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

Review: Poison Heart

Title: Poison Heart
Author: S.B. Hayes
Publisher: Quercus
Publication date: 1st March
Source: Received from publisher for an honest review
My rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

From the moment Katy sees Genevieve's beautiful face staring at her from a window, her life will never be the same. Wherever Katy turns, Genevieve is there - at school, with Katy's friends, and worst of all, trying to seduce Katy's new boyfriend.

But Genevieve has a menacing side, a dangerous side, a threatening side that she only reveals to Katy.

As Genevieve's behaviour becomes increasingly twisted, Katy delves into the girl's past. Nothing prepares her for the dark truths that she discovers, or the new romance she finds along the way. Is Genevieve simply a troubled girl? Or does something sinister, something supernatural, lie behind her beautiful smile?

My thoughts:

Poison Heart was definitely one of those reads where there is almost a supernatural element to it even though things are eventually explained in a logical manner. Of course there's always a chance for the reader to assume things in their own way at the end. There were some things that weren't explained and it gave me a chance to sort of explain it myself and in my own terms which I thought was great.

It was also a book that I was so quick to get through purely because I wanted to know all the answers - the suspense was very quick to build up until right at the very end when everything was revealed.

For me the problem was it wasn't like that the whole way through. It was really hard to get into and the only reason I did carry on was because it had potential to become better later on which it actually did after about half way through.

What I loved most about this book was the really creepy vibe it had to it. At times I was seriously freaked out and I was flipping pages as fast as I could get through them. It reached a point in the book where it was constantly like that which is where I started to really enjoy it.

Also, the book was in no way predictable. I find it irritating when I guess what happens before even a quarter of the way through the book. Poison Heart was full of really unusual twists and turns that definitely kept me guessing all the way through.

I did feel that the main character, Katy, didn't have enough depth to her right from the beginning. It was almost like the story started too fast and the plot line was introduced too early so I didn't get to know Katy's character as well as I should have.

I have to say though, the ending to this book was absolutely brilliant - I actually gasped aloud at one point which can only be taken to be a good thing right?

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Ultraviolet

Title: Ultraviolet
Author: R J Anderson
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication date: June 2nd 2011
Book source: Bought
Paperback: 408 pages
My rating: 8/10

Summary:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori - the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

My thoughts:

This novel was one big surprise the whole way through. At first I thought it was going to turn out to be some sort of psychological thriller with the way the story was progressing but I was pretty wrong!

There was some psychology involved but Ultraviolet was ultimately more of a sci-fi, futuristic and paranormal all mixed together kind of thing.

I really liked this read for a lot of different reasons. It was the kind of novel where the author takes her time making whatever progress in the plot which didn't turn out to be a bad thing - it kept me guessing a whole lot

What I loved most about this read was definitely Alison. She was such a brilliantly written character who had an amazing amount of depth and such a great personality. She had flaws and admitted to them and she had strengths and acknowledged them - I really love characters like that, they really do make a story.

The supporting characters were great too but it did feel like compared to Alison there wasn't even focus on them to be developed enough for me to really adore them like I did Alison.

As for the plot, I found it to be really engrossing simply because of the fact that nothing seemed to be revealed until just the right moment. It was a really great read.

R J Anderson:

Goodreads|Website|Livejournal|Twitter|Facebook

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge
   
3. TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: The Dead Of Winter

Title: The Dead of Winter
Author: Chris Priestley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: October 2010
Hardback: 218 pages
Source: Won
Rating: 9/10

Summary:

Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren't true!

Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will . . . Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all. A nail-biting story of hauntings and terror by the master of the genre, Chris Priestley.

My thoughts:

What surprised me most with this book was the writing style of Chris Priestley. As soon as I started to read the first page I was engrossed. It has this really nice fluidity to it and reading it made me feel really relaxed like I was actually listening to the story being told.

The story itself was really great. It was a really creepy read beginning, middle and end. It's definitely not a read for everyone since it has no other elements like a little love story or anything of the sort - only a little mystery as to what's haunting the new house Michael (the protagonist) is staying at after the death of his mother.

I loved how creepy this read really was. It had my heart racing the whole way through and I read it entirely in one sitting just because the suspense was killing me!

The characters were really great too. I felt that I didn't really get to know them very well but it didn't take anything away from how much I enjoyed the book since its focus was mostly on Michael and his story.

Overall it's definitely a very quick and easy read for someone who fancies a little scare now and again.

