Siege and Storm Review

Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Source: ARC for Review
Rating: 4.5

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Review:

Siege and Storm takes place not long after the events of Shadow and Bone with Alina and Mal on the run from the Darkling. Right from the very first page I got swept away again into the story the Leigh Bardugo has created in the Grisha trilogy. In 2012 Shadow and Bone was in my top ten books, and I'm sure that Siege and Storm will be in my list for 2013 it was just that good.

I already had the dilemma a picking a guy I liked better, Mal or The Darkling. Siege and Storm brings in a third  guy I couldn't help falling for, Strumhond. Thanks god I'm not Alina because I couldn't possibly pick just one. I think this may be the only series where I can't narrow down who I like, their just all great for different reasons.

As for the story; it was an epic, thrilling, heart pounding, and well written sequel that is perfect in every way. The intricate well thought of world of the Grisha is absolutely amazing and unlike anything I have ever scene. The Russian twist to the series also adds to my interest towards the book.

The only minor issue that I had with the book was with the main character, Alina. She seems to have taken to her power too well, which is good but she acts like she's superior then everyone and is the only hope for Ravka against The Darkling. Even though she is all these things I feel she shouldn't act all high and mighty I would prefer to read from her perspective much more.

All together Siege and Storm was a fantastic sequel to Shadow and Bone that was well written and had a great story with high stakes. If you enjoyed Shadow and Bone I have no doubt that you will end up falling for this one as well. Get ready for an unbearable wait for the final book, Siege and Storm is left on a bit of a cliffhanger that well definitely make you eager for more.

 

Of Triton Review

Title: Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2)
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: May 28th 2013
Source: ARC for Review
Rating: 3.5

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Review:

 

Of Triton pick up right where Of Poseidon left off, confronting Emma's mom about her secret. The first few opening chapters a quite climatic and gets you sucked back into the story. As always Anna Banks writes a well written book jammed packed with humour that I sure will be a laugh or at least a smile to your face.

I loved the romance that Galen and Emma had in Of Poseidon and even though they may be apart for a large potion of the book, I loved the romance in this instalment even more. There's more commitment from them that will melt your heart. I can't wait to see what the next step in their relationship will be.

As much as I wanted to absolutely love this novel as much as I did the first I just couldn't. To me Of Triton seemed like a filler book; something small to give us because there needed to be a book released in 2013 but with no real progression in the plot. The book physically is very small and not a whole lot goes of, there is some pretty dramatic scenes that do make up for it though.

Even though Of Triton wasn't as good as Of Poseidon I still love this series and highly recommend it to anyone. I really look forward to reading more in this unique mermaid series.

Eve & Adam Review

Title: Eve & Adam
Authors: Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: ARC for review
Rating: 4


Sixteen-year-old Evening Spiker lives an affluent life in San Francisco with her mother, EmmaRose, a successful geneticist and owner of Spiker Biotech. Sure, Evening misses her father who died mysteriously, but she’s never really questioned it. Much like how she’s never stopped to think how off it is that she’s never been sick. That is, until she’s struck by a car and is exposed to extensive injuries. Injuries that seem to be healing faster than physically possible.

While recuperating in Spiker Biotech’s lush facilities, she meets Solo Plissken, a very attractive, if off-putting boy her age who spent his life at Spiker Biotech. Like Evening, he’s never questioned anything... until now. Solo drops hints to Evening that something isn’t right, and Emma-Rose may be behind it. Evening puts this out of her mind and begins her summer internship project: To simulate the creation of the perfect boy. With the help of Solo, Evening uncovers secrets so big they could change the world completely.

Review:

Being a Michael Grant fan from his gone series and just recently discovering that this husband and wife duo wrote the Animorphs series I was really excited for Eve & Adam. The story is about much more than Eve creating her perfect male.

I'm not a fan of religion at all, but I really enjoyed this modern day genesis story. After Eve is injured in a car accident her mother puts her up to the task of creating a boy. This portion of the book doesn't have a much of a role as the summary suggests, they story actually has many more elements to it that will surprise you. I really enjoyed them, if it were all about Eve great a super hot guy I would have lost interest (not in Adam though).

I thought this book would have a futuristic setting, but it doesn't, it takes place in modern day. The use of advanced science that doesn't exists (or does it) is what makes it a sci-fi book and could give the impression of being futuristic. Being a lover of science, this book was definitely for me, it was absolutely enthralling.

