Review: King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

Published: February 7th 2017 by HarperTeen

 Rating: 3 out of 5

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Available from:  
 

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Synopsis:

In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl's spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.
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Review: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard 

Published: February 9th 2016 by HarperTeen

 Rating: 4 out of 5

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Available from:  
 

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Synopsis:

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

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Review: Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard 

Published: February 10th 2015 by HarperTeen

 Rating: *6 out of 5

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Available from:  
 

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Synopsis:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

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Arc Review: Perfect (Flawed #2) by Cecelia Ahern

Perfect (Flawed #2) by Cecelia Ahern

Published: April 4th 2017

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Available from:

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Synopsis:

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?

Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed (Flawed #1) by Cecelia Ahern

Published: March 24th 2016

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Available from:

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Synopsis:

You will be punished…

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

Review: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Synopsis:

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature.

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Review: 

What's to say about Uninvited? Well, it's a book of two halves. The first half is Davy and her perfect life and how everyone shuns her on hearing the news of her HTS detection. This half tends to be very high school drama-ish, woe is me type of angle. The second half gets very Divergent/Hunger Games-esque. Davy accepts she's a Carrier and has no choice in life anymore. The book does end on a cliffhanger also.

Points I liked. Sean was a cool love interest. However, he did come over as the stereotypical bad boy. Tattoos, dangerous, capable with his fists. He did annoy me with his constant "I can't always be there to save you, Davy." It would have been cool if he'd taken her to the gym and trained with her, therefore, proving to him that she could be capable.

I liked Gil. I hope he has a bigger part in the next book. He was the first carrier person who was nice to her and Davy dropped him like a stone to pay more attention to Sean.

But! I did like the softly, softly approach to the romance. Not full on heavy petting but taking it very slowly and calmly.

The writing is very good, the plot is well paced and the story line is good enough. But it could have been better and would have come across better had it not included lots of clichés from typical YA novels.

What I didn't like. The 'kill gene' they're all talking about could have been expanded and verified to us better. I'm still really not sure how this gene came to being discovered. I mean, after thousands of years of civilisation this society think they can end crime and murder because of this one gene?

I also didn't like Davy been too clean and proper, to begin with. I would have liked her to at least have one flaw to her porcelain perfect perception.

I thought the whole camp idea was off and a little naff, but that's just me! A little more world building could have been included also.

On the whole, though, a book very readable and unputdownable :)

-CBx

Available on Amazon:

Review: The Offering (The Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

The Offering by Kimberly Derting

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Published December 31st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

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Synopsis:

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.
Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

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Review:

It's always sad to reach the end of a great series with wonderful characters. I almost feel like I'm saying goodbye to them. The exceptional writing and story shows what a gifted writer Derting is. Of the three books, this one is the weakest. It holds such character development and most of them come out better than before. Sadly Charlie didn't live up to my estimation but that is only because she's still a new queen and understanding what exactly that title means. POV's are from nearly all the characters with Charlie's still being the only 1st person.

Pro's

While the last two based themselves on saving people or the city, this one is to save Charlie's country of Ludania. From the outset, we're launched into the adventure and its sad news in the beginning for Max and Charlie when they receive an unexpected message and gift. From here on in, Charlie is focused on one thing and thats to free Max's brother from Astonia. I applauded her dedication to her friend.

Great advancements in technology are slowly bringing Ludania into the new century. This was a nice twist in an otherwise odd-medieval-modern dystopian land.

Insight into Eden's past when we meet her little brother. There's definitely a feeling of foreboding when the girls reach the work camps. Charlie realises how hard life really was for the unwanted kids.

At last, Charlie finds a way of getting rid of Sabara.

Con's

After Charlie becomes Queen and builds into her role from The Essence, she slips up in this instalment. I didn't like the way she thought she could singlehandedly take on Elena. Especially after receiving the message and the parting gift. Other characters including Max built Charlie up to be selfless, determined and brave. But when she takes Eden and Brook on her secret mission she only shows how selfish she's being. Not only does she leave her family vulnerable but also her country.

Not so many twists and turns in this one. The episode with Deirdre seemed almost as a filler.

Available from Amazon:

Review: The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Published: January 1st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry

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Synopsis.

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within

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Read my review of The Pledge (The Pledge #1) by Kimberley Derting here

Review: 

The Essence is every bit as good as The Pledge, if not better. This sequel focuses more on Charlie, or Queen Charlaina as she now is, and her role as ruler of a kingdom. We get inside the heads of more key characters. This is a story of love, espionage, mystery and a little murder too.

Pro's

Charlie, Brook, Aron, and Max all have POV's in this one although Charlie is the only 1st person. And there's romance and lots of it! *swoon!*

Rather than base the book around keeping Angelina safe, as the Pledge was, the Essence delves into the history behind Sabara and her Essence which now lives inside Charlie. Sometimes this is spooky, sometimes I wondered how Charlie was still sane. She's a tough girl.