Chris Priestley:

Goodreads|Website|Blog

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge
   
3. TBR Reading Challenge
   
4. Horror and Urban Fantasy challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Working Stiff

Title: Working Stiff
Author: Rachel Caine
Series: Revivalist #1
Publisher:Allison & Busby
Publication date: 31st October 2011
Paperback: 473 pages
Source: Bought
My rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Bryn Davis knows working at Fairview Mortuary isn't the most glamorous career choice, but at least it offers stable employment--until she discovers her bosses using a drug that resurrects the clientele as part of an extortion racket. Now, Bryn faces being terminated--literally, and with extreme prejudice.
Wit the help of corporate double-agent Patrick McCallister, Bryn has a chance to take down the bigger problem--pharmaceutical company Pharmadene, which treats death as the ultimate corporate loyalty program. She'd better do it fast, before she becomes a zombie slave--a real working stiff. She'd be better off dead...

My thoughts:

Even though I haven't read many so far, I absolutely adore Rachel Caine's books and I could read them all day every day.

Working Stiff was definitely no exception. I really loved everything about it.

First off, what I actually was disappointed in was a few parts in the book where it felt a little rushed because details and descriptions were lacking a little bit. It was in no way throughout the whole read though which was good.

As for why I loved the book, it was mainly because of the brilliant characters. They are so different and yet they work together so well that I couldn't help but love them. Bryn - the protagonist - was just thrown in the deep end more or less from the start so her character had to develop really quickly in what seemed like a short amount of time. She was strong without having to be the whole 'going on a killing spree' type. She was the most vulnerable of characters and yet she dealt with it however she could. The other supporting characters (I would list them all but it would take a while) were equally brilliant. All of the characters seemed to have an element of desperation to them which was understandable given what happens in the book but it shone through which made me really feel for each and every one of them for different reasons.

The plot was also fantastic. It was another read where I didn't want to get back to real life just to find out what happens and remain in Bryn's world for a little while more. It had a lot of depth to it especially for the first book in a series - I definitely can't wait for more of this one!

I also loved the writing. It had fast paced action alongside slow, emotional moments that made for fantastic reading. Apart from a few parts I definitely did not want to put this book down.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic read to stay on the shelf and to come back to. I don't think I'll get tired of reading this again. Obviously I sure do recommend this read for anyone, especially fans of Rachel Caine.

Books in the series:

1. Working Stiff
   
2. Two Weeks' Notice

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. TBR Pile Reading Challenge
   
3. Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Publisher: Orchard
Publication date: April 25th 2006
Source: Bought
My Rating: 6/10

Summary:

Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses - but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

My thoughts:

This book was a nice introduction to the world of the Gallagher girls. Far from normal, these girls attend a school for geniuses training to become spies. Of course, they're still high school age so get up to all sorts of mischief just in a slightly different manner!

I liked the plot of this book. It was simple but really fun to read about. I was on edge at times thinking characters were going to get caught and then if they did I was anticipating what was going to happen to them.

It's definitely a fun read but the problem for me was that the writing didn't stick with me. I was a little put off by it for some reason and at times I felt like I was missing key details. I started to think it was me reading to fast so I would keep going back to read parts again to find that I hadn't missed anything.

I really feel that this author has a very particular writing style that some people will really love and some people will just find okay. Make no mistake, it wasn't bad writing, it just wasn't suited to my likings.

What I loved most about this book was how the characters interacted. It was made clear from the start that the Gallagher girls might as well be sisters and they are to be treated as such by each other. They're all growing up in the same environment totally different to normal teenagers their age so technically the only people they can depend on is each other. I loved that. It was such a strong aspect of the book and it shone through each and every character and still managed to accentuate how different each one of them was.

Overall, this read was alright for me but some will enjoy it more. I definitely do want to have another shot at the second book in the series and see if it gets any better!

Books in the series:

• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
  
• Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
  
• Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
  
• Only the Good Spy Young
  
• Out of Site, Out of Time

Challenges this counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge
   
3. TBR Pile Challenge
   
4. Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Starcrossed

Title: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: 03/06/2011
Format: Paperback - 528 pages
Book source: Bought
My rating: 10/10

Summary:

Destiny brought them together. The Gods will keep them apart.

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton sees Lucas Delos for the first time she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

With an ancient curse making them loathe one another, Lucas and Helen have to keep their distance. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen . . .

My thoughts:

I've really been on a roll since my exams finished. The last few books I've read over the past couple of weeks have been absolutely fantastic and this one was no exception.

I don't really have much to say without spoiling the book for those of you who haven't read it apart from just how good it really is!

Normally I hate books where there is some sort of instant connection between characters whether good or bad but this one was different somehow. When I read on I realised that if the characters didn't have this connection the book just plain wouldn't work. I found myself really enjoying the character's interaction and how it changed drastically between them throughout the story as it progressed.

I also adored the settings. The story was set in this reality where Greek mythology comes to life. It was new to me and so exciting I really didn't want to ever finish this book. To be honest, it's quite a long read packed with all sorts of things happening but it literally felt like it was over way too fast!!!

As for the characters themselves they were really well written. They each had a lot of depth in their own ways and I liked each and every one for very different reasons.

A lot of questions remain unanswered with this one so I really can't wait for the next book in the series to come out for me to get stuck into!!

I seriously recommend this one to anybody who likes a good read full of suspense, mythology and fast paced action.

Books in this series:

1. Starcrossed
   
2. Dreamless
   

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge
   
3. TBR Pile Reading Challenge
   
4. Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Every Other Day

Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Quercus
Publication date: 2nd February 2012
Book source: Finished copy received from publisher.
Paperback: 329 pages
My rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She's human. And then every day in between ... she's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty - four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon - hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway ... even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, but unfortunately she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive ... and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

My thoughts:

When I got this book through the letterbox and saw that it was by Jennifer Lynn Barnes I cannot tell you how excited I got. I love, love, love Raised by Wolves!!!

This book was something else entirely though. I really enjoyed its originality and the intensity of the action that occurred right from the very start.

For me the most amazing part of the book was the plot. At times reading this book gave me an adrenaline rush just from how exciting it was. The plot was chocked full of action packed fights and suspense filled conversations adding to the mystery of Kali's 'condition'.

And Kali's 'condition' for lack of a better word was probably the best part about the read. It was like a constant countdown to something really great happening or something really dreadful. A constant waiting game.

Of course, I can't carry on this review without talking about Zev. An essential character completely shrouded by mystery. Even at the end of the book nothing much is revealed about Zev but it seems better that way somehow. I feel like if everything was revealed about him he wouldn't have made as big as an impact in the story as he was supposed to.

The only real criticism I have is that, for me at least, the ending was way too abrupt. I felt a little frustrated with the way it ended because so much effort was put into Kali getting to the end and then it just stopped with no real ending.

Overall I definitely recommend this read to absolutely everyone who likes this kind of read because it is well, well worth it.

About the author:

Jen is the author of the hugely popular Raised by Wolves series. As well as an author, Jen has been a competitive cheerleader, a teen model, a dancer and is now a primate cognition researcher. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science and had her first book published when she was nineteen-years-old.

Website|Blog|Twitter

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Title: Entangled
Author: Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus Books
Publication date: 6th January 2011
Paperback: 372 pages
Book Source: Bought
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

Seventeen-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got there.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling in the relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing.

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

My thoughts:

I've been waiting to read this one for quite a while now so it had been sitting on my TBR shelf for a bit collecting dust!

I have to say straight off that this book probably isn't for everyone. It was a pretty heavy read in that the protagonist has a lot of things going on that are hard to deal with. Sometimes she did seem to be a bit harsh and not very loveable so I could tell straight off that some readers will just plain not like her. For me, she was the kind of character where I have to decide in every difficult situation whether to scold her or give her a big hug. She made mistakes and dealt with them in a bad way but in some ways that's what made her more relatable and realistic. I would by lying if I said I've never done something stupid in relation to a bad event and so has everyone else. It happens.

In that respect, Grace was a pretty strong character. In others she wasn't - it sort of makes this read like marmite - you either love it or hate it.

As for the actual plot I really liked it. It was a different take to books dealing with suicide and self-harm - a really different take. I found myself reading it all in no time and enjoying it immensely.

I think what made it so easy to read was the way it was written. The main story is told through Grace's point of view whilst she was writing about the hardships she's been through. So it was sort of similar to diary entries but not at the same time.

What let the book down for me though was the ending. I was so disappointed. I really got excited towards the end because there was so much guess work involved in this book that I was looking forward to finding out the answers. The problem was, there wasn't enough answers. I felt like the story was unresolved because I didn't fully find out what happens to Grace or any of the other characters. Even though some books do have endings like that where you sort of leave it to your imagination - this one felt like it was just too important not to know because it was so character orientated. The whole plot was based on the story of the main characters and their relationships and to not find out what happened about those relationships was disappointing.

