Feature & Follow #1

 

 

Hi guys!

 

I've finally decided to join in the with feature and follow blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Make sure to check out their blogs by using the links or by clicking on the #FF image.

 

I think it's such a great way to learn about all the new blogs that are out there as well as some thoughts from the feature of the week. So...make sure to leave me a comment and any other blogs you fancy and say Hi!

 

 

This week the question is:

 

What drove you to start book blogging in the first place?

This one is easy for me. I hardly have any friends who enjoy reading as much as I do. I have a couple who will read the odd book now and again but none that read because they would be lost without their books like me!

 

Anytime I brought up what book I was reading or what I thought about this amazing book, everybody would literally groan or roll their eyes. Then I happened to look up a review online for a book I was pining for and found all sorts of blogs around and I immediately thought it's such a great idea. 

 

It's so nice to have people from all over read what you feel and pick up recommendations. Now instead of annoying my friends so much with incessant book talk I just blog. 

 

After a while I started to really appreciate the book blogging community - everybody is blogging or reading posts for the same reason - because we all love our books! I don't know about you guys, but I never want to stop...

 

 

Be sure to check out my review of Flesh and Blood from this week! 

Review: Flesh and Blood

Title: Flesh and Blood

Author: Kristen Painter

Series: House of Comarre #2

Publisher: Orbit (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - 06/10/2011 | US - 10/1/2011

Format: Paperback - 432 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

 

 

The covenant holding the othernatural and our mortal world apart has broken, promising a dark future for humankind. The Ring of Sorrows will be crucial in salvaging this mess - but this powerful artifact is missing and Chrysabelle was the last to see it, placing her life in great danger.

But instead of lying low, she must fulfil her debt to the undead to the undead outcast Malkolm. This requires them to return to the hidden vampire city of Corvinestri, the very last place either of them will find safety. Especially when they will encounter power-hungry witches, Kubai Mata warriors and a host of hostile vampires.

If Chrysabelle survives her choices, what's left of her life will never be the same.

My thoughts:

Flesh and Blood begins just two weeks after the ending of the first book in the series Blood Rights. Chrysabelle - still think it's an awesome name - has to keep her promise to Malkolm and try to find out how to rid him of his curses whilst still keeping the powerful Ring of Sorrows from evil vampiress Tatiana's hands.

 

I still love the world that this story is set in. I love the idea of all these othernaturals like Comarre and the Kubai Mata - there are so many aspects to the story that grab your attention throughout the read that it's never boring for one second. 

 

The characters were most definitely not in any way disappointing. Chrysabelle was still endearing and yet so flawed that it made her real somehow, Malkolm of course was as sexy as ever and just as sweet and Tatiana was just as bratty as always. There was another important character introduced into this one though, Creek, one of the Kubai Mata group - protectors of humans. He was a little disappointing to me. I liked him at first - he represented a new and exciting aspect to the story, but it just felt like he was in the way in this book. It might be just me thinking that I like Malkolm too much for someone else to get involved in Chrysabelle's life...yeah it's probably just me. But in my defense, he still wasn't as involved in the story as Malkolm was or even any supporting characters which kind of pushed him to the back of my mind when reading the book. It was a little frustrating.

 

As for the plot, it was in no way as packed full of suspense as the first book in the series. It was more of a fill in type of read. The plot was still good - it was just that it was a carry on from the first book so it was nothing new and enthralling. 

 

As a whole the book was made a really good read purely because of the characters holding it together and the fantastic world building. I really do love this series so far and I can't wait to find out what happens next - a word of warning, Flash and Blood ends with the mother of all cliffhangers. 

 

My rating: 8/10

 

Kristen Painter:

Goodreads | Blog | Twitter | Website | Facebook

 

Books in the series:

1. Blood Rights - review here.
2. Flesh and Blood
3. Bad Blood
4. Out for Blood

Review: Dead of Night

Title: Dead of Night

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Series: Dead of Night #1

Publisher: St. Martin's Press 

Publication date: October 2011 

Format: Paperback - 368 pages

Genre: Horror 

 

 

A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots in the grave. But all drugs have unforeseen side effects. Before he can be buried, the killer wakes up. Hungry. Infected. Contagious. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang...but a bite.

