Friday Reads: Love in a Time of Monsters by Teresa Yea!!

Hello there guys!

Friday is here and with it another working weekend looming ahead for me. My brain is on overload thinking and worrying about expenses and the apartment and the plans for BEA... and I have been half tempted to just put the blog on hiatus already, but I shall wait till May 1st to start the official hiatus, minus some blog tour posts that I have scheduled.

For this week's Friday Reads I have a wonderful book that has been flying under the radar and I feel deserves to reach more readers because it's a fantasy NA and it is fantastic! It's counted towards my 105 Challenge for my Fantasy books category!

Love in a Time of Monsters by Teresa Yea

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I discovered this book through the amazing artist that did the cover (our dear Jenny from Supernatural Snark) and once I read the summary I knew I had to get it and read it.

And I was right, I loved this one so much! I started reading it at work (night shift) and finished it as soon as I got home and got some sleep. I'd describe this as gothic fantasy with retelling elements, because we get references to novels and characters that know, so maybe it's a gothic fantasy retelling of the events that inspired the classics? Something like that!

I loved the world building and how wonderfuly visual the descriptions for everything was, from the landscapes, to the characters, to the feeling of the places and the monsters.

I loved how well crafted the characters are! None of the characters felt too typical or underdeveloped, because from main to secondary, all have more going on that you see at first. Cat is a survivor, a monster hunter, fragile and strong and an addict. She's broken and so very far from perfect, but I loved her to bits even at her worst moments and I loved how Rob always managed to see the best in her and so make her try to be that best. Same with Liam, even if it took me quiet a while to warm up to him, he's a fantastic character, complex and the perfect mix of antihero and villain. And Rob, well... Rob is of course a very complex character, a reluctant hero if there's ever been one, but with enough strenght and love to make others want be better.

The book takes place in a time of monsters, where sirens drag sailors to their death and get hunted for their scales, where monster hunters are necessary and where the most dangerous of all monsters was brought to Scotland to try and save a life. Mixing POVs and moving from past to current events, this story kept me riveted to the pages, wanting to know more, to see what happened and hoping for as few deaths as possible, but the book really doesn't pull any punches, and I had quite a few weepy moments along the book!

Rob is Robert L Stevenson and some of the events in the book inspired him to write his Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, and this is the part that made me call this book a bit of a retelling.

Before wrapping up this review I must talk about the romance, because there was a love triangle but it was done is such a different way that I just didn't bother me at all, and that's almost a first! Hooray for diversity, and even more diversity in fantasy books! And as a NA book, do consider yourselves warned, there are sexy times ahead, and there's also great humour, fantastic quotes and a lil bit of magic.

All in all a very recommended book to all the lovers of fantasy that will appreciate something fresh and unique and very well crafted! Very well deserve 4 to 4.5 stars!



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Sharing the Cover: The Wondrous & The Wicked by Page Morgan!!!

Well guys, today Page Morgan has officially shared the cover for the third and last book in her Dispossessed series!!

It had been UNofficially floating around the interwebs, but today we can finally oooohhhh and aaaaahhhh at it!

I was super excited when I saw the cover, because all the covers in this series are absolute stunners, but I think this one might just be the most gorgeous of them all!!

Feast your eyes guys!!

The Wondrous & The Wicked by Page Morgan

For fans of Lauren Kate's Fallen series comes the exciting conclusion to the trilogy that includes The Beautiful and the Cursed and The Lovely and the Lost. The Waverly sisters must save themselves before all is lost.

Since the Waverlys arrived in Paris, the streets have grown more fearsome by the day. As Ingrid learns to master her lectrux gift, she must watch Axia's power grow strong enough to extend beyond her Underneath hive. By all indications, the fallen angel's Harvest is near-and the timing couldn't be worse.

Targeted by vengeful gargoyles, Gabby has been exiled to London for her own protection. Meanwhile, the gargoyle castes are in disarray, divided between those who want Luc to lead them and those who resent him and his fondness for humans. The Alliance is crumbling from the inside as well, its members turning against one another, and possibly against the Waverlys, too.

Axia has promised that the world will burn. And now, unable to trust the Alliance, separated from Luc, Gabby, and her twin, Grayson, Ingrid is left to face the demon uprising alone.


And the best news for fans of the trilogy like me? The release date is April 14th 2015!! Not in May or June like the previous two books! Less waiting time FTW!!

Now guys, excuse me while I go check if I already have this one preorder and if I don't, to correct that and preorder right NOW!!

 

Friday Reads: ARC Review of Unwept by Tracy & Laura Hickman!

Hello everyone! Welcome to this Friday that has started a bit too early for my taste for me, since I'm working morning shift today. It's all for a good cause since I'm gonna be going to see one of my besties performing in the evening.

For this week's Friday Reads I'm gonna be catching on my ARCs for review since I've been slacking on them a bit as of late, but I needed a little of pushing the review pile order after book hangovers and the like. As an ARC for review this one counts towards my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge.

Unwept: Book One of The Nightbirds by Tracy Hickman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When I first saw this book on NetGalley I was very much intrigued and decided to request it, and I was quite pleased when I got approved (thank you, Tor Books!).

