Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!!!

Hello there!

Today I had to get up earlier than planned because the carpenters were coming home to fix up the last thing that was pending in my house, and now that is done so hooray! Now it's just getting the rest of the furniture, sorting more stuff and unpacking things... A few months still of work, I think, but very much worth it!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have one of my BEA ARCs for review, one that I simply adored and I'm itching to re-read and that was full of diverse characters, so it'll be counting towards my 105 Challenge in the diverse category!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had been silly enough to start reading the first 3 chapters as FierceReads started sharing them and I was left wanting so much more (will I ever learn not go for excerpt? I don't think so!) so very soon after I returned from BEA with this amazing ARC (signed!) I caved in and read it.

I had loved The Grisha trilogy very much, but I must confess that I love this one even more! I was captivated since page 1, wondering about what was going on and how will these characters that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley were going to be involved in a heist.

The beginning of the book reminded me a bit of the start of Ocean's Eleven, since we meet and gather our team of dangerous outcasts, recruiting and rescuing when there's need for it.

Six of Crows was a multiple POV book done right. All the different POV voices were distinctive, relevant and captivating. My favourite character has to be Inej, but my favourite chapters have to be Kaz's, because his story was such a mystery and he's such a fascinating character! You would never consider him a good guy, but he is a multifaceted characters with so many layers and grey areas that I was so drawn to him!

The basic plot is essentially assemble team of dangerous outcasts with special abilities to do the impossible and get something from an impregnable somewhere at the time where it'd be harder to do. But this plot done right is one that has you turning pages like there's no tomorrow! And Leigh Bardugo really did it right!

The alternating POVs worked great for it because you never have all the information, the only one that does is Kaz and he isn't exactly forthcoming or inclined to share it all with either his teammates or us readers, because he is a character with so many secrets! And that reluctace on sharing does gain us (and the others) more than one near heart attack with changes of plan, betrayals that might or might not be real and unexpected tanks (yes, you read right, tanks... you'll know what I mean when you read it).

Even though if romance is not a priority or even a side plot (well, maybe there's one exception) for this book, I ended up shipping quite a lot of ships SO VERY MUCH!! I will not say more because discovering those ships was also part of the experience but one in particular gave me all the feels and I just cannot!!

A wonderfully diverse cast of characters that are all in shades of grey, not really evil, but not what you'd easily qualify as the good guys, with a plot full of surprises, pacing done perfectly, with slow moments and heart stopping moments, full of ships to ship that won't take off from the character development or the plot development and a cliffhanger ending that has me begging for the sequel... this is my favourite Leigh Bardugo book to date!

Very much deserved 5 stars to this one and I'm just dying to re-read my finished copy as soon as it arrives in the mail!



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Mark This Book Monday: Mini Reviews for Reawakened and Ink & Bone!!

Hello everyone!

Today is one of those Mondays where I'm gonna forego sleep for the most part in the name of social life and time spent with my favourite people! Since one of my besties lives in Italy, the whole group doesn't meet together more than twice a year, so whenever we do, it's always a celebration! And this time, I'm hosting breakfast at my new apartment, so I'm extra excited!

Today for Mark This Book Monday I have two mini reviews, since I do have a bit of a backlog of reviews pending! Since one of them is all about Egyptian mythology I'll be counting it towards by 2015 Mythology Challenge and the other book will be counted for the 2015 Release category for the 105 Challenge!

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had read quite a few super positive reviews of this one, but I wasn't sure what to expect of this one when I started reading it.

Despite having a rather large cast of secondary characters, we follow Jess's POV throughout the whole book, except for the communications/letters/memos we get in the beginning of each chapter, that I loved, btw, since it gave us a lil more information about how the Library has always been working, and some outside info that Jesse wouldn't have.

The world building of this book has to be my favourite part of it for sure! The Great Library of Alexandria never burnt and instead it became the greatest power of the world, with daughter libraries all over the world. And since knowledge is power and power corrupts, the Library holds to the knowledge and its power with an iron fist, and won't tolerate any suggestions of change that will lessen their absolute control.

As a book lover and book hoarder the thought of not being able to own copies of books is something that made me panic a lil bit! And I absolutely could relate to Jess's horror and disgust at the thought of someone destroying books or eating them! So very few copies of them, and people decide that they want to eat them? Twisted indeed!!

I loved how we get to know our batch of students that want to enter service to the Library, with their own motives, hidden or not, and how they competed and helped each other all the time. I also loved seeing their opinions of each other and their mentor change with their tasks and their triumphs and loses.

There's plenty of character development and there's also a lil bit of romance here and there that didn't take over the book or the plot and that was rather believable and well done.

The ending was both the right way to close this book as a chapter in a larger story but still giving it enough closure and also the perfect set up for what's to come in the sequel!

This was my first Rachel Caine book but it won't be the last, because now I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the next one! Very well deserved 4 stars to this one!



Reawakened by Colleen Houck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my first Colleen Houck book, and I'm happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I had heard some rather meh things about her previous series, but then I read some awesome reviews for this one from bloggy friends, and it had this gorgeous cover and Egyptian mythology that I love, so I decided to give it a try!

It took me a little to warm up to Lillian, because at first I really didn't like her or her attitude much. But once she finds herself dealing with a guy that appears out of seemingly thin air, dressed in a skirt and that needs "sustenance", I really liked how very realistically she reacted, trying to rationalize his ramblings into something she can understand at first, and how she simply wants to help him and get back to her regular life.

But of course that's not how things work out when you are dealing with a resurrected mummy/god/prince that needs to find his brothers to stop the end of the world at the hands of the god of Chaos. And I started to warm up to her and the way she tried to face things and how she dealt with the "what's expected of me" and the "do I want to do this, how do I know what I want to do" doubts that are her main point of growth in this book.

Amon was a character driven by his mission and that finds himself in a much more hostile environment this time around, not waking up close to his brothers or with a Vizier ready to help him, and he makes the most of the odd circumstances he finds himself, and learns the most of the changing modern world he awakens in this time. He was rather swoony and sunny too (pardon the pun) and I loved how he managed to teach Lily a few lessons about enjoying life by enjoying some of the small things, and I loved how much he enjoyed "feasting"!

