Crown of Midnight Cover!

About two hours ago on the Throne of Glass facebook page, the cover for Crown of Midnight was revealed! Crown of Midnight is the second book of the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and is coming out on the 27th of August!

I absolutely adore these covers! I think I like the US cover better than the UK cover but the white background will match my Throne of Glass cover! I really can't wait for this book!

Mel.

Up next: [Audiobook] City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Update and a New Challenge!

So yesterday I was meant to put up a review for Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. I have been in a bit of a reading slump and I haven't finished reading it yet. That means that I won't get the review for it up this week. Sorry guys. I will try and get my review for City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare up, but it will be on Friday. I do think I will get this finished because I am over halfway through and have a three and a half hour drive on Friday where I will listen to it.

On a different note I have signed up or another challenge. This is the 2013 Sequel Challenge hosted by Auntie Spinelli Reads. My goal is to read 10 sequels! Click the button to sign up!

Mel.

Up next - Review: [Audiobook] City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Wrap-up/Preview

So this is just going to be a quick wrap-up and preview, because I almost forgot about this post and it is currently 1:00 am here in Australia and I need to get to sleep.

What happened on the blog last week:
Wednesday - Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Friday - Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead
Saturday - Seven on Saturday: Books that I recommend

What can you expect on the blog this week:
Tuesday - Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Thursady - Review: [Audiobook] City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Saturday - Seven on Saturday: Favourite female characters

Hope you had a great week!

Mel.

Up next - Review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Seven on Saturday - Books that I recommend

Seven on Sunday is where I will put a list of seven bookish things (e.g. My seven favourite book couples), with a new topic each week.

This week the topic I chose was books that I recommend. I tried to go for books that I thought were lesser known that I absolutely love. 

1. Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody

I have already spoken plenty of times about this series before on the blog, but I felt like it really needs to be on this list. I found these books to be original and the characters were easy to connect to. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes dystopian and fantasy, as well as people who like mental abilities.

2. The Legendsong series by Isobelle Carmody

This is another series that I have mentioned on the blog before, but as it is possibly my favourite series, it has to be on this list. This is one of the lesser known of Carmody's series but the originality and complexity of this series is great. It such a beautiful series with some great characters. This is a series for people who love fantasy.

3. Rondo series by Emily Rodda

Deltora Quest is probably the more well known of Rodda's work. I really loved this series. Again, it was original. It really drew me in, and I felt that it was a little more mature than Deltora Quest. This series is again for people who love fantasy.

4. Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan 

This is another favourite serires of mine. It is a great medieval style story of knights, battles and, obviously, rangers. It is a great book for encouraging boys to read. I gave the first one to my 12 year old nephew and he loves it!

5. So Much To Tell You series by John Marsden

This is such an emotional story. I read both books back in high school (so about 5-7 years ago). I remember that I cried heaps, but I really loved it. I recommend it to most people.

6. The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead

I read this series when I was going through my obsession with Arthurian Legend. I really liked the complexity of the story while still being fairly easy to read. 

7. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

This is another book that I read in high school. I could relate to it so well at that age and I recommend it to most teenagers. 

Mel.

Up next: Wrap-up/Preview

Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose... 

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. 

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

Frostbite is the follow up to Vampire Academy, which I reviewed last week. This was a really addictive read which I read in around 7 hours straight because I could not put it down. It was great to see old characters and relationships develop and I loved the new plot line.

As I said, it was great to see the old characters develop from the first book. I felt that Rose really matured in this book. She was more aware of how her actions were going to impact her and the people around her. In saying that she still had the trademark Rose recklessness. I also liked getting to know Dimitri better, and I loved the way that Rose could see through him and notice things that no one else really noticed about him. We saw less of Lissa in this book, but it was great to see her open up more to Christian and to see her stand up and take control when it was required.

The new characters that were introduced in the story were interesting, particularly Janine, Adrian and Tasha. It was interesting to watch the Rose’s relationship with Janine overcome some roadblocks and for Rose to start seeing the similarities between her and Janine. I loved Tasha’s determination to change what she thought needed to be changed. I really liked her character, I liked her rebelliousness and her dedication. I loved Adrian. He was so charming and, basically, just swoon worthy. I really liked that you got to see some of the depth that his character has. I think that his ability was interesting and added something new to the story. I can’t wait to see more of him in the next books.

