In The Afterlight review

In The Afterlight

Dais Daily

I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous about an ending of a series before. The Darkest Minds and Never Fade were both amazing books that I had given 5 stars too. In all honesty, I didn’t want the series to end. I feel like I could read about these characters for another five book and I would never find a single second of boring.

In The Afterlight delivered on every front. The ending was amazing and the entire series feels like it all comes full circle for Ruby. The is a touch of ambiguity in the ending of The Darkest Minds series. Throughout the book, I had assumed that Ruby would chose to get the procedure done to have her abilities nullified. But instead you don’t know if she does. And you don’t know if life for all of those children get any better. But I kind of like that.

Out of this entire book, the only thing I didn’t particularly like was the death of the older Stewart brother. I loved him, and I loved his a Ruby’s relationship.

What Clancy does to Cole was just plain cruel. Different in a way than I had seen from him previously. Yes he’d called in government officials to ransack/capture/kill the tweens of East River, but even he said that his decision was a bad one. However, in In The Afterlight, Clancy purposefully goes out of his way to manipulate Cole’s want and need to understand his abilities, and for that reason alone I thought Ruby was a fool to relieve Clancy’s scarring memories.

I really wanted something huge to happen with Cole. Like in the evacuation on Thurmond for them to be losing and then Cole comes out and BAM. Sends fire up everywhere. But later we read how there were Reds there at Thurmond anyway, so maybe that idea wouldn’t have been as explosive as I would have wanted it.

I wasn’t as emotional assaulted by his death as I had been with Jude’s but I felt like Cole’s potential wasn’t quite reached.

Oh and I also didn’t quite like how obvious it was that it was Ruby who was the one sending all the emails in the middle of the night. As soon as we first discover she’s sleepwalking, I knew it. And I had guessed that perhaps Clancy would somehow be involved. Though I will also say that I don’t blame Ruby for not figuring it out sooner because she hadn’t thought Clancy would dig that low.

I don’t think I’ve ever connected to a character quite as much as Ruby. We see her grow from this frightened and damaged girl into a force to be reckoned with, willing to do anything to protect not just those she loves, but also the people who don’t have anyone else. She is a hero in the truest sense of the word. She is perfect in a way that she is also as flawed as any of us. She was over bearing, cynical, outright cruel; and it only made me love her that much more.

We start at Thurmond, and we end it at Thurmond. The difference between these two Ruby’s is stark in contrast. Ruby goes in and makes her own rules, not afraid of what this place could to her. She’s outgrown that life. I was so proud of her.

That part where she’s telling Liam that she has to walk out of Thurmond on her own two feet, it was beautiful and bittersweet.

A lot of people have said that they had issue with the pacing of this final instalment, but I thought it was perfect. Though looking back on it now, yes they were in the Rach for a prolonged period of the book, the dialogue and events that went on there were never boring and so I didn’t find a fault with it. This book had me more hooked than the first one. It was all consuming and I couldn’t look away for a second.

The writing and sequence of events. The actions and reactions in this book. They all outshine the previous two books in my opinion.

When the first breakout on Oasis went without hitch* excluding the pop up of Liam* I was literally squealing in excitement.

Moving to the subject of a one Liam Stewart, I kind of had a love hate relationship with his in this book, which I found surprising. I found myself siding more with Ruby and Cole in the situations where they would butt heads. He was incredibly reckless, but we already knew that, and again it shows Bracken’s excellent way of making these characters more real with their flaws.

Chubs and Vida? Called it. Right from Never Fade I called that the two of them would get together.

I want to touch quickly also on the sibling rivalry between Liam and Cole, I found it really refreshing and at the same time frustrating. The same goes for Liam and Ruby’s relationship.

They’re in a strange place as a couple. They hardly communicate at all. We know that Liam is afraid of Ruby wiping his memory again, and we know Ruby still struggles with herself becoming a monster and Liam being unable to forgive her completely.

The Darkest Minds trilogy is strong from start to finish. I honestly think that it is the most consistently brilliant series that I’ve ever read. The characters aren’t changing, their evolving and the plots kept me on my toes from page one. I’ve never been connected or invested in a whole group as much as those from The Darkest Minds series. I’ll love them all dearly forever.

Never Fade review

Never Fade

DaisDaily

As with most series, a middle book can sometimes fail to peek at the momentum created by the first book, and then the suspense for the final instalment. And while I feel Never Fade doesn’t fall prey to this reoccurring theme, I do have to grudgingly admit that I did like The Darkest Minds more.

Never Fade picks up 6 months after Ruby had wiped all traces of herself from Liam’s mind and I very interested in how the Children’s League and Ruby would fit around each other. And though we aren’t given an exact look into that relationship we know enough that Ruby doesn’t like the idea of being Leader to a small band of psi kids, and still wants out.

The story still has its darker edge, which I was glad for. The book is also more psychically demanding on its characters.

I said in my review of The Darkest Minds that Ruby had already gone through a hell of a lot of character development. And actually, the same can be said for Never Fade too.

All along we’ve seen Ruby struggling with her abilities, and in this book, she really gets a handle on them, but she also really sees the dark depths that her powers can achieve. And Ruby fights with the monster side of herself that she has always associated with herself.

Her scenes with Knox, and especially the one with Rob in the car was so engrossing.

The writing was as stellar as the first books, but I felt the very beginning of Never Fade suffered from a little bit of slow pacing. While Ruby was with the League, I was a little distracted in waiting for something to happen to get the story set off.

Never Fade certainly threw in some wicked curve balls. The biggest for me personal was the death of Jude. It felt so personal, and how it affected Ruby hit me that much hard. Through the trials that Ruby and the gang faced, I always thought Jude would make it through unscathed. I was looking forward to watching him grow and thrive.

Again, I loved the secondary characters. At first I thought Bracken was trying to replace Liam and Chubs, and yet still keep the humour from a diverse group, almost like Jude was taking Zu’s place as the one to be protected, and I kind thought that it was cheating slightly, but the more I read into these new characters, the quicker I fell in love with them. Vida won me over almost instantly and I loved every snarky quip that her foul mouth spewed. Jude was my particular favourite. The way Ruby protects him and comforted him.

Although Liam is very much a huge part of the plot in Never Fade, I felt his actual character lacked growth because of that.

A character I was very surprised about was Chubs. He has changed pretty radically when he is first reintroduced in the book. In addition, you see how dangerous and desperate a step it was for him to become a skip tracer so he could find word on the others. He really does come into his own.

Then there was Cole. Liam’s older and hard arsed brother, and as we find out in a few of the very last pages, a Red. I enjoyed Cole’s sporadic appearances and I really hope we get to see more of him in the third and final book.

I was unsurprised by Clancy’s reappearance, though I was very surprised by the how and why of it. His side of the plot was very interesting and comes sort of out of left field. I felt just as slow as Ruby does when trying to piece all of the titbits of information together.

The second half of the book was explosive, pretty literally too. I had no idea of where things would go and I much prefer that. I am honestly so consumed with what might happen in the final book In The Afterlight. I’m going to have to start it as soon as possible. 

Champion review

Champion – Marie Lu

Dais Daily

Though I do admit to being somewhat disappointed with the Legend series as a whole so far, I also said that if the third and final book were better than the last two, that I would chose to look back at the series in a more positive light. And I’m happy to report that the third book had me pleasantly surprised.

I enjoyed Champion more than the previous two books, and was genuinely curious and attached to these characters.

The writing finally felt true and had me trying to predict what was going to happen next. The story telling was stronger and more engaging then the series previous instalments. There was so much more realism about the events and reactions.

