of the doubt, I figured that he really did love his daughter, he just had trouble showing it or whatever and I was picturing August and Kates parents trying to find them and help them and being all parenty. No. This dude...I can't even. There is a scene and my heart broke for Kate so badly reading it. This guy is like...you think he's one thing but he's another and you hate him either way. Basically. I love how Schwab gives you such fleshed out secondary characters that you can have this kind of reaction to them to be honest! 

The book has a nice steady pace, and the world, the characters and the compelling writing...all draw you in. The plot of This Savage Song builds in to a crescendo, mimicking the music that's running throughout the book. I loved the emphasis on music in the book, it being Kate's way to cope, to calm down, to relax and so on, and August essentially needing it to live. Sunai use a song they have that's unique to them to do what they need to do and the musical emphasis in a world where there weren't really many nice things left in the majority of places was nice. Beauty in the darkness, I guess you could say. The world of the book is so vivid, it pulls you in and you get completely lose in it. Picturing everything as described. Schwabs world building is ALWAYS on point. She gives us an interesting history to it that makes you want to know more, and intricate politics that are easy to understand but not too simple. She also gives us plenty of other places in the world of the book that you're itching to check out. 

Schwab's writing is just...brilliant. I love her imagery, "The monsters rustled like leaves, or debris, a death rattle in the shadows" her writing and imagery goes a long way to set the tone of the book, the feel of it. It fits with the world she's created...desolate..dark....scary. Sure you can buy safety in one half of the city but it's just a paper thin facade. I loved how the Sunai's personalities depended on what brought them to life, Leo was self righteous because of the cultists, Isla scattered because of the bomb etc I thought it was a nice touch and made each of the three Sunai stand out and it was a really nice touch. Schwab genuinely has such an amazing imagination, she creates these worlds and lets you in to them and it really feels like you're there with the characters in each scene, the writing is atmospheric and it really helps to transport you to the world of the book. 

I really enjoyed the relationship between August and Kate. I wasn't sure what to expect, and usually I love a bit of a romance, but I actually really enjoyed the lack of it. It just wouldn't have been right in this book. I loved reading their growing friendship, watching these two opposites come together and work together and August wanting to help her because he felt she deserved to be helped. It was just brilliant to see these two characters come together, and see a friendship growing rather than a romance. I loved their interactions, their conversations, and I miss the two of them already. 

This Savage Song is incredibly original and unique with a brilliant emphasis on music, woven throughout the book. Schwabs world building is such that you can get completely absorbed in to the world and lose track of time, and this is one of those books you should probably read in one sitting unless you're a fan of super late nights! The characters bring the world to life, and their complex and intriguing to read about. The ending? Well I still can't even. That ending leaves you desperate for more and intrigued to see what's going to happen to our new favourite characters next! It's a truly unputdownable read, and it stays with you long after you've read the last page. 



Wednesday, 4 May 2016

Wishing For Wednesday #89

Hey guys,
How's it going? My WFW's are starting to approach the summer months now and this Summer is looking to be full of awesome reads! This week I have two of my most anticipated books of the year! 
First up is one of my most anticipated sequels, I completely and utterly loved Witch Hunter, it's one of my favourite books and I've been waiting eagerly to see what's going to happen next! 
Second is one of my most anticipated books in general, it's the first of two books and it's by one of my favourite authors and it sounds awesome and I just really, really need it okay!? 

King Slayer


Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches and wizards she now calls her allies.

Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.


King Slayer is out June 2nd, pre-order your copy....here
Add it to your TBR....here





This Savage Song

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. In This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab creates a gritty, seething metropolis, one worthy of being compared to Gotham and to the four versions of London in her critically acclaimed fantasy for adults, A Darker Shade of Magic. Her heroes will face monsters intent on destroying them from every side—including the monsters within.
 

This Savage Song is out June 7th, pre-order your copy...here
Add it to your TBR....here!

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

March Book Haul

Hey guys! 
I've already shared my Birthday Book Haul with you all, so now it's time for the standard Book Haul! 
I was very lucky this month, and I'm so grateful to the various publishers who where nice enough to let me review their books! I was also super lucky in that...I actually won something! I rarely ever win anything and here I won twice! 


Books Bought:

Prudence is a book I've been meaning to get for a while because it's the first book in a  spin off series from The Parasol Protectorate series that I love! It's all steampunk and supernatural, and they're so much fun! So I'm excited to finally get to read this! God bless Waterstones stamp reward cards! 

This is a sequel, and I still haven't actually read the first one but I needed to get a second book for the Waterstones thing and I thought...why not, then when I do read the first book I can get straight in to the second one! I'm actually planning on reading them soon, I swear! 

