Thursday 29 November 2012

Review: Tales of Terror from the Black Ship

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Title: Tales of Terror from the Black Ship

Author: Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Publication date: 07/03/2011

Format: Paperback - 272 pages

Genre: YA - Horror

 

 

Two sick children wait alone for a doctor one storm-lashed night. But instead a sailor knocks on their door seeking shelter.


Telling gruesome and creepy seafaring tales, he helps them while away the dark hours. Before the night is through Ethan and Cathy will learn the secret of the Black Ship and many more terrible truths.



My thoughts:


I love me a good horror story and this book had more than its fair few.


This book has a few creepy tales within the actual main plot. A sailor turns up at an inn while a storm rages outside and spends the time telling the two children, Ethan and Cathy, a collection of tales from his seafaring days. 


I will say that I did start to get bored of the little stories being told. It seemed quite repetitive at times and I found myself wanting to skip a few chapters. As a whole the stories genuinely creeped me the hell out but when it's story after story with little or no introduction between them, it becomes redundant. 


I loved, loved, loved the overall plot that didn't include the scary stories told by the sailor. What happened was so unexpected that I had to sit and think about the book for five minutes after finishing it. It was so shocking and downright horrifying - I'm still not over it. I thought I knew what was coming but Priestley took it to a whole new level and then some. 


What I loved most about this book was definitely the writing. I really enjoyed how Priestley kept this bleak and edgy atmosphere throughout the whole read even when nothing was happening at that given moment. 


Overall, this was a really creepy read that I finished in just two hours. I really recommend it for fans of horror if only to get a feel of this author's writing. 


My rating: 7/10


Chris Priestley:

Goodreads | Website 

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Teaser Tuesday #45

Tte

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week I'm reading Jane by April Lindner.

Jane


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'Nothing so glamorous,' I said, and immediately realised the truth I was hiding was even stranger than the fictions that the sisters had invented for me. For a moment, I wished I could share my story, if only because I knew it would amuse them.

page 284

Monday 26 November 2012

Review: The Thin Executioner

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Title: The Thin Executioner

Author: Darren Shan

Publisher: UK - HarperCollins | US -  Little Brown

Publication date: UK - 30 September 2010 | US - 08/03/2011

Format: Paperback - 410 pages

Genre: YA - Horror

The Thin Executioner

 

 

 Jebel Rum's biggest weakness…is weakness.

As the son of Um Wadi's executioner, he's expected to try out for his father's job - except that he's too skinny to wield the heavy axe. A laughing stock in his home town, Jebel embarks on a perilous quest to the lair of a mysterious god. It is a dark, brutal, terrifying journey.

But to Jebel Rum, the risk is worth it...



My thoughts:


I am a huge fan of Darren Shan's books and this was no exception even if I did feel like it didn't live up to his other work.


It was definitely not what I was expecting from Shan. I was actually pleasantly surprised when I finished in since it was more about the characters and the plot (as it usually is) but with less emphasis on the horror side than usual. It did fit with the story in this case. I thought that the characters in this read just carried me through the whole book.


There was definitely still a whole load of horror and gore involved. I love how Shan never shies away from including the little details that are lacking in most horror reads. The level of hardship in the settings of this book really adds to the story. At times I felt there was no hope for anybody. That everybody was just going to end up dead because of their ignorance and the rest of the several towns involved would suffer for it - it was definitely a page turner. 


Like I said before, I thought the characters were really well written. My favourite characters definitely have to be Master Bush and Master Blair. The only reason is because they thoroughly creeped me out to the extreme! Every time they cropped up in the story I would immediately start flicking through pages as fast  as I could just to find out what they were going to do. They are the kind of characters that you would avoid to the ends of the earth if they existed in real life...

 

 The big problem I had with this book was its predictability. It's something I cannot stand at all in any way and in any book. I enjoyed the read but throughout the whole thing I was wishing I couldn't just guess what was going to happen. It makes everything seem so anticlimactic in the end. I knew how the book was going to end by the middle of the read, therefore, when it eventually came to it, I was dreading reading the end because I already knew what I was going to read to a big extent. 