I was very curious how Day’s illness would fit into the book, considering the way Prodigy ends. It was quite refreshing to have had a somewhat break between the books. I dislike when a trilogy seems all to have happened in the space of a couple months.

I was just as nervous as Day and June were when they were set to reunite.

Reading others reviews on Goodreads, I see that the ending to this series are split evenly between love and hate. I can quite easily say that I really loved the ending. I thought it wonderful and creative. I wouldn’t say ‘fitting’ and neither was it expected, but that just made the end so much better for me. It was a breath of fresh air that everyone doesn’t walk away right at the end into the sunset with his or her significant other.

Also, in my review of Prodigy, I was talking about how annoyed I was that June was all of a sudden ill, and basically had to be carried everywhere and was dead weight. I guess now I have a sort of answer. Though we never did learn if the Colonies were the ones that had administered the mutated plague to June.

June continues to be my favourite of the two main characters. She is a Queen, most definitely. Her courage and devotions was a wonder to read.

I really liked June’s decision to leave the political world behind and jump back into the world of a soldier. I was happy for her.

I also really learned to love Anden. His character was complicated and intricate, I actually wish there had been more of him, and not just a sort of love interest. Both Day and June comment on the darker side of his personality, and I wished that had been explored a little more, because we know he walks a hard path of pleasing people, and doing what’s right.

I was happy to see the way Marie Lu included him in June’s life, after main events ended. I felt it actually would have played out that way too. It was a logical thing for June, and I hoped they were somewhat happy.

It was truly a beautiful and bittersweet ending. 

The Darkest Minds review

The Darkest Minds

Dais Daily

I’ve been waiting for the right time to read The Darkest Minds for a very long time. I’ve never heard or read a bad word spoken about it. This obviously makes me nervous. What if I was going to be in the small percentage that didn’t enjoy the book? I started to hype the book up so much that the thought of actually starting it was somewhat terrifying.

I knew that I had to be in the right frame of mind to start this series. I wanted to make sure that I could give my absolute full attention to the start of this beloved series.

I can honestly say that I devoured this book. I was eagerly consuming every word.

The plot from the very beginning was intriguing and had a darker vibe then I was expecting, which I loved.

The whole setting at camp is unsettling, but I really was transfixed but all of those scenes.

I was so enamoured with the idea of these kids having to be colour coded based on the abilities. It’s such an original and well executed idea.

From start to finish this book stayed thrilling and complex. The action was well paced and written in a way that I couldn’t look away for even a second. Every moment lead beautifully into the next. I wasn’t even aware of how much time was passing as I read. My emotions were being thrown around like a ragged doll, and it was brilliant.

Bracken makes it so that every scenario feels completely plausible and has you questioning if something like this really could happen. There is such a sense of realism through the whole of the book.

Ruby goes through some of the best character growth that I’ve read in a while.

In the very beginning she goes out of her way to make sure she blends into the background, but as the story progresses she learns to look for those she cares about and fights admirably to keep them from harm.

I was so fascinated with Ruby’s abilities from the get go. I was so curious to see the extent of her capabilities and was so proud whenever she accomplished some small task.

From the very beginning, I was suspicious of Clancy, and always thought he would be some sort of double agent in some way. Though I certainly hadn’t expected it to go quite the way it did. Alexandra Bracken has a brilliant way of completely blind-siding you with events.

I couldn’t find a single fault with any of the characters. They were all written perfectly and made believable by their very real faults. Liam’s unwavering need to protect, Chubs’ brutal honesty. And then Zu’s muteness. They made up a complex trio that I fell in love with.

Chubs was incredible and definitely pushed my opinion of the writing even higher. I loved how his and Ruby’s relationship change and grow throughout the story.

His slam down with Clancy was awesome.

I know that we haven’t seen the last of Clancy, and I hope that the next time that him and Ruby meet, they can be on a little more equal footing, in terms of powers.

I also really hope that we find Suzume again in Never Fade.

For once I really liked the idea that our main character didn’t have much of an idea of their actual plan. There was ever a specific endgame goal and I preferred in that way. It let the story breath and things could play out just as they needed to.

With the end, I find myself really excited at the thought of having a hardened and colder version of Ruby, and honestly, if that is the way that Bracken goes in Never Fade, I have no doubt it will become one of my favourite books.

I’m so excited to continue this series.

The Darkest Minds is a perfect example of how to start a series and leave all of its readers waiting in desperate anticipation for the next one.

Prodigy review

Prodigy Review

DaisDaily

If you’ve read my previous review on Legend by Marie Lu, the first book in the Legend series, you’ll most likely already know that I wasn’t quite sure if I liked the book or not. And unfortunately, the same problems again apply to this book that I found with the first one.

I didn’t find the plot that engaging as I had done with the first book. Though I do admit I quite liked the bigger scale of the book, and how we finally got to know a little more about how The Republic came into existence and its place in the rest of the world.

Again, my biggest problems with these books so far are the main characters young ages. I find it completely illogical that two fifteen year olds would how so much sway over this government, and are that much of a threat.

I also feel a little confused by the ending of this book. I know there is a third book, Champion, and yet, it seems things could have very easily tied themselves up and the series could have finished there, if not for the unresolved issue of Day’s health.

I was also wondering why Day has never told a single person about being experimented on after ‘failing’ his trials. This, we know, didn’t actually happen. June finding out Day’s actual test scores plays a big role in swaying June that she is on the wrong side, and yet, this fact is never actually mentioned to any sort of official or the public. I guess it all comes into play in the third book, but I just found it a little odd. Every the doctor at the end was aware of Day’s, and thousands of others being experimented on, and yet, still nothing comes of it.

In addition, I’m just going to touch on this sore spot lightly, but what on earth was all the shit about June being ill?

Why does it come on so quickly, like literally, within a few hours she can barely stand and passes out a bunch of times? And yet, there is no actual name for this mysterious illness, we are never told what made June ill, and if will now cause later problems or if it was serious. And, by the end of the novel she is fit and healthy. What kind of illness comes on that strong that it renders the person useless, and is then done away with. It rather irked me, and just made me resent June slightly. Which I didn’t like because I had grown to really like June’s character.

I much prefer June to Day, though I still find that the book benefits from the duo point of views. I enjoyed June’s colder and more methodical approach to things.

I quite liked the story line of June going undercover in her previous Republic alliances, while she helped put in place the pieces of the Elector’s assassination. That was all quite thrilling, and I was starting to like the young Elector himself.

I don’t have any issues with the writing in itself, but I didn’t connect as much to the characters as I had in the last one.

Will I be reading the final instalment, yes; but at this point, I think it’s based solely on my curiousness on how the series will end. I’m not particularly attached to these characters and their lives. I would just rather finish the series that leave it sitting on my shelves.

I’m choosing to look past the negatives that I’ve found and hope to have the third book satisfy me and if it surprises me, than I would be happier to remember the series on a more positive note. 

Legend review

The Legend series seems to be quite a beloved series to many, and I was eagerly awaiting reading it for myself.
Legend has an interesting premise. Two kids from different sides of the track. Day and June are both fifteen. Day is a criminal, and June is the only person to score 1500 on her Trials.
Day is a Robin Hood kind of character. Stealing from the Republic and giving some relief to the poor in his sector, Whereas as June, is tipped for big things in the military, youngest at her university and avid follower of all rules. Their world collide when Day is accused of killing June's brother, Metias. And so June is set a mission to find the elusive Day.

