BOOK REVIEW - Godsgrave

Title: Godsgrave
Author: Jay Kristoff

Published by: Harper Voyager UK
Publication date: September 7th 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: ARC (Netgalley)

"The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand."

I never thought anything could compare to my fierce love of Nevernight.
I have been proven wrong.
Very, very wrong.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and so much more!

It was brutal, beautiful, bloody, and brilliant!
There was so much more suspense, lashings more danger, mountains of violence, and whole bucket loads of sass and sarcasm!

Be prepared for blood, fights, betrayal, mystery, passion, death and darkness!

I was so sure that nothing would ever beat the setting of the first in this series; a dangerous school for assassins where nothing is as it seems.
Thankfully I was proven wrong again and this time around we get to follow Mia as she sells herself into slavery in order to compete in vicious battles to the death as a Gladiatti.

Throughout this book Mia manages to become an even more fascinating character (if that is even possible?)
She grows so much, having her strength of character, bravery and resolve tested constantly.
Mia has even more Darkin mysteries thrown at her in this installment, and even more questions about who and what she really is.
The other characters we meet along the way are all equally as fantastic.
We get to make friends, enemies and maybe even a lover or two?

The writing was just as stunningly beautiful as in Nevernight, though maybe with slightly less flounce and over-the-top descriptions.
There were definitely no weird and strange metaphors this time around, and the book is so much better because of this.

Just as in the first book, the pace of this book was pounding and perfect!
I literally could not stop reading as I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen next.
There were twists and turns on every page, keeping you hooked and immersed right until the very brutal end.

And that ending gentlefriends! 

THE ENDING 

All you need to know about that is - oh my god!

"That's the power of words: twenty-six little letters can paint a whole universe."

BOOK REVIEW - Odd & True

Title: Odd & TrueAuthor: Cat WintersPublished by: AbramsPublication date: September 12th 2017Format: KindleSource: ARC (Netgalley)

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one quite as much as I did.But it was actually quite wonderful!

It's a tale about family bonds , myths & legends, the everyday struggles of life, and magic.

The story follows two very close sisters and each chapter alternates between each of their points of view. The chapters by Tru happen in the present and take us on an adventure across America where well face dangers, hunt monsters, and uncover family secrets.Od's chapters tell us about the past; how the two sisters grew up, the real truth about their family history and what happened to Od when she was sent away from home and her sister.

I was expecting more magic, myths and monsters in this book if I'm honest, but I'm actually not mad about how it turned out.There was just enough enchantment, folklore and mythical creatures to keep me interested, but the story was mainly about family, the love the two sisters share, overcoming adversity and being brave enough to carry on when life throws everything it has at you.

I really enjoyed learning about the girls' family history and the truth behind Od's tall tales.I loved both of the sisters fiercely! They were both so vastly different from each other, but equally strong and brave in their own way.

Tru suffered from Polio as a child and, as a result, one of her legs has withered and is unusable. She gets around with the help of a cane or wheelchair, but doesn't let this stop her from living her life and having adventures! She is delicate, quiet, smart, strong and brave.

Od, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild-child. She loves adventures, stomping around the woods following monster tracks, and looking after her sister. She suffers through quite a lot as she grows up, but her vivid imagination and thirst for magic always stays strong.

This is a fantastical adventure into dark family secrets, impossible stories and the unbreakable bond between sisters.

Could the magic actually be real after all?!

BOOK REVIEW: The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All The Way Home

Title: The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All The Way Home
Author: Catherynne M. Valenta
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication date: March 1st 2016
Format: Hardback
Source: Own copy (Amazon)

Oh Fairyland...
I shall be so sad to see you go!
I know you must, but it doesn't make saying goodbye any easier *sobs*

This whole series of books was so magical, whimsical, cosy and delightful!

"Let us take a great swaggering knife between us - it will take both our hands - and slice it open to see what we can see inside. For that is all a story is, my dears: a knife that cuts the world into pieces small enough to eat."

I'm so glad that this installment goes back to having September, Saturday, and Ell as the main characters. 
While I enjoyed the previous book (The Boy Who Lost Fairyland), it just didn't thrill me as much as the other books have. I much prefer to have September as my adventuring partner while I run and skip through Fairyland, thank you very much. 
Hawthorn and Tamburlaine do make great side-characters in this one though, if you loved them very much and are worried about missing them! So fear not!

