Monday 26 February 2018

#BookReview ~ The Dark Artifices Series by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare was my favourite read of 2017. So, I'm posting a quick review on this series (I read Book 1 in the series early 2017).

First up, the cover and blurb for Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)


In a kingdom by the sea

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.

A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters.

When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.

Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?


The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare.


My Review


This is a follow-up series to the bestselling Mortal Instruments (MI) books and follows a new set of characters which we were introduced to towards the end of the MI series. It's in the same Shadowhunter universe of course and, say what you will about authors writing loads of books based in the same 'world', but I think it's more than fine if you have a good story to tell.

To be honest, I don't see why Ms. Clare has been criticised for setting her novels in the same universe ~ don't crime writers write about the same detective over and over? Don't authors of contemporary fiction set their books in the real world over and over? So why can't Cassandra Clare write as many books as she wants exploring the Shadowhunter world, since it's such a massive and rich world and has so much potential?


Shadowhunter fans went crazy for Lady Midnight so I was really looking forward to this book.

My Rating: 4-stars

I really enjoyed this book and it answered a lot of the questions I had about a certain Shadowhunter law and I was glad we got to explore this concept in detail. The lead characters are likeable and the dynamics of their relationships with the secondary characters are very interesting.

The story unravelled slowly (it's a very big book!) but in a way that kept you glued to the pages. It was really nice that some of our favourite characters from previous books made cameo appearances and exciting to see how their lives have panned out since we finished their story arc.

It's not a quick read by any means, but I didn't find it a struggle to get through like I did with some of the other books based in this Universe. In fact, it was a pleasure getting to know these new sets of characters, and as usual with Ms. Clare's books, there were a lot of heartbreaking moments that drew you closer to them and their lives.

You do have to read all... 9 books that preceded Lady Midnight, or else you'll be a little lost at times and be spoiled for the previous two series if you decide to read them after Lady Midnight. The author suggests (in a BookTube interview) that you should read her books in the order they were published, so start with the first trilogy in the MI series, rather than The Infernal Devices series, even though that's set in an earlier time period (the 1870's).

Check out this book here.

Next up, my review for Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)


I downloaded this highly anticipated sequel to Lady Midnight on my iPhone (on iBooks) and was really looking forward to getting stuck in. Cassandra Clare fans are loving this series, and I'd heard great things about this book, so I didn't want to wait any longer to read it, especially as the ending to Lady Midnight hinted at so much....

My Rating for Lord of Shadows: 5-stars (my best book of 2017)

So, this was only the third book in 2017 that I rated 5-stars, and boy did this book deserve it. If I could give it 6 out of 5, I would. Or 7, or 8. It had everything, and I loved it.

Lady Midnight was great, but Lord of Shadows was better. I don't know how the length of this book compares to its predecessor ~ I read Lady Midnight in hardback form, and Lord of Shadows in e-book format, but whereas Lady Midnight was a big long book and felt that way, and I found that it started off slowly, Lord of Shadows felt too short, like I should have dragged it out longer. It wasn't rushed or anything, actually the pacing was perfect.

I got more invested with the characters in this book and I liked how they developed and matured. And the added focus on the secondary characters, especially Ty and Kit, I really liked.

I should have guessed I'd like this book more than Book 1, as I've noticed a pattern with me and Cassandra Clare books: I always seem to like the second book in her series more than the rest. City of Ashes was my favourite from the Mortal Instruments series, Clockwork Prince was the one I enjoyed most of the Infernal Devices series, and now Lord of Shadows.

Check out this book here.

Thank you very much for reading this post. My books are available on: 
Apple BooksB&NKoboSmashwords, and AmazonMy new book, Heir to the Throne (the first book in a new epic royalty fantasy trilogy), is out now, as is the sequel. More details here.

Monday 19 February 2018

#BookReview ~ Home by Harlan Coben

Home by Harlan Coben was my third best read of 2017, so I'm posting a quick review on it for you. Let's start with the cover and blurb:


Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home.

A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager.

Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? 

Harlan Coben delivers a thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home.


Review


Home is the 11th book in the Myron Bolitar series, my favourite crime series of all time. So, of course I'd been itching to get my hands on it, especially since I read a little preview of it in Fool Me Once, by the same author (though not from the Myron Bolitar series), earlier this year.

If you're interested in my review of Fool Me Once, you can find it in my March Wrap-Up post.

A little background on this bestselling series:

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent that also ends up investigating and solving crimes, from murders and missing persons to entrapment of dangerous gangsters. He has a great sidekick/best friend that helps him out, who is one of my favourite thriller characters ever. His name is Win Lockwood, short for Windsor Horne Lockwood III, but don't be fooled by the title ~ Win is a serious badass.

But things have changed quite a bit now, 11 books into the series, so I was eager to see how everything turned out.


My Rating: 5-stars


This was only my second 5-star rating in 2017. It. Was. That. Good. And I've read some pretty good books that year. The mystery that had to be solved in this book was so cleverly crafted, so well executed, and of course, pulled at the heartstrings, too. That's one of the things that sets apart Harlan Coben's crime thrillers from the rest ~ the emotion, the heart.

And not to mention the wit and comedy, the amazing chemistry between Myron and his friends, particularly Win.

Ah, Win.

Love this character. I don't think I'd find it easy to love Win as a person in real life ~ on paper, he has a lot of issues and faults and makes some decisions that most people would disapprove of and frown upon, including me. But as fictional characters go, he is one of my favourites and one of the best I've ever read. I don't think every lead character or sidekick has to be likeable and be a good role model, as long as they're well developed and make for an entertaining read. Win is definitely that.

I so loved the ending scene in this book, and I wish I could discuss it with you, but I can't. All I will say is that if you haven't started this series yet, do it. What are you waiting for? Get it from here.