I've seen on Goodreads that opinions are quite varied which surprised me, because most people I had actually spoken to about this book had nothing but high praise for it.
The idea of the Republic and Colonies warring was quite refreshing and I wish that side of things were expanded upon, we are only given the briefest glimpse and for me, it wasn't enough. I wanted to know how things had gotten to the point they had, how their systems and governments had come into being.

My biggest problem with this book was the main characters themselves. Each are only 15 years old and yet they are capable of doing things like scaling buildings in seconds. Day breaks into banks with trained military guards. Manages to overwhelm his guards and almost escapes his cell. And June, well she practically leads her own platoon/unit. She ranks higher than some people double her age, and I find it all very had to believe.
Perhaps if they were both seventeen, maybe even sixteen would have been better. But I can't help thinking of them as just children. And so it makes the whole thing seem rather unbelievable for me.

I will say that the story did keep me entertained and was certainly engaging. I was very curious to how things were going to plan out. Especially when June discovers she isn't the only one with a perfect 1500 score. Though the whole, 'government is actually evil, so we both most miraculously escape' thing is getting terribly boring. I'm hoping the next instalments offer something a little more complex.
Legend is quite a short read, and I think Marie Lu has done well to fit all she has into the book. But I feel like the book should have been about a hundred pages longer so that she could have fleshed out characters better, or giving us better insights to governments and world building.

The writing is quite solid and nothing that I could particularly find fault with. Although sometimes Day and June did feel like almost the same character. They have a lot of the same skills and so it wasn't completely as diverse as I would have liked it to be. Like I said, it could have been longer to try avoid the two characters coming off seemingly the same.

I wasn't blown away by Legend, and neither was I totally bored by it. I know a lot of people keep the series in high regard, and I'm definitely willing to hold off writing the series off until I've finished the other two books. Even if I end up not liking the seconds book Prodigy, I'll still most likely finish it's third book Champion, as I don't like leaving series uncompleted.
So sadly, Legend only gets 3 stars from me.

Ruin and Rising review

I can't believe I left it so long to read this series! Shadow and Bone had been on my reading radar for almost two years before I finally opted to go for it.
And honestly, I was so annoyed at myself for waiting. This series is phenomenal!

Ruin and Rising is the final installment to the Grisha Trilogy, and Leigh Bardugo certainly doesn't disappoint.
Throughout each book the writing has grown stronger and stronger. Something I value in a series. Descriptions, characterization, and character arcs all became stronger the longer I read.

The Grisha series has easily cemented itself as one of my favourite series.
The Russian influences were amazing and something that I really enjoyed and thought made the series prosper that little bit more.
And yet, I felt there was something missing from the final book.
I wanted something huge, something epic for ending the series on. And I guess some people could say that it did happen that way. I don't quite feel the same way.

Alina Starkov goes through a tremendous amount through the whole of the series, and we see her progression written so beautifully.
The only downfall I had with Aline herself was that I wanted her to want more.
I understand she had conflicting emotions about her lust for power and in the end I wanted her to get the powers and have the destiny she deserved as the Sun Summoner, even if it wasn't anything she had every planned for herself.
I actually kind of wanted her to struggle more with that lust. I wanted her to feel just a small semblance of what The Darkling must have felt. So that there connection could have grown. I wanted them to see that they were more alike, that they truly were the only ones who understood.

Onto every bodies favourite villain, The Darkling. After falling for the Darkling pretty hard in, Shadow and Bone, the first in the series. I was torn from then on. I loved to hate him. He was a perfect antagonist.
The further on we read, the more I felt he was beyond redemption. And yet, I wanted him and Alina together. There were bouts when he was just a lonely boy and I truly felt for him. And I love a book that can make you question yourself, because at the end of it all. All the Darkling was truly trying to do was save Ravka. And his ruthlessness and cruelty was a means that justified that end to him.
I truly believe that the years and his humanity had faded, but that he could have been brought back from that brink.
We see the boy behind the Darkling facade, and I loved the scene when he asks Alina to say his name.

And I'm going to say it.
The Darkling was in no way near enough in this book. Though the whole plot revolves around Alina defeating him, he is hardly ever present.
To think that readers would have been satisfied with only 'visions' of the Darkling is a huge mistake on Bardugo's part.

The secondary characters deserve as much praise, maybe even more. They were perfect. They had flaws, witty dialogue, a diversity that made them all a pleasure to read.
Nikolia was a particular favourite of mine. I've been honest in my disliking of Mal from the beginning, and because I know Bardugo would never let Alina be with the Darkling I had hoped that the two of them would wind up together.
He was fast talking, witty, and had a way that made me squeal in excitement every single time he was in a scene.
Nikolia goes through the ringer quite a bit in this novel and comes out a little battered, I wanted the best for him and I was pleased he was able to take the throne of Ravka.
Genya, Tamar and Tolyer, and even Zoya had me smiling. The whole group dynamic was balanced and written impeccably. Even Baghra, whose story had never truly been revealed until now.
Mal, in all honesty, I wanted dead. Not because I didn't like him as a character, but because I felt it needed to happen, for the sake of the story.
And for the record, what was that bullshit about him coming back to life because the magical ancestry part of him died, not actually Mal himself.

I wanted the series to end one of three ways.
Scenario 1: Alina comes into her power, ultimately killing Mal, and fights the Darkling in an explosive, epic, and harrowing match of light and dark. Where she ultimately wins and she and Nikolia rule over Ravka, though there is nothing romantic between them for many years while she mourns the lose of Mal. Then they fall in love gradually and live happily ever after in all her Sun Summoner glory.

Scenario 2:
Alina regrettably kills Mal. Alina fights the Darkling, again in an epic fight, where she can summon her own army of light. And reduces him to nothing, but because they are so alike and are connected so tightly, refuses to kill him. Because of her mercy, the Darkling sees he is unfit to rule Ravka.
Nikolia becomes an awesome king.
Eventually the two reconcile, though never romantically as they help the other to keep balanced. Alina can help rule Ravka or not. The Darkling didn't 'win' and yet he gets to see Ravka thrive and prosper, just as he had always hoped for. The two live long lives in which they protect Ravka.

Scenario 3:
Nikolia is killed. Alina kills Mal. The Darkling is defeated and then publicly executed, and the Sun Summoner rules Ravka with a broken soul. Mourning the men that she each shared unique and strange connections with.

To be honest, I wanted a brutal ending. I wanted something that would stick with me. Something as memorable as the Divergent trilogy ending.
Through the whole of the book we're told about the consequences of having such power. And yet, what consequences do we actually see. Everything works out perfectly for Alina.
Mal is revived after his valiant death.
The Darkling in defeated.
The Fold folds away.
Nikolia becomes an excellent King.
And Alina is relieved of a power she had never wanted in the first place.
That's my main qualm with this book.

I feel like Leigh Bardugo played it safe and gave everyone the happily-ever-after treatment that we are all sick of in YA literature.
It was a predictable ending that lessened my validation that I was going to remember the series for years to come.

This isn't a bad book. I just had more issues with it than I did the previous two books. The characters and writing just about balance the book. 4 stars

Shadow and Bone review

Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone, the first in her Grisha series has been out for a while now, and I finally conceded and bought it. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to read it, it’s just because it takes me 50x longer to get around to reading popular reads.

Shadow and Bone was quite high on my TBR when it first arrived and I when I finished my latest book, I went straight for Shadow and Bone. Once I had decided to start it, I became increasingly more excited about it. I’ve heard many good things about the series and was eager to form my own opinions.

