Sorcerer To The Crown

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

The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, one of the most respected organizations throughout all of England, has long been tasked with maintaining magic within His Majesty’s lands. But lately, the once proper institute has fallen into disgrace, naming an altogether unsuitable gentleman—a freed slave who doesn’t even have a familiar—as their Sorcerer Royal, and allowing England’s once profuse stores of magic to slowly bleed dry. At least they haven’t stooped so low as to allow women to practice what is obviously a man’s profession…

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers and eminently proficient magician, ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up. But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large…

I was so intrigued when I read the synopsis for this and so excited to be sent a copy to review by the publisher! I'm a bit early with this review, by the time you read this on my blog, I'll have finished it over a week ago but I decided to just jump in with it! It was such a fun and rich read that had me laughing, booing, shaking my head and getting way too emotionally involved in it! 

First of all, it's got to be said, I started this right after I'd just finished reading and reviewing a kids book SO, it took me a couple of pages to get my brain in gear and get used to the writing style and way of speech of the characters. Some people may struggle or may not like the writing style, I did find it heavy in the beginning before I got used to it and then I didn't really notice. It's delightfully authentic, I think, but was occasionally a wee bit stilted in the dialogue. It is very beautiful to read though, and some beautiful descriptions, not to mention relationships. I did rather love Zacharias's relationship with Mrs. Wythe. 

The world of the book is an alternate London where magic is used freely, but only by the men of course because us mere women are too "delicate" to be able to use it. The magic isn't as....flowing shall we say, as it used to be and there's all this background history and these intricate politics between England and Fairy and France and other places. It was fascinating to read about all of it and like I said, it was very rich but explained in such a way that it wasn't thrown at you all at once, and you could follow it and understand fairly quickly and early on. It all helped to suck you in to the world and make the world of the book so engrossing. 

The world building was fantastic. I can't say I've ever visited Regency era London (har har) but I got a definite feel for the place. A bit too full of sexism and bigotry for my tastes, I spent a great deal of time feeling rather outraged on our characters behalf. Not that everything is all hunky dory nowadays but still. You got a very brutally truthful and realistic look at the time period, and the world building was so imaginative and enchanting that you could completely lose yourself in the world of the book. I mean....there's magic, dragons, fairies, vampires, various other familiars and a murderous mermaid. To name a few. You get completely swept in to the world and your imagination certainly gets a workout. 

I found the world of the book and the magical system of the book to be original and imaginative and I loved reading about. I do love books with rich mythology/history/etc to them and this book, like I said, is full of it so you're completely sucked in to the book and it's such a magical place to be in this book. If not...ya know....a time you'd ACTUALLY want to be in. Or at least I wouldn't. The magical system of the book was very well done and I enjoyed the whole deal with the French bit. I'm not saying anything too specific because spoilers! 

I've got to say, the "Society"/"Nobles" or whatever you want to call them could give Gossip Girl a run for it's money. It was like a regency GG but with more murder and deviousness. It was a complete and utter snakepit, backstabbing and betrayal all over the place and even the blokes weren't above being bitchy. So much of history is romanticised and everyone's like "oh I'd love to live in that time" or whatever, but this book is realistic and truthful and accurately portrays what a, quite frankly, crappy time it was to live in. Not least for POC. I'm actually still feeling quite outraged! 

The plot is fast paced and had some laugh out loud moments, it really was a fun read. The romance took a while to come to fruition and wasn't the main point of the plot completely, it was woven in to the plot perfectly and wasn't an easy romance at all. At some points I didn't get the romance seeing as (as you'll see when I talk characters below) at points I didn't think Prunella cared about Zacharias at all, certainly she didn't care what effect her actions would have on him and his position, which was kind of horrible of her considering all he did for her! As I was reading I was guessing at things as I tried to work out what was going on from the plot threads we had so far, but there where so many twists and turns that when it all started to come together I was pleasantly surprised and when it does come together you realise just how intricate the plot is with all the threads woven together. You realise the full extent of the plot, basically. 

