The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1

Published by:  Harlequin Teen
Rating: 4.5/5

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

I really liked this book, more so than it's predecessors. The writing has greatly improved, charactarisation is better, and it just seemed to gel better for me as a whole. What I really liked though was seeing how the characters had developed since the end of the previous series, especially Ethan. This is not the cute, sweet little Ethan we read about in The Iron Fey series, he's all grown up and hasn't exactly been coping well with his sister leaving and the knowledge of the existance of the fey. He's mean, closed off, rude and all round unapproachable, at least that's what he likes to make everyone think but you can see that it's all just a mask he created as a way to deal with everything and underneath it all is the same boy we were introdiced to in The Iron King. I did find him a bit whiny at times but I understood the need for it, you don't get over a hatred of something just like that, it takes time and there will be whiny-ness along the way.

Keirran...I'm not really sure where I stand with him. At times I liked him and other times I wan't whack him upside the head. There's also the fact the the event of Iron's Prophecy hanging over this book so I can't help but dislkie him a little bit, especially at the end of the book where he needed a good kick to his nether regions to knock some sense into him.

Kenzie was kinda cool, she showed enough strength and vulnerability to be three dimensional and enjoyable to read. I also enjoyed how we got to see some of our old faves from the The Iron Fey. I only wish the first scene with Puck didn't seem so pointless, it felt like he only appeared to show the readers he was still around and satisfy their Puck needs. Ash was awesome, while I wasn't on the Ash bandwagon through the original series I liked the parental role he took on in this book, it really worked for me.

Overall, this was an excellent additon to the series and fans will eat it up before demanding seconds and probably thirds. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2

Published by: Little Brown Books
Rating: 5/5

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

Once upon a time there was an angel and a devil who fell in love and dreamed of a world of peace and where they could be together openly. So they fought hard and the day finally came where there were no more massacres or torn throats, and no more children taken from their mothers. Their dreams of happiness made in the moon's secret temple had come to pass and they lived happily ever after.

This is not that world and this is not their story.

This is a story of revenge, betrayal, deceit, of love lost and rivers of blood. But it also a story of hope and dreams of a better future.

 
I love this series. Laini Taylor is a wonderful story effortlessly weaving together the story of two worlds and two races at war. Days of Blood and Starlight explores the result of the choices Akiva and Karou made at the end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and it's not pretty. Rivers of blood run through Eretz with both sides killing mercilessly and without remorse, targeting innocents as well as the soldiers. Karou has become the chimera's resurrectionist taking over from her mentor and father-figure Brimstone. But life under Thiago is not easy and his endgame unclear. Akiva has rejoined the ranks of the Misbegotten, attempting to uncover the truth of the thurible he found in the Kirin caves while undermining the orders or Joram. Who can they trust? Who is on their side?

So many twists and turns take place in this book and just when you think you know where it’s going Taylor throws another spanner in the works. I gave up trying to work out what will happen and just enjoyed the ride. It was fun, exciting, gasp-worthy and endearing; I ran the whole gamut of emotions making my way through this book.

The characters in this book are something special. Karou was heart-breaking to read, following her as she broke under Thiago only to find the courage to keep going, and when her friend was returned. Her despair over Akiva and the shame she burdened herself with was probably the hardest of all to read as through all the pain and anger she couldn’t help but love him, all the while knowing that it could never be again. Akiva can’t stop wanting her and through all the nasty words thrown at him he will do anything for her. I really want these two to get back together; I could feel their longing and their pain and just wanted everything to get better for them. Unfortunately, I feel Taylor is not one to give fans a happy ending just for the sake of it and fear that these two will never get to be together. But it wasn’t just these two that made the story. The secondary characters were just as amazing and quite a few had surprising development. I do not think there was a single character that I did not feel something for.

This is a dark and horror filled book where deeds of great evil are done but if you look beyond the surface there is friendship, love and hope. Fans of Daughter of Smoke and Bone will not be disappointed.


And as the angel and demon looked at each other from across the fire they knew the wall between them built from the events of the past could not be breached easily, if at all. But despite this their shared dream lived on. It would be a hard path and one that was different to that they first imagined. However, they still hoped and dreamed.

All the while the traitor king sat on his throne ordering blood to be spilt, and dreaming of being god.

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey #1

Published by: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 3.5/5

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

This book was quite enjoyable and if it weren't for a few flaws it could've been a 4.5/5. The plot was very intriguing and was pulled off quite well. The fae is not a race that is common in YA PNL at the moment (compatred to vampires and angels). So for me this felt new and fresh even if the faery lore stuck within it's pre-existing lore, which I will add I liked. In particular I liked the A Midsummer Night's Dream influences that were peppered throughout the book. What I found most interesting was the idea that the faery only exist as long as people remember them. It is an element I look forward to exploring more in the other books in the series. I must also raise my glass to Kagawa for not being afraid to swear. In the real world people swaer, teenagers swear, to completely ignore this in factor of life in books just because your're writing YA is silly and I appreciated Kagawa for using it as a tool in her book for bringing the characters to life without overdoing it.

Meghan and I had a love/hate relationship. I loved how much sass she had and how she continually persisted but mostly I loved how she wasn't a Bella clone who's shy, clumsy, suposedly smart, and well you get the gist. But as much as I loved her I hater her too. I get that when she first gets to Nevernever she doens't know the rules, mistakes will be made but when you're told specifically what not to do ie make deals with faery do not continually make deals with them. That's just dumb! It's also very frustrating for the reader becuase I just wnated to bang my head against the wall in frustration. Use your brain and find a different way. There were also times she came across as ungrateful but I will conceded on this in that she is a sixteen-year-old girl there's bound to be this kind of behaviour and thought at that age.

While I wasn't sold on Meghan I loved all the other characters, especially Puck. He was just so sweet and charming and loveable and funny. He reminded me of that silly lovable guy friend who has a bog heart. I really felt for him when Meghan didn't get the hint, and do I oh so wish she did becuase I feel that I may be a shipper. Compared to the jester best friend Ash is the bad boy. He cold, calculating and threated to kill Meghan more than once, usually a big tick in the shipper status but not this time. Yes, there were moments where they were together and it was sweet but I wasn't sold. Maybe in the following books this will change but for now I'm Meghan/Puck all the way. And then there's Grimalkin. Oh how I loved him!  His motives kept me guessing and he was a bit of fun. The only downside was that all I could see was the Chesire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and despite trying to find any difference that would make him stand out above his predecesor there was none.

I certainly look forward to reading the next installment in this series.

Book Review: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush #4

Pubished by: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 3/5

Will love conquer all?

Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch.

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.

Warning there are some spoilers in this review.

Surprise. Surprise. Fitzpatrick did the unexpected and actually created a half decent book. Going into Finale I had low expectations, after all the last two books in this series were nothing short of horrible, but I gave it a shot hoping it would get better and I was rewarded. That's not to say that I didn't have a few gripes with this book but there were considerably fewer than expected.

The plot wasn't too bad, there was enough going on that it kept my attention but it was also kinda predictable and not in a good superman-will-always-save-the-day kinda way. I really wanted to be surprised in parts but I ended up feeling kinda meh about it all. But overall, the plot was way better than the previous three. I even liked the way she handled the whole Nora and devilcraft situation. I felt she hit the major issues that she needed to and sent the right message. Although, I still have gripes about the lack of information about devilcraft and it's use.

