Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

Series: Warm Bodies #1

Publisher: Vintage

Publication date: Oct 28th 2010

Format: Paperback - 240 pages

Genre: Horror | Paranormal Romance

Goodreads

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight…

My thoughts:

Like a lot of people, I rushed to get this book before I go and see the film that just came out - I saw the trailer and it looked bloody hilarious. It had been on my wishlist since it first came out but I just forgot about it for some reason. I'm kind of glad I did though since I didn't have long to wait before the film came out.

I found myself liking this book more than I thought I would. I'd read a whole lot of reviews before even thinking about picking the book up, most of them saying the book was really enjoyable, but I couldn't help being very apprehensive. 

I thought was R was the highlight of the whole story. I loved his narrative and his personality. He was sweet, sometimes to the point of being cheesy, and then he would become incredibly philosophical when it came down to explaining his own existence. 

Most of all though, R was just completely unexpected. When people talk about their favourite romantic characters it's always the bad boys who change or the mysterious vampire/werewolves, not the zombie who doesn't want to be dead. But I fell in love with R! He had this really unusual charm to him with the way he interacts with others, being alive or dead, and with himself too. His mind was completely open to readers and that made for a fantastic read. I really love R.

I thought the plot was amazing too. I really liked the idea that if somebody has hope then there will always be somewhere you can go and something you can do to change things - giving up wasn't an option for certain characters in this book. It had its lovely, heartwarming moments and moments where nothing seems to be going right. The fact that I stayed up well into the night to finish this book really says it all.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic read and I only wish it was a lot, lot longer.

 

My rating: 9/10

 

 

 

Isaac Marion

Goodreads | Website | Twitter

 

Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop 2013

 

Leap Into Books Giveaway Hop

February 28th to March 7th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Jinky is Reading

I'm going to keep this simple yet again and give you the chance to win any book worth £10 or under from The Book Depository.

Most of you will know, that means this giveaway is INTERNATIONAL as long as the Book Depository ships to your country for free. You can find a list of places here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

February 2013 Wrap Up

 

 

Books read in February:

(linked to Goodreads)

 

1. Geek Girl by Holly Smale
2. Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz
3. Moonset by Scott Tracey
4. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
5. Tamed by Douglas R. Brown
6. The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein
7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
8. Black Feathers by Joseph D'Lacey
9. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

 

 

Books reviewed in February:

(linked to reviews)

 

1. Soulless by Gail Carriger
2. Changeless by Gail Carriger
3. Frosted by Wendy Sparrow
4. Blameless by Gail Carriger
5. Heartless by Gail Carriger
6. Timeless by Gail Carriger
7. Broken by Kelley Armstrong
8. The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein
9. Geek Girl by Holly Smale

 

 

Favourite book read in February:

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, teenager Will Grayson crosses paths with..."Will Grayson"! Two teens with the same name who run in two very different circles suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions. Culminating in epic turns-of-heart on both of their parts, they team up to produce the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high-school stage. 

Teaser Tuesday #49

 

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 Black Feathers by Joseph D'Lacey.

Goodreads.

He flew over lakes and mountains, slow when he was soaring high, fast as he passed close to the land and the water. From a great distance he saw a volcano erupt, the earth roaring through the cone of a mountain and burning red phlegm spewing forth. The black vapour's of the world's diseased lungs belched upwards, miles into the sky. 

 

page 135

Review: Geek Girl by Holly Smale

 

Title: Geek Girl

Author: Holly Smale

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication date: 28th February 2013

Format: ebook | Netgalley

Genre: YA | Contemporary 

 

 

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much. So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves. 

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. 

And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

My thoughts:

Every one in a while, I like a nice, cute read that makes me giggle occasionally. This book certainly made me smile and made me feel all fuzzy inside with all its talk of not being afraid to be who you are or not changing for everybody else's benefit. 

From the very first page I fell in love with Harriet's personality. She's really bubbly and charismatic with the way she would come out with facts nobody would ever think they need to know and how she just happens to be the clumsiest person ever. I also loved how she would interact with all of the other characters, especially Nick. As soon as Nick left the picture I would be rushing to turn the pages, impatiently waiting for him to reappear. 