The humour in this book was great and it got even better once we meet Amon's brothers! Those two are adorable and are ever bantering and are so snarky sometimes... I loved them!

Having so many Egyptian myths and legends explained thoughout the book was also one of my favourite parts, although I knew them all already, I loved reading about them, and how the author managed to weave them into the story!

The ending seems quite final as it is, except for that final bit, and now I just cannot wait to see how it will all come to play in the sequel! Very much deserved 4 stars for this one!


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Mark This Book Monday: Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Hiya guys! Happy Monday!

In my case it's Buying Groceries Monday because I still need to stock up in a lot of things since I just moved to my apartment last week. And to add some motivation to the grocery shopping after night shift I'm also buying ingredients to make ice cream! Mmmmm, ice cream!!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have the last book that I read as part of ARC August and one of the ARCs that I got at BEA'15! Since it is a YA contemporary I'm counting it towards that category for the 105 Challenge!

Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another unconventional coming of age story about a girl learning who she is and finding her worth not definying herself in relation to others.

Unfortunately I couldn't relate as much to Arden as I would have liked, and when you can't relate with the main character the emotional connection with the book diminishes, and since I'm a gut-feeling kind of girl when it comes to rating, I cannot give this one more than a 3 stars.

Characters are very well written and realistic, complex and with good and bad things. The relationships between friends and family are also complex and feel real. Friends are there for each other, but also resent each other on occasion and feel like they matter less or underappreciated. The way that Arden deals with her mother leaving is also excellently done.

The writing was fantastic too, but that is something to be expected of Leila Sales, so even if I wasn't too keen on Arden or her story I just couldn't stop reading. Seeing Arden's growth towards the end of the book was satisfying and I also liked how the people around her shook her ideas about them and herself by the end too and how she learnt to look at herself and others in a different way.

But for most of the book I just couldn't stand Arden and the way she was handling herself or her life... I just couldn't relate to her at all, and then when we meet Peter? Nope, couldn't stand him at all either...

One of the things I loved the most about this book, as I did with TSWSYL, is that the romance is not magically fixing anything, and that it's not the most important part of the book. Growth for the characters is, figuring out who they are and who they want to be and understanding themselves and others better is.

And I think that after loving This Song Will Save Your Life so MUCH and relating so much and feeling so much for Elise, it was dissapointing to feel so contrary and so little empathy for Arden...

So yeah, clearly this was a case of "it's not me, it's you" with a book. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because of its superbly written characters.





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Mark This Book Monday: A Curious Tale of the In-Between and The Copper Gauntlet!!

Hello there guys!

Welcome to what I've decided to call the Middle Grade edition of this week's Mark This Book Monday!

Today I have two of my BEA ARCs that I read for ARC August up for review and for are MG books, so both count towards my MG reads category on the 105 Challenge!

 

A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm not the biggest middle grade reader ever, but I do enjoy some MG books now and then. After reading my BEA ARC of A Curious Tale of the In-Between I know I'll read any and all MG that Lauren DeStefano will write!

Pram is a lil girl that lives with her aunts at the home for the elderly that they run. She's always been special as she can see ghosts, but her aunts think that she's just peculiar and has imaginary friends, which is easier than to think she sees ghosts.

Once I started reading the book I wasn't sure what to expect because I had not re-read the summary since I added the book to my TBR GR list and my BEA list.

But I really enjoyed reading about Pram and how despite being peculiar and not wanting to be someone that she isn't she makes a friend when she goes to school, but she also tries to keep her friendship with ghostly Felix. Clarence and Pram help each other with their own issues that they feel adults can't or won't help.

I was quite intrigued when I saw where the book went with the ghosts storyline and how it was great in terms of world building but also character development, not just for Pram. Villains are not just black and white, even if their actions are despicable enough.

I really don't want to say much about that part, because it is heartbreaking and kept me quite on my toes and turning the pages fast, it's my fave part of the book and I think I enjoyed it as much as I did because I had no idea what to expect from it!

The ending of the book had enough closure to make it a story unto itself but it also left enough open for more of Pram and Clarence and Felix adventures and I cannot wait to read the sequel, which I hope it'll be equally as creepy, disquieting, heartwarming and endearing as this one! Well deserved 4 stars for this one!




The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed reading the first Magisterium book last year, so when I had the chance to grab an ARC of The Copper Gauntlet at BEA this year I didn't hesitate!

As in The Iron Trial we find ourselves with characters and situations that might remind us of other stories at first sight, three friends, a magic school, a connection between the bad guy and one of our heroes... does it ring a bell? Well, this book did it again, and took things in the most unexpected and unfamiliar direction you could expect.

Callum finds himself in an even worse situation than he did in the first book, because he has a big secret to keep about himself, one that makes hum doubt his every choice, and not only that but he suspects his dad is no longer on his corner.

Aaron and Tamara continue to be his friends and partners in crime (and escaping from home and the Magisterium and fighting unexpected Elementals... you know, the usual!) but they find themselves facing a few issues about trust and priorities that end up with Cal and Tamara butting heads.

I was quite surprised about the final showdown and how it was resolved, but also glad for how the auhors once again went for the less expected course of action. I might have not connected with this book as much as I would have liked, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless and will be looking forward to the sequel. 3 to 3.5 stars.



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Saturday Pages: ARC Review of A Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev!!!

Hey there guys!

Happy Saturday! I came back from spending a pair of days (mostly) unplugged at my parents' cottage, getting loads of puppy love, getting pampered by my mum and watching shooting stars at night with my mum and bro. And reading, loads of reading! Less ARCs than I should have, but I despite my best intentions, I'm always a mood reader at heart!

Still I managed to read a pair of ARCs and start another, and one of them is the one I'm reviewing today for this week's Saturday Pages, counting it towards my ARC August challenge and also since it is a diverse read, towards my 105 Challenge!

