Top Ten Tuesday: Books Recently Added To TBR

So this is mega late, and I'm mega sorry, but my neighbours have been keeping me awake until 2 or 3am every day this week so far, and I'm struggling to get up super early like I usually do. I just LOVE the Easter holidays. Not.

Okay, so, this week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about the books you've recently added to your TBR list! Lately I've been so busy reading, I haven't done much adding, but I've managed to rustle up 10 for you guys to take a look at and most likely add to yours!

1. The Orphan Queen- Jodi Meadows
So, this has been floating about on my Twitter feed a lot recently, and after finally giving in and checking it out on GoodReads, it promptly got added to my TBR list, and I'm thinking that when my reviews are under control I'm going to be paying the library a visit!

2. Vengeance Road- Erin Bowman
Another spotted on Twitter recently, and checked out on GoodReads. It's got a really pretty cover, and a pretty cool premise, I mean....hello western! It's not often you find a cool western book out there, so I'm intrigued by this one! 

3. Soundless- Richelle Mead
So, I think we all know at this stage that I'm a huge Richelle Mead fan, I loved Vampire Academy, and I admitted recently that I loved Bloodlines even more. So, I was just casually browsing GoodReads, as you do, and stumbled across this....new Richelle Mead book....cool Chinese Folklore....how can I not read it?! 

4. Rebel Mechanics- Shanna Swendson
I can't remember how I found this, but whenever I'm watching TV and I get bored, I go through recs on GoodReads and I'm 99% sure I found this on recs. Alternative US history? Steampunk? Where do I sign up!? Right up my street! 

5. Starflight- Melissa Landers
This I definitely found on GoodReads, and I can't even begin to tell you how cool it sounds....I mean...Solara sounds like a badass, and the entire premise of the book sounds so awesome and unique, and I can't even get over it. 

6.  The Magician's Guild- Trudi Canavan
So, I'm on a bigger fantasy kick than usual recently, and this is a series one of my friends was talking about a while ago, and it popped up on my GoodReads recs, so of course it's been added to my TBR and I'll be paying the library a visit as soon as I have the time! 

7. Prince of Thorns- Mark Lawrence
So this is another rec that came up in light of my recent fantasy binge, don't get me wrong, I love fantasy, but I've been reading it more than usual lately, and have a bit of a craving for it, not gonna lie! So yeah, this one was rec'd to me, and it sounds right up my street, so on the TBR it goes! 

8. The Hunter's Kind- Rebecca Levene
This is the sequel to Smiler's Fair, and I LOVED Smiler's Fair, I rec'd it so much I think my friends wanted to punch me in the face. This being the sequel, it recently had its cover revealed, which is how I came to know of it's existence! When Smiler's Fair came out there where no sequel details, so I've been in a state of excitement ever since I spotted this on GoodReads! 

9. Six of Crows- Leigh Bardugo
Oh how I loved the Grisha, I went to a cool event and everything and have a cool bag as well! I was so gutted I couldn't go to any of the events where Leigh was giving out the dice sets for this! Forever jealous! Anyways, this is the start of a new trilogy or series, I'm not sure which yet. All you guys need to know is that it's described as a cross between Game of Thrones and Ocean's Eleven! 

10. Hidden Huntress- Danielle L. Jensen
I read Stolen Songbird from NetGalley ages ago, and I keep meaning to buy an actual copy, because I loved it so much, and I've been waiting for ages for this sequel, and it's just been so long, and I'm about to see what's new on NetGalley so let's all pray it's finally on there shall we!? 

Virals & Seizure

So guys this is looking to be a Virals week!
Tuesday and Wednesday are still going to be the regular meme days, so TTT and WFW, but on my review days I'm going to be doing the Virals books!
I got asked if I wanted to review the latest book by the publisher, and seeing as I hadn't read the other books....they where kind enough to send me the first four, so I've been trying to work out what to do and this is the plan I came up with! So today I've got the first two books for you!

Virals
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher

Tory Brennan, the niece of forensic science genius Temperance Brennan, has been sent to live with her father, marine biologist Kit, after the death of her mother. Not only does she have a long lost father, but it turns out he lives on an island off the coast of South Carolina where his work is stationed. Kinda cool huh? Tory and her band of sci-philes pretty much only have each other, what with all the kids at their school being super rich and super snobby.

It's on one of the gangs trips to a neighbouring island that they make a discovery that will change their lives forever. They find a dogtag, and it's the group's determination to find the owner that leads to them breaking in to a lab, rescuing a dog caged for medical testing in an illegal experiment and being exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that gives them.....kinda awesome powers.

