Arc Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Rating: 5 out of 5

Expected publication:May 30th 2017 by Delacorte Press

~~

Synopsis:

One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

 ~~

Review: Acid by Emma Pass

Acid by Emma Pass

Publishers: Random House Childrens UK

Published Date: May 14 2013

From: NetGalley

My rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:

2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago

Review:

If you like dystopia then this book is for you. ACID is set one hundred years in the future and fifty years after the government of the UK are overthrown and a new regime steps into place. The new regime is called ACID, and is basically run by the new modern police making the Independent Republic of Britain effectively a police state.

Jenna Strong is in prison for the murder her parents. She struggles with her memories of the night it happened. But during her time there she's bulked up and learnt how to defend herself. A necessity when you're the only female on the wrong side of the bars.

Pretty much instantly the action and adventure begins. After a prison breakout, Jenna becomes Mia, and with a few facial and hair modifications she's thrust back into London life albeit in the Outer poorer section than she's used to. But she has a task to do and its important to break through the ACID barriers and bring the new flawed police system down and find proof that prisoners on the infamous Innis Ifrin prison are being tortured. The problem is that the man in charge of running the country, General Harvey, was her father's best friend and is her godfather. He's the one that put her in prison in the first place.

The world that Emma Pass has created is so thorough that I completely believed in it. Everyone has Komms and c-cards to talk to each other and get around. Of course everything is monitored by ACID. The food is substituted in parts. Everyone has a LifePartner who is chosen for them at an early age (no marriage or living together with a partner of your own choice is allowed). And people abide by the rules and the law because you never know who could be watching and who could report you for non-compliance.

In this terrifying new world Jenna holds true to herself even when she is finally caught and made to become sappy Jessica. The memories aren't as strong any more and she struggles with what is real and what isn't. And who is the boy that melts her heart every time she remembers a certain dusty dark place?

The finale is pulse-racingly good, the characters are all either ones you want to root for or ones you really want Jenna to hurt in the end.

A great debut complete novel.

You can reach Emma Pass here: 

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ARC Review: The Morning Star (Katerina #3) by Robin Bridges

The Morning Star (Katerina #3) by Robin Bridges 

Publishers: Random House
Published Date:  August 27th 2013
From: Publisher
My rating: 5 out of 5

A huge thank you to Nicole of Random House for
letting me review this book to give my honest opinion.

Synopsis:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890

Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, wants to be known as a doctor, not a necromancer. But Tsar Alexander III forbids women to attend medical school; his interest in Katerina extends only to her ability to raise the dead. Twice now, Katerina has helped him by using her power to thwart the forces of darkness—vampires bent on resurrecting the lich tsar Konstantin Pavlovich so that he can take what he sees as his rightful place on the throne. Katerina thought she had bound Konstantin to the Greylands, the realm of the dead, but he has found a way out. Now he is searching for the Morning Star, a sword that will allow him to command a legion of supernatural warriors.

Katerina must find the sword before Konstantin does—and she must travel to Egypt to do so. Along the way, she puts up with unwanted attention from her former fiancé, the nefarious Prince Danilo, and struggles with her feelings for her true love, George Alexandrovich. But with the looming threat from Konstantin, Katerina's focus remains on the sword. Russia's fate will be determined by whoever wields the Morning Star—and delivers the final blow.

Previous Reviews of The Katerina Trilogy

The Gathering Story (#1)

The Unfailing Light (#2)

Review:
It's such a happy and sad moment when you reach the end of such an exciting series. The Katerina Trilogy is one of my all time favourite reads and I've read the first two books many times in eagerness, quietly waiting for the third and last book. I had so many expectations of what would happen. Would George be cured of his mystery illness? Would Katiya and George finally be able to marry? What would happen with the Lich Tsar and would they be able to finally get rid of his evilness from the face of the earth to let everyone live in peace at last? And what of Danilo, evil Crown Prince that he is. His plans may have been scuppered for now but he was surely going to make a return to finish off Grand Duke George for good. Now that Katiya's secret is out what would happen when the rest of her close family knew of her secret, being a necromancer would never be a story for the relations to discuss over afternoon tea.

What I truly loved about this series was the extensive research that Robin Bridges must be commended for. Anything to do with the Imperial family of Russia intrigues me, and Robin has had me researching the true stories of the family for my own personal pleasure. It was clear from the outset after reading The Gathering Storm that this series would be exquisitely represented as the characters deserved--in their true proper, elegant, and magnificent manner.

