Review: The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Series: The Assassin's Curse #2

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Published date: June 18th 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley.com, in exchange for a fair review.

Previous series reviews: The Assassin's Curse

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

So it has been a little while since I have actually written a review so I apologise if I am a little rusty. Before I begin, just a little warning that this will contain spoilers for the first book of the series. I read The Assassin’s Curse earlier in the year and I really enjoyed it, so I had been really looking forward to reading this.

This started off where The Assassin’s Curse left off, with Naji and Ananna still being stuck on the Isle of the Sky with the three impossible tasks left to complete to break the curse. Therefore, once a way off the Isle arrives, after making a new friend, Ananna and Naji must find a way to break the curse.

For me, The Pirate’s Curse wasn’t as good as the first book. The main reason for this was that I didn’t like Ananna as much. I felt that Ananna wasn’t as strong a character this time around. She was sulky and bitter at times and what I like about her character in The Assassin’s Curse, wasn’t present as often. She was still strong at times and showed leadership and bravery, but she got on my nerves occasionally. There were also times when her loyalty wavered a little, which annoyed me.

Naji was a character that I liked getting to know a bit better. It was good to see him open up more and see more of his good qualities such as his loyalty and bravery. I also liked that Naji was a realistic character. There were times when he would despair that the curse wouldn’t be broken, which I think we all would if we had to complete three impossible tasks. I also really enjoyed watching him become more accepting of the way he looked and less self-conscious.

The new characters were great additions to the story. Each had their own part to play and each were fairly different from the others. I also really enjoyed exploring the history of some of the established characters and finding out more about their pasts.

I really enjoyed the relationships. I think that they were all realistic. The romantic relationships were a little tough and rocky, and didn’t necessarily have the perfect ending. The relationship between Ananna and her parents was what I expected it to be like. The friendships were also realistic with their up and down moments, but some of them were also amusing.

Another reason that I didn’t like The Pirate’s Curse as much as the first book was that I found the plot to be more predictable. I think that this was because there was a certain convenience to the storyline that made it easier to guess what was to come. I felt that the tasks weren’t actually all that impossible and that they were accomplished neatly and conveniently such as knowing someone who just so happened to have an item to break the curse. It was still an enjoyable plotline, but the predictability took away from it.

I did still enjoy reading The Pirate’s Curse, but it did have a few flaws in it so I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Mel.

Review: Sworn to Raise by Terah Edun

Series: Courtlight #1

Publisher: Amazon Digital 

Published: April 10th 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Ciardis has grown up in poverty, a cleaner in a small vale on the outskirts of the kingdom. But beneath her kingdom’s seemingly idyllic surface lies a hidden secret. Whispers of an inept crown Prince are growing ever louder—intensified by the five year anniversary of the soulbond initiations. Amidst scandalous whispers, Ciardis finds herself chosen to train for the Companion’s Guild. She leaves her home and sets off on a personal journey to become a Court Companion. A position she’d never thought possible for a lowly servant to obtain, she must prove that she has the skills to attract a Patron.  But she must master those skills quickly. If the legends are true, only Ciardis can harness the power to raise a Prince in an Imperial Court sworn to bring him down.

Sworn to Raise was an interesting book that I enjoyed reading. It was a reasonably well written, quick read that was full of magic and action.

I really liked the main character, Ciardis. I felt that she was a strong female character, who still remained fairly feminine, which to me doesn’t necessarily happen all that often in young adult books. I liked that despite her strength, she still had fears and she still had a vulnerable side. I also liked Sebastian, who was loyal, strong and willing to take a stand. I did find him a little arrogant at times, which annoyed me a little, but overall I still liked him. Damias was another character I liked because of how he mentored Ciardis and was what she needed. I didn’t really like Serena because I found her to be too shallow and vain for my liking.

I really enjoyed the magical elements in the story. I loved that there were different types of mages and that they varied so much in skills and strength. I felt that maybe this could have been explored a little bit more in the story, but maybe that is to come in the next book.

The plot was enjoyable and I thought that it was fairly unique. I hadn’t read a book that really covered what this story was about before. The problem that I had with the plot though was that it was a little simple and predictable. Not much really surprised me with the story and I was never really pushed to think about the story line. This did make for a quick and easy read, but I was wishing for a little more complexity.

I also felt that everything was convenient for Ciardis. For example, Ciardis just so happened to come across the only person who could get her out of her situation and have her offer Ciardis the way out. This happened quite regularly throughout the book and I was often sound sitting there rolling my eyes and going “of course she would happen to find that thing there, without really looking,” which did annoy me a little. I also felt that the ending was a little too neatly wrapped up.