Overall though I recommend this read. It deals with difficult issues in a unique way and it's a thoroughly engrossing read.

Cat Clarke:

Goodreads|Website|Twitter|Facebook

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge
   
3. 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
   

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 29th September 2011
Hardback: 418 pages
Extract|Video
Book source: Bought
My rating: 10/10

Summary:

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to the Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My thoughts:

Wow. Where do I start. Well if you haven't noticed the rating already, I absolutely adored this book. I actually had to sit and think for a while before writing the review I was that impressed by it.

First off I have to mention the cover. I bought the UK version of the hardback which I have to say looks absolutely stunning and the back has this metallic sheen to it that I adore.

Now. The book. How can I even describe it's amazingness?!

The imagination that went into this book is breathtaking. There are different characters that are different species (for lack of a better word) to each other. Some of them have wings, some of them have horns and some have hooves for feet. Every time I would read about another character I could imagine what they look like and play what was happening like a film the writing was just that descriptive. The worlds that the book was set in felt like so much thought was put into it, it could actually be real. Reading this book felt like an escape from real life. It was pure brilliance.

Let's talk about characters. Karou. Oh my God she was so cool. Akiva - can anyone say hot stuff? Seriously though,they were contrasting characters that had so much depth to them I really wanted to figure them out from top to bottom. I loved reading their story.

Brimstone. What can I say? At first I was a bit put off by his personality filled with grunting and stern looks but I loved him after a few chapters. I actually couldn't figure out his intentions until they were revealed at the end which was great. Aaaaaand I won't say anymore than that on Brimstone for fear of spoilers!

As for the plot it just exuded brilliance. I've never read anything more original and intriguing. Again I don't want to spoil anything but trust me when I say the plot is by far the best I've ever read in a book so far.

Overall I think you can guess that I would recommend this one to anybody who likes to read. It sure is a great use of time and - despite the number of pages - is a really fast read.

Laini Taylor:
Goodreads|Blog

Great quotes:

“She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair. She wasn't innocent now, but she didn't know what to do about it. This was her life: magic and shame and secrets and teeth and a deep, nagging hollow at the center of herself where something was most certainly missing.”

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year
   
2. New Author Challenge 2012
   
3. Speculative Romance Challenge 2012
   
4. 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
   
5. 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge
   
6. Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge
   

Happy reading everyone!

Review: Seizure

Title: Seizure
Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Random House - Young Arrow
Publication date: 5 Jan 2012
Format: Hardback - 491 pages
Book Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 9/10

Summary:

A 300-year-old legend

Rumour has it that notorious pirate Anne Bonny hid her treasure somewhere in Charleston in 1720. No-one knows where, but Tory Brennan - great-niece of famous forensic anthropologist Dr Tempe Brennan - is certain that the Virals can work out Bonny's cryptic clues.

A deadly path

It isn't long before the Virals are on the right track. But they aren't the only ones searching for the treasure.Someone is following them, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.

Dead bodies litter the trail. Time is running out before the island will be sold.

Will the Virals' special powers be enough to save them?

My thoughts:

I was so excited when this came up as an option for a book tour. I loved the first book in the series so I had quite big expectations when it came to this one. I sure wasn't disappointed!

One thing I loved about the last book was the quirky protagonists. The Viral gang is so funny at times and so cool at others! I still love how different they all are and yet they make the most perfect team.

One thing I would love to read more of now is some kind of development with their personal lives. I feel like a little is missing with their lives other than the special powers that they have. I would love something to happen in the next book where it was more to do with their human side and less to do with the other.

Anyway aside from that little rant. I loved the action filled plot too. When you hear a book is based on finding pirate treasure it sounds almost too cheesy but Kathy Reichs really made it work. It was so fast paced I finished the book in no time. Admittedly it was a tiny bit predictable at times but it didn't take anything away from the enjoyment of reading it.

I really recommend this series to anyone it's such good fun. Great characters, exciting plot and loads of suspense - what more could you ask for?

Books in the series:

1. Virals
   
2. Seizure
   

Kathy Reichs:

Goodreads|Website|Blog|Facebook|Twitter

Challenges this book counts towards:

1. 100 Books In A Year

Review: The Court Painter's Apprentice

Title: The Court Painter's Apprentice
Author: Richard Knight
Publisher: Catnip
Publication date: January 1st 2012
Book Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 2/10

Summary:

"Paint what you see, Johann, not what you think you see."

