{Review} Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 17th, 2017
Finished Date: April 8th, 2018

Publishers: Harper 360
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Hardback

Pages: 400
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

The Review: When I heard Jodi Meadow’s had a new series coming out I was over the moon. I really enjoyed her The Orphan Queen series and so I couldn’t wait to dive into something else by her, however, I hate to admit I couldn’t finish Before She Ignites. 

I hate not finishing a book. It’s definitely the hardest part about being a blogger especially if you have to review the book as well and even more so when you see other people around you enjoying the book. You can’t help but think, what did I miss? But I will try and explain why I couldn’t connect with this book like I was hoping to.

The story follows Mira who is a Hopebearer who is the centre of everyone’s attention until one secret lands Mira the worst place the Pit – where she is sentenced to remain as a prisoner for the remainder of her life. 

Mira is a beautiful young lady who doesn’t deserve the punishment that has been handed down to her and while I really liked the premise of this story, it was really slow to get through. I’m really not a patient reader and while I can handle some slow books, if it doesn’t drag me in within the first 100 pages then I do start to lose interest. I wasn’t really a fan of the whole before and after back and forth chapters either. It found I wasn’t really all that interested in what happened before and I felt disconnected to the characters. 

I had a lot of issues with Mira which I wish I didn’t. I liked that her character was different and struggled with everyday problems like anxiety and panic attacks but I didn’t think it fit right with this particular story. I also found her sometimes vain and self-centred due to her being worshipped by everyone. Her love for Dragons is also never really explained. And the Dragons? There isn’t really many parts with the Dragons in this book, so I was also disappointed. 

In the end I skimmed the last 200 pages of the book which is a lot especially considering this book is almost 500 pages. I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t.

Thank you to Harper 360 for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Review} Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 17th, 2017
Finished Date: January 3rd, 2017

Publishers: HarperTeen 
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Re-Telling
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 352
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

The Review: As soon as I heard about Hunted by Meagan Spooner I just knew I wanted to read it. As soon as I know a story is based on one of my favourite Disney books/films, I immediately have high expectations for it. The story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling but with its own unique twists to the story we all know and love. Meagan Spooner adds in the Russian folk tale about the Firebird - which if you’ve not heard of it before is definitely an added bonus to the story and for you as a reader, however, if like me you’ve read it several times before unfortunately it’s nothing new. 

Hunted is a story that I believe many will absolutely love. For me, I’m kind of stuck in the middle. There were parts I enjoyed and others I didn’t. For the most part I just found the whole story absolutely slow. Too slow to the point of when the story did eventually pick up and get better, I’d lost most of the interest I once held for this book. Which is a shame because I felt like the story had a lot of potential but just fell short in parts. I was at that point where I was going to give up and take my first read of 2017 and file it under my DNF finish reads, however, I was convinced to carry on reading and see this story through. 

So did it get better? The story did get better but as I said before, by that point I’d lost most interest of the story. I was simply reading to see what happens next and to be able to rate and review the book. I always find when a story is slow that I slowly become detached from the characters. In Hunted, I was never attached to the characters to care for them. So unfortunately by the time I had reached the end, I just felt it was all so unsatisfying and didn’t live up to the expectations I had. 

When I read a Beauty and the Beast retelling I want to be able fall in love with the beast and it’s just not possible to that when you read this book. I applaud Meagan Spooner for her efforts but unfortunately I just don’t think this one was for me. 

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

{Review} Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 28th, 2016
Finished Date: October 17th, 2016

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK  
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 294
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

For fans of The Hunger Games

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Debut author Jeanne Ryan delivers an un-putdownable suspense thriller.

The Review: If I’m honest I hadn’t heard about Nerve until it arrived on through my letterbox one morning and by then the movie was just about to release, so I was definitely intrigued at that point to read this book. I’m always looking for new books that are compared to some of my favourite books and with being compared to The Hunger Games then yes, I’m reading it.

Nerve is a book about an anonymous game of dares which are broadcast live online. You can either be a player or a watcher and people from all around the world take part in dares which if they complete, they win prizes. Vee who is tired of being labelled as boring by her best friend decides to sign up to be a player and there is she teamed up with Ian. As first the dares are embarrassing but pretty simple but then they suddenly take a dangerous turn. Will Vee be able to complete the ultimate dare and win?