Another issue I had with the story was the pacing. I felt that the story was too fast-paced. It was all action, action, action and there wasn’t any time for really processing what was going on. I think that this was one of the reasons that I found the story to be simple. I also think that it was one of the reasons that I didn’t really connect emotionally with the story. There was a point in the plot where I should have felt even a little bit upset but I hardly felt anything. I also would have liked there to be a little more exploration into the character’s past because I didn’t feel like we really learnt much about anyone.

Despite my issues with the book, I did really enjoy it and I can’t wait to read the next book. I give this book 4 stars. 

Mel.

Up next - Review: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood

Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Sophronia Temminnick at 14 is a great trial more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners -- and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Her poor mother, desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, enrolls the lively tomboy in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage -- in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

 

I really enjoyed this book. It was light-hearted and fun, and a fairly easy read. I didn’t know that the book was steampunk when I started reading it so I did get a little bit of a surprise when there were mechanical waiters and dogs. I also got a little surprise with the addition of werewolves and vampires.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Sophronia was easy to like and not at all whiney. She could think on her feet and didn’t really care about social boundaries. I particularly like Soap and Vieve, because they didn’t belong to the world of the students but Sophronia still made friends with them. I think that the three made a perfect team for snooping and information gathering. I also particularly like Sidheag because she didn’t fit the mould of a Lady, as her title demanded. I also liked Dimity, even if she was annoying at times, because it was interesting to watch her mature and become a braver person. I liked that Monique was so easy to dislike and that it was fun to do so.

I liked the addition of werewolves and vampires, although there wasn’t quite enough of the two main supernaturals for my liking. I thought that it was interesting that werewolves could change any night they wanted to but they became uncontrollable and savage on full moons. I also liked the idea that all werewolves had to serve in the army. I thought that it was amusing that one of the best ways to escape a vampire was to spill tea on his clothing and that garlic mash made them sneeze.

I enjoyed the way that the etiquette training and the espionage training was quite often the same thing. For example, using handkerchiefs properly involved using them as a communication tool or to use it to discombobulate people. Another example, and this was possibly my favourite, is that being in full dress, with two petticoats, can help save you from a werewolf attack.

The only complaint I had with this book is that at times the overlying plot got lost in the midst of lessons. This made the story a little slow at times, particularly in the middle of the book. I also thought that the ending was maybe solved a little too quickly and neatly.

Overall, it was a great story and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the release of the second book in November! I give this story 4/5 stars.

This book was read for the Take Control March 2013 reading challenge hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturday – Favourite Novels.

Review: The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas

Just a quick note before I do my review. I have decided to change the format of my reviews because I don’t really like what I have been using (with what I don’t like and what I do like) and I don’t really think it works for me. So this review is going to be in my new format! Let me know what you think.

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. Yet, she won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel; Celaena must take one last daring assignment that will liberate her forever. But having it all, means you have a lot to lose.

Today I am going to review the final Throne of Glass novella, The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas. This story was a little darker and twisted than the others and it is possibly my favourite of the four. This story covered the events that landed Celaena in the prison that is the salt mines of Endovier. As with the previous novellas, it was nice to know what actually happened leading up to Throne of Glass.

I found Celaena to be less annoying in this story compared to the others and I think that this may have been because she was willing to give everything up to be safe with Sam. I still found her a little vain and stubborn, but she had softened a little. I also felt that she was more aware of what was going on around her and she didn’t have blind faith in Arobynn anymore. In saying that, I still think she trusted Arobynn a little too much. She also thought things through a little more than in the other books, particularly in how she planned to leave Rifthold and in planning their final job.

I felt like Sam had become darker in this story. We saw him needing to be violent, as such, when he fought. He did say that it was because it was easy money, but I also felt that he needed it to sort out his feelings. I liked that Sam only trusted Celaena. He had no faith in Arobynn. I also liked that he would do anything for Celaena. It was also nice to see him be a bit rash at times, particularly in his need to leave Rifthold behind. I also felt that he was a bit rash when it came to the mission, particularly that he wanted to take it on by himself.

The plot was fairly original, but not necessarily unpredictable. From reading Throne of Glass, I knew who was going to die and that someone betrayed her. It was from reading the novellas that I guessed who it was that betrayed her, and the book proved me right. There were some surprises, like support from an unexpected front, but I mainly knew or guessed what was going to happen. In saying that, if I had of read this before reading Throne of Glass I think it would have been a lot less predictable.

