Balance

Semara is desperate to rescue Ryder who is stuck in the middle of a battle with the queen. But the Triune is not what it once was, as they begin to doubt themselves and each other. Will they be able to sort out their issues or will there be no hope for defeating the queen?

Balance is a likeable third and final book in the Neumarian Chronicles. There is action, twists and lots of death and destruction, which you would expect with the book being set in the middle of a war.

Semara has grown up a lot in this series but it has come with some costs, as she second guesses her commands which has cost people their lives, which has caused her to be down. I liked how much Raeth has grown and matured during this series.

SPOILERS

However, one thing which was so unrealistic was that after hardly talking and basically being separated for 18 months, Semara and Ryder had a half hour argument and heart to heart then they were all hunky-dory and then decided to get married the next day. It really threw me out of the book.

SPOILER END

I would recommend Balance to fans of the first two books Escapement and Pendulum.

Pendulum

***

3 Stars/5

Semara, Ryder and Raeth have been in the rebel ship for 6 months fleeing for an alliance with the European council. Semara wants to discover the truth about her past and to learn more about her gifts. But the trio do not know who to trust and they do not know who will actually help them and not turn them in.

Pendulum was the enjoyable second book in the Neumarian Chronicles, however, I did not find it as captivating as the first book. This book was well written with twists, action and romance.

Semara is less helpless is this book and is learning more about who she is without the influence of the queen and to figure out who to trust. I liked how Raeth was less timid and I enjoyed her romance with Penton with his devotion and smarts. However, Ryder did not inspire me much in this book.

I look forward to reading the next book, Balance as it has a cliff-hanger ending. I would recommend Pendulum to fans of the first book Escapement.

Broken Skies

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Theresa Kay for giving me this book to review.

30 years ago billions died as civilisation collapsed, 20 years later aliens, the E’rikon, arrived but since then have kept to themselves. A year ago Jax was attacked and killed two men, since then she has not liked being touched and relies on her twin brother Jace. When her brother is taken by the aliens, Jax will do anything to get him back and makes a deal with teenage E’rikon, Lir, with green hair and scales on his back. With Lir’s motive unknown they set off to the alien city and start to form a connection but their rescue mission may cause a chain of events with could change not just human and E’rikon society but earth.

Broken Skies is an enjoyable sci-fi/dystopia with suspense, romance and some action. I found the story very similar to other YA sci-fi and dystopian novels which did make it a bit forgettable, but, while it is a bit predictable, some of the twists I did not see coming.

I like Jax as she will not pretend to be someone she isn’t, she is emotionally damaged but not broken and fiercely loyal to her brother. Lir is a bit of a mystery in this book as I was never 100% sure if he could be trusted but he was sweet, intelligent and protective of Jax. I would have liked to get to know Jace better as he is a big influence in this book but he is not much in it.

This book has a massive cliff-hanger ending and I am looking forward to reading the next book Fractured Suns. I would recommend Broken Skies to fans of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Partials by Dan Wells.

Heidel

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Anita Valle for giving me this book to review.

Heidel is not a normal princess as she would rather cook than curtsy and is not graceful or skinny. The princesses are preparing for the annual Fenwick’s feast festival but they are visited by the sarcastic Prince Eravis whose main hobby is irritating Heidel. When they both enter his father’s cake contest she has to try her hardest to beat him but will any of the princess’s notice that there is a far more deadly enemy after them.

Heidel is the enjoyable third novella of this sweet light fantasy series. It was predictable and had a nice love/hate relationship and has more underlying elements to the main plot of the series than previous books.

Heidel is my favourite princess so far as she is passionate about the things she wants to do like cooking and finding a cure for Red Fever, she is very protective of her sisters but she does have a temper. Prince Eravis is an enjoyable love interest, and I liked getting to know Briette and Ivy better.

I am looking forward to reading Briette’s book and I would recommend Heidel to fans of the first two books Maelyn and Coralina. 

Riot of Storm and Smoke

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Jennifer Ellision for giving me this book to review.