Zacharias I connected to first, and I became quite ridiculously protective of Zacharias. I mean, here he is, he's getting treated horrifically by his fellows, including people he actually gave a leg up in the Society, people keep trying to murder him and he's completely and utterly burdened by duty and his position and everything he has to sort out. So I really felt for him, and I was rooting for him to basically sort everything and say a giant F you to the Society. He was such an interesting character and so well written I completely loved him from the start. 

Which is why I could never quite decide if I liked Prunella. Initially and at various other parts of the book, I really liked her. She was feisty, she made me laugh, she knew what she wanted and was another very interesting character with an interesting and mysterious family past. BUT. At times, she would royally screw things up for Zacharias with her general selfishness that she dressed up a lot as ambition and she was quite cold about achieving it. At those times, I was never sure if I actually liked her or not. Perhaps if I hadn't liked Zacharias quite so much I would be able to say I 100% loved her but I can't say that because of my poor Zacharias and how she messed things up for him! 

Both characters face so much prejudice and you really see it in the book, it's brutally honest about it and doesn't try to dress it up or make it all romantic or whatever. So much bigotry. So much sexism. Colonialism at it's "finest" (read: worst). It was incredibly well done, and sensitively done. I found the relationship between Zacharias and Sir Stephen particularly interesting. 

Sorcerer To The Crown features a complex plot, made up of many threads that give you plenty of surprises when the plot twists. Each of these threads comes together to create a satisfying ending to the book, leaving things fairly nicely wrapped up. It's fast paced, has plenty of humour to create some laugh out loud moments, and is very beautifully written. Sorcerer To The Crown gives you a brutally authentic look at this particularly....I can't even find the right word, but it's bad, time period and doesn't pull it's punches when showcasing the darker sides to the time period usually glossed over or romanticised in other books. With an imaginative and vivid world, and full of magic and magical creatures, it's an enchanting read that'll have you staying up late to read just that one more chapter. 

The Secret Fire

The Secret Fire
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of Midas PR! 

French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world?

I am a complete C.J. Daugherty fangirl, I remember picking up Night School from the library, finishing it and immediately going out to buy my own copy so I could re-read it, then anxiously waiting for each new instalment  The final book is actually in my TBR pile, I need to hurry up and get around to it! Anyways, I couldn't not read this book and I've been looking forward to it for ages! Luckily for me, I got sent a copy to review, I even managed to use some restraint and not start reading it immediately! 

The Secret Fire hooked me from the first page and I actually ended up reading it until 3am, which was waaaaay later than I intended! I would have carried on reading until I finished it, I did try, but I was so tired I had to sleep! It was incredibly difficult to actually find a place to stop though, the amount of times something would happen and I'd finish a chapter and sit there like "I'll just read one more so I know what happens otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on anything else", is the reason why I ended up reading until 3am! 

I loved Taylor instantly, I couldn't not connect to her with her love of books and history! It's like she's me but more awesome because she can do cool things. I'm sitting there reading like "YES TAYLOR!" when she's talking about history or archaeology or her reading. She was so awesome. I think I connected to her more than any other character recently, and she really came to life for me. 

I liked Sacha from the start as well despite his whole "keep away" vibes, I mean...I can't really blame him for his attitude, and it's one of the things that made him so likeable. You could understand him and his behaviour and the way the character was written gave you such an understanding of him that it was so easy to immediately connect with him and like him and root for him from the start. 

Both the characters are connected and surrounded by mystery, and one of the huge questions was...why those two? Why did they need to be brought together? How are they connected, and a part of the book was working out those questions and it was such a great mystery, although I did suspect, but when it was confirmed it was done in such a fantastic way. Both of them also have missing fathers. The mystery of who Sacha's father was and what happened to him was solved in this book, but I'm curious about Taylor's. I kind of have a suspicion but I'm not really sure. 

