The Book Addicted Girl

Alternate Title: Murder Is Bad Manners

Series: Wells and Wong, Book One

Publisher: Corgi Childrens

Format: Paperback

Published: 5^th June 2014

Number of Pages: 352

Book: Paperback

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Murder Mystery, Historical, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, Middle Grade, YA, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains:Death, Mild Swearing and Alcohol References

Author's Site: Robin Stevens

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just go to the police?” I asked.

“Don’t be stupid,” said Daisy severely. “We don’t have any evidence yet. We don’t even have a body. They’d simply laugh at us. No, we’re on our own. And anyway, this is our murder case.”

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they can’t find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count The Case of Lavinia’s Missing Tie. Which they don’t.)

Then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder happened in the first place, before the killer strikes again (and before the police get there first, naturally).

But will they succeed?

And can their friendship stand the test?

Review:

I've been hooked to murder mysteries for as long as I can remember and I've read and watched so, so many – all different sorts, in all shapes and forms. But in all my murder-mystery-ing, I've never read anything like Murder Most Unladylike. It was fun and light, but also addictive and suspenseful. Young and old crime fiction fans like me will adore it – it's just impossible to resist!

“We're still the only people who can solve the crimes."

I had to admit that Daisy's logic made sense. Under the circumstances, in fact, the Detective Society had never seemed so important.'

The year: 1934. The location: Deepdean School For Girls. The Mystery: The murder and disappearance of Miss Bell. The Detectives: Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells of the Wells & Wong Detective Society.

When Daisy Wells decides that she and her best friend, Hazel Wong, will set up a Detective Society at Deepdean School For Girls, she hopes for exciting cases. But she gets none.

And then Hazel stumbles across a body in the gym – literally. She runs to find Daisy, but by the time they return, the body has vanished. Without the body, they have no evidence – and no chance of proving a murder has taken place.

So Daisy decides that she and Hazel will serve the murder, much to Hazel's horror.

And so they begin finding clues, following suspects and making secret inquiries, with Hazel writing down everything they find.

Soon, the stakes rise and the girls find that proving the murder happened might be even harder than stopping the killer striking again – and remaining friends throughout the investigation...

Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t read this book, even though I'd heard so many good things. I don’t know why I hadn’t read it – Murder Most Unladylikeis so my kind of book! I mean, Nancy Drew-Sherlock types in a boarding school in the 1930s trying to find a killer? C'mon, tell me that doesn’t sound totally awesome?! So when I got the chance to review the book, I said: YES PLEASE! And man, Murder Most Unladylike exceeded my expectations. It was so much fun – and so utterly addictive! I started reading, just planning on reading a few pages, and then before I knew it I was halfway through and utterly hooked, unable to stop reading. Always a good sign in a mystery!

Hazel was brilliant – level-headed, sweet, a little nervous, but understandably so! She was far more sensible than Daisy, more likable too, since her ego was nowhere near as big and she was much more sympathetic and in touch with her emotions. Daisy, however, intrigued me more. She looked like the perfect little British girl, but she was really this logical, rational, genius, sceptical want-to-be detective with a brilliant mind and intuition. She was a bit like Sherlock: at times it was hard to know why you liked her, but she was so intriguing it was hard not to, even when she did these strange things and showed her shockingly large ego.

The relationship the two of them had was rather intriguing – and by the end the perfect tortoise-and-rabbit example of murder mystery solving (read MMU and you'll get it). I loved how close the girls were, and yes, they still had little spats – but they made up. I liked watching Daisy evolve into a better person and Hazel evolve into someone a little more daring. They were so good for one another and really grew in the short space of the novel.

The other characters were varied and brilliant: each was original and real, unlike many younger murder mysteries, where there are cardboard-cut-out characters. I won’t say any more on the characters: don’t want to give you any suspect-spoilers!

I will talk about the writing, ‘cause it was simply smashing: it felt totally perfect for the era! I adored it – it felt as if I'd been transported back in time! Hazel's voice was brilliant and addictive – her compassion and humanity really came across – and I simply loved the casebook style of writing. There was lots of suspense in Murder Most Unladylike, but humour too. Some bits (mainly involving Daisy's brilliantly barmy plans) made me laugh out loud. And all the while, the suspense grew!

A murder in a boarding school, two girls determined to find the killer... C'mon, how can't you want to find out more? There was a real Nancy Drew feel to Murder Most Unladylike– only I adored MMU way more than I ever liked Nancy Drew. As with all good murder mysteries, there were twists, false turns and red herrings – along with numerous suspects. I was quite proud of myself by the end: I'd had a suspicion for quite a while that turned out to be true – of course, I had two or three similar suspicions that were completely terrible... But still! I've always enjoyed murder mysteries and Murder Most Unladylike totally appealed to my life-long love of the genre, making me even more excited than a Diagnosis Murder marathon!

As for the setting: loved it! I've always found the archetypal British boarding school to be a fascinating place for a story. Put said story back in the 1930s and you get a deliriously happy book addicted girl! I mean, I loved the boarding school setting so much I just wanted to go back in time and go to Deepdean – be in the Detective Society with Daisy and Hazel, sneak around solving a murder, have bun breaks and just do everything! Someone invent a time machine ASAP!

I also adored all the Sherlockian nods in Murder Most Unladylike: as a Sherlocked gal, I found this addictive! And seeing the diversity in the book was awesome too: canoodling between men and women and two women, a Chinese Watson, the younger girls “pashing” on Daisy... Oh, and the map and character list at the front and 'Daisy's Guide To Deepdean' at the back were just awesome! I loved both – especially Daisy's guide: her voice was brilliant and so Daisy!

I've not had so much fun reading a book for ages as I did reading Murder Most Unladylike. Utterly compelling, captivating, fun and addictive, I easily read it in one sitting and was left feeling desperate for more.

Oh, I just can't recommend this one enough! I absolutely adored it and cannot waitto get my greedy little hands on the next Wells and Wong book! With enough thrills to keep a crime junkie like me happy and more than enough light hearted silliness to entertain all, Murder Most Unladylike will appeal to everyone – and everyone should read it, ASAP!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

Young Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lane

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review

Series: The Lynburn Legacy, Book One

Publisher: Simon&Schuester

Format: Paperback

Published: 13^th September 2012

Number of Pages: 384

Book: Bought

Genre:Paranormal, Supernatural, Urban Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Action Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Death, Some Alcohol References, A Few Misdemeanours...

No Drug References

Author's Site: Sarah Rees Brennan

WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN FANGIRLING. A LOT OF IT.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Blurb From Goodreads:

Kami Glass loves someone she's never met... a boy she's talked to in her head ever since she was born. Having an imaginary friend has made fitting in hard - but that's never bothered Kami. She has her best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is just the way she likes it.

But all that changes when the mysterious Lynburn family return to Kami's village, along with teenagers, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami...

As life as she knows it begins to unravel, Kami is determined to get to the bottom of every mystery. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him?

And can she trust him?

Review:

“After seventeen years in America, Marigold Lynburn's daughters have returned to Sorry-in-the-Vale. If the family does have any dark secrets, dear readers, you can have faith that I will uncover them.”

In Sorry-in-the-Vale, everyone knows the Lynburns. They are the founding family, the ones everyone regards with fear and intrigue. They've been gone for years.

But now they're back and people aren't overly happy about that...

Kami Glass has lived in Sorry-in-the-Vale her whole life and has always heard Jared's voice in her head. She's never been without him. This was cute when she was a child – at the age of seventeen, imaginary friends aren't considered normal. But she needs Jared – he's part of her, even if he isn't real.

And then the two Lynburn boys, cousins Ash and Jared, come to school. Jared... he's the dangerous, badboy type. He's also crushingly and impossibly familiar...

Why does this bond exist? Does it have anything to do with the slaughtered fox Kami found – a fox she's sure was sacrificed...?

Everyone in this town has secrets and Kami, as a reporter, has an overwhelming need to solve all the mysteries.

But with the impossible suddenly coming true, who can Kami trust? The boy who knows everything about her, the boy who is utterly impossible himself, the boy she has longed for and loved all her life, the boy she knows better than anyone else?

Can she even rust her closest friends anymore...?

I think I must have read Unspoken like four times now. I just can't get enough! Sarah Rees Brennan is a freaking genius and I adore her and worship the ground she walks on, even if she breaks my freaking heart very, very often! But Unspoken has all the glorious gothicness a girl could possibly want, alongside a plucky girl detective, bundles of humour and two – maybe even more – very hot guys and hot, lovable girls too! Yay!

Now, one of the many times I was reading this was while everyone else was watching TV. To begin with, they were interested, asking, ‘So what's funny now?’ And I, nearly dying from laughter, would try to explain. By the end, they'd given up on me and simply stated, ‘God, she's annoying.’ I was enjoying Unspoken too much to be offended by this at the time. Now I'm thinking I should go glare at a few people... Maybe I should play the favourites game, Sarah, teach 'em a lesson!

Let’s start with my fave girl, Kami: she was awesome and so so funny. She literally cracked me up every time she spoke and I ended up in absolute fits and absolutely in love with her. She was just so wonderfully odd and bizarrely brilliant. Like a snarky Nancy Drew only a million times more awesome. Kami, you rock!

Jared... Oh, Jared. I see why Holly Black and Cassandra Clare are obsessed with you. I am now obsessed with you. You can be inside my head any day of the week. I adore Jared. Hs just... God, I love him. And I get why Holly and Cassandra have all kinds of backstories for him that Sarah doesn't really agree with - Jared is just that irresistable. Even for two brilliant-swoonsworthy-marry-me-boy writers such as these. I mean, how can you not fall head over heels for a guy who says this?

Swoon. Sigh. Love him.

Oh, and I absolutely freaking adored Angela too, Kami's best friend. That girl killed me on a regular basis! Her obsession with napping and general hatred of the world was brilliant and so hilarious!

And Ash... Well, at least one person in this darn book had manners! But when it comes to Lynburns, I’m a Jared girl through-and-through. Sorry Ash.

Oh, and Holly: I have to mention Holly. I love that for once the drop-dead-gorgeous, blonde, boys-like-her-like-a-lot girl was so sweet and funny and lovely. And, of course, that she wasn't afraid to use her beauty for the good fight – or is it actually for evil? I get hazy on the legality of the details...

But despite my love for so many of them, I could just never judge any of the characters. They were never, ever what they first seemed to be. I liked that a lot. A lot a lot. Even if this will all very likely end in heartbreak for me – I just have a feeling...

Now, Sarah, you are a goddess with words. You had me laughing my head off, being scared out of my mind and making my heart ache like hell all in the space of a few pages. Freaking genius, Sarah! And there are just so, so many quotes to love to death, to memorize and obsess over. I just… I love it. All of it. Sarah is a master of the pen and a comedian and a heartbreaker and just… amazing. I love this book!

And the plot: damn! This was by far the coolest ever gothic mystery I've ever read! EVER! I loved how everything built so slowly, how we were given teasing little clue by teasing little clue. It was all so addictive, so exciting, so much fun and so painful! Sarah really isn’t afraid to totally tear you apart. But she’s also amazing at crafting mysteries, at keeping you glued to the page.

Still, that ending.... Oh my God, Sarah! Why must you break my heart like this?! I mean, I was like this close to tears. I am not good with endings like this. And it hurts even more each time I read it. Why Sarah, WHYYYY?!? Now excuse me while I go have a breakdown. No lie, folks. Sarah has broken me and ruined me for everything else. I'm still broken, damn her.

