Wishing For Wednesday #96

Happy Wednesday guys! 
Hope you're all having a good one! I've got two exciting books for you this week, but then....don't I always!? 
First up is the fourth book in the Arcana Chronicles series, a unique and really original series that I LOVE. When I finally read the third book...I could not believe that ending. Like...no. HELL NO. You can't just end a book like that, so I've been waiting for this with way too much anticipation than is probably healthy! 
Second up is the first book in a brand new series and it sounds phenomenal. It's set in the 1800's but there's lots of magic and myth, intrigue and adventure. It also sounds original and fun and I have so much NEED for this book! 

Arcana Rising

Losses mount and deadly new threats converge in this next action-packed tale of the Arcana Chronicles by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole. 

When the battle is done . . .
The Emperor unleashes hell and annihilates an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind--but Circe strikes back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies.

And all hope is lost . . .
With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other her worst nightmare.

Vengeance becomes everything.
To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future--and her chilling past--will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before?

Arcana Rising is out August 15th, pre-order your copy....here! 
Add it to your TBR....here!

The Midnight Queen

Gray Marshall's Britain is a fragmented kingdom of many tongues, many gods and many magics. But all that concerns Gray is returning as soon as possible to his studies at Merlin College, Oxford and setting right the nightmare that has seen him disgraced and banished to his tutor's home.Sophie Callender may not have magic herself and a father who forbids his daughters a magical education, but her bookish rebellion and growing friendship with Gray are the first steps of a journey. A journey that will involve them in a conspiracy at the heart of the kingdom and into the legend of a young queen who vanished without a trace years before.Sylvia Hunter has created a world that is both only slightly different and a far cry from the England we know of the 1800s, teeming with depth in language, myth and religion that defies easy categorization.

The Midnight Queen is out August 18th, pre-order your copy...here! 

Add it to your TBR...here!

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Classics: The Master & Margarita

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

In Soviet Moscow, God is dead, but the devil - to say nothing of his retinue of demons, from a loudmouthed, gun-toting tomcat, to the fanged fallen angel Koroviev - is very much alive. As death and destruction spread through the city like wildfire, condemning Moscow's cultural elite to prison cells and body bags, only a madman, the Master, and Margarita, his beautiful, courageous lover, can hope to end the chaos. Written in secret during the darkest days of Stalin's reign and circulated in samizdat form for decades, when The Master and the Margaritawas finally published it became an overnight literary phenomenon, signalling artistic freedom for Russians everywhere.

I am completely in love with the old Penguin covers, the ones that are Orange or Green etc. I don't know why I think I just like the simple colours and layout! They're super hard to get hold of these days so I was really excited by the release of the Pocket Penguins! Not to mention the upcoming release of Penguins Orange Classics! I was kindly sent a copy of Master and Margarita to review and it's not a classic I've read before and I was intrigued to start! 

First of all, this edition has a stunningly simple cover, and it's SO easy to read! I have an issue with some books....a spine issue. I never want to crack spines, really I don't. But sometimes a book is so tightly bound it has to happen...accidentally or otherwise. This book has a nice loose spine, so you can easily read it...easily put it down..without damaging it and I loved that! There's a nice large and memorable quote at the front of the book, intriguing and it caused much excitement when I spotted it in the book! There was also an extensive notes list at the back of the book, and they provided a lot of useful and interesting background information to the time period, and a lot of context. 

I found this book to be oddly fascinating. I was compelled to keep reading. It was witty, an interesting take on the early days of Stalinist Russia. People would disappear and it became commonplace. No eyebrows would be raised and you see that in this book. The ending...I don't want to spoil it but the ending had me a little choked up...smiling sadly as he realised his visitor had died. There's fantasy in this book, in fact....I'm kind of worried to say this, but...the scene with Margarita at the ball...it kind of reminded me of Alice in Wonderland...that strangeness. That magical quality to the scene. 

There is a lot of different elements to the book that make it a fascinating read, not just for the historical importance. The romance between the two rather lonely characters. The realism that managed to be humorous. The magical/fantastical elements. It's an intriguing read. Don't get me wrong...it's not a cakewalk. It is a bit of a slog in parts. In the beginning I was a bit iffy but I became more invested in it as I got used to the writing and found my intrigue outweighing my difficulty reading. 

You can feel the atmosphere of the time when the book was written in the pages. The fear. It's not hidden. It's there. Accusations. People disappearing in the night. Pointless arrests and so on. The people causing the fear don't need to be named. You know. It was an atmosphere that came off the page and infected you as you read. The book is amusing. It's witty at times, slapstick at others, and there's observations scattered throughout. Along with the humour the book can be quite saddening at other parts. There's a lot of emotion and humanity in this book if you can get in to it. 