I have to say I’m a little disappointed. This book for wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was very young and had where I was expecting a dangerous and thrilling read, I guess you could say I feel a little underwhelmed by it. I was definitely expecting the dares to be better than they were – they vary from singing to asking a guy to buy you a coffee, ask a stranger for a condom and participate in a five-minute interview. These were not good dares. I think I was just expecting something a bit darker, although admittedly towards the end it does pick up but still my overal feeling was a bit meh.

I did like Vee but I wish she would stop comparing herself to her best friend so often. If anything I liked Vee more than Sydney. Now I did like Ian – of course I would. 

Overall, Nerve didn’t really hit all the right spots for me but I’ll probably still watch the movie as I can compare the two. 

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

{Review} A Thousand Nights by E.K Johnston

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 20th, 2015
Finished Date: October 5th, 2015

Publishers: Macmillan Children's Book
Genre: YA, Fantasy, ReTelling 
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 256
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

LO-MELKHIIN KILLED THREE HUNDRED GIRLS before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister’s place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin’s court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

The Review: This is a tough review write because when I first heard about A Thousand Nights I was excited to read it. I was not familiar with the original story A Thousand and One Nights and, was looking forward to trying something new but, then a book called The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahideh popped in my lap and that was it, nothing was ever going to compare to that book. That’s so bad to say but honestly it’s impossible to not compare the two books.

With that said, even though the books are based around the same story they are delivered in a completely different way and also told a differently. However, A Thousand Nights in my opinion fails to deliver because it also doesn’t manage to drag you into the story. I found it hard to connect to the characters who had no names. The family members are referred to as her parents or sister. But the main character herself has no name. Am I the only one who finds this strange? I have no idea what to call now even. How can I identity a character with no name? It’s strange. The only one in the story who has a name is Lo-Melkhiin and I didn’t find myself swooning over the bad boy who doesn’t even have much show time in the story.

The story just didn’t hold my attention with it’s slow plot. I had to force myself to finish it and it’s quiet a short story too, being just under 300 pages. But as I’ve said before, the main issue I had was I couldn’t stop comparing it to The Wrath and the Dawn and maybe that’s my fault for not being able to separate the two books and I do appreciate the effort the author has taken to write the book, but for me this just didn’t work.

Thank you to Macmilliam Children's Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Review} Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 22nd, 2015
Finished Date: June 6th, 2015

Publishers: Greenwillow
Genre: YA, Historical, Fantasy
Format: eARC

Pages: 448
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

The Review: Disappointing!

I’m clearly the minority when it comes to Walk on Earth a Stranger which is disappointing because I know how much love everyone has for the author Rae Carson. It makes me wonder if I should have started with her other series first – The Girl of Fire and Thorns rather than this one.

I have to say I really did love the concept of this story – a teenage girl who has the ability to sense presence of gold – it’s a unique idea and immediately you can’t help yourself become curious about the idea. In fact I still really love the concept behind this story, unfortunately it was the way it executed that failed to impress me. While I do enjoy some historical YA fiction for me I just found this pretty boring. I can’t say I was overly interested in the whole Gold Rush era, I felt the story was bogged down by a lot of the information. My mind kept wondering when I felt as though I should be giving it my full attention. The slow pacing of the story didn’t help matters either. The first 50 pages for me was definitely the best part of the story.

I bet your wondering why kept reading if I clearly didn’t enjoy this story? It was more about the main character’s journey that kept me reading and also I honestly wanted to give this author a chance. But Lee was my main reason for reading. I really liked her. I felt so bad for her with everything that she was going through and everything that she had to suffer with her journey of losing her parents to going on the run and trying to find her friend. She was the only character that I managed to have some form of connection with. There were a lot of secondary characters that I didn’t care for or like. I didn’t have any form of connection with. And even the love interest/romance wasn’t much to root for. And I need to be invested with the love interest to form a connection.