I thought Nat and Toby were really great supporting characters. Toby just made me laugh outright with his obsession with Harriet - he was the funniest stalker ever and I mean that in the best way possible. Nat, however, was really well written. I thought she did everything that a best friend is supposed to. I really hate books where best friends are just there for another character to 'hang out with'. They serve no purpose. But Harriet and Nat reminded me of myself and my own best friend. We fight when we disagree - that's the reality of it - but we make each other better people for it and we know that when we do get into an argument, we're fine the day after. 

As for the plot, I thought it was a general feel good story. A girl has her problems, insecurities and the like, she faces even more problems when she tries to resolve the initial hardships and then comes out better for it in the end. It's not one of those really complicated plots where you have no idea what's going to happen. I knew what was going to happen and how the book would end from the beginning but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

Overall, I thought this was a great read for anybody who likes a sweet story once in a while. I would definitely recommend it - if nothing else, I can guarantee it will make you laugh at the very least. 

My rating: 8/10

Holly Smale

Goodreads | Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Review: The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein

Title: The Next Forever

Author: Lisa Burstein

Series: Pretty Amy #1.5

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Publication date: January 2013

Format: ebook - book tour

Genre: New Adult | Contemporary 

Goodreads

One night in college can change everything…

Away at college, Amy just wants one night alone without her high school sweetheart, Joe. So when he invites her to go to the library, she heads off on her own instead. How she ended up at a house party with the mysterious bad-boy Trevor is another story…

Joe so isn’t going to the library. He needs space from Amy, too, so he’s decided to rush a fraternity, to get back the swagger he had in high school. But it doesn’t take long for the brothers to invite him to the real rush—where the beer is flowing and one particular girl has set her eyes on Joe.

Over the course of one wild night, both Amy and Joe will have to decide if their futures belong with two new people, or whether the next forever will have their first loves in it.

My thoughts:

As soon as I started reading this I immediately fell in love with how well established these characters are. Their personalities just jumped out at me and I immediately became curious as to what would change about them towards the end of the read.

 

I also loved how this read was set out as well as how it was paced. It was such a quick read that the author could make everything happen in real time over the span of a single night. I also loved how the points of view would jump between Amy and Joe - I knew what both characters were thinking at every moment which was great considering what the story is about. 

 

However, I was disappointed a little in how much I already knew what was going to happen. I know the whole point of the book is to test relationships because the characters are in a new environment but I wanted to believe the relationship was seriously on the brink of becoming non-existent. I wanted to anticipate something bad happening so that I could feel for the characters. It just didn't happen so I didn't really take what was happening seriously because I knew what the result would be. 

 

I suppose even though I enjoyed the writing and the story itself, I didn't really like what it puts across. To find out if you're meant to be with someone, you don't have to go and test yourself with somebody else. 

 

Overall this was a sweet, quick story that had its moments. It's not one I would put on the favourites shelf though.

 

My rating: 6/10

 

 

Lisa Burstein:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop 2013

Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop

February 21st - 27th

This hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and YA Between the Lines.

I'm going to keep this simple yet again and give you the chance to win any book worth £10 or under from The Book Depository.

Most of you will know, that means this giveaway is INTERNATIONAL as long as the Book Depository ships to your country for free. You can find a list of places here.

The book you choose has to relate to the giveaway hop (YA Paranormal).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Broken

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #6

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: May 4th 2006

Format: Paperback - 444 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

 

 

When the not entirely turstworthy half-demon Xavier calls in a favour, it seems easy enough - steal Jack the Ripper's 'From Hell' letter way from a Toronto collector who had himself stolen it from the British police files. But nothing in the supernatural world is ever as simple as it seems. When Elena accidentally triggers a spell placed on the letter, she opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. Toronto may be looking for a tourism boost, but 'Gateway to Hell' isn't quite the new slogan the city had in mind.

With thieving vampires, killer rats and unstoppable zombies on the loose, Elena and the rest of her Pack have a lot on their hands. 

My thoughts:

When I saw Broken focuses on Elena and Clay again, I got unbelievably excited about it. I love these characters to a huge extent. After reading six books where they're at least mentioned in every single one of them, never mind the ones where Elena is the protagonist, I feel like I know Elena, Clay and Jeremy completely. So I was looking forward to diving head first back into their world.

The characters of this series play a huge part in the books. Most of them are mentioned in each one, even if they don't make an appearance, so if you don't like even a couple of the many characters introduced, you basically won't enjoy the whole series. It's such a big testament to Kelley Armstrong's writing that I really do love every single one of the characters in every single one of the books so far.

