Wishing For Wednesday #20

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE MY LOVELIES!
Before I leave to go and get suitably drunk with friends and do silly countdown type things, I thought I'd hit you with a couple of my most excited for books one of which is something to look forward to in the New Year (yaaaay)and is one of my  most anticipated as I'm crazy about the series! And the other, is one I'm super excited for and intrigued by, but I can't find a definite publish date ANYWHERE! Although, it did say December sometimes so it could quite probably already be out!
Aaaanndd lastly is a sequel to a book I really loved, and I'm so excited for this sequel I really can't contain myself, like I would do terrible (terrible, yes, but great) things for a copy of this book, it's horrendous. But it's going to be SUCH A GOOD BOOK I CAN TELL ALREADY!
Have fun, and be safe whatever you're doing tonight, and see you all in the New Year!
I'm hoping to do some great things on my blog in the New Year and thank you to everyone who's followed me and kept me going with this! I love you aaaalll! xoxoxoxoxo

Marrow

In the Bone there is a house.

In the house there is a girl.

In the girl there is a darkness.

Margo is not like other girls. She lives in a derelict neighborhood called the Bone, in a cursed house, with her cursed mother, who hasn’t spoken to her in over two years. She lives her days feeling invisible. It’s not until she develops a friendship with her wheelchair-bound neighbor, Judah Grant, that things begin to change. When neighborhood girl, seven-year-old Neveah Anthony, goes missing, Judah sets out to help Margo uncover what happened to her.

What Margo finds changes her, and with a new perspective on life, she’s determined to find evil and punish it–targeting rapists and child molesters, one by one.

But hunting evil is dangerous, and Margo risks losing everything, including her own soul.

Marrow is out now/is out *insert date here* grab your copy/pre-order your copy here *insert amazon link when located*
Add it to your GoodReads here. 

Dead Of Winter

Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.

Heartbreaking decisions 
Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, The Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.

Uncertain victory 
Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a frozen and perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on The Lovers and the vast army they command. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them once and for all may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.

Two heroes returned 
There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first?

Dead Of Winter is out January 1st, pre-order your copy here.
Add it to your GoodReads here. 

Golden Son

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones,debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Soncontinues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart,Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

Golden Son is out now! Grab your copy here. 

Add it to your GoodReads here. 

Black Ice

Black Ice
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

So, I'm a massive fan of the Hush Hush series, so when I saw this new book from the author on NetGalley, I had to grab it because I was so excited for more from the author and I was excited to see what direction this was going to go in!

Black Ice really draws you in, straight from the little chapter with the girl being murdered, you instantly want to know who did it, and why, and from that point on, you spend the entire book trying to work out who the killer is, I will admit, at about 75% I had worked out who Mason/Jude was, his relation to the dead girl, and who the killer was, but it was a merry chase. Every male character I'm like "WAS IT YOU?!". Black Ice keeps you guessing the entire way through the book, it keeps you intrigued, and it doesn't make it easy to guess. You also have the little puzzle of why Mason and Shaun are running and who they really are to work out near the beginning as well.

The book was fairly action packed, there was a moment when it slowed down, but for the most part there was action all the way through and plenty going on. I loved the romance, it's understated, subtle, not the whole point of the story. The story is a thriller, with hints of romance, and I loved how Fitzpatrick kept it as a thriller and didn't let the romance over power the story. It was a very believable romance, very natural and slow to develop and happened organically in an unusual situation.

I loved Britt, we spend the book fully in her shoes, feeling what she feels and being totally connected to her. You're right there with Britt trying to work out what to do, when she thinks Jude is the murderer, you think he is too (unless you're me, in which case you have a slight doubt....very slight...okay...not so slight) and I loved that at that point Britt reacted very naturally, like it was a weird situation, but I was so impressed with how she was fully like "He's a murderer and I slept with him" instead of letting the budding romance blind her, even if she was wrong, The same can be said for the actual killer. I thought she was so strong, and she was a real survivor, she wasn't a damsel in distress, she kept on being smart, making plans, and surviving, and it made me totally love her.

I didn't like Korbie at all, if I'm honest, she was kind of a shitty friend to Britt, the girl who's been her BFF and actually kept her alive ya know? She didn't believe Britt about the murderer and nearly got her killed. She wasn't in it much though, so it's all good!

I just can't get over how much of a rollercoaster this book is, I mean I liked Calvin at first and was like "yeah get back to Calvin *insert romantic music here* then obviously, I changed my tune! I thought Mason was a fantastic male lead, even when I thought he was a bad guy he was trying to protect Britt, and he helped Korbie out, not that she appreciated it, and he was willing to protect her and the ending was so sweet. Shaun was also a fantastic villain, he had the whole "I seem charming but check out the bad vibes I'm throwing off that are oozing off the page".

Fitzpatrick is fantastic at creating characters, main and secondary, who jump off the page, come alive, and make you feel all kinds of emotions, whether it's hatred, annoyance, love, or whatever. You always feel a connection to the female lead, and I just love how Fitzpatrick creates these characters that are full of depth and you can't work out what their angle is.

Black Ice is a thriller with  romantic undertones, the plot is complex and very twisty, it'll keep you guessing and it'll take you on a rollercoaster of a ride, the characters will capture your attention and the setting is so vivid it could be used to cool off in Summer! I'm excited to see what Fitzpatrick is going to do next!

Frozen

Frozen
Rating: 2/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Okay, so while parts of this interested me, and I did quite enjoy all the unique little things about it, there where a couple of things that made this a two star job, although don't take it the wrong way, it's only two stars, but there where seriously some parts to it that I thought had merit if they could be worked on ya know?

So. Good things? The mythology/history of the world, it was unique and I love unique things as everybody knows. The first chapter of sorts drew you in, and made you want to keep reading and there where plenty of instances where you wanted to know what happened next, not to mention the rather colourful characters of the crew. I found plenty of chuckles from them, not going to lie.

It's clearly a fairly extensive world, and I am interested in knowing more about it and the Blue. I liked Nat, she was quite cool, quite badass, she wasn't perfect, but then none of us are, I did have a connection with her, but it wasn't a very strong one, and there where times when she kind of annoyed me, but then I forgave her cos of the badassness. The double POV worked fairly well I think, Wes was an interesting character, I quite liked him and want to know more about him and his sister, not to mention his crew!

The bad? (I know you're all confused cos I don't usually set my reviews out like this, but it's gonna be a rambley jumble otherwise!) While I said there where moments that made you want to keep reading, there was also moments where I was quite bored because the pace was fairly slow and it was kind of dragging.

