Wolf Winter

Wolf Winter
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

There are six homesteads on Blackåsen Mountain.

A day's journey away lies the empty town. It comes to life just once, in winter, when the Church summons her people through the snows. Then, even the oldest enemies will gather.

But now it is summer, and new settlers are come.

It is their two young daughters who find the dead man, not half an hour's walk from their cottage.

The father is away. And whether stubborn, or stupid, or scared for her girls, the mother will not let it rest.

To the wife who is not concerned when her husband does not come home for three days; to the man who laughs when he hears his brother is dead; to the priest who doesn't care; she asks and asks her questions, digging at the secrets of the mountain.

They say a wolf made those wounds. But what wild animal cuts a body so clean? 

Okay so GoodReads synopsis to retain the air of mystery because if I do my own synopsis it's going to be like "gush gush gush, actual information, gush gush, gives away entire plot accidentally, gush gush guussh" and no-one wants that! It's not often I get surprise book post, but man I could hug Hodder for sending me this. 

I LOVED this. As soon as you start reading, you're intrigued, you're drawn in and as you carry on reading you fall deeper and deeper in to the story until it's been hours and you've finished it and you have no idea what the time is or any sense of anything but the book. I was so involved in the story, I was pretty much useless to anyone trying to talk to me! 

The world engulfs you, so it's kind of perfect to read curled up by the fire with a blanket because there's lots of snow and you feel the snow, the atmosphere starts to effect you and you feel the suspense, the danger, you feel the mood of the book, you can feel how haunting and dark it is. Said darkness, not to mention the cold, are practically physically real while you read. It's so incredibly vivid, I feel like I hopped in the Tardis and spent my afternoon in Swedish Lapland circa 1717. It's truly a book you can get lost in. 

The world building is simply breath-taking, the book is so beautifully written and described with such beautiful turns of phrase, the book just makes you keep wanting more, you keep wanting to read the beautiful words on the page, stay in the world, and the ending....you kind of decide for yourself, but I'm just desperate to be lazy and have another book! 

I love history, so I loved this, I loved the setting, I loved reading about it, seeing the way of life of the time, what was normal back in that time period and the superstitions, tales, and so on. I seriously can't get enough of it and I'm currently obsessed with finding out more about this time and this particular area of the world. 

The characters are beautifully created, they where each strong, you connected to each of them, they where so full of depth, it was a strong cast! It was fascinating to read the dynamics of the community, the relationships, the people of the time. We have three groups in this book, the Lapps aka natives, the settlers our homestead occupiers, and the people who live in town. We mostly see the settlers world, as it where, because Maija and her daughter are the main protagonists, and the murder was in their territory, but you get a good look at all three groups, a feel for them, and an understanding of how they all connect together, and to see how they all trust each other when someone comes prying in to things. 

I had no idea what was going to happen next, where the story was going, who the culprit was, I was pretty much along for the ride, going with whatever conclusion the character had....convincing myself it was right because of certain evidence, then, like the character, being wrong. I love books that are unpredictable! Nordic Noir Thriller indeed GoodReads! The plot was rich and intricate and was about so much more than a murder. Survival is a huge them of the book, you may have already guessed this from the title, but ya know...there's a seriously hardcore winter going on. 

Wolf Winter should be read by YOU, yes you, because it is utterly, incredibly atmospheric, beautifully written and imagined, utterly breathtaking, and truly fascinating as well as intriguing. Full of suspense, it combines two genres, historical and thriller, smoothly and with a smidgen of darkness making it original. Not to mention the unique and vivid setting! 

The Fire Sermon

The Fire Sermon
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Four hundred years in the future, the Earth has been greatly damaged by a nuclear fire, now, humanity lives in a world that's reminiscent of the middle ages, and is very primitive. All technology from the Before, like Electricity, is taboo, not to be used or touched. Most of the animals and the humans died at the time of the fire, and for generations after, babies where born not quite right thanks to the radiation. While it's been many years and the radiation is gone, every person is born with a twin. Each pair of twins is one boy and one girl, one Omega and one Alpha. Alpha's are perfect in every way, whereas Omega's are all born with a deformity of some sort, missing limbs, and so on. Omega's are branded and sent away to live in Omega settlements when they're very young, they're not welcome in Alpha society and are thought of as lesser, as if they're contagious.

The Council are in charge, and they rule over all the Alpha's and Omega's. The Alpha's get everything, the best land, the best resources and so on, and the Omega's get nothing, barely enough to survive on. Alpha's may think they're superior, but there is one catch, one minor detail that means the Alpha's are never quite as free as they'd like to be....if one twin dies....so does the other. Without fail. One feels the pain of the other, the sickness of the other, and there is no way around it. Some high up Alpha's even keep their Omega's in a prison of sorts called the Keeping Rooms. Omega's live in ever worsening conditions, but there is one hope, an Island, an Island for Omega's where they can escape and live in peace, any talk of said Island results in a harsh punishment. Unfortunately it's not real. Or is it?

Things are about to change....

Cass is a very rare Omega, she has no deformity that can be seen, hers is hidden, you see, she's a Seer. As a child she learnt not to cry out when woken in the night by her terrible visions of the past and predictions of the future, a skill that allowed her to start with her parents much longer than usual, but causing a fair bit of resentment from her twin, as their parents tried to work out which was Alpha and which wasn't worth their time. Now her twin, Zach, has gained an awful lot of power on the council, including the new name The Reformer, and when Cass is dragged from her settlement to be locked in the Keeping Rooms, she stumbles across something terrifying in her bid for freedom.

On the run from her brother and the Council, she still wants to believe in equality between the two, and envisioning a world where Alpha's live side by side with Omega's is one reason they're after her. The other? Like I said...Cass is a Seer, not only would she be useful to the Council, but she's started to have some rather interesting visions....visions of an Island of Omega's, an Island that isn't supposed to exist, that's supposed to be a myth, and the Council will do anything to find it and shut it down. But they're not quite expecting the resistance they will meet. Omega's have more power than they realize.

So this book was totally incredible! I'm not really getting the "it's like the Hunger Games" vibe going on, because it's nothing like the Hunger Games, it's in fact, totally different, and that's why I loved it! Because of filming and other commitments, this took me a few days to read, rather than the few hours it should have if I'd been able to sit and read it in one go. Now I'm slightly glad about that because I got to enjoy the book for longer, but at the same time it was SO hard to put down and there was a definite lack of sleep because every time I was like "okay, this is the last chapter" something would happen and I'd be like "....one more! It's only.......2am...uuumm...." but who cares?! I was incredibly bereft when this was over, and I seriously didn't know what to do with myself.

I've been incredibly lucky lately, and I feel so incredibly grateful because a few publishers have sent me some truly incredible books that have everything I love in them and I have found myself with a whole host of new series to love and agonizingly await the next books of, and Fire Sermon is one of them!

I have such a thing about unique books, and you all know it because I always mention it, I should probably start a tag to be honest! But this is another for my list. It's so incredibly unique, it's a breath of fresh air to the genre that's full of wannabe's right now, and books trying to be something else. Fire Sermon has a thought out and complex background, history and politics to it, and it's all explained, and told to you with so much detail so you fully understand everything that's going on, why it's going on and so on, but without dragging the pace and narrative down. Cass's background in particular was inserted incredibly well in to the narrative, so you know time is passing as she's in the Keeping Rooms, but she's flooding you with memories as to how she got to this place, and each time in between the memories you're waiting for the next installment!