This was probably my second favouite of the Fairyland series (with the first book coming in a solid first place long before the others have even started the race or even tied their shoes)
The plot was interesting and kept me glued to the page throughout.
I loved the idea of a race through Fairyland! It meant that we got to visit so many new places, meet wonderful new friends, and even meet up with old ones again for a spot of tea!
It was wonderful :) 

I won't spoil the ending for you, but I thought it was quite delightful.
I don't think I could have asked for the series to have been ended in a better way!
I makes saying goodbye to all these lovely friends, who I've spent so much time with, that little bit easier.

"A thing is hardly real if no one's written about it. It's the writing that makes a thing proper and solid and true in the first place."

And who knows, maybe one day we'll find our way back to Fairyland once more?

BOOK REVIEW: Mask Of Shadows

Title: Mask Of Shadows
Author: Linsey Miller
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication date: 5th September 2017
Format: KindleSource: Netgalley ARC

I have mixed emotions about this book. 

It's probably more of a 3.5 stars for me. 
I hovered over 4 stars for a while, but ultimately it was lacking a certain something that would have pushed it higher. 

It was interesting and gripping at times, yet also quite dull and confusing at others. 

These are our characters:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. 

And:

Ruby, Emerald and Amethyst. 

Confused?
I was!

Characters 1 through 23 also wear masks over their faces, so we are given no recognisable physical features either. (Except for 23, who is our main character)
Throw in some background characters with long, similar names and my brain just gave up. 
I mostly skimmed over who was who, and who was doing what until I got further through the book and we had less characters to deal with. 
A tournament to the death will do that thankfully!

The plot was interesting though. 

The story focuses on an audition for the job of 'Opal' - one of the queens skilled, deadly protectors and assassins. 
23 people are trying to win this job and to do so they must attend lessons on fighting, poisons, healing, archery and such, all while trying to kill each other off and not get caught doing it. 
The rules kept being changed and new tasks were thrown into the mix constantly. This kept the story interesting and tense. 

The main character, 23, was also quite interesting. 
I enjoyed how the book dealt with and explained the characters gender fluidity:

"Most everyone else wanted me to pick one, make addressing me easier on them my denying myself. I was already dressing so they could get it right. The least they could do was try. I didn't see why I had to choose."

"Address me however I look." I was both. I was neither. I was everything, but that wasn't exactly a friendly conversation between strangers trying to kill each other."

I haven't come across this in a book before and it was refreshing and nicely done. 
(at least in my opinion, but I have no real-life experience of this so please correct me if I'm wrong)
Yet, I felt like it didn't really add anything at all to the story. It didn't effect anything or anyone in any way. 
It was simply mentioned a few times and then forgotten about. 

23 also came across as quite big-headed and arrogant to me. This may have been totally intended, but I didn't like this aspect of the character so much. 

"Emerald and Amethyst would fail. But I was more... I was a thief and a killer, trained by a childhood of fear and violence."

Yes... because you're obviously going to be more skilled and deadly than the two characters who have shown throughout the whole book that they are better at everything than you. 
The characters that have been training you. 
23 needs a reality check!

I didn't feel like there was much character growth for the main character throughout the book, which I would have liked to see. 
23 goes into the audition arrogant and overly sure of themselves, and they come out of it exactly the same way. 
And I would have liked the chance to get to know some of the other auditioners a bit better.
I wanted to know who they were, why they were there, what their motivations were. 
I understand this is probably hard when everyone is dying with masks on, but it would have been nice. 

I am kind of excited to see what will happen in the next book though, so I'll definitely be checking that out in the future. 
And hopefully it won't be full of numbered characters with sacks on their heads. 
*fingers crossed*

BOOK REVIEW: A Crown Of Wishes (#2)

Title: A Crown Of Wishes
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Published by: St. Martin Griffin
Publication date: 28th March 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: Netgalley ARC

Read my review of the first book in this series HERE

I'm so disappointed that I didn't like this book anymore than the first one.
I have no idea why I expected to? But I did.
It sounded like the story had so much promise, but it just failed to enchant me. It didn't whisk me away on a magical adventure that I could feel myself drowning in.
And that's what I wanted.

The story felt like one huge rush to me.
Things conveniently happened at the right time, and people went along with things without question.
I thought it was unrealistic and lacking a lot of character and world building.