There were some issues I had. At the end how was the gate opened? Surley it can't be that easy to open the gate to hell and release the fallen angels. Yet, that's how it comes across. No explanation, nothing. It's almost as if all Dante had to do was knock on the door and ask the devil politely to open it. This glancing over plot points is something that Fitzpatrick needs to keep an eye on. She also needs to keep her facts in check as there was one line, "...jam-packed with bodies producing enough sweat to take greenhouse gases to a whole new level." Now correct me if I read this wrong but this sentence to me reads that sweat produces greenhouse gases....ummmmm ok, that's a new one. Please do your homework next time, it saves me wanting to throw your book against a wall.

Fitzpatrick seemed to be on a role in this book as the characters didn't bug me as much. Nora has grown a bigger backbone and is actually bearable. She's come into her own as leader of the Nephilim, even though at times she does put her problems in front of everyone else. Overall, her growth since the last book was great, I don't think I could've dealt with Silence Nora for another book. Even Patch got better!  Really he was much less of a dick in this book than the others. It was frustrating though because one minute he was all normal and then I would be swearing because he said or did something assholey again. His jealousy is way too OTT sometimes but the emphasis on it being unhealthy isn't given the prominance that it should have.

I was so glad to see Scott back in this book and not just as a tool for information dumping. He would definitely have to be one of my fave characters in this series so while I was glad how much featured in this book, I was sad about how it all ended. Vee also got better in this book, she was far less b*&%@# and disresepctful. I did however have to wonder what the point of her was for most of it. The whole big reveal of her secret proved to be unnecessary as in the end it played no part in effecting the overall plot. It just seemed that Fitzpatrick thought it would be cool and give another gasp factor but I just felt that is wasn't needed. And finally Dante. He was really rather transparent and I had him pegged as his role since early on in the book. Again Fitzpatrick's writing left me having trouble picturing him.

Overall, the book wasn't too bad and it gave a satisfying ending to the series. For those of you who loved the first three books this one will not disappoint.

 

Book Review: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Lynburn Legacy #1

Publishe by: Random House
Rating: 5/5

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this book, it had an interesting sounding premise and good reviews so I thought id give it a go. It was a good choice. This book is a ray of sunshine amongst some of the other YA books I've read recently.

The characters were my favorite part if this book, they all had their own personality and everyone stood out for that reason. They came across as real teenagers with teenage personalities. It's great! Kami is a great lead female and im happy to report she's not TSTL. She doesn't go around pretending to be smart when her actions betray her a being stupid, she has sass and she can actually look after herself while still being believably flawed. I felt that all her actions and decisions, whether right or wrong, could be explained by her desire to be a journalist. In fact she kinda reminded me of Lois Lane in her tenacity and aspiration to get to the bottom of a story no matter what, for me it worked. The only thing that I found a bit annoying was the few times she reffered to Angela and Holly being so much hotter than her. However, it wasn't overdone and I guess we're all allowed a bit of self-consiousness.

Jared was a well written tortured character with anger issues, insecurities and all. But at the same time he was also very sweet, especially with Kami. By the end of the book I did feel like I needed more explanation for the way he was but considering there's more books in the series I wasn't too worried. I think my favourite line of Jared's had to be when he tols Kami that they should date.

As for the other characters I can't say there was one that felt flat. Angela was hilarious in her hatred for all people and her laziness. She was also kick-ass which is a huge plus. I loved how the relationship with Holly developed in the book. Ash was complex. And I loved the contrast between Kamis family with her awesome dad who picked on them and the Lynburns who were closed off and just a little mad.

The relationship was written very well. It wasn't insta-love which is a nice change. Kami and Jared had developed feelings for each other for many years even if they didn't know the other was real. And finally when they do realise it in the elevator it's not all sunshine and rainbows; it's difficult. Despite prior feelings for each other they do not follow on that easily. Yeah, feelings develop but there's this awkwardness and unsureness about it. They're no longer sure of their feelings and whether they're real or not. It just moves at a more natural pace than a lot of YA books at the moment where it's love and happiness at first sight.

The plot was also very good. It had enough intrigue to keep me interested and while I figured out some of the secrets there were others that I didn't see coming until they were on me. Clues and secrest were revealed throughout the book so I wasn't getting frustrated at the lack of revels despite the obviousness of it.

Unfortunately, now I have to wait until next year to get the next installment to find out what happens next and to hope that what happened at the end of the book will not be permanent.

Book Reviews: E L James and James Dashner

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

Fifty Shades #1

Published by: Vintage
Rating: 0.25/5 (Just for the fact that it actually managed to get published)

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Let me start off by asking how on earth this was published in the first place? Anyone who is active in the literary world knows this started off as Twilight smut fanfiction and just reading the first chapter you can see the parallels between Edward (handsome, confident and mysterious Christian) and Bella (brunette, clumsy, awkward and daggy Ana). It hurts me to know that this is what the publishing world has come to, taking fanfiction, changing the names and calling it a new story. Not that fanfiction is bad, I'm a reader and some writers are very good but if they get published it should be for more original content. I'm referring to Cassandra Clare who started in Harry Potter fanfiction and is now a successful original author.

So considering that issue is out of the way lets take a look at the book proper. What makes it so riveting and popular? Well I can tell you it ain't the writing. As soon as I read the first line I wanted to throw the book and give up on it. "I scowl with frustration in the mirror. Damn my hair - it just won't behave, and damn Katherine Kavanagh for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal." Really I've read better written fanfiction (oh snap). Even Lauren Kate's Fallen is better written and more interesting than this drivel and considering my dislike of that book Ms James is doing a stellar job of making me want to burn every copy of this book just to save to world from having thier brains explode over the crappiness of it. And here is were we insert angry Gray fanatics cries of indignation at hating on thier book.

So the characters...well other than the fact that they're Bella and Edward clones, they suck. Really Ana is just another TSTL lead female, seriously girl if your brain is telling you to run, you bloody well run, you don't listen to your hormones that's what guys do (no offense to all the guys out there). But really she is rather dull and stupid, I don't care much for her and despite knowing there's another two books I'm kinda hoping her clumsiness will trip her in front of a moving bus. Lets not even get started on how long it took her to catch onto him being abused as achild, so much for brains. And if I have to read about her inner goddess one more time I'm gonna smash something and then have my inner ninja kick her inner goddesses ass, because ninjas are much cooler :). Now Christian...I know I'm gonna get hate mail for this but WTF do so many women like him? He's not sexy, he's down right creepy and a bit of a sleaze bag. He's far too full of himself and is a cheavanistic pig. Really you would think all the women out there want to go back a few centuraries where they were owned by men, thanks but no thanks I'll take my freedom. On that note as far as my knowledge of BDSM goes, which doesn't go that far, people into that scene can hold perfectly healthy relationships, they just like it a bit kinky in the bedroom. They don't train their partners like dogs either just to pleasure them. Really I am worried for the female population if this is their dream man. And let's not even get started on the contract because that's just weird. But really Christian reminds me of a commercial, 'Dont cross the line', which refers to abuse and hunny if your scared of your bfs anger I'm pretty sure he's crossed the line into abuse.

The relationship: this is the most unhealthy book relationship I have read. This is not a healthy relationship people, don't endorse it, and I'm not even talking about the BDSM aspect. As said above the fact that Ana is scared of Christian's anger and the fact that she can't think straight when around him is not good. She should have been able to leave him alone a long time ago no matter how much it hurt. And when she finally did, Hallelujah, I did a little happy dance because that should have happened a couple hundred pages before, unfortunately I'm pretty sure they get back together, go ahead Ms James it's like taking candy from a baby, it's just cruel. On a side note: when you ask your bf to beat you as hard as possible, you really can't make judgment calls.