Oh, and leads to them finding the skeleton of a girl who's been missing for 30 years. In order to solve the cold case murder, and stay alive while doing it, the gang are going to have to work out how to use the new gifts the virus gave them, heightened senses, animal quick reflexes and so on, because the murderer has a lot to lose if their crime is discovered, and will stop at nothing to make sure the past stays buried.

Okay so, I've never read any of the Bones books, but I do watch the TV series, always have, and so I was squealing at all the references to Tempe and just generally being a fangirl to be honest!

This is a fantastic start to the series, it sets the ground, establishes everything easily and with as much  info as possible without slowing down the pace or sacrificing the plot. I was drawn in from the beginning, how could you not be!?

When reading I constantly wanted to know what happened next, I couldn't put the book down, you're trying to put all the puzzle pieces together along with the gang. I was constantly shocked and surprised, there where so many twists and turns I didn't see coming!

The setting was vivid, I could picture everything, and felt like I was there with the characters, and to be honest I wouldn't mind visiting! The book was written very atmospherically and cinematically, it could totally be a TV series (hint hint). I just loved all the ominous little comments made in the narrative, it kept you reading, and kept you interested.

The narrative was totally engaging, to came across as kind of chatty, helping you start to get to know Tory before anything actually happened! I loved Tory, I connected with her instantly, the book gave me a real feel for her as the story went on. I'm willing to bet her mum's car accident may not have been an actual accident, but then again, maybe I just watch too many episodes of Bones!

Each character was well written with depth and dimensions and you want to know more about them, particularly Ben! You kinda get a feel for him, but he's quite stoic so you're still left wondering. I loved each of the other members of the gang, they're each different, with their own distinctive personality, and I loved everyone, I mean....how can I not?! They all fit together perfectly, they're funny, they're super smart and yeah...they're a great group of characters!

Secondary characters are also well written, Kit, poor clueless Kit, I dislike Whitney, she's annoying and I protest the fact that Whitney is forcing Tory in to doing something she doesn't really wanna do! But yeah...she's irritating. Jason is interesting....it's going to be intriguing to see where the two of them go, and I'm also intrigued by Chance, his life is hinted at, but it would be interesting to see him more! I actually became really attached to the characters in the book!

Virals is action packed, the world sucks you straight in and you're totally engrossed in the book and find it impossible to put it down. There's plenty going on in the book, there's never a dull moment, which is what draws you in as much as the characters.

Virals has this cool blend of science, forensics, crime, mystery, and then like....I'm not sure how to phrase it cos it's kinda science, with the whole DNA merging with theirs, it's kinda like supernatural or fantasy or something, it's this blend of fact and fiction and real and imagined, and it's so well done and so totally awesome. This is like a crime/episode of Cold Case but with a cool twist to liven it up a bit!

Excited to get cracking on the next book!

Seizure

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher!

Our Virals have just finished doing time (grounded not jail) for the escapades of the first book, when the news is broken that the University is out of cash, which means the projects on the island are going to have to be shut down. Which means our gangs parents are going to be out of jobs and homes, and it looks like the Virals are going to be scattered unless they can come up with some serious cash.

So it's just as well that while at a fancy debutante party, Tory comes to learn about famous pirate Anne Bonny, who pirated the seas in the 1700's....and more importantly...her treasure. The location of the treasure has never been found, but Tory is convinced this is their only shot at saving their home, so a pilfered pirate treasure map later and the gang are off deciphering riddles and following clues.

However, someone else is looking for the treasure, someone who's following them and who's willing to leave a trail of bodies, can the Virals find the treasure first? Before the island is sold? And can they cope with their ever developing abilitites?

Okay, I can't get enough of this series, as I type this I'm about 60 pages in to the third book, and I can't even. So far each books has been drastically different, I'll explain more in the next post on Thursday, when I do books three and four, but so far this series is one you can re-read again and again.

Each book has a different vibe, the first book was like a murder mystery, with a cool twist, with all the powers and stuff, like an episode of Cold Case, this book is full adventure/quest, heavy on the history and had total Goonies, Relic Hunter/National Treasure/Indiana Jones vibes going on. Like seriously!

This book goes further back in time than the first book, and this book had way more history. The first book was kinda historical, but it wasn't that far back in time, and it was more about finding a killer and solving a case and so on. Whereas this book went further back in history, and was more heavier on the history, you learn loads about this particular pirate, and man I loved it! This was like the kinda book I long for! History, cool quest, and action and adventure.

I loved reading all about the history of the area the book is set in and the pirates of the area, and I actually didn't realise Anne was a real pirate until I googled something, and then I was blown away at the pure amount of information stuffed in to the book, that actually fit in there, and didn't overwhelm the book. The information was inserted in such a way that you wanted to learn more and weren't bored by it. For instance, my Amazon basket now has a crap load of pirate books!