The grammar, and before anyone shouts, yes I know you expect it with an ARC, but this was quite something else. Like the POV change for a couple of sentences. It was a bit shocking to be honest. The grammar makes me look like I'm a grammatical genius when I do my long ass reviews.

Like I said, again, the world  and the history and so on, was quite unique and clearly extensive, and I would like to know more about it, if not out of interest, then to work it out. The world building was....interesting. It was confusing. Really confusing. I admit a majority of the time, while I was enjoying the uniqueness, I had no idea what was going on.

Things where rather contradictory more than once, and I'm giving this three, because I'm hoping that while I was confused at the patchy and then at times overdone world building, a lot of it's going to be ironed out in the second book. I mean there was a flood...then there was a freeze, and I ended up confused and wanting to know more about the history just to work it out. I'm not sure if that's a style of writing or not? I still don't know why the government took over either or why every car has petrol but they have no heat cos they don't have the cash, ya know?

There where elements that, like I said, where very unique, but I don't think the most was made of them. I couldn't really get a complete feel for the world a majority of the time, I only vaguely got the sense it was frozen. I did enjoy the sea though, with the trashbergs and things did rather pick up from that point on, not gonna lie, but it didn't really last long because the interesting plot twist went down like the Titanic.

What's sticking with me is Willie Winkie Patrols. Because they sound utterly silly, but they where never explained, and there where a few other things that weren't explained and where left as a question mark, like why the whole frozen thing happened, and plenty of things made no sense, no water, but the world is frozen....no scientists but loads of technology. See what I mean? Don't get me started on the Bacon Fruit. Just don't.

Despite the fact I did like Wes and Nat and thought they where interesting and kind of badass didn't make up for the times when they where a bit...bland, Nat didn't really garner my interest until nearer the end of the book, and Wes was flitting between being interesting and bland. I was quite interested in their pasts as well, although that could quite probably be the main attraction.

My main problem with the characters, that overrode the good of the characters, was the romance. They're all flirty at the beginning, and it's kind of awkward, but then they get all romancey and the awkwardness continues and it feels quite forced. I didn't really buy their romance.

And did I mention the flirting? Second time they met. Second time. I had no idea why they liked each other and then there was jealousy and dragons and pirates and it was a whirlwind.

A lot of the book I didn't understand, and then right at the end a few things are explained and I'm kind of curious about the second book, and I did like the unique aspects, and the characters where a bit half and half between being interesting and being bland and, the most interesting part to me was the journey on the sea.

But then I didn't get the romance, or most of the characters motivations or a lot of the world building or the plot. It was all a bit jumbled up, like the voice Nat hears, and then the romance suddenly being some epic true love type thing when a second ago they didn't even know each other.

I really can't make my mind up about this book, some parts of the jumble are actually interesting and quite unique, but there's a lot of "huuuuuuuuuh" to it, where it's all like what the hell?!

There Will Be Lies

There Will Be Lies
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

In four hours Shelby will be hit by a car, and from that moment on, everything is going to change, there will be two lies and one truth, and as Shelby and her mother flee the hospital where she's treated, and set out on a journey heading for the Grand Canyon, Shelby knows they're running from something, but she can't help but wonder if her mother's lying to her, and if she is, what about? What's true and what's false?

As they travel further and further, and her mother's behaviour gets odder and odder, the more Shelby questions everything, and has no idea who she can trust. Simultaneously a boy who doesn't really exist, is sucking her in to the Dreaming every time she sleeps, where she's on a strange quest to save a Child from a Crone, but is there more to this quest than meets the eye?

I got some SERIOUS Thelma and Louise vibes from certain parts of this with Shelby and her mother, so I was so glad she mentions it in her narrative! This book is so fantastically different, and having been sent this as kind of a surprise, I had no idea what to expect, but I found myself enjoying every page. The count down going on at intervals, the way the pages are used and the writing to show what she means, I mean there's gaps, blank pages and everything, I'll spoil it if I say what the deal with them is, but it was a little touch that I really liked and made the book stand out!

I loved Shelby's narrative, it was entertaining and engaging, and I love how she referenced books and their character descriptions, then almost reluctantly describes herself, but leaves little details out, so there's a little reveal. The reveal about Shelby being deaf surprised me, because clearly I'm an idiot who couldn't work it out from how speech was written and the clues, but then things clicked in to place and I was like "oh" and it was intense, and unique to read from a hearing impaired characters point of view, Shelby is kind of amazing to be honest!

I was sucked in from the beginning because the first page just makes you want to keep reading, to know what happens next, and the pace and the writing and the mystery keeps you intrigued and keeps you reading. I was trying to work out what was real and what wasn't, like Shelby, and I just was in the exact same place as her, believing the wrong thing and having no clue what was really true.

The great thing about this book is that you're in the same boat as Shelby, you're just blindly going along for the ride with no idea who to believe or who to trust, and you have no idea what's going to happen next, and the truth, was for me, impossible to guess, I had no idea at what it could be, and I was hesitant to guess because I knew I was going to be wrong anyway! It's a book full of surprises and shocks.

I loved all of the Navajo mythology and legend woven in to the book, I was truly fascinated and I'm now in a position where I want to know more, I want to know about other myths and legends as well as the Coyote and so on, so it's going to be off to the library with me to have a look for a book on the subject! I loved the whole concept of the Dreaming, but I loved how it was side by side with the main story, and something would be going on in the Dreaming, and it's all danger and tension and  then.........someone wakes her up and it's back to the present world. It was incredibly well done, and I love how it subtly connected to her life in her world, with the Crone's identity and so on.

There Will Be Lies is beautifully written, and created vivid images in your mind's eye of what places and people would look like. I feel like I've been on the road trip myself and have been to these places, when I've never actually been to the part of the US! There are so many things woven in to it to create a plot that keeps you guessing, keeps you reading and makes you really question everything the character is questioning. And I totally ate the ice cream that came with the proof while I was reading and it was DELICIOUS!

Wishing For Wednesday #19

This week I've only got one book that I'm excited for, sadly, it's been hard to find any this month, not going to lie!
So this weeks solitary pick is one that I found when I was checking out GoodReads for December releases for this list, really, I wasn't too sure at first glance, but once I read over the synopsis I was drawn to the book, we all know how much I love unique books, and this one certainly makes the cut!
Not to mention it well and truly fits with the season, don't you think? Perfect winter read!