First off, I would like to say how much I really enjoyed the Russian influence in the novel. Though I did struggle with some pronunciations at first I still wanted more. I loved the Grisha, separate from each other and yet forming a solid front. I loved their different coloured keftas and all the different abilities and talents that they could have. I wish there had been a little more history on how the Grisha came to be.

Though the writing isn’t anything out of this world, that in no way means that the actual book suffered for it. The plot in Shadow and Bone is mesmerizing. It’s conflictions with power and doing what’s right war with each other beautifully. Just as the elegance and violence do.
The plot twists are unguessable and throws you off in a way that has you racking your brains for any earlier signs. My previous opinions were scattered to the wind and I loved this book it. It’s harder these days to find ways to disorient your reader, as plot twists have become increasingly easier to guess. How easily I was tricked by such clever writing.

On to the focal point of this novel. The Darkling.
I loved him. Not because of his smooth manners and swoon worthiness. But because I find him the truest character of them all. <spoiler>How some peoples quest for power struggle with the knowledge of right and wrong, whereas the Darkling does not. Though he believes he will help Ravka, it is truly his own self that he wishes to empower and he certainly isn’t sorry for it.
The coldness and callousness is what makes him the villain. Now his hunger for power, but would he would do to get it.</spoiler> Because even the most pure hearted can locked in the throes of power.

Alina is a character at first that I was unsure of but then grew to very much enjoy. A girl with absolutely has no place in the world is suddenly thrust into the role of most important woman in all of Ravka’s history. What I loved most about her though was her willingness to do the right thing and continue fighting. Though the decision is very tough, especially at the very end of the book. She understands that hers is a power that comes with very real consequences. I’m curious to how Alina’s new found power will come into play now that she isn’t enslaved to the Darkling whims.

Throughout the book we are told that ‘like calls to like’ and I feel that’s absolutely true.
Alina and the Darkling are the opposite sides of the same coin, so they are bound to never truly be free of the other. They each resent the attributes of the other because they are so different, and yet, you cannot have light with darkness.

I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series and will be buying them in the immediate future. I need my next fix of the Darkling. I also want to see how the whole of Ravka deal with the events.

Graceling review

The Graceling series is a series that I have been always been excited to read, and late last year I bought all three books in the series. Unfortunately, all three copies are completely different from one another. I have a large print Graceling. A normal sized Fire, and then a HUGE hardcover of Bitterblue, so none of them match, which everyone knows is a huge inconvenience if you like your shelves looking neat or level.

As a fan of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, I was told I would enjoy this book as much as those. And obviously that made me hugely excited to finally start the series.
If I'm totally honest with my self, I really didn't enjoy Graceling as much as I was hoping.
The whole of idea of peoples 'Grace's' was really interesting and I did enjoy those aspects of the book, but I found the whole story didn't completely engage me.
I would like to put the reason behind why I didn't like it so much to being in a reading slump, and yet, even in peak reading conditions, I don't feel my thoughts would of been much different.
The plot was ok and the pacing wasn't a problem. I was just wishing for a little more to happen. The majority of the book is people camping in woods, and there is only so much you can read about setting endless fires and catching endless fish.

The entire conflict of the book is solved within two sentences. I thought perhaps I'd skipped a couple of pages by accident.
But nope, one minute Katsa is under the King's influence, then BAM, she throws a knife and he's dead.

On the subject of Katsa. I can honestly, that though I wanted more from the book as a whole, Katsa was it's defining trait. She carried the book when I lost interest, and I actually think she may be one of my new favourite characters.
Katsa is deemed 'cold' and a 'killer' because of her Grace. But that isn't true, and I found myself instantly taken with her.
Katsa's adamant nature, towards marriage, children and 'belonging to someone' was delightfully refreshing and something I could relate too immensely.
Katsa is utterly fierce and loyal and we see her transition from 'Randa's dog' and 'Lady Killer' to a woman capable of controlling her own choices and life.
She was an absolute delight to read.

Katsa and Po's 'relationship' is something a lot of people have taken issue with. But I found it soothing to have no insta-love and love triangles.
People have criticized Cashore's portrayal of Katsa not wanting any commitment, and yet having a physical relationship with Po, for not wanting to lose any of her newly found freedom. And I praise her for it.
Katsa could almost be classed as an aromantic. And if she were, it is still acceptable to love someone without being an a particularly romantic relationship.
I feel Katsa, and everything she stands for, and every stereotypical protagonist she stands against is this book defining 'grace.' See what I did there. That was a bad joke.

The supporting characters were placed and characterized quite perfectly and I loved almost everyone.

I will certainly continue with the Graceling series, yet at more of a hesitant rate.

Though I don't think this book deserve 3 stars, I also don't feel it warrants 4.

Siege and Storm Review

Again, like all fairly popular books, I am quite late to the Grisha trilogy, and I honestly don't know what I've been doing with my life for so long before reading these books. They are phenomenal, really and truly.

Siege and Storm is the second and middle instalment in the Grisha trilogy. I gave the first books, Shadow and Bone, 5 stars, and I was so hopeful that I would go on to love the second book just as much and thankfully that was true.

So much happens in the space of this book, and yet nothing feels rushed or quickened to get to certain points. The writing clever and mesmerizing. Again I loved all the Russian influences.
I've admitted before I have a penchant for slightly darker books, and though the story isn't quite 'dark', it has literal darkness in it and I found it all so fascinating. The Darkling growing power has me mesmerized.
The Grisha are shattered and scattered, and the stakes are so high with everything, the tension of when the Darkling will next appear never leaves you throughout the whole book.

I'll admit that I did notice the absence of The Darkling, but not in a way that made me disappointed.
Leigh Bardugo cleverly manges to insert him into the core of the story even though he isn't actually as psychically present as he was in the first book.
It just made me even more eager for him to finally show again.
I will say that I hadn't banked on seeing The Darkling so very early into the story, which was a pleasant surprise.

The biggest transformation comes easily from Alina herself. When we first met her, she was a lowly soldier without a place in the world, and yet, we've seen her grow and flourish, and even sometimes beginning to questions her when her actions are not to what we have come to expect from her.
I love Alina's struggle with her growing power and I loved her desire to do what was right for Ravka, especially at end.
Can I jusy say how much the last few sentences had me pumped for the third and final book.
Shit is about to go down!

Now I think I mentioned this is my review of the first book, but I was never overly fond of Mal. Just the fact that it had taken him so long to 'see' Alina. I just find him a little boring. Not as a character, but as a love interest. I need a little more excitement that just 'growing up together'. The only thing he really brought were his tracking abilities. That doesn't mean I wasn't rooting for them, and that my heart didn't give a sad little tug when Alina was saying that their story would never be over.
I feel that Mal will play an even bigger part in Ruin and Rising though, and I am very intrigued at how their relationship will now play, given everything that has happened and all that Alina has faced and still has to face.

Stormhond, he was fantastic and such an intriguing character, I very much loved him. He was ruthless and yet fair and I quit liked his ruggedness. As Nikolai, I still enjoyed his character immensely and I really hope that this was not the end of him.

Unfortunately for most series, the middle books or sequels are most usually the weakest in the series. That most definitely is not the case with Siege and Storm, I enjoyed just as much as it's predecessor, even more actually.

I have to read Ruin and Rising. Now. I need to know how this story ends. And I have no doubts by now that Leigh Bardugo will execute it to absolute perfection!
The Grisha series is certainly making its way very quickly up my favourites list and I hope that the third will cements its status as one of favourites series of all time.