The clues where great, the background and the history was true and it was very exciting and the life and story of Anne Bonny was expertly woven with the clues leading to her treasure, it all made sense. Every clue left fit with Anne and it just made sense that if she had left treasure and a map then that is a clue that she would have left. It was believable, you could believe every word on the page even the ones that weren't actually historical and where fiction.

The plot was complex, lots of little clues threaded the story, not just ones to the treasure but ones as to who is following them, there's plenty of suspects presented to you and it's fun to work out who it is, as well as trying to work out the clues to the treasure for yourself. And ya know...fail because the series continues to be full of twists and turns and surprises, and totally impossible to guess.

The complex history of the pirates and the map, the cool clues, all of it was all thought out, and like I said the logic fit together so well with the historical figure of Anne that it was such a draw when you where reading. You where drawn in from the first atmospheric page, standing on that ship with Anne, and from then the book was impossible to put down because you had to solve the clues and you wanted to know what happened to Anne.

Our characters are still as awesome as ever, I enjoyed that they didn't get their powers and that's it, end of that thread, they use them for good and so on. I LOVED that this plot thread is left open still, the gang are still learning about their abilities, there's new traits developing, in Tory's case she can smell people's emotions, and the flares are changing, and things are still evolving and it's another point of intrigue, waiting to see what's going to happen next with the powers, what other cool things they can do.

Chance was back in this book, and while he was a bit of a douche at the end of Virals, I'm actually glad because his character interests me. He clearly has had a crap childhood, and it was nice to see more of him and get to know him better and I hope he pops up again, because he could be a fun addition to the group!

But most importantly, there was a cameo from Bones too! I LOVE Tempe and I was so excited to see her and Tory interact, and it was so awesome and oh my God. Perfect.

So far both books have been very slick, with the writing, easy to get lost and disappear in, with engaging narratives, and complex plots, each different from the other. Seizure is a blend of history, mystery and action, with an adventure quest type vibe, and a heavy dose of history that's fascinating and exciting to read about. I'm interested to see which road the third book is going to take! I'm totally addicted to the series so far.

Tied

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

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.
Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough ... away.

So, this is one of those books I stumble across and get to review, and then I'm kinda blown away but how awesome it is, and to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it ended up being way more awesome than anything I was kind of expecting....which doesn't make sense but still. 

This definitely falls under the category of original and unique, and I was sucked in to the world from the beginning and unable to put the book down, it was so good! You never know what's going to happen next, and there's always something going on! 

I loved the rich mythology in the book, it's an area I don't know much about, so it was interesting reading about it, and I kinda wanna know more about Irish mythology now! Good thing I just got a book on it for my birthday then isn't it?! It was an interesting take on the Fae as well. 

The author is a pro about making you feel the feels, and many feels where felt while reading. In other words, the author is a pro at taking your emotions and manipulating them to the characters. I felt some pretty intense rage at Layla's mother, making her thinking she was crazy and everything, and other things like that. The author helps you get inside the character's head, and you understand them so well that you feel whatever they do.

The mystery was well done without being annoying or reaching a stage where it had gone on too long, and you can try and work it out for yourself but I had no clue! When it all starts to come clear and truths come out, it's pretty...insane. Like overall, I did not see the betrayal coming at all. I can't believe Benny didn't believe her! You're kept guessing, like I said, and you kinda have to keep reading to find out what's going on and what's going to happen next. 

The ending leaves you on a cliffhanger, and so I, for one, am pretty desperate for the next book to see what's going to happen next! There's a fight brewing and the author has written the character's so well, particularly Layla, that by the end, we're all on her side and connected to her pretty well.

I will admit, I did get confused at one point, because the POV changed and it took me a while to work out who's it had changed too, and this happened a couple of times, because I had an ARC i'm not sure if, in the finished version, it's going to state the POV changes or not, but yeah...minor confusion there! 

The other slight issue I had was that, while I was intrigued about the whole mystery, a whole lot of nothing happens in the beginning, the dancing stuff I didn't really care about too much, and it kind of seemed a bit redundant half the time, like it was just there. There was plenty of drama and everything, but the beginning was a smidge slow, and while being balanced out by the mystery, I feel it deserves a mention. 

Oh and the romance was quite cute, the whole childhood friends, destiny type thing. Way cute. 

So yes, this book is fantastic, lots of rich mythology, lots of mystery, cute times, cool things, and very original, and I'm intrigued for the next book to see where this is going to go, seeing as, at one point, I thought this was a standalone, and didn't realise until we drew closer to the end that it was gonna be a series starter! 