The plot for Broken was definitely enthralling to say the least. It twisted and turned every which way possible so I had no idea what to expect at the end. I loved how it involved British history to the extent it did - it felt a lot like a paranormal Sherlock Holmes at times with the whole solving crime part of it. 

Overall I loved every single part of this read. There was never a dull moment and the ending just took the biscuit. I really can't wait for Elena and Clay to reappear in the series and I'm looking forward to what the next book has in store.

My rating: 10/10

 

Kelley Armstrong:

 

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

 

Women of the Otherworld:

 

1. Bitten
2. Stolen
3. Dime Store Magic
4. Industrial Magic
5. Haunted
6. Broken
7. No Humans Involved
8. Personal Demon
9. Living with the Dead
10. Frostbitten
11. Waking the Witch
12. Spell Bound
13. Thirteen

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate #5

Title: Timeless

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #5

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: 01 Mar 2012

Format: Paperback - 384 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy | Steampunk

 

 

Alexia Tarabotti has settled into domestic bliss...

Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London high society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put  a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Alexia can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

My thoughts:

I always hate finishing a series that I really enjoyed reading. It's made a little bit better since I know there's a spin off series coming along soon enough and a YA series coming out in February set in the same world. Now that I have finished the entire series though, I know it's definitely one I will want to come back to over and over again.

Out of the whole series I think the first book, Soulless and this one, Timeless, are my favourites. Soulless has a different tone to the rest of the books, mainly because of the introduction to the characters. It was less plot based and more character based. After Soulless, the books took on a different edge with really exciting plots and more of a look into supporting characters lives in the past. Timeless was just incredibly engrossing with its incredible plot. I found out so much more about Alexia in this book than in any of the others. Not just her, but her father, her butler, her husband and even her slightly eccentric best friend. It was an amazingly exciting book to read - it didn't slow down for a second.

I loved the characters just as much as ever. I thought all of them were included just enough that I enjoyed a lot of Lord and Lady Maccon and an equal amount of Lord Akeldama and his entourage. There were a lot more of the different p.o.vs which I enjoyed - especially when it came to Biffy and Lyall. Every character has their own story and their own distinct personality that pulls me even further into the story every time they come up. 

Gail Carriger has definitely steadily made her way into my (mental) list of favourite authors. Over the past five books I've really enjoyed her quirky, humorous writing style and how she's managed to keep the read enjoyable even if nothing is particularly happening. I've found myself giggling at some of the characters antics in the book and smiling at Alexia and Conall's sweetheart moments and that's all that I can really ask for in a book - that it manages to elicit some kind of reaction from me. 

My rating: 10/10

My rating of the Parasol Protectorate series: 10/10

 

Gail Carriger:

 

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 

 

 

Parasol Protectorate:

 

1. Soulless
2. Changeless
3. Blameless
4. Heartless
5. Timeless

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate #4

Title: Heartless

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #4

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: July 2011

Format: Paperback - 385 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy | Steampunk

 

 

When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention and a plague of zombie porcupines.

Will she be able to figure out who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it's too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And do they really have to take up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

My thoughts:

This was another great read from Gail Carriger. I enjoyed it just as much as the other books in the series if not more, just because there's a little special difference in Heartless. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the series, even if it is in the summary everywhere, it shouldn't be!

 

I loved reading about Alexia again. I find her attention to details hilarious sometimes - she does notice the funniest things. She's also the most demanding woman I've ever read about in a book. She seriously has no end of demands for everybody around her, especially for things like tea and treacle tart! The way she interacts with people really makes me laugh time and time again, whether it be her husband, her former butler Floote or vampires trying to kill her. Alexia is probably the only heroine I've read about that worries about being civilised towards someone who is proceeding to assassinate her. 

 

The supporting characters were also just as brilliant. Akeldama appeared more in Heartless that in the previous book which I enjoyed - I do love Lord Akeldama and he didn't appear in Blameless anywhere near enough, so his appearances in this one were much appreciated. Lord Maccon was incredibly sweet in this book - I never thought we would see that side of him but when it came out, my heart almost shattered it was the most adorable thing ever. We also get to see a part of Lyall that hasn't made an appearance before. There's an interesting tidbit about his backstory that played a huge part in the whole Woolsey pack's life. It took me completely by surprise.