Everything Leads to You Review

Everything Leads to You is a book I went into very much expecting to love.
The whole 'movie' element is something that was always incredibly important, even if at times it wasn't the very main focus, and I loved that, as a self confessed movie buff is was nice to read about someone else who had the same level of love for movies.

And as someone who is a firm believer in letting people be whoever it is they want to be, the sexuality of the main character was not a big deal to me in any way. I found it so refreshing to have a character who was already well aware of their sexual identity and that it was well established from the beginning.

When I got to PART 3, entitled The Apartment. I couldn't help but feel like I was waiting for something bad to happen. I don't know if it was just because I was a little used to small tragedies because a couple of my recent reads had them, but I kept waiting for something to come along and blindside me.
Which now I think about it, is pretty silly. Everything Leads to You, isn't a book thats going to break your heart just because it could. This book is fun and light and quite beautifully done. The cover for Everything Leads to You is absolutely stunning too!

I really enjoy Emi's attention to detail when it comes to her sets, and her methodical way of achieving what she envisions for scenes.

I wished we had known Morgan a little more. She is all Emi can think about in the very beginning and yet, we only meet her 3/4 times in the whole of the novel. I just would have liked to know a little bit more about their relationship.

All the characters were very well written and plausible. Each with their own flaws to make them more relatable.

And though I did like this book. It wasn't as 'thrilling' as I hoped it would be.
Nothing really big or exciting happens. Everything goes exactly as Emi plans it would.

I will say also that I'm not sure if I was a fan of the ending or not. It just seemed like it could have gone on for a little more and then I would have been satisfied to let them go.

The writing is quite beautiful, and yet, I found this book lacking. There was no real 'romance', there is only one page of 'flirting' and there is only one kiss in the entirety of the book. Now that wouldn't be a problem at all if Emi hadn't been thinking about all these things from the very near beginning after meeting Ava. 

Everything Leads to You, is in no way a bad book. But it was just a little to light for me. As a lover of things dark and disturbing, I find it to good to be true when things are going exactly how the main character wants them to.

So with a heavy heart I give this book 3 stars.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer review by DaisDaily
Beware, there are spoilers contained in this review.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a book that is surrounded by so much hype, and in some cases, a reader can be put off. I admit, I was one of those people.
It usually takes me quite a while to get around to popular books, not because I'm trying to avoid reading them in the midst of the literary takeover, it's usually just because, the less I read and hear about it, the less scared I am of starting it and then being disappointed by that book.
The third and final installment of the Mara Dyer was released before I had even started it. I think that tells you exactly how long it takes me to catch up with popular reads.

So finally, after what feels like a life time of positive reviews and strangers urging me to read this. I have.
I always knew that I would eventually read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer because the premise outlined seemed like it was perfect for the kind of book that I love.
I was lead to believe that this book would be a dark and slightly disturbing read.

My reactions on first finishing the book?
Did I read the same book as everyone else?
For the entirety of my knowing of the Mara Dyer series, I have never heard a bad thing to say about it. I tend to avoid Goodreads reviews just before or during reading a book, but now that I've finished it and I've taken a look at what others have thought, I find myself sated with the idea that I'm not the only one to feel the way I do.

This book is dark, and it is a little disturbing. But I found it more confusing than anything.
I loved that we didn't know if what was happening to Mara was hallucinations and just normal PTSD symptoms, or if Mara Dyer was truly going crazy.
Mara Dyer is an unstable narrator, and I loved that, but in all honesty, that's the only thing I found  that I really loved about the entirety of this book.
I like her twisted way of seeing her 'powers' right at the very end though, like she is the enforcer of justice.

I find myself quite undecided of I like the character of Noah Shaw or not.
His nature, looks, and general badassness are a mold that I have started to grow tired of now. There are a thousand Noah Shaw's out there, and I found him lacking compared to others of his exact likeness.
Noah's 'powers' of healing are never really explained to us at all. I would have liked just the tiniest bit of exploration of them.
I did like his humor though, and I liked a lot of Mara's lines.

I found the pacing of this book quite slow. I felt like the book was centering so much on petty arguments at school, when it should have been more focused on Mara's mission to not be crazy.
There are so many things all juggling for attention, that I was finding it a little overwhelming.
The book held so much potential to be a truly original and remarkable, but I feel like it has kind of missed its mark a little.

I just want to touch on this next subject rather lightly, but.. If my best friend had died, in an 'accident' that I too was a part of, there is no way that I would be able to walk around normally and act ok. My grief would be an bottomless pit of a black hole, and I'm really not an emotional person either. But I'm sure Mara's parents would be ok with that and not see the need to send her for psychiatric help.
And when Mara figures out that it was indeed her that causes said 'accident' and indirectly crushing and killing her best friend, she still seems rather ok with that. I'd be a raging emotional wreck! Just saying.

And my last comment. I just want to say that I hated the ending.
Because now that we all know that Jude is alive, I find myself reviewing Mara's hallucinations and whether or not whenever she saw Jude if that was really him or not.

I'll definitely be picking up the second one, as I already own it, but because of my average opinion on this first one, I don't think I'm expecting too much from the rest of the series. Which is a huge huge shame, because the Mara Dyer series is one that I was so hoping that I could love and become obsessed with.

Easy, Tammara Webber review

The basic premise of this book (good girl meets bad boy) is one that had been done countless times, and yet it is one that I've recently grown rather fond of in this new adult genre.
Ever since buying it, I've been anxious to pick it up, but I had a few more books that I had queued to be read before getting to it, even though this book kept catching my eye and demanding to be read sooner rather than later.
I've glad I gave it and pushed this book a little higher on my schedule.

It was only a week before reading it that I realized the actual seriousness of what this books back blurb slightly hints at. I was looking for books with serious and real life situations on Goodreads when I came across this book in the top ten on of a list I was surfing through. I thought maybe I'd bitten off a slightly more darker story then I had first anticipated.

Tammara Webber's Easy starts off with every persons worst nightmare. I admit I wasn't expecting the confrontation straight off the bat, but it just concludes and adds to the fact that even though this particular story is a work of fiction, this kind of thing can happen at anytime and anywhere.
Even when diving straight in, I knew I was going to really enjoy this book.
It seemed to feel so much more real and truthful depiction of teens and young adults then what authors usually portray. These seemed like real college students.
 I  for one, am extremely grateful for the main character actually not being a virgin. I can only take so many 'good girl virgins'.

I ended up not only liking and loving Jacqueline, but admiring her too.
The secondary characters contribute to making this story feel real.
I really loved Erin, not only for attitude and witty lines, but also her unwavering support for her best friend. I enjoyed every passage that she was in.
I loved the small doses of Benji, and I freely admit that I liked the presence of Jacqueline's ex not quite leaving the picture.

I needed to know what would happen to Jacqueline, I couldn't leave her world alone. I read through the whole thing in just over a day.

Easy hits on some hard-hitting truths, and I'm very grateful that the author decided not to gloss over it or sweep it under the rug.
Not only does it show the truth that rape can happen to anyone, but also shows it can be carried out by people you presume to know.
Not only does it touch on the physical wounds of rape, it's also based strongly on the emotional effects of forgiveness, self-doubt, and hope.
Briefly, it even touches on what some people are willing to do to cover the word 'rape'.
Most importantly, Tammara Webber shows us that, no matter how the situation comes into play, non-consensual sex is rape, and rape is never your fault.