I also loved Louisa! I wasn't sure if I would but over the course of the book I loved her more and more! I really wanted to say to her, "Don't worry, it's just areas like that, that look at you weird if you have tattoo's, it's all good if you're nearer to London!". Having tattoos and ya know...previously having purple in my hair, meant I got a lot of strange and hostile looks in certain areas where I'm from. I feel her feels essentially. Anyway, she made me laugh, and I loved her budding friendship with Taylor. It was fantastic and I think it's as good for her as it is for Taylor! She also has an interesting backstory that I'm eager to know more about! 

Each of the characters is really well brought to life, and are so full of depth. They come alive off the page and are one of the reasons it's so easy to fall in to the world and get lost inside. They all have backstories and histories to them that add other dimensions to them and help to bring them to life, and you just want to know more and more about the characters. 

There is SO much intrigue from the start, the things I mentioned above, then Taylor and what's going on with her and so on. The intrigue keeps you reading as you try to put things together yourself. Some of the questions are answered in this book but there's plenty left for the second part and I'm so ridiculously excited to get those answers and see how it all finishes! 

I absolutely loved the different POVs. They where done expertly and worked so well together. Each POV was written by a different author, but the POV changes where done with perfect timing. The switch was smooth and didn't stop the flow of the narrative and the narrative continued seamlessly. Then when they first met there were no separate POV's anymore, the POV still switched but they didn't get a chapter or so each anymore, and I loved how once they met the narratives kind of came together in to one even though they where still in separate countries. The first meeting was so perfect and done so well, and the POV changes continued to be fantastically and smoothly done. 

The romance was great, quite frankly. The two authors work so well together when writing the romance, and the characters and the events after the characters have met. The romance was so fantastic because you could see it building up as they learned more about each other and got to know each other better. With how the end of the book is left, I'm excited for the next one because they'll be around each other a lot and it'll come to fruition and be beautiful to watch, I reckon. 

The thing I loved most about the book was how original it was. It's such an original take on Alchemists, with the powers they have and the dark practitioners and the explanation for the Alchemists hundreds of years ago when they all seemed to be fakes and obsessed with making gold and so on. I hadn't seen the Alchemist part coming, I really should have because of the symbols, but to be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading! I was so pleasantly surprised to see the turn it took and even more originality spring forth. I just really loved the rich mythology behind it and the rich backstory. Oh and I must mention the Bringers. I don't know about you lot, but my brain supplied a nice creepy image of the Gentlemen from Buffy for them......

The settings where vivid and sucked you in to the world of the book, particularly France. I've not been to Paris but I really got a feel for what Paris must be like and I loved reading all about it! The only time I've been to Oxford was to go to a show there and I didn't actually get to have a look around or anything, but reading the parts about Oxford made me think I should probably go and have a nose! Taylor's hometown reminded me a lot of my own to be honest, and so I was picturing where I live! 

Like I said, there's still lots to be uncovered. The plot has lots of threads that are all woven together to make a complex and thrilling plot that keeps you reading. Some of these threads have been unravelled as they all wind together, but there's still some threads that need to be unravelled and I'm literally dreading the wait for the next book!

There's plenty of action in the book, don't worry, the romance is subtle and not the main focus of the book! There's action, romance, intrigue, history, curses, cool powers and more all woven together to create the book. There's plenty of plot twists, some you've half guessed at, others are surprising or shocking, and some are heartbreakingly sad. I was never quite sure what was going to happen next, even when I'd half guessed at something! The writing was so....evocative. So compelling. It created such a vivid picture as you where reading and was the other element that literally grabbed you and pulled you in to the book. 

I also want to mention another little bit that I loved. When we get the final explanation of how the curse happened, I loved that we where shown rather than told. I loved it. Like rather than reading it as part of Sacha's inner monologue, we get thrown in to the past and see for ourselves what happened. The entire book is atmospheric and cinematic, but this part was just....so ridiculously atmospheric. I got chills reading it. 