Max *swoon!* and Charlie! As a couple they really come out of the pages with this wonderful love affair. There may be a few hiccups on the way, it isn't all plain sailing by any means, but they really do have a beautiful love.

Lots of mystery, a kidnapping, a mysterious assassin, Florence (who's a man), Avonlea who is named by Charlie, and the Scablands. Many new characters to get your teeth into to love or detest. A great backdrop of dystopian nastiness.

The Queens! Got to love them. All so quirky but full of character and frivolity!

Con's

Not really much to Con about. Maybe wish it was longer?

Note: The ending all pulls to the next book. Not so much of a cliffhanger, more of a 'and in the next episode...'

Available from Amazon:

CB Note to readers: This is a new type of review I'm starting aimed to get to the point and exclude waffle. Points are easier to read. If you prefer this than the usual review please let me know!

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: 

Web
Goodreads

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass

Publishers: HarperTeen
Published Date: April 23rd 2013
From: NET GALLEY
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

  

 My review of The Selection by Keira Cass

Synopsis:

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Review:


The much anticipated sequel to The Selection is almost upon us but is it as good as the first one I hear you ask? Well, it is and it isn't.

Firstly, the story continues pretty much where we left off. Six girls are now left in the competition except now the other girls actually mean to win Prince Maxon. This is no longer a test of the nice girls versus the nasty. It's each for themselves.

America begins still as Prince Maxon's favourite but now that ex-flame Aspen is on the scene whispering promises into her ear she's indecisive in what she actually wants. Maxon has blatantly told her he would call the competition off to announce their engagement, but America shies away. Aspen continues to fight for America in his own way and pretty soon America is all hither and dither about which way her heart lies. Maxons frustration becomes apparent when he chooses to spend more time with one of her competitors.

America could lose it all. The chance to be a Princess, the ability to give her family a better life, what must she do?

The rest of the behind the scenes parts of the story are good. The rebels try a few times to infiltrate the palace to capture the royal family, the King shows America exactly what he thinks of her, and she manages to find a backbone with an important project that goes out live on TV only to have the King almost expel her from the competition. And she discovers a shocking secret about Prince Maxon.

Its nice to continue with a story once you know who everyone is. That feeling when you're in a nice comfy sofa and you want the book to take you away and entertain you. To an extent The Elite did that, but not as much as I would have liked. America was annoying throughout a good part of the book. Her indecision leading to frequent tears didn't go down well with me, however Prince Maxon was the true hero of this book. He saved the day.

Knowing how this ended I have no doubt that the next one will be more in line with a stronger America. Now she knows who to fight for.

-CBx

You can reach Kiera Cass here:

Web   Twitter  Goodreads

Available from Amazon:

    

Book Trailer Reveal for The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

The trailer for THE ETERNITY CURE 

by Julie Kagawa has been revealed! 

What do you think? Excited?

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The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

Expected publication: April 30th 2013 by Harlequin Teen 

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Publishers: HarperTeen
Published Date: April 24th 2012
From: NET GALLEY
My rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review:
 A dystopian world where a Prince seeking a Princess chooses a girl from the ordinary people. But America Singer already has a love but has no choice in entering The Selection. The results may or may not be her downfall. Only time and an unexpected friendship can decide.

The storyline for The Selection is nothing new. Quiz shows around the world have at some time featured girls or boys being chosen for dates. It just so happens that this book chooses a Prince for that same task.

The dystopian aspect provides a very different backdrop for America’s expected invitation to join 35 girls of similar age and varied backgrounds on a quest to become Maxon’s bride.

Of course nothing goes to plan. Maxon intervenes when the guards at the palace refuse America access to the gardens. And America gets her first introduction to the Prince before anyone else does.

The storyline whips us through the process for the selection as more and more girls drop out for one reason or another.

Maxon is very charming as the much publicised Prince. His relationship with America is easy, unforced and appears to be perfect for both of them. But America still has feelings for her past love, and when Aspen finds himself working in the palace her mind starts a reverie of complicated thoughts. Does she like Maxon even though she’s told him that she’s unavailable? Can Aspen steal her heart again so easily?

The Selection is an unexpected love story with a cliff-hanger so huge it was hard not to be frustrated at the ending.
-CBx

 

You can reach Kiera Cass  here:
Web   Twitter  Goodreads

New YA Book Publications - week ending 16th March 2012

Week Ending 16th March

** HOT PICK  **

Steel by Carrie Vaughn


Out 13th March 2012

Goodreads:
It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.

This was the tip of a rapier.

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate’s life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

 Charlotte thinks:

I love anything with a sword-wielding sassy girl, add a bit of time travelling and a smidgeon of romance and I'm all over it. And Carrie Vaughn never disappoints!

x

  **  also out this week  **