Wishing For Wednesday #32

I'm going to get right to it for this weeks WFW, because first up is a book that I've been waiting ages for, like seriously, it's a fourth instalment in a series, and you have NO IDEA how long I've been waiting for this book!
And secondly is a book I stumbled across on GoodReads that sounds both promising and interestingly original!
So enjoy guys!


Grave Visions

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She's a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she's the one fighting to keep her own secret. She's not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie. But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds.

This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real—at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug—and its purpose—lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she's dragged so deep she loses her freedom. 

Grave Visions is out March 26th, pre-order your copy...here!
Add it to your  TBR....here!

The Game Of Love And Death

Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now . . . Henry and Flora.
For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.

Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured — a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

The Game Of Love And Death is out April 2nd, pre-order your copy....here!

Add it to your TBR ...here!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books From Our Kids/Teen Years

More specifically this is the ten books from my childhood/teen years that I want to revisit! There's never a time when I don't want to re-read books, Harry Potter should be on here, but I frequently re-read it so on my account, it doesn't count! haha

I'm going to pick ONE Meg Cabot, maybe two, I pretty much read every Meg Cabot book ever when I was a kid/teen and I always want to go back to them but don't have time, but so this list isn't all Meg Cabot I'm only gonna pick two...or one haha

1. Love You To Death- Meg Cabot
This is the first book in The Mediator series, and I believe it's now called Shadowlands, but I read these and loved them, and I've had the urge to re-read them for ages, but I haven't had the time! It was literally such a good series, with the romance and the ghosts and the mystery and the action and omg so perfect! 

2.  Sammy Keyes and The Hotel Thief- Wendelin Van Draanen
This is another series, and I remember going to Borders and buying the first two, and sitting in school during "form time" and "quiet reading time" reading this because another girl was talking about them. GoodReads also informed me that there's like 18 books in the series and I DEFINITELY didn't read that many! I think I lost track of them and then was more interested in YA. Sadly I'm also 90% sure I no longer have the books, so I think I'm gonna have to go to the library! 

3. Alpha Force- Chris Ryan
Okay, so this s another series, but EVERYONE at my school was reading them so of course I had to read them, and I loved them a ridiculous amount, I haven't read them in ages though, and I really need to find time to re-read them because they where a pretty good package of elements, action...fun...humour...I still insist this needs to be a TV show! 

4. Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging- Louise Rennison
We've all read this right? I mean most of us must have! Another book that everyone was obsessed with when I was at school, and I think I've read all of them except for like....the last two or three or something, they where just a load of fun, and they're nice and light so it'd be good to get a chance to read them again! 

5. The Diamond of Drury Lane- Julia Golding
I read these as a kid, and they where so perfect, you bought them as hardback and they have the prettiest covers you have ever seen! Although I was so gutted that book 6 came as a paperback with entirely different covers, because my entire set is all the pretty hardbacks and I was sad. So yeah. I'm 22 and I would still read another book in this series if the author does one! 

6. The Wee Free Men- Terry Pratchett
This was the first Terry Pratchett book I ever read, closely followed by the second book, and then The Amazing Maurice. I just loved this one, it made me laugh, I'm ploughing through Discworld but I kinda wanna just go back and read these books again! 

7. Septimus Heap- Angie Sage
So, this is a series I read as a kid, BUT I only read up to book 5, so I think I need to buy the remaining books to read them and finish off the series. And doing that would give me the perfect excuse to re-read the series....just saying.... 

8. Pulling Princes- Tyne O'Connell
So this is a set of 4 books all together, stumbled across them in Borders I think, read them while I was a teen, and I'm still so sad there isn't another book in the series! I'd love for there to be more books! This was one of my favourite series and I keep meaning to re-read it because they're a good laugh and just light and funny really! 

9. Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick
I was so obsessed with this series when I was a teen and I'm fairly certain that it finished when I wasn't strictly a teen but oh well. I really want to get back to this series because it was such an adventure, with so many plot twists and turns and some pretty colourful characters! Also I heard there might be a movie, and that's making me twitchy haha 

10. Matilda- Roald Dhal 
I read ALL the Roald Dhal books, I even remembering buying some with book tokens from national book day, and Matilda made the list purely because it was my favourite, and while I like the film, it's not quite the same as the book, so I need to get around to re-reading the book at some point in the future! 

The Iron Ghost

The Iron Ghost
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr!

Wydrin the Copper Cat of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in danger and dealing with the old Gods, what with how they defeated them and everything. The three are now enjoying the perks of being very, ridiculously popular, with their services well in demand. They soon find themselves travelling to the distant Skaldshollow, with what's promising to be an easy quest, and more importantly, easy coin, they can even enjoy some nice mountain air and some lovely views.