The Secret Fire is not only everything I hoped it would be, it's more. I couldn't put it down. Well I could, but it was very hard to do and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. The Secret Fire was filled with originality, romance, action, humour, emotion and so many feels. The threads of the plot wove together to create an intriguing and addictive read, with characters that come to life and a world that sucks you in with it. I couldn't get enough of the book and I'm so, ridiculously excited for the next book! 

Wishing For Wednesday #56

Get excited for this WFW! 
First up is the next book in a series that I've been reading for a while, I shouldn't really call it my guilty pleasure series, but it kinda is. Either way it's an awesome series and I'm seriously excited for it!
Next up is one of the most awaited books for any Game Of Thrones fan, maybe it'll tide you over until the next book, but then again...maybe not. 

Angel Dares

Angel is impulsive. Disguising her savant ability to control water doesn't come easily to her. Then she meets the broodingly handsome Marcus at a music festival where they're both performing, and finds herself all at sea. For when he sings, her soul answers with its own music. Like the tide, their mutual attraction cannot be held back, but Marcus's mistrust of Angel's gift is even stronger. How can they ever be together if Marcus is unable to accept who Angel is or what they could mean to each other? And with the net closing in on the Savant community it's time for everyone to choose a side. 

Angel Dares is out October 1st, pre-order your copy....here!
Add it to your TBR....here!

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness.

Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name (hidden from all he and Dunk encounter) is Aegon Targaryen. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.

A Knight Of Seven Kingdoms is out October 6th, pre-order your copy...here!

Add it to your TBR....here! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Finished Series I have YET To Finish

I really need to start doing this more regularly, the topics are always make me think "OH NO how can I narrow it down!?" or require me to really sit and have a think! This weeks theme is one I really had to kinda narrow down....my TBR is terrible! 

So this week is the series that have finished but that you haven't finished reading. My problem is that review books I'm sent take priority over my TBR, and I seem to always be lucky enough to be sent a fair few, which means my own books get bumped lower and lower, which I don't actually mind.  I usually have time to read one or two, but I keep buying books even though I know I won't be reading them for a while! I actually  have had to separate my TBR into different shelves....next in series, series, first in series, standalone to keep track of what's what! So there's a fair few series I've started but haven't actually gotten around to finishing just yet! And ya know, sometimes I'm just not in the mood to read a book that happens to be like the next in a series. So anyway...here we go. 

1. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
This is one of my favourite series so you'd think I'd have finished it ASAP, but I actually have half the series left. Although from what people where saying after each book came out it's probably a good job I'll end up reading them all one after the other! 

2. The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan
I literally have the final book left, I'm just waiting for a time when I can re-read the others and then read this straight after, because I love this trilogy! 

3. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan 
Okay so I've actually only read the first one, the others are sitting on my shelf waiting for the opportune moment to read them. I will get there...eventually! 

4. Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
Literally read these ages ago and the last one has been sitting on my shelf since it came out. I'm aiming to read ones like these, when I've only got one left, next after I'm all sorted with reviews! 

5. House of Night by P.C And Kristin Cast
I have two left in this series to read, but I still need to buy the last one. My issue is that they changed the covers halfway through, so I've been buying the US covers so they all match! There's nothing I hate more than covers changing midway through a series! 

6. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
I think the series had the last few books coming out around about GCSE/A Level time so I didn't have much time for regular reading. I have the last three books to read before I'll allow myself to buy Royal Wedding and read it.....but I can't actually locate the last three books in my house! 

7. The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine
I reviewed the first one on NetGalley and then bought an actual copy, and I have bought the other two, I just haven't gotten around to reading them yet! 

8. Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Again, I read the first one years ago! I have all the others because my nan was reading them as well so we pre-ordered them and everything, but I haven't gotten around to reading them myself yet. 

9. Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
I started reading these because my friend had started and was talking about them, I've read the first three, and I have all of the others except for the latest one, but as usual....I'll get there eventually! 

10. The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
Yes, another of my favourite series that I rave about! I have one left! Well two actually, I appear to have missed a book in the middle of the series somehow! So technically two but seeing as I only realised last year, I'm not sure there's much point in me going back to read it! 

The Blackthorn Key

The Blackthorn Key
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

London, 1665. Fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe is apprenticed to master apothecary Benedict Blackthorn. In Blackthorn's shop, Christopher learns the delicate secrets of transforming simple ingredients into powerful medicines, potions and weapons. His beloved master guides him with a firm, steady hand - instilling him with confidence and independence that prove increasingly vital as Christopher learns of a mysterious cult preying on the most learned men in London. The murders are growing closer and closer to home and soon Christopher is torn from the shop with only a page of cryptic clues from his master and the unambiguous warning: 'Tell no one'. 

Helped by his best friend, Tom, Christopher must decipher his master's clues, following a trail of deceit towards an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

Guys this was so good! Seriously I enjoyed every single page! I've been reading some pretty heavy books recently and this was such a nice break, it made me laugh but at the same time it had a complex plot going on and really kept up the intrigue so I was turning pages as fast as possible! I ended up reading it in one sitting after telling myself "I'm just going to read the first couple of chapters". 

I'm a history nerd and the bend of history and fiction was perfect, just enough history and research to give the book an authentic feel. Although I could have done without some of the smells that where described and could practically smell wafting off the page! You can easily disappear inside the world of the book, there's no boring pages and pages of historical showing off about how much research the author has done. There's a fair bit of history in the book but like I said....it's not overly done and is there to bring the world to life and make it authentic. I found the Author's Note particularly interesting as well as I had completely forgotten about the differing calendars and so on. 

The Blackthorn Key is fast paced, with a quest like vibe, a National Treasure for kids kinda thing. I enjoyed the different clues and trying to work them out along with the characters in the book, as well as work out who the main enemy is. I was completely wrong! The book was full of adventure and humour. I definitely chuckled a fair bit as I was reading, mostly at Christopher and Tom's antics.

It's got to be said, the book had a lot of heart to it with Christopher's relationship with his Master and then his friendship with Tom. It was also kind of sad and heartbreaking in one or two places, but this was balanced out with the humour. Christopher was a likeable character, his sarcasm was spot on and you liked him from the beginning. As you got to know him more, you felt for him more and more as he was struggling in the aftermath of his Masters death. You ended up rooting for him, and your connection to the character meant that there where some pretty intense scenes of suspense. Bridget the pigeon also deserves a mention I think! Christopher's bird BFF who kept turning up all over the place! It was a sweet touch. 

The book has a very nice murder mystery at it's heart. There's lots of threads to it because not everything is as it seems, so it's actually quite complex. These other threads slowly reveal themselves and the plot definitely thickens until you're trying to put all the clues together but still not quite managing to puzzle it all out. There where some surprising twists to the story and then a huge end reveal that had me shouting at the book! 

All in all The Blackthorn Key was a fun read with plenty of action and adventure to keep you turning the pages, and complex undertones that gives the book an edge. 

Wishing For Wednesday #55

It's Wednesdaaaaayyy....duh! 
So this week I've got, like I always do, some gems for you to add to your TBR's! 
First up is a book that caught my interest because of the synopsis and its setting, Gold Rush era America! 
Second is a new book from one of my favourite authors! It's the start of a new series I believe and I need it like....yesterday! 
As usual I've linked buy links and GoodReads links so ya know....what's one more book on the TBR!?


Walk On Earth A Stranger

A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? 

Walk On Earth A Stranger is out September 22nd, pre-order your copy...here! 
Add it to your TBR....here! 

Menagerie

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town. 

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed. 

Menagerie is out September 29th, pre-order your copy...here!

Add it to your TBR....here!