So if your into badly written books, unhealthy relationships, annoying characters, just like feeling your brain cells die one by one or are into mummy porn than this book is for you. For us sane ones I will continue to judge people who read this and liked it, so sue me. That being said I will probably read the last two because I'm a masochist and don't like leaving series unfinished because you never know it might get better...who am I kidding?

However, after reading this I have a new sense of how hilarious it was that my friends mum had no idea what the book was about and went to buy it for her husband :D.


The Kill Order by James Dashner

The Maze Runner #0.5

Published by: Delacorte Books
Rating: 2/5

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

Considering my love hate relationship with the trilogy it was no surprise that this book was the same. Unfortunately, I think this book was a bit disappointing as I was looking forward to reading about Tom and Teresa and how their story began. Instead we're handed a whole new bunch of characters that I really couldn't care less for.

So let's start with the plot, it was ok but not what I would call fantastic. For me there was too much action and not enough character development, and while I'm all for action there needs to be a balance. The book was all safe scene, fight/running scene followed by a safe, fight/running scene and so on and so forth. Because of this I found it difficult to keep reading, I think I could've put this book down at any point, never gone back to it and never caring, which is a shame because Mr Dashner isn't a bad writer.

The characters were very meh for me. Normally I would be rooting for Mark and Trina to get together and Alec would be one of my favorite characters, but I just couldn't connect. I didn't even care when any characters died. Maybe it was because I knew there was no way they could make it or maybe I'm not compatible with Mr Dashner's writing. In this case it's probably a bit of both. One thing I did like was Mark's struggle with the Flare in the latter part of the book, it was well written and I enjoyed reading him go from horror to embracing it to save his friends.

Overall, the book was ok and fans of the trilogy will probably like it, however, if you were like me and only mildly enjoyed the books than this one may be a prequel you decide to skip.

Book Review: 13 by Kelley Armstrong

Women of the Otherworld #13

Published By: Orbit
Rating: 5/5

War is coming to the Otherworld. A sinister cult known as The Supernatural Liberation Movement is hell-bent on exposing the truth about supernaturals to the rest of the world. Their violent, ruthless plan has put everyone at risk: from werewolves to vampires, from witches to half-demons.

Savannah Levine - fiery and unpredictable - stands at the heart of the maelstrom. There is a new, dark magic inside her, granting her the power to summon spells of terrifying strength. But whether this magic is a gift or a curse, no one knows.

On the eve of battle, all the major players must come together in a last, desperate fight for survival - Elena and Clay; Adam and Savannah; Paige and Lucas; Jeremy and Jaime; Hope, Eve and more...They are fighting for lives.

They are fighting for their loved ones.

They are fighting for the Otherworld.

Anyone  who is a fan of Ms Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series will find 13 packed full of yummy otherworld goodness in the form of all our favourite characters and pairings, all our favourite secondary characters, action and twists.

Now without giving away too much, 13 wove an intricate plot that brought everything and everyone introduced in the series full circle and they all play their parts wonderfully. For most of the story I was wondering what Ms Armstring was going to do to her characters next because she really tested them in the final three book arc and you won't see many of the twists coming,. It made the book a delight to read.

For me the characters have always been the heart of this series, to follow them through their adventures and trials, and to see them grow has been a pleasure. This book is no different. Following Savannah through this book we get to see just how much she has changed and grown up not just over the last three books but ever since she was first. We get to see characters coming into their own and get  a real glimpse at what the world could be like in the future when the new generation really take over. But what I really liked about this book was how some of the minor secondary characters were treated, Jaz's arc really put into place how much he cared for Hope, Cassandra and Aaron (who are two of my top secondary characters and who I would like to have seen more page time) were provided with sweet closure, and let's not forget the Lord Demons that made a few visits and gave me some of my favourite scenes.

You also can't ignore the role pairings play in making the characters so loveable and it was great to finally see Adam and Savannah get together after that kiss at the send of Spell Bound. I do love my ships and it's great to see an author get on board and give the readers what they want without all the hassle of the dreaded love triangle. I also fell more in love with the Hope and Karl pairing after seeing them interact in this book as of all the book protagonists we've had they've had the least screen time. Elana and Clay, Paige and Lucas, Eve and Kristoff, Jeremy and Jamie...well, it's always a pleasure to get to see more of them and see them interact. But as I mentioned above Cassandra and Aaron is also one of my favourite pairings and it was so heartwarming to see them in this book.

It's sad to see then end of such a great series, especially one that has so many more exciting adventures to tell. I look forward to getting my hands on the short stories that Ms Armstrong has promised us in coming years to see how the ramifications of 13 impact on everyone and hopefully sometime in the future we'll be able to revisit our favourite characters in a full length novel.

Series Review: Curse Workers by Holly Black

Curse Workers #1

Publish By: Margaret K. McElderry
Rating: 3/5



Curse Workers #2

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.  



Curse Workers #3

Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to like this series more than I did. Now don't get me wrong it was well written, had a decent plot, the world building was some of the best I've seen in a YA novel, the characters were likable, and it had romance. All this normally adds up to a big fat win for me, in fact it they are the exact type of books I normally go for and love. So where did it go wrong?

I think the biggest problem for me was that I just didn't connect with the writing. As I said it was fairly well written and much better than some of the others out on the market at present. But, I just couldn't get into it, I was quite happy to put the books down and wait a few days before I continued on and I know there should have been times that I shouldn't have been able to put it down. It didn't help that I found the plot a little bit lack luster. There just wasn't that much excitment in it for me. Sure it was interesting and I really did want to finish the books and find out how it all fit but it was all a bit meh, especially in the last book where there were story lines that just fell flat.

I did appreciate the world building aspect, though. A lot of authors have trouble with this aspect, especially in YA lit, leaving their books feeling broken and incomplete. Ms Black did a great job of creating a world where a minorty where given the power to make things happen with just a touch of a hand. I especially liked that there were also consequences to using that power. It was fascinating to read about how the world, in particular laws, had developed with 'workers'. One thing that was interesting was their view on scandel and what constitutes as porn (ungloved hands).

The characters on the other hand I found likable but I didn't really connect with any of them, a fact that would be connected to my lack of connection with the writing. I mean I should have been shipping the whole way through but in the end I really couldn't have cared less if the guys got the girls. Another issue I had was placing the ages of people, specifically Barron and Philip. They always came across as way way way older than what they are in the books. Philip is meant to be 21 but acted like he was in his late 30's, the same went for Barron. I got that their working for a mob probably had some sort of impact but it just messed with my mind a bit too much. Cassel was interesting and it was good to read a YA from the persepctive of a boy rather than a girl but again I didn't really connect with him. Out of all of them I probably liked Daneca, Sam and Grandpa Desi the best, and they're not even main characters.

Overall, it was a decent read and I would recommend it for lovers of YA paranormal novels who want something different to read. I have read rave reviews about this series and it probably rightly deserves them, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Book Review: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Graceling Realm #3

Published by: Gollancz
Rating: 3.5/5

Eight years have passed since the young Princess Bitterblue, and her country, were saved from the vicious King Leck. Now Bitterblue is the queen of Monsea, and her land is at peace. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run the country on her behalf since Leck's death, believe in a forward-thinking plan: to pardon all of those who committed terrible acts during Leck's reign; and to forget every dark event that ever happened. Monsea's past has become shrouded in mystery, and it's only when Bitterblue begins sneaking out of her castle - curious, disguised and alone - to walk the streets of her own city, that she begins to realise the truth. Her kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year long spell of a madman, and now their only chance to move forward is to revisit the past. Whatever that past holds. Two thieves, who have sworn only to steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, who possesses an unidentified Grace, may also hold a key to her heart ...