The humour wasn't all that funny in my opinion, it didn't have me laughing out loud as I thought it would. The dialogue and narration were very witty and to some with be humorous though. Although Adam is supposed to be the star male of the book, I much prefer Solo, if it were up to me. I never did like the "perfect" guy. Imperfections are a great quality.

Eve & Adam is a unique twist in the YA genre, it incorporates a mix of science and religion which isn't something that it commonly done. It's a very fast paced and easy read that can easily be read in a sitting ( I did). You have yet to read anything like this, I can assure you that! Science, wit, and humour are words I would use to describe it and are the same reasons why you should go out, get it, and read it.

Shadow and Bone Blog Tour: Interview & GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Ksenia from Macmillan for putting together this blog tour and asking me to take part in it,a and thanks to Leigh Bardugo for writing an amazing book and doing an interview with me. Check out my review for Shadow and Bone HERE.

Go HERE to follow the Shadow and Bone blog tour! Don't forget at the end of this post is a giveaway sponsered by Macmillan.

Favourite Colour: Red. Everything I buy is red. I can't stay away from it. I'm like one of those monsters in The Village.

Favourite Band/artist: Stevie Nicks. I adore her.

Favourite Book: That's impossible to answer! Today, we'll say it's Many Moons by James Thurber

1. How did you get the idea for the Grisha and the world they live in?

I've always been interested in the functionality of magic. What happens physically when you mutter a curse or wave a magic wand? I thought it might look a lot like a version of molecular chemistry where matter is manipulated at its most fundamental levels, but by magical means. This became the basis of the Small Science and the foundation for Grisha power. As for the world, it evolved as I built the story, but I knew early on that I wanted to use Tsarist Russia as a kind of cultural touchstone. It just made sense in terms of the power dynamics that were already emerging in the narrative. 

2. Alina has some pretty interesting love interests, if you were Alina who would you choose?

 Mal or The Darkling? If I were Alina, I'd wait until Book 2 before I made any rash decisions. But mercenaries and privateers are a particular weakness of mine.  
3. For those who don't know, what exactly are Grisha?

The Grisha are the magical elite of Ravka, the soldiers of the Second Army. Though their powers are vital to the kingdom's defense, they're viewed with suspicion, envy, and even hatred by much of the population. Still, they have it better in Ravka than anywhere else. In other countries, they're burned at the stake, experimented on, and sometimes sold into slavery. They're divided into three Orders-- Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki.

4. Did you always want to write a fantasy book, or did it just sort of happen?

I always loved reading fantasy and science fiction and what I suppose would be referred to as "magical realism" in literary fiction, so it's probably not surprising that I ended up writing fantasy. But I was never that hung up on genre as a reader, and I don't worry too much about it as a writer either. I just write the story I find interesting and hope the genre will work itself out.

5. What can readers expect to see in the next instalments of The Grisha Trilogy?

In Book 2, we'll get to travel a bit more beyond Ravka's borders, and my favorite character of the entire series makes his first appearance. I don't want to give anything away, but I can tell you that the Darkling will be back and that the most sacred boundaries of Grisha power will be tested.

6. Do you have a playlist for Shadow and Bone or a song you think fits it?

I have a few playlists out there, but there are three songs I keep on heavy rotation:

Running Up that Hill (Placebo's Cover of Kate Bush) has a cool, driving intensity that I've always associated with the Darkling.

Winter Song (Sarah Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson) perfectly describes both the bond and the growing distance between Mal and Alina.

Cosmic Love (Florence + the Machine) I know, I know. This is everyone's song. But the lyrics so perfectly suit all three of my main characters that I can't resist it. Plus, the map reference always makes me think of the fact that Alina is a cartographer (though not a very good one).

If anyone is interested in some of the music I associate with Ravka, they can check out this clip of one of my favorite folk songs or Polegnala e Todora from Le mystère des voix Bulgares. Not everyone likes this type of sound, but I'm a sucker for a Slavic chorus.  

(Hey Hayley! I just wanted to thank you for having me by to talk about Shadow and Bone!)

Macmillan has offered up a finished copy of Shadow and Bone as part of the Shadow and Bone blog tour. This giveaway is for CAN/US Residents only and will end on July 3rd. Fill out the rafflecopter below to be entered to win.