The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read and loved Sonali's debut last year so when I heard about her next book coming out this year I knew I had to read it! Of course I did a lil jig when I got approved for it on NetGalley by the publisher and after reading it I already have it preordered for myself and for my ex didi.

Ria's story is not an easy one, given what a traumatic past she had to deal with and what she fears will be the sure consequences to her future. She's carved herself a career on Bollywood and she keeps everyone away from her. But when her cousin calls her and begs her to attend her wedding, she feels like she needs to go and be there for the family that loves her, and after a potential scandal, leaving Mumbai for Chicago seems like the best option.

While I don't know all that much about the insides of the world of Bollywood, I have been treated as part of an Indian family both in India and in the US, and reading this book felt like being back there. The descriptions are effortless and vivid and the relationships between the characters always so well developed!

Ria is a very complex character with many different sides to her, and we can very well see them at play when she is just Ria with her family, to when we see her as Ria Parkar, the film star. She's both strong and enormously fragile, always battling with herself and trying to get through everything on her own. I wanted her to finally allow others to help her and seeing how hard her path was through it all really made my heart ache!

The romance here was particularly heartbreaking because of the history between Vikram and Ria and how meeting again after ten years there's a lot of pain and anger and suffering but still an undeniable chemistry and a knowing about each other that was painful to read about. I don't know if it'll be as painful for other people as it was for me, but the emotions jump out of the pages!

Mental health and the stigma still associated to mental health illnesses is also a big component of the book. Ria's life has been defined by that stigma and it's what continue to define how she sees herself and how she shapes her future.

A fantastic book with a wonderfully complex romance and a lot of depth. Bravo Sonali Dev! Very well deserved 5 stars!



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Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of A Riot of Storm And Smoke by Jennifer Ellision!!!

Hello there people!

Today is a new week and one of those Mondays after working the weekend, so nothing much is different for me!

I'm hoping to get some quiet time to read at the cottage during this week since I work the weekend once again... On the bright side that'll mean a lil extra on my next pay check, which will be highly welcome!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have an ARC of a book that I have been eagerly awaiting and when the author asked if I wanted to get I'm surprised she didn't go deaf from my squealing... I guess she's like she lives in Florida!

As an ARC it is part of ARC August and as a fantasy book it'll also count towards my 105 Challenge!

Riot of Storm and Smoke by Jennifer Ellision

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a fantastic middle book! It's got everything that a second book in a trilogy should have: plot development, action, character development, new conflicts and new characters!

Riot of Storm and Smoke starts right were Threats of Sky and Sea left us, but Jennifer does a very good of jogging our memory to bring us up to speed with lil nudges here and there, but nothing too repetitive that could bother someone binge reading the books.

The book is told in (mostly) alternating dual POVs, Bree and Caden's, and it manages to be distinct enough and to move along the plot, showing us what is going on both sides.

Bree is on the run with her friends and she's keeping quite a few secrets from them, which usually isn't the wisest course of action, but give the situation, I cannot really blame her for trying to figure out things on her own and trying to clutch to the last vestiges of her old life, even if she knows nothing is as she once believed. She's struggling with all the revelations and it shows in her grasp of her power.

Scaping the king will prove difficult enough even with the Underground's help and at every step of their way there's a new difficulty and we get quite a few surprises! We even meet some unexpected allies and an enemy comes back in a very different way winning a measure of reception even!

Kaden's side is no less painful and worrisome to read and although he grows a lot as a character, he is also dealing with some deep worries that sometimes hinder his ultimate goals of freeing his country and doing what's best for his people. His search for allies is not without even more danger than Bree's flight but he also finds himself with a loyal ally and friend that also has enough sass to keep him in check! I adored Lilia's names for him!

There's a lot of tension in the book, with a few more calm moments now and then that simply lull you into a feeling okay before some new worrisome twist is sprang on you! And the ending? Well, talk about an explosive climax in more ways than one! And yes, it does end in a cliffhanger!! BUT it's the exciting kind of cliffhanger, one that leaves you excited and making grabby hands for the next book, but not one that leaves you screaming in frustration!

A fantastic second book very much deserving of 4.5 stars!



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Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell!

Hiya there people!

So today is Monday and for me it is a Monday after a tough night shift at work and a tough Monday when I try not too sleep too much or too little so I can still function during the evening when I'm meeting friends from India here in vacation but also manage to fall asleep at night!

For this week's Mark This Book Monday I have yet another ARC review! This one I got both approved via NetGalley but also got gifted a physical ARC by my friend Britt from Please Feed The Bookworm! Such a lovely cover, so I'm super happy to have the physical ARC!

As a 2015 release it counts towards by 105 Challenge too!

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I fell in love with the cover of this book and really wanted to read a Cinderella retelling with not your typical ending. I ended up with both a physical and an eARC of this one and I'm beyond grateful for them!

Mechanica is a more "faithful" retelling than others that I have read before, but I cannot generalize much since I haven't read many. Nicolette is an orphan that's left with her Steps once her father dies. She's treated like a servant and lives like one. There's even a ball and a prince in this story too, but the setting and the way the story is woven sets it apart from the more known versions of Cinderella.

This is a world of clockwork and magic and secrets. Where the Fae were treated like servants before being expelled and where rebellion and a war are looming. I loved all the lil stories woven here and there about the magic and the Fae.

My favourite part of the whole book has to be seeing Nicolette working on her clockwork inventions and discovering all that had been shut down and finding a way to connect with her mother through the memories and diaries. And to see her planning and plotting a way to escape the Steps with her own work and talent, without needing anyone to rescue her!

I love that no matter what hurdles she faces, Nicolette continues to work and try to fix herself a new and better life, with her friends and some of those lovely mechanical critters that were her very first friends (and quite a wink to the Disney rodents).

I really loved many things in this book and you might be wondering why it didn't get a higher rating, but the thing is that the overall feeling was not one of overwhelming love or amazement, so I cannot give a 4 or 5 stars rating, but THIS is the kind of fairy tale I wish I could have read when I was a pre-teen and one I'll make sure young girls that I know will get to read.