Winter Falls

Alessia Jacobs is a typical sixteen-year-old, dying to get out of her small town of Twin Willows, Maine. Things look up when a new family comes to town, but when she falls for the hot, mysterious son, Jonah, her life turns upside down.

Weird visions of transforming into an otherworldly falcon are just the beginning. Soon she learns she’s part of the Benandanti, an ancient cult of warriors with the unique power to separate their souls from their bodies and take on the forms of magnificent animals.

Alessia never would’ve suspected it, but her boring town is the site of an epic struggle between the Benandanti and the Malandanti to control powerful magic in the surrounding forest.

As Alessia is drawn into the Benandanti’s mission, her relationship with Jonah intensifies. When her two worlds collide, Alessia’s forced to weigh choices a sixteen-year-old should never have to make. 

Winter Falls is out December 22nd, pre-order your copy here.
Add it to your GoodReads here. 

The Oversight

The Oversight
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

The Oversight is a secret society, one that polices the supranaturals in our world, and monitors the line between the mundane and the magical. Once, it had hundreds of members. But during a battle with the French, the entirety of the Oversight who went to help....disappeared, never to be seen or  heard from again, but no-ones entirely sure if they're dead or not. Now all that's left is 5 members, enough to make the final hand and keep things in order, but not enough to do battle with the enemy that is revealing itself. As soon as the hand is down to four.....chaos will reign in London. Great Fire of London? Caused by the Oversight failing.

One night, a dodgy bloke brings a girl to the Oversights London Safe House, a girl that screams whenever she touches walls and other surfaces. Sara recognizes the girl as being just like her, a Glint, seeing glimpses of the past when touching certain surfaces, she thinks the girl will be their new recruit, their salvation, and the beginning of them building their ranks back up. But she's a trap.

There are those who want entrance to the house and all it's magical contents, including a device that can mark out the supranatural from the regular and would have tragic consequences if in the wrong hands. Witch Hunt type consequences. And they will stop at nothing to get what they want and bring down the Oversight.

The Oversight is threatened. The borders between worlds are breaking down. One member vanishes in to the mirrors after Lucy (the girl), to retrieve her and someones severed hand. The Oversight are being torn apart, murders are raging across the city, and the culprit isn't entirely human. The enemy is closing in for the final blow, but can The Oversight prevail?

Remember....when they fall....so do we.

Oh my God, as if I don't have enough favourite book series, Fletcher smacks me with another one! I LOVED this book, seriously loved it and it's genuinely joined the ranks of my favourite series, I'm so excited for the next book it's not even funny.

This book is mindblowingly unique, your imagination is going to get one hell of a workout. The world Fletcher has created is one that is so colourful and vivid that it pulls you in to it's very heart and the atmosphere soaks in to you as you read. The world building is astounding, it's London, but a London with a dark underside of Supranaturals and other various creatures. The world is described to you in detail, but not too much detail so that it's dragging down the pace. It's truly a magical world and a magical read.

This incredible world is inhabited by a cast of unique, intriguing individuals, each as colourful as the world they inhabit, each different from the other, and they will jump off the page at you. They're all well written, secondary characters can stand alone, and each has a different backstory, each as intriguing as the last. It's clear there's more to some characters than meets the eye, it's also clear some of the Oversight members have other dimensions and have backstories that you're itching to find out more about.

There's development in characters relationships as well as themselves. Mr. Sharp and Sara's relationship develops, even though Sharp isn't there for a majority of the book. Lucy infuriated me at first, with how she treated Sara and her actions and just ugh, but she developed and when you see her at the end, she does the right thing, returns Sara's hand, and takes her place in the Oversight. The characters grow and change throughout the story, and also by what new bits of information you're fed about them.

The Oversight has a fantastic fast pace, and flow. The plot is complex, intriguing, entertaining and engaging throughout, from the start until the end. There's different threads woven in, there's different POV's that always change at the right moment, and add to the story and the pace, each either pertains to the story, or appears to be another story that eventually winds its way back to the main story, and it's all woven in to a compelling plot. The narrative is truly engaging and entertaining. The Oversight is never boring, there's always something going on, and it's near on impossible to put down.

In The Oversight you never know what's going to happen next, there's so many twists and turns I honestly couldn't predict them. I mean in the boat scene, I was convinced they where done for, but nope. You think one things going to happen, you're convinced of it and then the opposite happens and you're constantly surprised. Characters that initially seem shady, then prove to be quite the opposite, and have surprises of their own and surprise connections.

I loved all the little ominous moments, like when you see Georgiana for the last time in the book and the narrative is all "she'll be led down a path and get her revenge on Charlie and Lucy" and you're like oooohhh. It's touches like that, that perfectly and subtly set up the next book, and the rest of the series, little hints of what's to come. If those don't add enough intrigue there's the whole mystery surrounding the members of The Oversight who vanished in to the mirrors never to be seen again. Where they betrayed? Are they dead? Where are they? That's a mystery I'm itching to solve, but I haven't quite worked out what happened, and I haven't worked out a theory yet. I'm hoping it'll be solved over the course of the books and I'm excited to solve it, even though I have a feeling it's going to be eked out. Although, I'm wondering if it has anything to do with Dee.....

Not only is The Oversight full of the unique, there's also plenty of rich history/lore/background to the world of the book and the world of The Oversight, we find out so much, but there's plenty more I want to know. I loved how we find out about The Oversight without info dumps, we get the information we need to know, when we need to know it to understand the story, and what we know gets added to over the course of the book.

While our cast of main characters are unique and original, we also have a wide cast of unique baddies, who are truly baddies. Each is different, some are magical, some are not, we find out a lot about each, but again, there's the space where we need to know more, and there's more to be found out over the next few books. When I say they're truly baddies, I mean they're the best kind of baddie, I don't want to give too much away, but they have the devious plans and the minions and the manipulation and they're truly a worthy adversary for our band of heroes. The magical ones are disgustingly bad and grubby and magical and just brilliant.

The narrative is delightfully broken up with these little intervals where we visit a character, who is revealed to be more than she first appears, and who has provided one more push of intrigue to pull you in to the series so you can't get out of it! I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her, and I'm excited to know who she is, what she is and what she's going to bring to the story. There's also little extracts written by a relation of Sara's I'm assuming her grandfather! Like I said, the next book is perfectly set up, it's the perfect ending, a resolution of sorts, with some threads left open, and new adventures started and some questions, but it doesn't have an evil cliffhanger that's going to make the wait more painful than usual!