For me the most disappointing part of this story was the fact that Lee on really uses her ability at the start of the story. While she’s on her journey she doesn’t use it. Maybe slightly at the end of the book but that’s it. Because of this is doesn’t really let us explore her ability. I understand that Lee doesn’t understand it herself, but I thought this would have been a story that allowed her to explore that. So I don’t quite understand why that never happened. It’s a possibility that in the sequel we will discover more about it but, for me if a book fails to impress me I’m more than likely won’t continue with the series. 

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

{Review} Awoken (The Lucidites #1) by Sarah Noffke

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: November 24th, 2014
Finished Date: March 16th, 2015

Publishers: One-Twenty-Six Press
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 312

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights. 

In a sterile, underground institute the forecasters keep reporting the same events.

And in the backwoods of Texas, a sixteen-year-old girl is about to be caught up in a fierce, ethereal battle.

Meet Roya Stark. She drowns every night in her dreams, spends her hours reading classic literature to avoid her family’s ridicule, and is prone to premonitions—which are becoming more frequent. And now her dreams are filled with strangers offering to reveal what she has always wanted to know: Who is she? That’s the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. But will Roya live to regret learning the truth?

The Review: What can I say? This really didn’t do it for me and it wasn’t because of the writing or the world or even the story…. It all boiled down to pacing and personal preference. I’m just going to do a like and dislike review with a little explanation so you can understand my thinking.
LIKES
I really liked the idea behind the book about people with the power to dream travel, it holds infinite possibilities and realities that I could become involved in. I liked the descriptions of how it was achieved and what the dreamscape was like, I was interested in it and what they were about.
I liked the characters too, most weren’t developed enough where you could emphasise with them and the only person I was interested in was Roya, she seemed to have an interesting story and what came out about her later in the book was good but could have been better.
I liked the institute and what it stood for and did for the young adults with the ability to dream travel, they train them up, hone their gifts and teach them about what they’re going into.
There is a prophecy of sorts that drew me into the story, a dream traveller who will conquer their ageless foe and change things for those who dream. The enemy has steadily been taking over peoples minds so that they are mindless puppets to do his bidding.
I also liked the science part about regenerating in a different place etc.
The end confrontation was awesome, exciting and gripping with lots of action, twists and turns – it was no holds barred, take no prisoners kind of fight that also had a lot of mental strategy going on that would outwit the opponent and it was executed very well and made me think that I would read a sequel in the hopes that it was just first book, getting to know you boredom……. So, all good stuff……but….
DISLIKES
My big problem was the pacing, the book was bogged down with all of the training and lessons. Yes, I know that it was vital to the story and helped us understand a lot of the ins and outs of their capabilities; but it bored me and nothing happened to keep me interested. I like medium to fast paced plots but this was so slow that I ended up forcing myself to finish it, I wanted more action, I had thought with the enemy having infiltrated the minds of most of the world that they would have enemies popping up all over the place but no, they were in the institute for most of the time. There is some interference in the prophecy about a third of the way through the book and I thought we would get some action there but it just fizzled out – where were the fights, the enemies, the action? That would of kept me excited and wanting to turn the next page, I was just disappointed.
Another problem I had was instalove – Roya could have had two men, one she felt an instant connection to and the other seemed to have a more natural flow to it where they had spent time together and gotten to know each other. Obviously with this being instalove, she goes for the one she feels an instant connection to and loves him in an instant. I can see how the author tried to give them some little moments together so that you could get the feel for them together but it didn’t work for me, they needed to spend more time together, share a lot of dialogue, stolen glances etc. with him being a superior this had a chance to be an all consuming thing for a reader; there is nothing I love more than forbidden love and soul mates but I really wasn’t feeling this at all.
 I also thought that the enemy was underused, he could have been really sinister, invading her dreams, stalking them and scaring her – at some point I thought he was going to be her real father, but no…. nothing. The same with Roya’s history/heritage, I thought it was good and it did draw me in but a couple of secrets and it was over – it had so much more leeway to become thoroughly embedded in the prophecy but that fell flat too.
So, to sum it up; there are a lot of likable things about this story, the writing was good as were the characters but it just failed to excite me in the way I’m accustomed to, it left me bored and it very nearly got put on my DNF shelf BUT saying that, the ending was great and redeemed some of the story and my opinion so maybe I would give the sequel a go – I just won’t be in a hurry to do so. 