Yeah, even the fourth time I read Unspoken the ending breaks me. Sarah truly is amazing – and evil. I love her characters, her words, her plot (ending aside) and her sense of humour. This book kills me – in so, so many ways! And I just… I honestly can’t recommend it enough. You seriously cannot miss this book – it is a must-read. If you only read one book ever, read Unspoken! You won’t regret it!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to reread Untold for the fourth time! See how hooked I am to this amazing series? Now go read Unspoken and get hooked too!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

The Curse Workers by Holly Black

Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Supernatural

Lynburn Legacy Team Pictures:

Happy Reading

Megan

Series: Blue Bloods, Book One

Publisher: Atom

Format: Paperback

Published: 22^nd February 2010

Number of Pages: 336

Book: Bought

Genre:Paranormal, Supernatural, Urban Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Action Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Smoking, Alcohol, Drug and Sexual References

Author's Site: Melissa de la Cruz

Blurb From Amazon:

They're Young, Fabulous and Fanged…

And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school - she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl - but all that's about to change…

Because Schuyler has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous - and secret - vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schuyler must find out who - or what - is behind it before she's next.

Review:

“You are the newest Blue Bloods. Today is your induction into your secret history. Welcome to your new life…"

Schuyler Van Alen goes to the prestigious Duchesne School – a school full of socialites and the ridiculously wealthy. But even though the Van Alen family is so deeply intertwined with Manhattan history the two are indistinguishable, Schuyler has always felt like an outsider in her society.

But, as it turns out, she's part of a group of outsiders. A group of gorgeous, rich and powerful vampire elitists.

Schuyler is a Blue Blood – a vampire. She's immortal – she will never die. Understandably, it's a lot to take in.

Taking it all in gets a lot harder when the fellow Blue Blood and super-rich-and-popular Jack Force reveals that Blue Bloods – who, according to The Committee, cannot be killed; by anyone or anything – are being murdered. Forever. With no returning.

Something is hunting the Blue Bloods – an old and ancient foe that no one, especially The Committee, want to admit exists. And it's hunting Schuyler now.

Nothing is as it first seems. No one are how they first seem to be. And no Blue Blood is safe...

Man, I love this book! I don't know what it is – it is just totally addictive! And so original! I absolutely adored the vampire lore – and my taste of high-society-American-life. And all the mystery: damn, it was hooking! Blue Bloods was like Gossip Girl meets Vampire Diaries meets CSI. Awesome!

And damn do I want to be a Blue Blood! It’s just all so very cool! Well, aside from crazies stalking them and blood lust and whatever... And the weird twinny-thingy. Still. Minor technicalities…

Onto Schuyler... I liked Sky. She was weird, unique and wonderfully odd – oh, and funny, sweet and brave, too. But mostly awesomely weird. I like weird. And I like a girl who always, always sticks to her guns – and Sky never backed down, not ever. She was awesome.

Oh, and her best friend Oliver was brilliant too – he was such a sweetie. But what is it with best friends crushing on other best friends who don't return their crush? Seriously, people: what's with that?! Even so, I loved Oliver.

I loved Jack too. He was... yum. Sure, he was very very easily manipulated (damn, his twin was evil!) but I still liked him a lot – he was so... noble, almost. I guess that's what immortality does to you. I'm intrigued about where he’ll go next. But that bond with his sister? Freaky with a capital F… It also didn't help that I really wasn't overly keen on Mimi. I just didn't like the girl – she was too reckless, too cold, too... Mimi.

But now I just have to gush about this world! I mean, the vampire lore is some of the coolest and most original I've ever come across – I just gobbled it up! And I so wanna be a Blue Blood! The mythology is all so rich and detailed and wonderfully built up: I loved it and totally believed everything. But onto the more... upper-class-ish side of the world building...

Now, as a total fashion bimbo, I must say that I don't get all the designer brand stuff. So I will admit that the extensive name dropping and clothes description wasn't my favourite part of the story. But then I was like, ‘Hey. This is a book about the one-percenters and to them, this stuff is every day.’ The lavishness of everything just added to the high society atmosphere and made me feel, for a bit anyways, like a hot, fanged, rich-rich-rich girl with designer everything and immortality to boot!

Seriously, can I be a Blue Blood?

I found de la Cruz's writing irresistible. It was so gorgeous and so utterly hooking. I liked how we got to see from lots of people's perspectives, even if sometimes I wasn't overly sure whose head I was in at the time (it jumped occasionally within sections, which threw me a bit at times). But even so: so utterly gorgeous.

And as for the whole mystery, plot-line side: hot damn, it was awesome! It was a little slow to begin with, but the suspense... Well, it just built from the word go. I was tugged right into the heart of the mystery, totally hooked and absorbed. I could not stop reading – not for anything. And if anyone had tried to take my book away whilst I was reading... Well, I would've ripped their arm off to get it back: I simply had to continue reading and I just had to know how everything ended. And I must say, I was surprised by a lot of the twists. Not all of them, but some.

So, if you haven't read Blue Bloods and are looking for an utterly different and unique take of vampires, this is for you. But here's a little warning: you will not be able to put this book down no matter how hard you try, so don't expect to get much else done the day you read it. God knows I didn't. But don't say I didn't warn you guys: you will want to read it in one sitting and you will be dying to pick up Masquerade the second you put Blue Bloods down.

Speaking of, where the heck have I put my copy of Masquerade? I simply must know what happens next! I gots to know, people!

What can I say? I'm utterly hooked.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

Rephaim by Paula Weston

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Happy Reading

Megan

Publisher: Picadilly Press

Format: Paperback

Published: 1^st January 2015

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Murder Mystery, Historical, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, Middle Grade, YA, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 10+

Contains:Death, Mild Swearing and Alcohol References

Author's Site: Julie Berry

At Prickwillow Place, Disgraceful Mary Jane, Smooth Kitty and their fellow students are keeping a deadly secret.

When the headmistress of Saint Etheldreda’s School for Young Ladies drops dead at Sunday dinner, her seven pupils agree on a clever scheme: to bury their teacher in the vegetable garden, dress up Stout Alice to pose in her place, and educate themselves.

This is tricky enough in a small Victorian community, but when the girls deduce that their teacher was poisoned – it was the veal! – they realise there is also a murderer on the prowl…

An outrageous plot of villainy, farce and friendship starring seven brilliant young girls.

What’s Inside? Cyanide. Manners. Danger!

Review:

"Killed?" she squeaked. "Did you say killed?"

"Killed," Dour Elinor said. "Murdered." She savoured the R's in her pronunciation: murrrrderrrred.

"Oh. Oh my…"

The seven girls of Saint Etheldreda's School for Young Ladies have been sent to the school for various reasons, mainly for the strict traditional teachings of its headmistress Mrs Plackett. Who mysteriously dropped dead, along with her brother, at Sunday dinner. Poisoned, the girls deduce, by the veal.

Faced with the possibility of getting sent home to their families, and away from the sisterhood the seven have formed, Smooth Kitty declares that there's a way they can stay at Saint Etheldreda's: if they pretend that their headmistress is still alive, bury the bodies in the garden and dress Stout Alice up as Mrs Plackett. All the while, of course, teaching their own lessons and trying to find out who murdered their headmistress.

There's a murder loose in their village and the seven will need to keep their wits about them to catch the killer before they strike again!

The Scandalous Sisterhood had a tough act to follow when I picked it up: I recently read Murder Most Unladylike, which I loved to pieces. And so, despite the amazing things I've heard about The Scandalous Sisterhood, I was worried for it. But as soon as I opened the book, saw the portraits of the seven and began reading, I realised I'd been worrying in vain: The Scandalous Sisterhood is brilliant! I adore the Victorian era and loved the quirkiness and mischeviousness of the seven girls – and the fun, interesting plotline too!

None of the girls were stereotypical of the Victorian era – or any era, really. Since there were seven main characters, it was only natural to prefer some and to find the others a bit flat, but I must say that I liked all of the girls. I found keeping track of them easy, thanks a lot to the cute, beautiful illustrations of the girls at the beginning and the little characters' relations summaries. I found this just too cute and very helpful!

I think my favourite character was probably Pocked Louise: she was very clever, determined and rather unique for the era as she was a girl obsessed with science. The strangest character was the odd and spookily funny Dour Elinor: her obsession with death was disturbing, but the character's little one-liners were very amusing! Smooth Kitty and Disgraceful Mary Jane were, I think, the two ring-leaders of the sisterhood. Kitty was clever and funny, if a little bold at time. And Mary Jane was scandalous and hilarious – even if a little painful! Stout Alice was brilliant – poor thing, though, dressing up like a dead old woman! She was funny and clever though. And I loved Dear Roberta and Dull Martha: bless them, they were so sweet!

Whilst all of the characters were pre-or-early-ish-teens, a fair few felt older than they would feel these days. After all, girls were expected to grow up fast in the Victorian era! I think some people might get put off by the fact that there's an adjective in front of each of the girls' names, but I thought it was cute and funny – it also helped in the beginning to keep track of the girls' personalities!

Berry's writing was absolutely perfect for the time period – and utterly addictive! It was a little confusing, admittedly, because the perspective switched between the girls quite a bit, but it was exciting and hooking nonetheless. It was also witty, funny, suspenseful and at times painful – those girls really got themselves into some dreadful scrapes! Which was so funny!

I love a good murder mystery, as I may have mentioned once or twice in previous reviews, and I'm generally pretty good at solving the murder. Call it too much CSIor psychicness (the answer is obviously psychicness – is that even a word, though?), but I'm not half bad at finding killers. And yet, for most of The Scandalous Sisterhood, I was just completely in the dark. I saw a few things coming a mile off, but the killer... I did not suspect that one! I loved all the twists – the plot turned out to be way more complex than one would originally think and it was awesome! Oh, and I liked the romance-aspects of the book: it was really subtle and used brilliantly to move the plot along.

The Scandalous Sisterhood was a brilliant book and such great fun! I read it in one sitting and was left desperate for more scandalous adventures! I loved the ending, how everything finished perfectly, but that it also left lots of scope for more adventures for our sisterhood of seven! I really hope there's another book!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Wells & Wong by Robin Stevens

Nancy Drew by Kathryn Keene

Young Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lane

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Picadilly Press in exchange for an honest review

I read and loved Half Bad - I've read it twice now actually! And now Half Wild is coming out - later this month, in fact, on the 26th! It's brilliant: there's more powers, more fighting, more Gabriel and more excitement! To get ready for Half Wild's release, the author Sally Green has made a few videos, answering some of the fan's questions. Today, we are lucky enough to have one of these videos - an exclusive Half Wild Insider! I don't know about you, but I'm so excited!

Enjoy!

Oh, and keep an eye on the Half Bad World website! There's going to be some cool things going on there soon! Things a certain blogger might be taking part in... ;)

While you're waiting for Half Wild, don't forget to follow Sally Green on Twitter!

Happy reading, guys! :)

Series: Study, Book Three

Publisher: Mira

Format: Paperback

Published: 16^th January 2009

Number of Pages: 448

Book: Bought

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Mystery, Suspence, Action-Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Sexual and Sexual Assault References

Author's Blog: Maria V. Snyder

WARNING: COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS... AND FANGIRLING.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

The apprenticeship is over.

Now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder – able to capture and release souls – spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena’s unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena’s fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before.

Honour sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies and enemies. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself – and save the land she holds dear.

Review:

Finally, I've finished my review! And just in time for Shadow Study! Enjoy...

"Fire is your downfall, little bat. Can not call it. Can not control it...."

It seems things were never intended to be easy for Yelena Liana Zaltana. Having escaped her homeland to seek magical training in birthplace of Sitia, she soon found out that she is a Soulfinder, a rare kind of magician with the ability to control souls.

Sitia has had an unhappy history with Soulfinders: the last one raised an army of the dead and was burnt on the stake. So when word gets around about what Yelena is, the reaction is not positive.

As the Council decide what to do with Yelena, she and her brother Leif go in search of the outcast magic clan Daviian and the wannabe King of Ixia, Cahil. They soon discover that the Daviian Vermin are using an ancient and brutal form of blood magic – and have a very powerful magician amongst them: a Fire Warper.

But quickly the Vermin grow in strength and become infinitely more deadly. So deadly, in fact, that they spark a plot to destroy Ixia, Yelena's former home.

With the Council turned against her, and with no way to help save Ixia, Yelena flees with her brother Leif to the one place they can be safe. There, she will have to prove herself to both kingdoms and stop the Fire Warper and the Vermin clan – before they destroy them all...