We don't need books that have girls being rescued by marriage to a prince, but girls that despite being treated badly are still capable of finding friends and getting over heartbreak without bitterness and through their own work and talent rescue themselves. And this is a book that says exactly that. So big kudos to the author for writing a modern version with a very classical fairy tale feel to it.

Very much deserved 3.5 stars to this one. It'll be in the Xmas list for some young girls this year from me!



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of The Veil by Chloe Neill!!

Hey there guys!

Happy Friday! I'm trying to clear up my review pile a lil before jumping head first into ARC August!
The book for this week's Friday Reads is an ARC that I was approved for by Penguin on NetGalley! I cannot say thank you enough to the Penguin guys for being so kind to approve me so often over there!

It counts towards my 105 challenge since it is a 2015 release (an August 4th to be more precise!).

The Veil by Chloe Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm a huge fan of Chloe Neill's other UF series, the Chicagoland Vampires series, and I was quite intrigued about this one.

I'm happy to report this is another UF series I will be faithfully following now. It has the trademarks of Chloe's writing without feeling like a rehash of Chicagoland.

The setting is New Orleans after a war with the paranormals in which the Veil that separates their world from ours was torn. Claire lives in a recovering from war NOLA, where magic is outlawed and paranormals are kept in a special prison. Times are tough and she runs an antiques + survival shop she inherited from her dad.

Claire is a wonderful character. She had plenty to be afraid of and she had a secret she kept from everyone in her life, but even fear of discovery and punishment wouldn't stop her from trying to help and do what's right. And even when her life threatens to change too much too fast she doesn't shrink back from what she can do to help. Not even what she would prefer to do is hide her head in the sand and pretend nothing happened. She's resilient, strong and a bit of firecracker, but not overly impulsive.

Liam is a bounty hunter with alpha tendencies but that doesn't really go to the "so alpha he ends up being an arsehole" side, which is always a relief. He's got his own issues and secrets but he's willing to help Claire be safe and also make her understand that there's more to the paranormals and the war that is public knowledge. I love that he wants to help her but doesn't treat her like a breakable thing but acknowlegdes who she is and what she can do.

The pacing was a bit slow through the first half or maybe a lil more of the book because there was some real basic world building to do and characters to stablish, but once the action started to pick up and the game started to be revealed... I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

There's romance here but it's more on the attraction and the "should we should we not act on it", and "with the state of things and what can happen to you, maybe it's better if we keep our distance for reasons", but I cannot wait to see how these two deal with their attraction as the series progresses! They can make a great team.

Thankfully there's no real cliffhanger on this one, the first chapter of the larger story ends neatly although we know there's more coming and we are left really looking forward to see what's next for the gang!

3.5 well deserved stars on the higher side of the 3.5!



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Friday Reads: Mini-Reviews for The Stars of Summer and Open Road Summer!!!

Hey there guys!

Happy Friday! I hope you had a good week and have some nice plans for this weekend! This is one of my longest weeks at work, since I work 3 to 10 pm shift from Mon-Thurs and then night shift on Friday and Sunday... So I kinda cannot wait till next Monday!

Today I have another pair of mini-reviews as my Friday Reads! One of them was June's book for The Reader's Lounge Book Club (that I failed to read in time...) that will count towards my 2015 Debut Author Challenge (since I can count 2014 debuts too) and as part of my 105 Challenge as a book that has been in my physical TBR pile since last year! The other one will also count towards the 105 Challenge as a Middle Grade read!

The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another wonderful adventure for Gladys trying to navigate normalcy as a kid at camp, finding things in common with her parents and a few unexpected complications while she tries to find the best hot dog in New York!

Gladys now has friends and can cook at home, she also has a job as freelance critic, so things are looking up, right? But things aren't as simple as they'd seem! Her friends aren't friends with each other, all of them too different to really click, she gets invited to camp so she won't have all the cooking time she wanted this summer, and she gets a really odd assignment from her editor at the paper.

Time for a confession, I've never been to camp so I felt like I was vicariously living the experience with Gladys! I'm not big on directed activities and the like, so I'd be pissed if I had to give up a summer of enjoying my hobbies to go to camp. But I liked how Gladys gave it a try because it was her friend's camp and also tried to make the most of it by thinking of it as cover for her hot dog escapades.

My favourite part of the book has to be how Gladys spends more time with her parents while trying to complete her hot dog assignment and it ends up being more than just an excuse to complete her job and instead is a way to find common ground and a way to connect together as a family!

The kid author celebrity was an unexpected twist added and a way for Gladys to see her less endearing qualities magnified in someone else. It had a bit of a tongue-in-cheek feel with how he was characterized, but I love that we get to seem some more layers and not so much of a two dimensional character.

There's an awards night, a conspiracy solved, some friendships got challenged and came out stronger and at the end of the day Gladys decided that she needed to be honest with those she love more than anything else.

All the food talk in this book makes me hungry and now I want to sample some of the awesome hot dogs featured here, as well as reading more of Gladys' adventures, which I do hope we'll get!! More Gladys next summer please!!



Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Well, now this is the kind of contemporary that I love reading! The one that makes me feel everything, that makes me smile and laugh and cry my eyes out! Instant Emery Lord fan for sure here!

Proper review to come once I've stopped being overwhelmed with ALL THE FEELS!!

This book was June's book for my book club and had been in my TBR pile for many months, and my friend Becca from Reading Teen had pushed it to me MANY a time, and holy crow if she wasn't right!

Reagan is not an easy character to like. She was flawed and angry and bitter and had a thing for judging others in a way she hates to be judged that annoyed me quite a bit, but she felt real and raw and she grows so much throughout the book! Her best quality had to be her loyalty to Dee and how she always put her first, even when she was feeling selfish or underappreciated.

Dee is a great character, one that deals with her dream coming true and the difficulties that fame and fortune do bring with them. Papparazzi and lies that not only hurt her but those she loves. I loved how we see the inside of a tour and the real life behind all the glamour.