 

I did feel the plot wasn't as exciting as it was in the previous books until it got towards the end of the book where everything started happening at once. I still enjoyed getting more of the characters in the beginning even if it was a little slow going. The ending was great though, it had loads of action, humour and some really exciting events occur. 

 

I really can't wait to find out what happens next since the book ended the way it did. 

 

My rating: 9/10

 

Gail Carriger:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 

Parasol Protectorate:

1. Soulless
2. Changeless
3. Blameless
4. Heartless
5. Timeless

 

Teaser Tuesday #48

 

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 Moonset by Scott Tracey.

 

No one ever really questioned it, because aside from our guardians and the witches who knew who we were, we never talked about it. Didn't invite people over to our houses, never brought it up. It was one of the many things about our lives that was just too hard for normal kids to understand. 

page 49

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate #3

 

Title: Blameless

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #3

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: Sept 2010

Format: Paperback - 374 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy | Steampunk

 

 

Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Alexia becomes the scandal of the London season.

Not only does Queen Victoria dismiss her from the Shadow Council, but the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by a homicidal mechanical ladybugs - indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.

While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires - and they're armed with pesto.

My thoughts:

 

 This was the first book I read in 2013 and I have to say, it got the year off to a great start. I loved it just as much as the previous two books.

 

I thought the plot was a lot more exciting than the second book in the series, Changeless. Changeless was a little bit of an in-between book for me and even though I loved it regardless, this read had a more substantial plot. The settings change too as Alexia travels to Italy which was definitely fun. It made the read more engrossing as a whole because of the non-stop action. There was a little bit of a mystery side to it too. So the book would switch between Lord Maccon's Beta Lyall trying to figure out where Lord Akeldama disappeared off to and then back to vampire drones trying their best to murder Alexia.

 

Blameless was just as funny as the previous books in the series too. When Lord Maccon makes his appearances in the book, he is mostly drunk on formaldehyde of all things and consequently came out with the most hilarious things imaginable. Alexia was just as witty as ever too, even when her life was at stake. I loved it. I just adore books with plenty of humour in them - it makes them so much more gripping, I seriously can't turn the pages fast enough.

 

I was a little disappointed in how much Lord Akeldama played a part in this book. He only made an appearance towards the end and since he's one of my favourite characters I wanted to see a lot more of him. I also wanted to see more of Lord Maccon to be honest, i really  enjoyed how he and Alexia interacted and there wasn't a lot of that in this read. I think he'll play a bigger part in the next book though.

 

Overall I loved this book. I'm definitely a big fan of this series now and I want to read all of the authors books in the future. 

 

My rating: 10/10

 

Gail Carriger:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 

Parasol Protectorate:

1. Soulless
2. Changeless
3. Blameless
4. Heartless
5. Timeless

 

 

Review: Frosted by Wendy Sparrow

Title: Frosted

Author: Wendy Sparrow

Publisher: Entangled

Publication date: January 2013

Format: Ebook - 117 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance

 

 

After falling through the ice one cold day, Kate is saved by a mysterious man named Jack and ends up marrying him. Come to find out she's committed herself to the king of winter himself. Now Kate has cold feet about their life together…and cold everything else.

She doesn't think Jack will miss her if she packs up and runs away to Colorado. After all, she's been in living in sunny Florida for seven years, and he hasn't managed to come see her. But Jack has one last chance of convincing his runaway bride to come back to him, and he won't give up until he breaks through the ice that's frosted her heart.

My thoughts:

I have to start this review off by saying I'm really picky with romances. There are some things I can't stand in a romance and there are also things I have to have in a romance read. This book was pretty much an okay read for me - it had a lot of problems in my opinion, but it also had its moments.

It was mostly the characters that threw me with Frosted. Jack Frost had a lot of potential as a character - he was complicated and mysterious, but while he had loads of depth, he wasn't developed enough to keep me interested in the end. I had a similar problem with Kate. I understood where she was coming from in her decisions but it just wasn't there for me. There wasn't enough of a justification for leaving Jack in the first place when I couldn't understand why she felt the way she did - it didn't go deep enough for me. Kate's excuse is her family life making her into an incredibly independent woman who doesn't trust enough to commit to a relationship - but in the story she already mentioned she loved Jack from the beginning. The problem was that I felt I hadn't gotten to know her well enough before the story ended.