Anyone who is a fan of Fire and Graceling have been waiting for this book for a while. Waiting to find out what has happened to all of our favourite characters. And as much as I liked the book and enjoyed reading it, I can't help but to feel a little let down. The plot was slow moving, and the use of ciphers and keys worked better in theory than on paper. The mystery had no suspence and it was obvious from very early on what was happening and why. There was no big climax and I finished the book feeling like it was incomplete.

That's not to say it didn't have any saving graces, considering I gave it 3.5 there had to be something that made it worth reading and that was the characters. I liked Bitterblue, although at times she came across as younger than her 18 years. This was understandable though as she has been very sheltered since she became queen 8 years previous and it was a joy to see her develop and become a real queen rather than a pawn. She showed that she was strong and just, and wasn't afraid to fix the damage her father had made, but she also showed a very vulnerable side that connects with her past.

I loved Saf and Teddy. They made reading the first part of the book very enjoyable. Unfortunately for being so crucial in the beginning of the book and for Saf being a love interest they disappeared into the background very quickly after their parts were completed, only to show up quickly to forward some plot point. Saf in particular felt like he should have played a more prominant role. I do still love him though.

Seeing Po, Katsa, Raffin and the rest of the crew again was great as well but they didn't really serve much of a purpose. They had their own little storyline that didn't have anything to do with the main one, and it tell the reader what was happening in the rest of the kingdom, which I guess was its main purpose. The one thing I found odd was how Po and Katsa behaved. Now I know I haven't read Graceling since it first came out and that 8 years have passed but they came across as alot more animated then what I remember them being, especially Katsa. It wasn't exactly a bad thing as I still loved them and was glad to see Po so much, but it just didn't sit right. I think I'm going to have to go back and re-read Graceling again to check.

Among other characters I loved Death, Lovejoy, Madlen and Helda. They were great characters to read about. Thiel and Rood I really felt for, they have been through so much and were left so broken. It was heartbreaking sometimes.

Then at the end we get to see Fire again. Again not really a bad thing to see how she was going and it did serve a purpose but it felt kind of chucked in like a last minute decision. I'm not entirely sure if it was meant to go somewhere or if it was just a plot device to help Bitterblue.

Overall, I had mixed feeling about the book but I still did really enjoy it and would recommend anyone who has read the first two books to read it. I'm hoping there will be another book as the ending did feel incomplete and open ended.

Book Reviews: Rachel Caine and Cassandra Clare

Black Dawn by Rschel Caine

Morganville Vampires #12

Published by: New American Library
Rating: 4.5/5

In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires... their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.

This book takes off from the events at the end of Last Breath and it was a rollercoaster ride. From the beginning it was action packed and it didn't slow down. It was a lot of fun and a bit of heartache.

I've been with this series for a long time now and have become invested in the characters, and to see how the have evolved over the course of 12 books has been a joyous ride. With this book we saw Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve deal with a lot of stuff and develop in ways you wouldn't expect. The best thing about them though is that they are real and you can see how their past has forced them to become the people they are today. It is something that is missing in a lot new YA PNRL books at the moment. Shane is one of the best male characters with a tortured past around. I loved seeing him so vulnerable in this book, it really gave his charcter a greater depth, I just wanted to give him a hug!

Now Claire and Eve, thank god for truley kiss-ass female characters. Unlike some books these girls really are tough, and we're both told and shown this. Eve has such great strength in this book, I really admired her. After what happened in Last Breath it was bound to be rocky for her and Michael, and it was, which was great to see. She didn't go running back to him and excusing his behaviour just because she loved him, she made sure she made the right decision by her and let him know that it couldn't happen again, or she is liable to kick his ass. Saying that I really do hope them the best in coming books becuase they are such a cute couple. Claire has always displayed an inner strength and that continues to come out in this book, it's great to see her stand up to the vampires but still know when to back off.

As usual Ms Caine does a wonderful job fleshing out her secondary characters, making them a part of the story rather than having them their as plot points. Some short points Myrnin needs a good slap for what he did, still love Oliver, can't believe I'm feeling sorry for Monica, and Amelie...well, I don't know where I stand with her at the moment.

With the end of this book it will be interesting to see where Ms Caine takes us in the next two. Black Dawn was a game changer for Morganville and I don't know if we'll get to the end of book 15 with everyone we love alive or undead. There will definitley be some hard times ahead for the gang and I can't wait to be taken along for the ride.


City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments #5

Published by: Walker Books
Rating: 5/5

Can the lost be reclaimed? What price is too high to pay for love? Who can be trusted when sin and salvation collide?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

WTF just happened...Bad Alec. Bad, bad, bad Alec. No biscuit for you :(

Now that's out of my system. This book was amazing. I loved every minute of it.  And I can't believe where Ms Clare took us with it. There is so much to say about the plot but I can't say too much so I don't ruin it for those who have yet to read it. It was full of surprises and twists that I didn't see coming, it truely was a joy to read. One thing that will bug me until I find out is who is Brother Zachariah? And damn Ms Clare, she's refused to say which book we find out his identity in :(. There was a lot to keep track of and follow in this book, especially because it continued to change perspectives between characters. But this wasn't a bad thing, it kept me on the edge and it provided some wonderful insight and character development.

I could go on about how I admire Clary's strength, how my heart went out to Jace and how all I just love them as characters. But what really got to me in this book was Sebastian. We were given some great insight to him as a character and as much as I hate him and think he's an evil little creep, I had moments when I felt for him but the annoying thing is it's hard to know how much of it is real and how much of it is manipulation. Ms Clare did a great job humanising him just a little bit even and I do believe not all of it was show. It will be really interesting to see how things turn out with him in the next book.

Simon, well I have loved him from the start and continue to do so. Some of his actions made me frustrated and face palm it but I understood his reasons behind it, I just hope it his decisions don't come back to bite him. He has grown so much since the first book and its a joy to continue to see him grow, and deal with the hardships thrown his way especially those related to his mother which was heartbreaking.

I refuse to say anything about Alec because as the start of my review suggests I am not a happy camper when it comes to him at the moment. He's an idiot and in some ways I understand his actions but nothing justifies it. I just hope it can all be resolved in the final book because I like my ships afloat, and I hate it when they sink.

Ms Clare does a wonderful job keeping her world alive and interesting, and her characters evolving. She also makes a point to award fans with little snippets that connect this series with her prequel series The Infernal Devices. I particularly loved the mention of the duck, for fans who don't understand this there is a deleted scence from Clockwork Prince where Will explains his disliking of ducks :). Unfortunatley we have to wait until 2014 to read the final book City of Heavenly Fire but we do get the last Infernal Devices book Clockwork Princess next year to help tide us over.

CiaoXX

PS I am officially on the countdown for Europe, 35 days, so when that hits I'll be posting about my various travels on here :)

Series Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush #1

Hush, Hush #2

Published by: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 2.5/5

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Hush, Hush #3

Where do I start with this series...well, for straters I enjoyed it more and it pissed me off less than Fallen. That was until the third book where the writing and story line took a nose dive. I do believe Silence made me suffer from what can be summed up by an acronym I found on GoodReads PTJRARCBD (Post Traumatic Just Read A Really Crappy Book Disorder). Yep, it was really that bad but I'll get to that later in the review.

Ok so the good news and one of the saving graces of in particular Hush, Hush was that the story doesn't try to trick the reading into thinking it's about something it isn't. Which is good because it has an angel on the front cover. It also "reveals" this by about half way through the first book, kudos to you Ms Fitzpatrick for not thinking you're readers are idiots who couldn't piece two and two together and that by leaving the big reveal at the last minute creates tension.