The Fire Sermon gripped me from the beginning, I was fascinated and immediately wanted to know more about the world, and Cass and just what was going on. From then on, it was a real struggle to put down so to be honest I'd recommend clearing your schedule so you don't have to! The world building in particular was so vivid, and I loved it because it sucked you straight in to the world, and you feel like you've visited the world and you have such a clear image, not to mention the atmosphere created, it's intense at times, to say the least, but you can feel the atmosphere, and practically see it oozing off the page, and it totally engulfs you. You really do feel a range of emotions, not only from the atmosphere, but from the events and the characters and so on.

I connected with Cass so easily. So, so easily. I really came to hate Zach, and I seriously wanted to smack him one, but then like Cass, I also felt for him at times as well, and I found myself being conflicted once or twice, but still usually hating him. It's so tricky. He's a villain, he's doing all the horrible things to the Omega's and he does have his reasons, and he seems quite evil at times, but then you can see his point of view, and then he does something like he did at the end and you're like....okay...maybe you're not THAT bad. But then it's like no actually you are. And it's reaaaally hard! You can get why he's like he is, and you can even get why the Confessor is like she is, although I'm still curious as to how and why they ended up working together, I'd have thought Zach would have nothing to do with another Seer, I think it's more than the ambition they both have to be honest. But maybe I'm reading too much in to it!

The plot is complex, there's all the political things going on with Zach and what he's doing and why, and what his ultimate plan is and the electricity and what's really going on under the surface, and then there's Cass on the run and her journey to get to the Island and everything that entails, and then coming back and everything after. It's all woven together perfectly to create a complex, engaging plot, that makes the book hold your attention no matter what, to be honest the nuclear fire from the book could have happened and I wouldn't have noticed until I'd finished reading the book and looked up like "......oh". As the plot  is complex, the solution is also complex it's not as simple as killing Zach off and getting rid of him, because then Cass will die, and it's the same with every Alpha bad guy mentioned in the book, because as Cass reminds us, you're actually killing two people.

The story and plot and narrative and so on, flowed easily, everything happened organically, everything that happened was the next logical step for the story, there was nothing added just for some drama or just there for no reason other than to move the plot along. Everything that happened had a root in the plot and what was truly going on, not just what was happening on the surface.

It's really quite an epic journey, you go from the beginning with the background to the keeping rooms to on the run to New Hobart and so on. You don't see just one small section of the world, you see a vast expanse of it, and can see it very vividly. So much happens, and there's always something going on, like I said, a chapter always ends leaving you wanting more. There are plenty of twists and turns that you don't see coming, some that you maybe have an inkling of but haven't worked it out, but there's none that you can flat out guess in all their detail. Some of them are incredibly sad and heartbreaking, and I wasn't expecting it so I just sat there all shocked, mouth hanging open, totally gobsmacked. I should have guessed about Kip, but I didn't, and it's because it was totally unexpected, but also because you're so engrossed in the story, you don't really have much time to theorize, cos you're turning pages too fast!

There's a smidge of romance, juuuust a smidge. But don't worry, it's not the main focus of the plot, it's woven in very subtly and develops naturally, it's not there for the sake of it. I loved how when you where reading, you felt like you where in the middle ages or a similar time when everything was very basic, but then they'll mention the Before or electricity and machines and you're suddenly jolted in to remembering that, no, this is the future after we've all destroyed the Earth.

I seriously loved this book, and everytime I picked up the book, I was totally absorbed in to the world, and what was going on and was totally obsessed with the book, like when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it and thinking about getting home and reading it some more!

Fire Sermon ends, not on a proper cliffhanger really, but the next book has been subtly set up, and you have a slight idea of what's going to happen, but judging from this book, that will only be a small part of it, or the goal of the characters, there will be so much more going on, and there's a couple of threads left to be picked up in the next book. You're left desperate for the next book, you don't want to leave the world and the characters, and you so badly want to know what happens next, it's going to be torture waiting for the next book!

The Fire Sermon is unique, full of action, and incredibly well thought out and complex, while still being engaging and fast paced. You're thrown in to two times, the future, that is incredibly like the past in moments. I for one am incredibly excited about this book, and the series, it's firmly lodged itself in to my list of favourites, and it's one of those books you read and re-read and keep re-reading until pages are falling out of the binding! And each time you read it, it's going to be like you're reading it for the first time, I  guarantee! Go on....give it a whirl!

Empire

Empire
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Syl has been made to live in the Marque with the rest of the Sisters, but nothing is as it seems, something is going on, and when a Sister disappears and a hand looking surprisingly like hers is found in a creature, she starts to investigate in earnest, but what she finds is shocking. Not to mention the fact that the Sisters are being trained to hurt rather than to help, and Ani is pulling away from her.

Paul has risen to a high position of command thanks to his exile, when he and his crew rescue an important Illyri, they are not only thrust in to danger, but they're on the path to discovering another secret about the Empire, and when it's dealt with, there's no going back. Syl and Paul are once again brought together, and they can't forget what they've learned.

Join Syl and Paul as they continue their fight against the strange creatures destroying the Illyri.

Sooooo, I loved this book, and it surpassed the first book in my opinion, as you can see from my rating! I was drawn in from the beginning, I loved the pages at the beginning that where taken from the Chronicles, and detailed what had happened before, sort of like a "previously on..." thing, but then there's one line at the end that makes you so excited to read on, and you know somethings going to happen! I also loved the "property of the Marque library" stamp, and the other touches that made it look like it was from this ancient, separate book! There was always something going on, if it wasn't action, it was something that was adding intrigue, as I tried to work out what was going on, what Syl was going to discover and so on. I couldn't put this installment down, and I never found my attention wandering or being bored.

I loved all the unique things in this book, the aliens, the history and so on, so I was excited to learn more about it in this installment, we got more history about the Sisterhood, we learned more about the world, and the other planets, and the Civil War and everything. I loved seeing more of the unique creatures, even as terrifying as they where, I loved trying to picture them, and with the authors words, it wasn't that hard!

I continue to love the setting, while we didn't see Edinburgh this time, we got to see space. And it was awesome, and so well described, you could picture everything clearly, you felt like you where just hanging out with the characters, wherever they where. The atmosphere was very well done as well, the Marque had a different atmosphere to wherever Paul was, but both could be felt, and both surrounded you, the mystery, the danger, the tension, and so on. I loved seeing more locations in the world the author has created, Marque, other planets and so on, each was well described without so much detail that the pace and flow where disrupted.

I was sad to leave the Resistance behind a bit, there was an entire part that was all about Meia, and she was meeting with the Resistance, because a power change was happening which is going to be interesting to see seeing as Ani has now changed, and her Dad knows the truth you know? But anyway, you saw a little bit of it for that part, and the Green Man again, but I'm sad we didn't see as much of it before, because I thought it was so awesome and WW2 like, and I'm hoping to see more of it in the third book. I think, while I was sad there wasn't much of it, it still fit in it's part, and the absence wasn't at all odd, because this was more about the aliens than the first book was, and the aliens upcoming war.

I'm still loving the characters, particularly Meia, I'd missed her and when it got to her part I was so excited, and there was a nice twist that I didn't see coming and I was like "AAAAAHH" and yeah. The characters are all well written with depth, and in this book you see them develop more, particularly Paul and his brother, considering their training and the situations they know find themselves in. I felt like Paul's brother came in to his own more, he was the pilot, he was more sure of himself and everything. Paul was less "eeeh" for me this time. He was less bland, he was more interesting, there was more to him, he developed for the best I think.

Syl I wasn't too sure of in the first book, but ultimately I'd enjoyed her development over the book and I was excited to see what would happen next for her. She continued to be underestimated by everyone, and I loved Syl even more in this book, I connected to her better in this one, and I loved how badass she was. Her powers have developed a lot more, and she's a force to be reckoned with, along with Paul and the others, the third book is going to be interesting.