This was a great story to finish the novellas and a great lead up to Throne of Glass. I am satisfied that I now know the events prior to Throne of Glass and I am eagerly anticipating the release of the second book, Crown of Midnight, in August this year!

I give this story 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Throwback Thursday – Chronicles of Narnia

Review: The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When the King of the Assassins gives Celaena Sardothien a special assignment that will help fight slavery in the kingdom, she jumps at the chance to strike a blow against an evil practice. The mission is a dark and deadly affair which takes Celaena from the rooftops of the city to the bottom of the sewer—and she doesn't like what she finds there. 

 

The Assassin and the Underworld is the third Throne of Glass novella. This book was set entirely in Rifthold, unlike the first two. I really enjoyed the setting and finding more about the dynamics of the assassins.

What I liked about the book?

• As I said, I really enjoyed learning more about the dynamics in the book. They interactions and the hierarchy were really interesting and added depth to the book. I particularly liked the interactions between Sam and Celaena and the both of them and the King of the Assassin’s.
• I love Sam. He was so caring, despite his profession, and forgiving in regards to Celaena, despite what she had done to him.
• I liked that we got to see more to the story than just the mission that Celaena was given. We saw her go to a party and the theater which both originally started out for the mission but it ended up more than that for her. I also liked to see her in the times that she was more feminine, gushing over presents, I felt like it was a relief to all the thoughts about the slave trades, the mission and Arobynn. I also enjoyed her playing the piano.
• I thought that the new characters added depth to the story, particularly Lysandra. I also liked getting to know some of the older characters more and learning what drives each one a bit better.
• I found the plot was less predictable and more original than the first two and was more intriguing as well. There were a couple of twists and turns that I didn't expect as much as I did in the last novella.

What I didn't like?

• This is similar to the other reviews. I found the lack of description of some of the places annoying, particularly considering trinkets and clothes were described in good detail when they didn't need to be.
• Celaena annoyed me even more in this story. She was more vain and up herself than usual and very proud. She looked down on others because of their profession, even if they had no choice in the matter, the same as she did. She also let people’s behaviour blind her to what was really going on. I found her very blind to some things going on around her, particularly in regards to Sam. It all just annoyed me a little.

Other than that I really enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and action-filled. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Review: The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas.

Review: Eternal: More Love Stories with Bite edited by P.C. Cast

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Eternal: More Love Stories With Bite presents all-new YA stories featuring vampires, the romantic heroes and heroines that still hold the reading public enraptured. A mix of writers from the first anthology and new contributors makes for a fresh new collection with all of the dark romance of its predecessor, and a book that’s sure to thrill vampire romance fans old and new. 

Eternal is a collection of short stories that involve vampires. The stories are all different and interesting in their own right and there is plenty for everyone who likes vampires. I have reviewed each story separately.

Bloodshed by Claudia Gray

This is a story that belongs in the Evernight universe. Set in World War II, Bloodshed is a story about a vampire, Patrice, who is in love with a human, Charlie, who is about to be shipped off to fight in the war. The story deals with interesting themes such as free will, loving an illusion of someone instead of loving the actual person and whether we really know someone or not. The story also took an interesting look on how war can change people. I really enjoyed the plot of the story. It was fairly original and not at all predictable. I also enjoyed the characters, particularly Ivan, but I did find Patrice to be a little vain and annoying and at times I found Charlie had little depth. I give this story 4/5 stars.

Say Yes by Lili St. Crow

Straight out I need to say that this is not my type of story and I didn’t like it at all. It is about a girl who last sees her friend at a party in the company of a vampire before she is found dead. It then follows the girl as she tries to deal with it and face the killer. I did not like the writing style of the story, most of it seemed like a train of thought, with unnecessary events put in. This resulted in there being little depth to the story. I also felt very little emotion throughout reading the story, even though the plot demanded it, because it was all actions and very little thoughts. The only thing that I liked about was that the plot was interesting and there was a nice twist at the end. I also liked how the vampire was kind of shady and creepy. I give this story 2/5 stars.

The Other Side – Heather Brewer

This was a very interesting and original story. It started with Tarrah and her boyfriend, Corey, being trapped in a basement, and because I knew that there were vampires in this story, I thought I knew where this was going. When the monster came in and was just how you imagined a vampire to be and then takes Corey out and drains most of his blood, it cemented what I thought was going to happen. Boy was I wrong. When the monster came and collected Tarrah the biggest, most unexpected twist jumps out. I really enjoyed the plot, but I felt like the story was lacking something. I didn’t really feel anything. It should have been a terrifying story, but I didn’t feel it. I should have been sad at one point, but I wasn’t, and I felt that it might have been because I didn’t really connect with Tarrah. I found her to be annoying and whiny and she had little emotion. I was also annoyed by the romance, which I felt the story would have been better off without. It was one brilliant twist though, so I give this story 3/5 stars.