That is....until an old demon buddy of Sebastians decides to make a comeback and, feeling lonely, decides to resurrect his old crazy mage buddy, who decides Frith is going to be his new bro, promptly kidnaps him and then brings them all a world of trouble with his general cray cray. Not to mention the new buddies they make in the mountains out of a rather interesting race of people, the thieves who stole the item our trio where sent to retrieve. And by buddies I mean they hate them with a burning passion and try to kill them, but it's all good cos they have cool Wyverns!

It's up to our trio, with the help of a Prince and a girl with a rather...unusual talent, not to mention some stones that like to take casual strolls and a ghost, to stop this utterly crazy mage, and restore the world to rights. But with enemies, old and new, all over the place, it's going to be very...challenging.

Sorry, I'll get to the review in a minute but OH MY GOD IT HAPPENED! WYDRIN AND FRITH...FINALLY! FREAKING FINALLY OMG IT WAS SO CUTE AND OMG I WANTED TO BANG THEIR HEADS TOGETHER BUT FINAAALLLLYYY! Now I need another book to satisfy my cravings for this extensive and enchanting world, because I hate leaving it and I already want to go back and it's not just because I need more Wydrin and Frith!

I LOVED The Copper Promise when it came out, seriously loved it, and I didn't realise there was a second book of sorts, so you can imagine my feelings when I found about this book and I'm so grateful that the publisher sent me a copy because it was everything I was hoping for and more.

I still love Wydrin, she's still my favourite, she cracks me up all the time, and I'm always laughing out loud at everything she says and does and she's so perfect, and there where a couple of heart stopping moments for me when I was like "hell no that didn't happen!". Each character is so well written and full of depth and a bit more of them was explored in this book, but nevertheless Wydrin is still my fave! I do like the other three, but she's the best. I do feel it's time for Sebastian to get his happy ending now, can we find him a bloke please!? I was all excited for him in this book and then it was like "aw noooo!".

Each character, when we met them, had a complicated backstory, there's little bits that are added, but it's more in the present and the aftermath of what happened after their big battle with the ugly dragon. I was kinda sad, because I loved all the backstory's and wanted to see more of the character's lives, especially Wydrins because, hello.....pirates, but I still loved the story nevertheless.

There's a smidgen of romance, squint and you'll miss it, but that's what makes it so perfect, especially when it's thrown in, it's so subtle and not even secondary to the story like....fourthly or something. It's so well done. I heart Frith and Wydrin.

We get different POV's again, and like in CP, each is very well done, and the switches are always done at the perfect time. We even travel back in time at certain bits to see what happened with Sebastian and the Sisters after events of CP. I love the POV changes because it keeps the story fresh, and the narrative engaging and for me I can't imagine the story without the POV's because there's so much going on in the plot, and the group isn't always together so we need a way to see what's going on in different places with different characters.

The world continues to be well written, well created, and utterly absorbing and enchanting. I get sucked in right from the first page, and the world is clearly so extensive, and we got to see a little bit more of it in this book, and I'm still eager for more. It's original, it's magical, it's enchanting, it's an incredibly written and imaginative world, and it's one you can get lost in for hours, and daydream about and think about when you've finished reading, not to mention the characters that are so colourful, they decorate the richly created world like diamonds on a tiara.

Our trio of heroes really develop even more in this book and come in to their own, and this book has every bit of the old school quest vibe that Copper Promise did! Each chapter leaves you wanting more, it's beautifully written and so descriptive, and the plot is so complex, and there's so much going on you can't put the book down, not to mention how hard it is to guess what's going to happen next. There where plot twists left, right and centre, and I found myself just rolling with it, being shocked and feeling all the feels, rather than even attempting to guess what was going to happen! I'm still devastated about a certain death in the book though, I mean really...did you have to? It's like Dobby all over again *ugly sobbing*

Everything you loved in the first book, the magic, the griffins, the adventure, the action, all the unique and original things that made you love CP are all present here, except we also get some really cool looking walking stone statue thingies, which where awesome! Each element and little side plot, or plot thread are all woven together to create this incredibly rich and intriguing plot that never has a dull moment.

Iron Ghost is a fantastic continuation from Copper Promise, you're immediately right back with the characters in their world, you know what's been going on without spending pages reading a "previously" kinda bit, little tidbits give you what you need to know.

Iron Ghost is atmospheric and vivid, the world continues to be imaginative and rich, with a rich history and mythology and colourful, well written and complex characters, that all combine to suck you in to the world and keep you enchanted up until the very last page. You'll be left wanting more, more of the characters and their....relationships *coughWydrin&Frithcough*, more of the world, more of the magic, more of the adventure, more of the laughs and more of the mayhem. I need another book more than something I really need, I can't think of anything right now that's not too over dramatic! I just need more!