I love the Yelena Zaltana series and I was so sad that Fire Study would be my final Yelena-centric novel... And then along came Shadow Study and I was overjoyed! Still, I can't help feeling a sense of loss after finishing Fire Study, as it is the end of a trilogy I adored. And it finished so brilliantly, I think. We saw Sitia and Ixia, saw friends from both books, were taken on a series of wild adventures that constantly had me on the edge of my seat. I read Fire Study in a single sitting and loved every second – even though Yelena managed to get herself in a million scrapes! That girl is a trouble magnet! But, personally, I think that it is just... the perfect end to the original trilogy. And after reading it, I am itching at the collar to read Shadow Study– NOW!

Yelena, I think, was perfect in this one. She was looked to as a leader, but she worried about whether she was doing the right thing, like all young people. She was strong and vulnerable, funny and scared and real. She planned a lot more now – sure, she did her rush-in thing too, but she took charge more. She made a few mistakes early on, but I really admired how she grew.

Valek: oh, how I adore Valek. Every time he says 'love' I swoon a little. He is just... perfect. I love him so so much. I also love how he's protective but not overbearing: he lets Yelena do her Yelena thing and doesn't try to stop her. He's the best heart mate ever – I wish he was all mine.

I quite liked Leif, Yelena's brother, by the end of Magic Study. By the end of Fire Study, I loved him. He is so funny and sarcastic – and a real brother too. And I loved how close Yelena and Leif became by the end of this one – it was so cute and so funny. Their sibling-bantering was hilarious, and when they fell out it felt real, like something siblings do (God knows I've ticked my brothers off a few times, and vice versa).

Onto the other characters. Firstly, Janco and Ari, who are the best things since sliced bread in my opinion. They rock: every time they're in a scene, they kill me. Janco with his craziness and big-talk, Ari with his attempts to tone Janco down... I love them. Love them love them love them. Then there was Moon Man, who was a bit mixed in this one, but by the end I loved him. And it was great to see Opal again – and it made me even more excited to read the Glass series!

But the animals in this series are awesome. Kiki, Yelena's horse, I love: she's hilarious. And Yelena also got a little bat buddy (a LBB) in this one too – love him!

As always, Snyder's writing was flawless and beautiful. I love her lyrical voice and the beautiful way she describes the lands and people. You can really feel Yelena in the words – stubborn and scared, strong and uncertain. It was perfect. The plot, too, was perfect and just nonstop – like all of the Study plots! But, out of all of them, this felt the most fast-paced and also the most... choppy. I have no better word. There was just so much going on so fast and it felt... I don't know. Not as flawless as the previous two books. Don't get me wrong – by most book standards, Fire Study is a work of pure magical art. But by the standard I hold Snyder to (which is probably unfairly high thanks to her amazingness) it fell a little short.

Nonetheless, I was hooked start to finish and was left thinking: 'Yeah. That was awesome – and a worthy finale.' Of course, I'm even more excited that it isn't the end, that the adventure isn't over, but it was still a good ending! And I really was shocked by that last twist, and terrified by one before it!

I've said numerous times that I adore this world – both the Ixian and Sitian sides. I love how both were visited in Fire Study– along with a few other worlds! The mythology Snyder used, on top of the existing magical Sitia and military Ixia, was so brilliant – she took the notion of heaven, hell and purgatory and made it so unique. Loved it!

I've loved every single moment of this series (even all the rush-in moments that ended with capture) and am sad it's over.... But it isn't over anymore, is it! Because we have a new Yelena trilogy! Excuse me while I do a crazy happy dance.

I'm back. I absolutely adored Fire Study; it was exciting, thrilling, magical, addictive and totally epic. I love all the characters, the world and the magicness of the series and can't wait to continue it with Shadow Study! Yay! I love you, Maria V. Snyder!

Star Rating:
4¼ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Grisha by Leigh Bardugo

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Happy Reading

Megan

Series: Wells & Wong, Book Two

Publisher: Corgi Childrens

Format: Paperback

Published: 29^th January 2015

Number of Pages: 352

Book: Bought

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Murder Mystery, Historical, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, Middle Grade, YA, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains:Death, Mild Swearing and Alcohol References

Author's Site: Robin Stevens

WARNING: COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS… WILL DEFINITELY INCLUDE LOTS OF FANGIRLING.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

I looked at Daisy. Her eyes were glittering and her cheeks were pink. This was Daisy with a Plan.

Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy’s home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy’s glamourous mother is throwing a tea part for her birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn’t about Daisy at all. (Naturally, Daisy is furious.)

Then one of the guests falls seriously, mysteriously, fatally ill – and everything points to poison.

Suddenly, Fallingford feels like a very dangerous place to be. And when someone close to Daisy looks suspicious, the girls must reveal the truth… no matter the consequences.

Review:

“Daisy and I will both need to think like detectives again. You see, just now we overheard something quite awful; something that proves that what happened to Mr Curtis was not simply an accident, or a sudden illness. Someone did this to him, and that can only mean one thing: the Detective Society has a brand-new case to investigate…”

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong's Detective Society have already solved one huge mystery – the Murder of Miss Bell. Now, on holiday from school at Daisy's home, they plan to attend the tea party Daisy's mother is throwing for Daisy and eat cake and deal with the extended Wells family.

Of course, this isn't what they end up doing, not when a guest mysteriously and suddenly becomes ill – the deadly kind of ill...

When Daisy and Hazel discover that his death wasn't accidental but was, in fact, murder – poison, to be precise – they of course have to investigate.

With everyone present turning from guests to suspects, Daisy's home Fallingford seems deadly dangerous...

It seems the Detective Society has a new case – one a little too close to home...

I absolutely adored Murder Most Unladylike, so of course I had to pick up a copy of Arsenic For Tea the moment I laid eyes on it in WHSmith. I began reading the book in Costa, as you do, and was a hundred pages in before I could came up for air. Oh, how I love this series! It's the most fun, exciting and brilliant thing to read – I would happily read both Wells & Wong books back to back, over and over for a whole year. And speaking of this year, a third book is coming out later in 2015! I knew this was going to be the best year ever!

Hazel has become a lot stronger since the events of MMU– and a much better detective too. She's still the calm to Daisy's crazy, the emotion to Daisy's logic and the one who narrates the Detective Society's exploits. I love Hazel!

I really don't know how Daisy kept it together for so long in Arsenic For Tea! Poor girl. But she was her smart, sneaky, cunning, witty, bossy self – and I loved it. I also loved seeing more emotion from her, seeing her vulnerable side.

This time Kitty and Beanie were allowed to join in with the detecting, something that added new depths to Hazel and Daisy's little partnership. It showed just how brilliant the President and Vice President of the Detective Society are – and added extra mayhem to the mystery! Kitty was funny and Beanie was sweet – and it was nice to get to know them better.

Now, I really don't want to say too much about the other characters – can't give away any spoilers! – but I will say they were a varied, bizarre and intriguing bunch! Some were hilarious (Lord Hastings), some were curious (Miss Alston) and some were irritating (Lady Hastings). But I felt each and every one of them were unpredictable, mysterious and intriguing. I also had no freaking clue who the murderer was – like, no clue. It's embarrassing...

Oh, and it's cool – the Inspector had the same name as the author of An Inspector Calls– Priestley. Great play – great inspector. Although this isn't really anything to do with Arsenic For Tea. Just noting it...

Moving on from that, I absolutely adore Stevens' writing – it's so 1930s, so addictive and so brilliant. I love Hazel's voice, the suspense, the humour and the heart. It’s so brilliant!

Now, because the death in Arsenic For Tea happened in Daisy's own home, the plot was a lot more complicated than in Murder Most Unladylike, because the majority of the suspects were related to Daisy. This, obviously, made the detecting feel much more urgent. Letting Kitty and Beanie in on the secret on top of the personal angle made for an infinitely intriguing and exciting plot, one that kept me hooked and guessing from the first page to the very last. Robin Stevens truly is a master of the whodunnit – and at making me scratch my head! Bravo! And I also like how the plots aren't as open-shut as they first seem. The motives behind the murders are real – believable. Like in this one... I kind of totally got it.

How I adore the Wells & Wong series! It is just so much fun! It makes me feel younger, smarter and more interesting – and I just have so, so much fun reading it! I literally love everything about it and cannot wait for First Class Murder! It can't come quickly enough! I can't be without my two favourite detectives for too long! I'll lose my detective-ing edge!

If you've deduced by the end of this review that I absolutely, totally and completely adore the Wells & Wong series, bravo! Brilliant detective-ing! If you've listened to the facts and done the smart thing, you will decide to go out right now and buy both Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic For Tea and read them on the floor in the bookshop. Which is a brilliant idea – one I wholly support and one you won't regret!

But I've talked your ear off, haven't I? I apologise – I just loved Arsenic For Tea so much! Before I go (and because Hazel is so fond of lists), I feel I should end this review with a little list of why EVERYONE EVERYWHERE must read the Wells & Wong series ASAP! Here we go...

Murder mysteries have been proven to be good for the brain – especially murder mysteries set in the '30s in England following two brilliant school-girl detectives.
The girls are hilarious – mischievous, devious, sneaky, brilliant, clever, a little bonkers. Basically, they are all such bricks! (Read Wells & Wong to find out what brick means.) You'll love the girls and will hold your breath as they sneak around, finding clues and questioning suspects without them even realising!
Arsenic For Tea is marvellously gripping! It will suck you in, hold you tight and not let you go 'til the very end. It is more addictive than bun breaks!
You never know who the murderer is – you literally suspect everyone and are left on the tip of your toes like Hazel and Daisy, watching everyone and trying to detect their secrets.
Reading a Wells & Wong book is more fun and more addictive than watching Scooby Doo while drinking tea (arsenic-free), eating chocolate and reading a good book. Which is one of the most addictive scenarios I've ever encountered. Which means this book is seriously hardcore.
It's set in the '30s! This leads to all kinds of awesome words, (occasionally) wonderful manners, Lords, Ladies, butlers and lots of other awesomeness that's enough to make a girl want to invent a time machine, hop inside, and pop back in time. Trust me, if you read it, you'll want the exact same thing!
Now, who here didn't want to be Sherlock Holmes as a kid? Exactly! Everyone wanted to be Sherlock! Well, this book lets you live your dream and have so much fun doing it!
If you don't read the Wells & Wong series, you'll be a dreadfully bad sport – and you wouldn't want that. If you read it, however, you shall be a brick!
Reading Murder Most Unladylike and Arsenic For Teais the most fun you'll have in any murder mystery! Just clear an afternoon before starting – you won't want to put it down. I stayed up 'til the wee hours to finish – and didn't care one bit, because it was just so marvellous!
Because... just because! I've been rambling for this long! Because I read both books in one sitting! They are too freaking addictive! They are so much fun! They are amazing! Because I've just used a billion exclamation marks in a row – something that means this is deadly serious! Just trust me and read them now! Like, right now. I'll be waiting!

And that's my list. I hope I've convinced you! I can't recommend Wells & Wong enough and have already pushed the book onto my family and friends. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of the books!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nancy Drew by Kathryn Keene

Young Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lane

Happy Reading

Megan

Series: The Fire Sermon, Book One

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Format: ARC

Published: 26^th February 2015

Number of Pages: 432

Book: ARC*

Genre: Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing and Alcohol References

Author's Twitter: Francesca Haig (@FrancescaHaig)

“When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes. The complete set.

They would be disbelieving – nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.

Nobody.”

Born as twins. Raised as enemies.

One strong Alpha twin and one mutated Omega; the only thing they share is the moment of their death.

The Omegas live in segregation, cast out by their families as soon as their mutation becomes clear. Forced to live apart, they are ruthlessly oppressed by their Alpha counterparts.

The Alphas are the elite. Once their weaker twin has been cast aside, they’re free to live in privilege and safety, their Omega twin far from their thoughts.

Cass and Zach are both perfect on the outside: no missing limbs, no visible Omega mutation. But Cass has a secret: one that Zach will stop at nothing to expose.