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Shadow and Bone Review

Title: Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: June 5th 2012
Source: ARC for Review (Thanks Macmillan)
Rating: 4.5
Buy:

Summary:



Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart

Review:

I don't think I've read something as strange and awesome as Shadow and Bone. I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like it. I'm new to the high fantasy genre, and if others in this genre are a great and unique as this one than I will have to read them all. Shadow and Bone was extremely well done!

What a great way for Leigh Bardugo to debut! Will an imagination this vast and writing and story telling skills this great she will no doubt go far with her writing career. The world of the Grisha is epic, with the shadow-fold and the frightful creatures that hide in its darkness I was drawn in so far that I just didn't want to come out. To top it all off Grisha powers are pretty kick-ass, I wish I had some of those.

Alina started off as an okay character, but as she learnt about her powers and how to use them I grew to love her. Her powers are pretty neat as well, but I won't tell you what they are you will have to find out for yourself. I really loved her bestfriend Mal, especially as their friendship leaned towards something more towards the end. Even though the Darkling is the bad guy of the story I loved him as well he had some nice sensitive sides with Alina in the book.

As first I was a bit confused with the odd words used in Shadow and Bone to describe the world and didn't types of Grisha and what exactly their powers were. Eventually I did learn them, they are just words I have never seen before and their were so many I kept having to flip back to the Grisha guide at the front of the book. That guide was very helpful. Once you get used to and understand the world of Ravka, you will no doubt fall in love with all the characters, and the world of Grisha. This book is seriously amazing, and I need book two now. I'm am ecstatic to be apart of the blog tour coming up, look out for an interview with Leigh in mid June.

Of Poseidon Review

Of Poseidon

Anna Banks

Feiwel and Friends

May 22nd 2012

Summary:

Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish.

What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings

Review:

Ohmysweetgoodness I loved this book! It's a fish out of water story, quite literally. Jammed pack with witty humour, mermaids, and a romance that is sure to steal your heart. Of Poseidon is a book that shouldn't be missed.

The book is told from both Emma and Galen's point of view in alternating chapters in both first and third person. It intersting how the change of characters also brings on a change in writing perspectives. As soon as Emma met Galen, by running into him, I fell in love. Galen is just the best, cute and funny, what more could a girl want?

Emma is a great main character, she has a real attitude that I can definitely relate to. I could totally imagine myself being friends with her is she were real despite her bad attitude. She is also quite funny as is Galen, when you read the book you will see that Ohmysweetgoodness is kind of her catch phrase.

Besides Of Poseidon being well written,humourus, and having a creative take on mermaids I loved the character interactment. They all play off of eachother so well and make this book awesome. You wont just want to read the book to see why Emma can talk to fish, you will also want to check out all the things I mentioned above.

Just something I found to be a bit funny, insults under the sea aren't like the ones we use here on land. To insult someone they call eachother some kind of sea creature that isn't something you want to be. Beware there is a bit of a cliffhanger that will make you ask "Where's book two? I need it now!" Anyways do yourself a favour and pick up Of Poseidon and fall in love with this masterpiece of a book.

Struck Review

Title: Struck
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Publisher: Farrar, Stratus and Giroux
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Source: ARC for review ( Thanks Macmillan)

Summary:

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Review:

Unfortunately there are only a few things that I can say that I actually liked about Struck. I liked the overall idea of a girl being addicted to being struck by lightening, the world that Struck takes place in, and the cover, the detailing on Mia's body is pretty cool in person. Everything else about the book was just bleh for me.

I really thought that I was going to really enjoy Struck, and I was for a very short while. For a moment I thought I was hooked on the book but then everything went downhill and I struggled to finish the book. The worst part of the book for me is the religion, I am in no way religious and try to stay as far away from it as possible. There is a lot of "God is good"going on and it was gruelling for someone with my views to read. Besides that I never connected to any of the characters on a deep level and had no feelings towards them, I neither liked them or disliked them.

 For the most part there is no romance between Mia and Jeremy throughout the book, until the last 50 pages or so.. Then it was the author realised that she didn't incorporate any and decided to randomly add some. One moment they were friends and the next they were in love, the gushy gross type too. Personally I think the book would have been a smidge better if there were no romantic moves in the first book and were saved for the sequel where it might have seemed a bit more natural.

I don't know if I will be picking up the rest of the books in the series just yet. I wouldn't recommend this book to those who don't enjoy religious aspects or if you would have the same problems I did if you were to read Struck. I will say the writing was pretty well done, and I think if Jennifer were to write another more thoughtout book/series I would enjoy it.