So says the court painter to his young apprentice. But Johann possesses more than the power to paint a person's soul.

He can alter it.

My thoughts:

This book had a lot of promise. Initially I was excited to read it since it could have been a really brilliant read but it really disappointed me.

I thought the characters were really underdeveloped for a start. The novel is pretty short so it felt like there wasn't enough time for me to get to know the characters. Also, there were some characters that were introduced and then they never appeared again so it felt as if there was a few unresolved issues between them and the protagonist.

As for the plot, I just think it was really dry. Nothing really of interest happened until the end which was quite anticlimactic. Whilst reading the book I was frustrated more than anything because the writing style is beautiful. It produced this atmosphere where I felt like I was sitting in front of a fire listening to my parents telling me bedtime story. It was frustrating because nothing happened in the book that caught my interest. It was a real shame.

It was a really quick read though and I can't help but think, because of the storytelling feel to the novel, a lot of people will enjoy this read - it just wasn't for me.

Richard Knight:

Goodreads

Challenges this book counts towards:

• 100 Books In A Year
  
• New Author Challenge

Review: The Prince of Mist

Title: The Prince of Mist
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Orion
Publication: July 2011
Paperback: 208 pages
Source:Uk Book Tours
My rating: 5/10

Summary:

In 1943, Max Carver's father - a watchmaker and inventor - decides to move his family to a small town on the coast, to an abandoned house that holds many secrets and stories of its own. Behind the house Max discovers an overgrown garden surrounded by a metal fence topped with a six-pointed star. In the centre is a large statue of a clown set in another six-pointed star.

As the family settles in they grow increasingly uneasy: Max’s sister Alicia has disturbing dreams while his other sister, Irina, hears voices whispering to her from an old wardrobe. With his new friend Roland, Max also discovers the wreck of a boat that sank many years ago in a terrible storm. Everyone on board perished except for one man - an engineer who built the lighthouse at the end of the beach.

As they learn more about the wreck, the chilling story of a legendary figure called the Prince of Mist begins to emerge...

My thoughts:

After reading the summary to the Prince of Mist I thought that this has the potential to be an amazing novel. However, it disappointed me a little, probably because I expected too much of it.

Max is a young boy who is moving to a new town on the coast. He moves into an abandoned house full of stories and mystery. The book follows Max, his sister Alicia and their new-found friend Roland as they discover secrets about the place they live and the people they are close to.

There are parts in this book that are downright creepy. A statue of a clown that's facial expressions change every so often? Clowns can be creepy anyway but that oversteps the line. The said parts of the book are really good - they got my heart racing and my hands turning the pages as fast as possible. But to be honest, there were too few of them for me to enjoy the book.

Aside from that, I thought the characters had no real depth to them. They did at first but then they sort of lost it as the story progressed and focused more on the plot. There was no real development in them until the end at which point I pretty much didn't care what happened to them. It's for that reason that I felt like the book was a disappointment. If I don't care what happens to the characters, and something does happen to the characters, then I won't like the whole story - characters are a major deal

Having said that, this book does deserve some credit for how creepy it was at times which is something I love in any book. It just wasn't enough for me.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon:

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Review: Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

Title: Hidden
Author: Miriam Halahmy
Publisher: Meadowside Fiction
Format: Paperback - 253 pages
Source: UK Book Tours
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

There is so much hidden in this little hut, and whatever I've dived into here is only going to get more complicated.

Alix is just an ordinary fourteen year old, living at the bottom of quiet Hayling Island. But one cold, misty Saturday on the beach she and Samir suddenly find themselves saving a drowning immigrant. Faced with the most difficult decision of their lives, what should Alix and Samir do?

My thoughts:

Just like We Can Be Heroes, Hidden was a novel all about racism and how to deal with it as it is no doubt a big issue in society. It focuses on illegal immigrants especially from Iraq and whether they should be allowed refugee status and the right to live in this country rather than be deported.

Again just like We Can Be Heroes, Hidden deals with these issues with using really young protagonists who almost have to decide whether they agree with racism or not - it's that simple for them. Whilst reading the book it was always the option of playing along with the majority and being racist or standing up to the majority and not being racist. For Alix it was always the latter and in doing that she came across a lot of obstacles that tested her opinions on certain topics that we all have to think about time to time.