The best part of this book is the friendship, such a positive and supportive friendship between such different girls as Reagan and Dee. There's also a lovely romance with a great character such as Matt that manages to get under Reagan's skin and turn her upside down a bit!

A very much recommended book for lovers of contemporary books as well as those like myself that don't pick a contemporary as their first option. Give Reagan a chance, she'll show you that even when you want to shake her, she'll get better and grow!

FIVE stars and well deserved!



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Mark This Book Monday: Burn and The Wrath & The Dawn!!!

Hello there guys!!

I hope all you US peeps had a brilliant weekend with the 4th of July and the Women's World Cup win, and I hope that my fellow Europeans are surviving the bloody awful heat wave!

Today for Mark This Book Monday I have two mini reviews for two books that have been part of a very good reading binge, until I ended up with a massive book hangover last weekend. Both count towards my 105 Challenge, one as a 2015 Release and the other as Fantasy book! And since one of them is also a debut, it counts towards my 2015 Debut Author Challenge!

Burn by Paula Weston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is what a final book in a beloved series needs to be! And this is the perfect finale for this series, with the good and the bad and the fights and everything! 5 stars doesn't start to describe it properly!

Writing a proper review of this one is gonna be rather difficult, given how easily I might end up spoiling either this book or any of the previous 3, but given how the summary tells you the big ending of the previous book... Just trust me, start reading this series now!

Gaby has to be quite one of my favourite female characters with her flaws, her loyalty and her way of fighting what doesn't make sense and accepting things once they are proven. And I love that despite getting all the missing pieces, she still made herself anew!

We get quite a few twists and surprises when it comes to getting all the pending information, and trust me, we do get it in spades! Some of the twists are quite game changers for all the characters. Some unexpected alliances happen, and some moments of hilarity also unexpectedly happen!

The romance in this series is the most awesome mix of attraction/slow burn/complicated relationship that you can find, and even if we find out what happened in the past between Rafa and Gaby... it made me root for them both even more!! *happy sigh*

Another thing that I loved about this book is how important the relationship between siblings is, because Jude and Gaby and their relationship really is pivotal on everything that happens, the good and the bad. Splitting apart and getting back in touch... and you gotta love how even when choosing different sides, it is a great depiction of a familiar love!

And I don't want to fail to mention how much I loved that friendships are also very much important in this book. Between Rafa and Jude, Gaby and Maggie, and how those friends stand various tests, one of the biggest the revelation of not being human and fighting demons!

If you are a fan of angel books, you NEED to read this series. If, like me, you really aren't too keen on books about angels... you NEED to give this one a try, as I did!! Aussie angels are different mate! ;)





The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! THE NEXT BOOK!!! I NEEEEEED IT!!!!!

*takes a deep breath*

Okay, now I feel like I can attempt to write a somewhat coherent review, now that a pair of days have passed and I still feel very strongly about the book but not as lost for words!

First of all, I haven't read 1001 Nights properly, but I do own a gorgeous edition of the books, and I've read quite a few of the stories as children's stories and know a bit about the general plot of the book.

That might have been for the best given how this one is a loose retelling, and although we get some stories told at night here too and those I was quite familiar with, we get more of the day to day of Shazi and Khalid and how their relationship changes in unexpected ways for them both.

The writing and descriptions are fantastic, lush and visual and I was completely immersed in the book! So much that I completely devoured it in a day! The clothes, the architecture... the FOOD!! I'm still craving Indian and Persian food after reading this book because so much amazing food!!

I loved Shazi as a character, she's loyal, she's fierce and her internal monologues where always very sincere. I love that she can be trying to achieve her goal and protect her family, but she finds herself learning more and her feelings change and she never really lies to herself.

Khalid is a more difficult character to relate at first, because we know so little about him, but we also know there's so much more about him, about the deaths and about his fight for his kingdom, and as Shazi discovers it, so do we. I feel like I fell for Khalid right beside Shazi!

Political intrigue, magic and love, this book has them in spades! Add to that a completely heartbreaking ending and you find yourself as I did, screaming for a sequel! A fantastic debut very much worthy of 5 stars!



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Friday Reads: A Court of Thorns & Roses and The Girl At Midnight!!

Hello again guys!

For the first Friday Reads since quite a while I'm bringing not one but two reviews, because even if I haven't been blogging, I haven't entirely stop reading, not at all! Maybe not as much as I would have wished, but I do have a few reviews that I want to share with you guys!

And I'm finally adding some books to my 105 Challenge, because although both are fantasy books that released on 2015, I'm counting one towards my fantasy category and the other towards my 2015 release category, as well as counting The Girl At Midnight towards my 2015 Debut Author Challenge!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An absolutely fascinating book that made me want to keep reading! Sarah J Maas writing is as captivating as always, and I loved the way she mixed Fae and Beauty and Beast and made it her own story.

I loved the characters and I loved what a fantastic main character Feyre was! So human, so flawed and so strong! She's her family's provider and she resents them for it, but it's been what has defined her for so long, that she doesn't know how to do something else, how not to be the one having to take care of them every time.

At first seems like her sisters both seem to be a bit of a stereotype, the sweet and oblivious one and the mean and uncaring one. But as the story progress both the reader and Feyre discover that there's more to her sisters than we thought as first, particularly Nesta "the mean" one.

As far as the Fae... I felt like everything was woven so well and the world building of the different courts and their differences and the politics of the Fae and the lies and the curse and all the monsters in the many shapes that they're presented! Feyre is introduced to the Fae through a rather nice Court with fairly decent Fae, with snarky Lucian and strong and brooding Tamlin. But then she finds herself Under the Mountain, and oh boy... all hell breaks loose in there. Everything about Fae trickery and their crazy games and politcs come true here, with Rhys reminding me a lil of The Darkling, dangerous, alluring but ultimately not to be trusted.

Tamlin also has his own allure and oh boy... the chemistry is off the charts when it comes to our slightly beastly Fae! I must confess the bite scene made me fan myself! If you've read it, you probably agree with me, and if you haven't... you'll know what I mean when you do!