So, if you enjoy tales of intrigue wrapped around evenings of dinners, dances, with a bit of paranormal romance and mystery, then I must urge you to pick up this series.

In the final chapter of the Trilogy we are brought into a scene with Katiya doing what she wants to do most, and that is to study medicine to become a Doctor. I really loved her ambitiousness even when faced with such close relatives who would try and talk her out of it. At one point she even contemplated breaking off her arrangement with George to further her studies and her heart broke as did mine. They're meant to be together after all!

But even in the face of danger, Katiya and George decide to forego all the family's wishes to get married in secret. Once they're married then no one can interfere with their livelihoods any longer. George agrees that he might be struck off by his father, Tsar Alexander III, but he's willing to move to Zurich to enable Katiya to study at the University.

However, the past never stays away for long and disaster happens shortly after they leave. The evil Lich Tsar is looking for the one true Morning Star which will enable him to take control of the Grigori and using the Talisman of Isis (which is permanently around Katiya's neck) he can have what he believes is rightfully his--the throne of Russia.

Once again the story becomes a battle of Light against the Dark. The two Russian courts are involved, the Order of Lazarus (the revenants), Princess Alix and her werewolves, the Montenegran Vampires, Katiya's own Mother (who is now the Striga) and the Bogatyr. If ever there was a story that included all these magical creatures to their fullest it was this one! The only thing missing was unicorns!

We're taken on a thrilling journey of capture and conquest through Ancient Egypt and meet up with new and old friends. With magic now such a huge part of George's life I was never in any doubt that he would find Katiya eventually.

The final chapter was a heart in mouth moment. And a surprising gesture saved the day. I loved how it ended with all loose ends nicely tied up, and once finished I had to read the whole book again just to enjoy it one more time.

I really hope the author can bring us more from her wonderful world she's created using the historical people and sumptuous scenery. I feel like I'm waving goodbye as I finish this review but I'm so glad I read this series. And I can't not mention the wonderful Family Tree of all the characters on Robin Bridges website!

If you like historical books especially ones to do with royalty mixed with the paranormal and things that go bump in the night then this series is a must.
-CB x

You can reach Robin Bridges here:
Web  Goodreads

Review: Fall Guy (Youngblood #1) by Liz Reinhardt

Fall Guy (Youngblood #1) by Liz Reinhardt  

Publishers: Random House Children’s Publishers UK
Published Date: Dec 20 2012
From: Net Galley
My rating: 3 out of 5

Synopsis:
Evan Lennox is going nowhere fast. She's living with her grandparents after her parents bailed on her, she got kicked out of her posh private school, her ex-boyfriend proved to be the biggest sleaze imaginable, her former best friend is a back-stabber, and her current best friend is stuck in backwoods NJ. To top it all off, one teeny, tiny fire she lit to burn some memories of her ex goes a little out of control and winds up igniting a good piece of a very powerful family's pecan orchard.

Evan lands her pampered behind in court and gets sentenced to community service. Which she knows she deserves. But the hard labor and humiliation may be her undoing.

Until she meets Winchester Youngblood on the site.

Everything about him is tricky, confusing, not at all what it seems, and so sexy, Evan can't resist pulling closer. But every step she takes to get to know him gives her more of a reason to back up and put him as far out of life as she possibly can. Because Winch is one hundred percent complicated, and Evan isn't looking for that. At all. She needs to meet a nice, responsible guy, not share searing kisses with the charming hustler she met after they both got sentenced in court.

But Winch is so much more than what he seems, and Evan finds out that she's falling hard for the guy everyone underestimates and writes off. And Winch realizes that Evan is the one person who's ever challenged him to ask for more out of his life, and her courage inspires him to try to be the person she sees when she looks at him. With every single odd stacked against them, Evan and Winch need to find out whether they have what it takes to fall for each other.

Review:
I've never read Liz Reinhardt before so as a first book this is a good read.

This is the story of Evan and Winchester who meet in dubious circumstances, in a court room of all places. They both feel an instant connection to each other but it takes a couple of chapters for them to come together, both intrigued by the other.

Evan got herself in a bit of a bind and needs to do community service, where she meets up with Winch again. After a little bantering they get along really well. When they start on a date however it goes spiralling. That's pretty much how their relationship ends up going throughout the book.

