Review: Defy Me (Shatter Me #5) by Tahereh Mafi

Defy Me (Shatter Me #5)
Tahereh Mafi 
Release Date: April 4th, 2019
Publishers: Egmont 
Genre: Dystopia, YA
Source: For Review
Pages: 368
Goodreads: Add to TBR

 

The gripping fifth installment in the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Shatter Me series. Will Juliette’s broken heart make her vulnerable to the strengthening darkness within her?

Juliette’s short tenure as the supreme commander of North America has been an utter disaster. When the children of the other world leaders show up on her doorstep, she wants nothing more than to turn to Warner for support and guidance. But he shatters her heart when he reveals that he’s been keeping secrets about her family and her identity from her—secrets that change everything.

Juliette is devastated, and the darkness that’s always dwelled within her threatens to consume her. An explosive encounter with unexpected visitors might be enough to push her over the edge.

The Review: Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely adore the Shatter Me series. I’ve been a massive fan since day one and so, I was more than happy to hear that the author had decided to write more books in the series. Defy Me is the fifth instalment and it definitely had a lot of expectations to live up to. The previous four books were nothing short of amazing and I was eagerly excited to see what the next instalment would bring.

After the events of Restore Me, Juliette and Warner are now in the hands of an enemy who claim to be long lost family. Being kept imprisoned and weak, being put through experiments is all a part of the test. But Juliette and Warner’s bond is stronger than ever even though they are apart but they are unable to escape without outside help. So it’s down to Kenji to try and rescue his friends in time. 

Defy Me was a good instalment and it’s one I’m glad I read, however without sounding to negative this book was a little repetitive. I kind of felt like I had go back to the start of the series where Juliette is locked up and weak. It had very much the same feeling and I honestly hate seeing Juliette like that when she is such a strong character. I was just waiting for the story to progress but I guess you could say this book kind of felt like a filler book. Not much really happens until the end. 

Kenji has always been a character I have loved and I was very excited to hear we would have his point of view in the story.  It makes sense why she would add in his point of view because so much is happening behind the scenes when Juliette or Warner aren’t present. This book very much felt like Kenji’s story.  While I love him, I love Juliette and Warner more so I would much prefer the author to focus on them more. 

One thing that the author never fails to deliver on is shocking revelations and yes, there is plenty to keep you on the edge of your sit throughout Defy Me. And we finally find out the truth about Warner and Juliette’s childhood. And it was definitely worth the wait. I adore soulmate stories so their story was perfect for me.

While Defy Me wasn’t my favourite from the series, it was still very enjoyable and one that still kept me turning the pages.  I was so very happy to be back with my favourite characters and I cannot wait to see how this series ends in Imagine Me. 

Thank you to Egmont for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

                                                                      Rating: Liked it - 3.5 flowers 

Review: A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse so Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) 

Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: January 1st, 2019
Publishers: Bloomsbury UK
Genre: Fantasy, Re-Telling, YA
Source: For Review
Pages: 496
Goodreads: Add to TBR 

 

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. 

The Review: I’m a huge fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s work. From her paranormal books to contemporary books, everything I have read by her I have always really enjoyed, so as soon as I heard about A Curse so Dark and Lonely I just knew I had to read it and I honestly couldn’t contain my excitement when a review copy turned up and I literally dived straight in to read it. And once again Brigid wow’s me because this definitely didn’t disappointed.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a YA fantasy re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast with a modern contemporary twist. It follows a teenage girl named Harper who has Cerebral Palsy while trying to look after her struggling family. It’s when she is trying to help her brother that she is kidnapped and taken to another world called Emberfall, a world that has fallen under a deadly curse and she may be the key to breaking it.  

The characters of this story are really likeable. Harper is an interesting girl that after all her struggles in life, remains strong through the story. She doesn’t let her Cerebral Palsy stop her from doing the things she loves and refuses to be judged on her condition. We honestly need more refreshing YA characters like her and she was a pleasure to get to know. 

Rhen is also immediately likable. It takes a while to really find out who is he because he’s so used to hiding behind the curse that has affected his whole life and he is suffering because of how much his people are suffering. I really loved the banter between him and Harper. I’m always a sucker for true love stories and this really hit the spot. 

And then we have Grey. A character that became a friend to Harper but who is also hiding so much. I’m so glad we will get to find out what happens with him because how this story ends was something I definitely wasn’t expecting. It was a very good twist! 

I thoroughly enjoyed A Curse so Dark and Lonely and will eagerly look forward to reading more. I’m so glad Brigid decided to write something like this because there is always room for more fantasy books and Brigid has fit right in. 

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

                                                                       Rating: Really liked it - 4 flowers