The potential to change the world lies in both their hands. One will have to defeat the other to see their vision of the future come to pass, but if they’re not careful both will die in the struggle for power.

Review:

“The blast shattered time. In an instant, it cleaved time irrevocably into Before andAfter. Now, hundreds of year later, in the After, no survivors remained, no testimonies. Only seers like me could glimpse it, momentarily, in the instant before waking, or ambushing us in the half-second of a blink: the flash, the horizon burning up like paper…”

After the world ended, the survivors began to have twins – all of them. A boy and a girl. One perfect, strong, healthy: an Alpha. The other sick, deformed, weak, infertile: an Omega. The Omegas are sent away – out of sight, out of mind, far away so they can't contaminate the Alphas. But there's more: a link between the twins – they are tied together, their fates entwined. If one is sick, so is the other. If one dies, the other dies too.

Normally, it's easy to tell which twin is the Omega. Not for Cass and Zach. Both babies were perfect – but no one escapes. Cass hid a secret for thirteen years – that she was a seer, an Omega with strange and powerful abilities. She is discovered and sent away. She begins to build a life for herself in the Omega settlement.

But then Zach gains political power and he sends someone to grab Cass. To stay safe, he locks her away, isolates her, sends another seer to interrogate her. Haunted by visions, she slowly begins to lose control...

Her twin is not the boy he used to be. He isn't the person she played with, whispered with in the night.

And so she decides to escape. She needs to leave – before Zach hurts her more, before her visions come true.

Along with an amnesiac one-armed Omega, Cass goes on the run, desperately searching for the one place she will be safe: the rumoured Omega-rebellion-ruled island. But with the way Alphas treat their Omegas shifting, getting worse with every passing moment, would they even be safe on the island...?

Wow. Just... wow. I really don't know where to start with The Fire Sermon. It was so stunning. It took the dystopian genre, turned it on its head and made it about a million times more amazing. I was expecting great things from The Fire Sermon– impossibly great things, I thought. But it lived up to every single one of my expectations – and totally overtook them. I adored the writing, world-building, characters and plot lines. I adored the addictiveness, the suspense, the excitement. And I just can't believe I have to wait a whole freaking year until the second book comes out. I don't know how I'll survive so long!

Cass was amazing – damaged, but so strong, naive, but smart too. I adored her and just know she's going to continue growing to be a truly strong leading lady. Maybe she needs to be a little less trusting, a little more worldly, but I kind of liked that about her: that even though she's a Seer, even though she sees horrible things so often, she's still hopeful, idealistic. It was a nice change to all the cynical antagonists we see nowadays. She's also totally real and relatable; she felt just like someone I'd meet in the real world today.

And I really loved Kip: he was adorable! He was just the sweetest and loveliest and funniest and cutest thing! He was good and kind, without being as naive as Cass – which is odd, since he was the amnesiac one with no memories of himself... But I loved Kip and I loved the relationship between him and Cass – how naturally it grew, how adorable they were together.

Piper really grew on me as the book went on. I began a little nervous of him, a little sceptical. But he was so brave and good and honourable. I really liked him by the end – especially with that little twist...

As for Zach... God, I don't know what to do with Zach. It was clear Cass still loved him – he was her brother, after all – but he was so horrid to Omegas. I just... don't know what to do with him. I mean, the relationship between Cass and him killed me. My little brothers are twins, and they always have each other’s backs. That's what being a twin should be – what being siblings should be. To see the way Zach treated Cass... horrible. To see the way all Alphas treated Omegas (and, at times, Omegas treated Alphas) was horrifying and devastating. But the way Cass felt for Zach, the way she tried to look after him, even after everything he'd done... it was so beautiful.

There were scores of other small characters, some I adored, some I hated. The one that terrified me the most was, of course, The Confessor: that woman was evil and terrifying! I truly admired the character development in the story: they all felt real, even the small characters, even the ones who were so different from today. Amazing.

The writing was so, so beautiful – haunting, descriptive, addictive, elegant, authentic. Like how Cass described a battle: it held nothing back, no sweet sugar coatings. It was bloody and honest, and the lyrical way it was written made it beautiful and dreadful and, strangely, real. Cass felt real: her voice was authentic and beautiful and so absorbing. Not many authors can put me instantly under a spell when writing fiction such as this (with huge amounts of world-building) but Francesca managed it effortlessly and left me wanting more.

As for the plot... I'll admit, there were definite slow-burner moments in the book, but the racking-up of suspense made up for that. Also, in the first books of epic fiction like this, there has to be time for world-building! But more on that in a minute. Back to the plot: I really loved it. It was unpredictable and gripping and amazing. I was totally hooked and desperate to know how everything would end. I had a few ideas of where it was all going: many turned out to be so very wrong, some were right and some were in the general(ish) vicinity. I do like being surprised – generally speaking. But this part at the end... a few parts really... just NO! No, Francesca, how can you do this to me? Not only have you done... that... but you've also left off in a place that will drive me crazy with unanswered questions 'til the second book comes out next year. And so again I go NOOO!

But this world... wow wow wow. It was so just breath-taking. And, in an odd way, so real. Sure, it's a dystopian world where one 'perfect' twin is just awful to the 'flawed' twin. It's a world with secret islands, dreadful experiments, seers, rebellions and a sinister Council. But the way all these people act is so human, so real and believable. I couldn't – still can't – quite put my finger on what it was that made this world so three-dimensional, real and tangible to me, but it was there. I saw Cass, Kip and the Keeping Rooms, Piper and the island, in my head as I read. This world... it blew me away. It was horrible and it was brilliant. I can't wait to go back.

I also think The Fire Sermon has true crossover appeal: teens will love it, but adults will too. It's not like Hunger Games or Divergent, which are definitely aimed at teenagers. The Fire Sermon is both perfect for the typical YA audience, but is also sophisticated enough for adults to adore it too.

As for the upcoming (hopefully!) film adaption, I'm very interested to see how they will do it. It looks like it's got a great team and the breath-taking scenery will look stunning on the big screen. I'm really hoping they do this great book justice!

I've said something similar before, in other reviews, but I simply must say it again for this book: The Fire Sermon had a magic to it, something different and unique and beautiful and utterly compelling. I was drawn in from the very first sentence and not let go for all four-hundred-and-seventeen pages, not even for one moment. I know The Fire Sermon won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I adored it – if you haven't gathered that by this point!

The Fire Sermon was unique and beautiful and chilling and addictive. If you're looking for an eloquent dystopian novel with an epic-fantasy feel to it, I honestly can't recommend The Fire Sermon enough. I will be dying until the next book and want to tell you all now: Francesca Haig is an author to watch! If this is how amazing her debut novel is... I can't wait for her second!

Star Rating:
4¼ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Chronicles of Ixia by Maria V. Snyder

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Grisha by Leigh Bardugo

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

Publisher: Orion

Format: ARC

Published: 5^th February 2015

Number of Pages: 272

Book: ARC*

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Faerie Tale, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 13+

Contains:Violence, Swearing, Alcohol References

Author's Site: Holly Black

Faeries. Knights. Princes. True love.

Think you know how the story goes?

Think again…

Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, is a glass casket. Inside lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He’s the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him – but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for…

Review:

“Hazel had seen a surfeit of faeries awfulness, but she was still lured by stories of its beauty and wonder. She'd hunted them and feared them, but, like the rest of Fairfold, she loved them, too...”

In the town of Fairfold, humans live alongside the fae. The fae pray on naive tourists, but those who live in Fairfold know the real danger of the faeries' magic.

Hazel and her brother Ben were born in Fairfold to forgetful artists. As children, their imaginations reigned supreme – they went on quests, fought monsters and even killed fae. But what they did most of all was dream about the horned boy with pointy ears in the glass coffin.

The boy has been there for as long as anyone can remember, sleeping, never waking. Hazel and Ben used to dream about him – about rescuing him, about him falling in love with one of them, about how he is a prince and that one day he will wake up.

But then he does. He disappears from the coffin. And everything changes.

A monster stalks the town. Wishes turn deadly. Panic spreads.

And the Alderking hunts for the horned boy - for the one who broke the curse...

I have been so excited for The Darkest Part Of The Forest– like, ridiculously excited. So excited that I was terrified even the amazing Holly Black wouldn't be able to live up to my hopes. Oh, how foolish I was to worry! Holly, as always, blew me away. She delivered a faerie story with a difference, something dark and beautiful and enchanting and dangerous. It was intoxicating, addictive and so brilliantly Holly Black! And I just... I freaking loved it.

Hazel was such a complicated character – I was so, so impressed with the amount of characterisation Holly managed to fit into one girl in one book. Hazel was a character that really grew on you; you started off thinking that, yeah, she was pretty cool, but by the end you were blown away by her strength and bravery and foolishness and love and stubbornness and badassness.

Ben, I adored. The gay big brother with a difference and a dark secret that broke your heart. He was so sweet and clever and funny. I loved him! And I loved watching him and Hazel, watched them get close all over again. He was an awesome brother!

Jack – oh, I was so torn about him for ages, because he wasn't really in the book thatthat much. But then there was this chapter from his perspective and... I totally fell for Jack. He made so much sense and my heart hurt for him. He was complex and sweet and funny and brilliant. Totally love him!

And as for the Horned Prince – or Severin, to use his real name. Unfortunately, I found it hard to read Severin without thinking Severus... Oh well. Severin intrigued me and I think I may have become almost as infatuated with him as Hazel and Ben were. I really don't know what it was about him, but I fell for him. He was... a prince: noble, loyal, brave, caring... I loved him.

None of the characters in this book were perfect – they were so far from it. And that just made me love them more. Well, 'cept for the Alderking. Hated him. Wasn't fond of Jack's elf mother either. But other than that, brilliant!

Holly Black is one of the most versatile authors when it comes to writing style. She can write excitingly and simply, like in Spiderwick. She can write snark and angst, like in Curse Workers. And she can write beautiful, simple and otherworldly prose, like in The Darkest Part Of The Forest. This writing... it was so very beautiful. Seriously: there was so much backstory, so much description, but it was all just so beautiful and perfect and enchanting that it was just... effortless, to learn it all.

This plot... it was just so unexpected! I literally never knew what to expect. Just like the Folk, it was unpredictable and freaking addictive. I couldn't get enough. The action sequences, the fighting, were amazing. The way Holly racked up the suspense was genius, wrapping fae magic up with mysterious happenings, a mystery, fighting and an Alderking. It's safe to say that I freaking loved it.

I adore the world Holly created so so much. She's a master of writing fae – seriously, a freaking black-belted, multi-award-winning master – and The Darkest Part Of The Forest might be my very favourite of her faerie tales to date. The idea of this town living on the edge of a forest inhabited by wild fae was amazing – especially when you added the horned boy in the coffin, the tourists coming to see the fae and the fae doing all kinds of cruel things to the tourists because Fairfold residents were off-limits. Yes, a fascinating, terrifying, beautiful, breath-taking world indeed!

The Darkest Part Of The Forest was pure magic – and far exceeded even my highest of expectations, also managing to be something totally different than your usual YA faerie book. In fact, it was the best possible faerie tale imaginable; enchanting, magical, addictive, stunning, unexpected, twisty. Full of fey, changelings, knights, kings, monsters, friends and a very odd town, The Darkest Part Of The Forest has left me both utterly satisfied and yet thirsty for more of this special blend of magic. And, really, can you ask for any more than that?

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Indigo in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

I adore Maria V. Snyder: she is one of my favourite authors ever. I freaking loved the original Study trilogy and was over the moon when I found out about Shadow Study! I was even more excited when I was asked to take part in the Shadow Study Blog Tour! Yay! So here is a Q&A with the amazing, lovely Maria V. Snyder! Enjoy! :D

Me: Shadow Studyis the first in a new trilogy starring Yelena Zaltana. What will this new series be about - and will it be as action-packed as the original trilogy?