Alix becomes friends with Samir who is a refugee from Iraq. But then she realises how much he's bullied and how alone he really is. What I loved about this situation is that Alix was quite naive regarding race until she met Samir and then it sort of hit her and everything became crystal clear. She made the choice to stand up for what she believed and to voice her opinion and she became all the better for it.

Of course, finding and saving the illegal immigrant tested her beliefs to the max and her journey through that made Hidden quite a good read that really makes you think.

The supporting characters were great which led to me feeling a lot for the characters whether it was good or bad. I would have a frown on my face when I didn't agree with something somebody said and a smile on my face when Alix and Samir did something really brave. It made me feel and think about things I don't think about every day which is good for anybody to be honest.

Hidden did get a lot better past the half way mark which was the only thing I had a problem with. It was quite hard to get into but after a while I started to really enjoy it. Also, I would have liked it to be a bit longer because there were some pretty important questions that weren't answered.

Overall I definitely recommend Hidden because it's a book to come back to and read over again. Especially for the ending, then ending was amazing - so touching!

Miriam Halahmy:

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Happy reading!

Review: Elixir

Title: Elixir
Author: Hilary Duff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication date: October 2010
Format: Paperback - 330 pages
Source: UK Book Tours
Other: Excerpt - Chapter 1
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

A soulmate for life...or death

Seventeen-year-old Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent politician, she has become a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a world that allows her to travel to many exotic places. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to notice eerie, shadowy images in her photos of a strange and beautiful young man - a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries-old truth behind the intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives - and their futures.

My thoughts:

I feel like I enjoyed this book for the wrong reason, it's so weird - I have no idea why I almost feel guilty for liking it! :P

I'll start with what I didn't like about this one I think because otherwise I'll start ranting about one character in particular BIG TIME!

There are two characters in the book - Clea and Sage (love the name by the way, it's different) - well, I really didn't like the relationship between them both. I'll let you read the book yourselves to find out exactly what their relationship is but for me, it didn't start or even progress in the right way at all. It came out of absolutely nowhere (when it was happening in the real world, not the dream one but again I'll let you read for yourself) and then it just became this huge deal. I still don't get what happened...

And the other aspect of the book I didn't like was the end. It felt quite rushed compared to the beginning which in itself was pretty slow. One thing that really frustrates me is rushed endings, in my opinion, the ending is the most important part of the book so for it to end like it did was disappointing.

What I did like about Elixir was the little surprises that came with characters looking for clues throughout the book to find the whereabouts of Clea's father. There were some parts of the book that shocked me in a good way just because they were quite out of place. But at the same time the said parts of the book were enjoyable and I took the change to the story in my stride and accepted it.

What I loved most though was SAGE. This character is the reason I liked the book even when I feel like I shouldn't. The funny thing is though, whenever I try to pinpoint what I like about him exactly, I can't because when I look back at his personality I kind of don't like him. I know it's so WEIRD! He's definitely hot stuff though! :P

The Elixir Series:

• #1 - Elixir
  
• #2 - Devoted
  

Hilary Duff:

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Review: Sektion 20

Title: Sektion 20
Author: Paul Dowswell
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: September 2011
Paperback: 274 pages
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

An agent employed by a state to obtain secret information.

Alex lives in East Berlin. The Cold War is raging and he and his family are forbidden to leave. But the longer he stays, the more danger he is in. Alex is no longer pretending to be a model East German, and the Stasi have noticed. They are watching him.

One false move will bring East and West together in a terrifying stand-off which will change everything for Alex and his family....for ever.

My thoughts:

This was a new kind of read for me, apart from Between Shades of Grey I've never read anything based on any kind of war because it normally doesn't really appeal to me.

This was quite a good read for the most part. The problem for me though is that it doesn't completely keep me utterly engrossed in the story the whole way through. I only started to get into it around half way through even if exciting things happened throughout. It just wasn't exciting enough.

I did enjoy it when I got into the story though. It was exciting and it certainly got my heart pounding. What I loved most was that I know things that happened in the book (spies, kidnappings e.t.c) really happened to people in a time and place like that which made the book incredibly realistic.