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Review: The King Slayer

The King Slayer
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

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

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

Okay so I read Witch Hunter not too long ago and I've been eagerly awaiting this sequel to see what happens next, WH made me feel all the feels but this was so much worse. SO MUCH. So many feels. I can't even. I read the majority of this in one sitting, I only stopped because it was like 4am and I needed to sleep and I had like 50 pages left or something. I couldn't put it down. The book picks up a couple of months later, and there's a council meeting to decide what to do with Elizabeth and my lord Gareth took the piss. I really disliked his character! Anyway, there's that and there's the whole 'we need to deal with Blackwell' thing. This book as a complete rollercoaster of emotions. It made you laugh, cry, it broke your heart, the camaraderie warmed your heart. You legit feel all the feels. 

I liked seeing this new Elizabeth. She wasn't as strong as she was in book one, obviously without her stigma she doesn't heal super fast and she's lost some of her strength and at points she's struggling to deal with that because she feels like everyone placed her value on her stigma. Elizabeth has to learn to fight all over again with the help of Schuyler and Fifer. This added such an interesting dynamic with John. John now has her stigma and he's all super healing and super badass. He's more protective of Elizabeth and it was kind of sweet. There was an odd tension between them because of it all and it was really well done and created an interesting struggle with the romance, or obstacle rather. It was all fine and good until John started acting super shady, and you see his darker side and I wanted to slap him more than once. My adorable romance was being spoiled and my ship was sinking fast with no happy ending in sight! Honestly, I was glued to the book like NO....NO WHAT IS HAPPENING!? MAKE IT STOP! 

The romance had kind of come together in the last book and it was all cute and adorable in this book I was expecting more of it but I think this added tension and this struggle with the romance added a nice layer to the story. It wasn't all smooth sailing and at points it was quite realistic. But then I can say that now because everything worked out fine, when I was reading I did briefly wonder if this was it, if the romance was done and I was unable to carry on reading a couple of times, having to put the book down to digest everything and calm down! 

I completely loved the cast of characters in the first book and in this book we get to see more of them! I love Fifer's friendship with Elizabeth and her relationship with Schuyler. We didn't get to see much of Fifer actually, or George, but he was there at the end! I'd missed him! We get lots of Schuyler in this book and I love him, I genuinely do. He cracks me up. You can see his friendship with Elizabeth, he helps her train, he's there for her when everything goes wrong, he goes with her on her mission, he's so sweet to Fifer, and you kind of see his softer side in this book a little bit. Chime's back and I wanted to like her this book because I hated her last book, and I did kind of like her momentarily she was united with Elizabeth in trying to help John but then she was back to her regular self. I loved seeing Peter and Nicholas and ugh. So many feels. 

We get some new characters in this book. Keagan who completely cracked me up, I loved her and I'm hoping to see more of her if the author writes more books! She was completely brilliant! She understood Elizabeth quite a bit I think and didn't immediately judge her badly for being a former Witch Hunter. We also get a lot of Malcolm. Now I know he's not a new character, but like...we didn't really see much of him in the first book and I had a certain image of him in my mind, I thought he was a bit useless and rubbish, and a complete idiot. In this book we see him a lot and I wasn't sure what to make of him after everything with Elizabeth. He had kind of had his illusions shattered regarding her and realised what kind of person he had been. It was interesting to see the two of them interact as their merry band go off on their little mission. I actually ended up quite liking him. He apologised to Elizabeth sincerely, and he wasn't the useless pansy I thought he was. Don't worry there's no love triangle or anything! There's just love troubles haha. 

The King Slayer was a brilliant sequel and I'm so gutted there are only two books in the series. It's fast paced, with a vivid and authentic feeling setting, there's an epic battle scene, more magic, more romance, more action and more feels. This book is so easy to sit and read in one go because you don't want to put it down and it genuinely makes you feel all the feels. We see all of our favourite characters and get to see a few more and I think things ended well with everything wrapped up smoothly. This is definitely one of my favourite books and Virginia Boecker has become an auto-buy author of mine! I'm hoping she'll write more books for this series but for now I'll have to settle for novellas and re-reading! 

Review: Soldier

Soldier
Rating: 5/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Mira Ink! 

When forced to choose between the sinister Talon organisation and being hunted by her own kind, dragon-human hybrid Ember fled. Even if it meant losing Garret, the dragon-slaying soldier she shares a deep bond with.

Now Garret has uncovered secrets that will shake the foundations of dragons and dragon-slayers alike. Can the danger reunite them?