Unseen

Unseen
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

Welcome to the Kingdom of Hades, where even its prodigal princess sleeps lightly.

After fighting Soul Stealers in Detroit, Khara hoped to return home to find answers in her father's realm. But the land of the dead offers little information, and far too much tragedy. Now cut off from her brothers, and left only with her dark and unreliable companion Oz, Khara must navigate the centuries-old webs of deceit and betrayal, all while eluding the Underworld's most depraved inhabitant. But she soon finds an unexpected ally in her adopted sister Persephone. Together, they endeavor to right a terrible wrong. And as Khara soon discovers, there's more riding on her success than she ever thought possible.

So I read and reviewed the first one of this series, and I loved it, it was original and it kept me engrossed, and this one was no exception, the rich and original mythology/history/background was continued in this book and we saw more of Hades and the Underworld and learned more too. 

Unseen is a perfect continuation in other areas as well, it picks up directly after Unborn so you can jump straight back in to the story where you left off pretty much. 

Khara and Oz in this book are so perfect, I loved them and their relationship, they have chemistry and there's a tension between the two of them that carries across well and you can practically feel it! I ship them so badly! Oz is now a dark one, and has taken it upon himself to be Khara's personal protector and has even decided to be decision maker, it's quite funny and sweet and he's mildly annoying with it because you kinda wanna slap him,  but he's still a likeable character. Khara is a more likeable character this round as well, she's developed more, and has more care for her family. 

I love this series and it keeps getting better, and I love Khara's brother, and need more of them because they crack me up! I also love how Hades is her adoptive father, and with the next book, I'm looking forward to seeing more of him and seeing him and her brothers and how they all get along. As well as Persephone getting what's coming to her! What a cow. 

I wasn't sure where this was going until nearly the end of the book to be honest, although I had my suspicions about Persephone, I wouldn't have trusted her as easily as Khara did. It was still an unexpected set of baddies that came to light, and it was totally awesome seeing the Gods and stuff. I'm undecided about Deimos to be honest, I can't decide what his deal is, who's side he's on and so on. 

This is a fantastic sequel that matches it's predecessor in awesome, and it's generally a fantastic series. It's original, it's unique, it's got character's that jump out from the page, and a ship that you're still waiting to get their act together! Not to mention Hades is kinda cool. Bless him. I'm excited to see what's going to happen next and where the story is going to go next! 

A Man Lies Dreaming

A Man Lies Dreaming
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

Deep in the heart of history's most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world - a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London's grimiest streets.

The main narrative of the book is with Wolf in the alternate 1930's London, and it's incredibly chilling and disturbing, with the rise of British Fascists. We still see little glimpses of the camp and Shomer, and it's intertwined fantastically with the main narrative. The book is incredibly well written and has a dark atmosphere that oozes off the page. There's plenty of pulp tropes thrown in. Not to mention the creepy bits with the killer, waaay creepy, who reminded me a bit of Jack the Ripper, but that's probably because of the victims the killer chose. 

I enjoyed the book, I could have done without that much knowledge of Hitler's hanky panky but still, it's a very interesting read. It's a book that's going to make you think and you'll still be thinking about it a few weeks from now. 

I thought the author's note was a nice addition as well, letting us know what's true in both narratives, and adding more insight in to the story and the times and so on. I'm a sucker for history knowledge to be honest, and I'm always fascinated when reading author's notes and discovering what's actually true and what isn't, I always end up learning something. 

This book is a chilling and dark book, graphic and violent with a realistic take on history. Normally my reviews are longer than this, but I really can't think of anything else to say, the book doesn't flinch from the darker parts of this particular historical event, and it's, like I said, fantastically written. I honestly cannot think what else to say about the book, other than give it a try! 

Wishing For Wednesday #31

Huuullooo! Don't worry, I'm not going to relay all the details of my birthday for you guys haha!
I'm going to get straight in there with the WFW picks....SO!
First up, the much anticipated second instalment in a series, I'm very excited!
And then a read that I'm incredibly intrigued about, I'll be ordering it in from the library asap!
You all know the drill!


Half Wild

In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, seventeen-year-old Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most powerful and violent witch. Nathan is hunted from all sides: nowhere is safe and no one can be trusted. Now, Nathan has come into his own unique magical Gift, and he's on the run--but the Hunters are close behind, and they will stop at nothing until they have captured Nathan and destroyed his father.

Half Wild is out March 26th, pre-order your copy...here!
Add it to your TBR....here! 

The Walls Around Us

“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.