Letters to Romeo – Nancy Holder

I found that the plot and the setting to this story really interesting. The story follows Romeo, who was unknowingly turned into a vampire when he committed suicide, in his search for Juliet after seven hundred years. When Romeo was turned he was promised that Juliet would be brought back to him by a Friar, who just so happened to be a magician. It was definitely an interesting story. It compared how much Romeo had changed, in his bitterness of losing the love of his life to the boy who first fell in love with Juliet. It also asked some questions about how strong love is, if it is just beauty deep or does it go all the way to the heart. I really enjoyed the twist. I also really enjoyed seeing Romeo’s rage as a vampire, which made the story, and Romeo, more believable. I also liked the flash backs that were in the story that covered how Romeo was changed. It was interesting to see Romeo compare modern day lifestyle, with all its technology, to the lifestyle that he had come from. I give this story 4.5/5 stars!

Drama Queen’s Last Dance – Rachel Caine

This story was not what I was expecting. I expected to not like the main character and I expected that there would be a fair bit of death and destruction in this story, but there wasn’t. The story is a Morganville Vampire story and followed Eve while she dealt with a new vampire in town, who happened to be attracting every male, including Eve’s boyfriend Michael. It was a really funny story and despite what I thought I actually found myself liking Eve. She was funny and we didn’t see much of her Drama Queen side. It was good to see her mature to face the problem. I also really loved Michael and Eve’s relationship. It was so sweet and real. The only thing bad that I have to say about this story was that there was no twist, what happened was what you expected to happen. I still really enjoyed the story and found myself laughing along to it. I give it 4.5/5 stars!

Thief – Jeri Smith-Ready

Thief is a story set in South Carolina and follows an Irish Traveller named Mary Cassidy, or Cass. It was a really interesting setting for a story, where I learnt about a culture that I didn’t know much about. That aspect of the story really fascinated me. The story went into a little detail about the marriage customs, in particular marriage being arranged by the parents for the benefit of the family. Cass was originally betrothed to Liam, who she loves, but then circumstances changed and she was then betrothed to someone else. We then see what lengths both Cass and Liam would go for love. I really enjoyed the vampire aspect of this story, which came in late and was a little unexpected. I loved how it then caused some extra problems that had to be overcome. I really loved Cass and Liam’s romance. It was sweet and beautiful. I loved that she loved him no matter what, and that they would both do anything to be together. I give this story 4.5/5 stars.

Although the ratings of the stories where from one end of the scale to the other, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was better than what I expected it to be, and I found some of the stories really interesting and amusing. Overall, I give this book a 4/5 stars!

I read this book for the Short Story Summer challenge hosted by Book Lover Book Reviews. Click the picture to see the details.

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturday

Review: The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive 

The Assassin and the Desert is the second of the Throne of Glass novellas. I really enjoyed reading it and it was nice to again learn more about Celaena’s past, in this case more about the Silent Assassins.

So what did I like about the book?

• The plot was entertaining. I really enjoyed the idea of the Silent Assassins and the difference between them and the Northern Assassin King.
• I loved the cool horses. Ok, I have to admit something here which is that I really love horses. So when any book has a cool horse, in this case two, my thoughts of the book are generally improved. The Asterion horses were great with their fast speed and incredible strength. I really wish I could own one.
• I really like Celaena. It is a surprise for me that I actually like the main character because quite often they annoy me, but in this case I do. I admire her morals, because even though she is an assassin she respects people and she respects human life. She always tries to find an alternate way than killing someone, even if it makes the job about ten times more difficult than it already was. I do find her a bit arrogant and vain, which are traits that usually annoy me, but the way she cares for others and the wrongs that happen to other help me to overlook this.
• The new characters that were introduced were really good as well. I loved the Mute Master and his son Illias. The difference between the Master and Arobynn and their interactions with Celaena was interesting to see. I loved the continual comparisons that Celaena made of Sam and Illias, as well, and I was hoping that it would make her more aware of Sam’s feelings toward her. I found Ansel intriguing but she annoyed me a fair bit and I never trusted her. I felt for her though when the truth about her past came out. I also liked Mikhail even if he didn’t play a big part.
• As always with Maas’ writing I found that the sentences flowed really well and drew you into the story. They weren’t too long and they weren’t too choppy.