It's nearly 2am and I have literally just finished this book. I finished it minutes ago. I am not over it, and I don't think I ever will be. I had such a bad feeling reading this okay, it's called Soldier, there's all these flashbacks to baby Garret and how he became 'the perfect soldier' and how he met Tristan and so on and as the book got closer and closer to the end I KNEW something was going to happen and then it did and the book just ends. It just ends. I can't even. I seriously can't. There was crying and swearing and book throwing and if it wasn't nearly 2am I'd be cracking out the ice cream. 

So. I just read page 373 of #Soldier by @Jkagawa my legit reaction? Well... pic.twitter.com/IEDg9mliYR

— Alisha Tarran (@realitysabore) July 29, 2016

Yep. That was me. Except the screaming was at a very low volume cause ya know....2am! I genuinely think this book might be the best in the series. But it's also the worst because of that ending. I loved where the book was going, there was the usual mix of plot twists you expect (I KNEW IT! I KNEW the whole thing with Dante at the end. I FREAKING KNEW IT!) and then there's the ones that you don't expect and you're kind of feeling all smug for guessing/knowing a plot twist and then this other twist will come out of nowhere and pretty much punch you in the face leaving you wondering what the hell just happened. 

The characters are going in some interesting directions, like I said, we get a lot of backstory to Garret this book and along with the usual POV's (Ember, Garret, Riley, Dante) we get the POV of Sebastian, aka baby Garret as I dubbed him. It was really interesting to see his childhood and how he came to the Order, how he was in the Order, how he met Tristan and so on and how he became the character we met back in the beginning of Talon. He's so determined in this book to atone for everything he's done. This book, I felt, was very Garret central. Ember in this book I loved. She's done a lot of growing up over the course of the books and when we see her in this book she's struggling to deal with everything that's happened and everything she's done. She's killed people and she's struggling with it because she still has so much empathy, but she's becoming more and more hardened to life and what happens, she's losing some of who she was in the first book. It's a brilliant change and I feel like Ember's reactions and how she deals with everything in this book is very authentic. 

Riley is trying to act more human for Ember, which was totally adorable, and he's still as determined as ever to protect his network and his hatchlings, however he's also determined to fight for Ember and it's an interesting dynamic between the two with no Garret around for a while, and then Garret coming back and shaking it up again. Wes. I have to mention Wes. He's my fave. Not just because I'm a fellow brit but because Wes cracks me up. Things are tense, they're emotional and it's all getting a little heavy and then there's Wes with one of his comments bringing a smile to my face! 

Dante was interesting in this book. I thought for a moment that he was possibly having second thoughts about Talon, he's been doing some thinking as he settles in to his new job and I actually started to root for him like 'woooo come to the dark side dude!' but then he was just...well..Dante. *sigh* We also have a brand new character this book and I'm super gutted we didn't get to see more of her! Jade is an incredibly awesome Eastern dragon and I LOVED HER. She's funny and badass and I felt for her and I just need more of her. She's totally amazing. 

The multi POV's I continue to love, because there's so much going on in the book, characters in different locations from each other then all these feelings going on and the POV's allow you to see what's happening with everyone, and what's going on with everyone, which was particular vital in the case of our love triangle. Baby Garret's POV added some extra intrigue too! I loved the changes. Just when you needed it to not change because OMG stuff was happening. BOOM. POV change to keep you on the edge of your seat! 

Soldier picks up close to where the last book ended. So we see Garret in London (woop woop!) hot on the trail of the Order and WTH is going on. Ember and Riley are tracking down the traitorous Griffin and Dante is....Dante-ing. Dante should watch his back, all I'm saying is....Dr. Olsen is totally shady and he's a little bit too in love with his little project. We all know how this ends up...except for Dante...because he's...well...Dante. Honestly that's all I can say about Dante. Damn him. There's some too spoilery but interesting stuff going on with Dante and Talon that's going to come in to play next book and I'm excited to see it unfold, especially as it'll be happening while everyone else is dealing with the aftermath of page 373. I'm intrigued to see if the Eastern dragons are going to be brought in to this more as well, I was fascinated by Jade and how her life had been compared to the Western dragons. 

Now I need to mention the romance and love triangle without being too spoilery. This is a love triangle that has a very interesting twist. Ember isn't human...not entirely. So she's kind of like two people and her dragon wants Riley and her usual self wants Garret. There's some revelations in this book that have a bearing on all of this and it's going to be interesting to watch it play out. The love triangle is dealt with in this book. Ember makes her choice and it's all great and you're cheering away because there's kinda like this TID Wessa/Jessa thing going on, to some extent. But then the end comes along to ruin your life and Embers. So yeah. The more I'm writing this the more I'm staunchly heading towards denial. So yeah. That ending never happened and it's ALL GOOD YO. 