The rest of the news is kinda a mixed bag. The mythology element. Ms Fitzpatrick do not, I repeat do not think you can go changing the story of Adam and Eve. This was really the only part that she majorly let me down on. I could deal with and kinda liked her take on nephilim and even her take on how the fallen act but seriously specific events in the Bible is a big no touchy. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not some born-again-christian but you can't go changing things that are so set. The snake who tempted Eve was Lucifer not some random who's in love with a mortal, and Lucifer wanted to remove God from his throne and when God cast him and his followers out they became known as fallen angels. So close yet so far Ms Fitzpatrick, you almost had me. And don't get me started on the supposed devilscraft that was introduced in the third book becuase where the hell did it come from and WTF is it? We suddenly have some random new type of magic that characters chuck around all the time, yet is never really explained.

I had really mixed feelings for some of the characters but the biggest problem I had was that a)by the end of it I really can't imagine what most of these characters look like besinde a couple of features that seemed to be chucked down my throut constantly and b)I had no clue what some of their personalities were like becuase what I was being told and what I was being shown were two different things. Let's look at Nora for example. She's apparently really smart and could make it into an Ivy League University yet in the first book she continually does things that she knows is stupid and wrong. Furthermore, it appears Ms Fitzpatrick doesn't know if Nora is smart or not either because in Crescendo Nora goes to summer school to take Chem claiming that she sucked at science and that finding a lab partner better than her would be easy considering her standard (ignoring the fact that in the first book Bio was supposedly her hardest subject and she was sitting on a B+) and then all of a sudden in Silence she's taking AP level classes, WTF! Please explain. Now Nora as a character was a bit of a Bella clone but considerable more tolerable than Luce that is until the third book when she turned into a psychotic b*$#@. She's whiny and mean, taking no consideration of anyone elses feelings but her own. The way she treats her mother is appalling and I dearly hope that the tween target audience don't think that this is an acceptable way to treat people. But even worse than being a witch she has no remorse what so ever. For a large chunk of the book all she is out for is revenge and to kill the person who 'kidnapped' her and stole her memories and when she finally gets it she doesn't give a damn. Surely you would feel something if you'd just killed someone even if you did hate them.

Patch. My dear Patch with dark hair, dark eyes and a perfectly sculpted body, I can't tell if you're moe or less abusive than Daniel. But let's put it out there, you're a dick, plain and simple. As you can tell not really feeling the love for Patch (Seriously where is Ms Fitzpatrick pulling these names out from). He's more tolerable that some of the other poorly written broody love interests out there but he still treats Nora like crap, and I really don't care for your excuses as to why you should be allowed too. But hey, he is kinda kick ass at points and doesn't sparkle or glow purple, so that automatically gives him extra marks, and maybe a gold star for not being a complete joke to the supernatural world.

Scott on the other hand, I did like. He's my Fallen's Cam in this series. Shame he seems to be more plot device than anything else at the moment though. He's bad and he knows it but he's also got a softer side which I liked. This was all in the second book though. The third book I swear he only existed to give readers an info dump with all the information given in the previous books. I know Nora's lost her memory but really I don't need to be reminded about what I've already read. And the worst thing is he's on the run and I kid you not living in a cave *face palm*. Just, no.

Now Vee (again what's with the names in this series?), oh how I hate her. She's just a bad character. Not only is she constantly breaking the law but she justifies it and the amount of times she was speeding or breaking and entering is really sending a bad message to the younger readers. In no way is this kind of behaviour acceptable. And furthermore, she's a complete cow. Some of the things she says about Nora's mum is rude and uncalled for. But what's worse Nora says nothing about it and at times says worse things. That being said there were times in the third book where I did have hope for her, especially on her views about Patch (she picked up on the fact that Patch is a dog's name, yay).

So while this story had some good elements it also had a lot of bad. I did however enjoy reading them but unfortunately could not give it higher than a 2.5 due to bad writing, inconsistency and bad character development.

Peace out.

Book Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Darkness Rising #2

Published by: HarperCollins
Rating: 4.5/5

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is--a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents. Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.

This book was mcuh more fast-paced and action packed than the first book in the series The Gathering. And despite being only focusing on the teens trying to runaway from whomever is chasing them it doesn't get old. Ms Armstrong manages to keep the plot moving forward and fresh. However, there really wasn't much in terms of information revelaing, tons of questions were brought up but nor many were answered. However, considering this is a middle book in a series that is not too uncommon or detrimental, plus it means the third book will be jam packed full of surprises!

There was very little in terms of character development in this book, but I still love all the characters. We did see them struggling to make sense of what was happening and who they really were, which was really cool to see. I am adoring most of the teens, I know what Corey's deal is, it will interesting to see was Ms Armstrong does with it and Nicole really, WTF! Rafe and Maya are still super cute and there was definitley some big steps taken in that relationship with the acceptance of what Rafe has done and why. Hayley was a big surprise for me and I can't wait to see how she develops in the next book. And Daniel, need I say more :).

This is a really entertaining read and one YA PRNL readers will enjoy for it's strong characters and for what sets it apart in the current market. Maya is the anti-Bella/Nora/Luce and the guys are most definitley not abusive a-holes. But what's even better is that it's dark, gritty and heart-felt.

Book Review: The Dark Divide by Jennifer Fallon

Rift Runners #2

Published by: Voyager Australia
Rating: 5/5

 Time is running out for Ronan and his psychically-linked twin brother, Darragh. In two weeks, at the Autumn Solstice in their own reality, the Queen of the Faerie will transfer the Undivided power to the new-found heirs and the older twins will die. But Darragh is trapped in 2001 Dublin and Ronan in a reality where the Undivided are not Druids, but Shinto warriors. The twins need to get home before the transfer takes place - not only to save their own lives, but to break the curse on Trasa, who is destined to remain trapped by Marcroy Tarth's spell, and to rescue Hayley from the Faerie Lord's seductive embrace. With Darragh caught in a reality without magic, and Ronan stranded in one with plenty of magic but no idea how to use it, the brothers must prove that even across realities, they truly are the Undivided.

This book has been taunting me for a while. First, it came out in stores early but I had to wait for my pre-order to come in the mail. Secondly, when I got it, it was the last week of the uni term so I was far too busy to begin reading it. Finally, I wouldn't have put this book down if real life hadn't forced me to.

Yes, I loved this book that much and yes, I may have a writers crush on Jennifer Fallon. I have read all of her books and loved every single one of them. I love her mix of fantasy and politics. I honestly believe she is one of the better fantasy writers published at the moment. She is an amazing world builder, does character development among the best of them, and best of all she keeps you guessing and manages to chuck things at you that you never saw coming. Ok, enough with my writer crush ramblings.

This book flows really nicely even though it jumps between characters and realities constantly. It was really easy to follow and helped build up the tension as the story moved forward as you just had to know what happened next. Although, what happened next you probably didn't see coming and with Jennifer Fallon you can never know what she'll do next (you just have to read The Chaos Crystal to know that). And that is what I love about her books, she gives you enough to make some educated guesses (I totally picked Pete) and then will throw you a curveball that you never saw coming. It makes for wonderful and compelling reading.  She also does world building among the best of them. The world (or would that be worlds) in the The Dark Divide is intriguing, dangerous and alluring, it sucks you in and you'll never want to leave.