Thank you for reading this post. If you're so interested in my books, you can check them out via >>this link<<

Monday 12 February 2018

#BookReview ~ To All The Boys I've Loved Before Series by Jenny Han

In July 2017, I read To All The Boys I've Loved Before (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han and it became one of my favourite books of the year. And a series that I re-read a few times in 2017. So, I'm posting a quick review on the series.

First up, the cover for book 1 and the short blurb:

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

One for every boy she's ever loved. The letters are for her eyes only.

Until the day they are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.


My REVIEW

Don't be fooled by the short and sweet blurb, though. There's more to this series than that!

Normally, a book cover like this wouldn't appeal to me, though I quite love it now, and when I saw it at my library, I picked this up only because I'd heard good things about it on BookTube. 


My Rating: 4-stars

It's a sweet, sweet YA contemporary romance novel which I finished in two sittings! It's not a tiny book but the writing is so clean and the narrative so easy to follow that I was addicted. Lara Jean's relationships with her two sisters and widower dad is so cute and her love for baking is so endearing. 

I enjoyed this book so much that I went and downloaded the entire trilogy on my iPhone straight after reading book 1 (I didn't think my library would have the other two books in the series, especially not the recently released book 3, and I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next) and I re-read book 1 as well! That's how much I loved this book. I haven't done that in a long, long time, where I've read a library book (or a free series opener) and then downloaded the follow-up novels.

I just loved everything about the first book ~ so cute and sweet and addictive ~ and I'll go as far as saying, having read the other two books in under two days, that this is probably the sweetest YA series I've ever read. I don't read a lot of sweet romances, but still :)

Though my fave is book 1, I rated both book 2 (P.S. I Still Love You) and book 3 (Always and Forever, Lara Jean) 4-stars also. And I re-read the whole series a few times in 2017!

If you read YA contemporary romance and haven't read this series yet ~ Why not? Do it now. It's that good!

The covers for the other books are below:




Thank you very much for reading this post. My books are available on: 
Apple BooksB&NKoboSmashwords, and Amazon.

My new book, Heir to the Throne (the first book in a new epic royalty fantasy trilogy), is out now, as is the sequel. More details here.

Monday 5 February 2018

#BookReview ~ Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

The first two books in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver were two of my favourite reads in 2017, so I thought I'd post quick reviews of these books for you.

I read in Delirium in May 2017; here's the cover and blurb:

In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure.

Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistake.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the "Wilds" who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

REVIEW

I saw this book in my local library and picked it up because I'd heard good things about it on BookTube. I started this YA dystopian novel with a sigh though, and a heavy heart, knowing for sure that I wouldn't be able to make it past the first few chapters due to The Reading Slump I'd been suffering from during May 2017. 

Luckily, after the first 3 or 4 chapters (they were reasonably short ones), I was hooked and looked forward to picking it up each time I put it down to go to sleep or run some errand.

My Rating: 4-stars

Oh, this book was so good. It's the first in a trilogy and I knew I'd be on the look-out for the sequels when I next visited my library. The writing style, the characters, the romance and the dystopian setting was really good. The concept ~ that love is an actual disease, an illness that can be cured ~ was so interesting and captivating. The main character has the makings of a great heroine and didn't start off as the typical rebel-in-the-making, so that was refreshing.

I know a lot of readers hated the ending and rated the book down for it, but I won't. I'm a firm believer that there's a reason for everything, especially in fiction, so I'm going to assume the ending was necessary and key to how the series progresses. I would definitely recommend this if you're into YA dystopia. Or dystopia in general.

In September 2017, I was happy to see the sequel, Pandemonium in my local library and snagged it immediately.


I was really excited to see what happened in Pandemonium, especially after the heart-stopping ending to Book 1.

My Rating for Pandemonium: 4-stars

I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book. It's structured differently to Book 1, and I liked this format as much as the structure of the first book. 

This book is definitely more fast-paced, as you'd expect in a sequel, because you've already gotten to know the characters' back-story and personality pretty well in the series starter.

The writing is just as good, there's character development and change, twists and turns... I kept reaching for the book whenever I had to put it down to do something else.

Highly, highly recommend this series if you read YA/teen fiction or dystopia. I cannot wait for the series finale!


Thank you for reading this post. If you're interested in my debut novel, Chasing Pavements (Soulmates Saga, Book 1) click here to learn more about it.


Like all my other books, it's also available on:
iBooks   |   B&N Nook   |   Kobo |   Smashwords 

Book Details
Length: 110,000 words
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Clean Romance / Diverse Romance / Interracial Romance / Romantic Drama / Women’s Fiction

Mood: Inspirational / Feel Good / Coming of Age / Dark
Content: Sexy but No explicit sex scenes / No erotica
Audience: New Adult & College / Adult / Female Readers

Recommended for: Readers that enjoy romance novels with serious issues and characters with depth. This is a story about life, love, friendship, family, music, art, destiny and soul mates.


And the first two books in my teen urban fantasy/YA paranormal romance series, the Poison Blood series, can be downloaded for free via:

Amazon US|  Amazon UK|   iBooks US UK   |   B&N Nook Store   |   Smashwords






PB1 Book Details
Length: 29,000 words
GenreYA Paranormal Romance / Teen Vampire Romance / Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy / Teen & YA Urban Fantasy / Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy / Supernatural Romance / Fantasy Romance
Mood: Dark / Humorous / Coming of age
Content: No violence / No explicit sex scenes / No erotica
Audience: Teen / Young Adult / New Adult / Adult
Recommended for: Readers that love all things related to the Chosen One, vampires, slayers and witches!



By signing up to my mailing list, you will receive e-mails when I run free or discounted book offers and news on any new/upcoming releases. I won't bombard you with e-mails otherwise.