The start of the story focuses on Gauri and Vikram making their way to 'The Otherworld' where they plan to take part in a magical tournament where the winner receives a wish.
These two characters are from enemy kingdoms yet must work together in order to survive.
Sounds great, no?!
It wasn't great.
The constant 'banter' between these two characters was grating and irritating, and their journey seemed rushed with little explanation.
Vikram secretly frees Gauri from the prison where she is being held so that they can enter the tournament and she goes along with it soooo easily. She originally thinks she's going to be killed, but instead she is informed that magic exists and that they're traveling to the mystical Kingdom of Treasures so they can try to win a wish from the King there who also happens to be married to a river.
Does she question this?
No, not really.
She's all "oh okay enemy Prince who I have no reason to trust. Let's go." And off they rush.
And rush, and rush, and rush.

Things do slow down a little once the tournament begins.
And we have some beautiful and interesting imagery through poetically written descriptions.
The folklore and creatures were interesting (when is folklore not interesting?), and the settings are rich and beautiful (if a little confusing).
Yet things are still a little silly, odd, and not questioned.

At one point this happens:

Gauri - "when should we arrive?"
Yakshini - "The floor will turn to fire, my lady. That will be your signal to leave the room."
Gauri - "And when does the tournament start?"

HOLD UP!!!
Why is no one questioning this floor turning to fire business?!
I would be freaking out!
Is this a normal occurrence?
Won't they burn to death?
Why can't they just ring a bell or something?
I have so many questions!

Admittedly the scary fire floor does turn out to be formed out of cool flames.
But no one knew that before fire sprung to life under their feet!
Yet they all act like it's completely normal and expected.
What?

I also found the romance extremely unbelievable.
The two characters go from enemies who can barely stand each other, to being madly in love and besotted with each other over just a few short days.
A week maybe?
Maybe just over a week?
I'm unsure as time kept being conveniently skipped and lost so that the story could progress.
But it definitely was not a believable amount of time.

My favourite part of this book was when Kamala turns up.
Yay Kamala the human eating, demon horse returns!
But she was only around for about 2 or 3 pages *sigh*
And I did enjoy briefly seeing Maya again too, and she seemed way less annoying and stupid this time around. Hurrah!
But again, that was only for a couple of pages.
And I did like Aasha. She was probably the best character in this one by far!

I really didn't enjoy the first book in this series either, so I have no idea why I expected things to change this time around.
At least we did have a bit more of a plot this's time around. And this instalment may have been a little less annoying perhaps? The characters weren't quite as stupid as I found Maya to be in The Star-Touched Queen. But I still didn't love them or really care about what was going to happen to them.

At least this book doesn't take very long to read?

Unpopular opinion #1 goes to me!

BOOK REVIEW: Red Sister

Title: Red Sister
Author: Mark Lawrence
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication date: 6th April 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: Netgalley ARC

"A book is as dangerous as any journey you might take. The person who closes the back cover may not be the same one that opened the front one."

Oh my gosh guys!
This book is immense. 

It has danger and fighting and adventure and magic and mystery and intrigue and swords and poisons and ice and powers and friendship and bravery and nuns. 

What more could you ask for?!

Nothing. 
You could ask for nothing more. 

The story follows Nona as she is given away by her mother and eventually ends up at the Sweet Mercy convent training to become a Red Sister. 
But Red Sisters aren't your average type of nun. 
Oh no!

While at Sweet Mercy Nona and her friends learn how to fight with fist, blade, arrow and spear. 
They learn about the world and all its mysteries. 
They learn how to brew poisons and create the antidotes all while trying to avoid being sneakily poisoned themselves by their teacher. 
They learn how to connect to the Ancestor and in turn learn patience, clarity and serenity. 
They learn how to weave shadows and pull the threads that connect all things. 
And they learn about The Path. 

I want to become a Red Sister. 
Please?!

Nona and her friends face many trials and dangers throughout this story and it never once got boring. 
The whole book sped along in one big heap of awesome!
The story and world were completely fascinating; I was hooked from the very first page. 

All of the characters we meet are so varied and interesting. 
Nona herself is incredibly likeable and easy to empathise with. She's brave, fierce, wild, and a true friend. Yet she's also scared, untrusting, secretive and violent. 
I loved her. 
In this story we have fierce friends, kindly teachers, terrifying enemies, sneaky liars and everything in between. 