Winchester comes from an old Hungarian family where family ties mean everything. And he's the fall guy. He covers up all his family's little indiscretions but none more so than his brother Remington who's going through a somewhat troublesome time himself. Again and again Winchester has to bail Remy out of trouble and more often than not he's with Evan when he gets the notorious phone calls.

So is the story any good? Well as far as New Adult goes I'm happy to say I enjoyed the story. Thankfully there was a really terrible history of abuse which seems to be the theme for most New Adult books I've read. And so this one felt like a bit of fresh air.
Was it believable? Again, yes. I've read a few reviews where readers have said that the Youngblood family moral code is a little far fetched but where I live there are many foreign families who live their lives just like this one. They strive to keep their family and connections together and are fiercely protective of each other, and everyone else are just outsiders.

While I enjoyed the story there were episodes where the purple prose popped up and didn't altogether make sentences easy to read. Lots of descriptions using the words 'like a...'.

This book does contain a small amount of sex. It's not that explicit compared to other NA books I've read but its there, and again is believable within the story. The only thing I did find was that Evan got a little too gropey but she is only 17/18 years old so maybe that's all part of her character package.

All in all I liked it, I'd certainly read more from this author.
-CB x

You can reach Liz Reinhardt here:
Web   Goodreads

Available from Amazon:

Arc Review: The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2) by Shana Abe

The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark #2) by Shana Abe  

Publishers: Random House Publishing Group
Published Date: Aug 13th 2013
From: Net Galley
My rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:
In the second book in Abe's THE SWEETEST DARK series, Lora puts her powers to the ultimate test. Will it bring her and Armand closer together or destroy them forever?

Review:
Thank you to Shana Abe and Net Galley for allowing me to review this book.

I absolutely loved the Sweetest Dark, and The Deepest Night (2nd book in the series) is as wonderfully written if not better than the first.

My review - The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe 

First things first, this book doesn't have the heart pounding romance that the first book lauded, but there are a lot of sweet will-they-won't-they moments that really do keep you guessing.

Also (and I guess I have to read Abe's other Drakon Series) there wasn't much in the way of back story i.e. who Eleanor was the daughter of, who the girl in the cave was, Drakon history in general. I thought after reading the first book this would be a fine chance to elaborate but we weren't given much at all.

However, after saying all that, this has to be one of my favourite books in a long while. Full of bravery, courage under fire, making the best of a bad situation and in Eleanor's case, being better than the rest.

Eleanor is an orphan who lives at a prestigious boarding school thanks to a scholarship from the Duke of Idylling. The other girls openly laugh at her and flaunt her misfortunes in her face. Secretly she is a Dragon and can Turn into smoke then ride the thermals in her Dragon form. Her partner in crime is the Duke's son Armand who has more than a soft spot for her. During the day they barely look at each other, but during the dark things are different. But Eleanor is still mourning her lost love Jesse (from The Sweetest Dark). After a strange encounter with the Duke who is currently residing in an asylum, Eleanor is asked to rescue his other son Aubrey who was shot down behind enemy lines (during WW1). Together Armand and Eleanor embark on their adventure with startling results.

I loved the storyline for this book. The adventure part was thrilling, how they had to fly above Europe and scratch around for food and shelter. All the injuries that happened on the way, and the final rescue. I couldn't stop reading until I knew the ending. The revelation from the stars almost had me in tears after Armand finally Turned.

I'm hoping there will be another book but I'm not sure now I've read the Epilogue. Only two things stood out (as an English person reading it). In UK and Europe we do not have blocks. And our fall is called Autumn.

Anyway, a wonderful read, I'm still glowing from the ending!!
-CB x

You can reach Shana Abé here: 

Web

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Review: The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) by Shana Abé

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1) by Shana Abé  

Publishers: Random House Publishing Group
Published Date: April 2nd 2013
From: NetGalley
My rating: 3 out of 5

Synopsis:
“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.”
 
Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Review:
The first thing I should mention about this book is that its beautifully written. Sometimes I thought the prose was a little over the top, and could have been simplified. But the author does a wonderful job of creating the backdrop for the story, and creating atmosphere.

So to the story. This is a paranormal romance. I haven't come across such a strange mix of creatures before. For our benefit we're weaved into a mythical story of a Drákon girl and a boy who came from the stars. A tad unusual but it did have a refreshed feel to it as I had no preconceptions of characters who could turn animated objects to gold.