 

All in all, I did enjoy the read and do recommend it to fans of this genre and definitely to Darren Shan fans.

 

My rating: 7/10

 

Darren Shan:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Sunday 25 November 2012

In My Mailbox #37

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In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

 

This week I got:

 

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Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel (Crewel World, #1)

 

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

 

Happy reading!

Friday 23 November 2012

Series Spotlight: Need #4

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Title: Endure

Author: Carrie Jones

Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - 10/05/2012 

Format: Paperback - 288 pages 

Genre: YA - Paranormal

Endure (Need, #4)
 
 

There was a time, not long ago, when all Zara wanted was to have Nick back. Rescuing him from Valhalla should have made all her problems disappear. He's Bedford's greatest warrior, not  to mention Zara's true soulmate. Except Nick isn't the person he used to be. And neither is Zara. She's a pixie queen. Astley's queen.


Zara has a plan to stop all the evil pixies that are ravaging her town, and her ideas are not the same as Nick's or Astley's. One thing they can all agree on though: war is here. And not everyone will survive. Zara's gravest choice is yet to come.



My thoughts:


I was really apprehensive before reading this one since I wasn't a big fan of the second or third in the series. It was sort of the last chance to get me enthusiastic about the whole pixie taking over the world idea.


I have to say it was definitely a big improvement to Captivate and Entice. I had a big problem relating to or caring for any of the characters in the second and third book. This one was different though. Zara especially seemed so much more mature and decisive which I found a really great relief. Nick was less obnoxious and Astley behaved realistically for the most part. It wasn't to the level as I found it to be in the first book, Need, but it was getting there. 


What I didn't like, that I actually didn't have a problem with in the other books, was the fact that Zara was so easy to sway in terms of who she wanted to be with. It was decided in an instant and I found that really annoying. I'm not a fan of the really unrealistic 'soulmate' idea so that really bugged me. I won't say anymore in case there are those of you who don't know who she ends up with but it was pretty obvious to be fair.


The plot was so much better in terms of how it was paced and what happened when. It was similar to everything else that had happened in previous books - it was almost like reading the same book over and over again. There was a lot less predictability and a lot more intensity which I thoroughly enjoyed.


Overall this series was pretty much average for me. I do recommend it for people who are big fans of pixies, fey and the like. It was definitely full of mythology - plus, there was loads and loads of glitter!


My rating: 7/10


My rating of the whole series: 5/10


Carrie Jones:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Books in the series:

  1. Need
  2. Captivate
  3. Entice
  4. Endure



Need by Carrie Jones

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Trailer Reveal: Opal

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Opal - The third book in the Lux series.

 

Available in both print and digital version on December 18, 2012

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

Official Trailer:



 

 

 

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 Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Official Website 

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Teaser Tuesday #44

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



This week I'm reading Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs.
Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls, #1)


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Oooh, this is so juicy. It's not like Thane hasn't dated before - he's just really particular - and it's not like he couldn't have almost any girl he wanted.

Page 259

Saturday 17 November 2012

Series Spotlight: Need #3

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Title: Entice

Author: Carrie Jones

Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - 04/01/2011 | US - December 2011

Format: Paperback - 272 pages 

Genre: YA - Paranormal

Entice (Need, #3)

 

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together for ever. But that's not quite how things have worked out. For starters, Nick has gone. He has been taken to the mythical place for warriors known as Valhalla. Zara and her friends might be able to get him back , it's just not going to be easy. Meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But even if Zara and her friends do discover the route to Valhalla, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any pixie…She's Astley's queen.



My thoughts:


 After just finishing this the first thought that came to mind was that it disappointed me. I had hoped after enjoying the first book in the series and not the second so much that it would improve. I have to say, the first book seems like it's part of a different series altogether, even by a completely different author.