Do I need to say anything? I totally pre-ordered this because I wanted the really awesome pre-order cards that the author was doing! I can't wait to read what happens next, A Darker Shade of Magic was one of my favourite books of 2015, and AGOS has been one of my most anticipated! I think I'm gonna try and get to it this month! 

I actually still need to get this in hardcover because the hardcover is gorgeous, this is Waterstones fault again, because I had points and the paperback has a really cool demonology bit in the back and some of the drawings are kind of cute, not going to lie! This book is so much fun, and it's so original, I got to review it and it was such a fantastic read! 

I actually broke the book buying ban for this first because I freaking love Gena Showalter, and Book Depository had signed editions for sale and the chances of me ever meeting the author and getting her to sign a copy are really slim so I thought why not! I'm so intrigued by this as it's a different direction to her usual Teen!


Books Received: 

I was sent five of these to review and I'm so grateful because these are fantastic little editions! There's not just the writings but there's information in the book about the author and the story as well as a quote page. I'm definitely going to have to collect these. 

This is a fairy tale retelling, Snow White in particular and you all need to read this, especially if you love OUAT! It's original, the twists on the original tale are brilliant, it's funny, the romance is perfect and there's plenty of action and plot twists as well as fantastic characters! It's a genuine "can't put down" book! 

The third book in a series by one of my favourite authors, I've literally just started it after re-reading the first two! I love all of Joss's books, and these ones are thrillers, there's a detective agency for teens, there's mystery and romance, and Joss writes perfect romance that brings the warm and fuzzies! 

Another third book! This is a steampunk series that's full of brilliantly complex mysteries and plots, as well as a very Sherlock/Watson duo in the form of Newbury and Hobbes. I'm always surprised and kept on my toes and the writing is gorgeous! 

In this we have Warlock Holmes who's a bit of a dimwit, lucky for him he has Dr Watson. This book has 6 Sherlock Holmes stories reimagined, and they sound completely awesome! I'm excited to review this! 

Novella bind up alert! This is a bind up of three of the Virals novellas plus a brand new one set after the last Virals novel, and these novellas are pure perfection! 

Exactly what it says, World Mythology, concisely written to give you the maximum information without having to spend pages and pages reading about it all. It's straight to the point and tells you exactly what you need to know! 

A collection of quotes from her works and her personal letters to other family members and acquaintances. It's a fantastic collection of quotes about all different kinds of things. 

The Alma Edition of an Austen classic, in this we have Anne who isn't treated too brilliantly by her family, and she ends up coming face to face with a lost love. Luckily the feelings are still there, there's just a couple of bumps in the road to get out the way! 

Drawing master Walter winds up at the home of Laura and Marian after an eerie encounter with a woman in white. Falling for Laura would have been okay...if Laura wasn't engaged to be married to Percival who is as shady as they come. Percival has a friend, equally as shady, in the form of Count Fosco, and they're definitely up to no good! 


Books Won: 
I basically never get to do this category! But a miracle happened and I won a couple things! 

I totally won a signed copy from Maximum Pop Books and I've been so excited for this book, it's one of my most anticipated and it sounds so awesome! Excited as I am to read this, I'm a bit wary because like...it's signed and I don't want to damage it! 

I won this lovely edition from a lovely lady called Emma! I collect the Penguin English Library editions, and I'm going to be reading this for this months classics challenge! I'm excited to read another Austen, I've already read two and I'm working my through her entire works! 

So that is my March Book Haul and I'm so ridiculously grateful! Let me know what you hauled in March, down below! 

Wednesday, 20 January 2016

Wishing For Wednesday #74

Hey guys!
This week my excitement knows no bounds! 
First up is the third book in the Reckoners series, I need to actually catch up with this series, but I'm excited for the third book! 
Second....I'M SO EXCITED GUYS, SO EXCITED! I've been waiting AGES for the ADSOM sequel. AGES I TELL YOU! And it's FINALLY here.....it's SO near....yet....so far! SO EXCITED! I've got my ADSOM bookmarks ready and raring to go! 

Calamity


When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy.

David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back. . .

But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.



Calamity is out February 18th, pre-order your copy....here
Add it to your TBR.....here!

A Gathering of Shadows

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.

A Gathering of Shadows is out February 23rd, pre-order your copy....here!
Add it to your TBR.....here!

Monday, 4 January 2016

Most Anticipated Sequels of 2016!