Maria V. Snyder: The new series will be about Yelena and Valek and will have chapters from both their POVs. They are both dealing with various problems and issues. Yelena is shot with a poisoned bolt and her magic is blocked so she’s searching for a cure while trying to keep ahead of her enemies who have learned she’s vulnerable. Valek is dealing with a young hot shot assassin who is trying to take his job as Security Chief. His interactions with the assassin cause him to remember when he was a young hot shot so there are many details about Valek’s past in the first book. The second and third books continue with both stories. And of course there will be LOTS of action – I can’t write a book without it!

Me: What made you revisit Yelena and Valek? Did you originally plan to revisit the series? And what made you decide to have Shadow Study narrated by Yelena, Valek and Janco?

MVS: My readers are the reason I revisited Yelena and Valek. They’ve been clamouring for more stories since Fire Study was published back in 2008 and I finally had an idea that I thought would be good enough for a novel. I decided to switch between three characters because I really wanted to explore Valek’s past and that’s hard to do from Yelena’s POV. Plus I was in Yelena’s head for 3 books and I wanted a change and a challenge. I put in Janco’s because he’s such a blast to write, I couldn’t resist.

Me: Now, from your Studyseries, I of course love Yelena, Valek, Janco and Leif, but I think my favourite has to be Kiki! Do you have a favourite character from this series?

MVS: I’d have to say Janco. I just like his humour and cockiness and rants against sand. I think with all the action and problems and bad things going on, Janco adds a bit of humour and a bit of a break for readers.

Me: You've created many worlds – magical and dystopian – which would you most like to live in and why?

MVS: I’d live in Ixia. I attended 12 years of Catholic school and never once minded wearing a uniform – it just made my mornings easier J. I’d also like to think I’d be one of the Commander’s advisers or one of Valek’s spies and that sounds like fun.

Me: In the Studyand Glass series, which clan do you think you'd most like to be a part of?

MVS: The Zaltanas. I climbed trees when I was younger and just loved being up in the branches where no one could see me. The thought of living in a huge treehouse….heaven!

Me: If you could have any magical power, what would you like to have and why?

MVS: I’d want to be a healer like Avry. I’ve so many friends and family members who suffer with various ailments and pain that I just want to be able to touch them and make them instantly better!

Me: What drew you to the fantasy genre and how do you come up with all of your amazing ideas?

MVS: I like reading fantasy and science fiction so writing in those genres was a natural thing to do. I enjoy being able to go beyond the everyday world and incorporate magic or to take science to the next level in my stories. I get ideas from everywhere – life is a sea of stories and I’ll spark on the strangest things—like a comment from my kids, or an article in a magazine, or when I’m travelling, or from a random conversation with a stranger on a train. I dreamt the idea for Inside Out– yep in one night, I dreamt the entire story—characters, antagonists, world, and even the twists at the end. I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner that night as that hasn’t happened again!

Me: How much research do you do for your books - I heard you're pretty hands on!?

MVS: I do quite a bit as I’m a stickler for accuracy. If I’m going to have a horse in my book, then I’m going to learn everything I can about horses, including riding them. Yes, I try to do as much hands on as possible. I think that’s the best way to translate the experience to the reader and again, it’s great for accuracy. I don’t want my readers to email me that I got something wrong about blowing glass or anything else. Although the beauty with fantasy is I can create things in my world, but even then I must stay consistent. The poisons in Poison Study are all created because I couldn’t find real poisons to do what I wanted them to do – my kids are still not talking to me for experimenting on them ;).

Me: What book are you most looking forward to in 2015?

MVS: Gail Carriger’s Prudence. I loved her Parasol Protectorate series and this is the next generation.

Me: Finally, what advice would you give all aspiring fantasy authors out there?

MVS: Read a lot of books in the genre you’re writing and write a lot (every day if possible). Also persistence is key! Keep working on your story even when you think it’s terrible and has gone in the wrong direction. So many people start writing, but then don’t finish. If you wish to be published by a traditional publisher, then persistence will help you find one. You need to keep sending out your story until you run out of places to send it! That’s what I did with Poison Study and 57 rejections later, I found a publisher.

Quick Fire Round!

Pen and paper or computer? Computer

Fantasy or science fiction? Both

Reading or writing? Reading (writing is hard!)

Scientific genius or Master Magician? Master Magician

Favourite book of all time? The Gate to Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper

MVS: Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. If your readers would like more info about me and my books, I have the first chapter of all my books on my website as well as a number of free short stories (including ones with Yelena and Valek) they can read. Here’s the link: http://www.mariavsnyder.com. My Facebook page is where I’m the most active with updates and news. Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/mvsfans.

---

Thank YOU, Maria! It's been lovely having you! Everyone, go grab yourself a copy of Shadow Study RIGHT NOW! It is AMAZING! Grab it on Amazon, mark it To Read on Goodreads, just read it!

And check out my co-host for the blog tour today, Becca from Lost In Thought. Oh, and yesterday there were two more stops to check out: Jess Hearts Books and Midnight Reads! Enjoy!

Happy Reading Everyone!

I loved Black Horizon - it get's four stars from me! If you want to see my full review, check out The Big Book Project!

“Caroline, Addison, Ben; welcome to Gemini Force One..."

When Ben Carrington's father dies, his mother decides to set up a mountain-rescue team, based in her homeland Austria. But when disaster strikes again, she joins forces with a rich businessman and together they create the secretive rescue team named the Gemini Force.

All Ben wants to do is be part of the team – to save people. But being at college, it's a little hard to convince his mother to let him take part…

He'll just have to prove himself – while observing the heroic rescues carried out by the Gemini Force, of course.

But he has no idea what is waiting for him aboard Gemini Force One...

I remember watching old reruns of The Thunderbirds with my Dad and younger brothers. I remember loving the action and quirky humour, even if the puppets and special effects were a bit odd for me. I was so excited when I heard about Gemini Force One– a modern day Thunderbirds team written for teens? Yeah, I needed to get my hands on that book as soon as poss. And I must say, even with all the set-up, this book was truly exciting. I mean, when you open with someone falling from a plane, a second pilot throwing herself from a second plane to catch him and a Countess and her son climbing out on a ledge of one of the highest buildings in the country to rescue the pilots, you know you're in for an adrenaline-pounding ride. And I just know that the rest of the series are going to be a million times more amazing, now that the Gemini Force has been set up and established....

To Read On Click Here...

The Big Book Project

I'm part of a new Tumblr blogging group, made up of book bloggers and vloggers. If you're interested in a wide variety of genres and reviewing styles, as well as some (soon to come) different kinds of posts, check us out!

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant, Book One

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Paperback

Published: 29^th March 2012

Number of Pages: 604

Book: Bought

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Comedy, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Action-Adventure, Mystery, Children's, YA, Children's-YA Crossover

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Very Mild (And Hilarious) Sexual Innuendos

No Alcohol or Drug References

Author's Blog: Derek Landy Blogs Under Duress

Skulduggery Pleasant Site: Skulduggery Pleasant

WARNING: COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS... AND A LOT OF FANGIRLING.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, magician, warrior.

Oh yes, and dead.

The Death Bringer has risen. Skulduggery and Valkyrie have seven days to uncover the Necromancers’ secret before it’s too late.

The clock is ticking. Lord Vile is loose. And after this one, nothing will ever be the same again.

Review:

"On Sunday the world changes."

"On Sunday the world is saved."

"Yes," Skulduggery said, "well, we’ll see about that..."

The Death Bringer has been chosen – but it's not Valkyrie Cain (for once)... The Death Bringer, who is meant to bring about the mysterious 'Passage', which is meant to make the world better and solve death. Too good to be true? Almost certainly...

Lord Vile, the previous candidate for Death Bringer, has also returned. He's also a notorious war criminal. Not good.

And meanwhile the Sanctuary is going through massive changes, the Faceless Ones fanatics are stirring again, Tanith is missing, China's being blackmailed and Val is having some serious boyfriend troubles...

I'd forgotten about Death Bringer– forgotten, repressed, same difference... All the Skulduggery Pleasant books get progressively darker as the series goes on. But this one... it just breaks my heart every time. So very many things go so very wrong and... uh! I can't read Death Bringer without getting this horrid spasm in my heart. And yet even as these painful little twinges were happening, I was laughing my head off. Because Derek Landy has a serious gift. Hell, he has gifts plural; mad gifts. He's so gifted that his freaking gifts have gifts, and they too have gifts, and then they... You get the picture, right? My point is I adore Skulduggery Pleasant.

Skulduggery... you understand so much more about him in this book – why he is who he is, why he's like he is. And... to begin with it's a little disturbing but then... then your heart breaks in two. Oh, Skulduggery! I just want to give him a hug, even if it would be a little bit of a painful hug – you know, all the bones. He is a skeleton, after all. Ok, sorry: these jokes suck... Moving on: he's so amazing, he's so funny and he's so damaged. I lovehim.

As for Valkyrie: she annoyed me in this one. She was just... selfish. And also a little mean – poor Fletch! However, she was also badass and funny and real and good at heart. Come on: what teenager isn't a little self-involved? And also the poor girl's had a hell of a lot to deal with, especially for a sixteen-year-old. You just have to see her with Skulduggery or her uncle or her parents or her baby sister to see what a good person Val really is. I really love this girl – flaws and all.

Speaking of Fletcher Renn – break my heart! Poor poor Fletch... I really felt for China in this one too: she's done some bad stuff but she's trying to make amends. She has friends for the first time ever and she doesn't want to be alone anymore. I want to give her a hug too. And then there's Caelan... Um, he creeped me out. He was also unintentionally hilarious – with his cliché gothic proclamations of "eternal" and "burning passion". Ha! Seriously: so funny! But my fave supporting character? Val's dad: that man seriously kills me!

Once again, and as always, Landy's writing is second to none. It's not the most elegant, but it's adrenaline-fuelled, action-packed, hilarious and surprisingly emotional and deep for a MG fantasy book featuring a skeleton detective. I love Landy's writing – so, so much. And as for the plot for this one: Unpredictable. Awesome. A roller coaster. Non-stop. These are just a few of the words that pop to mind. Awesome in particular, since Derek Landy is undeniably awesome. Oh, totally twisty is another phrase – because damn! Death Bringeris just full of twists! Seriously: this book is as unpredictable as a rabid dingo on drugs! Does it get any more unpredictable than that?

To sum it up, Death Bringer was the most awesome book out of the most awesome series. I know I say that with each new book, but it's true. Death Bringer was emotional, hilarious, addictive and a perfect escape. I wish I could live in this world, with these people – even if I died or was just in the background. Because I love them all that much. Love Derek Landy and SP that much. And I really, really want you all to read this series if you haven't yet. I mean, you've been listening to me gush about this series for six books: when are you going to take my advice and read this amazing, amazing series?!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and reread Kingdom of the Wicked. Ciao!

Oh: P.S. This should be Derek Landy's catchphrase: "Be off with you. I have a book to write, characters to kill, and a party to plan." That is literally the most Derek Landy thing ever, even if it came out of Gordon’s mouth.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Department 19 by Will Hill

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Happy Reading

Megan

Publisher: Orion Children's Books

Format: Paperback

Published: 6^th November 2014

Number of Pages: 448

Book: For Review*

Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Action-Adventure, Contemporary, Gritty-Realism, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Drug and Sexual Assault References

Author's Site: Ryan Graudin

“There are three rules of survival in the Walled City:

RUN FAST. TRUST NO ONE. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR KNIFE.

Right now, my life depends completely on the first.

RUN, RUN, RUN.”

These streets are a maze. They twist into themselves – narrow, filled with glowing signs and graffitied walls.

DAI traffics drugs for the most ruthless man in the Walled City. To find freedom, he needs help from someone who can be invisible…

JIN LING hides under the radar, evading the street gangs as she searches for her lost sister…

MEI YEE survives trapped in a brothel, dreaming of escape while watching the girls who try fail and die.

Damaged and betrayed, can these three find the faith to join forces and escape the stifling city walls?