This is exactly the kind of book I love, the historical, the magical, the mystery, it's just so yaaaaaasss!
It really reminded me of an adult version of The Mortal Instruments, without the demons obviously, and with the Supranaturals instead, and without the romance, there is a romance of sorts in The Oversight but it's not overbearing nor is it the main focus of the book, it's subtle.

The Oversight is a perfect blend of genres, with colourful characters in a colourful world, full of magic, truly bad baddies, mystery, and a complex plot that doesn't require notes to keep up with! There's plenty of rich information found out and left to be found out and a mystery that could be hovering around the story until the very end. I truly loved this book, I'm truly excited for the next book, to see what happens to our characters next, and I'm excited to find out more about the world that has been created, particularly the mirrors thing and the creepy Mr. Dee....so much YEEESS!

Whisper The Dead

Whisper The Dead
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY
Source: Copy courtesy of the Author/Publisher
Check out my review of the previous book A Breath Of Frost.....here.

Cousins Gretchen, Penelope and Emma, since finding out they're witches, are now dealing with trying to master their powers, a feat that is proving...painful for Gretchen. Her power manifests as hundreds of voices talking at once and there's some rather unpleasant side effects of straining herself using it. Such is the burden of being a Whisperer. The incessant buzzing of the voices lets her know when any witches spell has gone wrong.

Since the events at the end of Breath Of Frost, the girls have each been assigned a Keeper to keep an eye on them (hardeharhar), Emma gets the joys of Virgil, Penelope gets the decent Ian and Gretchen....she gets Tobias who's face would probably crack in half if he smiled. Although when things take a turn for the menacing and very creepy, he's quite handy to have around, even if he isn't what he seems. You see, bodies have been dug up, warlock magic is being worked, and Sophie....she's escaped. Not to mention Emma is on a quest to release Ewan from the Underworld, a quest that goes downhill when Virgil takes her measure, and well.....it's too spoilery to continue. But there's mayhem shall we say.

Gretchen must master her power to help fight against the evil menacing Mayfair, as well as the help of Penelope, Emma, everyone's favourite Madcap Moira, her little gargoyle Pip, and the ever icy and always irresistible Tobias Lawless. No-one is who they seem, someone has changed allegiances, things get tragic and the Greymalkin Sisters will rise again....or will they?

No. So much no. No. No. No. I finished this at like 4am, okay and I'm typing this at nearly 6pm. It still hasn't sunk in. Tragic? TRAGIC?! Absolutely heartbreaking and UGH. No. I can't even. How could you Alyxandra?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US!? *ugly sobbing*

This installment is....well....it's a lot more emotional, obviously, than the first, and the stakes are definitely raised. Virgil, it has to be said, is a total dick, I knew it in the first book, but in this one I mean....can someone just.....I don't know...get rid of him? Somehow? Because seriously. SUCH a douche. So much hate for him. So much. I also had a lot of negative feelings towards the Order in this book, they where more present than in the previous book, you saw more of them, and what you did see just made  you wonder why the witches don't just rise up and take them out, because if I was treated like how the Order treats them....I would be like raaargghhh *hits with magic* etc. They caused some rage, but injustice always makes me grrrrr.

Although from an actor-y, I Have To Find The POV Of Every Character, you can see why people go against them and to be honest, the fine line the girls walk between obeying them and still helping them even though they treat them like crap after saving them, and just.....letting them get wiped out by Sophie to be honest. Or going full Warlock and getting rid of them themselves.

The only good thing about the douchey Order being all kidnappery and just ugh, is that Aunt Bethany went totally badass. I mean....seriously, I love her even more because she just took none of their shit, and I so loved seeing more of her character and a slightly deeper glimpse of her. More please! Not to mention Theodora being all "WHERE THE HELL IS MY DAUGHTER". So badass. I'm waiting for Gretchen's mum to finally snap and join in.

Emma and Cormac are still my favourite, the bit at the end! THE QUESTION HE ASKED! I can't even. So much cute and all the warm and fuzzies. I had the same thing with Drake Chronicles, Lucy and Nick are still my favourite, the other couples are cute, but the first couple is usually the one I like best. I just love Cormac being all....Cormac haha. I'm feeling like Emma is walking a very fine line between Warlock magic at this stage, but I'm not entirely sure? I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen to her and her father when she brings him back, because the Order won't be happy, I'm also excited to see the Cormac and Emma thing play out in Society....it's going to be interesting. And don't worry Emma fans, while the majority of the book is from Gretchen's hilarious POV, with a few POV's from Tobias, we also get lots of Emma as well as Penelope and Moira! Emma is just as feisty as ever, it has to be said! I loved Gretchen and her disdain for the rules of Society, I mean, if I was her, I'd be acting like her too! She wants to fight and defend herself and I loved that about her so much in this installment!

I really, really am liking Daphne. I hated her in the first book, but this time round....you see more of the girl under the bitchy exterior and you see she's a lot more....vulnerable? Fragile? Than she leads you to believe with her hard facade. I really liked seeing the real Daphne, as it where, and I liked her being a total magical badass, and helping even though she was told no and wanting to fight as well, and man I loved her and Gretchen getting on! I need to see loooaaddss more of it in the next installment and I'm hoping Daphne is gonna team up with Gretchen to save everyone's asses!

Guess who's back....back again.....shady's back.....tell a friend......
Oh yes. Remember psycho Sophie? She's back. She's as shady as ever, and she's still crazy. She's also got a friend. It turns out her plan goes a lot deeper than we originally thought from the previous book, like I was totally unsuspecting. In this book, I pretty much didn't know what some things meant, or realize they where clues, or even realized what was happening...until the big thing happened and I was like...OH. And all the pieces fit together, not just with Sophie and her evil master plan, but with Virgil and his cord.

I really thought I knew the direction this series was going in, you know, a book for each cousin with their love story and some mystery, danger and magic, with all of it being wrapped up at the end but still leaving you wanting more; But I did not see this horrendous cliffhanger coming, like how am I supposed to function in the wait for the next book. I mean.....shit got real. Really real. Things have been set up for the next book, and it's all high stakes and immense danger. So I need the next book NOW. This book is definitely filed under the books that make you scream and want to throw it, or ya know....flat out throw it, right before you pick it back up and re-read it!

I mean...after Drake Chronicles, I shouldn't have let myself be lulled in to a false sense of security, I should have been on guard but NOPE!