My thoughts:

I cannot even put how much I love this book into words - I don't think a review could do it justice. Safe to say - Jonathan Maberry is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite authors.

 

After a serial killer, Homer Gibbons, who happens to be infected with deadly parasites, is let loose in the county of Stebbins, all hell breaks loose. Dez, JT and Billy Trout soon find themselves fighting to keep themselves alive as well as most of the children of Stebbins.

 

This is basically everything that makes a good read, horror book and zombie thriller. To me it really is faultless. For a start the characters are really fun to read about. Dez is a right character - she's incredibly feisty and has a mouth on her. She was by far my favourite - really strong and yet had really bad abandonment issues that made her a 'real' person instead of your average 'do no wrong' heroine.

 

JT was just a sweetheart. He was the father figure to Dez and an all round great guy. Trout was also a darling. He was kind of the 'smart guy' of the book. Being a journalist with a best friend who knew social media inside and out really came in handy in the end.

 

As for the plot it was fantastic. The storyline was perfect, the settings were spot on and the build up of fear and suspense was nail-biting. One thing I do like about Maberry is that he's not afraid to make the book that extra bit detailed with the gore involved. This read is definitely not for readers who aren't fans of horror in general. 

 

Overall this was a fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of horror.

 

My rating: 10/10

 

 

Jonathan Maberry:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

 

Books in the series:

1. Dead of Night
2. Fall of Night

Review: Wood Angel

Title: Wood Angel

Author: Erin Bow

Publisher: UK - Chicken House | US - Scholastic (published as Plain Kate)

Publication: UK - March 2011 | US - 2010

Format: Paperback - 288 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Young Adult

 

 

Kate lives in a time afraid of magic.

Alone in the world with only her cat Taggle for company, she makes 'lucky' wooden charms to sell, although her unusual gift marks her out in a place where witches are still burned. 

When Kate's village falls on bad times, she's accused of practising dark magic. Scared for her life, she turns to a stranger. But he has a plan more dangerous than she could ever have dreamed.

It's up to Kate to carve good out of evil.

My thoughts:

This is a difficult review to write since this is such a frustrating book with such a wonderful plot and writing style.

 

Wood Angel is about a girl, Kate, or plain Kate as she calls herself, who carves wood into good luck charms for money. Her looks and skills with a knife soon capture the attention of the town when crops die and the weather is bad. Kate is accused of witchcraft and runs for her life, coming across dangers along the way to finding a place where she belongs.

 

This story is told with such a magical, classic, old-timey, story-teller feel that reading it literally made me feel like I was being told an old fairytale, similar to red riding hood, by the fire. It was so wonderfully written that I couldn't help but fall in love with the story from the very beginning. Don't get me wrong, this read was pretty gruesome at times with people being set on fire and almost being chopped to pieces by an axe. It just had this really nice feel to it that made the more dramatic turns in the story even more shocking than I think they would seem to be otherwise.

 

I also loved the plot. I was something different to what I've been reading lately and it was a welcome break. It's always nice to find something so unique in the plot of any book and Wood Angel was definitely that. It had the kind of plot that can make readers feel hatred towards a certain character and yet empathise with them at the same time. That's always interesting to me, the constant debate that I had with whether or not I really despised this character or if I understood where he was coming from even if he was going about it in entirely the wrong way. It gave the whole book a new aspect that I liked - a lot more depth than there was initially.

 

What I had a problem with was some of the characters, including the protagonist, Kate. At the start of the novel I liked her character and towards the end I still found her sweet and loveable. It's just that I hate the fact that I figured out what was happening in the plot before she did. I always feel that if the main character in any book doesn't realise what's going on before I do they're incredibly dense. If it's obvious to the reader, it's obvious to the character. That was what was most frustrating and it happened quite a bit. It was like for the entire length of the book I was waiting for her to catch up.