Soldier is a fantastic third installment in a series that is proving itself to be original, fun, humorous, fast paced, action packed, filled with adorable romance and plenty of emotions. So many emotions. So many......feelings. Each book leaves you wanting more and like I said..this book is the best but it's also the worst. Like...I'm half tempted to recommend that you all wait for the fourth book before reading this but...I want everyone else to suffer too :') Either way this book is mind blowing and gives the insight in to Garret that we've all been craving, I'm excited for the fourth installment and to see the revelations and plot twists of this book play out. I will be sure to have chocolate and ice cream in the house when I read it! (If you've read Soldier.....TWEET ME BECAUSE I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS DAMN ENDING!) 

Review: Sing

Sing

Rating: 4/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Multiplatinum pop icon Lily Ross’s biggest hits and biggest heartbreaks (because they are one and the same):


1. AGONY. (That feeling when her ex ripped her heart out of her chest and she never saw it coming.)
2. GHOSTS. (Because even famous people are ghosted by guys sometimes. And it sucks just as much.) 
3. ONCE BITTEN. (As in: twice shy. Also, she’s never dating an actor or a musician ever again.)


But this summer’s going to be different. After getting her heart shattered, Lily is taking herself out of the spotlight and heading to a small island in middle-of-nowhere Maine with her closest friends. She has three months until her fall tour starts-three months to focus on herself, her music, her new album. Anything but guys.


That is . . . until Lily meets sweet, down-to-earth local Noel Bradley, who is so different from anyone she’s ever dated. Suddenly, Lily’s “summer of me” takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself falling deeper and harder than ever before. But Noel isn’t interested in the limelight. She loves Noel-but she loves her fans, too. And come August, she may be forced to choose.

Okay so, straight up, I actually requested a different book from the publisher, and was sent the press release for this and asked if I'd like to read this one as well, so I didn't actually discover this myself, technically. Now, I don't usually like contemporary books, my only weakness being BB lit, and this isn't exactly that but I was intrigued by the synopsis because Lily sounded like an incredibly relatable character and this sounded a little bit different to the usual. 

I was not wrong! I completely loved Lily, I felt for her so badly, we've all been in her position. Well...not exactly her position but close enough! She was such a relatable character, and for a celebrity she was fairly down to earth. She was believable. She had two fantastic friends who where brilliant secondary characters, Tess and Sammy..I mean...if you've gotta be famous may as well rope your best friends in to working with you right? I think they're a large factor in Lily remaining down to earth and her being such a likeable character, the two of them where such brilliant characters and I loved reading about the friendship between the three of them. I also liked our male character, Noel, he was adorably awkward at points, and gave you the odd chuckle. I feel like he had a very realistic reaction to everything, and he was another character you could relate to on some level. 

There where actually a lot of brilliant supporting characters besides Tess and Sammy, Ray and K2, Terry, Sidney, the other boys. They where a lot of fun to read about! 

I enjoyed the developing romance and watching things between them grow. But the ending to it was very short and sweet, I usually go for cheesy so when I saw where this was heading I was expecting to be disappointed but I actually ended up liking the ending. I think it fit the situation perfectly, and overall Sing was a funny, emotional and heartwarming read. It's the perfect book to sit with on the beach, it's short and sweet and a nice light read! 

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Wishing For Wednesday #95

Hey guys! 
Look at me being all back on it with my WFW's! Scheduling is a beautiful thing! It's a Wednesday of sequels this week, and cracking ones they are too! 
First up is the sequel to a book by one of my auto buy authors! The first book blew me away and wasn't what I had expected and I completely loved it and I've been eagerly waiting to see what happens next! 
Second I've got the sequel to a book I reviewed not too long ago! It's by another auto buy author of mine and this series has such a great premise! It's a really good paranormal/supernatural read! 

The Flame Never Dies 

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

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

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



The Flame Never Dies is out August 16th, pre-order your copy...here! 
Add it to your TBR....here! 

The Sight 

The paranormal war that engulfed New Orleans seven years ago is over. But the battle for the city is just beginning . . . 

Claire Connolly is a Sensitive, infected with magic when the Veil that divides humanity from the world beyond fell. Magic can easily consume and destroy a Sensitive, and if Claire’s secret is discovered she’ll be locked into the walled district of Devil’s Isle along with every other Paranormal left in the city.

Bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered Claire’s secret, but refused to turn her in. Together they saved New Orleans from the resurgence of magic that nearly destroyed it. But now a dangerous cult is on the rise, and it will take both Claire and Liam—and magical allies within Devil’s Isle’s towering walls—to defeat the occult threat before magic corrupts them both...

The Sight is out August 18th, pre-order your copy...here!

Add it to your TBR...here!