The Traitor

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

Tomorrow, on the beach, Baru Cormorant will look up from the sand of her home and see red sails on the horizon.

The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.

In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.

But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

When you open the book and start reading, the first thing you'll see are the words "This is the truth. You will know because it hurts" and truer words where never spoken. Or rather typed. This book destroyed me utterly. There's a quote from one of my favourite shows, "evil isn't born, it's made" and it's relevant in this case as you become attached to Baru, utterly support her....and then read helplessly on as she destroys you. You witness the creation of a monster, but it's a monster you've come to care for so you're left not really knowing how to feel. 

There's no magic or mythological creatures and so on, you read a fantasy that's all about humans and betrayal and treachery and power. Essentially you end up horrified by humans and what they're capable of. We first meet Baru as a young girl and watch her start on her path to becoming kind of a monster. I really liked her. I liked her intelligence, I liked her wit, I liked how strong she was, how well written and brought to life she was. You come to love her and support her, and cheer her on, but as much as she's a hero she's also a villain and you end up recoiling or, if Game of Thrones has hardened you, at the least flinching at her crimes. There is so much to her and I can't wait to see what happens to her next. 

It has to be said, this book is a complete ride. Looking back, there where clues that should have prepared me for the ending or tipped me off. As it was, I missed every single one of them and unwittingly merrily came upon the end of the book and ended up being utterly shocked and surprised. I actually dropped the book. There are so many twists and turns to the book that you don't see coming that you're on edge as you read. 

The Traitor really got under my skin and I felt some pretty strong emotions while I was reading, which all pale in comparison to the utter.....devastation that the ending of the book brought. Because it gets under your skin, it really hits you hard. In short, this book is so well done that it has one hell of an impact on the reader and anyone saying they dislike it is only doing so because they loved it so much and then ended up pretty much heartbroken over the ending. 

There is so much backstabbing in this book you could make a drinking game of it, and you probably should to help you get through the ending. Seriously I keep mentioning it because you all need to prepare yourselves! The politics of the world are intricate and you come to understand them intimately as you read, but everything to do with the politics and history is written so compellingly that you don't end up bored from reading page after page about it like in some other fantasy books, no, you end up fascinated. 

The world created is vivid, and rich. I read an ARC and as such had no map to refer to. No matter. The world was so well created and described I could picture where everything was clearly, as well as what each place was like. The characters, both main and secondary, are written so well they are given a spark life and are dramatic and lively players in the world. 

The Traitor is an utterly emotionally devastating, yet completely brilliant read. Dickinson is subtle with his cruelties and his emotional manipulation of the reader, and it serves to create an emotional punch when everything comes to it's climax and conclusion. This book is diverse, it's emotional, it's rich in it's world building and politics, giving you the information you need to understand why everything is happening in the world. Baru is a compelling hero with villain tendencies. Or is it villain with hero tendencies? I'm not entirely sure. But she was one hell of a fantastic, strong lead. All in all it's an incredible fantasy book but you need to prepare yourselves for the emotional slaughter! 

Wishing For Wednesday #58

This Wednesday I have more exciting reads to add to your TBR! 
First up is a book that needs to not be judged by its cover or title, trust me, read the synopsis and I'm sure you'll all be as intrigued as I am! Siblings...highwaymen, magicians, kings and more! 
Next up is a book that I literally had no idea was happening until not long ago, I thought this series has ended as a trilogy but this is the fourth book! It's from a different characters POV but hopefully we'll see some of the old characters! Just in time for halloween too! 

Swords and Scoundrels

Vocho and Kacha are champion duelists: a brother and sister known for the finest swordplay in the city of Reyes. Or at least they used to be-until they were thrown out of the Duelist's Guild.

As a last resort, they turn reluctant highwaymen. But when they pick the wrong carriage to rob, their simple plans to win back fame and fortune go south fast.

After barely besting three armed men and a powerful magician, Vocho and Kacha make off with an immense locked chest. But the contents will bring them much more than they've bargained for when they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot to return an angry king to power....

Swords and Scoundrels is out October 8th, pre-order your copy....here! 
Add it to your TBR...here!

A Mad Zombie Party

Ali Bell and Cole Holland's crew of zombie slayers thought they'd won the war against Anima Industries, the evil company responsible for capturing and experimenting on zombies in an effort to discover the secret to immortality. In the last epic clash, the slayers lost many of their crew and closest friends. But Frosty, the ice man himself, has not recovered from one casualty in particular—the love of his life, Kat Parker. 