Another problem was that I found the plot really cliché. Sometimes it can come across as charming but in this case it was a little overwhelming. I knew what was going to happen from the first few pages of the book so, of course, I felt there wasn't much point in reading on in that case. 

 

However, what I did like about this read was that the interactions between Jack and Kate were really sweet. Every time they were brought together Jack would say or think things that would make my heart melt and wish that someone would say these things to me. Part of reading a romance novel I think! 

 

It was also an incredibly quick read. That's not always a good thing and I would have liked to get to know the characters better but it was still an entertaining read. You can literally finish it in an hour if you're a quick reader.

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Wendy Sparrow:

At home in the Pacific Northwest, Wendy Sparrow writes for both an adult and young adult crowd. She has two wonderfully quirky kids, a supportive husband, and a perpetually messy house because writing is more fun than cleaning. She enjoys reading with a flashlight under a blanket—the way all the best books should be read—and believes in the Oxford comma, the pursuit of cupcakes, and that every story deserves a happily ever after. Most days she can be found on Twitter where she’ll talk to anyone who talks back, and occasionally just to herself.

 

Goodreads | Twitter | Blog

 

 

Giveaway:

 

Wendy has decided to give away a lovely necklace as part of this blog tour. It's International too! If you want to check the necklace out you can see it here. 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate #2

Title: Changeless

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #2

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: Sept 2010

Format: Paperback - 388 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy | Steampunk

 

 

Lady Alexia is rudely awoken in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find rather peculiar events transpiring.

Her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, is yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared - upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

My thoughts:

I'm writing this review straight after finishing this book and honestly, I'm a little upset right now about what happened at the end. I'm finding it hard to get over it! It really tugged at my heartstrings…Conall needs a slap around the back of the head. I'm hoping Alexia provides him with one in the next book.

I found myself loving this book just as much as I did the first. It did seem to be like an in-between kind of book and wouldn't really stand on its own if it wasn't part of a series. But, honestly, I don't care because I'm loving the series as a whole anyway. I thought the plot was great. It wasn't as good as the first book in the series but it held its own and I liked it regardless. I still found myself turning the pages as fast as I could.

 

What really stands out in these books, this one especially, is the characters and the writing. Alexia and Conall in particular, they really had me laughing a lot of times throughout the read. They also really made me feel for them whenever they were anxious or upset. This is where the ending comes in again. I swear I felt my heart fall into my stomach. It says a lot about a writer when a reader can identify or relate to any character at that level. It makes reading the book an entirely different experience to a book where I couldn't really care less about the main characters. 

 

I can't really say anything more about this one. I just adored this book and really recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of urban fantasy - I can guarantee it will get a laugh out of you at least, it's just too witty not to. 

 

My rating:  10/10

 

Gail Carriger:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 

Parasol Protectorate:

1. Soulless
2. Changeless
3. Blameless
4. Heartless
5. Timeless

 

Teaser Tuesday #47

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 Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz.

 

 

Gwenda had never liked pain. If she so much as cut her finger, she'd have to sit down for half an hour and smoke several cigarettes before she was ready to move. And she was fairly sure her death was going to hurt very much indeed.

 

page 63 

Series Spotlight: Parasol Protectorate #1

Title: Soulless 

Author: Gail Carriger

Series: Parasol Protectorate #1

Publisher: Orbit

Publication date: Oct 09

Format: Paperback - 365 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy | Steampunk

 

 

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster who father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

My thoughts:

This was yet another book that I can't believe I didn't pick up before now. It had exactly the witty writing style that I absolutely adore. 

 

I immediately fell in love with Alexia Tarabotti. She was an incredibly steadfast, intelligent and hilarious character that never failed to make me laugh out loud enough for everybody to look at me like I'm insane. She made the whole book in my opinion. I also loved all of the supporting characters. Especially Lord Maccon, for reasons that will definitely become apparent if you read the book. The relationship between Alexia and Maccon just had me in hysterics, more so than ever when I found out what all the fuss was about the hedgehog. 

 

The plot was really inventive and definitely kept me turning pages as fast as I could. There was a perfect mix of everything that a book needs so the plot developed at a great pace. Where the story line was progressing a little slowly, there were moments where the characters got to shine. Then when the plot picked up again, so much suspense was involved I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. 