Now to what I didn’t like (which in this case are more annoyances than not liking).

• I had predicted who was going to betray Celaena fairly early on in the book, so when the betrayal actually came I wasn’t at all surprised by it.
• I would like a little more description, but I can understand why it doesn’t seeing it is only a novella and not a full novel.
• I got annoyed by Celaena always going “I am Celaena Sordothian, Ardalan’s Assassin.” I think that it could have been left out more often than not because you still got that she was proud and vain without her constantly repeating it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly well written and it was entertaining. I rate it 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Next Up: Throwback Thursday - Inheritance Cycle

Review: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about. 

This is the first of four Throne of Glass novellas that are set before the Throne of Glass book. Each novella covers the events that lead up to Celaena being imprisoned. I really enjoyed this book, it was great to find out part of Celaena's back story that was mentioned in Throne of Glass but not really explained.

What did I like about this book?

• As I said, I enjoyed getting the back story of Celaena, particularly finding out about Sam. We hear in Throne of Glass that Sam was a love interest of Celaena's and that he was killed, so it was nice to actually meet Sam at the start of their relationship where Celaena hates him. It was great to see this relationship grow, and to see Celaena start to trust him more. 
• It was also great to learn about the hierarchy at the Assassin's Keep. It was great to see Arobynn and his relationship with Celaena. It was also good to see Celaena start questioning her blind faith in Arobynn.
• I really liked Sam. He intrigued me at the start because of what we knew about him. I was also intrigued by Celaena's original thoughts about him, seeing him only as a rival and a threat, and how biased she was against him. I also had a feeling that what she thought he felt for her was probably the complete opposite of what he did actually feel for her. I also liked that he had a moral compass, even though he was an assassin, that I felt came from his background.
• I liked the fact that despite Celaena being an assassin she is compassionate and feels for other people. I liked that she found it difficult to kill someone who wasn't a murder/slave-trader etc. All this made her easier to connect to because if she didn't have that compassion I think it would have been impossible.
• It was also nice that Celaena didn't have to kill everyone to complete her mission. I like the fact that she was good at knocking people unconscious or leaving them too wounded to chase after instead of just killing in cold blood. I found it really refreshing to have an assassin who didn't have to kill everyone.
• I really enjoyed the plot. It was interesting and fairly complex, with some good twists and it caused you to aske questions about morality and the like. It probably wasn't the most original plot but it was enjoyable.
• I also like Maas' writing style. Her sentences weren't too long, but also weren't short and choppy. I felt like everything flowed really well. 

What didn't like about this book?

• It wasn't as descriptive as it could have been, or I would have liked it to be. I understand that it being shorter than a normal length book that the descriptions would have to be cut short but I felt that there wasn't enough for me to even form a vague mental image of some things. In saying that I really loved the description of Skull's Bay which reminded me of Tortuga from Pirates of the Caribbean. 
• The arrogant, headstrong side of Celaena annoyed me but I did see that there were other sides to her that didn't annoy me as much.

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord was a great start for the background story of Celaena and definitely leaves you wanting to read the rest of the novellas. I gave this story 4/5 stars.

Another note relating to Throne of Glass, is that the title for the sequel was released at the end of January. The title will be Crown of Midnight, and I must say that I am even more excited for the release of this in August than I was before!

Mel.

Up next: Review: The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas.

Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

This was a really good book. I managed to read it in two nights despite being busy and only managed to put it down when my eyes were closing because I needed sleep! This is the first book of the Lumatere Chronicles and I decided to give it a try on the recommendation of a friend. Although this book is probably classified as Young Adult, I wouldn’t recommend it to young YA readers because it is a fairly violent and the book and covers some adult themes.

What did I like about this book?