I really enjoyed the plot. There was plenty of danger and action, which I liked. I found all the political tensions and then the people trying to figure out how they were going to handle it interesting. I also found the increased role of the strigoi interesting, as well as the addition of their allies. I felt like the ending was what was required of the book, even if I didn’t necessary approve of the outcome.

This was a great read and I can’t wait to read the next book. I give it 5/5 stars!

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturdays - Books that I recommend. 

Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Sorry for the late review, I somehow managed to get my days confused. As a result of this late review, I will be posting my next review on Friday instead of Thursday.

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Beautiful Darkness is the follow up to Beautiful Creatures, which I reviewed a little while ago. I didn’t necessarily enjoy this story. I did get caught up in it and I wanted to know what happened, but the majority of the book I was just feeling sorry for most of the characters. Also for the majority of the book I was in agony due to the feelings created by where Ethan and Lena’s relationship stood.

I particularly felt sorry for Lena. I don’t want to give too much away but after the ending of Beautiful Creatures, Lena is lost and she only really went downhill from there.  It was hard to witness Lena’s downward spiral, especially as we were seeing it through Ethan’s eyes. I also felt sorry for Ethan because every time you thought that things couldn’t get worse for him, it did.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters a little better, particularly Macon and Lila. I enjoyed learning about the history of both of them. I also liked getting to know Marian a little more, but there wasn’t enough of her in the book as I would like. It was great to see the characters develop particularly in their responses to certain events. I also liked the addition of new characters. I loved Liv, with her stubbornness, persistence and bravery. I loved Twyla and Arelia, with their sassiness and power. I didn’t know what to make of John Breed but I loved the idea of Abraham, even if I didn’t like him one bit.

The plot was great. I spent half the time confused at what was going on, but it was a good confused. I was confused because, like Ethan, I didn’t have all the information, so each time some other fact popped up I was able to make a theory and get a bit better idea of what was happening. There was only one plot line that I was able to guess and that was because the Beautiful Creatures movie gave away some of the story for me. I didn’t see the ending coming, but I was really happy with part of it and rather sad about another part.

I did get a bit annoyed at the length of some of the descriptions. There were parts in the book where I didn’t want to know what the shore looked like, I wanted know how everything was going to be solved. I just felt that some of the descriptions messed up the flow of the story and slowed it down.

I did like the book, it was an addictive read which I didn’t want to put down because I wanted to know the answers. I give it 3.5-4/5 stars because I didn’t exactly enjoy it and I felt that some of the descriptions were not necessary.

I read this book for the 2013 Witches and Witchcraft reading challenge hosted by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf.

Mel.

Up next: Review - Frost Bite by Richelle Mead

Wrap-up/Preview

Firstly, I want to wish everyone I Happy Easter! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

What happened on the blog:

Tuesday: Review - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Wednesday: April Releases that I look forward to

Friday:  Review - [Audiobook] Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Saturday: Seven on Saturday - Series that I have yet to finish

This week also saw me complete my goal of reading five books for the Take Control March 2013 reading challenge!

I bought two books this week, Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes and Frostbite by Richelle Mead. I also won an ebook of Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truit! 

This week on the blog:

Tuesday: Review - Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Magaret Stohl

Thursday: Review - Frosbite by Richelle Mead

Saturday - Seven on Saturday - Books that I recommend

Sunday: Wrap-up/Preview

Seven on Saturday - Series that I have yet to finish

Seven on Sunday is where I will put a list of seven bookish things (e.g. My seven favourite book couples), with a new topic each week.

This weeks topic is Series that I have yet to finished, either because I didn't like them, I got sidetracked or for some other reason. I am slightly ashamed at how long this list is, so here are seven of the series I haven't finished. (The pictures are of the books that I have read of each series and clicking them will take you to their Goodreads page.)

1. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I started reading The Mortal Instruments this year and quickly got through City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass. I then took a little break from the series before trying to read City of Fallen Angels. From the beginning of the book Clary was annoying me but as Simon was also narrating parts of it I was managing to get through it okay. Then Simon started annoying me and to prevent myself from throwing my friends book away out of frustration, I stopped reading it. I am planning on trying it again, maybe in audiobook form, because I do want to know what happens.

2. Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody

This is one of my favourite series yet the reason I haven't finished the series isn't because I am waiting for the last book to come out. The reason why I haven't finished the series is because I didn't finish book number six, The Sending. This is because it had been a little while since I had read the first five books so I was spending my time trying to remember what happened to connect the dots. I will finish The Sending, but I will probably wait for the last book to come out and then reread them all before I do. 

3. Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

I didn't even finish the first book in this series. For me it dragged on a bit and I didn't really get into it. With this series I also plan on at least trying the first book again, because my friends loved it.

4. Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick

I really liked the first book of this series, but the second book didn't really excite me much so I didn't read the third and paid no attention to when it was coming out. Then for Christmas I got either the third or the fourth book so now I plan on finishing the series because, although it does seem like it, I prefer to finish every series I start.

5. Gemma Doyle Series by Libba Bray

I had two attempts at trying to read A Great and Terrible Beauty, and both times I haven't finished it. It isn't that I don't like it, I just have some trouble getting fully immersed into the story and so I get easily distracted by other books. I do plan on at least finishing A Great and Terrible Beauty at some stage.

6. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Wow, I just looked this series up on Goodreads and I didn't realise how many books have been released! I have read the first two books and I really liked them. The only reason I haven't read the others is because I have yet to get my hands on a copy of them. 

7. Evernight series by Claudia Gray

I finished the first three of this series, and I own the fourth, so I do plan on finishing them. The reason I stopped reading was because I was waiting for the fourth book to come out but I haven't got around to reading it yet. I also plan to read the spin-off book, Balthazar, as well.

This is just a slight taste of the many series that I have yet to finish. I do plan on finishing all the series that I have on going at some point, because I am the sort of person who needs to know how everything ended, even if I liked the book or not.

Do you have many series you have yet to finish?

Mel.

Next up: Wrap-up/Preview

Review: [Audiobook] Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

For this week I planned to be review Beautiful Darkness today, but I ended up changing that and doing Clockwork Angel instead. This may happen occasionally because I only read a book that I feel like reading at a time instead of forcing myself to read another one. This means that I may not read what I had planned for the week.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. 

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. 

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length... everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world.... and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

This is the first time that I have ever actually listened to an audiobook. I decided that it was time for me to try it because it would allow me to get through some more books and also because my library started allowing online audiobook borrowing. I really enjoyed being able to listen to a book whilst I was doing other things. In some ways I found it to be a little more graphic, because I couldn’t skim read or miss anything, which I tend to do when I am caught up in the plot. Clockwork Angel was voiced by Jennifer Ehle and I thought that she did a good job.

I really loved the story. It was interesting and kept me guessing most of the way through. I loved the mixture of the shadow world and steampunk. In some ways though I found the story similar to City of Bones. I found that Tessa’s introduction to the shadow world was somewhat similar to that of Clary’s. I also found the relationship between Will and Tessa similar to that of Clary and Jace’s relationship. The plot was different to City of Bones though, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. I also loved the additional involvement of Mortals.

Tessa really intrigues me and I really liked her character. I didn’t find her a whiny character and I felt that she was a fairly sensible character. I loved her dedication to her brother. It was interesting to see her open up to the shadow hunters and to see her character develop. I am very interested in finding out more about her, like what she is and where she came from.

I really liked most of the other characters too. I loved the determination of Charlotte and how she managed to stay compassionate and kind. I loved the quirkiness of Henry and I hope he makes a successful invention that saves the day. I loved incorrigible Will, who at times I wanted to strangle or slap, and I adored Jem, the perfect gentleman. The only character I didn’t really like was Jessamine, and that was because she annoyed me. I did feel sorry for her though.

I really enjoyed this story, and I am definitely going to listen to more audiobooks in the future! I give Clockwork Angel 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturday – Series I have yet to finish

April Releases

Here are some of the April Releases that I am looking forward to! (Click the picture to add to goodreads)

April 1st

April 2nd

April 4th

April 9th

April 16th

April 23rd

April 30th

What books are you looking forward to?

Mel.

Up next: [Audiobook] Review - Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare