Timebomb

Timebomb
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

New York, 2141, Jana is on top of a skyscraper surrounded by dodgy blokes after her head, she does the only thing she can think off.....she jumps. But she never hits the ground.

Cornwall, 1640, young Dora is working at Sweetclover Hall, she's new to the Hall, but she knows enough to know what goes on there. However, when she hears a strange noise, she follows it to find a badly burned woman at the bottom of the stairs. A woman who knows who she is. Wanting to help her, Dora reaches out to touch her, she's knocked out and blasted through space. When she wakes? She's in a laboratory in the future, with Lord Sweetclover.

Present day, Kaz is wandering the Cornwall lanes after fleeing from his last workplace when he stumbles upon the long abandoned Sweetclover Hall. He's only after a dry place to sleep, but he gets so much more. When he enters the building, he finds Dora and Jana, both with no idea what the hell is going on.

The three are thrust in to an adventure that spans millennia, when they flee the laboratory they end up back in Dora's time...sort of. See they end up about 5 years out from the year Dora mysteriously vanished, and they couldn't have come back at a worse time really, you see the English Civil War is in full bloom and they're just in time to be harassed by Parliament soldiers....soldiers who are then facing....Celts? There's something strange going on, and it's not long before they face a mysterious woman named Quil, and her army of men pulled from different eras, or Sweetclover, the villainous douche. It would appear, however, that while they don't know Quil....she knows them.

Timebomb is certainly unique, I've not encountered anything like it before, you're caught up with the characters, blasting through time and in the same boat as them information wise. Timebomb doesn't mess about, it's all action straight from the start, and the pace doesn't slow down at all, despite the hasty pace, you can still get a strong feel for the characters.

Each was very different, and each had a strong personality in their own way. Dora, at first seemed a bit timid but rather sweet, then you get to know her a bit more and you realize she's incredibly stubborn, and i'm intrigued about the elder her you got a glimpse of. I did chuckle a bit at her questioning of modern things, but she was very witty and intelligent. Jana is probably my favourite because her snark is on point. She's blunt, she doesn't sugar coat and she's very confident and not afraid of anything really. Kaz was quite a lovely person, I wasn't sure on him at first, but he was so lovely and patient with Dora, you really watch his confidence grow throughout the book, and he's kind of a hero!

It was a fairly fun read, at the points when I did get quite in to it, but I did have parts of the book where I was a bit meh. At points I felt like it was bit too rushed. There was a lot crammed in to the book, and genre wise with all the different genres thrown it, it was fun and it worked, but with other things it was a bit like "really...AND that?". While I did like seeing the future selves, it was also a bit confusing at times with all the people running about.

I felt like some of the explanations where really lazy. You don't find out why they can time travel until the end, and I kind of felt like it was a bit half assed, there was a vague explanation and then nothing really added up and I wasn't convinced by it. The world didn't feel as extensive as it could have been, it was quite condensed, and I didn't really get much of a mental image or feel for the time, there was a lack of explanations, and I don't know why exactly, I can't put my finger on it, but I felt like the travel was overused I suppose? There was almost too much going on at points, like they went back to Dora's time and they just so happened to land smack in the middle of the civil war and Jana just so happened to know aaaallll about it thanks to her chip. Really didn't buy it.

I'm undecided as to whether I'll pick up the second book or not, because while I am intrigued, I just had a bit of a love hate thing with this book, parts where too rushed, I couldn't get in to it at the beginning or at other points, I got frustrated with all the coincidences and strokes of luck, and the explanation was so blah.

The Forbidden Tomb

The Forbidden Tomb
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

It's one of the worlds biggest mysteries, where is Alexander the Great's tomb located? For two thousand years his tomb's location has remained unknown, many have looked, but none have found it, there's many a theory but none have been proven right. Now, there's new information, information that has given a huge lead on the location of the tomb. There's only one team that can follow the clues and find the location of the tomb, solving the mystery that has plagued Historians and History buffs for centuries.

The Hunters, our favourite elite group of many talents, assembled by an enigmatic billionaire to locate the worlds  greatest treasures, are tasked with finding the tomb. They follow the clues to Egypt, and from then on...it's not exactly smooth sailing. There's a hostile group of...well....ninja's, determined to stop them, and they're not above destroying all the evidence linked to the tomb....or kidnapping a team member. Not to mention Sarah's contact in Egypt has an enemy who has decided that Sarah is the perfect way to get to him.

It all started as a treasure hunt, but it quickly becomes a rescue mission when hundreds are killed, a city is left in ruins and in all the chaos a team member is kidnapped, it's a race against time to save said member, before tragic consequences ensue.

*squeeeee* I LOVE THIS  BOOK! Okay, when I was younger, I loved Alpha Force, and I know they where totally different to the Hunters, but this series really reminds me of an adult Alpha Force, but with treasure instead of random missions, you know? I seriously can't get enough of this series. It's everything I love, there's humour, action, adventure, quests, clues, history, ancient treasures, banter and everything that makes a book so fantastic. This is really a series that can be read again and again.

Although, I'm kind of pissed at the author for a certain event. And I know he knows what event I'm talking about! HOW COULD YOU!? *ugly sobbing* damn I didn't see it coming. Because you know, I was all "it'll be fine, it'll be aaaalll fine" and I really wasn't expecting it to be honest. That's the beauty of this book, the plot is nice and complex, there's lots of different threads, there's the whole thing with Simon, then the expedition in April, then our team following the clues and the rescue mission and so on, all woven in to one story so expertly that there's plenty of intrigue and you can't put the book down! There's loads of plot twists that I, for one, couldn't work out, so I found myself being pleasantly surprised, or totally shocked, or kicking myself for not realizing something.

I was trying to follow the clues, but I was in the same boat as the team, whatever they knew or thought, so did I, I had theories, but all where proven wrong. Which I actually enjoyed, because I hate being right when it comes to books and what's going to happen next! I myself don't know much about Alexander the Great and his tomb, and the book has clearly been well researched, I learned all about Alexander and his achievements and what happened when he died, and how the tomb became lost and the author presents a believable theory for the location of the tomb. Yes I did google after I finished reading, and I did learn it's thought the tomb is in a couple of locations, one of the front runners being the one the author mentions.

All this information is relayed to you in the right places in the story, at the right time, concisely, there's such a lot of information but it's included in the narrative so well, that it doesn't drag the fast pace down and while all of the information is relevant, it's actually interesting as well and not just there for the sake of it.

The setting was very vivid, I've never been to Egypt, it's on my to do list, but after reading this, I really got a feel for the place, and it's almost like I've been there, I could picture everything so clearly, and it was like I was there with the team, tagging along behind them! Everything is described so concisely, yet with enough detail to give you a mental snapshot, not to mention the atmosphere generated by the prose. It's a world you can really sink in to, and get wrapped up in the tension and the action and you don't want to leave the team at the end of it.

I love all the characters equally. Really. Seriously....I do....okay. So, MAYBE I might love Sarah a SMIDGE more than the others. Maybe. All of the characters are so colourful and full of depth, and each brings something different to the team, but they all work so well together despite the banter, which had me chuckling like a mad woman!

So basically, I really love this series, this book is perfection, history geeks are gonna love it, as are people who love a good clue trail, I mean Indiana Jones fans.....Alpha Force fans who are now older and historically inclined are gonna love this, I'd be here all day essaying why I love this book to be honest! It's action packed from start to end! I really can't wait for the next book, well I'm hoping there's a next book! I NEED MOOORRREE! ;)

The Royalist

The Royalist
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr!

William Falkland is a dead man. Due to be hanged for fighting against Parliament in a Royalist Dragoon, which means he's been getting well acquainted with Newgate Prison. One day, a day he's assuming is his execution date, he's led out with a sack over his head, but instead of taking a short walk to the hangman's noose, he finds himself face to face with Oliver Cromwell.

Cromwell has heard of Falkland's investigative skills, but more importantly, that he stood up to the King and hung a guilty man in the name of justice when ordered to let it go, in short, he knows that he's a man of conscience, which is exactly what he needs. You see, his New Model army has a problem, it's a nest of vipers, full of untrustworthy people, and there just so happens to have been a slew of deaths sweeping the camp in Devon. All Falkland has to do is discover the truth, and he's a free man.

Falkland soon discovers that there's more to these deaths than meets the eye. There's a grander scheme at work and it goes high up the totem of power. Will he be able to stop what's happening? Will he be able to save himself?

The Royalist sucks you straight in to the world, the time and the setting. It's very vivid and atmospheric and you can easily get a feel for England at the time. The politics of the time and the circumstances are very well explained without giving you too much information so you're bogged down, you're concisely told everything you need to know, to have a picture of the current war, the politics, the religion and so on. I actually have a better understanding of that period of time than I did before, I knew the basic details and have read a couple of books set around the time, but none with this level of detail that gave me this much understanding. It's clearly very well researched and all this research is relayed perfectly, giving you only the bits and pieces you need.

I found the setting to be, like I said, vivid, and very colourful. I thought the setting was quite unique, I mean the books I've read around this time period where either from the Royalist side of things, or where focused in London, I've not read a book that is set in the camp of the New Model army, nor read one that reveals just how flawed the army was with the press ganging Royalists, and the clashing religions and so on. You got a strong sense of the uncertainty of the time, and the fear and superstition.

I know I keep going on about the politics and how well explained it is, but seriously, usually when I read books like this, I get so confused and have no idea what they're talking about. It's so well explained, the politics and religion etc, that when the big reveal was made or the plan or whatever you want to call it, I immediately understood the implications without having to wait for the proper explanation and that is a really rare occurrence for me!

The characters where well written and had plenty of depth, it'll be interesting to see more of Falkland. I was very suspicious of Warbeck in the beginning, and he turned out to be way different than I thought he was and had way more going on than first appeared! Miss Cain was very brave and strong, and Falkland was well....he was a deserving hero, he earned the title. I was impressed with how he wasn't swayed by people and his intelligence, usually I'm shouting at the book because it's SO OBVIOUS AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT, but with this I was like "oh thank God he has a brain!", I was following his same thought process, so I didn't have an advantage on him or anything like that. The plot twists and turns where shocking to me, I couldn't predict them, I had theories sure, but all where wrong.

The plot was complex, there where layers as all was not as it seemed and there was a lot going on. The Royalist was a very enjoyable and refreshing read that gave you a new understanding of the time and the New Model army and how it was anything but united, there was one niggling little thing though. I felt like the ending was a smidge rushed, it wasn't as strong as it could have been, it just fell a bit flat.

The Imaginary

The Imaginary
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

One day when Amanda opens her wardrobe, there's somebody in it. Somebody only she can see his. Name is Rudger and he's her imaginary friend and her best friend. But when the sinister Mr. Bunting arrives at her door, it turns out he can see Rudger as well. Mr. Bunting hunts Imaginaries and....well....eats them. He's quite attached to his own imaginary friend you see, and in order to keep seeing her he has to eat Imaginaries. Mr. Bunting sniffs out Rudger, and after an accident, Rudger is left all by himself and running for his life. Rudger needs a friend to believe in him and see him otherwise he'll fade, but can he get back to Amanda before he fades away?

It has to be said, this book is so incredibly beautiful, the end papers, the illustrations, all are so incredibly gorgeous it took me ages to read this because I kept stopping to stare at them! I mean, I don't usually read books like this, for this age range, but I couldn't resist the pretty! Beneath the dust jacket is even gorgeous!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was so unique to me, I've never read a children's book before that covers imaginary friends, and it was so unique with the whole Library thing and them choosing their friends and everything, and it was so CUTE! It's a book about friendship and imagination, and it's so beautifully written. There's the lightheartedness of friendship and trust and hope and imagination, then there's the sinister baddie and his really creepy sidekick, and the shadowy parts, I think the pink dinosaur called Snowflake also helps to alleviate the creepiness.

The book is funny in parts, but also has plenty of tension and is a liiiiittle bit ominous in parts! The story is kind of like Pringles, once you start you can't stop and you eat up the illustrations and the words. I seriously couldn't stop reading, and it resulted in a later night than usual. I determined to only read a couple of chapters, but the next thing I know it's 1am and I've finished it! I'll be lending it to my mother as well to take to work and read to the kids there I think!

For younger kids, this might be a good idea to read in the sunlight, swiftly followed by an episode of a TV show, I'm not really down with the kids so I have no idea what's occurring in the world of kids TV, all I know is Pokemon! Elder kids should have no problem reading this after nightfall! I'm so astounded by the detail and the quality of this book still to be honest! It's the best I've seen and it's the first from this age range that I've felt a compelling need to read!

FYI the hardback edition will make a really lovely gift! Just saying!

Wishing For Wednesday #14

This week I am super excited for three little gems!
One of these is one that I stumbled across when browsing GoodReads, something I usually do when I'm watching TV and I need something to do, I can never just sit and watch TV, I have to be doing something or eating something, and to be honest, I always end up with like a weeks worth of Hollyoaks to catch up on so yeah....browsing happens a lot! Which doesn't really help my TBR list!
Now, I'm sure Bane Chronicles needs no explanation, you all know by now I'm a  huge Mortal Instruments fan.....right? ;)

The Name Of The Blade

Ancient Japanese gods and monsters are unleashed on modern-day London in this first book of an epic trilogy from acclaimed fantasy writer Zoë Marriott.