Whisper The Dead is a fantastic sequel to a unique and truly enchanting series. Fast paced, full of action, humour, magic, mystery, twists and turns in a complex plot that you will not see coming, things are being set up all the time with subtle clues, and even if you pick up on them....you don't realize what they mean until it's right in front of your face! The board has been set for another explosive installment, and said complex plot has ratcheted up the tension, danger, stakes and general seriousness despite the moments of laugh out loud humour. The characters we love so much each get their own say, as we see different points of view, each change in POV perfectly timed, and in this installment we get a better understanding of Gretchen as she meets her perfect match.

The vivid world of The Lovegrove Legacy will suck you back in and you'll happily spend hours lost in the web of a plot where nothing is what it seems. The rules of Society and the rules of the Order are about to blown apart and things are going to change. This is one of my favourite series, and I cannot tell you properly how unique, and generally awesome this series, and this installment is. I mean....I've never read anything like it and I'm so excited to see how things are going to grow and change in the next installment to expand on what happened in this one!

The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy!
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Irene is a Librarian. But not just any Librarian, she's a spy or secret agent of sorts for the mysterious Library, she retrieves certain books, books that are unique to that particular reality and thus need to be preserved, then takes them back to the Library to keep them safe and gathers knowledge. You see, there are many different realities, all varying in whether they're magic dominant, or have no magic and so on, the Library itself is out of time and reality, and each reality is vastly different from the others, and each has vastly different literature, or books that are the same as other realities but slightly different.

After returning from a mission to retrieve a book about necromancy from an all boys boarding school, Irene is looking forward to having some spare time to do her own research, but as soon as she returns her superior sends her an assistant, and packs her off on a mission that's highly secret, and is in one of the most dangerous realities.....a chaos infected reality, meaning that the laws of nature are bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to roam free. Irene and Kai have been sent to retrieve a very different copy of Grimm's Tales, one that has a rather....Library specific extra story. Except....they're not the only ones after this book.

It's already been stolen by an infamous cat burglar, then there's the Fae who's after the book for unknown reasons, a secret society who send their mechanical creatures after them, and then there's the one Librarian who turned traitor to the Library....often thought of as a legend in the library, he's very real and very dangerous and he cannot, under any circumstances get the book. Soon she's up to her eyebrows in danger, clues and secrets. One secret is being hidden from her by her own assistant. He is not what he seems, but she has far bigger things to worry about. The supernatural are everywhere, people aren't who they seem, another agent of the Library is trying to steal her mission, can Irene and Kai, with the help of a Great Detective, complete their mission?

Holy WOW, this is quite possibly my favourite new book of the year! Seriously, it's kicking off an an amazingly unique series, and I just well and truly loved it! So you'd better buckle up, because this is going to be rambling and gushing and hopefully as spoiler free as possible!

So being the lover of books I am, there was no way I wasn't going to read The Invisible Library, and I was  lucky enough to be sent a proof copy of the book to read, and I got stuck in as fast as possible, I bumped it up my TBR pile and now my life is bereft because I was so sad and reluctant to leave the world, and I just really want to be a Librarian of the Library because it's so awesome!

"You can expect to find vampires. Werewolves. Fictional creations that go bump in the night. You might also find their technology working in unexpected ways."

That's the book. That.Is.The.Book. In the book. That's a legit quote from the book, that describes the book pretty accurately, just without the Zeppelins, Fae, mechanical creatures, and various other incredibly cool tidbits. I'm loathe to describe this as steampunk, I mean there where the mechanical creatures, but they had the regular kind of carriages, so I'm not sure if it can be classed as steampunk or not?

This book was simply fantastic, it's so incredibly unique and the world building was amazing. You can picture the Library so vividly as well as the alternate the book is set in, there was the right amount of detail to create the atmosphere to both places, as well as transporting you straight to the world, and as I said, I was loathe to leave it, it was such a fantastically created and written world, and so unlike anything I have read before, I enjoyed being totally immersed in the world.

The characters are well written with lots of depth and dimensions, I couldn't guess who Kai really was, but I knew there was more to him than met the eye, and I strongly suspect there is more to her as well, particularly her mother shall we say? I also have a strong suspicion of who her mother really is and yeah. I have a huge theory thanks to the reveal at the end and I'm probably wrong but still! But yes, all of the characters jump off the page and come to life, each is full of depth, each is colourful and different to the others, from Bradamant, to Vale to Silver, both villains and the good guys.

I loved Irene, she was easy to connect with and had an amusing and engaging narrative, she was easy to feel for, especially when there's obvious bits where it's a possibility that there is more to the Library than she has been told or lead to believe, something perhaps sinister, and she just doesn't want to believe it. I loved the little bit about how she loves great literary detectives like Sherlock Holmes, and her reaction to getting to work with one! It was a nice little touch because I'm sure most readers have something similar, like they'd love to meet a certain character or a person similar to the character, you know? She was fantastic. She was badass, but not the fighting/kicking ass kind the kind that's intelligent and comes up with these plans to save everyone. I'm excited to see more of her, and more of the world of the alternate and see what happens with her and Kai, not to mention seeing what trouble she can get in to with Vale because I'm sure Silver will cause problems.

The entire premise of the book is unique, the Library being out of space and time, the alternates, the chaos contaminated business, not to mention the Language that the Librarians use, that works a kind of magic, shall we say. This book is full of all things unique and is unlike anything you will ever read. It kind of reminds me of that episode of Doctor Who with the Library in space, or of a Doctor Who episode in general! I'm not even sure what genre to put this in!? Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Steampunk (sort of)? Everyone knows I love unique books and I seriously can't get over this one, I loved every minute of it, I was enchanted the whole way through, and had this feeling that's kind of hard to describe, I mean, every time there was something utterly fantastical and unique I had a huge idiotic grin on my face, and was all "oh my god COOOOLL!"

The plot was complex, there where multiple factions after the book, so you where trying to work out what was so special about it, as well as working out why the other factions wanted it, there where threads woven in from everywhere, there's clearly some sort of political thing going on with the elder Librarians, maybe some of them are dodgy, then there's the whole thing with the traitor Librarian and what he is and what was revealed about him and my theory for it and there was soooo much going on, and so much crammed in to the book that there was seriously never nothing going on, and it was all written in with the right threads to intrigue you, but set up the next book, and leave with you questions that you're eager to have answered. It was also very easy to read, the pace and flow had you rocketing through it, and the language was easy to understand and like I said, there was no excess of information bogging down the narrative.

