Forest of Whispers

*

1 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for giving me this book to review.

Rune has lived all her life with an old fortune teller on the edge of the black forest, but recently she has been starting to hear whispers from her long dead mother. When she is forced to leave everything she has known, Rune discovers that she is bound to a legacy of witchcraft and murder. I really could not get into Forest of Whispers and could not finish it. While I didn’t dislike Rune and Laurentz, they just felt bland and I did not care about their situation. I did not hate this book but I didn’t feel much about it. 

Perfection

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for giving me this book to review.

Hitler had won the 2^nd world war, and everyone has to conform to his version of perfection, fair skinned, blond hair and blue eyes. Ellyssa has been created to be the perfect soldier, strong, intelligent and telepathic but she is not perfect, unlike her siblings, as she feels emotions, which she has been hiding and repressing for all her life. When Ellyssa discovers her father’s plan for her, she runs away and encounters a group of rebels who are seen as flawed in the eyes of society. She grows closer to the rebels, especially Rein, but is she able to be happy without putting her new friends in danger?

Perfection is an interesting and likeable dystopia with action and romance, however, the first half was slow and I struggled with it, but the second half was much better. I do not know much about history so I might be wrong but, while I know that Hitler thought blonds with blue eyes were the ideal, I didn’t think that he thought brunettes were imperfect, as he was one.

Ellyssa is a strong yet vulnerable character, and very naïve as she does not understand emotions and how people think but she did get better as the book went on. Rein is protective, brave and would do anything to look after his “family”, however, I did not like the insta-love in this book between him and Ellyssa.

Interesting concept let down a bit by the slowness of the first half of the book. I would recommend Perfection to fans of The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken or The Host by Stephenie Meyer. 

Branded

****

Thanks to Netgalley and Month9Books for giving me this book to review.

50 years ago the commander come to power and thought that the 7 deadly sins led to the corruption of society. The guilty are branded different colours according to their sin and are sent to The Hole, a lawless place with poor conditions and you have to be wary of everyone, especially the guards. Lexi has been falsely accused of the sin lust and has been sent to The Hole with a guard, Cole, who is meant to watch out for her. As Lexi adjusts to her new harsh surroundings, facing violence and death every day, she grows close to Cole but rebellion is brewing in The Hole.

Branded is a unique and very good dystopia based on the 7 deadly sins and it did not read like it was written by two authors. This book has action, forbidden romance and danger, it is a YA but also dark and gritty. This book is better than I thought it would be as it has twists, flowed very nicely and I could not put down.

Lexi is kind, strong and a survivor as she did not let life change her, she also adapted to her different surroundings and did not let it get the best of her. Cole is brave, protective and reused to abuse his powers like others in his situation. However, my favourite character is Zeus as he is a protective and lovable dog.

I really liked this book and am looking forward to the next book. I would recommend Branded to people who enjoyed The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon or Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Fractured Dream

**

2 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Booktrope for giving me this book to review.

It has been 8 years since Story has last had her dreams but now they are back, Lake Sandeen, where here Uncle apparently drowned years ago, may hold the answers to her dreams and memories. When Story along with her two best Elliot and Adam hike to the lake, they go under and don’t resurface. The world under the lake is unlike anything they could have imagined, with fairytale creatures, and gods both good and bad. The fate of two worlds is resting on Story, but is she able to stop there obliteration?

Fractured Dream has an interesting concept but I just could not get into it maybe because it started out slow. This book is unique but I got really confused by it although it did get a bit better when they are in Tressla.

I could not click with Story as she is like so many other fantasy leads in that she thinks she is normal but discovers that she is special and has a destiny. I liked Adam and Elliot as they are both very different but still look out for Story, but they did come across as stereotypes.

I could not finish this book as I could not get into it, but I seem to be into the minority. 

Storm Siren

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me this book to review.

In the war ravaged kingdom of Faelen, 17 year old slave girl Nym is born with elemental powers which she should not have as only males have this power and are killed at birth. Standing in the slave auction for her 15^th sell she accidentally lets loose her powers but is bought by Adora, a powerful court adviser, to be trained as a weapon for Faelen. Nym is throw into a world of politics and parties at night and during the day spends her time training her powers with fellow student Colin and handsome trainer Eogen. However, does Nym have it in her to be the weapon that people want her to be?

Storm Siren is a really good YA fantasy novel which has secrets, action, betrayals and romance. It was unpredictable and addictive as I had to find out what was going to happen next.

Nym is a complex character as she is full of guilt and self-loathing but also defiant and stubborn. I like Eogan as he is mysterious and it was hard to guess his moods but we got to see glimpses of his true feelings. I also like Colin as he was sweet, protective and a flirt, however, his sister, Breck, I found hard to like as much as I felt I was meant to.

The ending was a bit rushed but it seemed to end rather smoothly until the last page which has a massive cliff-hanger. I would recommend Storm Siren to fans of really good YA fantasy books.

The One

***

3 Stars/5

Only 4 girls remain and the pressure is on all of them to be the perfect girl for Maxon, but only one can be chosen. America never thought she would be this close to the Crown, even though her feelings for Maxon are growing stronger and stronger. However, the rebels are getting more determined and aggressive, and everyone is in danger. Even though she never wanted power, America must fight for want she believes in and the future she wants.

The One is the enjoyable final book in the Selection series, it is very fast paced and is better than The Elite but does not live up to The Selection. This book has more action and politics, but it is still more of a romance than anything else.

America is not as annoying as she was in the last book but she kept on making bad decisions and still kept secrets, even though she had decided who she wanted to be with. I like Maxon, as he would make a good king as he is fair but not against making hard decisions. However, I still didn’t like how he treated the four girls, giving each of them the impression that he was going to choose them.