Upon starting I was quite right hooked by the very eery and creepy beginning and then quite even more with the mystery and unknowns that are all over the story. This book has such a gothic mystery and romance feel to it, with a very compelling atmosphere and full of creepy and disquieting moments.

The narrative was a very mysterious one, no matter how many tiny clues we kept on getting here and there, nothing seemed to make sense cause we seemed to be lacking some foundation of information so none of the pieces would click. The writing was quite beautiful too, so while I kept devouring page after page trying to come upon some more answers, I was also quite enchanted with the words themselves.

As a first book in a series or trilogy, I feel that it sets up the world in a rather interesting way, but I felt like by end of the book I was left with too many questions unanswered and a rather narrow view of the world of the Nightbirds. Also, some of the explanations were a bit on the vague side and that's mostly where the paranormal (so to speak) part of the book came into view. My confusion and lack of more world building is probably what has knocked the rating down for me. Also, even if the explanation seems like a nice twist on well known religious beliefs, it seemed a bit timid? grey?... I dunno, I guess I was expecting a bit more after all the mystery!

The main character Ellis was quite a challenge, not that she was unlikeable but at first as an amnesiac and infirm recovering she seemed to have very little of a will at first, and although she doesn't know who she is or what is going on, she develps a very healthy self preservation sense and even if she sometimes fail to show common sense, by the end of the book she shows that she can stand for herself and ready to fight, and that gave me quite a lot of hope for the coming books.

The other characters are rather mysterious, keeping in tune with the feel of the book, but they just felt a bit cartoonish on occasion, like augmented characterstics but not real feel behind them... might have been intentional given our later discoveries but left me a bit unsatisfied.

I will probably be checking out the next book and despite some of my grips with the book I still give it 3 stars, Ellis seems like a character with progression and the atmosphere and writing were quite fantastic.



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Saturday Pages: The Lovely And The Lost by Page Morgan!!

Happy Saturday everyone! This week I'm starting Saturday Pages with an amazing sequel to a pretty great book that my favourite book pusher made sure I read (THANK YOU ALYSSA!). Not only is an awesome sequel that brings the story to a higher level & broaden the world building but also is one of my reads for the 2014 Book Blogger Summer Reading Program!

The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you are looking for a fantastic series with a great first book and an even more amazing sequel that doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome, you NEED to get your hands in The Dispossesed series! (Thank you again, Alyssa, for making sure I read them!).

The Lovely And The Lost start right after the events that take place in the first book, so you can expect some spoilers for book 1 in this review. Otherwise, I will try to keep my review as spoiler free as possible.

After their battle with Axia, the Waverly siblings are back to their abbey, but their return hasn't brought things back to normal. Gabby has returned with visible marks and a desire to learn to fight and join the Alliance. Ingrid is trying to learn to control her powers after discovering more about them and is trying to deal with her own emotional mess after Luc's declaration at the end of the book. And Grayson is even more confused and unhappy that before, having a very hard time reconciling his two natures.

If things were not complicated enough, two paternal figures are introduced and none of them are nice at all. Both were ignorant, headstrong and in short... awful! We also find out a lot more about the Alliance and more about the others with demon blood. We also find out about new players in the game, ones that even being human don't have anything to envy to Axia's on evil plans to gain power.

The love triangle that was hinted at in book one is more present here, even if Ingrid was always quite sure who her heart belonged to, no matter what was happening. Might be that why this love triangle didn't bother me as much, and I'm NOT a fan of love triangles at all!

The stakes are higher, the conflict gets even more broader and not only you're fighting demons but you no longer know who your allies are, if you even have any allies left. There's a war brewing and even those on your side might be taken away from you.

The atmosphere of the book was fantastically historical and gothic at the same time, and the way the plot moves along had me turning the pages barely fast enough! I love the relationships between the Waverly siblings, even if I wish someone would help Grayson somehow fight better to accept himself and gather some control, instead of just giving himself into self loathing.

This was a fantastic second book and one of the best sequels I've recently read! Very much deserving of 4.5 stars and damn, where does the third book come out then?!?



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Mark This Book Monday: The Beautiful And The Cursed by Page Morgan!!

As the next and last entry on this week's Mark This Book Monday I have a book that was highly recommended by Alyssa from The Eater of Books and that is her 2 of 2 great recommendations to me so far.

It is also finally a book to be counted towards my 2014 TBR Pile challenge, that is one I haven't been doing too well this year! I really need to switch gears a bit and once I have my NG ratio up to 80% focus more on this one!

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Beautiful & the Cursed was a book that I had seen around and felt quite curious about, but thought that it'd be too much romance so I had postponed checking it out. But that changed when I read Alyssa's review for it on her blog, and after that I went and bought it for my Kindle and started reading it right away. And boy am I glad that I did!

This book is historical fiction through and through with a strong gothic romance atmosphere and plenty of fantasy/paranormal elements here and there. As soon as I started reading I knew that I was in love with the writing and the dark and creepy feel of the book as well as with the historical setting.