Hey guys! 
So here is part two of my Best 2016 Releases, these are all sequels/next in series, there's a word I'm grasping for, for them, and just not finding I'm afraid! I'm so incredibly excited for these and the wait for them has been and continues to be, long and painful! I've got a wide variety as well for you guys, with GoodReads links so you can easily add to your TBR! 

1. Remembrance by Meg Cabot 
Release Date: 2nd February
7th in Series

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva).

But when she stumbles across an ancient murder, old ghosts—and ex-boyfriends—aren’t all that come back to haunt her.





2. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard 
Release Date: 11th February
Sequel 

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?


3. The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: 25th February
Sequel

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.
Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.
But the gods are sensing a greater threat.

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.




4. Soldier by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: 5th May
Third in Series

A fighter dedicated to saving humankind from dragons in strictest secrecy.

That was what Garret Xavier Sebastian thought he was part of as a soldier of the Order of St. George. What he learned from a fiery dragon hatchling twisted all he believed in and set him on a collision course with certain death-but not without a chance to put things right.

Betrayed and on the run again, Ember and rogue dragon Riley discover an unthinkable truth about Talon and St. George. They'll need Garret's skills and insider knowledge of the Order to negotiate an impossible deal-and if they fail, there will be no way to stop all-out war.
 



5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
Release Date: 3rd May 
Sequel 

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.



6. The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey
Release Date: 12th July
Sequel

Everything in Echo's life changed in a blinding flash when she learned the startling truth: she is the firebird, the creature of light that is said to bring peace.

The firebird has come into the world, but it has not come alone. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Echo can feel a great and terrible darkness rising in the distance. Cosmic forces threaten to tear the world apart.

Echo has already lost her home, her family, and her boyfriend. Now, as the firebird, her path is filled with even greater dangers than the ones she's already overcome.

She knows the Dragon Prince will not fall without a fight.

Echo must decide: can she wield the power of her true nature--or will it prove too strong for her, and burn what's left of her world to the ground?

Welcome to the shadow hour.


7. A Torch Against The Night by Sabaa Tahir
Release Date: 8th September 
Sequel 

A Torch Against the Night takes readers into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.

In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire’s twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself—a mission that might destroy her, instead.




8. The Flame Never Dies by Rachel Vincent
Release Date: 16th June
Sequel

ONE SPARK WILL RISE. Nina Kane was born to be an exorcist. And since uncovering the horrifying truth—that the war against demons is far from over—seventeen-year-old Nina and her pregnant younger sister, Mellie, have been on the run, incinerating the remains of the demon horde as they go. 

In the badlands, Nina, Mellie, and Finn, the fugitive and rogue exorcist who saved her life, find allies in a group of freedom fighters. They also face a new threat: Pandemonia, a city full of demons. But this fresh new hell is the least of Nina’s worries. The well of souls ran dry more than a century ago, drained by the demons secretly living among humans, and without a donor soul, Mellie’s child will die within hours of its birth.

Nina isn’t about to let that happen . . . even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.

9. Recreated by Colleen Houck 
Release Date: 11th August
Sequel 

So, no cover for this one yet, or synopsis, but I'm incredibly excited for the second book to see where it goes. I loved everything about the first book and have resolved to read all of her other books too! 


10. The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker
Release Date: 2nd June
Sequel

Magic, suspense, and political intrigue collide in this sequel to The Witch Hunter, perfect for fans of Graceling and the Grisha Trilogy.

Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches, wizards, pirates, and healers she now calls her friends.

Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.


11. Crooked Kingdoms by Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: 22nd September 
Sequel 

No cover or synopsis again, but when they are released you can bet your ass I'll be fangirling like crazy! I freaking loved Six of Crows, it's one of my best books of 2015!  




12. A Gathering Of Shadows by V. E. Schwab
Release Date: 23rd February
Sequel

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall. 


13. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
Release Date: 3rd May 
Sequel

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.
In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.


14. The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen 
Release Date: 7th June
Third and Final in Series

So, no cover again! Well there is an American one but it's not the one we'll have so I'm not including it! It is all pink and nice though! There is a synopsis though! 

In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm. In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear.

To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, Regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne.

Now, as the suspenseful endgame begins, the fate of Queen Kelsea—and the Tearling itself—will finally be revealed.  

15. The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan
Release Date: 4th October
Sequel 

So again, no cover and no synopsis but I LOVED the first book and i'm expecting big things from this one! The title is really intriguing me, knowing what I know from the first book! 






16. Royal Tour by Amy Alward 
Release Date: 11th August 
Number in Series: Two


So, this has no cover yet, and no description but I loved the first book so freaking much it was such a mood lifting book, and one I can read whenever I need a pick me up! 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...