The Pearl

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Sandra Martinez for giving me this book to review.

18 year old Elearah is traveling to the Spirit Mountains with her father figure, Balian, and their guide for the land of Huo, Mika. Elearah is an unusual girl as she has an amulet inside her with the consciousness of a new god called Pearl. After being attacked by vampires and called upon by the Duke of Bian-Jing, these three travellers are caught up in the war between the Golden Dragon and the Snake.

The Pearl is an enjoyable fantasy book, which is inspired by ancient china, and is full of quests, adventure and politics. However, I did find it a bit confusing at some points and hard to follow.

I liked Elearah as she was nice and Balian as he was very wise and caring, and obviously loves both Elearah and Pearl. I really like Mika as he had a fascinating back story. Pearl reminded me, for the most of the book, of a more responsible and innocent Simi from The Dark-Hunter series.

I would The Pearl to fans of Eon by Alison Goodman and Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.

Touched

***

3 Stars/5

Remy has the power to heal people, which is a useful talent when living in a house with her violent, abusive stepfather, Dean. After he goes too far, Remy goes to live with her estranged father and family for a fresh start. There she meets the town’s bad boy Asher, and she is drawn to him, but she finds out that they are enemies as he is a Protector, and Protectors and Healers have been at war for centuries. Even though they can both hurt each other, they cannot stay away from each other. With Remy being different from any other Healer known and with other protectors wanting to kill her, is she able to keep herself save and settle into her new home.

Touched is a nice light book with action and romance. While there are definitely similarities between this book and Twilight, it not a copy just seems to be inspired by it.

Remy is a really strong YA heroine who has been through a lot in her 17 years, but has not been too badly affected, and is really protective of everyone she loves. However, while I like Asher as he was caring and protective of Remy, but I am getting a bit bored of the bad boy with a heart of gold in paranormal books. I really liked Remy’s step-mother and sister, as they could have easily made her feel like an outsider and rejected her, but instead they made her feel safe and part of the family, especially Lucy.

Touched is an enjoyable book which I would recommend to fans of YA paranormal books.

Runes

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Firetrail Publishing for giving me this book to review.

17 year old Raine has a lot on her mind, with her father missing, presumed dead after a plane crash, and her romantic feelings for her best friend Eirik. But then a good looking boy, Torin, moves in next door, and she is drawn to him even though she can tell there is something different about him. After he saves her life from another supernatural person she gets curious about Torin. But with members of the swim team dying is she able to trust him?

Runes is an OK book but it reminded too much of Twilight. Also there is no explanation about what supernatural creatures they were until near the end of the book, and during the rest of the book not much happens.

I did not like Raine as she strung Eirik along even though she knew she was developing feelings for Torin, also she accepted magic way too easily and looked down on people. I am getting bored of the bad boy types with hearts of gold so I did not connect to Torin and whilst I like good guys I just found Eirik dull.

I had hoped that Runes would be a good book but I just could not get into it.

Sun and Moon

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Indie Inked for giving me this book to review.

In a world where everyone is ranked on how powerful their magic is, Emily is an outcast and thought she was the only one born without any magic. That is until she meets Ashe and is instantly drawn to him. When the source of magic on their world is destroyed, everyone but Emily, Ashe, Emily’s friend Blaze and a girl called Raelyn have disappeared and Emily and Ashe have developed powers. They have to fight to find out who they are and to save the lives of not just their world but other worlds that are dying.

Sun and Moon is an OK fantasy book, but while at the start fitted the description of the book, about halfway thought the story, it changed and made it really hard to follow.

Emily was an interesting character with her struggle again destruction and the hard time she had with people judging her because of her lack of power. However, I found Ashe dull and seemed to have not much personality.

Overall Sun and Moon is an interesting concept but a bit let down by the story and the characters.

Faery Worlds

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Indie Inked for giving me this book review.

Faery Worlds is an enjoyable collection six books by six different authors about Faery.

Tara Maya – Initiate                                                 *

Dindi is a young woman who dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, but cannot do anything right and prefers spending her time dancing with fairies. Kavio is a power Warrior-dancer who is exiled from his home for a crime he did not commit. I just could not get on with Initiate as I did not care much about what happened to the characters, and the plot was a bit confusing. If you enjoy fantasy books with fairies in, I would recommend Winter Queen by Amber Argyle.

Elle Casey – The Changelings                             ***

Jayne Sparks has always felt something was missing in her life. After running away from her troubled home life with her best friend Tony, they meet up with another group of runaways. Together they are sent to a forest with magical dangers everywhere. The Changelings is an enjoyable paranormal book and it was very fast paced. I liked how Jayne and Tony were just best friends, unlike most other paranormal novels, they were not romantically attracted to each other at all. I would recommend The Changeling to fans of action-filled paranormal books.

J. L. Bryan – Fairy Metal Thunder                         ***

Jason is the guitarist in the Assorted Zebras with his friends, however, they have no gigs and no one has heard of them. That is until Jason follows a thief from his house, and ends up in the world of the fairies. He decides to take some magical instruments for his band, but they are destructive and lead him and his band members into a dangerous chain of events. Fairy Metal Thunder is a light fun paranormal book with some action but does not take itself too seriously. I like the POV of Jason and his struggle to become famous and win the girl of his dreams, but I prefer Aoide’s POV as it was interesting to see more of the fairy world and I felt sorry for her and her band mates. I would recommend Fairy Metal Thunder to people who enjoy light paranormal books with fairies in.

Anthea Sharp – Feyland: The Dark Realm         ****

Jennet is lucky enough to try the prototype of the world most immersive computer game, Feyland. However, she soon figures out that it is not a game, and that part of her soul is trapped in it by the Dark Queen. Jennet must find a person who is better at playing computer games than her to save it and her life. Tam is brilliant at playing games but with his flawed family barely scraping by, he does not want to let Jennet into his life. Will the two of them be able to save not just Jennet’s soul but all of the human world from Feyland? Feyland is a very interesting book which is a mixture of paranormal and sci-fi. I like Jennet and Tam as they are both very relatable, but I preferred Tam as he is so strong from having to look after his family. I would recommend Feyland to fans of unique paranormal books.

Jenna Elizabeth Johnson – Faelorehn               ***

With eyes that change colour and being able to see and hear things which others cannot, Meghan has always been an outcast. With her visions getting worse, Meghan starts to think she is going crazy. That is until she meets Cade, who might have the answers she needs. Faelorehn is a enjoy book which is a quick read with Celtic mythology. I like Meghan and her friends and I felt I could have fit in well in their group. We did not see enough of Cade and I hope we see more of him in the next book. I would recommend Faelorehn to people who like Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey.

Alexia Purdy – Ever Shade                                  ***

After seeing two faeries fight, Shade is whisked into the world of faery, where she is caught in the middle of the fight between the good Seelie court and the Unseelie one. Sent on a quest to stop the Unseelie court, with a band of warriors sworn to protect her, is she able to bring peace to the faery world? Ever Shade is an enjoyable paranormal book, which has a fantasy feel about it as even though it is set in modern day, Shade and her friends go on a fantasy type quest. Shade was a bit clueless as she wandered into a forest with a total stranger and did not think twice about it. I would recommend Ever Shade to people who like paranormal books with fantasy elements to them. 

Witch Fall

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Amber Argyle and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me this book to review.

All things fall.

Even Witches.

Supreme in their dominion over the seasons, storms, and seas, the Witches have forgotten the unmatched destructiveness of mankind. And among the weapons men seek are the magical songs of the Witches.

Lilette is one of the few who see the decadence and decay weakening the Witches. As an outsider amid her own kind, can she help them survive the coming war?

Witch Fall is a very good novel by Amber Argyle and while you don’t have to read Witch Song, I would suggest you read Witch Rising first as it does help with the story. Argyle is really good at writing stories that suck you in, and it was interesting to read a book where you know how it ends but you don’t know how it happens. Witch Fall is a powerful and tragic story which is fast-paced and full of action and romance.

Lilette is a kind and brave character who has had a tough life and because of it has learn when to fight and when to bide her time unlike most heroines. However, she is a bit too good at everything, which did make her harder to connect to, unlike Senna in Witch Song. This book has great secondary characters both good and bad, but my favourite has to be Jolin, as it was interesting to see what she was thinking at the beginning of each chapter and she is the most realistic person in the book as she is ambitious but a good person.