The ending seemed to be too easy and neat but I have enjoyed this series and I look forward to what Cass does next. I would recommend The One to fans of the first 2 books, The Selection and The Elite.

Heir of Fire

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Childrens for giving me this book to review.

Celaena has been sent to Wendlyn but does not stay long in the capital, she is taken by one of the Fae to the fortress Mistward to meet her great aunt Maeve, but Celaena must fully master her gifts, with the help of Rowan, in exchange for her Aunt to tell her about the wyrd keys. In Adarlan Chaol is trying to find out more about Aedion Ashryver, a general to the king, who has a remarkable resemblance to Celaena and is acting out of character. Dorian is struggling in dealing with his magic but is able to find a healer who is willing to help him, however, as he starts falling for her, she is put into danger because of her association with him. With the king up to something with the Ironteeth Witches, will Celaena be able to fulfil her last promise to Nehemia and also avenge her death.

Heir of Fire is an enjoyable book with action, secrets and multiple POV’s but is very slow and hard to get into. The biggest problem is that this story feels like it should not be a series of 6 books, as each book feels too stretched out.

I find myself caring about Celaena less and less as the series continues, but I did like in this book that she was able to deal with her past and look to her future. I was also a bit bored of the familiar characters such as Chaol and Dorian as I was not as interested about what was happening to them. There are a few new characters in this book who I enjoyed reading about, more than the characters from the previous books, there is the fierce Aedion, the complex Rowan and Manon who is an Ironteeth witch and a unique character to read about.

Even though my enjoyment of this series is decreasing, I still am going to give the next book a go and hope it improves. I would recommend Heir of Fire to fans of the previous books in the Throne of Glass series. 

Of Monsters and Madness

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Edelweiss and Egmont USA for giving me this book to review.

Annabel Lee has been summoned to her father’s house in Philadelphia from Siam in 1826, to live with her father who is more interested in his mysterious work and her caring Grandfather. Both of her father’s assistants seem to be interested in Annabel, the sweet Allan Poe who writes sinister poems and his cousin Edgar Poe, who is bad-tempered and mocking. However, recently in Philadelphia there has been a string of gruesome murders and Annabel is struggling with questions, what is her father doing in his lab, and is someone in the house responsible for the murders?

Of Monsters and Madness is a fast paced historical paranormal novel, which I liked, even though I am not familiar with Poe’s work, as it was creepy, but I did find it a bit predictable. However, I did not enjoy it as much as Verday’s other books The Hollow series.

Annabel is a really likable character as she was nice and sure of what she wants in life, but also had insecurities as she really wants her father’s approval. Allan was a sweet love interest but was a bit forgettable, unlike Edgar who was creepy and I could not guess if he was bad or if he was just misunderstood.

While not as good as The Hollow trilogy this book is enjoyable and I hope there is another book. I would recommend Of Monsters and Madness to fans of A Breath of Frost and Verday’s other books.  

The Witch of Salt and Storm

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children’s Books for giving me this book to review.

16 year old Avery Roe wants to take her rightful place as the sea witch of Prince Island. However, before she was old enough to learn how to use her powers, her mother, the only woman to turn her back from being the Roe witch, takes her away from her grandmother. The only power she has is the ability to read dreams, but when one night she dreams of her own murder, she becomes desperate to get back to her grandmother, as becoming a witch may prevent her death. The one person who might be able to help her reach her grandmother and stop her murder is tattooed harpoon boy, Tane. As Avery starts to fall for Tane, she finds out that becoming the sea witch requires a sacrifice she never expected.

The Witch of Salt and Storm is an enjoyable and unique historical fantasy novel. This book has good world building, however, it is slow paced. This book is about Avery’s relationships, both with people and the land.

Avery is a very strong-willed girl, who never gives up her fight for her magic, but she never fitted in on Prince Island. Tane is driven by revenge, but he is still a nice boy who sees Avery as a person rather than the Roe witch. While Avery’s mother is meant to be the bad guy in this book, but I really understood her.

The ending is not what I predicted or would have preferred. If there is a sequel I don’t think it should be focused on Avery, as I feel like her story is finished. I would recommend The Witch of Salt and Storm to fans of historical fantasy novels such as Grave Mercy and A Great and Terrible Beauty.

Shattered

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and SourceBooks Fire for giving me this book to review.

Trinity has been on the run with Emmy, Caleb and Connor, since she stole back Emmy from the Dracken. However, she is unprepared for what it takes to look after a growing teenage dragon. Trinity is unsure whose advice she should listen to, Connor, who has betrayed his mission to kill Emmy, but is still very wary of her, or Caleb, who wants what is best for Emmy but is becoming addicted to the Never. When Scarlet, a teenage girl who wants to protect her mother, uploads a video of Emmy, it goes viral and everyone closes in on Emmy with their own plan for her, but will all that Trinity has worked for go up in flames?

Shattered is the very good sequel to Scorched, as it is fasted paced, action-packed and has romance, though less of a love triangle than the last book. Like I said about Scorched, this book is not amazing but it is a guilty pleasure.

Trinity is struggling with staying hidden and also keeping Emmy happy but she is still strong and really cares for Emmy. Emmy is growing up and starting to act like a teenager, testing the rules, but is still always loyal to Trinity and the rest of team dragon.

There is a new character in this book, Scarlet, who has had a bad start in life but is tough, caring and stands up for what she believes in. Caleb is struggling in this book as he cannot stop using the Never to see his dragon Fred, and he feels like he does not fit in the group. Connor is the strong backbone of team dragon and is slowly learning to accept and understand dragons and Emmy.

This book ends on a cliff-hanger and I am looking forward to the next book. I would recommend Shattered to fans of the first book, Scorched.