On the path to self-annihilation, Frosty receives a message from beyond—Kat's spirit returns, insisting he partner with rogue slayer Camilla Marks. Frosty will do anything for Kat. Except that. Camilla is the one who betrayed them all, leading to Kat's death. 

But when Anima rises from the grave to become a force the slayers may not have the strength to overcome, Frosty, Camilla and all the slayers will have to work together to survive. And one broken slayer will learn that sometimes, the line between hate and attraction is blurred…and the road to redemption isn't through revenge, but in letting go of the past and grabbing hold of the future.

A Mad Zombie Party is out October 8th, pre-order your copy...here! 

Add it to your TBR...here!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

I'm back with TT Tuesday, I know I said I'd do it more regularly and then I failed pretty spectacularly...but here we go! Don't forget to comment telling me your Fall TBR books! I don't know why I'm saying Fall....I'm British, we say Autumn! 

So, my Fall TBR, there's a fair few books on it and picking just 10 is haaaaarrrrrdddd, but I've managed. A couple of them are ones I've been sent to review but most are not! 

1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
So basically, I have my TBR arranged in to "Next In Series" "First In Series" and "Stand Alone", because I'm fancy like that. This is in the "First In Series" TBR and I kinda wanna read all the next in series books first....but there's a read along for this going on over on Tumblr and I'm so intrigued I don't think I can wait. 

2. Night School: Endgame by C.J. Daugherty
So, this has been sitting on my shelves for ages and it's the last in one of my favourite series so I'll definitely be getting around to this in the near future. 

3. Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch
I've been lucky enough to receive an ARC of this therefore I'm gonna be reading it super early because I can. But first I'll be re-reading the first book because I have the time for once! 

4. The Sword Of Summer by Rick Riordan
Again, super lucky and received an ARC....definitely have no self control and will end up reading this really early! I'm so excited for this! I'm such a Percy Jackson fangirl and I've been waiting for this entirely new series for ages I mean...this one is all Norse mythology and Gods and I can't even with the excitement! 

5. The Fiery Heart/Silver Shadows/The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
I should probably have done this separately, but I didn't so whatever. I've probably mentioned before how these are the last three in a series, and like literally the last half of that series, and I never got round to them and then everyone was freaking about the end of the fifth book so I thought I'd wait until the last one was out then read them all together....

6. Legacy Of Kings by Eleanor Herman
Does this need an explanation? Reimagining of Alexander the Great...it'd be rude not to. 

7. The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Everyone's been raving about this so I decided to bump it up the TBR!

8. Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine
First book in a new series by one of my favourite authors....definitely merits a bump. 

9. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
This is yet another book getting a bump from me because I'm impatient and everyone raves about this one!

10. Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
My aunt brought me the fancy hardback edition of this straight from Barnes and Noble Texas, again, this is another book everyone on Tumblr has been raving about so it gets a bump. 

All in all it's highly doubtful I'll stick to my system and read all the next in series books first because I keep bumping other books :') 
Ah well, GoodReads pages are linked. Go forth and swell your TBRs! 

Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name​ ​for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.

Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports​ from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take...

I'm a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fangirl, it has to be said. So how could I not take the opportunity to read the story of his older brother Mycroft? Mycroft has always intrigued me and this book goes some way to show you how he became the person he is when we meet him in Sherlock Holmes books. 

This story is full of adventure and danger, with a nice mystery that's fun to try and put the pieces together before the big reveal. The book also had a nice amount of humour to it, to have you chuckling once or twice. I found our two protagonists to be likeable and fun to read about, I enjoyed the relationship between the two and I came to like their characters more and more as I read, rooting for them and hoping for them to come out on top. Even though it is fairly obvious they would succeed...what with Mycroft being in the Sherlock books and so on...but still! 

I was completely fascinated by the legendary Douen and Lougarou, I really wanted to know more about the stories surrounding them and everything, and it's something I'll be looking in to myself. I'm such a sucker for myths and legends to be honest.