Bree and her friends Aleta and Tregle have escaped the King and with the help of the Underground set of to the safety of Nereidium. However, Bree has a secret, that she is the rightful ruler of Nereidium and not Aleta but she cannot reveal this as Aleta would be a better Queen than her. With the King furious at Bree and Aleta’s escape, Prince Caden tries to rally his people against his tyrant father. However, no one is safe as the King has a new weapon which can kill hundreds at a time and may prevent Bree and Caden plan’s to stop him.

Riot of Storm and Smoke is a really good sequel and does not suffer the problems that often happen in middle books. I read this book really fast as I had to find out what happened next, but, I did find the beginning, with Bree and friends travelling, a bit dull. This book has the POV from both Bree and Caden and has more twists and action than the last book.

Bree is struggling in this book as she has lost her confidence and is tortured by what happened to her Da and Kat, but is still the practical barmaid she was in the first book. I liked Caden in this book as we got to see more of him and how loyal he is to his people. However, near the end of the book I found they were not very understanding but given how stressed they both were they did not act unrealistic. I was worried that there was going to be a love triangle with the introduction of a new female character but thankfully I had nothing to worry about.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the next book Fall of Thrones and Thorns. I would recommend Riot of Storm and Smoke to fans of the first book Threats of Sky and Sea.

Wild Blue Yonder

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Megan Tayte for giving me this book to review.

Life after death as a Cerulean is not what Scarlett expected as Cerulea is not the heaven she expected it to be. It is picturesque but the more she learns the more she discovers it is like a prison as she is not able to leave to save her sister. Scarlett has to make a decision, to be a good Cerulean or to be true to herself and fight for her freedom, and if she can escape will she be able to find and save her sister from the murderous Fallen.

Wild Blue Yonder is the really good third book in the Ceruleans series which has more mystery and really fast paced as I read it in one day so I could find out what was happening next. Opposite to the first book, I felt there was a lot of paranormal elements but not much romance.

I liked Scarlett in this book as she was strong and determined but also knows how to bide her time, however, it was a bit irritating that she seemed to be crying a lot of the time, but I don’t think I would be any different in the same situation. I also liked that we got to know Jude better as he is such a nice and caring guy, and is torn between doing what he was bought up to believe and helping Scarlett. However, I did miss Luke, Cara and Tywcombe in this story.

I really enjoyed this book and has a good cliff-hanger and I am looking forward to the next novel Devil and the Deep. I would recommend Wild Blue Yonder to fans of the first 2 books Death Wish and Forget Me Not.

Forget Me Not

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Megan Tayte for giving me this book to review.

Death is drawing closer to Scarlett as she has only months to live and no one can save her, not doctors or her best friend Cara or boyfriend Luke. The only one who can help her is Jude, a Cerulean who wants to claim her when she dies but is she able to trust him and his life after death promise to rescue her captive sister Sienna. With the clock ticking Scarlett has to decide how to protect those she cares about and how to live her life while she can.

Forget Me Not is the second book in the Ceruleans series and I think it is better than the first book. It is fast paced but more painful and deals with death but also has mystery and a sweet and intense romance.

I still like Scarlett as she is unwavering to not let her imminent death stop her from enjoying her time left, but I did get annoyed at her as she was lying to almost everyone about dying even though she hated that Sienna did the same thing. I really like Luke as he really loves Scarlett and is willing to do anything for her but is not a pushover. I also like Cara as she adds humour to the book and I felt I could relate to her.

This book has a bigger cliff-hanger than the last book and I am really looking forward to the next book Wild Blue Yonder. I would recommend Forget Me Not to fans of the first book Death Wish.

Death Wish

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Megan Tayte for giving me this book to review.

17 year old Scarlett Blake is haunted by the death of her party girl sister, Sienna. Determined to discover why she committed suicide, she stays in the isolated English cove of Twycombe, where she meets 2 men who want to help her Luke and Jude but she is unsure why. As she discovers more about her sister’s death she notices strange things start happening around her. With summer drawing to a close will Scarlett discover the truth?