• It was refreshing to read a book with a male protagonist. It has been a while since I have read a book, particularly a YA book, that has that. I find that male protagonists often are less whiney than females and I tend to like them more. Plus there just aren’t enough male protagonists out there.
• I really enjoyed the plot. It was interesting and complicated, with one twist that I did not expect coming at all. There were plenty of hints along the way for you to try and guess what would come but quite often I managed to guess wrong. I also really enjoyed how it flowed well and how every little thing that happened would end up having an effect on something further down the track.
• I loved Melina Marchetta’s writing style. I like writing style’s where I find I don’t focus on the wording or the sentence structure too much, where I just focus on the story and Marchetta’s writing was perfect for me. It flowed really well. I also enjoyed how she changed the writing style when writing from another’s perspective, particularly one who was just learning the language and how she wrote his thoughts as jumbled and running into one another.
• I loved the depth of the characters. You had the most honourable men compared to the least honourable, a strong independent woman compared to a weak dependent male. I also loved the development of the characters across the book as you saw the strong independent woman become a little more dependent and the weak dependent male become stronger. I loved seeing the different interactions between the characters and how they changed over time because of certain events and revelations. I particularly liked watching Finnikin’s interaction with Evanjalin change and also his interaction with his father. I also liked how Froi’s interaction with other people changed.
• I really loved the romance of Finnikin and Evanjalin. I loved how it wasn’t an instalove but that it grew over time, quite slowly at times. I loved all the doubts and the things that got in the way because they were very realistic and problems that most couples in real life will have to face at some  point, if at a slightly smaller scale. I particularly liked the scene between the two at the end of the book.

What didn’t I like about this book?

• The only thing that annoyed me was when the first change of perspective of the story came. It wasn’t obvious at all that the perspective had changed, particularly seeing as it was a new character’s perspective. It took a little bit for me to realise what had happened and who’s perspective I was now reading from. I also didn’t really like that sometimes the perspective would change mid chapter without very much indication at all that it had happened.

I give this book 4.5-5/5 stars because it was a really good read. The only reason I didn’t give it the full 5/5 is because of the abrupt changes in perspective.

This book was read for the Australian Women Writer's Challenge 2013 (click the picture to sign-up).

Mel.

Review: The Iron King (The Iron Fey 1) by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart. 

This was a book that I had heard mix reviews about but I thought I would like so I decided to give it a go. I did enjoy this book, there were somethings that annoyed me a little but I enjoyed the setting and plot.

What did I like?

• I loved the world of the Fey. The descriptions where enough to let my imagination run wild without slowing down the story. I could envisage the differences between the realms. 
• I love the Fey. I have always been a fan of faeries and the like and the number of different magical creatures in the book was heaven for me.
• Any book with a talking animal, in this case a cat, appeals to me. I loved Grim. I can't wait to get to know him a bit better and see the reasons that drive him, because I feel we didn't know this yet.
• I loved most of the characters. I also loved the complexities in the back stories of a couple of the characters, in particular Puck and Ash.
• I just loved the story. I am not particularly sure why but I just really enjoyed it.

What didn't I like?

• I found Meghan to be a fairly soft character, and she annoyed me because of it. She was really jumpy and screamed heaps in the start. She then seemed to not be scared about much near the end and I found that to be a little unrealistic. I also found her sudden shooting prowess to be a little bit unrealistic as well.

I really enjoyed this book so I gave it 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey 2) by Julie Kagawa

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Firstly, if you haven't read this book then I highly recommend that you do. Secondly, when you do read it make sure that you have a box of tissues with you because it is a tearjerker.

I have to say that I generally don't read contemporary/realistic young adult books. I prefer my books to be fantasy and the content of it not happening in the world around me. I decided to read this book because I had heard so many great reviews about it, and I thought that I had better try it.

I am so glad that I did. This book really blew me away! It was such a rich story and I got very emotionally involved in the story and the characters.

What did I like about this book?

• Everything

• The characters were amazing. They were easy to empathise with and you felt like you were going through the same emotions as the characters.

• It was very thought provoking book. I won't go into too much depth here, but it really made me think about a lot of things.

• The love in the book between the two main characters was so pure and strong. It was beautiful. 

• The description of the places that Hazel goes was really detailed. I was able to picture it clearly, even though I had never been to any of the places.

• The writing and the language was brilliant. It flowed really well and encouraged you to feel the emotions of the characters. The descriptions, whilst vivid, and the conversations, whilst informative, didn't take away from the story or slow it down in any way. It was just a beautifully written book.

• The ending was really well done, even if it left me wondering what happened to everyone. I felt that it was the perfect way to end the book.

What didn't I like about this book?

• Absolutely nothing, I loved it all!

This was such a beautiful book, that I could easily have read in a day. It was thought provoking and also insightful. It has made me want to go and read more of John Green's work, even if I am not usually into the genre.

I rate this book 5/5 stars because it was brilliant!

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturday

Review: Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus 3)

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare...

As you may already know I am a huge fan of the Heroes of Olympus series. That meant that I had big expectations when it came to this book and, thankfully, it lived up to them.

So, what did I like about this book?