I love all the characters in this book even the ones I hate, they all have their part t play and they all have their secrets. I love Ren/Rónán. He develops a lot in this book, becoming a self-assured leader rather than the rebellious brat he was in The Undivided. You can't help but to fall in love with him as he finds his way in a new reality that is so unlike the one he grew up with, while trying to work out who he is as one of the Undivided and the power he wields. His twin Darragh is also great to read about. I just love his frankness and his belief that he will be rescued by his people. I particularly liked how frustrated he was making everyone when they were trying to find out where Hayley was. Trása is another favourite. She really finds her place in this book and realises that even though she's half-fairie she still has a lot to offer. I just wish I could make up my mind about who I want her to end up with. I could go on for days about how much I grew to love Pete and Logan, how I suspect Kiva knows more than she lets on, how creepy  Isleen and Teagan and how Lady Delphine is a evil b*@#$.

I can't wait for Reunion to come out next year and to find out how everything will come together. I'm sure it will be a long but worthwhile wait.

In the mean time I'm eagerly awaiting The Calling by Kelley Armstrong to arrive in the mail.

Peace out.

Book Review: Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton

Anita Blake #16

Published by: Headline
Rating: 3/5

When Anita Blake takes a trip with Jason, a young werewolf who is her friend and sometimes lover, there are consequences both in Jason's small hometown and in Anita's life with Jean-Claude. As master vampire of the city, Jean-Claude has appearances to maintain, and if his lover has gone off with someone else, the other vampires are led to certain conclusions: maybe Jean-Claude is getting soft. And if Jean-Claude is vulnerable, maybe Anita - who seems to amplify the powers of any man she stays with - might be stolen away from him, by force if necessary.

This series has been a bit up and down for me lately. The first books in the series were great, paranormal crime fighting at its best but then the relationship aspect of the series took over and while that's not necessary a bad thing ,it is when the pages are filled with sex rather than actual plot. Thankfully, Blood Noir was able to pull away from this a bit. Yes it focused on thr relationship and yes there was sex but the latter didn't over power the rest of the book as it did in Incubus Dreams. I really like how this book explored a diffenrent relationship than the rest; that between Anita and Jason. Jason is one of my favourite characters and it was great to see him given a bigger role. But on the other hand the actual plot did have a lot of potential and it was a shame that it was crammed into the last few chapters of the book.

While a lot of the olf favourites turned up there were also a few new ones that I kinda liked. Both Crispin and Alex were interesting and I would like to see how the events of this book impact on the next one. Marmee Noir also made a comeback and her part just keeps getting more and more interesting. I can't wait to find out what her end goal is and why Anita is so important. Richard was Richard. If you've read the books there's really nothing more to say there. He's developing and progressing but at a frustratingly slow pace and I can't help but think that now it will be even slower.

Overall, it was a good read and I was interested enough throughout it to keep my attention glued to the pages rather than doing assignments as I really should have been (procrastination at its best). I will continue to read this sereis as I've invested way too much time in it to give up now but I do hope we see more of a return to oringinal Anita.

Book Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

Fallen #3

Published by: Delacorte Press
Rating: 2/5

Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have always chosen me. Forever. Before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross, before they fought the Immortals, they had already lived many lives. And so Luce, desperate to unlock the curse that condemns their love, must revisit her past incarnations in order to understand her fate. Each century, each life, holds a different clue. But Daniel is chasing her throughout the centuries before she has a chance to rewrite history. How many deaths can one true love endure? And can Luce and Daniel unlock their past in order to change their future?

I've given Passion a whole extra star becuase it seems Ms Kate finally went out and got writing lessons, Yay! This writing in this book was huge step above Fallen but with a lead who is still TSTL and plot holes the size of Australia it still has a ways to go.

There was actually a plot to this book, stuff actually happened and Ms Kate even did a decent job building up tenison and revealing a few things. I did actually enjoy the idea of Luce jumping through time to find the answers to her questions. There were even a few scenes that I particularly loved including the meeting of the angels in Greenland and finding out why Cam is the way he is. Unfortunately, it was brought down with constant reminders of the gaping plot holes. Firstly, when Luce enters a new time period she can miraculously speak the language Italian, French, Chinese, Mayan. WTF? Please explain. At some point in the first jump it seemed like she was trying to explain, something about her soul still being the same as the Luce in that time,  but it fell short of being clear and making sense. Then there is the issue of Daniel. How did he change his appearance, it's not like Luce who dies and is reincarnated because he's immortal. Do angels have some special metamorphing ability? Nowhere in the book is this explained and moreover Luce doesn't even question it. The closest she came to it was 'why if Daniel looks different can I still recognise him?' which Bill replies 'you can tell from his soul'. O.....K. Right. But how does he look different! Then there was the whole Luce interfereing with the past. What I didn't get was why none of the angels that encountered present Luce didn't remember seeing her. I don't buy into the past is a blur shtick becuase surely the fact that everyone makes a big deal out of it would warrent being able to remember it. Or do they not remember because she had yet to go to the past at that point and her encounters with them never happened the first time round? This really needed more explanation, but I could just be nit-picking because Kim Falconer did an amazing job of this in Arrows of Time.

While it seemed that Ms Kate did a better job of doing her history homework (admitantly I do not know much about some of the specific events she talked about) she still couldn't get the angel mythology right. Let's break this down into a quick religion lesson. In the bible there are only three archangels: Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer. Lucifer was created first and was God's most trusted messenger, but he eventualled rebelled against God believing he would make a better king and for this he was forever cast out of Heaven into Hell. Now, other apocryphal books and historical documents make reference to seven angels. Seven angels - who may be the ones refered to in the other works - were also mentioned in Revelations, they were placed over the seven churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) and carry out the seven judgments of earth. The Book of Enoch names these seven archangels as: Michael, Raphael, Zerachiel, Gabriel, Uriel, Remiel and Raguel (note some these names are different depending on the translation of the scripture). So while Ms Kate got the number of archangels right, eight seats with one left empty after Lucifer was banished, there is no mention of a Daniel.

While the plot got better the characters really didn't. Luce had her moments when I though she had finally gotten a brain but then she would do something stupid again, like keep trusting Bill even though from the start it was obvious he had nefarious intentions. She is still annoying as hell. Daniel didn't change either, in fact he kinda regressed. When he was following Luce there were times he was getting caught up in the past and forgetting about the present and the mission. At these times I wanted to slap him because it was all just so stupid and rediculous.

It didn't help that there was barely a mention of the other characters that I actually liked. Cam was a highlight whenever he turned up, but there was barely enough Miles to make it worth it. Bill was a bit of a svaing grace. At least he was interesting even if it was quite obvious from the start who he was. Sadly there were times I was rooting for him because Luce was acting TSTL.

Strangely enough I am actually looking forward to the final book in the series as Ms Kate ended it on a note that left me interested to see what happens. Hopefully it will be of an even better standard than this book.

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Rating: 4.5/5

Let me start by saying I am a big fan of these books, and I hate nothing more than Hollywood butchering books that I have read. Thankfully, this was not the case for The Hunger Games and for me to find so little fault with a book-movie adaption is a pretty good accomplishment because I pick these things to pieces.

The casting director did a really good job picking actors to play our favourite characters. Jennifer Lawrence was amazing as Katniss and it was obvious she knew exactly who Katniss was. I loved how she captured her firey temper, her protectiveness and, her nervesness at entering the arena and parading for the people of the Capitol. Jennifer also had some good chemistry with the other main character Peeta. Now Josh Hutcherson would not be my first choice for Peeta looks wise. However, despite this he played Peeta very well and I think he was a good choice for the part. He was charming and boy-next-door nice, everything Peeta was in the books. I also loved Elizabeth Banks as Effie and Stanley Tucci as Caesar, they were just so over the top and spot-on their characters, as a fan what else can you ask for? I would've loved to have seen more of Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, he was one of my favourite characters in the books and I think the friendship that forms between him and Katniss is just beautiful. Unfortunately due to time constraints we didn't see this develop as much as I would've liked. Overall, I was quite happy with the casting, Amandla Stenberg was darling as Rue and Donald Sutherland was cruel as President Snow.