You'll find no catty girl-girl hate here. Which is so refreshing! 
We see a flicker of some towards the start, but both parties quickly realise they're being stupid and decide to be friends instead.
YAS! Thank you Mark Lawrence!
There are also no signs of any heterosexual relationships. Though there are plenty of lesbian ones (a convent full of lonely girls? Yes, this would definitely be the case) and also some hints that our main character Nona may also be gay. Which I desperately hope to be the case! 

The world we are thrown into felt so real and fleshed out. 
From the cities and convent buildings where lessons took place, to the freezing wilds of the Corridor and dark underground tunnels. It was written amazingly well and now my life's goal is to gain admittance to the Sweet Mercy convent. 
I want to learn from the Sisters, have warm steamy baths, try to walk the whole of the blade path, visit the library with Sister Kettle, and go out on a ranging in the icy winds. 
Why is this world not real?!

"They're my babies. My old leathery babies. And I have a very unpleasant poison from Sister Apple for anyone who so much as folds a page." - Sister Kettle

I love my old leathery babies too Sister Kettle. 
And my new papery babies as well. 
I would totally poison anyone who harmed my books!
Sister Kettle knows what's up!

I am desperate to dive back into this world again as soon as possible. 
The sequel can't come soon enough!

"Your death has not been waiting for your arrival at the appointed hour: it has, for all the years of your life, been racing towards you with the fierce velocity of time's arrow. It cannot be evaded, it cannot be bargained with, deflected or placated. All that is given to you is the choice: meet it with open eyes and peace in your heart, go gentle to your reward. Or burn bright, take up arms, and fight the bitch."

BOOK REVIEW: More of Me

Title: More of Me
Author: Kathryn Evans
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication date: 13th June 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: Netgalley ARC

"I have grown in strength inside her. Filled her cells with mine until we must split apart. It's not my choice - that's how it's always been for us."

This is the tale of Teva. 
A girl who splits into two versions of herself every year. 
A girl who lives in a house with all of her previous selves who are never able to age. 
A girl who has chosen to fight to try to keep her life as her own. 

This book was quite an unexpected gem for me. 
I loved the idea of it but had no idea that I would enjoy it quite as much as I did. 

The story is written so well that I struggled to put it down. 
It kept me hooked the whole way through. 
I NEEDED to know what was happening!

The author keeps us guessing about the nature of Teva's condition. 
Is it real?
Why does it happen?
Is she crazy?
Can it be stopped?
Who can she trust?
I had so many different theories about what was going on while I read this book. It kept throwing new things at me and making me reevaluate my ideas constantly. 

It was tense and mysterious and confusing and I loved it!

The characters were great and well written. 
All of the different Tevas were distinctly different and interesting. I really enjoyed reading about how their relationships worked and how they all interacted with each other. 
The current Teva was easy to like and sympathise with. 
I loved the fierce friendship between Teva and Maddy. 
Though I do wish there was less emphasis on boys/relationships being the thing that was holding Teva together and getting her through. 

I also enjoyed the interesting moral dilemmas that the current Teva faced once she had split away from 'Fifteen'. 
Was she stealing Fifteens life?
Was it her own life anyway?
Was Ollie Teva's boyfriend or Fifteen's?
Was she the same person?
Was it right that her mum locked all the previous Teva's away and didn't let them live their lives?
Should she bother working towards a future she would never be able to experience? 

I found this to be a really original and gripping story. 
Definitely worth a read!

BOOK REVIEW: The Black Witch

Title: The Black Witch
Author: Laurie Forest
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: 2nd May 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: Netgalley ARC

I just can't with this book. 
I can't. 

I had to stop at 45%. I just couldn't force myself to carry on any further. 
Even getting this far was a struggle. 

This book is sooo problematic. 

I'm aware the author is probably setting it up so that our oh-so-special MC can grow and change and become a better person and probably change the whole bloody world along the way. 
But no. 

It was racist and sexist and just awful. 

Was the author trying to make Lukas Grey seem attractive to the reader?
Because he really just comes across as a privileged, entitled, douche bag. 

When Elloren first meets him he hurries her away to a dark corridor within the first 5 minutes because she's never been kissed and he needs to rectify this right away apparently. 
No. 

When Elloren asks him to show her some magic what does he do?
Make some magic flowers for her?
Put on a beautiful, impressive display?
No. 
He wraps her up in dark tendrils of magic and pulls her to him forcibly. 
Gross. 