• It was easy to read, yet it was complex. I can never explain properly just what I mean by this, yet it is something that I say about all of Rick Riordan's books. It is easy to read in that it flows well, there is never any long descriptions that slow the pace, the words are all fairly easy to read and the sentence structure is great. Yet the plot is complex. There are many themes that run not just right through the book but through the whole series. There are a lot of things going on at once, but it doesn't seem cluttered and you can still keep up with what is going on.
• Another thing I loved was the third perspective aspect of the story. It was nice and refreshing to read the thoughts of the different characters, and really it was the only way that this story was going to work. It was also great to finally get into Annabeth's mind and I have to say it wasn't how I imagined her mind would work. 
• As always the characters are great. With having seven main characters in the book you would think that they could start being similar, yet each were different. I loved the diversity in each of the character's backgrounds, fears and personalities. The new characters added depth to the story and each played an important role in the story, whether it was for character development for the main characters, posing problems or even solving problems. 
• The speed of this book was great. It was fast-paced and action filled, yet there were also times of conversation and deep thinking which was also needed and I think Riordan got that balance just right. 
• I enjoyed the world building. Even though I had been to this world seven times before (including the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series), Riordan was able to build and expand on it. All the new settings where described so well yet the descriptions didn't slow down the book in any way. It was great to imagine each setting that all the events took part on and I must say that I love the Argo II. It would have to be one of my more favourite settings in the series! :)

Now to what I didn't like, and to tell you the truth this isn't a dislike, more just a slight annoyance. It annoyed me that a slight love triangle was introduced, and the fact that it wasn't even the one I was expecting annoyed me a little too. I felt like it didn't really need to be there, there was already enough tension between the characters without adding it. I don't think it will end up being anything to big either so I don't think it will add anything to the series.

I also need to comment on the ending, which I liked (sort of). All I have to say is Riordan sure knows how to write a cliffhanger! Now I eagerly await the release of the next book, The House of Hades, which I think is to be released next October.

Anyway, even with the slight annoyance of a love triangle I rate this book 5/5 stars because it was just that good! :)

Mel.

Up next: December releases I am looking forward to!

Throwback Thursday - Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus

On Thursday's I will be doing Throwback Thursday. This is where I will talk about previous books, in particular series but I will also do standalone books, that I have read. On a Throwback Thursday I might give a mini-review on each book (but not necessary everytime), tell you what my favourite/least favourite parts were and tell  you how I came by these books. 

So now to my first Throwback Thursday. This week I am going to cover two series because the second leads on from the first, that being Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) and Heroes of Olympus (HOO). I first came across PJO because of the move, The Lightning Thief. I enjoyed the movie and then saw that it was based on a book, so I went out and bought the box set and read all the books in the series. Then I questioned how that could completely ruin the story line of the first book when they turned it into the movie. After falling in love with Percy and his friends in PJO I found out about HOO and then I read them. 

I recently took to rereading PJO and the books current released of HOO before I read the latest book out, the Mark of Athena. I will do a full review of Mark of Athena when I have finished reading it, but before then I had the idea to share some of my thoughts on each of the books so far. 

Firstly, just a comment about the writing style. In the PJO series the writing is first perspective, with the main voice being Percy (obviously). I am not usually a fan of first perspective writing because I feel like we miss out on other things (for example, The Hunger Games where I feel we miss so much of the action and revolution because it is all written from Katniss' perspective). However, in this series I felt it worked really well because Percy was generally right in the thick of the action and anything else important to the plot that he didn't experience he saw in dreams. In HOO the writing is third perspective and I really like this. It was refreshing to have someone else's point of view and it allowed you to see things important to the story line that the other characters didn't know at that point in time. 

I loved Rick Riordan's writing style. I found it so easy to read, but he put enough complexity into the plot so I wasn't certain of what was to come. I really like books where I have to guess what is coming, and the more wilder my theories the better.

So the first book in the PJO series is the Lightning Thief. One thing to say first, if you haven't read this but have seen the film please do not be put off, the book is different in so many ways to the movie, and heaps better. So what did I like about this book? I think the better question would be what didn't I like about the book, which other than the betrayal, which was needed but I didn't have to like it, the answer to that would be nothing. Probably the best thing I liked about this book was the complexity. I spent a lot of my time guessing why someone would do certain things and wondering how Percy was going to get out of each situation. I also really like the monsters. The descriptions were so vivid and imaginative and they could be fairly witty too.