The Invisible Library is literally all go from the beginning when she's on a mission, you learn about the Library as we go through it and she returns, and from then on the book is packed with action and mayhem. There's never a dull moment and there's plenty of humour in the book that'll have you snorting if not outright laughing, the book has humour, action, adventure, supernatural creatures, machine creatures, a kind of quest like vibe, at least in my opinion, and a luscious backdrop with the alternate, I mean there's a nice little romp through the museum! It's impossible to put down, and you'll be sad to leave the world and characters behind, while burning with theories and the need to know what's going to happen next! It's certainly going to be interesting to find out and see where this goes next, and I'm fairly certain this will be going on my Favourite Series list!

Utterly fantastic, I honestly can't find words to gush about this book enough, seriously, just read it. It's brilliantly done and unlike anything you have ever read before!

Wishing For Wednesday #18

This week on my most excited for list type thing, I have another two I think you guys will love!
So, I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, and so you can imagine my excitement for his version of Hansel and Gretel! I'm well aware a load of you guys love his work too, so feast your eyes!
Next up is a nice little gem I stumbled across, to be honest, I pretty much have one that I've stumbled across each week, I don't know why I bother pointing it out! Anyways, I stumbled across it and when I saw the "Game of Thrones meets Grimms fairy tales" I knew I couldn't resist, to be honest that sold it to me pretty much straight away, let alone the rest of the synopsis!

Hansel And Gretel

The enduring story of the children, the breadcrumb trail and the gingerbread house is brought to life by master storyteller, Neil Gaiman. Who better to retell the Brothers Grimm's greatest, and perhaps darkest, fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel? Coupled with breathtakingly haunting illustrations from Lorenzo Mattotti, you will be enticed into the world and into the woods . . . so beware.

Hansel And Gretel is out December 11th, pre-order your copy here. 

Add it to your GoodReads here. 

Princess Of Thorns

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

Princess Of Thorns is out now! Buy your copy here. 

Add it to your GoodReads here. 

A Week In Paris

A Week In Paris
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

1961: Born on the day that WW2 broke out, 21-year-old Fay Knox cannot remember her early childhood in London, before she moved to a Norfolk village with her mother, Kitty. Though she has seen a photograph of her father, she does not recall him either. He died, she was told, in an air raid, and their house destroyed along with all their possessions. Why then, on a visit to Paris on tour with her orchestra, does a strange series of events suggest that she spent the war there instead? There is only one clue to follow, an address on the luggage label of an old canvas satchel. But will the truth hurt or heal?

1937: Eugene Knox, a young American doctor, catches sight of 19-year-old Kitty Travers on the day she arrives in Paris, and cannot get her out of his mind. She has come to study the piano at the famed Conservatoire, and lodges at a convent near Notre Dame. Eugene and Kitty will fall in love, marry and have a daughter, but France's humiliating defeat by Germany is not far behind, and the little family must suffer life under Nazi occupation. Some Parisians keep their heads down and survive, others collaborate with the enemy while others resist. The different actions of Eugene, Kitty and their friends will have devastating consequences that echo down the generations.

So, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it's safe to say this gave me so much more than what I was expecting, I was expecting solid romance all the way through and I don't know what else, while there is romance, it's not the main part of the story, although it has to be noted, I thought both where kind of similar. 

We switch from time to time, as the story of Fay's mother Kitty is told, and the time hops where perfectly placed and very well done, as a secondary character is telling the story, she will lead in to it and then boom, it's Kitty's pov in her time with what's happening. I must say, it was very well depicted, I've not had the fortune of going to Paris yet, but I feel like I've been there, admittedly to an out of date Paris, but still. I also didn't know all that much about France in WW2, I learned mostly about England and Germany, so I was fascinated to see what kind of things went on in France, with the persecution of the Jews stretching to there and so on. There was such a lot of historical information, and it was all relayed perfectly, capturing your interest but not bogging down the narrative. 

Admittedly, I started reading this and was intrigued, but felt like it hit a bit of a slow patch, to be honest I kind of felt like all of Fay's  pov was a bit slow for me, it didn't capture my attention much as Kitty's parts of the story. Kitt's narrative was fast paced, and just totally fascinated me and gripped my attention and I couldn't stop reading, Fay's pov was a bit meh for me, but that could be because I didn't like Fay that much. 

Out of the two lead females, I much preferred Kitty, she was fairly realistic to me, and she sprung to life in my minds eye, all her reactions where ones that I feel any person would have, and I felt quite a connection to her. Fay however, I did not like at all, she doesn't really take her mothers feelings in to consideration, and it really annoyed me how she'd keep whining on about her mother and how angry she was with her and this and that, and delving in to everything and thinking badly of her mother, because to be honest, if you'd been Kitty, you wouldn't bloody well want to talk about it either would you? Especially to the child who caused your husbands death! It wasn't her fault, she was only a child, although it is a scene I'm fairly sure I've read or seen somewhere before, but still, she can't seem to grasp how her mother would feel about everything that had happened and what talking about it would have been like. 

So yeah, I didn't like Fay at all, so I couldn't really connect with her, to be honest I skim read all of her parts, I would have skipped them entirely, but I was intrigued by the conflict going on at the time, as I wasn't aware of much of it. 

I don't really have much to say about Fay and her parts of the story, but Kitty's parts? You could feel the tension and the uncertainty and the fear from the streets of occupied and pre-occupied Paris oozing off the page. I could picture all of those parts as if I was watching a movie in my head. I had not read from this view point before so like I said, I was fascinated. While there was a lot of danger about, creating the atmosphere I previously mentioned, it was also full of little moments that warm the heart, when you see certain certain characters/people willing to risk their lives to help others, Jews, English citizens, Americans, English soldiers brought to the hospital and needing to escape before the Germans get them and so on. It shows how not all of humanity where bad at that time period, and bravery wasn't just on the battlefield.

The plot was complex, there was a lot going on, I felt like it was kind of unnecessary at some points because in all fairness, she could have just asked her mother, at that point she was willing to tell her. And when it got to the big reveal, what I'm assuming is the big secret, I was kind of disappointed, I was a bit "oh is that it", don't get me wrong, it was serious, but I guess I was expecting something else, or something even huger, to harbour feelings like Kitty does. Although I did actually guess what had actually happened to her father, Fay's part in it was a surprise but I was a bit "hmmmm I have deja'd this vou". 