Also, I really felt for the characters. I felt their frustration from staying in a place they hated and being restricted from doing what they want to do. Alex likes to play guitar and listen to music that's not allowed, if anyone finds out then he is in huge trouble to the point of being detained. He has to choose a career he doesn't want to do, he has to stay in a place where everyone is the same in every way from what they wear to what they do and all Alex wants to be is different. I think everyone who reads this book will connect with the characters in some way or another and that's what gave me a good liking for the book disregarding how much I actually liked the plot.

Paul Dowswell:
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Review: Touch

Title: Touch
Author: Jus Accardo
Series: Denazen #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: November 2011
YA: Paranormal Romance
My rating: 7/10

Summary:

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes back home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realises there's more to this boy - and her father's "law firm" - than she realised.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation - an organisation devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons - his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. Dez and Kale team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

My thoughts:

For this review I just have to start off by talking about Dez (the protagonist). She was brilliant. I really liked how flawed she was, how she always wanted to get on her father's last nerve and how realistic she was too. Dez did stupid things when she could have handled a situation a whole lot better. Instead of getting annoyed by this though, I enjoyed it. It added to her character and made her relatable in different ways.

Of course Kale was great too. He was such fun to read about at times - there was plenty of humour with him and a bucket load of cuteness with a capital C!

As for the plot I did like the story line. A company that had Kale working for him to the point of slavery and torture because he's a 'Six'. It was great to read and it meant for some cool action at points.

What I liked about it most though, was the Sixes. I just loved the whole idea of their secrecy and variety of gifts. I was really excited when it came to reading about a load of Sixes coming together - it was a great chance for the author's imagination to run wild.

Whilst the characters were really great, I did think that they could have been developed a bit more along with their powers (if they had any) just to give them a bit more depth.

I really do recommend this read! It was quick, fun (for the most part - it did have its serious moments) and an all-round good read. Personally, I'm looking forward to more from Jus!

Connect with Jus:
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Don't forget to check out the interview with Jus Accardo which you can find here!

Review: Raw Blue

Title: Raw Blue

Author: Kirsty Eagar

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Publication date: 29/06/09

Paperback: 274 pages

Young Adult: Contemporary

Source: Loan from UK Swap Shop

Extract|Video

My Rating: 7/10

Summary:

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

My thoughts:

I had heard loads of great things about this one so I just had to pick it up.

Unfortunately though I was a little disappointed. It was a good read but I was expecting it to be a lot better.

Raw Blue is basically about a nineteen year old, Carly, who loves to surf and so she dropped out of University to have more time to do so. She's fallen out with her family, she has this a horrible past, she has to work in a horrible cafe during the night where she's not having a great time of it.

I really liked the characters. I thought the way Carly was written made reading the whole book a great experience where I was completely relaxed reading it and I found myself forgetting about everything else going on around me and was solely focused on the story.

Kirsty Eagar made a video about Raw Blue which I've linked at the top of this post and she mentioned that normally, writing is telling a story, but for Raw Blue it was like listening to one. I completely agree with where she's coming from because reading this was like listening to Carly's story. The problem was, I didn't feel like Carly was a strong enough character for me to feel the anger she feels in the book. I knew she was angry. I just didn't feel angry for her, which is what I should have felt given her circumstances. That's where I was disappointed.

Ryan was a great character. It was great how the typical roles in novels was reversed in this one. Ryan was the one to help Carly get through obstacles and tell him her past so she could deal with it. I think normally in books it's the other way round. However, I felt that Ryan wasn't mentioned no way near enough for how important he was to the story and to Carly's development as a character.

Overall I do recommend this read. It was a quick read and despite my negative thoughts about it, it was rather memorable.

Great Quotes:

Once they know they've got a hold of your shame, they can shake it out and hold it up for the all world to see. And you become less than it. You become something disgusting.

He’s still singing to himself, eyes closed, pretending, I think, that I’m someone else.
I shout in his ear again. ‘So you can’t just lay down and die?’
He doesn’t open his eyes, but he nods. ‘You can’t just lay down and die”

Kirsty Eagar:
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Review: Ashes

Title: Ashes

Author: Ilsa Bick

Publisher: Quercus

Publication date: 29th September 2011

Paperback: 465 pages

Source: Received from publisher

Young adult: Horror

My rating: 10/10!!!

Extract

Summary:

No, she thought. No, please, God, I'm not seeing this.

Seventeen - year - old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything.

Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have acquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever...

Alex meets Tom, a young army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all: in such a vastly changed world, who can you trust?

A story of high-wire tension, gut-wrenching twists, and burgeoning love, Ashes will leave you breathless.