When Mio sneaks the family's katana -- a priceless ancestral sword -- from her parents' attic, she just wants to spice up a costume. But the katana is much more than a dusty antique. Awakening the power within the sword unleashes a terrible, ancient evil onto the streets of unsuspecting London. But it also releases Shinobu, a fearless warrior boy, from the depths of time. He helps to protect Mio -- and steals her heart. With creatures straight out of Japanese myths stalking her and her friends, Mio realizes that if she cannot keep the sword safe and learn to control its legendary powers, she will lose not only her own life . . . but the love of a lifetime.

The Name Of The Blade is out now! Buy your copy here.

The Bane Chronicles

A Collection of Ten Short Stories centred around Magnus Bane. Each short story is going to be published as an ebook followed by a Full Single Print Coming 2014

Ever wondered about the enigmatic, mysterious warlock Magnus Bane? The only character to appear in every Shadowhunter book, Magnus has a past even more shrouded in mystery than his present. I’ve teamed up with acclaimed YA writers Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan to create the Bane Chronicles, the back (and front) story of Magnus told in ten linked tales.

Look for short stories like Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale; The Rise and Fall of the Hotel Dumort; Saving Raphael Santiago and What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway). Each story will be available as an ebook on a monthly basis starting April 16 with the tale of What Happened In Peru. 

Each story will be released monthly online for the next ten months — and then for those who don’t read e-books, the full print collection will be available in bookstores and wherever else books are sold after the Chronicles have been finished.

The Bane Chronicles is out now! Buy your copy here.

Lagoon

Lagoon
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr and the publisher!

Three people where wandering the beach when something crashes in to the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria. Adaora, a marine biologist, Anthony, a rapper, and Agu, a soldier. All are different, all have a unique gift, and all have been chosen. They have to save their country and the world itself from...itself, when an alien race makes itself known, and all the creatures in the sea start to...change, and decide they've had enough with humans destroying their habitat. When the aliens arrive on shore, Lagos starts to tear itself apart, everyone suspects everyone else of being one of....them. Will humanity be able to accept them? Will Lagos survive?

Holy wooooww! I wasn't too sure what to expect from Lagoon, I was intrigued by the synopsis, but I really didn't know what to expect and as soon as I started reading I was fully sucked in to the story and engrossed the entire way through. Lagoon is fast paced, engaging, and really makes you think, what would you do or feel in the same situation? Lagoon expertly switches from different points of view, our three main special characters, other characters a couple of times, a creature here and there, which was brilliant as you then saw how we, humanity, just casually swats them like flies with our technology and inventions, not even on purpose but without realizing. Aaaannd a couple of points of view from people saying their experience of what happened when the aliens came. Which was fantastically done and showed how it affected so many different people and just gave the story some added intrigue and an interesting break from the narrative.

The prose was truly beautiful, and poetic and propelled the story forward with the appropriate amount of action, intrigue and a fantastically smooth flow! There where so many elements combined, I got a strong sense of Nigerian mythology, which I'd really like to know more about now! Agu's powers reminiscent of a superhero, the aliens where an obvious element! But they where really cool aliens! Lagoon was so unique, combining the mythology with superhero powers and aliens and human nature and behaviour. The aliens where very unique, with how they can change, and the sea creatures and everything.

Lagoon is a true science-fiction novel, it's political and philosophical with plenty of action and I want to say there was a tiny smidge of a quest with getting to the President! The characters where all colourful and full of life! I enjoyed all of them, they where such a diverse group, each with different personalities and walks of life, and I really enjoyed reading about them, each made you feel a range of emotions, particularly a certain Oke who I really, REALLY wanted to smack in the face! They where all so engaging and just eeeeee well written characters!

I thought the plot was unique, well written and well thought out, it was intricate, with lots of different elements as mentioned, and I enjoyed trying to work out what was going to happen next, I mean I could never tell where the story was going or what was going to happen, when everyone else had doubts about what the aliens wanted, and if they actually did come in peace, I had doubts too and started to think "oh crap....they're evil!" but then they weren't and it was a real rollercoaster ride. To me, the story seemed to just flow naturally, and it seemed quite organic!

The setting should also be mentioned because it was so vividly written that I actually felt like I was there with the characters, I feel like I've been to Lagos now and it was such an atmospheric setting!

Lagoon is a truly fantastic read, for me it was thought provoking and a rollercoaster, it was so unique and a real look at humanity, I mean the reaction to the alien invasion? I'd love to see people wouldn't totally destroy themselves and get all paranoid, but let's be honest, that's exactly how we'd react! I'm going to be keeping an eye on Okorafor's future books  because I really loved this and I can't wait to see what she does next!