2.5 flowers!

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

{Review} Every Last Promise by Kristin Halbrook

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 21st, 2015
Finished Date: January 10th, 2015

Publishers: HarperTeen
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 288

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman, Every Last Promise is a provocative and emotional novel about a girl who must decide between keeping quiet and speaking up after witnessing a classmate's sexual assault.

Kayla saw something at the party that she wasn't supposed to. But she hasn't told anyone. No one knows the real story about what happened that night—about why Kayla was driving the car that ran into a ditch after the party, about what she saw in the hours leading up to the accident, and about the promise she made to her friend Bean before she left for the summer.

Now Kayla's coming home for her senior year. If Kayla keeps quiet, she might be able to get her old life back. If she tells the truth, she risks losing everything—and everyone—she ever cared about.

The Review: Kayla witnessed something at a party that she wasn’t supposed to and it’s something that she’s trying to forget. She hasn’t told anybody because of the events that happened and how they’ve changed her world. She loved her home town and it was a place that loved her in return but now, after spending time at her Aunt’s house it’s a place that hates her and she has no-one but her family for support. As time goes on, Kayla’s guilt starts to eat away at her but can she reveal what happened that night when she knows there will be no turning back and she will forever be an out casted from the place she once loved?

Every Last Promise is a story that is very promising but unfortunately fell a little short for me. From the moment I started the story I struggled to connect to the main character Kayla. She was okay – I guess but she was really a hard character to like. She’s witnessed a terrible thing and rather than tell everyone what she saw, she keeps quite all for the sake of her reputation – even though no-one wants to know her because of something she did that night – which I’m not going to spoil for you. What Kayla did was a good twist to the story and it was all for the right reason – or so I believed. So for her to remain quiet over the thing she witnessed just because she thought no-one would believe her, in my eyes, was pretty unforgivable because it involved one of her close friends and mainly because she had the proof all along to back up the events that happened. As a character, Kayla focussed too much on trying to get her friends back. I just found her very shallow.

Kayla wasn’t the only character I didn’t really like or connect to – Jen and Kayla’s other friends as well as some of the boys in the story – who you weren’t meant to like – were just mostly horrid people. The only bright spark from the story was the love interest that was sweet but we don’t see as much from him and Kayla to really form a real connection to or even to root for their relationship.  

The plot of the story does deal with some heavy real life issues and I applaud Kristin Halbrook for exploring the issues within her book, but unfortunately for me, I just didn’t enjoy the story as much as I hoped. 

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

{Review} Of Shadow and Stone by Michelle Muto

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: February 24th, 2015
Finished Date: March 2nd, 2015

Publishers: Self Published
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 291

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Gargoyles were created centuries ago to protect mankind, but something went horribly wrong. Now only the sentinel—a mortal chosen to control the stone beasts—stands between them and their human prey.

When the latest sentinel is killed, Kate Mercer is destined to take his place. But Kate has enough going on in her life—like a skyrocketing film career, a delusional ex-boyfriend, and a crazed stalker who will stop at nothing to get to her. But the powers that be have decided, and Kate is transported to Shadow Wood, a mysterious castle that serves as a sanctuary for the supernatural. Although beautiful, Shadow Wood is no safe place for a mere mortal. Yet Kate is drawn not only to the gargoyles but also to Ian McGuire, a charming novelist who might be in the greatest danger of all.

As Kate decides whether to accept the most perilous role of her life, she discovers there are more secrets than answers within the castle’s walls. Her survival and Ian’s depend on her ability to master the gargoyles before time runs out. Is fate really cast in stone?