For some reason I just didn't feel like the transition from distrust and fear to companionship and then love was done smoothly enough, or I simply didn't connect too well with it, so that's my reason to not give this one a higher rating, somehow it rattled me, but once she was Under The Mountain, despite her bad choices, I felt like the connection was so strong and worth moving mountains, no pun intended!

Really looking forward to the next book, even if I fear what's to come next!! Very much deserved 4 stars to this one!




The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one had a certain feel of similarities with other books I've read and loved but they were combined in such a way that was its own and never felt like something I had read before, if that makes sense!

I loved Echo and I loved her thieving ways and how much she loved books and I adored how she always had the aproppriate word for everything! She can be a bit prickly and closed up on occasion but I loved how she defied authority and had a fierce loyalty to those she loves, the family she found and made for herself.

The fantasy world was built up in a wonderful way, very visual and very grounded in the real world at the same time! I loved how we kept travelling from one city to another, and how through the writing and descriptions we got to feel like we were there, each one of them with their own unique flavour and flare!

Both the Avicen and the Drakharis have their own cultural differences fleshed out although we lack in-depth history about them and their war, which I suspect we'll learn more about in the next books in the series, that I cannot wait to read about!

Great main and secondary characters, with wonderful friendships and complicated relationships, including diversity in more ways than one!

Echo and her best friend had a wonderful relationship and banter, and I love how even though some of the events shape them both in very different ways, they find a way to remain friends and get through things together, their friendship helping them throughout.

Casius and Dorian also have a friendship that span centuries, even if it's not entirely as equal as it is for Echo and Ivy, but it feels stronger once Dorian stops being in denial and opens up to what might be out there.

Jasper is an interesting character, a scoundrel and not to be trusted easily, with a flair for the dramatic and beauty, that ends up surprising even himself with his capacity for selflessness!

The plot moved rather fast, with plenty of tension even in the moments our characters are trying to regroup and heal, and I was quite surprised when the climax resolved in the way it did! Quite the game changer and now I'm not sure how it's gonna play in the sequel!

All in all, most well deserved 4 stars to this one! Can I get the next one now?



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of Uprooted by Naomi Novik!!!

Hey guys! Still on hiatus, currently in NYC attending BEA for the very first time, but I felt like the blog could do with a lil update since I feel bad for abandoning the blog and since it might be a longer hiatus that I had planned originally... things with the apartment are taking a long while enough and I might not be moved and settled till July itself!

This is the last ARC review that I needed to complete my For Review category for my 105 Challenge, woohooo!!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another recommendation from bloggy friends that was an absolute success! A wonderful fantasy with wonderful characters, a plot that was never exactly what I expected and surprised me always for the best!

I started it an wasn't sure what to expect of it and very soon was enthralled with Agnieszka's voice and her story! I loved how she kept on being her own self, struggling with being told to change and finding her own way to do things despite it all. I loved how strong her love for her family and her amazing friendship with Kasia, that despite the ups and downs, is strong enough to brave the dangers of the Wood.

The Wood, oh boy, that's a whole character in itself, and probably my favourite part of the book, along with Agnierzka's journey of discovery of her own magic and her own worth. The Wood was all sorts of creepy and gruesome and simply fantasticly done! And when we get to learn about how it all started? Really NOT what I had expected and I loved how the climax was resolved!

I adored the relationship between Agnieszka and the Dragon, how it went from strong dislike, to reluctant respect & collaboration to explosive chemistry!
I really loved how things progressed with them, slowly and tentatively, but with plenty of spark and I loved that Agnieszka is not pasive about it, takes things into her own hands when the Dragon doesn't allow himself to, and when he runs away, she doesn't simply pine after him, she continues with her work and then doesn't take any of his nonsense.

I read this book in two big chunks, from start till about 56% then got into a slump once they got to court after the fight at the Wood and then went back to it and the court part that I wasn't too keen on was shorter than I expected and things started getting more interesting, dire and creepy very soon! In the end, I wanted the book to keep on going and be longer because I simply love the world too much! The ending is rather open and definitive at the same time, and although a sequel is not necessary, I wouldn't be adverse to getting more stories set in this world!

Very much deserved 4.5 stars to this one!



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Saturday Pages: Mini-reviews for Rogue & Magonia!!

Hello there guys!

Happy Saturday! After today, the hiatus officially starts on my blog... I'll still have some post here and there, but I'll spend less time checking posts or comments, because I really need a bit of a breather and I'm gonna have other demands of my time pretty soon with everything involving the apartment.

I'm having a pair of mini-reviews for two books for this week's Saturday Pages, one an awaited sequel, the other a new book from a new-to-me author, both counting towards my 2015 releases category for the 105 Challenge!

Rogue by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Julie Kagawa is one of my auto-buy authors, because I've loved everything I've read by her and Talon was no different last year, it wasn't exactly what I expected but it was a great book nonetheless. When I got approved on NetGalley to read Rogue early I was extremely excited.

I'm not gonna say I was terribly disappointed, but I must confess to not be as thrilled with the book as I expected. It was a book full of action, with Ember on the run with Riley, full on rogue, and rescuing Garret and running from Talon and the Order of St George both from then on.

I felt like there was a lot of action, a lot of running and fighting but we really aren't getting to many places at all. Talon want Ember back and we continue to perceive that there's a lot more behind the why but no idea why, we know Talon is hiding something big and we only get an answer that leads to more questions by the very end. And we still don't discover anything more about the past of Talon & St George and their battles.

And my biggest issue with this book is probably Riley, I think that I like him as a dragon and head of the rogue operation well enough, and I liked getting his backstory of when he left Talon, although I felt it didn't give us all that much information, but when it comes to him and Ember? I just cannot stand him.

So there comes my big issue, I don't tend to like love triangles, and although I still understand this one, two guys, one for each side of Ember, the human and the dragon... I cannot stand Riley as a love interest, I'm Team Garret and I am very much bothered with how Riley acts.