We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

The Walls Around Us is out March 24th, pre-order your copy...here!

Add it to your TBR....here!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Spring TBR List

So this is the easiest Top Ten Tuesday I've done so far, I can't pick favourites to save my life! I know this is reaaallllyy late, but yesterday was my birthday and today is one of my best friends birthday's and I've been super busy doing things! So anyway...TBR list..hmmm...

On my Spring TBR list iiiisss....(having said that, this is all to be read AFTER I have finished reading the GoT series, I started it last summer, then took a break for waaaay too long and now I have like 3 books left, so yeah)

1. Prudence by Gail Carriger
So I read the Parasol Protectorate in under a week, and I read the spin off series Finishing School so of course I HAVE to read this series as well! I can't wait to get my hands on it to be honest!

2. Grave Visions by Kalayna Price
I found this series at the library and fell in love with it, I've been waiting for this installment for ages, and the date got changed and I've gotten so impatient but this is the month it's out and I will be getting my hands on it ASAP and bumping it up to the top of my TBR! 

3. Lost and Found by Lilian Carmine
This is a series I stumbled upon on NetGalley, and I believe this is the final instalment, sadly, but I'm excited for it, I just need to grab myself a copy, which I haven't done yet, but ya know...busy! 

4. Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep
I'm obsessed with Jennifer Estep books, ever since I found Mythos Academy, and I will be getting this the day it comes out and most likely reading it all in one go and then being all sad because it's over and there's a wait for the next book! 

5. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
This one intrigues me beyond belief, so I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy ASAP or rather As Soon As It Comes Out so like ASICO, which doesn't really have the same ring to it. Like the other's so far, this will be jumping the TBR pile I already have! 

6. Half A King by Joe Abercrombie
Kay, so this has been on my TBR pile for weeks, if not months, and I haven't quite gotten round to reading it yet because of review books, and then other books I've bought that I couldn't wait to read or library books and so on. So I'm determined to finally get round to reading this in Spring! 

7. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
So this is another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, and considering the next book is coming out sort of soon (I think), I want to read it finally! 

8. The Selection by Kiera Cass
Again, another that's been on my TBR for ages, this month/next month I'm determined to read all the books on my pile that are the start of series, and then if I like them....buy the rest in the series ya know? So this one will finally be read as well! 

9. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Again....yet another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, I'm going to start it soon and yeah...you know the drill! I can't believe I've left this one so long considering it appeals to me greatly but I buy waaaaayyy too many books! 

10. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
You can probably tell what I'm going to say again already.....yup...another that's been sitting on my TBR for ages, and I want to read so that I can buy the next books if I like it! My Amazon lists are out of control considering all the "next in series" books I have waiting for me to get my ass in gear and ya know...read the first in the series! 

See you next Tuesday lovelies! 

Only Ever Yours

Only Ever Yours
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher!

frieda and isabel have been best friends their whole lives.

Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions - wives to wealthy and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate.

But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty - her only asset - in peril.

And then, the boy arrive, eager to choose a bride.

frieda must fight for her future - even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ver known...

Wow, this was suitably chilling and mildly creepy in certain parts. The society in this book is truly sickening, it's a society that you absolutely hate while you're reading, and I very nearly gave it a 3 star rating because of this, because it reached a point where I was more morbidly fascinated with it rather than actually enjoying it. But it's a good book so 4 it is. This book really hits you hard, and it makes you think because it really showcases some of today's issues in society, and it gives you quite a hard look at them as well. It's fascinating and mildly horrifying. 

It's a very futuristic book, despite dealing with modern issues. The futuristic aspects where quite interesting, and the world was fairly well built considering we don't actually see much of it, we just hear about it. The weird thing for me was the whole thing with Darwin because I usually read happily ever afters and there's no such thing in this kind of book, so the book has stuck with me, and will stick with many people for different reasons. 

For me, the book made me uncomfortable, and because of this, I think, I thought it was a bit too long, because the book was so uncomfortable to read and it was fairly horrifying and everything, it got a bit repetitive at one stage but it did make it's point. 

One point I loved about the book, was how it was written. It was very well written, and very thorough, the girls didn't even have capital letters to their names because they weren't worth a capital letter, you know? So much attention to detail, it was incredible. 

It's not a book I'll re-read again and again, and I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I felt like there was no conclusion to the book, and I struggled with that because it wasn't like you could come up with your own thing for it that easily. I spent the book being angry and horrified in equal measure and being fairly uncomfortable. Well written, with great world building, and attention to detail, it's an eye opener of a book, that's for sure! 

I'm not entirely sure what this review is like overall to be honest, because I wasn't sure how to review it or word it or what, but I've tried. 