I actually really liked Ani in the first book, but in this one I was disappointed with how easily she allowed herself to be manipulated and how immature she was, I mean she had no loyalty to her supposed best friend, she dumped Syl every single time and went off with the others, didn't believe a word she said, and when she saw with her own eyes, what the others had been up to, she went off on Syl for killing them, even though they'd just murdered loads of people. Ani's gone off not wanting to see her again and blah blah, and I think she went from a potential interesting character, that paired with Syl, could have been an incredible duo in the upcoming fight, to a kind of incredibly pathetic and petty character. Do not like at all. Hopefully in the third book she'll get her act together because I was getting so annoyed on Syl's behalf.

So, I think this installment was better because there was stuff going on from the go, stuff to be worked out, action and so on, and there was none of this misleading information, and the romance wasn't in your face with all it's oddness and just not really working. Paul was back to being true to himself and his character, as was Syl, and the romance was still there a little bit, they're thinking about each other, but I think after the odd romance blooming from nowhere, them being apart with the little mentions of it, worked to re-establish the characters on their own, and helped you get to know them both separately and come to love them, so when the romance kicks back up in the third book, I think it's going to work better than in the first book!

The narrative was engaging, I loved the ominous comments, and the fact it wasn't from any of the characters perspectives. I liked how it gave you little tidbits, and how more information about the history wasn't just stated, it was give to you by conversations, or characters researching and so on. I liked seeing more of the political struggle going on with the weird alien things that where attached to the Illyri. The third book was set up subtly, and it's set to be an explosive installment, I'm really excited for it because there's going to be so much going on it, and so much coming together and kicking off and eee!

The plot is complex, there's two plot lines going on, three actually, Paul, Syl and Meia, and all three are woven together perfectly. You're kept guessing, you don't know what's going to happen next, there's plenty of plot twists that you don't see coming, and it's always nice to be surprised when reading, and I couldn't put the book down at all, I was totally engrossed and sucked in to the world by the plot and the characters and everything. There where so many threads going on with the Marque and the thing going on with Paul and the stuff happening with Syl's dad and back home, there was mystery and intrigue and action everywhere.

Empire has surpassed the first book, it's everything I hoped it would be and more, and the lack of romance barely had time to be noticed as there was so much going on, and so much for you to try to piece together and work out, but you end up being surprised anyway! I'm so excited for the third installment!

Red Rose, White Rose

Red Rose, White Rose
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

The powerful story of Cecily Neville, torn between both sides in the War of the Roses. Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory.

Richard, the thirteen-year-old Duke of York, England’s richest heir.
Told through the eyes of Cicely and her half-brother Cuthbert, Red Rose, White Rose is the story of one of the most powerful women in England during one of its most turbulent periods. Born of Lancaster and married to York, the willowy and wayward Cicely treads a hazardous path through love, loss and imprisonment and between the violent factions of Lancaster and York, as the Wars of the Roses tear England’s ruling families apart.
So nearly queen herself, Cicely Neville was the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of kings – and her descendants still wear the crown.

So this randomly arrived in the post from Harper, giving me a lovely little surprise and I started reading it almost immediately! I love a historical fiction  book! 

This has clearly been well researched, there's so many historical facts woven in to the narrative, and it's utterly fascinating! I was learning additional information to what I already knew, I love how you can learn from well written historical novels, while enjoying a plot and being fully engaged, and it just helps you to keep reading because it's utterly fascinating. 

I absolutely loved watching Cecily grow and mature over the course of the book, she was such a strong character and had so much influence for a woman of her time. She was an incredible character and one I didn't know much about, so it was fantastic getting to know her...sort of! Each character was so authentic, they where all written as realistically as can be with the information known, and they all came alive, particularly the women! 

The narrative was engaging, the plot was complex and covered a hell of a lot of ground, and events, and like I said, it was fascinating and interesting and at points quite gripping. It was a bit of a dodgy time, and that's putting it mildly! It was as interesting as it was fascinating to learn what it was like to live in that time with the marriages and the whole King thing. 

The thing that bothered me about this, however, was that while at points it was gripping, it was also a liittle bit boring, because sometimes the pace slowed down a bit, and while I loved all of the information, and all of the facts, at times it did bog down the pace and was a bit hard to get through, and remember who everyone was and so on, which slightly detracted from the story at points because I was trying to remember a person and wasn't entirely focusing on the narrative until I'd worked out who they where! 

Despite that little blip, which wasn't entirely unexpected when a book is well researched, I still enjoyed the book, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from the author, what historical figure she'll focus on next, and teach me about! 

Alice And The Fly

Alice And The Fly
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It's about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love - in any of its forms - and nurturing it.

Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories - Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah - but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple.

Okay so this is GoodReads synopsis, I'm not doing my own because I WILL accidentally spoil it, and I don't want to give anything away! I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was so entranced by it, I couldn't put it down, it really is an incredible debut.  This book was so haunting, I finished the book and just sat there for a while, thinking,  I was still in the world, still feeling the atmosphere of the book, slightly creepy atmosphere at that, and it was beautifully written. 

I loved how you really got in to Greg's head, how you came to understand him and I personally, connected with him and really sympathised with him. You're pretty much reading Greg's diary, and it's so sad to see how isolated he is, and how cruel kids at school can be, and not to mention his parents ignoring him all the time. The interesting thing was, that while Greg was so different, and so disliked by his peers, and seen as strange by other people, he saw a lot more than other people did about his peers, and you get a great look at other people from his point of view. Being inside his head leaves you feeling a bit unsettled, as his view of the world is so strange compared to ours. 

Greg was very well created by the author, and very well portrayed, and he came alive off the page. Not to mention the other characters that the author has created, they're all kept at quite a distance by the character, seeing as the ignore him mostly, but every character is so realistic, and natural, well as natural as you can be when you pretty much ignore your kids existence and the bullies being...well...bullies, you know? 

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away which is why this review is shorter than usual, but the plot was fantastic. There where little twists and intrigues that you couldn't work out or see what was coming, and I ended up being surprised multiple times. I LOVED the extracts from the interviews, they added so much intriguing, without giving away the ending of the story, and giving you tidbits of information about the past, and it gives you the opportunity to see Greg through the eyes of other characters, which is quite a sad/heartbreaking thing. Especially his dad. Not buying his "showing her the house excuse either". It's so hard to put this book down because you want to keep reading, to find out what this event is and so on. 

I thought the entire book was very well written, the world was very natural and realistic and believable, and it felt like Greg was a real person, and I was reading a real account of events that happened, and I even felt a bit guilty for reading his diary! This book was quite emotional for me, and the plot is woven with lots of different elements and themes, and it was all fantastically blended together to create a truly incredible read.

The ending left me feeling a bit bereft, and sad, and teary, because I didn't want to leave Greg, I wanted to see what would happen next for him, I wanted to see his father and sister have more of a relationship with him which they where clearly starting to do, and I wanted to see him, I don't know, become less alone? I felt so many emotions reading this and finishing this and I think this is a book that's going to stay with me, and I'll keep coming back to. I really think it's a book you all should read, it's utterly fantastic. 

Those Above

Those Above
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of GoodReads
For Fans Of: Game of Thrones

They enslaved humanity three thousand years ago. Tall, strong, perfect, superhuman and near immortal they rule from their glittering palaces in the eternal city in the centre of the world. They are called Those Above by their subjects. They enforce their will with fire and sword.

Twenty five years ago mankind mustered an army and rose up against them, only to be slaughtered in a terrible battle. Hope died that day, but hatred survived. Whispers of another revolt are beginning to stir in the hearts of the oppressed: a woman, widowed in the war, who has dedicated her life to revenge; the general, the only man to ever defeat one of Those Above in single combat, summoned forth to raise a new legion; and a boy killer who rises from the gutter to lead an uprising in the capital. 

So this is another, where I can't come up with a better synopsis that won't be full of spoilers, so you guys get the GoodReads one! I was lucky enough to win a copy of this from a GoodReads giveaway and I couldn't wait to get stuck in, and I honestly wasn't disappointed, and dammit, this is another series to add to my favourites and anxiously await the next installments of. 

The world building for this is truly incredible. The world is so detailed and extensive, and I just need to see more of it, not that you don't see a good chunk of it in this installment, but plenty of other parts of the world are mentioned, and I'm so curious to see what those places are like as well! The world is so well described, that I could picture everything that was described in vivid detail, it's like the world and the landmarks and the cities came to life in front of my eyes. I could also, very clearly, picture the map of the world that I'm assuming is going to be included in the finished copies of the novel! I hope I'm right and have everything correct in my own map! 

Normally I detest books being described as "like so and so", but I can't argue with the fact that Game of Thrones fans are going to love this, this is very different from Game of Thrones, but has the epic fantasy feel to it, and the sweeping journey and incredible world, not to mention the colourful cast of characters, some on opposing sides, who are all entwined by the events that are going to happen and have happened. It's premise, however, is unique, and unlike any other fantasy I have a read, and the premise is only one reason that I have found myself totally obsessed with this new series! 

There are different points of view, from different types of people, and from all of these you see both sides of the impending war between Those Above and the Aeleria, and you see different classes of people, all involved in different things, so you get a wide scope of characters showing you different parts and aspects of the world, different things happening and so on. Each point of view is important, and adds to the story, adding more threads to the plot, helping you get to know the characters, get to know the world and it's different sides. 

Everything about this book is intricate, the world and it's details are intricate, with an intricate and detailed history and politics and customs and so on and so forth, not to mention the stories mentioned. This book is so incredibly different, and it's this difference that is going to add a breathe of fresh air to the genre, and keep people reading and longing for more. It's a hard world to leave, you just want to stay submerged in it, once it sucks you in it's hard to get out! 

Like I said, the characters are colourful, I particularly loved Eudokia, she's kind of a bitch, but she's also so intelligent and a total badass, like the whole burning house thing and what happened and how she dealt with it and she wasn't screaming or freaking out, it was so awesome, I was wary of her at first, thinking oh maybe she's the bad guy, and maybe she is, but she is, so far, my favourite character! She's crazy smart and pretty much orchestrating everything and is a master at manipulation. So awesome. Calla I was a bit like "hmmmm" she has the potential to be interesting, but so far she hasn't piqued my interest, I mean she's up to something, she knows the language she isn't supposed to, but she seems a bit too much in thrall with Those Above and a bit of a wet blanket.....at the moment. I have a feeling that's going to change, she is our insight in to Those Above, as she works for one of them, but I have a feeling she's going to be a character to watch. 

Bas, I so want to now more about Bas and his past and his past battles! Although I do wish he'd smack the Dycian one, like seriously, he needs a good smack up the head! He's quite the badass as well, and I can see him and Eudokia plotting together, because I'm really hoping he's going to end up working with her, like more than he did in the brief bit at the end you know?  he is after all going to be planning the war, and most likely leading it, as the only person to have killed one of Those Above. Eudokia is all about revenge against Those Above and these two, plus Thistle are making up the oppressed who, understandably, want to be not oppressed. Thistle is kind of a criminal? He lives in the lowest rung of the Roost and ends up working for a criminal and then he turns in to a killer, but then he ends up going to this guy who I can't make my mind up about, he's clearly against Those Above. The thing is, the end leaves you wondering, because it's like "what the hell". But yeah. Awesome characters. Even Irene who seriously? Should have been smacked one. 

My point being that the secondary characters where just as well written, and full of depth as the main characters, Irene and her plotting, and then my other favourite character, Jahan, casually has a blade sticking out of him and it's like he doesn't even feel it. I would love to know even more about him! He's totally awesome as well! 

As you can probably tell, you see different groups, with Bas you see the Soldiers and the upcoming Legion, with Thistle you see the people of the lowest rung of the Roost, treated horribly by Those Above, and the criminals that dwell there, as well as the stirrings of rebellion, with Calla you see Those Above and some of the people of the higher rungs as she works for one of them, so you see the inner workings of Those Above, and what they're plotting and planning and their politics, aaand with Eudokia you see the inner workings and the bickerings and the manipulation of the people who are going to start the war and lead the revolution. 

It did take me a few chapters to get a grip on everything and start to get everything in order, who was what and so on, and I'm still not entirely sure I'm correct, but it's quite possibly supposed to be like that. The book does require concentration as there's a lot of information to take in and remember and store away for the rest of the book and the rest of the series, I would imagine, but it's no less enjoyable, said information isn't just dumped in one chapter for you to struggle through, you get bits and pieces as and when the situation arises that requires you to know about it. 

So as you can imagine, the plot is very complex, there's multiple things going on to get our characters where they need to be, this installment is setting the scene and setting the pieces up, and therefore setting up the next book, but this is going on subtly while we're following the plot for this installment, and doesn't take away from the book. It's hard to explain, but as you're reading about the characters and their individual stories and situations and what's happening to them, you don't realize they're heading to a certain place so they're in position for the next book...until you've finished reading if that makes sense? Underneath the different plots as it where, there's the underlying plot that there's a war coming, and it's being set up and there's a revolt being set in place in the capital itself. I know I suck, really suck at explaining this, but the plot was fantastic, there where lots of different threads and subplots all woven together to create this engaging and interesting book that you can't put down. 

I loved the uniqueness of the book, with Those Above, and the world and the different types of people and the Roost, and the significance of the birds, even if birds do reaaaallly creep me out with their dodgy beady, evil eyes. 

There was always something going on, even if you didn't pick up on it at once, and so the book was one where you find it difficult to find a place to stop, so ya know...I read it in one go and finished it at a ridiculous time! Standard. The book ends leaving you intrigued, and invested in the characters and what's going on and what's going to happen to them, you don't want to leave any of it behind and the ending will seriously leave you like ".....what. No. When's the next book out? THERES NO DATE?! WHAAAT?! HOW CAN I WAIT FOR AN INDEFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME", so yes, I'm currently sad because I want the next installment and I can't have it for ages. Insert extreme sad face here. 

Those Above is a book riddled with uniqueness, and with all the hallmarks of a fantastic fantasy book, it's expertly laid the foundations for the series, while getting you emotionally invested in the fantastic, colourful and interesting characters, occupying the intricately fascinating world. I'm intrigued to know what's going to happen next, intrigued to know more about the world and the different people in it, and I've already picked my side. 

Those above is a definite series to watch out for and keep an eye on. It's the perfect series opener, and is promising to be an engaging and incredible series, that's going to have a strong fan following. (and if we're lucky, a TV series, because seriously.....so cinematic)

The Book Of Ivy

The Book Of Ivy
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

I could make a reference to a certain book by a certain author who's name begins with S and has a character who also has the surname that Ivy has....but I won't. Instead I will say GIMME GIMME MORE! I need the next book now, I say this a lot, but seriously I really do, I'm on such a roll lately and this another series to add to the favourites.