 

What I loved most about this book though, was the writing. I know a lot of people would take a while to become accustomed to it. I find this writing style so entertaining though so when I read the first page, I was jumping up and down with excitement in my head. 

 

Overall though, I'm seriously excited to read the next book in the series. I can't wait to see what direction it's taken in and to get back into the world of Alexia and Lord Maccon. 

 

My rating: 10/10

 

Gail Carriger:

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Parasol Protectorate:

1. Soulless
2. Changeless
3. Blameless
4. Heartless
5. Timeless

 

January 2013 Wrap Up

 

Books read in January:

(linked to Goodreads)

1. Blameless by Gail Carriger
2. Sister Assassin (Mind Games) by Kiersten White
3. Heartless by Gail Carriger
4. Broken by Kelley Armstrong
5. Timeless by Gail Carriger
6. Frosted by Wendy Sparrow
7. Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

 

 

Books reviewed in January:

(linked to reviews)

1. Steel by Carrie Vaughn
2. The Other Countess by Eve Edwards
3. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick
4. The Escape Diaries by Juliet Rosetti
5. Undeadly by Michele Vail
6. Dark Life by Kat Falls
7. Crewel by Gennifer Albin
8. Haunted by Kelley Armstrong
9. Sister Assassin (Mind Games) by Kiersten White

 

 

Favourite book read in January:

 

Alexia Tarabotti has settled into domestic bliss...

 

 

Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London high society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put  a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

 

 

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Alexia can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Review: Sister Assassin by Kiersten White

Title: Sister Assassin

Author: Kiersten White

Series: Mind Games #1

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication date: 19 February 2013

Format: ebook - Netgalley

Genre: YA | Paranormal

 

 

She never chose her deadly gift but now she’s forced to use it. How far would you go to protect the only family you have left?

Annie is beset by fleeting strange visions and a guilty conscience. Blind and orphaned, she struggles to care for her feisty younger sister Fia, but things look up when both sisters are offered a place at Kessler School for Exceptional Girls.

Born with flawless intuition, Fia immediately knows that something’s wrong, but bites her tongue… until it’s too late. For Fia is the perfect weapon to carry out criminal plans and there are those at Kessler who will do anything to ensure her co-operation.

With Annie trapped in Kessler’s sinister clutches, instincts keep Fia from killing an innocent guy and everything unravels. Is manipulative James the key to the sisters’ freedom or an even darker prison? And how can Fia atone for the blood on her hands?

My thoughts:

I was already a fan of this author before I started this book. I didn't know what to expect after reading the summary though. I immediately picked up on how different it was to anything I've read from Kiersten White before.

By the end of the first page I had already fallen in love with Fia. And by the end of the book I realised Fia is actually incredibly well written. There's a really dark tone that I noticed when I read her points of view, they steadily got darker and darker when Fia got especially desperate in her efforts to protect her older sister. I really loved how she would go out of her way to protect Annie, how flawed of a character she really is and just how smart she could be at times. Fia had this ability that meant she couldn't make a wrong decision - she had flawless instincts and that came through really well in the story. I never thought it would be such a cool ability to have, but Fia would know where to go, who to talk to and how to do things without even necessarily knowing why. The book starts off showcasing Fia's skills when she decides not to kill Adam even if Annie suffers because of it - her instincts just tell her to.

 

Admittedly, I had a little bit of a problem with Annie for quite a bit of the book. She came across as a little too selfish in my opinion, especially at the beginning. I felt like Fia was left with all the horrible things to deal with while Annie was in her own little world pretending nothing was wrong. I understand that it's supposed to be like that, at least for the majority of the book,but it didn't come across in the right way sometimes. 

 

I really loved the plot. It was really exciting with all of the action and suspense. I could feel Fia's desperation and Annie's fear, it made the read utterly enthralling. The book as a whole did feel like an introduction to the series at times, like it was just getting incredibly exciting and then nothing would happen - I feel like a lot of it has been saved for the next book. What did happen though kept me from putting the book down - I read it entirely in one sitting because I was completely invested in needing to know what happens to the characters.

 

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book, especially with that ending. I recommend this to any fan of YA, especially readers who are fans of Kiersten White - she's definitely come out with yet another great book!

 

My rating: 8/10

 

 

Kiersten White:

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