I also kind of felt like the whole train and orphanage thing was unnecessary, like oh another bad thing that happened that strings the plot out and provides Kitty with a reason to dislike Natalie. I should also note I think character development was sacrificed for other things in the book. I would have quite liked to see more of Serge as well, as his was an interesting story. 

So, this is a bit mixed for me, it was a nice surprise because there was more to it than I thought and had assumed, but Kitty was the character of the two that engaged me and kept me reading, Fay's sections for me where skim read to get to the next exciting thing that's going on in Kitty's life. So this book has its good and its bad basically, but I still think it's worth a read, because the history is fascinating.

The Balloonist

The Balloonist
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

Lieutenant William Fraser, of the Royal Flying Corps, has had one hell of a journey. Starting in Germany pre-war, he ends up hanging out with an American reporter, fleeing, and joining the Belgians and fighting with his new best friend Claude, he meets and becomes close to the King and Queen of Belgium, after a particularly bad attack by the Germans, and losing Claude, Willy ends up four thousand feet above the Western Front....in a balloon. Going under the name of his dead friend, he's on a mission to reach Claude's wife to give him his last letter to her. Willy is now a balloon observer, hanging under a gasbag full of extremely explosive hydrogen, which is anchored thousands of feet above the Ypres Salient. Trailed by said American journalist, who's determined to find out his whole story, Willy is settling into a role where he gets to help direct batteries. That is, until his line is accidentally hit, and cut, and he drifts across enemy lines to crash on a Belgian farm. He's nursed by them and sheltered, and it turns out the farmers daughter is the woman he's been looking for, they help him, and a German deserter to escape across the flooded delta, where he has a close call with a firing squad, but eventually ends up back to his duties. It's there, back up in the air, that he will have to make a horrendously difficult decision, one that could threaten the life of the woman he has come to love.

Well, this book has a totally unique angle on the war! The Balloonist is so incredibly well researched and utterly fascinating. I couldn't stop reading, I wanted to know more about this side of the war I haven't seen, I was so caught up in the world, and the characters and what was happening I  honestly couldn't put the book down! It was incredibly different to what I was expecting, I mean, I don't know why, but I was expecting this to be aaaalll about the romance with a smidge of history but I was totally wrong.

Obviously the book has a lot of action, so there's always something going on, something grabbing your attention and sucking you in, I learned so much from this book as well as being thoroughly fascinated and entertained. I incredibly shamefully had never heard or known about the Balloonists before I read this book, and they really should be talked about more! They where so incredibly important, and so good at their job, and incredibly daring, you know, they take such huge risks, it was an incredibly dangerous job, but they did it anyway and must have had so much courage and bravery to do it, you wouldn't catch me in one of those in any circumstance, let alone when I'm being shot at while a war rages on! Utterly fascinating how they did it, and how it all worked. anyway this goes from pre-war through to the midst of war, and there's tonnes of different scenarios and historic events before the ballooning starts, I don't want to give too much away, so that's all I'll say!

This is quite an emotional read, I mean obviously it would be, but like I found myself rolling on emotional waves between happy, even chuckling at a few moments, and then being so profoundly sad from what I'd read, and thinking about the situation more. It's a true rollercoaster of a book, you go from dangerous situation, to even more dangerous situation. You can feel the danger and tension oozing off the page.

I enjoyed the Churchill cameo, I think it painted him as not quite the hero everyone thinks he is, if that really did he happen and he caused that to  happen, granted it was before the war, but everyone paints him as a hero and never really mentions his life before, or if they have, I haven't read about it! The focus was very much on the Belgians for the majority of the book, the British where kind of douches to Willy, except for the Balloonist group! What fascinated me, is that we get a real look at the Belgians and what they where doing to try and stop from being invaded, and their tactics, for a nice chunk of the book, I've only really read about the British point of view. I actually quite liked the King and Queen of Belgium!

The Balloonist has kind of an awesome ending, it really left you wondering about the romance, if they ever eventually ended up together, probably quite like wives and girlfriends where left wondering about their own romances, it was quite a nice touch! I loved making up a little ending of my own! You want to know what happens next, want to know what daring feat Willy attempts next, but you also have fun making up your own ending. Although if there is a sequel, I won't be complaining!

The  Balloonist was incredibly vivid, the world well and truly comes to life around you and sucks you in, not to mention how atmospheric the book is, you can feel every emotion oozing off the page, feel the danger, the uncertainty, the heartbreak, the horror and so on. The Balloonist captivates you and your attention isn't allowed to wander, the book keeps all your focus on the story. The Balloonist is realistic and believable, obviously it's historical and based on real events, but sometimes authors take liberties and things get stretched, not the case in this, everything was organic and natural and well...real.

The characters where all so colourful, I loved all of them! Willy was such a badass, I mean, he was determined to fight and help no matter what other people did to him, kicking him down the ranks, making him change his name and so on, he did the most daring things, and he was such a deep character, so well written and kind of larger than life to me. Claude. Why, whyyyy! I loved him, I really did, he was so funny, with the trumpeting and the scene at the fortress, I can't even. I loved him, he was the most colourful character there, and I loved his friendship with Willy and I was so gutted. You could really see the bond of comrades develop and what it meant to each.

Otto was another of my favourite characters, he was also a total eyeopener as well, because he was a half British, German soldier, who deserted from the German army because he never actually wanted to fight for the Germans, and it was eye opening because there probably where soldiers like Otto, fighting when they didn't want to, or fighting for what they felt was the wrong side. It was also eye opening to see what Otto was told, he and the  other soldiers where basically fed lies and told they where going to one place to do one thing and ending up in Belgium.

The romance should be mentioned, the lovely lady was kind of awesome. I liked her. The romance developed very naturally and subtly, and was very organic and realistic. I enjoyed how the romance was subtle, and a note underneath everything else going on. I had originally thought this was going to be all about the romance, and I was reading, and so captivated and astounded by this book and the events, and it kept going and there was no woman, and then when it eventually rolled around I was like "omg it's going to take over now" but it didn't. It was there, but it wasn't in your face, you'd quite possibly have to squint to see it! The book's synopsis leads you to believe it's all about this Balloonists and the other Balloonists and this romance across a war kind of thing, that's why I wrote my own synopsis with what I feel is a better representation of the book because so much happens!

The Balloonist is most definitely a must read, it's truly astounding. So well written, with a fantastic, engaging plot that keeps you guessing, and shows all of the pitfalls of war, as well as the heroes fighting to win. It's a truly incredible read, and everything is so believable and well researched, and well written, and the characters jump off the page and the setting is vivid, and atmospheric and sucks you in, and you want to know so much more than the incredibly amount you learn! I mean, I want to know even more about the Balloonists!