Much like the characters, the book itself and the plot and so on, are all very well written. I found it easy to read the book and get lost in it. I liked the pace of the book and the prose. The book has you engaged from start to finish, riveted, trying to put pieces together, but failing as something surprises you. The historic detail was spot on, and perfectly done. There are some particularly well done scenes between Mycroft and Sherlock that had me internally squealing, not to mention the very end of the book! 

All in all it was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't be opposed to it being turned in to a series, because why not? Mycroft is usually in the background and it's great to get to know him, it makes him seem less...aloof? Whether reading or watching something Sherlock, I always feel as if he's kind of aloof or separate, but this book kind of solidified him in my mind as a real person/character, which doesn't make sense but yeah. 

Wishing For Wednesday #57

WFW gets more exciting each week!
First up is another of my stumbled upon on GoodReads books, I couldn't resist the synopsis! Monsters and armies....intriguing right?! 
Second is the sequel to a book I LOVED! So many sequels are out this year that I feel like I've been waiting years for, and I know some of you have been waiting for this one! 
So pre-order and/or add to your GoodReads TBR! 


An Inheritance Of Ashes

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.

When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself. 

An Inheritance Of Ashes is out October 6th, pre-order your copy...here!
Add it to your TBR...here!

Sky Key

Endgame is here. Earth Key has been found. Two keys—and nine Players—remain. The keys must be found, and only one Player can win.

Queens, New York. Aisling Kopp believes the unthinkable: that Endgame can be stopped. But before she can get home to regroup, she is approached by the CIA. They know about Endgame. And they have their own ideas about how it should be Played. Ideas that could change everything.

Kingdom of Aksum, Ethiopia. Hilal ibn Isa al-Salt narrowly survived an attack that leaves him horribly disfigured. He now knows something the other Players do not. But the Aksumites have a secret that is unique to their line. A secret that can help redeem humanity—and maybe even be used to help defeat the beings behind Endgame.

London, England. Sarah Alopay has found the first key. She is with Jago—and they are winning.But getting Earth Key has come at a great cost to Sarah. The only thing that keeps the demons at bay is Playing. Playing to win.
Sky Key—wherever it is, whatever it is—is next. And the nine remaining Players will stop at nothing to get it.

Sky Key is out October 6th, pre-order your copy....here!

Add it to your TBR...here!

Twelve Kings

Twelve Kings
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings—cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens, and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.

Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings’ laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha’ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings’ mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings’ power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don’t find her first.

Oh my this book was....sweeping, engrossing, absorbing...astounding. It really gave my imagination a stretch and was filled with all the things I love in a good fantasy novel, I couldn't put it down and as the book was coming to a close I was desperately hoping for it to carry on longer. The wait for the next book will be difficult, as while some questions where answered, there where many left unanswered and I'll probably spend time thinking back on those questions. Not to mention the fact that the next book, and in fact the rest of the series, was expertly set up without sacrificing any of the plot of this book. It was a rich fantasy read and the kind you end up completely obsessed with and fully invested in. 

There is nothing quite like a book that starts off with a cracking fight scene, you're straight in there and you just know you're going to love it. From that point it was all go really, there was plenty of action as you're drawn in to the world and start to learn about it. And what a world it is. But more on that in a moment. We're talking action right now, and the book has plenty of it. Fight scenes that will have your pulse racing and have you on the edge of your seat, and kind of have you wishing you where as badass as Çeda. They where perfectly written and you could practically see it happening before your eyes, and along with the fast pace, you end up pretty much glued to the book. 

As for the world, it was astounding and so fantastically crafted. It was so vivid you could smell the smells of the bazaar, see Çeda and her friends, feel the atmosphere and the vibe of the place. It pulls you in to the world of the book perfectly and has you completely engrossed. I don't think I have accurate words to describe just how completely amazing the world building was. I'm so itching to see more of the world that was created, you get the impression it's fairly extensive and there's much of it to be explored, and I hope we can in the next book! 

The book also has a very rich background history to it, as well as intricate legends and myths. I was fascinated reading about this other world and their history, politics, Gods, customs and so on. Completely riveted and loving reading every little bit about it, especially as all of it was woven in to the plot instead of one massive info dump. The sections of it in the plot that where kind of chunky, where written so compellingly that you didn't really notice if it was a long passage just on the history/mythology of it, and you always wanted to know more and more about the world. 