Moving away now from the more serious aspects of this book. I want to say that I really loved Lucas. I didn't find him at all creepy or stalkerish just because he had already drawn pictures of Jacqueline.
I love an artistic type, and if you've read any of my reviews before, you might know that I have a certain fondness for damaged characters. Whether just small amounts of trauma, to shit hit the fan crazy psychological scarring.
I admired Lucas' need to protect people, even if it was just by volunteering at self-defense classes.
That one bit, right at the very end, after Buck's failed third attempt at assaulting Jacqueline... When he sort of crawls towards her and holds her. It just felt powerful for me, like I knew that he hadn't been able to save his mother, so this time she needed to be ok.

I'm grateful that Tammara Webber took the time to write this book, and she should be incredibly proud of what she has achieved with her novel.
I knew from the very beginning that this book deserved 5 stars and I'm not glad that I can give it so freely.
Easy will stay with me forever.

Night School: Resistance review

The Night School series placed itself at the very top on my favourites pile a very long time ago, back when I read the first book.

Since then, I've read and re-read all the books in this series so far and not once have they ever slipped from their place at the top. Each book just gets stronger and stronger.

Resistance is the fourth, and second to last book in the Night School series.

With Fracture being my favourite of the tree so far, I was a little nervous to start Resistance, so much so that I actually waited about three weeks before I picked up the courage to read it. Another reason I had for prolonging the inevitable, is that I HATE waiting a whole year for sequels. And though it isn't quite a year until Endgame is released, 9 months is still a very long time to wait.

As usual, when I did finally start reading it, I ended up hating my self because of how much I love this series. Within minutes I was back in tune with Allie and her tumultuous life. I actually read the whole book in one sitting because I was engrossed. 

The writing is so real and witty that I have no doubt that anyone would say and do exactly that, just how C.J Daugherty has written it when reacting to situations or talking amongst themselves.

I love Allie Sheridan. She's not made out to be this amazing girl with amazing skills because she's amazing. She's so completely normal and relatable. We so her grow, and we see her change and adapt to how she needs to be to survive. Allie is one of many favourite characters of all time!

I'm going to state now, I was solely Team Sylvain in this novel. Though I don't condone what he did in the very first Night School book, I forgave him quickly and ended up shipping him and Allie more than her and Carter. 

The passage for Allie's birthday was so incredibly beautiful that I thought I might actually tear up. He was always so attentive with her. 

And though I knew she would pick Carter, I couldn't help hoping that he would continue to be a bastard and Allie would stay with Sylvain.

Secondary characters are pivotal to this series, and they are another reason why I love this series.

Zoe and her bluntness.

Rachel and her all knowing knowledge.

Nicole, with her softness and yet deadly skill.

Carter, he seemed to take small step back in this book. His presence, to me, didn't feel as strong then with the previous instalments, but he was there when Allie needed him. 

One word I could never apply to this series is predictable, the word is thrown around a lot these days, but Night School has never been part of that crowd.

With each and every book, I've never been able to guess correctly what would happen.

The tension is like a living thing that wraps around you. Especially in Resistance when everyone knows how high the stakes truly are. Especially when they know they are all walking into a trap. The spy in the school too. I was trying not to speed read but I couldn't help but devour the words.

The actual meeting with Nathaniel. Gosh I don't think I've ever been so tense while reading a book before. My thoughts were zipping in a hundred different directions because I had no clue what would happen. 

This book was like a part of me, I could even begin to fathom why I would ever put it down or be separated from it.

What a way to a book though. God, if I didn't feel shitty enough having to wait almost a year for the next book, C.J Daugherty then ends on such a cliffhanger that I'll be counting down the days in the corner rocking slowly until I can get my hands on Endgame.

This series doesn't have the recognition it deserves. It's truly awe-inspiring. Resistance has raised the bar to a ridiculous level. I'll wait waiting impatiently until June for what I hope to be an explosive conclusion to one of the best series I've ever read.

Was there any doubt that I wouldn't enjoy this book. No. I knew I was going to love it, and I knew that it would deserve my 5 stars completely.

The Forever Song review

I want to note that I don't think I've ever been so apprehensive to read a book.
The Eternity Cure may actually be my new favourite book now, so I knew that The Forever Song would have to pull out all the stops if it was to be on par with the second book.

I'm having mixed feelings about this book. I'm not sure if I truly enjoy it or not.
Each book in the Blood of Eden series has impacting openings.
Book One: Kids being hung.
Book Two: Allie's badass bar fight
Book Three: Sarren's victims strung from a tree.

The ending of The Eternity Cure, we're sure of a couple of things.
Zeke is dead, though we're also sure he's now a vampire, and Allie has decided she's a monster.

I have to admit the thing I was most excited for, was Allie's persona now that she had deemed herself a demon. I was looking forward to an emotionless Allie who destroyed everything in her wake to get her retribution on Sarren.
Sadly, that didn't quite happen. Though that's how the novel starts out. Jackel can't get a crack in about her do-gooderness, she's uncaring and unfeeling, and Kanin tries appealing to her humanity without any luck. It's totally cool! Allie even entertains the thought of staying and ruling with Jackel.
But within fifty or so pages, she breaks down and goes back to normal.
I was glad for her, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd been cheated a little. This book could have been a deliciously dark story if they would have let that run its course a little more.

The plot went along exactly how I thought it would. There were no real surprises, which was disappointing.

The final instalment of the Blood of Eden series has a very different feel to it.
The previous two were based solely around Allie's struggles with herself and finding/fighting Sarren.
Without being overpowering and angsty, the books showed the blooming and struggling relationship on a human and vampire. It was a perfect balance of the two.
Now in The Forever Song, there is so much angst!
It's like Allie trying to discover what kind of monster she was all over again, but it was Zeke instead.
And Allie was being the overly attached girlfriend, worrying over his every move and emotion, wondering what it meant for their love.
I felt like. old Allie, as in Fringer Allie, and even newly turned Vampire Allie, would never resorted to that kind of melodramatic stuff. I know she had changed over the course of the books, and come to terms with herself as a vampire. But even then she always kept part of herself strong and unyielding. Zeke seemed to bring the steam right out of her.

On the subject of Zeke.
Evil Zeke. He had so much potential at being this almost unstoppable force that Allie wouldn't be able to bring herself to kill. Zeke was evil for all over maybe four pages, and how is his deeply rooted compulsion broken. A single bite from Allie.
This is when all the angst came into play. I think he must have referred to himself as a demon and/or monster about forty times.
I admit, it was interesting to read how Zeke battled with himself. Especially up on the roof. After that, it had been just whining.
Jackel had been right on the money every time he spoke to the pair of them.
"It’s not like I can’t wait for yet another riveting night of listening to you people whine at each other. Oh, woe is me, I’m a vampire. I’m a horrible monster who eats babies and murders bunnies, boo hoo hoo.”

Jackel is the saving grace in this novel, without his witty lines and snark, I wouldn't have enjoyed the book nearly half as much.
“Puppy, I am getting so tired of listening to you whine about this,” he snarled at Zeke. “This isn’t rocket science. If you don’t want to be a monster, don’t be a bloody monster! Be an uptight stick in the mud like Kanin. Be a self-righteous bleeding heart like Allison. Or you can stop agonizing about it and be a fucking monster.”

“Oh, isn’t that sweet,” came Jackal’s loud, mocking voice... “Let’s make goo-goo eyes at each other in the middle of a stinking corpse field, how very romantic.” 

“Seeing as this is probably my last hurrah, I don't suppose I could get you two bleeding hearts to massacre a village with me? For old time's sake.

Jackel went through a huge change from our first meeting of him, and I would really love to see a spin-off about him. The opening is there, so I hope Julie gives in to the demands of more Jackel.
His relationship with Allison is perfect, the two are always butting heads, and yet they protect each other fiercely.