Aaaaaaaaaaand that's enough rambling from me! But seriously, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! Whether you like historical or not, or just have a passing interest in history or the war, these guys deserve some recognition to be honest!

Wishing For Wednesday #17

This week I'm most looking forward to these two little gems!
I don't even think  it's a secret anymore that I'm a HUGE fan of Jennifer L Armentrout, and so obviously I can't miss out on her new book! Sooo it makes my most looked forward to list, no surprise there! You gotta admit though...it sounds reaaaalllyy good!
Second I have a little one that I stumbled across, I appear to be quite good at stumbling across gems!
So anyways, I stumbled across it, it piqued my interest because it sounds like the kind of thing I would love, but I'll let you judge that for yourself!

Wicked

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

Wicked is out December 8th, pre-order your copy here.
Add it to your GoodReads here.

Suspicion

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Suspicion is out December 9th, pre-order your copy here. 
Add it to your GoodReads here. 

The Ghosts Of Heaven

The Ghosts Of Heaven
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher.

Spirals are everywhere, it's existed since time began, and it can be seen everywhere. It's there in Australia when a girl walks through a forest, it should have been there when she made her mark on the cave wall. It's there in England, carved in to the ground, it can be seen in the waters Anna is dunked in when she's accused of witchcraft, and it's on the toy her younger brother plays with, a brother who saves her. It's there in the US, a source of fear for a mad poet, taunting him in the form of a staircase. And it's present in the future, on a space craft speeding through...well..space. They are all connected by a spiral.

Woooooww, okay, I see why everyone is raving about this book! It's so incredibly unique and different and I still can't quite wrap my head around it! I tried to do my own synopsis without giving too much away, you can be the judge of if I succeeded! I read the book in the order the author suggested, and each quarter was different from the last. One was numbered after a sequence, one was in poem form, one was diary entries and one was regular chapters, and I've never read a book that was done in so many different ways. And we all know I love unique things which is why this has me squealing!

Each quarter is around 100 pages or so long, but each gives you a feel for the time, the setting and the character. You feel for the character and get a connection to them. I mean the first quarter was written in kind of a poem style, and I still felt a connection to the character, despite not knowing too much about her! Each quarter has such a vivid setting, a world is created in each quarter that sucks you in and each is different to the others, obviously.

I was particularly impressed with the first quarter, because it was short chapters, set out like a poem, with lines, which sounds stupid when I'm describing but you'll see what I mean when you read it! I was so impressed because there wasn't as much of a word count as the other quarters, with just a few words I could so easily picture the caves and the paintings, the people, the way of life, and you get a lot of information about the culture of the time. I'm not entirely sure about the exact time, but it was set in Australia (I think). But yeah, I was fascinated by the tale, and wanted to know what happens next but it leaves you hanging! She totally thought of the idea of writing like on a bit of a paper and leaving messages and stuff, and of course the spiral was present throughout.

So it was a total jolt when you move to England circa the witch trials and the prat in the carriage. This quarter well and truly got my emotions working, it really riled me up. I always get so riled reading stories about the witch trials and this was no exception, I get so angry that poor innocent girls pretty much got murdered because other village members where jealous, or a bloke got rejected. Ugh. I just can't get my head around the fact that people could live with themselves doing that. This one had a more heartbreaking ending for  me to be honest, and it really left me with emotions running high. Again spirals everywhere. Lots of jealousy and betrayal and so on.

The third quarter was in the US, I want to say 1930's but I think I'm wrong, but it was before there was too much known about mental illness I think, SO ANYWAY, this one is set in an insane asylum. This quarter was the diary entries, and it's about a new doctor there, who there was more to than met the eye, with his wife and everything, and he makes a connection with a patient there who is kind of terrified of spirals. He's a poet. This one connects to the previous two, incredibly well, there's pictures of the cave paintings and his daughter is reading about Anna and her trial! This one was a very gritty look, the patients where being abused in different ways, and it was clearly not a nice environment and you got a huge vibe off the quarter, not quite sinister, but definitely dodgy. The injustice in this really got me worked up as well!

The last quarter takes us in to the future and in to space, on a ship heading for New Earth. This one, again, ties all the parts together, first, second and third, and it was kind of like a murder mystery, the passengers are dying and our narrator has to work out what's going on and who's killing them. It's a bit more complicated than the other quarters, there's two of him and it involves a spiral/helix and it's a time type thing, a time type of complicated. I'm really not making any sense, trying to explain without giving too much away! This one is also the one that's chapters but that are numbered in a certain sequence, and there's little time jumps. To be honest each has a different and distinct narrative style.

None of the quarters are happy stories with happy endings. They're all quite powerful, sad, heartbreaking, serious type things. But they're all so well written you can feel the atmosphere of each quarter, each has a different vibe to it, each is different from the last, and each is twined together so incredibly subtly. The settings are also quite different from each other, but incredibly vivid. The characters are all so well written and developed for the little section they're allocated and the plots are quite developed but simple.

The plot is very complex. Each quarter dives right in, and you immediately grasp what's going on and what's happened previously, and then it's the perfect fast pace, concisely detailing the rest of the plot to the conclusion. I mean, I'm astounded at the fact there's four mini stories so perfectly written in so few pages with such detail, it's incredible. This is hard to review because, for me at least, it was like four mini books in one instead of one book!

This book is so totally for intelligent readers, people more intelligent than me I would imagine, I don't think Sedgwick was going for the "ooohh pretty words making pretty worlds" thing I had going on. Each story is kind of eerily similar, in a way, and this book is all about the symbolism. It's got plenty of history in its pages (something I love) aaaand for the super intelligent types there's philosophy and psychology, there may have been science in the last quarter, but science and I don't get along. You won't just be entertained by this book, you'll think. The book will really make you think. Although I felt quite disconnected from the last two stories, I was so invested in the first two, but the last two I was a bit like hmmmm. Not sure if it was on purpose or not, but even though I wasn't as invested, I was still enthralled by the storytelling.

So in conclusion. This book won't be for everyone, but if you're on the fence, you should give it a shot because while the stories are simple, what's going on behind the scenes as it where, with the connections and so on (sorry I'm so shit at explaining this) is more complex, aka there's bigger stuff going on. So anyway, the writing and storytelling is so beautiful and so incredibly detailed and well done considering the shortness of each quarter. So yeah...DOOO IIITT.