It's a breath of fresh air in the dystopian genre, and I couldn't put it down, I had to keep reading, I was totally sucked in by the world and the plot and just....I'm so sad it's over. It's got one of those worlds that you just don't want to leave once it sucks you in.

Not to mention the cast of well written, full of depth characters that jump off the page and really come alive with the authors words. I loved all of them, except Callie, what a bitch. Ugh. But anyway, Ivy is easy to connect with and I really loved her. I felt for her so badly and then there was the whole thing with her family. I felt angry on her behalf for what Callie and her father where doing to her and everything and ugh. Next book needed.

The plot was fantastic, it keeps you going, it's intense, there's romance as well, and it's the slow building kind of romance that slowly develops and is just utterly perfect. Bishop and Ivy are totally cute together, Bishop makes you melt and then Ivy can break your heart and it's just a rollercoaster of emotions.

It was a unique concept, based on something that's still an issue in our own time and world, arranged marriage. And it really makes you picture what life would be like for you if you lived in that time. What would happen to you? What would you do if you where Ivy?

The Book Of Ivy is just an utterly fantastic read that will totally suck you in, with characters you'll love, the authors writing will paint a vivid picture for you with an atmosphere and will make you feel so many emotions right along with Ivy. You're left wanting more, wanting to know what's going to happen to Ivy and how she's going to adapt to this situation and change and so on.

Black Ice

Black Ice
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

So, I'm a massive fan of the Hush Hush series, so when I saw this new book from the author on NetGalley, I had to grab it because I was so excited for more from the author and I was excited to see what direction this was going to go in!

Black Ice really draws you in, straight from the little chapter with the girl being murdered, you instantly want to know who did it, and why, and from that point on, you spend the entire book trying to work out who the killer is, I will admit, at about 75% I had worked out who Mason/Jude was, his relation to the dead girl, and who the killer was, but it was a merry chase. Every male character I'm like "WAS IT YOU?!". Black Ice keeps you guessing the entire way through the book, it keeps you intrigued, and it doesn't make it easy to guess. You also have the little puzzle of why Mason and Shaun are running and who they really are to work out near the beginning as well.

The book was fairly action packed, there was a moment when it slowed down, but for the most part there was action all the way through and plenty going on. I loved the romance, it's understated, subtle, not the whole point of the story. The story is a thriller, with hints of romance, and I loved how Fitzpatrick kept it as a thriller and didn't let the romance over power the story. It was a very believable romance, very natural and slow to develop and happened organically in an unusual situation.

I loved Britt, we spend the book fully in her shoes, feeling what she feels and being totally connected to her. You're right there with Britt trying to work out what to do, when she thinks Jude is the murderer, you think he is too (unless you're me, in which case you have a slight doubt....very slight...okay...not so slight) and I loved that at that point Britt reacted very naturally, like it was a weird situation, but I was so impressed with how she was fully like "He's a murderer and I slept with him" instead of letting the budding romance blind her, even if she was wrong, The same can be said for the actual killer. I thought she was so strong, and she was a real survivor, she wasn't a damsel in distress, she kept on being smart, making plans, and surviving, and it made me totally love her.

I didn't like Korbie at all, if I'm honest, she was kind of a shitty friend to Britt, the girl who's been her BFF and actually kept her alive ya know? She didn't believe Britt about the murderer and nearly got her killed. She wasn't in it much though, so it's all good!

I just can't get over how much of a rollercoaster this book is, I mean I liked Calvin at first and was like "yeah get back to Calvin *insert romantic music here* then obviously, I changed my tune! I thought Mason was a fantastic male lead, even when I thought he was a bad guy he was trying to protect Britt, and he helped Korbie out, not that she appreciated it, and he was willing to protect her and the ending was so sweet. Shaun was also a fantastic villain, he had the whole "I seem charming but check out the bad vibes I'm throwing off that are oozing off the page".

Fitzpatrick is fantastic at creating characters, main and secondary, who jump off the page, come alive, and make you feel all kinds of emotions, whether it's hatred, annoyance, love, or whatever. You always feel a connection to the female lead, and I just love how Fitzpatrick creates these characters that are full of depth and you can't work out what their angle is.

Black Ice is a thriller with  romantic undertones, the plot is complex and very twisty, it'll keep you guessing and it'll take you on a rollercoaster of a ride, the characters will capture your attention and the setting is so vivid it could be used to cool off in Summer! I'm excited to see what Fitzpatrick is going to do next!

Frozen

Frozen
Rating: 2/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Okay, so while parts of this interested me, and I did quite enjoy all the unique little things about it, there where a couple of things that made this a two star job, although don't take it the wrong way, it's only two stars, but there where seriously some parts to it that I thought had merit if they could be worked on ya know?

So. Good things? The mythology/history of the world, it was unique and I love unique things as everybody knows. The first chapter of sorts drew you in, and made you want to keep reading and there where plenty of instances where you wanted to know what happened next, not to mention the rather colourful characters of the crew. I found plenty of chuckles from them, not going to lie.

It's clearly a fairly extensive world, and I am interested in knowing more about it and the Blue. I liked Nat, she was quite cool, quite badass, she wasn't perfect, but then none of us are, I did have a connection with her, but it wasn't a very strong one, and there where times when she kind of annoyed me, but then I forgave her cos of the badassness. The double POV worked fairly well I think, Wes was an interesting character, I quite liked him and want to know more about him and his sister, not to mention his crew!

The bad? (I know you're all confused cos I don't usually set my reviews out like this, but it's gonna be a rambley jumble otherwise!) While I said there where moments that made you want to keep reading, there was also moments where I was quite bored because the pace was fairly slow and it was kind of dragging.

The grammar, and before anyone shouts, yes I know you expect it with an ARC, but this was quite something else. Like the POV change for a couple of sentences. It was a bit shocking to be honest. The grammar makes me look like I'm a grammatical genius when I do my long ass reviews.

Like I said, again, the world  and the history and so on, was quite unique and clearly extensive, and I would like to know more about it, if not out of interest, then to work it out. The world building was....interesting. It was confusing. Really confusing. I admit a majority of the time, while I was enjoying the uniqueness, I had no idea what was going on.

Things where rather contradictory more than once, and I'm giving this three, because I'm hoping that while I was confused at the patchy and then at times overdone world building, a lot of it's going to be ironed out in the second book. I mean there was a flood...then there was a freeze, and I ended up confused and wanting to know more about the history just to work it out. I'm not sure if that's a style of writing or not? I still don't know why the government took over either or why every car has petrol but they have no heat cos they don't have the cash, ya know?

There where elements that, like I said, where very unique, but I don't think the most was made of them. I couldn't really get a complete feel for the world a majority of the time, I only vaguely got the sense it was frozen. I did enjoy the sea though, with the trashbergs and things did rather pick up from that point on, not gonna lie, but it didn't really last long because the interesting plot twist went down like the Titanic.

What's sticking with me is Willie Winkie Patrols. Because they sound utterly silly, but they where never explained, and there where a few other things that weren't explained and where left as a question mark, like why the whole frozen thing happened, and plenty of things made no sense, no water, but the world is frozen....no scientists but loads of technology. See what I mean? Don't get me started on the Bacon Fruit. Just don't.

Despite the fact I did like Wes and Nat and thought they where interesting and kind of badass didn't make up for the times when they where a bit...bland, Nat didn't really garner my interest until nearer the end of the book, and Wes was flitting between being interesting and bland. I was quite interested in their pasts as well, although that could quite probably be the main attraction.

My main problem with the characters, that overrode the good of the characters, was the romance. They're all flirty at the beginning, and it's kind of awkward, but then they get all romancey and the awkwardness continues and it feels quite forced. I didn't really buy their romance.