Review:

“Hak Nam Walled City. A recipe of humanity's darkest ingredients - thieves, whores, murderers, addicts – all mashed into six and a half acres. Hell on earth, he called it. A place so ruthless even the sunlight won't enter…”

In a city full of violence, correction, death and abuse, run by a vicious and all-powerful gangster, three teenagers try to find a way out...

Dai has been trapped in the Walled City, smuggling drugs, whilst he attempts to clear his name of a crime he did not commit so he can finally go home. And he is running out of time.

Jin Ling knows that girls cannot survive in Hak Nam, and so she disguises herself as a boy, stealing to survive, doing her best to seem invisible. She is searching for her sister, who was sold by their father and is being used as a slave in a brothel. All Jin Ling wants is to save her sister.

Mei Yee is Jin's lost sister, trapped in a brothel. She knows that to attempt to escape will get her a fate worse than death – but that doesn't mean she doesn't dream of freedom.

Alone, these three teenagers stand no chance of escaping the Walled City. But can they make it out together...? With just eighteen days left...?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up The Walled City. Certainly not just how brilliantly dark, dangerous and addictive it turned out to be. From the moment I began The Walled City, I was just hooked. I was thinking it would be a dystopian, a fantasy, but it was just... real. Too real at times. And that was just so gripping, so shocking. And so utterly original. I've never read anything like The Walled Citybefore – and that's saying something. I've read a lot. It might not be for everyone, but it was absolutely addictive and amazing and stunning and eye-opening for me.

Jin Ling was brilliant – clever, brave, fast, caring. I loved seeing her with her cat, Chma, and with Dai, loved when she thought of her sister, who she protected as best she could. She was just such an amazing character, one I truly rooted for, from the very beginning, because Jin was fierce, loyal and fearless.

Dai was an enigma – to begin with. And then... I got him. And I loved him. He was brave and solitary and clever and caring. He was haunted, like everyone in Hak Nam, desperate to get out, but he knew how to save himself, was willing to sacrifice himself for others. He was, in short, a hero – just as Jin was a heroine.

Mei Yee was perhaps the quietest and subtlest of the heroes, the one who was doubly trapped. She wasn't badass like Jin and Dai, but she was brave in her own way. She may have started out as the typical damsel in distress, but she wasn't helpless. Mei Yee was clever and brave and strong – stronger than she thought, than I thought.

There were few other characters in the book with large parts – after all, the second rule is to trust no one – but the minor characters all felt so real to me, even the ones that were just memories. But none were as vibrant and alive as our three narrators.

Because the writing was just... wow. I love multiple perspectives – like love them to death. And I adored getting to read from Jin, Dai and Mei Yee's points of view – it made everything so much more vital and intriguing and gave the book more depth. And Graudin had a way of writing: dark, gritty, suspenseful, addictive. It utterly put me under a spell and kept me hooked from the very first line to the very last.

The plot was just nonstop: always running, always fighting, always hiding, always sneaking... It was relentless and so addictive. And the way Graudin wove these three people together, wove their lives and chances for escape together, was nothing short of genius. And the action – the running and hiding and fighting... It was like a blockbuster movie put into words. Like reading a gritty thriller movie, watching it all play in my head... And yes, some might be... disappointed by the ending. But I, personally, loved it. So... there.

This world... it was stifling, oppressive, so very dark and bloody. I can't believe that this city really existed once, where children are just... It’s horrible. And it's still happening, isn't it? All over the world, so many children are at risk – and this book is, as Ryan herself says, inspired by children who are invisible to most. It's the dark, hidden world no one wants to admit exists. Maybe The Walled City is a dystopian, set in a dystopian world inspired by this city that once existed. But, to me at least, it felt too damn real to be dystopian. So real and so brutal. I can't say it's a world I loved reading about, but it was amazingly crafted – and made the three teenagers feel all the stronger for simply surviving in it.

I've read few books that feel utterly original and utterly amazing. That leave me speechless, leave me reeling. Leave me... different. But The Walled City... it was one of those books. It took my breath away, had me utterly hooked from the very first line. The Walled City... It's probably the most original thing I've read for a long time and it was stunning.

I will say that The Walled City isn't for everyone. It is dark. It is brutal. But it's the kind of book that makes you think – without forcing a message down your throat. It shows a city based on one that once existed. It shows a city ruled by corruption, gangs and violence. It shows you how hard children have to fight to survive, what they are forced to turn into when confronted by the hopelessness and death around them. It shows you survivors, surviving in their own way, and it makes you feel like you're besides them as they fight. It's an amazing book that is hard to read at times, but all the better for that fact.

The Walled City blew me away: it is deep, dark, pretty damn near perfect – I was left speechless for days, unable to say anything but 'My god, READ IT' to all my friends. The Walled City was simply stunning – I literally can't find the words to truly do it justice. It put me under a spell, an enchantment, and has left me breathless, needing, absolutely desperately needing, Graudin's new book, Wolf By Wolf.

And so I conclude this review by pointing out that dystopian worlds don't have to be the same – with revolutions and warriors. They can be set in a world that is dreadfully real, following three amazing characters as they try to save themselves. You can write storylines worthy of films or comic books as YA novel, show the darkest sides of the world and create something that is utterly unique, utterly amazing and so freaking brilliant.

I know I'm rambling. I'm sorry. But can't you see? This book, The Walled City, is worthy of my rambling. It is worthy of nonstop recommendations. I just... Ugh, I still don't have the right words. Just, if want to think whilst being thrilled, if you don't mind darkness and violence, and if you want brave, real characters, read The Walled City. You will not regret it. Trust me. Trust the rambling. Read The Walled City now.

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Fearless by Emma Pass

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Street Duty by Chris Ould

Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Indigo in exchange for an honest review

Series: Lumikki Andersson/Snow White Trilogy, Book One

Translated By: Owen F. Witesman

Publisher: Hot Key

Format: Paperback

Published: 7^th August 2014

Number of Pages: 240

Book: For Review*

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Murder Mystery, Gritty Realism, Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol, Drug, Smoking and Sexual References

Lumikki Andersson is familiar with secrets and lies, but she also has a rule not to mind other people’s business.

When she discovers a lot of money – hanging, blood stained, in her school darkroom – that rule is put sharply to the test.

Lumikki is quickly drawn deep into the heart of Finland’s criminal underworld, caught in a dangerous web of corruption, deceit and murder.

She is no longer an observer, she is a target. And she needs to out-smart a ruthless killer.

The first volume in a stunning thriller sequence from acclaimed Finnish crime-writer, Salla Simukka.

Review:

“Once upon a time there was a girl who learned to fear.

Fairy tales do not begin this way. Other, darker stories do…”

Lumikki Andersson is a Finnish-Swedish loner, though she doesn't mind being alone. You see, she has rules – mottoes. One is not to meddle – not to get involved. Another is not to jump to conclusions.

But when she stumbles across thousands of euros of money, hanging up to dry in the darkroom, smelling of old blood, it's hard not to get involved. Especially when she sees a classmate emerge from the room with a bulging backpack.

Soon, Lumikki is breaking all of her rules, as she's swept up in a dangerous plot involving the darkest areas of Finland's criminal underworld. All the while trying to stay one step ahead of a vicious, merciless murderer...

As Red As Blood began with a bang and did not let up for a single moment. I adore crime novels – all sorts in all shapes and forms – and I was so excited to read As Red As Blood. Man, it did not let me down: it hooked me from the word go. Sure, to begin with I was a little confused. But soon everything was clear and I was addicted and then I was halfway through and still reading on, on, on... Yeah, I love my crime books and this is the first YA thriller that has really, truly captured that gritty, razor-sharp edge I love so much in the adult versions.

Lumikki was a brilliantly different character. She felt a little cold, a little distant for a while, but I quickly warmed up to her as we got to know her. She was brave, smart, resourceful and calculating. From what I could tell, she seemed like a natural at reading people – and a natural actress. She was strong – so strong that she never asked for help, even when her life was in danger. She just absolutely intrigued me. And though she claimed not to be Sherlock Holmes, she certainly thought a lot like him. And it is so frustrating and amazing that we still don't know her whole backstory. I'm going to be reading the rest of the series ASAP, just so I can try to understand this fascinating, badass, genius, enigma of a lead girl.

The other characters were a little more meh – not nearly as interesting as Lumikki. Tuukka and Kasper were kind of dick-like, actually. But Elisa was so sweet – enthusiastic, a little naive and a little bit broken, but smarter and tougher than she originally appeared. I also liked how she made Lumikki a little more human – a little more in touch with her emotions.

As for the villains in this book... well, I can't say much, can I? Can't give spoilers! All I can say is that they were gangstas. They were intriguing. And I have a bad feeling they will come back – the Polar Bear in particular...

I can't tell you what the original version of this book was like – I don't read Finnish – but I really liked the translation. Simukka really painted a picture before my eyes, including these awesome seemingly random details that later turned out to mean something. And I can't quite explain it, but something about Simukka's writing really appealed to me. She had a way of getting beautiful descriptions into short, sharp sentences – it was such an unusual combination, a formula that shouldn't have worked, and yet it totally did.

The plot... like I said before, I was a little confused to begin with – about how the threads of the story went together. But soon it was all so brilliantly interlinked and utterly clear. I liked that we followed different characters' stories, how we got to see into the minds of the good, the bad and the middlings - it worked so well once I'd gone past the first few chapters, once I knew what was going on. And it was so addictive too! There was so much build-up, so much suspense, so many teasers about Lumikki's past... The ending felt a little abrupt, but it also sort of fitted with the story – short, sharp, hard, glistening like frozen snow. And while this tale was wrapped up, I feel like a new fairy tale built in that last chapter, a new story is about to begin. And I can't wait to read it.

I'm not going to lie to you, I was kind of expecting a fairy tale retelling, but actually there were just fairy tale references – like how Lumikki means Snow White, the park looked like the Snow Queen had gone through it and a fairy tale-themed party... I quite liked this subtlety – it's so different from all the other fairy-tale retellings out there, mainly thanks to the awesome crime-thriller plot and the fact that it's a key theme (to quote English Lit). But also because, I think, Simukka took the darkest sides of fairy tales – the warnings that they once contained. Bad things happen to little girls...

I've read and enjoyed loads of crime books – including The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which As Red As Blood is a lot like. But while I love The Dragon Tattoo, but I think I may have enjoyed As Red As Blood more. Maybe it’s because the characters are nearer to my age. Maybe it's because Lumikki is fascinating and solitary, not hostile (unless she needs to be). Maybe it's because there isn't as much horrific violence all the time. Maybe it's the brilliant vividness the fairy tale theme running through creates.

Or maybe it's because As Red As Blood is a brilliant, exciting and thrilling read that I truly enjoyed – so much so that I really can't wait to read the sequel. If you're into rather dark crime thrillers with the most interesting lead character I've come across in contemp YA for ages, As Red As Blood is a definite must-read – not to be missed!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Dark Eyes by William Richter

Street Duty by Chris Ould

Empty Coffin and Vengeance by Gregg Olsen

The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Hot Key in exchange for an honest review

I've finally gotten round to joining in with Top Ten Tuesday again - finally! It's hosted by the wonderful The Broke And The Bookish - head over to their blog, join in with TTT and post a link to your post in the Linky widget... thing so everyone can see! Join in every week (like I plan on doing from now on!)! :D

Now, this week the topic is:

Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books (anything that inspires you, challenges you, makes you think, encourages you, etc.)

Since there are way too many quotes to choose from, this list might involve some minor cheats... Oops!

These two (I know, cheating) remind me that everyone is a little bit bonkers and I should embrace my uniqueness:

1. “We’re all mad here” from Alice In Wonderland and Luna Lovegood’s “Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am”.