Made For You

Made For You
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital to discover an attempt has been made on her life. But who in her sleepy town could have hit her with their car? And why? Before she can consider the question, she finds that she's awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people's deaths when they touch her.

While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old friend, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva's power to keep her friends - and themselves – alive. But the killer is obsessed and will stop at nothing to get to Eva…

So, GoodReads synopsis instead of my own because there is no way in hell I can do my own synopsis without rambling on and giving something away that I shouldn't, and that would be disastrous with this book! The second thing I need to do in this review, is thank the publisher profusely for sending me this! It's been on my TBR list for AGES, and it was SUCH a good book and I'm just like....I could hug the publishers right now. Like seriously. Hug them to death.

This book draws you in and is very compellingly written right from the start, I was glued to the book the entire time and read it in mere hours, it was too intriguing to put down, I had to know what happened next, and I had to know who the killer was and who was going to die next, and I was trying to juggle eating dinner while reading, which was interesting.

The book has you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and the tension oozes off of the page and engulfs you as you read. The setting was vivid and sucks you in, you can get a feel for the place and the customs as you read, and it was quite fascinating to me to be honest.

Every single one of the characters was intriguing and interesting and well written with plenty of depth. A lot of them you where wondering about, wondering about their background and past, and it was revealed seamlessly with the narrative, and the characters kept you as interested in the story as the plot. I loved Eva, I thought she was such a strong character, and Grace just made me laugh, she really doesn't care! I liked Nate as well, and the thing with he and Eva was cute, and developed quite naturally, with very natural obstacles rather than drama for the sake of drama.

Eva doesn't remember anything about her accident, so you're in the dark along with her, at times, at least for me, pieces fell in to place for me at the same time as they did for her. At other times, while Eva is still in the dark, we get little clues from the worlds creepiest and ickiest point of view ever. Seriously, it made my skin crawl.

We have Eva's point of view mostly, and a few chapters from Grace's point of view, which always fit in at the right moment to further the story, and to add to it, and just made sense. Each change was seamless and you could tell it was a different character by the writing without having to be told it was a different point of view.

Then we had the third point of view. It was so, SO creepy. It was the killer's point of view and it was so well done, and so fantastically horrifying. Like I said, it made my skin crawl and I shuddered more than once. The killer's point of view is always timed well, it always fits in at the right moment, and it was very well done because it added to the story without giving too much away. It gave you little clues, and helped you to understand what was going on, you where in the killer's head, learning his motivation and why he was doing it, but it gave nothing away about who the killer was until after the reveal. THEN it was even more of an "oh shit" moment. So, so well done. It really added to the story because it helped you try to workout who it was, and instead of being all like "wtf why is he after her though? Why is he doing that? What?" the entire way through, you understand why and it makes the entire story even creepier.

The plot was very well done, there's lots of different threads, lots of different information revealed to you at different times that makes you change your mind about your own suspect and it kept you guessing. I had an inkling of who it was early on, not long after we first met the character I thought it was him, for no particular reason than a semi educated guess with what little we had to go on, and I thought he was creepy anyway. But that was okay, it didn't make the book any less shocking or surprising and didn't stop the book from keeping me guessing.

Why? Because the author knows what she's doing, and she writes so that you keep having your mind changed. Little things, little comments, little notes about characters, how surprisingly strong one is, for example, little things like that kept making me change my mind, so I thought "shit no...it's not X character, it's Y character" and then I'd change my mind again, and again, and then the big reveal happened and I was still shocked and surprised because I'd had my mind changed so many times, this character was still my main suspect, but I wasn't entirely sure, and I was like omg it really was. It took nothing away from the book, it made it even more intriguing to me to be honest because I had to know who it was, amid all of these changing opinions.

Made For You is a book that has you on the edge of your seat, and infects you with it's tension, you can't help but be engrossed in it and the compelling writing. Made For You is honestly like an episode of Criminal Minds, you have information about the killer from the killer's point of view that the other characters don't have, and you're trying to work it out along with them. Unlike Criminal Minds, this has a cool edge to it with the visions Eva has, and I thought it was a nice touch to keep the book unique and add a fresh twist to it to make it different. It wasn't overdone, it was interesting to see her trying to work out how it worked while eliminating future victims, and it slotted in perfectly. Thinking about it, it didn't seem all that out there while I was reading, I wasn't thinking "ooh supernatural" I was thinking, "man this is better than Criminal Minds". Truth.


This has been a surprisingly less rambling review than usual and I'm quite proud haha! But yes, for fans of Criminal Minds, this is perfect, with a nice twist, and the same I'll say for crime fans. I kinda want more of Eva to be honest!