And then later after Elloren has just said she needs to stay away from him and is LITERALLY stepping backwards away from him, he 'binds' her with a spell to pull her closer to him and starts getting all kissy-kissy with her neck and chuckling. 
No, no, no!
She just said no to you dude!
Not okay!

All of the females were bitchy and catty and hating on each other. 

One of the main tensions in the book is Elloren and a nasty, bitchy girl fighting over the terrible Lukas Grey. 

Certain races were slaves, sold him cages, described as 'deranged hordes' and 'half-breeds'. 
Our charming Lukas threatens their families (including a 5 year old child!) because they hurt poor, precious Elloren. 

What with all the racism, classism, arranged marriages, and such I couldn't give this book anymore of my time. 

Not to mention it's incredibly dull and slow. 
Nothing seemed to happen. 
And all that nothing happened at an incredibly slow pace. 
I just didn't care about any of it other than how offensive it is. 

I'm totally aware that Elloren will probably realise the error of her ways at some point in the story. 
But at 45% in I feel like she should already be making strides towards this?
Not still hating everyone of a different race to her and judging other girls for being 'ugly'. 
Come on. 

No thank you.

BOOK REVIEW: Strange The Dreamer

Title: Strange The Dreamer
Author: Laini Taylor
Published by: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 28th March 2017
Format: Kindle
Source: ARC

Oh my gosh.
This book!

I don't even know what to say.

It was everything I was hoping for and so much more!

It has everything:
Orphans, libraries, magical cities, grand adventures, mysteries, danger, dreams, impossible feats, alchemy, vengeance, love, Gods and monsters.

And the characters!
THE CHARACTERS!!!

They were all so perfect and flawed and even more perfect because of those flaws!
Sometimes I hated the heroes
At other times I felt sympathy for the nasty ones.

No one was evil without cause and reason.
No one was a hero without suffering.

Some characters were both hero and villain.
It was perfect.

And can we take a second to talk about Lazlo.
Lazlo is a DREAM.
He is perfect and I want to hug him forever and listen to him tell me magical stories from far off lands.
I'll bake him cakes and we can be BFF's.

And Sarai was so heatbreakingly lovely.
And damaged.
And kind.
And confused.
And brave.

Even the romance was perfect.
And coming from me that's a pretty big deal because I normally hate pretty much all romance in books.
(I'm a heartless reader apparently)
But not with this book!
Oh no!
This was beautiful, moving, achingly lovely.

I actually had no idea this was part of a series until I reached the end.
I thought it was a stand-alone novel.
When I realised that there will be more I screamed.

More of Weep and magic and Gods and dreams and mystery and hope and fear and adventure.

I can't wait!

 

BOOK REVIEW: Bone Gap

Title: Bone Gap
Author: Laura Ruby
Published by: Faber & Faber
Publication date: 29th December 2016
Format: Paperback
Source: Library

** spoiler alert ** 

I was ultimately and unfortunately a bit disappointed with this book. 

I love a bit of magical realism but this example just fell a bit flat in my opinion. 

The "magic" seemed to serve no real overall point. 
It was just shoved in here and there to pad out the plot a bit. 

Roza could quite easily have been kidnapped by a normal man who prized her for her beauty and kept prisoner in a normal house instead of a confusing magical realm. 

A lot of the "magic" was confusing to be honest. 

What was the corn about?

I thought they said that scarecrows were used to scare the corn instead of crows. 
So why was the the kidnapper called The Scarecrow?
Did he scare the corn?
And what about the crows?
Were they magic?
Why did they help de-toilet paper Finns yard?
Who gave Charlie Valentine the horse?
How come Charlie Valentine is like 500 years old?
WHAT is he?! 
What's going on?!?! 

I did enjoy the parts about face-blindness though. 
I thought those parts were very cleverly written. 
After it was revealed I flicked back to earlier sections about Finn and how he saw the world and said "oh yeah!" to myself a lot. 

I also quite liked the message that women are more than just their appearance. 
It would have been even nicer if there were more girl-girl friendships/relationships (or even conversations!) going on. 
WAY better if Roza had been allowed to save herself and if Petey had realised she didn't need ANYONE to think she was pretty to be happy. 

Can we have a new ending where Roza escapes by herself and runs off back to Poland taking Petey with her, and they become BFF's growing vegetables and keeping bees?