The Review: I had high hopes for Of Shadow and Stone and ended up really disappointed by it. I loved the idea of the book – a sort of sanctuary exists for otherworld creatures, Shadow Wood and it is ran by the enigmatic Declan. He hosts all kinds of species but it is the Gargoyles that take someone to watch over them, to keep them in check because they have a very black and white version of right and wrong and when punishment comes in the form of death…. They need a Sentinel. The previous Sentinel is dead and gone, the gargoyles are getting restless and Declan is waiting for the one he believes will be next. This turns out to be actress Kate Mercer. Kate has been dreaming of Shadow Wood often, little does she know that she actually visits there in dreams and the bonding process has begun between her and the Gargoyles but it’s only when she connects with Declan that things start to bleed over in her real life. She starts seeing through the Gargoyles eyes, they share thoughts and feelings and she sees the pleasure they take in doling out justice to wrong doers. Kate’s home life isn’t that great either, she’s been cheated on & humiliated in the public media leading to dealing with an ex who just won’t clue in on the fact that they’re over and she has a stalker that’s taken to leaving her messages and following her. With a lull in her career and at a turning point in her life, she is unsure whether she is Sentinel material. As Declan tries to lure her into the job she realises there is another possible candidate – Ian McGuire – a writer of paranormal fiction and thinks he would be much more suited to the job…… but the Gargoyles have other ideas. So, it really sounds good right? Well it just didn’t pan out for me…as I said, I loved the premise and had expected an edgy UF with some romance but it was too weak, the storyline never really took off and grabbed me. I liked the characters but didn’t empathise with them, I wasn’t drawn in by their predicament or care either way who became Sentinel. It took ages for Kate to finally meet those of Shadow Wood, I’m talking half of the book ages and I was way bored by the 40% mark but stuck with it. Unfortunately it didn’t get any better – the romance was practically non-existent, she was drawn to him, him to her but they’re more worried about what they’ve been told about the previous sentinel, they share a kiss that wouldn’t have even trembled a feather never mind my knees but what can you do? I expected some mission with the gargoyles where she proves she can be their Sentinel or even for them to show her why she would make a good one but that didn’t come about, the gargoyles were like children who needed to be told what to do so she basically became a babysitter. Now, saying that, I did like the real life drama that Kate had going on…. I liked the obnoxious ex trying to get her back and I loved the stalker issue which was underplayed in my opinion. There was so much potential for this book to be fab but it just failed to deliver, I was bored, nothing grabbed me and said ‘hey! Check this story out’ and the pacing was so slow that I fell asleep reading it 3 nights in a row, so a major disappointment for me. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t fault the writing and I’m sure readers who like a slower paced story will lap this up but for me and my preferences.. it was a fail. 

2.5 flowers! 

{Review} The Thorn and the Sinking Stone by C.J Duninski

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 10th, 2015
Finished Date: March 1st, 2015

Publishers: Entangled Teen
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 247

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Warring families. Forbidden love. And danger they can’t escape…

Daggers. Roses. Cowboys. Boat Men. Survivors of Earth's Last War, four “families” vie to rule the dreary streets of Rain City through violence and blood. Valencia Hara, Princess of the wealthy Black Roses, is raised in warrior ways with sharpened steel. But she is no ordinary Rose. She is Cursed—tainted with the ability to see seconds into the future…

To avenge his father's death, Sebastian Leold, of the rival gang Two Daggers, must face off against the Black Princess, he with his dagger, she with her katana sword. Yet a secret from a shared past leaves him unable to kill beautiful Valencia; nor can she kill him. For they once knew each other beyond their blood feud…and they have more secrets in common than they know.

But in a world filled with vengeance and violence, there can be no room for love… 

The Review: As soon as I heard about The Thorn and the Sinking Stone I was immediately curious about it. I have to be honest when I say I hadn’t seen it around the blogging world and for that reason I was hesitant. But no matter what my curiosity go the better of me and I decided to take a chance on the story. I wanted to love this book – I did. But sometimes taking chances doesn’t always pay off and unfortunately this was the case for me and The Thorn and the Sinking Stone. 

 I had really high hopes with the book because it was clearly based Romeo and Juliet and I love that story, no matter how sad it is. While it’s clearly not the same as Shakespears’ tale The Thorn and the Sinking Stone is a story full of gang rivals set in a dystopian world with a paranormal aspect and it’s a world that if I’m honest confused me and wasn’t really built up enough. 