There is a love triangle of sorts which again has a little twist in it. The story is told from three angles (four if you count the letters from the mysterious Rue). Overall the love aspect isn't one of indecision. Lora made up her mind from the beginning of who she liked and stuck with it.

The story begins in London at an orphanage, then takes us to Wessex where the rest of the plot unfolds. A prestigious boarding school becomes Lora's home complete with hostile girls and a rich family living nearby. But an unusual alliance is formed when Lora becomes the object of the coveted Armand's affections. His girl in waiting, Chloe, is the step-sister of Lady Sophia. And although Sophia appeared to dislike Lora she soon came to her senses to do anything to spite her sister. In return Lora makes an ally although she never does become any more popular due to her poor background.

The main backdrop of the story is WW1. The main reason Lora goes to Wessex in the first place is to escape the bombings by the German Zeppelins. The war is ever apparent throughout the story and becomes the spin in the final chapters.

The reason I've given this book a lower rating is that there is little tension from the middle towards the ending. No evil enemy to capture or kill, no threats on Loras or Jesse's lives because of discovery of their secret. In fact it all falls a little flat. We also, despite an initial search, never find out how the Drákon characters are related whether through cousins, second cousins, maybe a possible sister. It gets completely forgotten. I half expected some distant relation to pop up and claim Lora for his long lost child, but we got nothing. And the story of Rue all seems pointless as it now bears no meaning to the main story. Except in a possible sequel. At times Jesse's dialogue annoyed me and became too abstract to hold any meaning but I understand that was probably more to allure Lora.

Overall I did like this book and I certainly recommend it. But once I got to the last pages I couldn't help feeling a little underwhelmed.

-CB x

You can reach Shana Abé here: 

Web

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Available from Amazon:

    

Review: Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Dust Girl (The American Fairy Trilogy #1) by Sarah Zettel

Publishers: Random House Children's Books
Published Date:  June 26th 2012
From: NET GALLEY
My rating: 3 out of 5

Synopsis:

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west": California.

Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company — there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Review:
Throughout the entire book I got the feeling that the author was trying to convey a message but I had no idea what the message was.

This is a different faerytale from the norm. The author clearly knows her history of the dustbowl of America and human rights concerning blacks at the time the story’s set.

In fact the history knowledge actually got in the way of the story for me. The story itself was a little too weak with random occurrences that don’t hold any purpose in the story. The beginning entrance of the Native American was one of those that occurred.

We have clichéd moments such as the scene in the field where our main protags are being chased. Relations that suddenly appear from nowhere assuring Callie that they can help with the most bizarre and unreal get-out scenarios. Our main male protagonist, Jack, does a disappearing act making us believe he’s run out on her, and he has.

The dance-off at the end really ended it for me. How could all the ‘good guys’ allow Callie to even enter a ball room knowing what her family are going to do to her and Jack. Plus any romance was non-existent.

Unfortunately, I found the story a little dull in comparison to the descriptive setting originally created.

-CB x

Review: Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

My rating: 5 out of 5

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis:
Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Review:
Oh why, oh why, oh why?
I received this book as an ARC way back when (October last year!). I loved the cover, thought the story sounded interesting, tried to read it and fell flat. I tried it 3 or 4 times but was almost always distracted by another, more favoured book just released that I wanted to review more.

I wish I'd stuck with it in the first place! I set myself 3 hours to get into the story before finally giving up and marking it as a DNF. By 3 hours I was already half way through the book and LOVING it!

I wasn't keen on the different POV's (there are a few), I think that's been most peoples gripe about it, however when you finally reach the end of the book you realise how the story fell into place WITH the different POV's that couldn't have happened any other way. Sure, I wanted to read about Nora and Bram more than Victor or Wolfe but once I sucked it in and plowed through, the story was absolutely fantastic.

I've never been one for zombie movies. I prefer the 'Shaun of the Dead' style rather than the others. 2 hours of playing Dead Rising on the PS3 also made me dislike anything zombiefied however thanks to the deft and art-like writing of Habel you get immersed in the lore and before you know it it feels like normal when a leg gets blown off or a bite meets flesh!

The steampunk, new Victorian world-building was slow-going to start with but again, like the zombie lore, exceptional once you got used to ultramodern versus victorian. The city of New London was almost a holograph behind my own eyes as the author takes us through the story of a New Victorian era.

And the characters are more than lifelike. Personally I loved Pamela, the BFF. She showed true courage, and who wouldn't love Bram. What a brilliant character that I'd even want to take him home and introduce him to my parents (despite the fact that he's dead). The slow burning romance between Bram and Nora was so lovely, I was just rooting for them from the first.