 

Mostly, what I didn't like in the second book of the Need series, Captivate, I had the same problems with in this one, especially the characters. I've already mentioned that I didn't like the way the characters seemed to drastically change for no apparent reason apart from it being the second book. It made me completely unfeeling towards them if anything (bad or good) happened to them. I couldn't root for one character or another so it made the read pointless in a way. If you don't care for any of the characters then what is the point in reading a book?

 

I did think the plot was better than both the first and the second book. It had a lot more substance, more to gain if all goes to plan and definitely more to lose if things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to. There was a lot more suspense involved which made the book that much more intense. I did think that far too much happened too quickly at moments. One big event would occur and then another in the next page - partner that with not really caring about what happens to any of the characters led to said events being anticlimactic. 

 

What I most liked about this read was that it was incredibly focused on one thing, making it incredibly fast paced. It all revolved on the characters rescuing someone they care deeply about and everything else was put aside for the moment. The end of the book all came down to whether they achieved this or not - it got pretty exciting towards the end. I did like the end too - it was really different and it was described in this really magical and captivating way. I thoroughly enjoyed the end of the book. 

 

My rating: 6/10

 

Carrie Jones:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Books in the series:

  1. Need
  2. Captivate
  3. Entice
  4. Endure

 

Need by Carrie Jones

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Series Spotlight: Need #2

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Title: Captivate

Author: Carrie Jones

Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - 05/04/2010 | US - December 2010

Format: Paperback - 288 pages 

Genre: YA - Paranormal

 

 

Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they had - sort of. They're locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he's in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. Who will fill the power vacuum? Astley. He claim's he's different. He claims that it doesn't have to be violence and nastiness all the time. Zara wants to believe him.. until Astley also claims that she's fated to be his queen.


There's no way Zara would ever turn pixie. And she's got good friends who'll make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when the very thing Zara most wants to protect is exactly what's at risk, she's forced to make choices she never imagined,



My thoughts:


I know you've all probably heard this a hundred times but it's so hard not to compare a sequel to the previous book. After immediately finishing this book I thought 'it's not as good as the first'. It's so hard to stop doing that, more so with the second book than say the third or fourth. The characters and the settings have already been established and you already have a feel for how the author writes. When any of that changes to a point that doesn't suit you, anything you ever found great in the book is thrown out the window. I think you've all guessed that I felt this was for Captivate


To me the characters in this read were like completely different people to the first book (there go the comparisons again). Zara was so sensible and mellow which I really loved. In this book she's such a 'girly girl', using completely different language and making different choices to what I would expect of her based on what I already know from when she was introduced in Need. I felt the same about Nick. I really liked Nick in the first book and now I find him so dull - I'm really sorry to say it too. It's probably only Issie and Devyn who are anywhere near the same as what they were in the first book. 

 

The plot wasn't great but it was still a good read. I thought the first half of the book could have had a little more action in it - it did get a little tiring to read until it picked up. When it did pick up it was quite enjoyable. I did predict the end result though which annoyed me a little but the other events took me completely by surprise. I have to say I hated the fact that I couldn't feel for any of the characters though. If a book is a good read then what the characters go through is supposed to affect me. Where I was supposed to be upset I couldn't care less and I'm pretty sure it's not because I have a heart of stone.

 

Overall I thought this was an okay read - it was over really quickly - I didn't really have enough time to start enjoying it.

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Carrie Jones:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Books in the series:

  1. Need
  2. Captivate
  3. Entice
  4. Endure

 

Need by Carrie Jones

 

Monday 12 November 2012

Series Spotlight: Need #1

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Title: Need

Author: Carrie Jones

Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - 01/02/2010 | US - December 2009

Format: Paperback - 306 pages 

Genre: YA - Paranormal

 

 

Zara White suspects a freaky guy is stalking her. She memorises phobias and chants them when she's nervous. OK, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But moving to a freezing Maine town to stay with her grandmother is supposed to be the perfect fix - so her mum says.


Except, this plan of sending Zara away to help her stay sane? Yeah, not working. Turns out the stalker is not a figment of Zara's imagination. He's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs are pointing to Zara.