 For the first 20% of the story I quickly flew through the pages but soon enough I slowly started to lose interest. I found the more I read the more things didn’t add up and there were several plot holes. The world that was created was a good idea but poorly executed and not enough back ground information so as a reader, you completely understand how things are. People just accept things, like the Watchmen and the Cursed. I felt like although the main story is about The Black Roses and Two Daggers, there are too many other players in the story, that really could have been left out and maybe introduced into a sequel. There was also a lot of cold-hearted violence in the book which I think would look great on a big screen – if that’s what you’re into. 

 Sebastian and Valencia were the reason I kept reading. I wanted to see how their story would come together and while I liked it in most part I still couldn’t help feeling disappointed that their romance wasn’t as epic as I was hoping it was going to be. It was a little bland and in the end, I felt like the romance could have been left out because both characters were stronger without their new-found romance. 

 In all, The Thorn and the Sinking Stone wasn’t a great read for me but it’s one I’m glad I read because otherwise I would have always been curious about it. 

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

{Review} Sharing You (Sharing You #1) by Molly McAdams

Posted by Donna
Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Finished Date: February 8th, 2015

Publishers: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Twenty-three year old, Kamryn Cunningham has left all she’s ever known and moved to a small town where no one knows her name, who her parents are, or her social status in the horseracing world. Months after opening her own bakery and evading attempts of being set up by her new best friend, she meets Brody. Kamryn fights the instant pull between them because there’s a detail she can’t dismiss. Brody’s married.

To say that twenty-six year old, Brody Saco has had a rough marriage would be an understatement. After marrying his pregnant girlfriend, he spends the next six years in a relationship filled with hatred, manipulation and guilt involving a tragedy that happened five years earlier. When he keeps running into his sister-in-law’s best friend, Kamryn, he can’t ignore that she makes him feel more with just one look than his wife ever has; and soon he can’t continue fight his feelings for her.

When staying apart proves to be too difficult, Brody and Kamryn enter a relationship full of stolen moments and nights that end too soon while they wait for Brody to file for divorce. But the guilt that comes with their relationship may prove to be too much for Kamryn, and Brody might not be strong enough to face the tragedy from his past in order to leave his conniving wife.

The Review: I haven’t read a Molly McAdam’s novel since the disastrous time I had with Taking Chances but I still wanted to give this author another try. So when the opportunity came to read Sharing You, I jumped at it, even though it did take me a little while to get to it. 

I’m just going to say it, I didn’t hate Sharing You but I certainly didn’t love it either. I actually liked the characters but it was the plot of the story I had an issue with. I just don’t think it was very believable. It’s one of them that unless you’ve experienced something like it – insta-love, insta-attraction, fate, whatever you want to call it – first hand, you’re probably not going to believe the story. I’m not saying I don’t believe in fate but I am an unbeliever of insta-love especially from the first moment you meet someone because it’s something I’ve never experienced nor, do I know anyone who has experienced it for themselves. This is the story for Sharing You – two characters meeting and the first time is so intense that they know they’re meant for each other regardless of the obstacles in the way. I know the author has written this story about witnessing a couple go through the same thing and I applauded her, but I feel like she’s written a story not many people will relate to, therefore many people may not enjoy it. 

Like I said before, I did actually like the characters despite the insta-love. Kamyrn and Brody have both have difficult lives and I could definitely sympathise with it. It’s one of the reasons I kept reading. I wanted to see how their relationship developed after their first meeting and more so how the story ends. The cheating part of the story didn’t really bother me. Brody was in an unhappy married were he was manipulated by his wife; I do wish he had the strength to do the right thing because of how unhappy he was. 

In all, Sharing You wasn’t the best story I’ve read but it’s one I’m glad I’ve read and I still haven’t written Molly McAdam’s off completely yet, despite my issues with the story. 

2.5 flowers! 

Thank you to Harper 360 for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.  

{Review} What If by Rebecca Donovan

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 22nd, 2015
Finished Date: February 6th, 2015

Publishers: Penguin 
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

What if you had a second chance to meet someone for the first time?

Cal Logan is shocked to see Nicole Bentley sitting across from him at a coffee shop thousands of miles from their hometown. After all, no one has seen or heard from her since they graduated over a year ago. 

Except this girl isn't Nicole.