These two (another cheat) are about changing things. The first inspires me to make a difference and the second reminds me that books have more power than most people think:

2. “Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!” Katniss Everdeen, from Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. And from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, “One must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

And this one reminds me nothing is truly impossible:

3. “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast,” from Through The Looking Glass

This one challenges me to think outside the box – it’s also so, so true:

4. “Doors are for people with no imagination,” Skulduggery Pleasant, of course, by the wonderful Derek Landy

This quote inspires me to live every single day like it’s my last:

5. “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities,” Hazel Grace from The Fault In Our Stars

This quote makes me smile and reminds me to have hope:

6. “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light,” as said by the amazing Professor Dumbledore

These two (cheating again, I know) inspire me to confident and sure of myself – and not to feel self-conscious about Tweeting and telling people about my work:

7. “Time to be awesome,” as said by Daemon Black from Lux by Jennifer L Armentrout, and “I don’t show off. I merely demonstrate my abilities at opportune times”, as said by the wonderful Skulduggery Pleasant

This one reminds me that I have people who love and support me – and that I have people I love and support in return:

8. “Take my hands… And my strength too. Whatever of it you can use to – to keep yourself going,” Alec from The Mortal Instruments

The next one makes me realise I’m always changing and so is everyone else. It inspires me to always change and improve – but also to never let myself change completely and vanish. It also reminds me that books can be as utterly devastating as they are beautiful:

9. “Every seven years our bodies change, every cell. Every seven years we disappear,” as said by Tessa from Before I Die by Jenny Downham, the first book that had me sobbing my eyes out whilst smiling

This quote reminds me everyone can be good and bad at the same time. It encourages me to embrace the light and always try to be as good as I can be:

10. “We’ve all got both dark and light inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are,” Sirius Black.

So, those are my quotes! Let me know what you think - and leave me a link to your TTT too! or just leave your choices in the comments! :D

Have a great Tuesday!

Happy Reading

Megan

Yep. I'm entering the Vlogosphere now. It's exciting. And terrifying. This is my new YouTube channel: expect upcoming craziness...

Until then, enjoy my intro video! And subscribe if you'd like! :)

Series: A Court Of Thorns And Roses, Book One

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Published: 5^th May 2015

Number of Pages: 432

Book: ARC*

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Epic Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller, Suspense, Fairy Tale Retelling, Mystery, YA, New Adult

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Sexual and Alcohol References

Author's Site: Sarah J. Maas

Blurb From Goodreads:

The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series.

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Review:

I feel it’s only fair to warn you in advance. It’s taken me a whole damn month to finally get my obsessed and adoring feels down. This review will be fangirly and rambly and quite possible incoherent. How better to let the whole damn world know about the awesomeness of my favourite fantasy book of 2015? Read A Court Of Thorns And Roses now people!

“I knew – I knew I was headed down a path that would likely end in my mortal heart being left in pieces, and yet... And yet I couldn't stop myself…”

Once, humans were ruled by faeries, who used them as they pleased. But following a vicious and bloody war, the humans broke free from the shackles of their enslavement by proposing a Treaty, outlining acceptable and forbidden behaviour on both sides – and splitting countries into mortal and faerie realms.

Feyre is a human, and ever since her family went broke and were forced to live in a small shack, they've struggled to survive. Her father cannot work and her older sisters refuse to. And so it comes down to Feyre to keep them all alive.

When you are a huntress and starving, depended upon, and you find a huge wolf in the woods… even though it might be the very species you fear above all else, a faerie, do you still kill it? Do you have a choice?

Feyre takes the shot, but she never could have imagined the true price of killing one of the fae – until a faerie beast barges into her home and demands a life for a life…

Dragged to the faerie kingdom Prythian for breaking a rule she didn't know existed, Feyre is left in a large house with Tamlin and what remains of his court.

Something is happening in Prythian, something terrible – something dangerous. It's spreading more every day, and no one knows how to stop it.

Feyre doesn't know what to do about Tamlin, her captor, who is so different from the vicious faeries she was told about. Who she is falling for...

When the beast is the most beautiful thing in a land of magic, death and danger, how can a human girl survive?

I absolutely adore Sarah J. Maas'Throne of Glass series and when I found out that she was doing another fantasy series, chock-full of Fae, I almost screamed the house down in excitement. When A Court Of Thorns and Roseslanded on my doormat, I hugged my copy to my chest and just grinned. And then, once I'd got my fangirly, excited, hyper, happy-freak out under control, I opened ACoTaR up and began to read. And I fell even more in love with the book than with the Throne of Glassseries, something I did not believe could be possible. And yet, A Court Of Thorns And Roses. Man, I loved this book SO MUCH!

Feyre was like an epic fantasy version of Katniss Everdeen – but, to me at least, so much more awesome. She was brave and hard and soft and kind and caring and badass and compassionate. She was amazing and I just loved her. She was easy to relate to, but also a real heroine – a balance that is hard to perfect. Feyre also wasn't perfect, she wasn't some perfect faerie princess; she was just Feyre, she was real.

And then there was Tamlin: I know Feyre wasn't won over right away, but I really was. Tam... he was so perfect. I adored him. He was kind and funny and protective and brooding and sweet and badass and... just everything you'd want from a Fae High Lord and so much more too. I love him!

I know it's basically the same cover,
but it's so gorgeous!!

His friend Lucien could be a bit of a git at times, but he was also really funny. Oh, and when you know his backstory, heart-breaking! Poor Lucien!

But did anyone else kind of totally like Rhysand? Sure, he was a total prick, but at times... I don't know. I sorta really liked him. It was so very confusing, because I really don’t think I should like him so much, and I'm so very excited to see where he goes next.

And as for Her... she scares the hell out of me. Seriously freaking terrifying.

In the beginning, Feyre's sisters and father kind of reminded me of Cinderella's stepsisters and mother. In other words, they treated her like crap. But they grew on me. Sarah J. Maas is amazing and perfected everyone’s character development to a tee: it was brilliant, how all of the characters changed, deepened and became more loved the longer you knew them.

Just like in Throne of Glass, the world-building in A Court of Thorns and Roses was sublime. It was so intricate, so fascinating, so beautiful and so perfect. I felt transported to this dangerous, violent and beautiful land of Prythian, where the faeries lived in their own little world of bizarre rituals, deadly politics and lavish parties. It was a world that I simultaneously craved to visit and feared, all at once. If I was under the protection of Tamlin, though, I'd go in a heartbeat. But seriously: this world... perfection.

I adore fairy tales and always have. I love the morals, the darkness, the Disney versions, the brutality... I've read a lot of retellings – a lot – but A Court Of Thorns And Roses was, by far, the most amazing, most magical Beauty and the Beast retelling I've ever read. The plotline and writing... the original tale was twisted, enhanced, complicated, made more magical, more beautiful, more touching and more believable than the story we know so well. I mean, when you mix the fae with fairy tales, you know you'll get something amazing. But what Maas has accomplished in this book.... it blew my mind. Completely.

The writing was beautiful, enchanting and vivid; I felt transported, entranced and totally hooked. I loved Feyre's voice, loved the beautiful descriptions and loved the world building. And, just as much, I adored the plot: it was both fast-paced and slow-burning, addictive and suspenseful. It made the Beauty and the Beast story so much more plausible, because the chemistry between the two was palpable. I loved watching the plot unfold, loved how Maas never let up on the suspense.

I try not to judge a book until the very end. But with A Court of Thorns And Roses, I knew before I was four chapters in that it would be one of my favourite books – and that it would get at least four and a half stars. By a hundred pages, four and three-quarters. And by two hundred, it had five stars and my eternal love and devotion. I am going to go mad waiting for the second book and I will never stop telling everyone to just read this book. It is... by the Cauldron, it's so good. Beyond belief. Beyond description – despite this long, rambly review. (Hey, I warned you.)

I've found my new addiction, people! I'm so hooked. And I shall be counting down the days until I can get my greedy hands on the second book in the series.

Sigh. I love A Court Of Thorns And Roses so very very much... Almost as much as I love Tamlin and Lucien and Feyre. In other words: a whole freaking lot.

I have never wanted a year to just freaking finish already more than I do right now…

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Gracling by Kristin Cashore

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

Series: Soulfinders, Book One

Study, Book Four
The Chronicles of Ixia, Book Seven

Publisher: MIRA Ink

Format: Kindle

Published: 12^th March 2015

Number of Pages: 416

Book: ARC*

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Violence, Death, Swearing, Alcohol and Sexual References

Author's Site: Maria V. Snyder

Blurb From Goodreads:

Once, only her own life hung in the balance…

When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.

Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.

As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

Review:

“Dead air surrounded me.

My magic was gone…”

When you miss your days as a poison tester, you know your life is crazy.

Yelena Zaltana, former poison tester for the Commander of Ixia, now Liason between Ixia and Sitia and powerful magician, is just looking forward to some quality time with her heart mate, Valek, when she is shot by a poisoned arrow. Thinking she expelled all the poison before it had a chance to take effect, she leaves the hunt for her assassin to Valek.

But she didn't get it all out. And now her magic is gone, leaving her defenceless against a magical enemy she thought she'd defeated.

Meanwhile, Valek attempts to find Yelena's attempted-assassin, take down a smuggling ring (with the help of Janco and Ari) and also deal with a newcomer who is vying for his job.

Can Yelena save her own life, let alone the ones she loves, when she is deprived of the very thing that makes her strongest?

“Run and hide? That was so not my style…”

When I found out Yelena's story would continue in a brand new trilogy, I freaked out; I was just so, so excited. In fact, I did many a happy dance. But when I got my hands on Shadow Study, I found myself a bit nervous, since I haven't actually read the Glassseries yet. I shouldn’t have worried: it didn't take long for me to figure out what had happened – and I'm sure I'll reread Shadow Study after I read the Glass series, so it doesn't matter much!

But anyway: I was also worried Shadow Study wouldn't live up to the original series. But I was, of course, wrong. From the very start, it was all action and just as magical as ever – and we even had Valek and Janco chapters, two of my other fave Studycharacters! Can I hear a HELL YEAH!

Yelena has grown up so much in the time between Fire Study and Shadow Study. Not surprising, given the time that has passed, but she's matured a lot. I love her – how badass and brave she is, even without her magic. We got to see more of the human Yelena, the one who was cunning, Valek's student and who needed her friends – I liked that a lot.

Valek. I loved learning more about Valek's past, about how he became Valek. About why he makes animals form the black stone with silver specks. About why he's so rational. About how and why he became an assassin. About how he was told to not feel, how emotions were weakness, but he's embraced them anyway because of his good heart, how he is so so caring. It has made me love him even more – something I thought impossible.

Janco: oh how I love him! He's my favourite soldier ever, my favourite comedic release in this suspenseful series. He's also man after my own heart – not a morning person. I get it, Janco. "Bright sunlight, chirping birds and those obnoxious morning people" make my stomach churn too. Seriously though, I am so in love with this bonkers, hilarious, brave soldier – as-much-as-I-love-Valek kind of love.

Now for our supporting cast. First up Ari, who sadly we didn’t see as much of, but he was so brilliant when we did! And Leif has become such a protective big brother! He killed me at time – the boy has serious snark! And little Fisk! Not so little now – and such an entrepreneur! Oh, and Reema killed me – the lines that kid came out with were amazing! And then there’s Onora, who just intrigues me – I can’t wait to learn more about her, and I see a future love connection with my favourite little Janco (though does anyone else totally want Janco and Ari to be a couple? Is that just me? Just think – they could be Jaari or Arco or Janri: too cute!).

I must say, I loved this triple but linked storyline. The way we followed Yelena, Valek and Janco made the action and suspense just nonstop and full on. Of course, I occasionally wished it was easier to skip ahead on my Kindle – sometimes I just wanted to continue with the storyline I read in that chapter, because they were always left on cliffhangers! Noo! But seriously: loved it to pieces. And that ending... Oh. My. Gods. I need the next book – like right now. Or, even better, yesterday!

And the writing: OH MY GODS, I love split POVs. So so much. I mean, we got to read daring quests from the perspectives of the lovely and kickass Yelena, the gorgeous and badass Valek and the hilarious and brilliant Janco. It was just so much awesome to fit into one book – and I loved it so much! I've always loved Yelena, but it was so great to get to know Valek and Janco better! And Maria is always so good at writing brilliant action scenes, scenes of comic relief and sparkling dialogue – and Shadow Studyhad all of these in spades!