Another interesting character in this book is Han as even though something he comes across as too harsh, he has been punished in the past for protecting people he cares about and is Lilette’s strength. However, I did find the romance a bit too quick for my liking as they have not seen each other since they were children, yet they were falling for each other after only a few days.

Witch Fall is a very enjoyable YA fantasy novel which I would recommend to people who like Amber Argyle’s other books, or fans of good YA fantasy.

You can buy Witch Fall eBook at Amazon UK

And during the book tour you can get the First Book, Witch Song, free at Amazon UK

My first ever giveaway!!!

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Ever Shade

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Indie Inked for giving me this book and the rest of Faery Worlds to review.

After seeing two faeries fight, Shade is whisked into the world of faery, where she is caught in the middle of the fight between the good Seelie court and the Unseelie one. Sent on a quest to stop the Unseelie court, with a band of warriors sworn to protect her, is she able to bring peace to the faery world? Ever Shade is an enjoyable paranormal book, which has a fantasy feel about it as even though it is set in modern day, Shade and her friends go on a fantasy type quest. Shade was a bit clueless as she wandered into a forest with a total stranger and did not think twice about it. I would recommend Ever Shade to people who like paranormal books with fantasy elements to them. 

Faelorehn

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Indie Inked for giving me this book and the rest of Faery Worlds to review.

With eyes that change colour and being able to see and hear things which others cannot, Meghan has always been an outcast. With her visions getting worse, Meghan starts to think she is going crazy. That is until she meets Cade, who might have the answers she needs. Faelorehn is a enjoy book which is a quick read with Celtic mythology. I like Meghan and her friends and I felt I could have fit in well in their group. We did not see enough of Cade and I hope we see more of him in the next book. I would recommend Faelorehn to people who like Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey.

Feyland: The Dark Realm

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Indie Inked for giving me this book and the rest of Faery Worlds to review.

Jennet is lucky enough to try the prototype of the world most immersive computer game, Feyland. However, she soon figures out that it is not a game, and that part of her soul is trapped in it by the Dark Queen. Jennet must find a person who is better at playing computer games than her to save it and her life. Tam is brilliant at playing games but with his flawed family barely scraping by, he does not want to let Jennet into his life. Will the two of them be able to save not just Jennet’s soul but all of the human world from Feyland? Feyland is a very interesting book which is a mixture of paranormal and sci-fi. I like Jennet and Tam as they are both very relatable, but I preferred Tam as he is so strong from having to look after his family. I would recommend Feyland to fans of unique paranormal books.

Taste of Darkness

*****

5 Stars/5

Avry is desperate because Kerrick has gone missing after he is poisoned by Death Lily toxin. Even though she is the only one who still thinks he is alive after searching for weeks, she has to focus on her patients as a new type of plague seems to be arising. With people developing new powers, Avry wanting to fulfil her promise to mom and look after her patients, and enemies surrounding them, including the disturbing Skeleton King, will Avry and her friends be able to survive and find peace?

Taste of Darkness is the brilliant third and final book in the Healer series and is darker than the previous books. This book has lots of twists and turns, which at some points was a bit confusing, with action, romance and an edge of your seat story. However, one criticism of this book, and the rest of the series, is that is that no one stays dead, so after the third time of hearing that someone has died, you tend not to believe it.

Avry is the same as the last books as she is caring strong and selfless, but she does not want to be anyone’s puppet anymore, even Ryne’s, and wants to do what she thinks is right. Kerrick is weaker and more jealous than in the previous books but is still a good hero of this book and whilst Avry and Kerrick are together more than the last book (Thank the Flea!) I wish they were not apart as much as they were.

 I love the secondary characters especially the Monkeys and Flea, and I feel they really make this book. Also the enemies are brilliant in this book, even though there feels like there are too many, and we get to meet the creepy and spine-chilling Skeleton King, who makes Tohon seem like a normal person.

I would love to see more books based in this world and I would recommend Taste of Darkness and the Healer series to fans of Maria V Snyder’s other books.