Çeda is my kind of character. I loved her determination and tenacity, her intelligence, her skills and learning more about her page by page and in each flashback chapter. You rooted for her from the start, and then more and more as you learned more. You where on her side, willing her to do well, to achieve what she wanted. Like if some other character was mean to her, then you kinda disliked that character and where like "boo you". I can't describe quite what it is, but I just loved her. I wanted to know more about her, she came alive off the page and helped to bring the world of the book to life. I just understood her and how she operated. 

There's a cast of incredibly interesting and colourful characters in the book, each as lively as Çeda, each so well written that they come to life off the page. Emre, who had such a depth of backstory to him, such emotion and who you kind of wanted to smack at times, but liked him nonetheless and kind of rooted for him to do the right thing. Ramahd, who you felt for but also....kinda wanted to smack because clearly Meryam was up to no freaking God and he's completely blind to it or whatever. He, like Emre, had a tragic backstory and there was more to him than met the eye. The Kings, you get one King's point of view along with Emre, Ramahd and Çeda and he was an...interesting point of view, he's clearly playing some kind of game but we still don't know what. Each King is so different from the others and we didn't get to meet all of them properly, so I'm excited to meet more of them properly. 

These are just some of the main characters. There are plenty of other characters, The Blade Maidens, I'm so eager to learn more about them, particularly the ones in Çeda's Hand. We where just starting to get to know them towards the end of this book. There's Macide and his...group, who are most certainly more than they appear, but I can't say more because spoilers. The Asirim who have an interesting background and who you want to know more about because you want to understand them. For most of the book they're these incredibly sinister figures and then towards the end your perception of them changes entirely. There's so many other characters who where so well characterised and brought to life despite the fact they where a lesser character and not seen often. 

There are different POV's, like I mentioned above, and they each add interesting threads to the main threads of the story being woven. The plot really does thicken with each POV change and new bit of information learned. Not to mention the flashback chapters that add plenty of extra threads. You end up with such a deep understanding of the world and characters, as well as knowing something big is coming and not all is as it seems. Each change is perfectly timed and smoothly changes from narrative to narrative, each as engaging as the last. 

I realize I've been mentioning all these characters and rich and intricate history to the world. Don't get me wrong though. I should mention that while the world has a complex structure to it, it's described so you can easily understand and come to grips with it fairly early on. Everything after that just adds to it rather than adding confusion, it enhances your understanding of the world and takes you deeper in to the world. 

Twelve Kings is easy to read and follow, is what I'm saying, it's not over complicated with the writing or having too many characters to keep track of without some kind of spreadsheet, like with Game of Thrones. It's complex and intricate without confusing you or making it hard to read. It's a complex fantasy you truly can't put down and enjoy because you can easily get to grips with the world and who's who and everything else. You never felt like the book was too long or like it was dragging, you actually wanted more and more and wanted it to carry on for a good couple hundred more pages. 

I loved all of the Gods and mythology behind them. Now that is one area I really want to know more about because again, there's clearly more than meets the eye and it's one of the incredibly fascinating areas. I'd love to actually see more of them in the next book too because I'm so intrigued by them. 

Twelve Kings is a blend of past and present, like I've already mentioned, there are looks in to the past that show you what happened to bring the characters to the place they are at when we meet them in the book, that show you how they became the way they are and give you an incredibly deep understanding of the character. The flashbacks answer questions about characters, and the flashbacks are always relevant to an upcoming chapter or a chapter that had recently gone by. A lot of the time I read the flashback chapters and I was like "aaaaaah". 

As well as this fantastically done blend, and a complex plot, there where so many twists and turns and these twists and turns got more shocking as you raced towards the end of the book. I was always surprised, I'd have kind of half worked out a reveal and then be either, you know, half right, or completely wrong or kind of right but with an added bit of information I hadn't worked out. The book kept me on my toes that's for sure! 

Twelve Kings is a skilfully written, complex and engrossing book, set within a rich and vividly created world with characters that, no matter how big a part they have, come to life off the page due to their characterisation and depth. The plot is thrilling, compelling, intricate and gives us one part of a large overall story that's going to be one hell of a ride. You find yourself constantly surprised, caught up in moments of suspense, and practically holding your breath during the fantastically written fight scenes. There's rich mythology and history to the world that helps bring it to life, and the book, while complex, is still easy to get to grips with concerning said rich history and politics. I loved every page and can't wait for the next book to get back to the world!