My thoughts:


The first thing that came to mind after finishing this read was the fact that it was over so quickly. I literally finished it in about two hours and I was quite upset about that in a way - I was enjoying it.


I thought the plot of this one was a little odd. It was too simple for my tastes which meant it was entirely too predictable. Literally every single supposedly shocking event was no shock to me since I already knew it was going to happen ever since the first few chapters. I still enjoyed reading it but I felt that I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it weren't so obvious. I am looking forward to what the next book holds in store in terms of the plot though - it may be a lot better.


The characters have to be my favourite aspect of the book. I really enjoyed how cute they all were. Nick was a sweetheart when he wasn't in a temper and Devyn was just adorable. Issie was hilarious and someone I wish I knew in real life - she was really fun and energetic but also enigmatic in a way, I really want to see a lot more of her. Zara, the protagonist, was really quirky. She came through great in the book evident by the fact I took a shining to her immediately. She was very different to any character I've read before so it was greatly refreshing to read her sometimes exasperating one-liners and funny stuff she seems to just blurt out. 


Even if I don't think the book fulfilled the potential it does have, I started to really like the author's writing style towards the end. I thought it was confusing and weird at first because I thought I was thrown into the deep end a little bit. However, once I warmed up to how different and sometimes strange the characters were I started to really like it - it was definitely something different. 

 

All in all this was a quick and easy read, especially for the first book in a series. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 

Carrie Jones:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Books in the series:

  1. Need
  2. Captivate
  3. Entice
  4. Endure

 

 

Need by Carrie Jones

Saturday 10 November 2012

Review: Wolfsbane

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Title: Wolfsbane

Author: Andrea Cremer

Series: Nightshade #2

Publisher: UK -Atom | US - Speak

Publication date: UK - 21 Feb 2012 | US - 03 Jan 2012

Format: Paperback - 400 pages

Genre: YA - Paranormal

Wolfsbane (Nightshade, #2)

 

 

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of her sworn enemies, she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer, one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack - and the boy - she left behind.


But is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side, no matter what?


Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can survive. 



My thoughts:


Even after finishing this book I'm still kicking myself over the fact that I hadn't picked it up sooner. I bought this when it came out - I think I left it because I was afraid of what happens in this one.

 

If you'd like to read my review for the first books in this series - Nightshade - then click here.


I really loved Nightshade but I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this in the second book. It was so jam packed full of action I couldn't stop turning the pages - literally, I was up until three in the morning finishing it. It actually had the feel of an 'in-between' book but in a good way. It's kind of made me anxious as to what will happen next since I'm rooting for so many characters to survive and have a great end to the trilogy. It really is a testament to how well the book is written.


The characters are really amazing in this book. I felt a characters absence when they were mentioned by another character and I felt each emotion they - especially Calla - were feeling. It really adds to the story and takes everything that happens to a whole different, more intense, level. 


The plot was great. Most of it focused on Calla getting her pack back but it held clues to what will happen in the last book plot-wise. Like I said before, it did feel like an 'in between' kind of book but it didn't affect how much I enjoyed the read. It definitely built up the suspense for the next book, more so than Nightshade ever did.


All in all, I can't wait ( and simultaneously dreading ) to read the last book in the trilogy because the first two books so far are amazing.


My rating: 10/10


Andrea Cremer:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter


Nightshade series:

  1. Nightshade
  2. Wolfsbane
  3. Bloodrose

 

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Author Guest Post: Ilsa J. Bick

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Shadows (Ashes Trilogy, #2)
 

Hi everyone! Special treat for you today!

 

As part of the Shadows blog tour, the author, Ilsa J. Bick has kindly agreed to do a guest post on the science behind Ashes and her writing processes. So please welcome Ilsa J. Bick: 



Well, a couple years back, I’d read a very good book with an end-of-the-world scenario and liked it so much I found myself wondering if I could pull off something like that. The problems I thought that book—and others in the genre—had were that the setup and science weren’t that believable; people were too well-behaved; and/or we were dropped into societies eons after whatever catastrophe had taken place.