And did I mention the flirting? Second time they met. Second time. I had no idea why they liked each other and then there was jealousy and dragons and pirates and it was a whirlwind.

A lot of the book I didn't understand, and then right at the end a few things are explained and I'm kind of curious about the second book, and I did like the unique aspects, and the characters where a bit half and half between being interesting and being bland and, the most interesting part to me was the journey on the sea.

But then I didn't get the romance, or most of the characters motivations or a lot of the world building or the plot. It was all a bit jumbled up, like the voice Nat hears, and then the romance suddenly being some epic true love type thing when a second ago they didn't even know each other.

I really can't make my mind up about this book, some parts of the jumble are actually interesting and quite unique, but there's a lot of "huuuuuuuuuh" to it, where it's all like what the hell?!

There Will Be Lies

There Will Be Lies
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

In four hours Shelby will be hit by a car, and from that moment on, everything is going to change, there will be two lies and one truth, and as Shelby and her mother flee the hospital where she's treated, and set out on a journey heading for the Grand Canyon, Shelby knows they're running from something, but she can't help but wonder if her mother's lying to her, and if she is, what about? What's true and what's false?

As they travel further and further, and her mother's behaviour gets odder and odder, the more Shelby questions everything, and has no idea who she can trust. Simultaneously a boy who doesn't really exist, is sucking her in to the Dreaming every time she sleeps, where she's on a strange quest to save a Child from a Crone, but is there more to this quest than meets the eye?

I got some SERIOUS Thelma and Louise vibes from certain parts of this with Shelby and her mother, so I was so glad she mentions it in her narrative! This book is so fantastically different, and having been sent this as kind of a surprise, I had no idea what to expect, but I found myself enjoying every page. The count down going on at intervals, the way the pages are used and the writing to show what she means, I mean there's gaps, blank pages and everything, I'll spoil it if I say what the deal with them is, but it was a little touch that I really liked and made the book stand out!

I loved Shelby's narrative, it was entertaining and engaging, and I love how she referenced books and their character descriptions, then almost reluctantly describes herself, but leaves little details out, so there's a little reveal. The reveal about Shelby being deaf surprised me, because clearly I'm an idiot who couldn't work it out from how speech was written and the clues, but then things clicked in to place and I was like "oh" and it was intense, and unique to read from a hearing impaired characters point of view, Shelby is kind of amazing to be honest!

I was sucked in from the beginning because the first page just makes you want to keep reading, to know what happens next, and the pace and the writing and the mystery keeps you intrigued and keeps you reading. I was trying to work out what was real and what wasn't, like Shelby, and I just was in the exact same place as her, believing the wrong thing and having no clue what was really true.

The great thing about this book is that you're in the same boat as Shelby, you're just blindly going along for the ride with no idea who to believe or who to trust, and you have no idea what's going to happen next, and the truth, was for me, impossible to guess, I had no idea at what it could be, and I was hesitant to guess because I knew I was going to be wrong anyway! It's a book full of surprises and shocks.

I loved all of the Navajo mythology and legend woven in to the book, I was truly fascinated and I'm now in a position where I want to know more, I want to know about other myths and legends as well as the Coyote and so on, so it's going to be off to the library with me to have a look for a book on the subject! I loved the whole concept of the Dreaming, but I loved how it was side by side with the main story, and something would be going on in the Dreaming, and it's all danger and tension and  then.........someone wakes her up and it's back to the present world. It was incredibly well done, and I love how it subtly connected to her life in her world, with the Crone's identity and so on.

There Will Be Lies is beautifully written, and created vivid images in your mind's eye of what places and people would look like. I feel like I've been on the road trip myself and have been to these places, when I've never actually been to the part of the US! There are so many things woven in to it to create a plot that keeps you guessing, keeps you reading and makes you really question everything the character is questioning. And I totally ate the ice cream that came with the proof while I was reading and it was DELICIOUS!

Wishing For Wednesday #19

This week I've only got one book that I'm excited for, sadly, it's been hard to find any this month, not going to lie!
So this weeks solitary pick is one that I found when I was checking out GoodReads for December releases for this list, really, I wasn't too sure at first glance, but once I read over the synopsis I was drawn to the book, we all know how much I love unique books, and this one certainly makes the cut!
Not to mention it well and truly fits with the season, don't you think? Perfect winter read!

Winter Falls

Alessia Jacobs is a typical sixteen-year-old, dying to get out of her small town of Twin Willows, Maine. Things look up when a new family comes to town, but when she falls for the hot, mysterious son, Jonah, her life turns upside down.

Weird visions of transforming into an otherworldly falcon are just the beginning. Soon she learns she’s part of the Benandanti, an ancient cult of warriors with the unique power to separate their souls from their bodies and take on the forms of magnificent animals.

Alessia never would’ve suspected it, but her boring town is the site of an epic struggle between the Benandanti and the Malandanti to control powerful magic in the surrounding forest.

As Alessia is drawn into the Benandanti’s mission, her relationship with Jonah intensifies. When her two worlds collide, Alessia’s forced to weigh choices a sixteen-year-old should never have to make. 

Winter Falls is out December 22nd, pre-order your copy here.
Add it to your GoodReads here. 

The Oversight

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

The Oversight is a secret society, one that polices the supranaturals in our world, and monitors the line between the mundane and the magical. Once, it had hundreds of members. But during a battle with the French, the entirety of the Oversight who went to help....disappeared, never to be seen or  heard from again, but no-ones entirely sure if they're dead or not. Now all that's left is 5 members, enough to make the final hand and keep things in order, but not enough to do battle with the enemy that is revealing itself. As soon as the hand is down to four.....chaos will reign in London. Great Fire of London? Caused by the Oversight failing.

One night, a dodgy bloke brings a girl to the Oversights London Safe House, a girl that screams whenever she touches walls and other surfaces. Sara recognizes the girl as being just like her, a Glint, seeing glimpses of the past when touching certain surfaces, she thinks the girl will be their new recruit, their salvation, and the beginning of them building their ranks back up. But she's a trap.

There are those who want entrance to the house and all it's magical contents, including a device that can mark out the supranatural from the regular and would have tragic consequences if in the wrong hands. Witch Hunt type consequences. And they will stop at nothing to get what they want and bring down the Oversight.

The Oversight is threatened. The borders between worlds are breaking down. One member vanishes in to the mirrors after Lucy (the girl), to retrieve her and someones severed hand. The Oversight are being torn apart, murders are raging across the city, and the culprit isn't entirely human. The enemy is closing in for the final blow, but can The Oversight prevail?

Remember....when they fall....so do we.

Oh my God, as if I don't have enough favourite book series, Fletcher smacks me with another one! I LOVED this book, seriously loved it and it's genuinely joined the ranks of my favourite series, I'm so excited for the next book it's not even funny.

This book is mindblowingly unique, your imagination is going to get one hell of a workout. The world Fletcher has created is one that is so colourful and vivid that it pulls you in to it's very heart and the atmosphere soaks in to you as you read. The world building is astounding, it's London, but a London with a dark underside of Supranaturals and other various creatures. The world is described to you in detail, but not too much detail so that it's dragging down the pace. It's truly a magical world and a magical read.

This incredible world is inhabited by a cast of unique, intriguing individuals, each as colourful as the world they inhabit, each different from the other, and they will jump off the page at you. They're all well written, secondary characters can stand alone, and each has a different backstory, each as intriguing as the last. It's clear there's more to some characters than meets the eye, it's also clear some of the Oversight members have other dimensions and have backstories that you're itching to find out more about.