All in all, this is a brilliant YA-Zombie-Steampunk novel and the first of a new series. I can't wait to get my hands on more!

(My, my Bram - what big hands you've got!
This is the UK Cover - I like it more than the other!)

You can reach Lia Habel here: 

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Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!

Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDRENS BOOKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis:
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

Review:
Being a European, and very inquisitive (!) I loved reading about the Romanovs, Imperial Russia and the European family tree when I was younger. This part of Russia history was always fascinating especially the balls, the polite society rules and the politics that go with it.
So, for me, it was an absolute delight to read this book. The author has kept very close to the rules of titles i.e. what to call each nobility, the etiquette, and the traditions which I loved. Unlike other reviewers I didn't think it was that difficult to keep up with the who's who of characters and how they were all related. I particularly liked the twist of faeries (light and dark), vampires, and werewolves that all basically stem from darker and older European history also.

The plot was great. The story flows very well and the danger increases gradually and at a nice pace. Katerina was a little too naive in some places especially when she's handed the Necromancer's Companion and has no wish to read it regardless of being a Necromancer herself. Sometimes she's amazingly strong and ambitious with her quest in the medical profession but other times she lets her youth and naivety get in the way, particularly when it comes to Elena and her family. Her relationship with George intrigued me from the beginning and without giving any spoilers suffice to say it wasn't an instant romance, which I enjoyed.

Overall I found it a fantastic read, as long as everyone can get past the numerous characters titles and past history of the supernatural beings, this should be one that doesn't get put away on the shelf unread.

View all my reviews

Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDRENS BOOKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis: It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Review:
The thing that grabs you into this story are the characters. Nora is fantastic, I almost wished we had been friends. Adriane is an oddity but acceptable as friends go. Chris, well, he's the boy that Nora doesn't want boyfriend-wise but he's brilliant as a best friend...and Max who made my heart skip a beat until he finally ripped it out...

This book is fantastic if you like an intellectual read. Set firstly in US and then tripping over to Prague we follow Nora's quest to uncover the Lumen Dei, an artifact that can talk to God. Or so we think. Actually we're not really sure what it does as I'm led to believe it's never actually been put into practise. Nora starts translating texts from an elusive Elizabeth Weston. We hear her story from the 16th century and her involvement and fathers incarceration at the Emperors behest. Soon, we uncover truths, lies, more mystery and find ourselves on a treasure hunt around the city.

The writing is exquisite. Moving from Nora to Elizabeth with ample descriptions and much more. When Chris is found dead you literally cannot put this book down! Every turn of the page could be another clue, another door opening to another mystery to solve and because of this I loved it.

My trust in the characters was stretched as Nora's POV was imaginative and eye opening. As a character she's pretty grounded and doesn't accept everything as it is.The down-side is only how the story travelled towards the end. I was a little disappointed but that's only my own opinion of which way the author led us. Others may agree that it was the right path.

But either way, this book should not be missed.

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Review: Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDRENS BOOKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis:
Venice, 1585.

When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura's father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice's fiancé, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo.

Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura's prayers. The day after she joins their ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled.

Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister's death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust

Review:
This book is a wonderfully beautiful read that tells the story of 16th century Venice and all the mystery, intrigue and suspense that comes with it. I've always wanted to go to Venice so for me the descriptions of the canals, the Palazzos and of course dresses and jewels were a delightful insight.

Laura is headstrong and from the beginning we understand that she's not entirely happy with her life in the convent. So when she's released she really comes into her own. Her character grows stronger and stronger as the book continues.

I loved the idea of a Secret Society for women however I would have liked to learn a little more about them. The concept of a Society brings ideas of initiations and gossip but we neither see much nor hear more about them except for the two head ladies.

The romance was a surprise. More of a traditional kind than heart pounding but it was sweet nonetheless.

As for the mystery and suspense, well, I couldn't put the book down. It gripped me right from the word, Go! with the families all mixed and intertwined with one another - except for the feud families which the story is based around.

The antagonist - well, I didn't see it coming. But I understood exactly how and why. This is a clever story that will have you guessing, and enjoying every minute of it.

The reason I haven't given this 5 stars is because I would have liked it to be longer (however it is being published by Puffin) and I didn't like the cover but I see another version is available now too.

All in all - a great read!

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