My dearest Kanin. The unwavering father figure of the group. I'll mourn his lose terribly, but found his end quite fitting for him. I really liked the little speech he gave Allie in those final moments.

I liked how the climax of the book was executed, and feel fairly happy with this trilogy's conclusion.
I love Julie Kagawa's writing style, and I'll definitely be picking up her other series.
I wish I could The Forever Song five stars, but it just didn't have the edge to it that I hope for, but on the whole, it was still a good read. So with that in mind, it gets 4 stars from me.

The Eternity Cure review

Warning: Contains minor spoilers.

Ok. I need a second to calm my brain. I literally not five minutes ago finished reading The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa.
I really love the first book in this series, and I'm happy to say that I love this installment even more!

The Eternity Cure is the second book in the Blood of Eden series, that follows the interactions and journeys or newly made vampire Allison Sekemoto.
In the first novel, Allie encounters a group of humans looking for a place populated entirely by humans, the only place of its kind.
Allie travels with this band of humans, who are unaware of the vampire in there midst and bonds especially with son of the leader Zeke. Until a fatal run in with the Raider King Jackel leads to Allie's secret being revealed and lives being lost.

Eternity Cure picks up a couple of months after the end of The Immortal Rules and Allie is on the hunt for her sire Kanin.
I love the idea and mystery surrounding Kanin, and the whole idea of Allison saving her mentor from a deluded vampire with a grudge was captivating.
Dearest Kanin, he goes through quite the ringer in this book, and we finally learn a little more about his past and the reasons behind some of the choices he has made.
It's safe to say that Kanin found his way into my heart in The Immortal Rules, but after The Eternity Cure, he has found himself a much bigger place in it. 
As an dafter thought, am I slight crazy for kind of shipping Allie and Kanin? Is that weird? I hope not.
Just with when she was down in the dungeon with him, and he was all like, 'it's you... you came...' I can kind of see it.

Along her search, Allie ends up forming a reluctant alliance with former raider king, and blood brother, Jackel.
Who might I say, it absolutely brilliant in the book. Though we see him on briefly in The Immortal Rules, his role is solely that of the 'bad guy'. Though, in this book, Jackel becomes and unlikely and sometimes undependable ally. His constant snark and comments bring some much needed comic-relief to an otherwise slightly darker novel than the first book. He stole  the spotlight every time he opened his mouth. I love him. New fictional crush? Check!

Our awesome foursome, I couldn't help but root for them, hoping beyond hope that they got everything they wanted or needed. Even though I've already read this book once before and knew what was going to happen. Though not the particulars of those situations because it had been a long while since I'd read it. 

I've never read a book with such perfect pacing. You are never wanting things to hurry along, there isn't a single dull moment in the entire novel.
In a genre that has been overworked so much in the past five years, Kagawa has surpassed many's expectations at newly released vampire books.
The story is so original and intriguing that it's easy to see why it stands out from the droves on vampire and dystopian literature.

I have to say also, that this is one of the best book endings that I have ever read. I honestly don't think I have ever been more inclined to buy a sequel than Julie Kagawa's heart-shattering final chapter and epilogue.
A jaw-dropping ending so good, not a single gif would every be able to represent any of my feelings.
What a way to end a book. Pure magic! Writers should seriously take note.

On a final note. All throughout these first two books, we see Allison changing dramatically.
From starving street rat, to newbie vamp, to badass katana wielding chick.
But the underlying concept of these books are Allie's struggles with the monster within her. Trying to decided, in Kanin's words, what kind of monster she will be.
I keep thinking back to some of the best quotes in the book.
“It's not the physical scars that are the most painful.”  - Zeke
"Lesson learned. I was a monster. I would never forget that again." - Allie
"Fight it as long as you want--in the end, the monster always wins." - Jackal
 That's just a few, but there are so many good quotes to be found in this novel.
But after the ending of The Eternity Cure, will we be finding a completely different Allie. I think so. And boy let me tell you, I don't think I've ever been so buzzed!

Well I could probably talk about this book for hours more, though you're more than likely to be bored shitless by now, so I'm signing off.

Obviously this book will never get anything less than 5 stars from me.
Julie Kagawa has ripped into my emotions so deeply, I feel a physical longing for her writing and her characters.
I can't wait to read the conclusion to one of my favourite series of all time!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children review

I was incredibly excited to read this book. The combination of these creepy photos and the blurb, had me hoping this book was going to be a creeptastic read that chilling and engaging.
Unfortunately, that assumption was pretty far off how this book actually is.

I do commend the way that Ransom Riggs has woven these two media's together.
True, the photographs and story create an unforgettable tale. Though the plot and story itself isn't that strong.

I couldn't help but draw comparisons that Miss Peregrine's actual school was like a watered down younger version of the X-mansion aka Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Though that may just be an unlucky coincident because I watched the latest X-Men before starting this book.

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children held so much potential to be an amazing book.
The beginning started out strong in the first couple of chapters. It's witty and funny, and filled with a couple of creepy stories and dealing with loss.
The second half of this book is so completely different that it's a little jarring.
Once Jacob actually arrived on the island, things went downhill from there.
The allure to the old abandoned house is quickly done away with. Then BAM, time travel.
Though I wasn't expecting it, I admit I liked the nature of the time travelling in the book. The idea of loops, all over the world, was interesting, and sounded believable.
One question I do have though...
Did Peregrine and her charges always live in the loop, or was is created the moment the bomb was about it hit, in an attempt to stay alive?

I kept waiting for things to turn creepy or spine-chilling or ghostly.. or something.. but it just never happened. The story feels more like it's aimed at a younger audience than me. It was the typical childhood fantasy/nightmare that monsters are real, and they very well may be hiding under your bed. That is pretty much the entire premise.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this 'coupling' either. I find it kind of gross, that this girl is like 87 or something really, though she still has the mentality and psychical appearance on a 15 year old. She did god knows what with this kids grandfather and loved him enough to keep letters on her persons at all times, and yet they're still sucking face.

For the first time in a long while, I don't think I'll be buying the subsequent sequels.
I do hate to give low ratings to books, but my opinion can't be helped. That said, I'm giving this book 2.5 stars.

Throne of Glass review

I'm considerably late to the Throne of Glass party, the same as I usually am with all the really popular reads.
I get incredibly apprehensive when buying new books, because I hate it if I don't enjoy it. Honestly, I feel like a bad person if I don't like books.
As my holiday neared, I knew I wanted to take away something new and not a reread. So when I saw a second-hand Throne of Glass for only £2.51, I thought, well why not? And I can happily say that I'm glad I'm finally at this point, and that I've done it in my own time.

This book had me gripped from the very first pages. If I knew how consumed I would become while reading this, maybe I would have chosen a less all consuming book. I got seriously sunburnt because I was so engrossed. It was totally worth it though, because I loved this book.
Though I feel I was slightly cheated with the way this book is promoted as an Hunger Games-esque /high fantasy/violent assassin novel.

This one of those books that seems like the book equivalent of Marmite. People love it or hate it.
Their main problem being with the main character herself, Celaena Sardothien.
She's arrogant, vain, impolite, witty, and a whole bunch of other traits that people either felt endearing or just plainly hated. I fall on the side of endearing. I really liked Celaena as a character, though I didn't quite like her as an assassin.
I mean, that's my main problem with this book.
We are constantly told by Celaena herself how good of an assassin she is, and yet we hardly ever see her living up to that. She's told to dial back her skills in training and tests, and then at the final battle, though she's drugged, she gets absolutely wrecked.
I was so hoping for a novel with fight scenes after kick-ass fight scenes, yet instead I was shown countless flirting sessions and a lot of walking around a castle.
Though I suppose if Celaena was out killing people and actually showing us how she became Adarlan's Assassin, she couldn't be a 'hero' or a literary 'role model'. Even though that's how the book is labelled.