There's development in characters relationships as well as themselves. Mr. Sharp and Sara's relationship develops, even though Sharp isn't there for a majority of the book. Lucy infuriated me at first, with how she treated Sara and her actions and just ugh, but she developed and when you see her at the end, she does the right thing, returns Sara's hand, and takes her place in the Oversight. The characters grow and change throughout the story, and also by what new bits of information you're fed about them.

The Oversight has a fantastic fast pace, and flow. The plot is complex, intriguing, entertaining and engaging throughout, from the start until the end. There's different threads woven in, there's different POV's that always change at the right moment, and add to the story and the pace, each either pertains to the story, or appears to be another story that eventually winds its way back to the main story, and it's all woven in to a compelling plot. The narrative is truly engaging and entertaining. The Oversight is never boring, there's always something going on, and it's near on impossible to put down.

In The Oversight you never know what's going to happen next, there's so many twists and turns I honestly couldn't predict them. I mean in the boat scene, I was convinced they where done for, but nope. You think one things going to happen, you're convinced of it and then the opposite happens and you're constantly surprised. Characters that initially seem shady, then prove to be quite the opposite, and have surprises of their own and surprise connections.

I loved all the little ominous moments, like when you see Georgiana for the last time in the book and the narrative is all "she'll be led down a path and get her revenge on Charlie and Lucy" and you're like oooohhh. It's touches like that, that perfectly and subtly set up the next book, and the rest of the series, little hints of what's to come. If those don't add enough intrigue there's the whole mystery surrounding the members of The Oversight who vanished in to the mirrors never to be seen again. Where they betrayed? Are they dead? Where are they? That's a mystery I'm itching to solve, but I haven't quite worked out what happened, and I haven't worked out a theory yet. I'm hoping it'll be solved over the course of the books and I'm excited to solve it, even though I have a feeling it's going to be eked out. Although, I'm wondering if it has anything to do with Dee.....

Not only is The Oversight full of the unique, there's also plenty of rich history/lore/background to the world of the book and the world of The Oversight, we find out so much, but there's plenty more I want to know. I loved how we find out about The Oversight without info dumps, we get the information we need to know, when we need to know it to understand the story, and what we know gets added to over the course of the book.

While our cast of main characters are unique and original, we also have a wide cast of unique baddies, who are truly baddies. Each is different, some are magical, some are not, we find out a lot about each, but again, there's the space where we need to know more, and there's more to be found out over the next few books. When I say they're truly baddies, I mean they're the best kind of baddie, I don't want to give too much away, but they have the devious plans and the minions and the manipulation and they're truly a worthy adversary for our band of heroes. The magical ones are disgustingly bad and grubby and magical and just brilliant.

The narrative is delightfully broken up with these little intervals where we visit a character, who is revealed to be more than she first appears, and who has provided one more push of intrigue to pull you in to the series so you can't get out of it! I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her, and I'm excited to know who she is, what she is and what she's going to bring to the story. There's also little extracts written by a relation of Sara's I'm assuming her grandfather! Like I said, the next book is perfectly set up, it's the perfect ending, a resolution of sorts, with some threads left open, and new adventures started and some questions, but it doesn't have an evil cliffhanger that's going to make the wait more painful than usual!

This is exactly the kind of book I love, the historical, the magical, the mystery, it's just so yaaaaaasss!
It really reminded me of an adult version of The Mortal Instruments, without the demons obviously, and with the Supranaturals instead, and without the romance, there is a romance of sorts in The Oversight but it's not overbearing nor is it the main focus of the book, it's subtle.

The Oversight is a perfect blend of genres, with colourful characters in a colourful world, full of magic, truly bad baddies, mystery, and a complex plot that doesn't require notes to keep up with! There's plenty of rich information found out and left to be found out and a mystery that could be hovering around the story until the very end. I truly loved this book, I'm truly excited for the next book, to see what happens to our characters next, and I'm excited to find out more about the world that has been created, particularly the mirrors thing and the creepy Mr. Dee....so much YEEESS!

The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Irene is a Librarian. But not just any Librarian, she's a spy or secret agent of sorts for the mysterious Library, she retrieves certain books, books that are unique to that particular reality and thus need to be preserved, then takes them back to the Library to keep them safe and gathers knowledge. You see, there are many different realities, all varying in whether they're magic dominant, or have no magic and so on, the Library itself is out of time and reality, and each reality is vastly different from the others, and each has vastly different literature, or books that are the same as other realities but slightly different.

After returning from a mission to retrieve a book about necromancy from an all boys boarding school, Irene is looking forward to having some spare time to do her own research, but as soon as she returns her superior sends her an assistant, and packs her off on a mission that's highly secret, and is in one of the most dangerous realities.....a chaos infected reality, meaning that the laws of nature are bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to roam free. Irene and Kai have been sent to retrieve a very different copy of Grimm's Tales, one that has a rather....Library specific extra story. Except....they're not the only ones after this book.

It's already been stolen by an infamous cat burglar, then there's the Fae who's after the book for unknown reasons, a secret society who send their mechanical creatures after them, and then there's the one Librarian who turned traitor to the Library....often thought of as a legend in the library, he's very real and very dangerous and he cannot, under any circumstances get the book. Soon she's up to her eyebrows in danger, clues and secrets. One secret is being hidden from her by her own assistant. He is not what he seems, but she has far bigger things to worry about. The supernatural are everywhere, people aren't who they seem, another agent of the Library is trying to steal her mission, can Irene and Kai, with the help of a Great Detective, complete their mission?

Holy WOW, this is quite possibly my favourite new book of the year! Seriously, it's kicking off an an amazingly unique series, and I just well and truly loved it! So you'd better buckle up, because this is going to be rambling and gushing and hopefully as spoiler free as possible!

So being the lover of books I am, there was no way I wasn't going to read The Invisible Library, and I was  lucky enough to be sent a proof copy of the book to read, and I got stuck in as fast as possible, I bumped it up my TBR pile and now my life is bereft because I was so sad and reluctant to leave the world, and I just really want to be a Librarian of the Library because it's so awesome!

"You can expect to find vampires. Werewolves. Fictional creations that go bump in the night. You might also find their technology working in unexpected ways."

That's the book. That.Is.The.Book. In the book. That's a legit quote from the book, that describes the book pretty accurately, just without the Zeppelins, Fae, mechanical creatures, and various other incredibly cool tidbits. I'm loathe to describe this as steampunk, I mean there where the mechanical creatures, but they had the regular kind of carriages, so I'm not sure if it can be classed as steampunk or not?

This book was simply fantastic, it's so incredibly unique and the world building was amazing. You can picture the Library so vividly as well as the alternate the book is set in, there was the right amount of detail to create the atmosphere to both places, as well as transporting you straight to the world, and as I said, I was loathe to leave it, it was such a fantastically created and written world, and so unlike anything I have read before, I enjoyed being totally immersed in the world.

The characters are well written with lots of depth and dimensions, I couldn't guess who Kai really was, but I knew there was more to him than met the eye, and I strongly suspect there is more to her as well, particularly her mother shall we say? I also have a strong suspicion of who her mother really is and yeah. I have a huge theory thanks to the reveal at the end and I'm probably wrong but still! But yes, all of the characters jump off the page and come to life, each is full of depth, each is colourful and different to the others, from Bradamant, to Vale to Silver, both villains and the good guys.