 

My idea going into the ASHES trilogy was that I wanted to create something that would bring down civilization in a big hurryl; wasn’t a virus or some deadly plague; would let me actually create a setting where you could see/watch the disaster unfolding afterward; and was just credible enough to allow me to play around a bit with just how nasty people, in the aftermath of a disaster, can really be.

 

So, a lot of the science in ASHES is . . . you know . . . real science. For example, a massive sunspot cycle could decimate all the Earth’s electronics, and I knew that the EMPs from a-bombs are a big problem. Building an e-bomb is actually pretty simple; it’s deployment and detonation at precisely the right spot that’s the trick. (Given all the research I did on this, I’m sure I’m on Homeland Security’s radar, too.) You know there’s a real threat, too, if the U.S. Congress holds hearings on the issue, and the military scurries around, trying to figure out how to harden their electronics in the event of an attack. The irony here: even if their electronics can be saved . . . there’s no power, folks. No oil refineries working, so no fuel for all those military toys. Not to mention, there would be scads of nuclear power plants and storage facilities going up in radioactive clouds. Not pretty.

 

Where I stray into fiction concerns what might happen to people in the event of a massive wave of EMPs. Those aren’t experiments you can really do (although I’ll bet someone has and just hadn’t talked about it; the military’s into some hinky things). There is evidence that weird things happen to animals in terms of cumulative exposure to EMPs, and it’s well-known that screwing around with the Earth’s magnetic fields can mess up birds . . . so I just went a step further.

 

In addition, being a child shrink and knowing the brain, I understand what happens to the traumatized brain, what age groups are most at risk, and all that. I know that the teenage brain is just this seething stew of chemicals and functions that are being reset, re-equilibrated, just as I know that the aging brain is much more like a wizened little raisin: not set in stone but in need of a good juice now and again. So morphing my adolescents—whom most adults view as aliens anyway—or figuring out what might protect some of my teenage characters wasn’t that big a stretch. The task was to make all the science work without calling too much attention to it, and leaving just enough ambiguity so you’d have a story and not a textbook.

 

Now, ASHES didn’t become ASHES right away. The first draft had a lot more woo-woo in it and was factually based on a real American CIA program. I’d originally written the book for a workshop that didn’t end up happening, so I put the book aside and wrote something else. When I was done with that book, I decided to dust off this first draft of the manuscript that eventually became ASHES. Well, I saw everything wrong with it right off the bat. I also decided it couldn’t be salvaged. So I killed the whole thing. Just started over. (By the way, that is almost always the best thing to do with any book or story that doesn’t work. Kill that baby. Don’t try to “fix” it. By definition, if it deserves death, none of those words are worth saving. Be ruthless.) The only things I kept from the original manuscript were the setting, the set-up—a massive wave of EMPs—and one single solitary scene that, even then, I heavily rewrote. But the characters, the plot, the evolution, the reveals . . . all that I did over from scratch: outlined that new book and then wrote it.

 

As for the actual writing, well . . . writing is . . . you know, I don’t want this to sound bleak because it’s not, but writing is, yes, creative, but it is also a job. I have to show up for work, and I have to show up for work on time. I have to produce product on time, which means I have to watch my productivity; see what interferes with me getting my work done.

 

This means: I get up (usually by 6 a.m.); I have coffee; I answer some email or read a bit of the news; and then I start working. If I am drafting an outline or writing a book, it’s no different; I have goals for each day that must be met, and I don’t go to bed until I meet those goals. Sometimes that means I’m done in five hours; sometime that means I work for fourteen. For this last big deadline I had, I was working for the last six weeks of it pretty much non-stop, seven days a week, more than twelve hours a day. I have no idea what happened in the world other than it didn’t end, and my husband didn’t eat a cat, something for which I know those little critters are eternally grateful.


Thank's ever so much Ilsa! 