I love the beginning of this novel. A prisoner assassin being brought forth from the slave salt mines of Endovier. That was quite cool, I kind of wished we got a little more scope on it.
The writing is engaging and witty, though I felt the pace slowed slightly in the middle, leading up to the big competition.

Though the plot can be quite easily guessed, I still thoroughly enjoyed its setting and characters. I liked Princess Nehemia, and Chaol Westfall. I also enjoyed Dorian's banter.

As can be expected of love triangles these days, I didn't much care for it. It was pretty pointless really. The book centred more on the romantic side of things than whole reason she was actually there: the competition.

Taking all these slight grievances into account, I still loved this book, and already I've bought the prequel and the next instalment.
I feel very much compelled by the world and characters in this series, and I can't wait to see how Celaena's story progresses now she's the King's Assassin.

I don't want to give this book any less than five stars, but because there is only one or two things I found at fault, it deserves more than 4.5, so I guess, in its own category, Throne of Glass gets a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5.

The Immortal Rules review

Writing a review for a book that you've already read is a little difficult.

I read The Immortal Rules just over two years ago now, and I've read it about three times between then and now.

I wrote a very weak attempt at a review, back when I had no idea what I was doing, when I first bought this book, so I guess I'll see if there is anything I can salvage from that.

Almost everyone knows Julie Kagawa for her The Iron Fey series. Though I admit I haven't read that series, I mainly bought this book because I had made the grave error of bringing along the wrong book in a series I was reading on a weekend trip to the coast.

Now, I don't but books without some pretty extensive research going on first. So when I was having a little tizzy about what I would do now, I decided to do something I hadn't done before.

I went into my nearest supermarket, and then just picked a book at random, going only on the back cover. 

I was completely nervous and apprehensive about starting it, but Vampire books were so big at the time, and also one of favourite genres, I was hopeful that this would be a good one.

The Immortal Rules is the first book in a trilogy titled Blood of Eden.

The book centres on main character Allison Sekemoto, a human 'Fringer' who is killed, and then has to choose what kind of monster she becomes as she awakens as a newly made Vampire.

The book is split into four 'parts'. Human, Vampire, Monster and Wanderer. I like books that are split this way, though I don't have a particular reason as to why. I guess just because it signifies though it's the same story, it's a different section, you treat it differently.

I had the unfortunate coincidence of reading Eve by Anna Carey, just before this and couldn't quite help remarking on the similarities of the plot and story, though I didn't quite care for that book and this one bested it by miles.

I really love Allie's first section of this book. I feel you connect to her that much more because you are aware of all the trials she's had to go through before she even becomes a vampire. It's just you and her that know these things about her, as she doesn't really share her human life with those she meets throughout the book.

Her character goes through so much development, and it really is a defining factor. Allie is the embodiment of BADASS. She is tough and has a sort of cut-throat attitude because she had to. She's not afraid to challenge situations and people, or speak her mind. It's fun to watch the trouble her mouth sometimes gets her into.

I mean, who doesn't love a badass katana wielding vampire?

Secondary characters do a lot for this book too, they certainly deserve a mention. They're some of my favourites. Zeke, Stick, Jeb, Kanin and Jackel. They're all so diverse and bring so much to the world that Kagawa has created. 

I love the back and forward between Allie and Zeke. They're almost complete polar opposites. The both of them always trying to show the other the good and bad in life.

The writing is witty and fun, and I easily find myself becoming so entranced that I find hours have flown by without my knowledge. The pacing is perfect for the story and never one do I find myself bored or wanting things to hurry along. 

Though fairy books aren't quite to my taste, Kagawa's writing style and pace I think could easily persuade to give her other series a go. 

This book absolutely blew me away, and still does every time I read it. I feel like, for me, The Immortal Rules is a book I could read over and over and still not get bored of it. 

I can think of no defining bad qualities of this book. If I was nitpicking, I didn't really find it believable how easily Allie is accepted into the group she comes into contact in.

Oh, and how I wanted more on Kanin. But that's sort of a mute point because I know we see a lot more of him in the next instalment The Eternity Cure.

I don't even have to think about what my rating for this book, it 5 stars back when I first read it and it's 5 stars now too. 

We Were Liars review

WARNING: Contains spoilers, though they are clearly marked.

We Were Liars is one of those books that is really blown up in the book community as of late. It's surrounded by so much hype, that I thought I'd buy into it all and buy it quickly, before the book lost its appeal and buzz.

Now, when people were recommending this book, they all said to go in without really reading anything into what the book was actually about, this way, you got to experience everything yourself.
Now for me, that was a hard thing to do. Deciding on whether or not you're going to enjoy a book by only the few mysterious sentences on the back cover, which read(on my copy anyway):

'We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.
A tale of love and romance. A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decided.'

Soooo, like I said, that isn't much to go on at all, but I still ordered it, and then waited - impatiently - for the book yo arrive so that I could immediately start reading it.
So here are my actual thoughts....

First off , I want to comment on how beautiful the writing is in this book. It's completely flawless. Every sentence had me longing for the next one. The metaphors were sometimes so long winded that for a second, you would think these things were really happening, and I loved that. I grew accustomed to them and grew excited every time I read them.

We Were Liars is indeed a book you should go into without much knowledge of.
It's split into five 'parts' and I think that works perfectly for this book.

It's quite a short book, at just over 200 pages, so I found myself flying through it.
But it doesn't quite seem like 200 pages, it feels more like double that, like you really know that time has passed during the book. It is paced to perfection, and the main setting, on a private island is quite magical.
How this whole family comes together in this one single place every year.

It's a somewhat dark story, yet not exactly.
It's a journey of self discovery with an underlining theme of dealing with the consequences of actions.

The one thing that mostly grated on my nerves was the use of the term 'Lairs' to describe the main foursome. The term is never explained or expanded on.
I want to know how the nickname came into play.

If you've read this book, you know its ending.
I genuinely had no idea the story would end the way it did.
I had convinced myself that Cady's 'accident' had something to do with Gat, like he'd accidentally pushed her, or even attacked her.
It wasn't until the beginning of Part 4, titled; The Fire. That I began to question my previous theories.
What do you think happened to the 'Liars'.
Were they ghosts? Inhabiting Cuddledown because they had always said the place was haunted.
Or were they merely hallucinations on Cadence's part, a way for her to deal with a tremendous loss that she wasn't quite willing to face yet, that her consciousness was trying to give her hints on. 
Either way, it was a pretty cool twist ending.
I couldn't help flicking back through to reread certain passages, to see if there were clues there all along that I had missed.
This books really does keep you guessing until the very last moment.

I love that part right at the very end.
'"I love you, Cady," she says.
She says it all the time since I got sick, but only now do I see that what Mummy means is,
I love you in spite of my grief. Even though you are crazy.
I love you in spite of what I suspect you have done."

Though quite freely admit that this book is a riveting read, I felt it didn't quite engage me the way I hoped it would.
I wasn't truly invested in the 'Lairs' as characters, and I didn't much care for the rest of the Sinclair family wither, but I was intrigued by their stories. My whole attention was focused solely on Cadence. Which is a name I love by the way.

Overall, though I didn't dislike this book, I feel like I can only give this book 3.5 stars.