I loved Irene, she was easy to connect with and had an amusing and engaging narrative, she was easy to feel for, especially when there's obvious bits where it's a possibility that there is more to the Library than she has been told or lead to believe, something perhaps sinister, and she just doesn't want to believe it. I loved the little bit about how she loves great literary detectives like Sherlock Holmes, and her reaction to getting to work with one! It was a nice little touch because I'm sure most readers have something similar, like they'd love to meet a certain character or a person similar to the character, you know? She was fantastic. She was badass, but not the fighting/kicking ass kind the kind that's intelligent and comes up with these plans to save everyone. I'm excited to see more of her, and more of the world of the alternate and see what happens with her and Kai, not to mention seeing what trouble she can get in to with Vale because I'm sure Silver will cause problems.

The entire premise of the book is unique, the Library being out of space and time, the alternates, the chaos contaminated business, not to mention the Language that the Librarians use, that works a kind of magic, shall we say. This book is full of all things unique and is unlike anything you will ever read. It kind of reminds me of that episode of Doctor Who with the Library in space, or of a Doctor Who episode in general! I'm not even sure what genre to put this in!? Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Steampunk (sort of)? Everyone knows I love unique books and I seriously can't get over this one, I loved every minute of it, I was enchanted the whole way through, and had this feeling that's kind of hard to describe, I mean, every time there was something utterly fantastical and unique I had a huge idiotic grin on my face, and was all "oh my god COOOOLL!"

The plot was complex, there where multiple factions after the book, so you where trying to work out what was so special about it, as well as working out why the other factions wanted it, there where threads woven in from everywhere, there's clearly some sort of political thing going on with the elder Librarians, maybe some of them are dodgy, then there's the whole thing with the traitor Librarian and what he is and what was revealed about him and my theory for it and there was soooo much going on, and so much crammed in to the book that there was seriously never nothing going on, and it was all written in with the right threads to intrigue you, but set up the next book, and leave with you questions that you're eager to have answered. It was also very easy to read, the pace and flow had you rocketing through it, and the language was easy to understand and like I said, there was no excess of information bogging down the narrative.

The Invisible Library is literally all go from the beginning when she's on a mission, you learn about the Library as we go through it and she returns, and from then on the book is packed with action and mayhem. There's never a dull moment and there's plenty of humour in the book that'll have you snorting if not outright laughing, the book has humour, action, adventure, supernatural creatures, machine creatures, a kind of quest like vibe, at least in my opinion, and a luscious backdrop with the alternate, I mean there's a nice little romp through the museum! It's impossible to put down, and you'll be sad to leave the world and characters behind, while burning with theories and the need to know what's going to happen next! It's certainly going to be interesting to find out and see where this goes next, and I'm fairly certain this will be going on my Favourite Series list!

Utterly fantastic, I honestly can't find words to gush about this book enough, seriously, just read it. It's brilliantly done and unlike anything you have ever read before!

A Week In Paris

A Week In Paris
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

1961: Born on the day that WW2 broke out, 21-year-old Fay Knox cannot remember her early childhood in London, before she moved to a Norfolk village with her mother, Kitty. Though she has seen a photograph of her father, she does not recall him either. He died, she was told, in an air raid, and their house destroyed along with all their possessions. Why then, on a visit to Paris on tour with her orchestra, does a strange series of events suggest that she spent the war there instead? There is only one clue to follow, an address on the luggage label of an old canvas satchel. But will the truth hurt or heal?

1937: Eugene Knox, a young American doctor, catches sight of 19-year-old Kitty Travers on the day she arrives in Paris, and cannot get her out of his mind. She has come to study the piano at the famed Conservatoire, and lodges at a convent near Notre Dame. Eugene and Kitty will fall in love, marry and have a daughter, but France's humiliating defeat by Germany is not far behind, and the little family must suffer life under Nazi occupation. Some Parisians keep their heads down and survive, others collaborate with the enemy while others resist. The different actions of Eugene, Kitty and their friends will have devastating consequences that echo down the generations.

So, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it's safe to say this gave me so much more than what I was expecting, I was expecting solid romance all the way through and I don't know what else, while there is romance, it's not the main part of the story, although it has to be noted, I thought both where kind of similar. 

We switch from time to time, as the story of Fay's mother Kitty is told, and the time hops where perfectly placed and very well done, as a secondary character is telling the story, she will lead in to it and then boom, it's Kitty's pov in her time with what's happening. I must say, it was very well depicted, I've not had the fortune of going to Paris yet, but I feel like I've been there, admittedly to an out of date Paris, but still. I also didn't know all that much about France in WW2, I learned mostly about England and Germany, so I was fascinated to see what kind of things went on in France, with the persecution of the Jews stretching to there and so on. There was such a lot of historical information, and it was all relayed perfectly, capturing your interest but not bogging down the narrative. 

Admittedly, I started reading this and was intrigued, but felt like it hit a bit of a slow patch, to be honest I kind of felt like all of Fay's  pov was a bit slow for me, it didn't capture my attention much as Kitty's parts of the story. Kitt's narrative was fast paced, and just totally fascinated me and gripped my attention and I couldn't stop reading, Fay's pov was a bit meh for me, but that could be because I didn't like Fay that much. 

Out of the two lead females, I much preferred Kitty, she was fairly realistic to me, and she sprung to life in my minds eye, all her reactions where ones that I feel any person would have, and I felt quite a connection to her. Fay however, I did not like at all, she doesn't really take her mothers feelings in to consideration, and it really annoyed me how she'd keep whining on about her mother and how angry she was with her and this and that, and delving in to everything and thinking badly of her mother, because to be honest, if you'd been Kitty, you wouldn't bloody well want to talk about it either would you? Especially to the child who caused your husbands death! It wasn't her fault, she was only a child, although it is a scene I'm fairly sure I've read or seen somewhere before, but still, she can't seem to grasp how her mother would feel about everything that had happened and what talking about it would have been like. 

So yeah, I didn't like Fay at all, so I couldn't really connect with her, to be honest I skim read all of her parts, I would have skipped them entirely, but I was intrigued by the conflict going on at the time, as I wasn't aware of much of it. 

I don't really have much to say about Fay and her parts of the story, but Kitty's parts? You could feel the tension and the uncertainty and the fear from the streets of occupied and pre-occupied Paris oozing off the page. I could picture all of those parts as if I was watching a movie in my head. I had not read from this view point before so like I said, I was fascinated. While there was a lot of danger about, creating the atmosphere I previously mentioned, it was also full of little moments that warm the heart, when you see certain certain characters/people willing to risk their lives to help others, Jews, English citizens, Americans, English soldiers brought to the hospital and needing to escape before the Germans get them and so on. It shows how not all of humanity where bad at that time period, and bravery wasn't just on the battlefield.

The plot was complex, there was a lot going on, I felt like it was kind of unnecessary at some points because in all fairness, she could have just asked her mother, at that point she was willing to tell her. And when it got to the big reveal, what I'm assuming is the big secret, I was kind of disappointed, I was a bit "oh is that it", don't get me wrong, it was serious, but I guess I was expecting something else, or something even huger, to harbour feelings like Kitty does. Although I did actually guess what had actually happened to her father, Fay's part in it was a surprise but I was a bit "hmmmm I have deja'd this vou". 

I also kind of felt like the whole train and orphanage thing was unnecessary, like oh another bad thing that happened that strings the plot out and provides Kitty with a reason to dislike Natalie. I should also note I think character development was sacrificed for other things in the book. I would have quite liked to see more of Serge as well, as his was an interesting story. 

So, this is a bit mixed for me, it was a nice surprise because there was more to it than I thought and had assumed, but Kitty was the character of the two that engaged me and kept me reading, Fay's sections for me where skim read to get to the next exciting thing that's going on in Kitty's life. So this book has its good and its bad basically, but I still think it's worth a read, because the history is fascinating.