My thoughts:

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved reading this book. I never wanted it to end!

It literally had everything I personally love in books. It had loads of twists and turns, great characters, horror that isn't for the fainthearted and such strong emotions that a reader can actually feel as the characters experience them because of the desperate situation they are in.

Alex was by far my favourite character. Not because she's the main protagonist, but because she's the no-nonsense, tell it like it is sort. She was smart and she wasn't afraid to act when the time came down to it. There was no 'acting the hero' sort of thing with her, it was just doing what needed to be done and to keep other people safe before herself.

Tom and Alex were great companions along with Ellie. They both fit well together and worked well as a team which made them both likeable. I felt that I couldn't really get to know Tom as a character properly though before the end of the novel for reasons obvious when you read the book. There were little tidbits of Tom's past that were revealed but not enough! I want to know more!

That's another thing, about halfway through the book, the plot takes a dramatic turn which I'm sure not everyone will appreciate. It did work for me though so I can't complain. It was one of those moments where you keep reading, sort of get a little confused for a second at the way the story is developing, and then just accept it as the way the author wanted it to go. I thought it was a brilliant turn of events and it made me read just that little bit faster!

The plot itself was amazing! An electromagnetic pulse? That could have gone either way, I'm sure, but in Ashes it worked so well. Plus, it was a read that made me cringe quite a bit which doesn't happen very often anymore with the amount of horror I read! I seriously loved every shiver that went down my spine and every revolted gasp I made!

One thing I can't believe though, was the ending. For obvious reasons I won't say how it ended but it took me so completely by surprise that I was kind of in shock for a while and couldn't read anything else! I really can't wait for more from Ilsa Bick because Ashes was a truly glorious read that gave me goosebumps! One of my top favourites of the year so far!

Ilsa Bick:
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Review: Beautiful Creatures

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Puffin

Publication date: 04 Feb 2010

Paperback: 563 pages

Source: Swapped

Fantasy

My Rating: 7/10

Summary:

IN ETHAN WATE'S HOMETOWN THERE LIES THE DARKEST OF SECRETS...

There is a girl.
Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head...green eyes, black hair.
LENA DUCHANNES

There is a curse.
On the sixteenth moon, of the sixteenth year, the book will take what it's been promised.
AND NO ONE CAN STOP IT.

In the end, there is a grave.

Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and , on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided.
ETHAN NEVER EVEN SAW IT COMING.

My thoughts:

A lot of people have recommended this read to me so I just had to pick it up.

For the most part it was a good read for me. A boy growing up in a town that he wants to get away from and a new, completely unusual girl comes into the picture that interests him because she's so different to what he's used to. It's the basis of a story that can go anywhere.

It had a lot of exciting and shocking events within the story that made me feel for the main characters but the problem was it went on too long. It's fine for a book to be over 500 pages, but when it gets repetitive it's hard to finish for the storyline and not for the sake of finishing it because I had already read 400 pages.

The characters themselves were great. Lena was a strong character that didn't take no for an answer and Ethan was sweet. The supporting characters were good too. Link (Ethan's best friend) was funny and seemed to be the opposite to Ethan which was probably why they fit so well. The characters that are there to sort of test the protagonists - which they did in bucket loads - were written really well.

Beautiful Creatures is all about this curse that Lena has. It's all about counting down to Lena's sixteenth birthday when something disastrous is going to happen. The build up to the birthday is full of suspense which is definitely what kept me reading. Which brings me to another problem I had. The timing of this book was brilliant until it got closer to the birthday. It just seemed like as it got closer to the date in the book the time gap between events got shorter and shorter which put me off a little. It wasn't evenly distributed if that makes sense. Something would happen and then readers are reminded the date is three months away, but then something else would happen and then reader's are reminded that the birth day is the next week. It was a little frustrating.

The setting of the story - a small town called Gatlin - was brilliantly written. It was a place that was meant to be suffocating and stuffy. It was meant to put people off, at least people who had any sense according to Ethan. I think it was the perfect place for a story like Beautiful Creatures to take place. Gatlin was probably my most favourite aspect of the novel.

Overall, I did enjoy this read because it has a little of everything. I do recommend it for those who like novels filled with suspense, nasty schoolgirls and sweet romance that develops in its own time.

Great quotes:

Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead

I'm just the librarian. I can only give you the books. I can't give you the answers.

Kami Garcia:

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Margaret Stohl:

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