Ember is confused from her own feelings and the way her dragon reacts, but I'm still not sure how that dichotomy works, but I guess we might get more explanation for that in the next and final book, or so I hope! She is still hoping that her twin will choose her instead of Talon despite the initial betrayal, and she proves a bit too naive and not as good a fighter as you'd have expected after her training.

All in all, a good enough book, but I wanted more... more answers and less triangly! Oh well, 3 stars to this one. I do hope to get moooore answers on the final book!

*EDIT* There will be 5 books total, so who knows when we'll get answers!!




Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a fascinating book! I loved the pacing and the writing and although I had a few issues with Aza at the very start, I grew to love her dearly!

I wasn't 100% sure I'd like Aza because somehow her snark and way to deal with her illness seemed a bit odd to me at first, but very soon I saw the way she tried to face every day, and how she tried to define herself, not only as the girl with the death expectance and the freak insides. We see her with her family and with Jason, and I fell in love with the lot!

I really enjoyed having their alternating POVs, both Aza's and Jason's, since we went to know them both better from each other's perspective in a way we wouldn't if we only saw each other as they see themselves, and it also completed the events happening.

The book has a big feeling of contemporary story at first, and then moves into the fantasy realm without a hitch, making us wonder too about the possibilities of ships in the sky! I was rather annoyed at the insistence of the Magonians for Aza to believe them and to simply leave everything behind and to adapt quickly to their expectations, when all she knew was the human life for fifteen years! I really liked that Aza was so realistically thrown for a loop and tried to adapt while still feeling out of kilter.

The worldbuilding on the ships and Magonia and was fascinating, as we learn details little by little along with Aza, and I feel like there is more to discover in hopefully a sequel, because although we get a wrap up on the plot ARC that was central to this book, there is plenty to expect to come up for a sequel for sure!

A word of warning, there might be some hints of a somewhat love triangle, but not. Just a few vibes here and there, all justified for reasons I won't discuss because spoilers, but it never went full love triangle.

It was a very compelling read that I couldn't put down and that I thoroughly enjoyed! A wonderful 2015 that I highly recommend! Well deserved 4 stars for this one!



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Friday Reads: Chantress Alchemy by Amy Butler Greenfield!!

Hey again guys!

I have another review ready for this week's Friday Reads and this one also counts towards my 105 Challenge as part of the books from the TBR pile category!

Chantress Alchemy by Amy Butler Greenfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read Chantress last year as one of my Alyssa Recommends and enjoyed it well enough, then it took me a lil while to get this book and it's been sitting in the TBR pile for quite some time, but finally I started it a few days ago, and although it didn't grab me instantly and I had to put it aside to finish some other books, once I got back to it, I read it in one sitting!

I had some issues with Lucy at first because she was such a mix of unsure and reckless at the same time, that she was a bit frustrating! I began to grow more fond of Lucy when she started to be cautious about who to trust but still tried to play it wisely enough to get information to keep herself safe.

As the title clearly illustrates, there is alchemy involved in this book, and Lucy has to deal with feeling like she has enemies coming from all sides and very lil ways to defend herself if any other than her wits.

We meet some new characters, like Gabriel and Sybil that keep us guessing about them being friends or foes and their motivations, and Sybil in particular made me wish time and again that she would really be an ally and not another antagonistic female character. We also meet old characters, both foes and allies and there comes a point where even the friends aren't exactly as friendly, and the foes... the foes get even more frightening that ever before! I so hated Wexham with a passion!

I loved how Amy managed to be historically faithful with the position of women in the society in her books but also how she managed to give some power back to them and ways to navigate a would where they're at a disadvantage. And I loved that she made Lucy stubborn enough to not bow to the oppresion but deal with it very cleverly.

Nat and Lucy's relationship went through a lot of hardship on this book, even if they still worked great together and shared fantastic chemistry, but things do end in a very painful way for both of them! But it was done so very well and very true to character that I just felt it made sense, even if it was a very painful ending to read!

This book was both a fantastic sequel and a book that can stand on its own with its own plot that gets resolved and finished, although there are plenty of threads left unresolved (like Lucy +Nat!!) to make us want to grab the final book sooner than later! Very well deserved 3.5 to 4 stars for this one!



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Mark This Book Monday: Something Real by Heather Demetrios!!!

Hey there guys!

Happy Monday! I am quite excited for the new week because I'm getting a few days off finally, and also because I might be finally getting the news of WHEN I'm getting the keys for my apartment and even might be getting the keys proper!

I'm starting the week with a new Mark This Book Monday edition, and this week's is April's book for The Reader's Lounge Book Club! And not only that, since I had bought the copy quite a while back from Book Outlet, it is also part of the 105 Challenge in the Books from the TBR pile category, and since it was released in 2014 and it was the author's debut book, it's also counted towards my 2015 Debut Author Challenge!

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Something Real was April's book for my book club: The Reader's Lounge Book Club! I was so very excited when it was chosen because A) I already had a copy and B) I had already read and loved another book by Heather Dremetrios!

This is such a poignant and fantastic book and a debut to boot! It's the story of Chloe, a girl that grew up in front of the cameras (that was actually born on camera) in the family's reality show. Then the show ends for various reasons, one of them to do with Chloe, then known as Bonnie with a trademark, and she works hard at patching herself up and getting a normal life as a normal teenager, and then one day, the cameras are back.

This book is both entertaining and deep, makes you try and see things from all sides, but no matter what, I ended up on Chloe's side. I have never been a big fan of reality shows (I think the only one I really like is The Amazing Race, and I'm not entirely sure it qualifies 100% as a reality show, but I disgress!) and so I must confess to be predisposed to support Chloe on her opposition to losing her normal life.

Family dynamics are a huge part of this book, from Chloe's relationship with Benton and Lexie and the rest of her siblings, the relationship with her mother and the nearly non-existent with her father, to the Chloe's friends, to the entire crew of MetalReel and Chuck (whom I despised and wanted to Force-choke) with the family. And of course the non-familial relationships between Chloe and Patrick, and Benton and Mark.