The book starts with Ingrid arriving in Paris with her mother and her sister to a place that his brother had found for them, where their mother could finally start the art gallery she had wanted to work on for a long time. After an incident that the high society of London won't forget easily and that has ruined Ingrid's good standing there, Paris feels like a fresh start for them. But everything changes right on arrival, when they discover that Grayson is not there to welcome them, or anywhere to be found.

Something I really liked is that none of the ladies in this family are the ones to wait for things to be solved. The mother starts using whatever friends and influence she might have to try and find out what happened and involve the police. And Ingrid and Gabby start trying to find out by visiting bookstores trying to follow Grayson movements leading to his disappearance. And they stumble upon so much more than they could have ever imagined!

Demons walking the Paris streets and snatching girls, gargoyles that protect assigned humans and an organization of humans that fight against the demons and have an agreement of sorts to work with the gargoyles. All of that is more or less dumped on Ingrid and she even has to face a demon or two and finds herself falling for Luc, the gargoyle that is her protector. Gabby gets herself in plenty of trouble cause she's so fierce and headstrong, but she proves that she can hold her own.

The romance is present and it is quite a fantastic kind of romance... even if at first I wasn't entirely sure how it had changed from curiousity and protectiveness to attraction and amazing chemistry, but I quickly forgot about that and was swept away by Ingrid and Luc's forbidden romance! I also really enjoyed Gabby's banter and fiery romance with one of the Alliance members. Each one of the romances were so fitting to how different the sisters are.

The plot was paced slowly but surely, you kept on wanting to turn the pages but never felt like rushing through them because this is one book to be savoured! I loved the writing and the characters and there were hints and pieces of the bigger picture scattered all over the pages. I wasn't really expecting some of the revelations we got by the end of the book, but in the end everything made sense and was open enough to what's to come in the next book(s). I wasn't very happy about what Luc decided to do by the end, even if I could understand his choice... still is painful and horrible and even opens a door to possible love triangle and I don't like it!

A fantastic read for sure, well deserving of 4 to 4.5 stars and now I cannot wait for book 2!



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Mark This Book Monday: ARC Review of Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke!!

This week  I'm starting Mark This Book Monday with an ARC review of a book that I didn't expect to be approved on NetGalley. Thank you so much Faber & Faber for the approval!!

This book is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge, I'm really hoping to catch up on my review copies in a timely manner!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had been wanting to read this book for quite a while but I had heard that the ending was quite a bit of bad cliffhanger that left you wailing for book 2, but once I saw the ARC of it on NetGalley I just had to request it!

I will try my very best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible because this book is best experienced with as little information as possible.

I had some issues with the book at first, despite loving the setting and loving Violet White. The setting of their house, Citizen Kane, and the family history and the atmosphere was simply fantastic. The imaginery and the writing are extreme visual and I loved how easily images would pop in my head.

Violet was a wonderful character, I just loved how quirky she was, and how she didn't care about what others thought about her. She was unhappy cause her parents had left her and her twin brothers to go paint to Europe and her main adult figure of her life, her grandma that everyone called Freddie, died a few years back. I loved how she loved to read and wore her grandma old clothes... Then I was I bit puzzled about the dynamics between the twins, because Luke and Violet have a very odd way to communicate and Luke seemed like such an arse in the way he loved annoying, but that's not strange behaviour for brothers.

Then the moment River West arrives to take up residence on the guest house things change very quickly. Violet takes to River like moth to a flame, and though her rational self raises the head on occasion, most of the time she's just taken up on the quirkiness and how different River is. She seems to be totally taken up and fascinated. It just rubbed me the wrong way. As the book progresses it is sort of explained but still, I was wondering if it was gonna be like that for long, I was not going to like the book.

But then along the 50% mark, things begun to get both more disquieting and more interesting and that kept progressing in crescendo until we reach the height of tension and creepiness in the final pages of the book. There are plenty of revelations and unexpected twists that really compensated the main two issues I had with the book.

Aside from the odd insta romance bit, I was also quite irked about the fact that teenagers with absent parents didn't seem to be no one's business. Might be part of the mind your own business policy of small towns or something, but it just felt off.

I'm really really looking forward to reading the next book because I loved the writing, the atmosphere and how the story totally kept me turning pages like there was no tomorrow. 3.5 to 4 stars.



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Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Lady Moon Designs!!

Hello everyone! *waves* You can consider this the equivalent of a recorded message, cause right now, I'm either killing time at Heathrow's airport, or flying towards Delhi & the bf!


But, I thought that wasn't a reason to abandon the blog, and thanks to Blogger scheduled posts, I'm bringing you yet another edition of Wearing Handmade Wednesday!

Lady Moon Designs Dark Love Shrug

Lady Moon Designs is the perfect shop for you to visit if you want tops, skirts, jackets, corsets with an alternative sense of fashion and a healthy dose of goth! Anna, the very talented designer, seamstress and one-woman-factory behind it, lives in Tasmania (how cool is that?). Her pieces are gorgeous, with the coolest fabrics and great quality! I own many pieces, including some sexy underbust corsets! Now, I have my eye in a Ring Master jacket with that amazing purple skull damask fabric... And, if you need more reasons to visit her shop, she offers Free Worldwide Shipping!