 

Another problem I had was that the ending wasn't resolved in my opinion. I hate that. I didn't know where Kate stood with all the other characters - as a reader I was just told that 'she lives happily ever after'. No thank you. I was so desperate to find out what happens between her and Dina ( a friend she makes), and Behjet (Dina's uncle). It's still annoying me. :(

 

Overall though, I really did enjoy reading this one, if not for the great story line, it was for the great writing.

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 

 

Erin Bow:

Goodreads | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

 

 

Review: If I Stay

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Series: If I Stay #1

Publisher:Random House Group (UK) | Speak (US)

Publication date: 13th May 2010 (UK) | 06 Apr 2010 (US)

Format: Paperback - 234 pages

 Genre: Contemporary | Young Adult

 

 

A cold February morning...

A snowy road...

And suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone.

Except one.

As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

My thoughts:

I never thought such a short read could be so captivating, moving and memorable.

 

If I Stay follows Mia and her tough journey trying to decide whether or not she lives or dies. Mia is in a coma after a devastating car crash with a horrendous outcome. She alone has to make the decision to stay and deal with a horrific tragedy or to leave it all behind.

 

What I love about this read is how much of it involves Mia's memories. The car crash happens more or less immediately in the book so most of the read is Mia's thoughts while she's in the hospital and her memories of her family and dearest friends. It made me think about how we don't really focus on those good memories and also making them when we can. Mia didn't really focus on what she would wake up to but more on all the amazing times she had with her family and friends. I really think we don't do that enough. This book has made me want to appreciate the good times I have even more because it can all be taken away in a split second.

 

I also loved the characters. I adored Mia most of all. She was so strong and wilful without being unrealistic. She was also relatable because she didn't take anything that happened lightly - she was as devastated as she should be and didn't have this 'I'll be okay' attitude, she knew that what happened was going to turn her life upside down and that it would be incredibly hard from here on out. I loved that about her.

 

All of the other characters. friends and family, were incredible. Each had their own part to play in the story and each were loveable in their own unique way. The Grandparents were really sweet and endearing and Kim - Mia's best friend - was an amazing character. She was similar to Mia in that she was really strong willed and at the same time she was down to earth. 

 

Of course I have to mention Mia's boyfriend Adam. He was so sweet. His little speech close to the end just broke my heart. It's funny though because this book wasn't incredibly cheesy in any way which is what I was expecting. Adam was really blunt and just told it straight which was incredible. If I Stay definitely puts it all into perspective. 

 

I can't really do this one justice in any sort of review. It's most definitely a must-read that you won't forget.

 

My rating: 10/10

 

 

Gayle Forman:

Goodreads | Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

 

Books in the series:

1. If I Stay
2. Where She Went

 

 

Review: The Fallen

Title: The Fallen - The Fallen and Leviathan

Author: Thomas E. Sniegoski

Series: The Fallen #1 & #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (UK | US)

Publication date: UK - October 2010 | US - March 2010

Format: Paperback - 544 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Young Adult

On his eighteenth birthday, Aaron begins to hear strange voices and is convinced he is going insane. But having moved from foster home to foster home, Aaron doesn't know whom he can trust. He wants to confide in the cute girl from class, but fears she'll confirm he's crazy.

Then a mysterious man begins following Aaron. He knows about Aaron's troubled past and his new powers. And he has a message for Aaron: As the son of a mortal and an angel, Aaron has been chosen to redeem the Fallen.

Aaron tries to dismiss the news and resists his supernatural abilities. But he must accept his newfound heritage - and quickly. For the dark powers are gaining strength, and are hell-bent on destroying him...

My thoughts:

 

I have to start off by saying that Aaron is such a sweetheart that you'd have to be mad not to love him right from the start of the book. His backstory is so sweet and his personality is so endearing that I knew I would finish the book purely for his character even if the story ends up something else entirely.