There are so many characters in this book, but you won't feel like any of them are simply fillers, you'll find yourself getting to know them all a lil better here and there, and seeing quite much more to many of them of what they seemed at first. Character development was very much strong for most of the characters, and the way their relationships and dynamics grew and evolved was a joy to read.

Seeing the ugly behind the scenes side of reality TV was extremely interesting and very upsetting on occasions. Everything seemed like an opportunity to get more viewers and make more money and the people involved, the kids for f's sake!, they are just entities to be directed and used! Show must go on and everything is fair in show biz. It was sick how Chloe was blamed and manipulated to stay in front of the cameras, and how all her childhood was directed and shaped, and once she felt like she wanted out, she was blamed and shamed and judged every which way.

We get to see Chloe with her friends, and handling a crush as a normal girl, and then fighting as much as she can to keep her normal life separate and protected from the MetalReel showbiz, and I was really glad to see how her friends came through for her, so very happy to see such a positive friendship, with girls supporting each other, demanding honesty and offering protection and comfort and support. And even happier to see the relationship that developed between Patrick and Chloe, and how it did develop, with its starts and stops and all the wonderful moments!

I feel like I will continue to read anything and everything that Heather Demetrios writes, and I highly recommend for anyone and everyone to read this book, contemporary lover or not! Very much deserved 5 stars!!



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Saturday Pages: Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins!!

Hey there guys!

Getting a review up for today has been quite a close call, because last night I was too tired to schedule one and I was not sure if I'd have time to write one today before work with everything that I had to do this morning, but I was inspired enough to write a quick one!

This Saturday Pages is all about a quite awaited sequel that didn't suffer from middle book syndrome or sequel slump and that as a 2015 release is part of my 105 Challenge!

Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I read Rebel Belle last year I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, and since it was my first Rachel Hawkins I had no idea I was in for a treat with the banter and the humour, but this time with Miss Mayhem I knew what to expect when it came to that.

What I wasn't expecting were the new twists she threw into the relationships between the different characters and the turns and twists that the plot would have!

Harper finds herself trying to juggle her role as Paladin and protecting David with the lies she has to tell her friends and family to explain absences, strange events and all mananers of oddities that keep on popping here and there, and it all gets even more complicated when the Ephors appear again! I was very annoyed as was Harper when they came demanding and blackmailing and generally putting everyone in danger and not giving any answers.

Harper finds that trying to juggle having her ex and her new boyfriend as part of the team as well as her best friend back, but not quite as she was before she was taken... can be a bit much, even for her. And as she tries to get everything sorted, she finds herself learning to work with others in a way that she didn't have to before.

It was very interesting seeing Harper & David work both as a team and as a couple, and how Harper needs to learn to give up her control freak tendencies a bit, because David needs to make his own choices, no matter how much she has to protect him. Their dynamics were full of banter and humour but thankfully no unnecesary drama!

The dynamics between Bee and Harper also undergo a pretty big change and one that I was not expecting, but it's fantastic that they didn't have a competitive friendship where when there's a hitch they try to tear each other down, instead there's talking and figuring out things and asking for time to do so when necessary.

I loved that Harper's family continue to be present, and that despite her powers and all the crazy stuff going on, her parents are present in the story and not as oblivious as you'd expect. And I simply adore her aunts, Aunt Penelope in particular!

The ending was quite the unexpected twist and quite horribly cruel, so be aware that the wait for the final book is gonna be BAD! I have no idea what aces Rachel Hawkins is hiding in her sleeves, but I cannot wait to find out! Very much deserved 4 stars!



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott!!

Hey guys!

I've been rather off-kilter as of late, with too many things and plans about the apartment and the move as of late, and if then you add the Star Wars trailer that was revealed at the latest SW Celebration and the fact that the next Celebration in 2016 will take place in London... I have been a bit of a mess this week! I already got my tickets for Celebration London 2016, and I got news yesterday that I might be getting the keys to my apartment NEXT WEEK!

So yeah, probably the blog will go on a hiatus as soon as I get the date for my apartment keys confirmed, because I'm gonna be waaaay too busy!

Now back to the review at hand... this week's Friday Reads is also the book I am adding to my Alyssa Recomends category for the 105 Challenge and the book for April!

The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I saw this one on NetGalley and wondered about it, but once I saw my friend Alyssa from The Eater of Books's review for it, I knew I had to read this one, and it didn't disappoint!

I found the world building fascinating, even if we are left with many more questions about the history of the kingdoms and why in Anglion there are such restrictions on what kind of magic can be used and by whom. It's not that information is simply kept from us, it's that almost no one in the kingdom know the reasons behind why women can only use earth magic or why they have to be married off as soon as possible after coming into their powers, it just is... but I know we'll probably be getting more information as the series progresses, and I cannot wait!

Sophie was a great character, not very keen on simply accepting everything as is, and stubborn enough to trudge along even when she's scared and she doesn't like what's going on. She disagrees with the rules of the society she lives in, but she knows that she cannot disobey them too upfront if she wants to keep breathing. But she's more than willing to take risks and wants to find a way to control her power and her destiny.

Cameron... well, he's a very swoony guy after a while, but at first I wasn't 100% keen on him, he just seemed too dismissive and did seem too happy with the status quo and given that it includes women being married off and their powers being used and controlled... I was NOT keen on that!

Their chemistry was quite off the charts as soon as they connected, magically induced at first but once it all progresses we can see that they seem to be a very good match for each other, even if at first it seems more lust than anything, but then they start working together as allies to protect each other and to face the threats against Sophie coming from those in power. Be warned that this should not be considered YA because there's sex and not the fade to black kind at all!

The plot could be the weakest part of the book, because we aren't clear on why what's happening is happening or how things are relevant or what are we moving towards in here, but we do have loads of hints and info a few unexpected twists by the end that made me glad it was not what I expected at all!

The ending was open enough to make me really want to get my hands on the next book soon, but not awfully cliffhangery as to make me pull my hair out, so that's something!

A very intriguing start for a new fantasy series, one that I'll be sure to keep an eye on and plan to get my hands on the sequel as soon as possible! Well deserved 4 stars for this one!



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