Death Wish is an enjoyable YA paranormal romance novel. It has twists, romance and a touch of mystery. It is also fast paced but is also predictable. I would have preferred the paranormal element in this book to be introduced earlier as for most of the novel it came across as a contemporary book.

Scarlett is not in a good place at the start of the book but as the story progressed she became more confident and was a more interesting character. I like Luke as he is caring and protective, but not in a creepy way, and I also liked his sister Cara. Jude was a mysterious person and for most of the book I could not figure him out. I was glad that there was not a love triangle in this book but it is hinted at and I hope it does not happen in the next book.

I really liked this book and look forward to reading the next one Forget Me Not. I would recommend this book to fans of YA paranormal romance books. 

Taylor Swift Book Tag

Thanks to Erika from Books and Stars who tagged me to do the Taylor Swift tag. (P.S. thanks to Flourish and Blog for the Taylor Swift Picture)

We Are Never Ever, Getting Back Together

Pick a book or series you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.

When I first read Fallen I really liked it but as I have read more paranormal books I have realised that it was not that good.

Red

Pick a book with a red cover

Love this book and series.

The Best Day

Pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

The entire Harry Potter series just reminds me of my childhood (even though when I was a kid I listened to them on audiotape).

I Knew You Were Trouble

Pick a bad character you couldn’t help but love.

The Darkling from The Grisha series as he is such a good baddie.

Innocent

Pick a book someone ruined the ending for.

My sister read this book before me and spoiled the ending, I was not happy with her.

Everything Has Changed

Pick s character from a book who goes through extensive character development.

Claire as she changes so much as in the first book she is a shy and very nerdy girl but she has grown into a confident young woman in the last novel

You Belong To Me

Pick your most anticipated book release.

Too many to count but my top 3 are Angel of Storms, Night Study and Winter.

Forever And Always

Pick your favourite book couple.

Lucy and Nick as they are so sweet and funny together.

Shake It Off

Pick a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters.

Cinder and the rest of the Luna Chronicles, I have no idea why some people do not like this series, it is a brilliant fairytale retelling.

Blank Space

Pick the most over-hyped book or series that did not work for you at all.

I read the first book in the series and I had no idea what all the fuss was about, I could not connect to the story or the characters.

Invisible

Pick the most under-hyped book or series that you think deserves the spotlight.

I have three series I love most of Amber’s books and with the Fairy Queen series you can feel her hard work and love in it. Similarly The Black Mage series is a really enjoyable fantasy series which has a Tamora Pierce feel to it. Finally The Black Magician trilogy as I feel is not well known outside of some countries in Europe and Australasia and I love this series.

The Story Of Us

Pick a couple you think should have ended up together.

Nick and Zara from the Need series as throughout the series it’s been all about them two and the romance between Zara and Astley felt forced and unnatural.

Love Story

Pick a forbidden love in a book or series.

Rose and Demitri, with the teacher and student relationship, the age different and the social expectations of being a Dhampir I could not pick another couple.

I am going to tag

• Rachel's Reading Corner
• Tea, Book & Me 

Smoked

****

4 Stars/5

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

After almost 6 months of trying to find Emmy, Team Dragon rescue her and Scarlet from the government labs. However, Emmy is not the same dragon she was before and she has a dangerous secret that could trigger the apocalypse they want to prevent. With everyone, including Trinity, Connor, Caleb and Scarlet having their own secrets and agendas they are all to stop The Scorch but will anything stop the spark that will destroy the world.

Smoked is the really enjoyable third and final book in the Scorched series. It is very fast paced and I could not put it down and it felt more emotional than the previous books. It was action packed but it did have less romance, however, this was not a bad thing as it would have altered the tone of the book.

I didn’t like Trinity much in this book as she seemed very selfish, especially towards Scarlet who she was not very nice to considering Scarlet was held captive to help Trinity. While I liked all the other characters they all had little things which irritated me.

I did enjoy the ending of this series but it was a bit predictable, and I do look forward to reading other books by Mancusi. I would recommend Smoked to fans of the first two books in this series.