If you'd like to check out Ashes - book one in the Ashes trilogy then you can find it here on Goodreads. Also, if you have read Ashes and need to get caught up before reading Shadows, check out this great refresher up on Ilsa J. Bick's website.

Sunday 4 November 2012

In My Mailbox #36

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In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

 

Over the past few weeks I got:

 

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A signed copy of Viking Gold by V. Campbell


Sixteen-year old Redknee never knew his father. Now his uncle is Jarl and wants Redknee to be a great Viking warrior. But Redknee is clumsy, and more interested in tracking the wild deer of the forest. When the young Viking stumbles upon a war-party making for his home, he must grow up quickly; the brutal Ragnar burns the village, taking for spoils only a mysterious book. Along with a small band of survivors, Redknee takes to the seas. Braving fearsome storms and volcanic islands, bloodthirsty foes and strange new civilizations, the Vikings soon find themselves far beyond the reckoning of their people. But why would Ragnar kill so many for a mere book? Will its tales of faraway lands and riches lead Redknee astray? Or does the book hold the key to his past ...and his future? V. Campbells' debut novel is a thrilling tale of action and adventure, of love and loss, and the power of an unlikely friendship; join Redknee as he seeks out his destiny on the shores of the Promised Land.


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Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs


Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful Gorgon maligned in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates.

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it's also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters. . . .


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A signed copy of Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick


Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend's ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn—but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can't conquer?


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A signed copy of Oblivion  by Anthony Horowitz


Having escaped from Hong Kong, the five gatekeepers - Matt, Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett - are scattered in a hostile and dangerous world. As they struggle to re-group and plan their next move, the malevolent King of the Old Ones gathers his forces in Oblivion: a desolate landscape where the last survivors of humanity must fight the ultimate battle.


Happy reading everyone!

Thursday 1 November 2012

Review: A Discovery of Witches


10459837
Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Series: All Souls Trilogy #1
Publisher: UK - Headline | US - Penguin
Publication date: UK - 29 Sep 2011 | US - 27 Dec 2011
Format: Paperback - 720 pages
Genre: Paranormal
A Discovery Of Witches


It begins with absence and desire.
It begins with blood and fear.
It begins with a discovery of witches.

A world of witches, daemons and vampires.
A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future.
Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it.


My thoughts:

I think anybody who picks this book up first notices just how big it really is. My first thought was to how long it was going to take me to read it and then that it had better be good considering how long it will take me to read it. It didn't disappoint me I'm glad to say.

I loved how much detail was put into this book. There was so much mention of history, alchemy and science that it's sometimes painfully obvious how much research has gone into it. I know quite a few people who hate writing this detailed but I'm a big fan. I love painting a picture of settings and events in my mind as the story develops - I think it's a true testament to writing skills. Deborah Harkness certainly has those skills as every chapter, paragraph and line in this book leaves hardly anything to the imagination - it's all laid out in front of you. 

I did find that I would have liked to have connected with the two main characters, Diana and Matthew, a little more than I did. I thought they were great at first. There weren't many other characters involved for the majority of the book, or at least until the second half. It was mainly about Diana and Matthew which I enjoyed. After the halfway point though, there were quite a few more characters introduced and while I did really like the other characters involved, it seemed to take a lot of focus away from Diana and Matthew to the point of sometimes completely forgetting about them. 

The plot was great. It was a big difference to what I usually read in that there wasn't immediately any danger or solutions involved. Everything happens relatively slowly so that when something does happen, it's a big shock. The characters come to realise what's happening at a realistic pace when they start to get clues and ideas from other characters. I felt as though I was figuring it out at the same pace as them which I thoroughly enjoyed. More than anything though, I have so many questions that I really want answered in the second book.

All in all, I did enjoy this book since I do want to find out what happens in the next one as soon as possible. I would definitely recommend it to anybody fans of paranormal romances.

My rating: 7/10

Deborah Harkness:

All Souls Trilogy:
  1. A Discovery of Witches
  2. Shadow of Night
  3. Untitled