My favourite part about the second book, the Sea of Monsters, would definitely be the humour. There were so many great mental images that I got from some of the scenes, particularly with Grover and his 'love' and also the Party Ponies (sorry about the vagueness but I am trying not to spoil anything if you haven't read it). The introduction of a couple of new characters was well done, each one having a particular part to play and they weren't unnecessary. Even though I liked the humour, it is a serious story and there are plenty of sad/somber parts. There isn't really anything that I didn't like about this book.

This also applies to the third book, the Titan's Curse. This was a great book, possibly the best. Again there was plenty of humour and again there was plenty of sadness. There was also quite a bit of tension and hostility in parts of this book, particularly between the Hunters of Artemis and the demigod's from Camp Half-Blood. I have to say, and I am a little ashamed to admit this, I absolutely love Apollo. His humour was refreshing, but he also showed that he could be serious, particularly if someone was messing with his family. I am pretty sure he is one god that you wouldn't want to mess with.

There were plenty of times in the fourth book, the Battle of the Labyrinth, that I had no idea how Percy and his friends would survive. There was so much suspicion, tension, spite and many near death experiences. It was really fast paced and action filled, although in saying that there was still humour with my favourite part involving a mortal, a blue plastic hairbrush and the king of the titans. I loved how a lot of the story lines were starting to come together before the final book, even though new questions were also posed.

The fifth and final book of the PJO, the Last Olympian, was probably my favourite of the series. It had me sobbing and laughing at different parts. The ending was brilliant, not what I expected to happen, but it was sad. I loved how at the very end Percy stood up to the gods, and made them accountable for their part in the what had happened. The flashbacks intertwined in this book was well done and gave you enough information that you started to piece together what had happened and what was possibly to come. It really was the best way to wrap up the series.

Then along came the HOO. In the Lost Hero, we met Jason, Piper and Leo, along with most of the regular members of Camp Half-Blood, with one major exception. I loved these three together. They all had their flaws but they all just gelled together. There were some major pieces of news in this story, particularly if you were familiar with PJO, which had me reading into the early hours of the morning, wanting to know what was going to happen next. The mixture of old places and new places and old characters and new characters was handled really well by Riordan and you didn't miss previous characters because you learnt to love the new ones. It was an intriguing and brilliant start to the new series.

In the second book, the Son of Neptune, Percy was joined by Frank and Hazel, as well as quite a few new faces. Again the mixture of new and old was handled brilliantly and I loved having the different perspectives. I felt that it was needed more in this book than the previous one because of the different backgrounds of the characters and the different secrets that each character had. Again, I was constantly wondering how on earth  the characters were going to survive and achieve their goals in time. It was fast paced and left me wanting to know more. One thing I didn't like was Octavian. Every time he was present in the story I wanted to strangle him, and usually I am a non-violent person. He drove me insane, but his character required that and I think it will be very important for the stories to come.

So now it is time for me to read Mark of Athena, which I have been wanting to read since it came out in October. There are so many questions that need answering, but may or may not be answered in this book, and I am pretty sure a ton more will pop up. 

Now my first ever Throwback Thursday is complete and it has been fun. I hope you have enjoyed it and please leave comments bellow on your thoughts about the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.

Bye for now,

Mel.

Up next: An introduction to what I will be posting and when.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

First thing I have to say is the Australian/UK/New Zealand (on the left) cover to this book is amazing! For once, it is so much better than the American cover (on the right). This wasn't the reason why I bought the book though. I bought it because the blurb intrigued me and it looked like it could be a really interesting book. It lived up to, and beat, all the expectations I had for this book. 

I read this book in 2 days because it was just so addictive! It was one of the best books I have read this year.

The things I liked about this book are:

- The world building. Sarah J. Maas build this fantasy world so well and so descriptively without slowing down the pace of the book and without taking away from the characters.

- The character building. You watch the main character Celaena,who is an assassin, open up and trust other people and learn about her history. It is also really fascinating to see how the other characters change in regards to how they feel about Celaena, particularly Captain Westfall.

- I also loved the balance of action and romance. There was plenty of action in the book which was fast paced and very entertaining but it was tempered with a little romance which worked really well.

- The character relationships were also really good.

The only thing that I didn't really like about the book was the few switches of perspective because it got a little confusing. The first time we saw something from another persons perspective I was a little confused because it was so unexpected. However these still really built on the story, it just took a minute to figure out who's perspective it was being told from.

Overall, I really loved this book. I was surprised by how much I could relate to Celaena and how I really worried about the events. This was one of the main characters that I haven't been annoyed with unlike some of the other books I have read recently.

I would give it 4.5/5 stars.

Add to Goodreads