I've said so many times and I'll say it again: I love this world! I love Ixia and I love Sitia and I love the magic and the politics and the spying and the mad adventures. I want to move here – live in Sitia with the Zaltanas, or live in Ixia and be one of Valek's spies. I just love Maria's world building so freaking much and I can't get enough of this brilliant world she's created.

Damn, I love this world, this series and these characters. It feels so much like home – like one of my favourite places to be – and I'm so glad I get to spend even more time here. Shadow Study managed to exceed every single one of my expectations and left me shaking for so much more. I just... God, I loved it so much! Maria V. Snyder is always amazing, always a true artist, but Shadow Studyexceeds all the others in the Studyseries so far. Night Studycan't come quickly enough!

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Study Series by Maria V. Snyder

Throne of Glass and A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

I adore Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. So when I was asked to join in with this blog tour, of course I said hells yes! But then I had to come up with something to do. And I momentarily got a little (ok very) overexcited as I thought of all the possibilities. Well, I've tried to condense all my ideas here – into one EPIC RED QUEEN FANGIRL POST! I hope you enjoy the insanity. And gifs. And the giveaway at the end (yea, you heard me people! Get excited!).

Let's start with my tip top reasons for reading Red Queen!

Part One: Five Reasons To Read Red Queen

As much as I'd like to make my top five reasons to read Red Queen:

1) Because it's awesome. 2) Because it's awesome. 3) Because it's awesome. 4) Because it's awesome. 5) Because it's BLOODY AWESOME.

I don't think that's going to cut it as a post, is it? No? Thought not. Here are some real reasons why you should go out of your house right now, go as fast as you can to the nearest book store or library, and pick up a copy of Red Queen. I hope I convince you and that you become as big a fangirl/boy as me and maybe (hopefully) understand this rather odd and super enthusiastic post!

1) The world building is freaking brilliant. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I read a hell of a lot of epic fantasies and dystopias. But none of them are anything like Red Queen. In case you don't know, the book is set in a world divided by blood. The Reds are commoners, worthless, without power, living in poverty and forced to fight a war they didn't start. They are ruled by the Silvers, godlike beings with godlike powers, who live in luxury and have no cares. And our lead gal is Mare Barrows, a Red blood... who discovers she has Silver powers. And then Things. Kick. Off. The plot is utterly addictive and intriguing – made even more amazing thanks to this brilliant world. Wanna know how much I love this world? This much!

2) It's like Game of Thrones without the incest and pointless (constant) killing! Ok, it's actually nothing like GoT. But it does have badass characters, amazing world building, romance, suspense, violence, treachery, double crosses and deadly court games. It's also just as addictive – I was instantly itching for Book Two the very second I finished Red Queen. Which sucks. Because it doesn't come out til next year. NEXT YEAR! I really don't know how I'm gonna make it, guys...

3) The characters! They are amazing – all of them! Mainly because you really cannot trust so many of them! Much like in GoT, the characters are complicated and intriguing – though some are just b*tches (yep, I'm talkin' about you, Evil Queen). Seriously though, it is so hard to judge them all – and there are more double crosses than in Game of Thrones and Pretty Little Liarsput together. But Mare is awesome– you go, lightning girl! I don't wanna say too much about everyone else – no spoilers! – but I will say there are some dreamy peoples that make the heart go a-flutter. And some bloody terrifying ones who make me want to do this: gif So yeah. Read it and do this and then this:

4) There's something about this book that is just pure magic. You guys know how it is. When you start reading a book and all you feel is this:

It's all you can think about. You dream about it. You wish you were a part of this world (I would prefer to be a Silver - but maybe a slightly nicer one?). And Red Queen absolutely has this magic – in freaking spades. I literally just can’t recommend it enough – possibly because I’m still under its spell. Oh! Maybe Victoria is really a Whisper…

5) But you want to know the real reason you should read Red Queen? Because it is the best epic fantasy-slash-dystopia you'll read this year. Well, it might be the only one... But you know what I mean. There is literally every single thing a book lover could want – romance, action, suspense, twists, turns, magic, rebellion, treachery, ambiguous characters, an evil queen, awesome characters, amazing writing, sublime world building... OH, man I could go on. But I won't. I'll just say DUDES READ RED QUEEN! And if you live in the UK, enter my giveaway to win one of three gorgeous copies – along with your very own badges!

Part Two: Gifs That Sum Up Red Queen!

I buy Red Queen, start reading and am like:

I get sucked in, until the world around me could explode into flames and I wouldn't even look up.

Plot twists, character developments and Red Queen's pure awesomeness do this to me:

Mind. Blown. And it hurts.

And then it's finshed. And I'm left a mess.

And then I'm like:

I finished and was just sitting there, huggling my book to my chest.

Please don't leave me.

And all I can think is:

Why, Victoria?

And then I snap myself out of it and go to declare my love to the world. And I start to recommend it. To everyone.

Hi, have you met Red Queen? No? You haven't? Buy it right now.

Don't make me hurt you.

And then I go home, curl up and admit:

I need Book Two. Until then:

Part Three: What You’ve Been Waiting For!

Ok, I hope you've enjoyed this bizarre mishmash of random fangirlyness. It's been a lot of fun to write! But now it's what y'all have been waiting for... GIVEAWAY TIME!

Yes, all you lucky ones who live in the UK (especially those of us lucky enough to be in the middle of this freak heatwave!), you have a chance to win your very own beautiful copy of Red Queen– it's so pretty. I wanna do this: gif!

Yes, so here's the deal. Three of you are going to win your own copy of Red Queen and a cool Red Queen badge as well! All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter gadget thing below – and please post your own fangirl/boy reactions to how much you love Red Queen or how much you NEED Red Queen in the comments! I will be choosing two winners at random but one will be chosen because of how awesome your reaction is. Don't be afraid of being inventive – post a link to a Tweet/post/video showing how much you love everything Red Queen!

Rise, Red As Dawn, Red Queen fans everywhere! The giveaway closes Saturday 18th July at midnight! So get entering!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

And that’s it! I’m sorry for talking your ears off! But I hope you enjoyed this! Stop by The Reader's Corner tomorrow to check out the next stop on the tour! If you want to know more about the amazing Red Queen, check it out on Goodreads! And follow the brilliant Victoria Aveyard on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and on her blog!
Oh, and keep an eye on my Twitter and Tumblr too - I'll be posting some fanpics and dream casts over the next few days that I couldn't squish into this post! :D

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: ARC

Published: 1^st January 2015

Number of Pages: 464

Book: For Review*

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Magical Realism, Suspense, Paranormal, Mythology, Fantasy, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 14+

Contains:Swearing, Violence, Alcohol, Smoking, Drug and Sexual References

Author's Blog: Thus Spake Nick Lake

Blurb From Goodreads:

Shelby Jane Cooper is seventeen, pretty and quiet. It's just Shelby and her mom, Shaylene, a court stenographer who wears pyjama jeans, stitches tapestry, eats ice-cream for dinner and likes to keep Shelby safe. So safe she barely goes out. So safe she doesn't go to school. Because anything could happen, to a girl like Shelby. Anything.
When Shelby gets knocked down by a car, it's not just her leg that's broken: Shelby's world is shattered. Her mom turns up to collect her and drives off into the night, like it's the beginning of a road trip, like two criminals on the run, like Thelma and Louise or Bonnie and Clyde. And somehow, everywhere she looks, there's a coyote watching her, talking to her, telling her not to believe.
Who is Shelby Jane Cooper? If the person who keeps you safe also tells you lies, who can you trust?

Review:

“I'm going to be hit by a car in about four hours, but I don't know that yet.

The weird thing is, it's not the car that's going to kill me, that's going to erase me from the world.

It's something totally different. Something that happens eight days from now and threatens to end the world…”

Shelby Cooper's Mom has always been paranoid and over-protective. Shelby has been home-schooled, only going out once a week for batting practice and ice cream. Her Mom knows everything about her, controls everything, is always telling her to be careful, watch out for cars...

One day, Shelby isn't careful enough. A car comes onto the pavement, hits her and breaks her leg. As she lies there, she sees a coyote, who says:

"There will be two lies, it says. Then there will be the truth. And that will be hardest of all."

The moment Shelby is released from the hospital, she and her mother go on the run. They pack their car up and flee.

Shelby's Mom has been lying to Shelby all her life. Mom isn't who she claimed to be.

The world isn't what it claimed to be. Because every time Shelby closes her eyes, she leaves our world and appears in another, guided on a quest by the coyote...

“There was a time before time existed and that is called the Dreaming, and that is where we are, he says.

Oh, that clears it up, I say…”

What are the two lies? What is the truth?

And why has her whole life been a lie? Love? Fear? Survival...?

I started There Will Be Lies, just intending to read a few chapters to see what it would be like. Half an hour and a hundred pages later, I was still hooked to every word. I stayed up 'til three-freaking-o'clock to gobble up as many pages as possible before I pretty much passed out. There Will Be Lies is the kind of thriller that gets under your skin, until your desire to find out what the hell's going on becomes a burning need, so intense and so strong it can't be denied. And I must say, There Will Be Lies was like no other thriller I've read before. It was just... so unique. I've read real life-fantasy mashups before, but I think TWBLmight just be my favourite, thanks to the mystery and Native American folklore. All this made it so brilliant and so utterly addictive! It's also going to be hard to write a review for – I mean, how much can I say without giving everything away? But I'll try my best to ramble on as usual... Lucky followers.

There were really only a few characters in this book, but they were all so very interesting and unique and intriguing. I really liked Shelby – in fact, I found her intriguing! Oh, and yay for the disability diversity – and for her blasé way of telling us! But she was really brave and strong, but also lost and scared and confused. Basically, totally understandable for her character – and very likeable and relatable.

Mark... Yeah, that was weird and so interesting – as bizarre as it was brilliant, that part of the storyline... more in a minute on that. Mark: he was cryptic, mysterious, confusing – a puzzle I loved trying to crack.

Shelby's Mom... I had a few theories concerning her overprotectiveness. I found this woman, who wore pyjama jeans and was so protective and jumpy, intriguing... But I can’t say more, otherwise I might give it away…

This writing... I do like Nick Lake's writing style – his use of bizarre punctuation, his edgy voices. Shelby really came through – so strong. The voice was amazing, the prose compelling and the way of writing so different and unique. I can't really explain it – it was kind of written like a train of thoughts, a stream of consciousness: everything Shelby thought, we heard, no matter the consequences. It was honest and real and so believable. Some people might find the weird punctuation annoying or hard to read, but I rather liked it – but that's me.

I really love thrillers. I love all those big ohhh moments, the ones you discover and think that all makes SO MUCH sense now! I love it. And normally I'm actually pretty good at guessing, despite my love of twists and oh moments. But in There Will Be Lies... Sure, I guessed a few twists (one of the big ones, actually, though it was only one of my many theories – another so-called 'PLOT TWIST' was very, very obvious for me) but this storyline, thanks to the fantastical elements, was generally unpredictable and insanely exhilaratingly exciting.

The Dreaming was so bizarre and so awesome. I must say, I guessed aspects of the Dreaming plot, but the world building was brilliant - more so because we're never really sure what, exactly, the Dreaming is. If it's real, if it's a different plane, world, etc. Maybe I would have preferred some further explanation, but it all was so fascinating and really rather unique - I really enjoyed my time in the Dreaming! I’ve also only read a few books focusing on Native American folklore, and found the Coyote aspects simply brilliant.

There was something about this book, something I really can't put my finger one. It's something I've found in Nick's other books, something that keeps me awake until ridiculous hours, desperate to read on. It's some weird sort of magic, something inexplicable and powerful. I read the book as fast as humanely possible, gobbled it all up and was left both wanting more and utterly satisfied. The ending... it was perfect, kind of. There Will Be Lies was an intriguing, addictive and beautiful book, one I really enjoyed. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it made this reviewer very happy!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Ferryman by Claire McFall

Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

** Quotes used are from a proof copy and may have been changed in the finished book

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