One one the biggest gripes fans have with book-movie adaptions is all the parts that they believe should have been in the film. I admit I have been one of those people in the past, but it didn't worry me  during The Hunger Games becuase despite missing come scenes and some characters it wasn't a bit deal. The movie pretty much follows the book to the 't' and the missing scenes didn't affect the story at all, and really they weren't groundbreaking scenes in the book either. I must be getting soft at my old age of 22 becuase I've come to realise that it just isn't possible to have everything in the movie, there is only so much you can fit into a film (therefore, we have this damn trend of splitting fims into two parts now, thank you Harry Potter). That being said I really wanted some parts to be longer just so that relationships could be fleshed out a bit more. As I said earlier I wanted to see more of Cinna and the friendship he builds with Katniss, I would've also have liked the scenes following Katniss finding Peeta to be longer just so their connection could grow a bit more.

The movie was actually very cleverly put together. much of what we see and find out about Panem and the Games is through Katniss and her progression through the book. Obviously, you can't do that in the film as it would interrupt the flow and would just sound silly, so I really liked the cut scenes to Ceasar and Claudius commentating, and to game central where you saw Seneca dictating what happens in the arena.  It really added another layer to the film, and gave Stanley Tucci more screen time which is always a good thing in my book.

The studio was very careful in trying to keep this film in the (in American terms) PG-13 age range, a tough feat considering how gruesome some of the scenes in the book are. For the most part I had no problem with this but I did often find in some of the fight scenes that there were so many close ups, cuts and moving shots that I was loosing track who was who is fights and who was dying. Particularly, in the final fight scene where we see Cato, Katniss and Peeta fighting while trying to keep away from the dogs, it is really hard to tell what is happening as the above conventions was coupled with dark lighting, making it a bit difficult.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I love nothing more than when studios do justice to the book. However, for me the book remains better than the movie based on the sheer fact that it goes a little more in depth. It does give me hope for Cityof Bones especially as I'm not a big Jamie Campbell Bower fan and am not sure if he'll make a good Jace yet or not.

I now eagerly await Catching Fire and being able to see one of my favourite characters of the series Finnick.

Happy Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favour.

Book Reviews: Ally Carter and Lauren Kate

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter


Gallagher Girls #5

Published By: Lothian Children's Books
Rating: 4.5/5

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan - an ancient terrorist organisation that has been hunting her for over a year. Then Cammie wakes up in an Alpine convent and discovers that months have passed. Her memory is a black hole, and the only traces of Cammie s summer holiday are the bruises on her body and dirt under her nails. All she wants is to go home, but once she returns to school, Cammie realises that even the Gallagher Academy holds more questions than answers. Now, Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach will face their most difficult challenge yet. With only their training to guide them, the group must travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. But the Circle is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

I have been waiting for a long time for this book to be released, so when I got my hands on it I just had to devour it in one day.  While I hated the wait, the book was definitely worth it. Ally just has this way of writing that makes you want to read more, she is a master of revealing information at just the right time and in the right amounts that keep you wanting more. Some authors need to take a note out of Ally's book in revealing secrets becuase this is how it should be done.

As always I love the characters in this book, they are all so well thought out and each play their own unique role. I love how this book challenges some of the relationships we've come to know and love, and how despite the challenges Cammie's disappearance and reappearance creates everyone comes out at the end stronger. Ally has really pushed her characters and I love them even more for it. Cammie has become a stronger, more complex character and I'm excited to see where Ally takes her and her new skills in the next book. Bex is just awesome as usual but we see a side to her that really deepens her personality. Liz and Macey have also developed becoming more sure of themselves and pushing themselves to the limits. And Zach, I'm pretty sure he just got hotter. Him and Cammie are just perfect for each other, so I would have like to have seen more lovey dovey moments in the book but saying that less didn;t detract from it at all. Ally also chucked in some nice surprises as well, bringing back some old characters who I didn't think I'd see again, and giving them starring roles in this book and by the looks of it the next as well. Let's just say I never thought I would see Preston as hot but he is now definitely up there in this series.

Ally did a wonderful job with book, answering a lot of questions but leaving many more open. I look forward to the next book, and hopefully we get it much soon than this one.


Torment by Lauren Kate

Fallen #2

Published By: Delacorte Press
Rating: 1/5

Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts--immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something--something dangerous.What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

I am getting the feeling that I won't be able to get through this series without sounding like nothing Ms Kate does is good enough. Once again she has produced a book that I just want to throw at the wall.

Ok, so let's start off with the good news, and what pushed this book up to 1 star,some of the secondary characters. I actually really found myself liking Miles, he was sweet and charming, and I really wanted Luce to ditched Daniel for him (alas it was not to be). While he was still very one dimensional, he was a likable character, just one of those genuinely good guys that you would like to have as a friend or as a boyfriend. I was glad he was a part of the book as he kinda saved it from a premature death, and he made up for the lack of Cam who I am really growing to like. Cam was a highlight of the last book, and he was the high point of this one as well when he turned up, but at the moment I'm really not understanding his motivations, hopefully this will be remidied in the next book. Oh, and she got the concept of Nephalim, kudos to her!

Unfortunately, this is where the good news ends and the bad news begins. Luce is so damn annoying, please can Daniel's kiss kill her already! She's whiny and just a lot stupid. How many times does she need to be told not to leave the school, only to leave and have someone try to kill her? Really, get a clue girl, nobody might not be telling you the why behind the instructions, but surely after everything that happens everytime you leave, you would get a clue and figure it out for yourself. I really don't think a main character has ever annoyed me as much as she does. Then there's the issue that all of a sudden the Announcers aren't showing up to her en-masse anymore, and she can apparently manipulate them into showing her the past. All this and no explanation....And Daniel is no better, for someone whose meant to me a ex-hot shot in heaven you would think he had more brains than to keep breaking his own rules and going to see Luce. I just can't believe someone as immature as he is could ever have been so high up and important. Then there's their relationship, last time I checked while couples do have fights, they don't fight every single time they see each other. Is it just me or is something wrong with this picture? All the other characters are still rather unremarkable and are still randomly changing personalities without explanation.

The plot, quite frankly, was barely existant. Sure things seemed to happening behind the scenes without Luce knowing but we didn't exactly find anything out and that is a major problem because two books and only one major (albeit obvious) reveal does not keep a reader hooked. At this stage I really couldn;t care less about what secrets are still hidden becuase there hasn;t been anything to grab my attention and go wow, if this is only one of the answers than what could the rest be. Please, Ms Kate learn how to create suspense properly becuase I really don't like being bored to death. Then there's this whole big battle and people choosing sides thing. I kinda get where Ms Kate was going with the who Angels and Demons idea, where sometimes good and evil aren't too different, but there was a lack of explanation. We have the Outcasts who sided with Lucifer until the Fall when they were banished to Earth with the others. So, where do the Angels and Demons come into all of this as why does one opinion affect their inherent being so much? The wings of Demons look different and apparently their inherent character is more "evil" but why then do they work together with the Angels and why then can they change sides (for that matter do they randomly turn all angelic again if they do change sides?). There's just something missing here and I don't think the term Demons was appropriate to use for this book's mythology.