 

Aaron is an orphan being fostered by a lovely family who he considers his birth parents. Things change when he discovers he is the son of a mortal woman and an angel - he discovers new abilities and that he is the one and only Nephilim that a prophecy talks of. A prophecy that claims Aaron will be the one to grant forgiveness to the fallen angels if they truly deserve it.

 

This is one of those books that is a nice read but to me it was nothing more than that. I liked it. It was a nice plot and the story was full of great characters but the book as a whole lacked something in my opinion. 

 

What I liked most about this book was the characters. They held the book together with how many there were and their different personalities. There were a few that I felt weren't needed - some were introduced and then seemed to disappear which made me feel like I'd missed something.

 

Since this book is a bind up ( the first two books in the series in one big book ) I couldn't help but compare the two books. I felt that the first ( The Fallen ) was heaps better than the second ( Leviathan ). It had a better writing style - the second book felt incredibly rushed and slightly underwhelming. I think the only reason I liked this book as a whole was because of the first story. If The Fallen was similar to Leviathan I think I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. 

 

Having said that, the author has done a good job of keeping secrets. I really do want to carry on with the series just to find the answers to a lot of questions that I have. 

 

I think this is a perfect book to get from the library for a nice read and I'm definitely going to see if the next books in the series are any better.

 

My rating: 6/10

 

 

Thomas E. Sniegoski:

Goodreads | Website 

 

Books in the series:

1. The Fallen
2. Leviathan
3. Aerie
4. Reckoning
5. End of Days
6. Forsaken 

Review: The Iron Daughter

Title: The Iron Daughter

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey #2

Publisher: Mira (UK) | Harlequin Teen (US)

Publication date: May 2011 | Aug 2010

Format: Paperback - 384 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Young Adult

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fitted in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter Prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey - ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting the prince who betrayed her, deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My thoughts:

There's always a teensy bit of apprehension when reading the next book in any series - especially if the first book is amazing as The Iron King. I'm going to get it off my chest straight away and say this wasn't as good as the first book in the series, but I did think it was still a brilliant read.

 

I hate the fact that I find myself comparing this book the first one but that's just what happens. I think I found the first one better just because there's this whole new world introduced and it has this certain magical feel to it which is really apparent. There's a half-human girl just getting used to the place and all these great creatures and characters are introduced. That magic is drastically reduced in the second book. I already know the characters for the most part, I already know the world and I already know what direction the plot is going to take.

 

Now that's out of the way, I still thought this book was a really thrilling read. So far this series seems to be almost separated into two parts per book. The first being the part of the book that focuses more on the world of the fey as opposed to the story line itself. Then they both seemed to take a sharp turn and something surprising happens that turns the story around completely - even the tone of the writing changes. After that point I start flipping through the pages as fast as my eyes allow me.

 

All the great characters are reintroduced in this book. Ash was especially chilling in this one - it only makes me like him more! Puck was causing his usual mischief and Grimalkin was being...Grimalkin. Can I just point out how awesome he is? These books should actually be read purely because of him...a cat. He's pure amazingness.

 

I love the fact that Meghan seems to be changing slightly. There's a difference to her reactions and decisions in the end of this book compared to the beginning of the first book. But it's happening slowly which is what I like about it. She's developing at a constant rate and doesn't just have a random revelation in the middle of the book for no reason, causing her to become some mighty person who can do anything. That's what seems to be happening in most books lately and I hate it. Meghan has still kept both sides to her (human and fey) balanced and is all the more endearing for it.

 

Overall this book certainly wasn't any kind of disappointment . It was an engrossing read full of great characters and a captivating plot. Another wonderful faery read. 

 

My rating: 8/10

 

Julie Kagawa:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Blog

 

Books in the series:

1. The Iron King
2. The Iron Daughter
3. The Iron Queen 
4. The Iron Knight