She looks exactly like Cal's shy childhood crush, but her name is Nyelle Preston and she has no idea who he is. This girl is impulsive and daring, her passion for life infectious. The complete opposite of Nicole. Cal finds himself utterly fascinated and falling hard. But Nyelle is also extremely secretive. And the closer he comes to finding out what she's hiding, the less he wants to know.

When the secrets from the past and present collide, one thing becomes clear: Nothing is what it seems.

The Review: Cal Logan hasn’t been able to get his mind off one of the girls he grew up with – Nicole Bentley. They used to be close but Nicole left him behind for a new set of friends. When Nicole enrols at Harvard and no-one sees or hears from her, Cal can’t get his mind off of her. But one night at a party, he meets a girl who looks exactly like Nicole except this girl doesn’t act like the Nicole he knew. Gone is the shy person and instead Nyelle is outgoing and strangely addictive. The more time that Cal spends with Nicole the more he’s determined to get the truth.

I wasn’t sure what to expect before heading into What If. I’ve only had one other experience with Rebecca Donovan as an author and I had major issues with it, so of course a part of me was hoping this time I would been blown away because I know so many people love her work. But unfortunately I was left disappointed.

What If is a mysterious story about four childhood friends who seem to lose touch of the years. During the story we have Cal telling the main part of the story but we also get flash backs from the other characters told from when their childhood days. I enjoyed how the story was told. Going back and forth from past to present but I struggled to connect to the childhood days. While I was reading the story was I was trying to think how these chapters fit into the story and even now I’m still impressed by how well these chapters were written and how it tells a past story.

The main issue for me were the characters. They were all so flat. As a main character Cal didn’t stand out. There was nothing about him that excited me and he doesn’t do anything daring. Overall he’s a very bland character. Then we have Nyelle who I just didn’t really like. Her character was weird and I didn’t get her reasoning’s for doing anything she did. She acted half-crazy most of the time and was really aloof.

I understand there is more going on in this story than what we’re first lead to believe and some of the issues are quite heavy, but I just don’t think the author took enough time to explore the issues. And eventually by the time I came to the end of the story and the big reveal happened, I had no excitement for it. I was actually pretty disappointed with it.

In all, What If just wasn’t for me but I know a lot of people love Rebecca Donovan’s work therefore I’d still urge you to read it and make up your own mind.

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

{Review} The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Posted by Donna
Release Date: December 31st, 2013
Finished Date: December 10th, 2014

Publishers: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 371

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

The Review: Wren Caswell always the good girl who does what she’s supposed to do decides that she finally wants to do something for herself for a change, rather than what everyone else wants her to do.

Grayson Barrett had a good life until he messed it all up by being expelled from college after being caught charging people for test answers. Grayson is now back home and pretty unhappy. But when Wren and Grayson met after Wren saves Grayson’s life, the two find that they are attracted to one another and soon start spending time together. But will Grayson’s past pull them apart before they’ve even had a chance? 

 You would think with a title like The Promise of Amazing this book would be amazing but unfortunately it’s not which I’m so, so disappointed about because it was one of my most antipacted reads. I’m not the biggest fan of insta-love and in my opinion they aren’t realistic but, at times some authors do a really good job, however this wasn’t the case with The Promise of Amazing. Unfortunately the biggest downfall with it is the insta-love because it happens right at the start of the story – which was just way to soon. I struggled to connect to the characters because of this. The book is over 300 pages and they ‘fall’ for each other pretty quickly and so it made the rest of the story drag. There was no real suspense to their relationship, nothing really to root, no trying to unravel the characters feelings for one another because it was all out in the open so soon and I found myself rolling my eyes at the two characters. Eek, I didn’t like it. The insta-love just didn’t work in this book and I really wish the author had found a way draw out their relationship because if she had, I think this book could have been slightly better than it was. 

As characters I liked Wren more than Grayson. She was a decent character. But Grayson, I just didn’t like him. I didn’t like his reasons for the things he did and I didn’t like the way he treated Wren – considering his was supposed to love her. The thing that Grayson was involved in wasn’t as great as I was expecting either. I guess you can say I just didn’t click with him as much as I would have liked. 

 In all, The Promise of Amazing wasn’t a great read for me but I am going to give this author other chance with the next book, The Secrets of Attraction and hope for the best.