So, now that I've got that off my chest onward to the third book in the series which according to other reviews is better. I hope so because surely it can't get worse.

Ciao

Book Reviews: Laini Taylor and Lauren Kate

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1

Published by: Little Brown Books
Rating: 4.5/5

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages - not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. When one of the strangers - beautiful, haunted Akiva - fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

There was a lot of hype about this book when it was released, so I went in with high expectations and it met all of them. This would have to be one of the best written YA novels I've read in a while. From the beginning it was well written and just so matter-of-fact that you believed this world existed without question.

So let's start with the plot. I never got bored or frustrated with it, and even though at times I felt like it was going a bit slow, I didn't care because I was enjoying every minute that I spent with these characters. Laini also did a marvelous job taking the quite-frankly overused and abused angel element. Her angels weren't the cutesy lovey-dovey we-are-made-of-goodness that drown out the pages of many other novels currently on the market, they were kick-ass and I'm not even quite sure angels are exactly what they are, I mean they have wings and fight for the "good" but they're not a product of God as such. But one of the things she did best was the big reveal. Her pacing was great, you discovered things in an order and place that made sense and it didn't feel like she was purposfully hiding or holding back information becuase it might creare greater anticipation. I also like how I couldn't really guess what was going on. I got the gist of who Karou is but the how and the why was something that I didn't see coming until it was explained.

Laini did a wonderful job of her characters, I loved every single one of them. Karou is everything you want in a good strong female lead. She could kick butt, she was snarky, but best of all she let noone step on her, she didn't pine and whine after she caught her ex cheating on her, she got him back and in a totally fitting way. And best of all Laini moves away from the love-sick i-will-die-without-you female troupe, where everything will be happily ever after and nothing-my-love-can-do-or-say-will-ever-stop-me-from-loving-him. Yes, Karou has he I wasn to be with Akiva (her love interest) forever moment but the relationship is not without hardship and she is not blind enough to know that when he drops the bomb she needs to get away and sort everything out. Thank you for female leads with brains!

Now onto the love interest Akiva. He is everything a tortured charcater should be, Lauren Kate and Stephanie Meyer should take a page out of Laini's book because she knows what she's doing. He carries a very painful past and no I'm not taking about i've-killed-people-even-if-i-was-unable-to-stop-myself-at-the-time-coz-i'm-a-vampire kind. His haunted past is intircate and begins from when he was a very young age, as the books moves along you can see how his past has made hime into who he is today.

And if those two charcaters weren't enough for you, Laini manages to make all her secondary charcaters stand out and develop. My heart went out to Brimstone and I totally want Zuzana as a friend.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a nice breath of fresh air and a must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy. I eagerly await the next installment of the series later this year.

I have to add this as one of my favourite quotes from the book:

Brimstone to Karou: "I don't know many rules to live by. But here's one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into yourself. No poisons or chemicals, no fumes or smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles - drugs or tattoo - and...no inessential pensies, either."

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen #1

Published by: Doubleday Children's Books
Rating: 0.5/5

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He;s the bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other studenta are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce -and goes out of his way oto make that very clear - she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

I'm a sucker for a pretty book cover, a cover will often determine if I pick up a book and check out the blurb. But we all know the saying, never judge a book by it cover, and this is one of those books that doesn't deserve such a pretty one. Because in all seriousness, it's worse then Twilight, and that is not something I thought I would ever say. At least Twilight showed some redeeming qualities, I liked the secondary characters and, the love triangle was done okay. Now think Twilight with Angels instead of Vampires and you get Fallen, bad prose, a glowing purple love intrest and all.

Where to start this rant...This book was so frustrating, it seriously had no plot until the last two chapters and even then I had it worked out by a quarter of the way through including how all the charcaters fit into it. Seriously, Ms Kate, your readers are not stupid and we do not appreciate feelign like we are because you think not revelaing the big secret until the end of the book creates anticipation. It doesn't unless you're Sara Shepard revelaing who A is after 8 books, at least I couldn't guess who it really was, that is how you create anticipation, not giving the reader all the pieces and not saying anything until they've sat through most of the book! Even Stephanie Meyer knew that, and while we knew Edward was a vampire farily early on at least we got it confirmed and the story progressed quickly. Fallen did not. It moved at a sluggish pace with absolutley nothing happening except insta-love rearing its ugly head once again. Furthermore, do your homework properly when you write something like this. I have no idea what a reform school is like but I'm pretty sure it's not anything like you wrote one to be, and even I worked out that if Luce was a real person (God forbid if she was) she wouldn't have been put there. She screams jail bait not bad ass. Then there's the issue about her version of Angels and the Fall. Do not mess with established mythology. Stephanie Meyer had leeway because there is nothing to say that vampires can't sparkle. But the Bible tells us about the Fall, and as it can almost be classed as a historial text you cannot in anyway mess with it. The Angels who were cast out of heaven were sent to Hell to become Demons, they were not sent to Earth were they live forever looking youthful, and gorgeous. And if they are going to be on Earth do you really believe God would have let them keep their wings and model good looks? No. As said earlier take a page out of Laini Tayor's book and think about the world you are building becuase Fallen is like a bad patch up job, where no thought has been put into the final product.

Okay so now I have that off my shoulders let's move to the next point, the characters. Please. Shoot, Me. Now. They were poorly constructed and completely unrememeral. Luce, the female lead, is so very unremarkable. So she might be pretty, at least I think Kate was trying to get that across, but she is boring and annoying as hell, and apparently very contradictory. She hates sports and exercising but is apparently as good as a competition swimmer, there's no way you someone can pull of Butterfly that well without having training, take it from me who was a state competition swimmer. She is also apparently very smart but actions speak louder than words Ms Kate, and Luce's do not match her claims to intellegence. Then there's the propblem of when she is arround Daniel. I'm sorry, but life does not just revolve around boys and the person who you believe is the love of your life. Yes, they are a part but that is no reason to act like she does stalking him, and acting like the world is about to end living without him. Luce does not act like a real person, and if these types of books are the ones telling tweens how love should be, then we are doomed. Because noone should have to deal with the crap that Daniel puts Luce through. I'm going along with a lot of other reviewers out there and saying Luce is a character that resembles anti-feminist thought. There was only one scene where I kinda liked Luce but it was so quickly snatched away from me I nearly threw the book in frustration.

And then there's Daniel. There is abosultely nothing that distinguishes him from the ground of other pretty boy love interests, except maybe that he's a complete dick to Luce. Seriously dude why kiss the girl if you know the chance is she'll die? Why when you realsied who she was did you not fly away as fast as your purple glowing wings would take you? I'm pretty shure beyond him acting like an ass to keep Luce away from him, and him being all protective because he loves her, Daniel has no personality whatsoeva, oh except he likes to draw and has a torured past but that failed with a big fat F.

The supporting charcaters were meh, at least they had more personality than the main ones, but were still unable to stand out and be more than 2 dimensional. I have to say I liked Cam best, at least he was interesting. Gabbe changed personalities half way through with no explanation and Arrianne I have no clue about.

This book was such a disappointment after reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone, especially isnce they dealt with similar concepts. I also must say I am over the angel crazy thing, and will probably keep hating it until May 8 when City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare comes out and puts my faith back into the genre again.

Despite all this I have started the second book in the series. I still have hope that the series might get better, although I highly doubt it. Unfortunately I am one of those people who have to read a series through to the end, if for nothing other than curiosity. I'm just happy libraries exist and I didn't have to waste my money on it.