Passenger

*

1 Star/5

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

Etta is just about to perform on her violin, a skill she has been practicing since youth at the expense of everything else, when everything changes. She is pushed through a time portal and is transported to a ship in the year 1776 which is captained by a man called Nicholas. Etta discovers that she is a legacy and that the Ironwood family is holding a loved one hostage. Will Etta be able to get home or will she be stuck in the past forever?

I really could not get into Passenger as the pacing was very slow and the story did not grab me as it focused on small unimportant details. The main problem was that I was detached and did not care about what was happening to the characters.

Etta is obsessed with her violin and getting back to her right time but I did not care as it focused too much on her internal thoughts and she is self-absorbed and whiny. I liked Nicholas a bit better as he was determined to fight for a better life no matter what other people thought.

I could not finish this book and stopped reading at 37%.

Curio

*

1 Star/5

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

Gray Haward detests the Chemists, the rulers of her small western town, but she has always taken their potion which helps people survive. When her best friend, Whit, is punished by the chemists for protecting her, Gray decides to take risks, but when the chemists find out she retreats to the safe haven of her grandfather’s shop. However, there she discovers an even greater secret, a world full of porcelain and clockwork people.

I was very confused by Curio as the world building was not very good and I had no idea what was going on, but it did seem to have an interesting story idea. Gray was rebellious against authority, and seemed a nice and helpful character but I didn’t really connect with her. I am sure that those who love steampunk novels will enjoy this book but the writing style and lack of world building put me off this book and I had to DNF Curio at 27%.

The Lament of Sky

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to B. B. Wynter for giving me this book to review.

Lilyth is the last remnant of the Rhai-Angof, but cannot remember anything before a year ago and she has spent that year in a school. When the school and everyone inside is destroyed, Lilyth is saved by William, a man she does not know but who claims to know her really well.

I found The lament of Sky too confusing as I was lost about what was happening, especially in the first chapter. I really did not the characters, particularly William, as they were all horrible, the only exception was Lilyth but I did not care much about her. I did not enjoy this book and DNF at 21%.

A Thousand Nights

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me this book to review.

Lo-Melkhiin has killed 300 new brides and is now looking for a new wife, and the heroine knows that he will take her beautiful sister, therefore she makes the ultimate sacrifice and goes with him. However, strange magic seems to flow between her and Lo-Melkhiin and after she survives the first night she discovers a magic develop in her. With her surviving longer than the other wives, can her new powers save her kingdom from a terrible monster in time?

I could not get into A Thousand Nights as I found the story rather slow. Another reason why I could not connect with this book was because I do not know much about the story this novel is based on, Arabian Nights, so if I knew it better I could have enjoyed it more.

However, my big problem with this book is that I only knew the name of about 3 people. Everyone else is called her sister, father, sister’s mother etc. This is also true of the main character as I got almost halfway the book and I still did not know her name which made it really hard to connect to her but she was selfless and brave. We do know Lo-Melkhiin name but we hardly know much else about him, as apart a few flash backs, we hardly see him.

I really could not get into A Thousand Nights and had to DNF at 48%.

The Temple of Doubt

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Edelweiss and Sky Pony Press for giving me this book to review.

Hadara’s life changes when a falling star crashes near her home in the off-limits wilds, where she and her mother pick illegal herbs to heal people, which is believed to be heresy. Two powerful priests arrive to investigate the star as they think it is a demon come to try and destroy the God Nihil. Hadara and her mother are chosen to be guides in the wilds but Hadara doubts the truth she has been taught about the sacred and profane.

The Temple of Doubt has an interesting story concept but I just could not get into it. It seemed to story moved along slowly which might have contributed to me not getting into it.

Hadara is an ok character as she is feisty and rebels against her way of life. However, I found her crush very shallow and irritating because she hardly knew the bloke and because he did not rape her does not mean that he is a good person and love interest. Most of the other characters I did not feel much for, one way or another.

The Temple of Doubt is an interesting idea but I could not get into it and stopped at 58%. 

Elude

*

1 Star/5

Aster is determined to be free after years of servitude but there are many obstacles standing in her way. With Aster upset at Chase and Ahren, she wants to stand up for what she wants and learn to protect herself. When their plans don’t go as expected, her life and freedom are in even more danger, will Aster be able to truly escape?

I got really annoyed at Elude and had to stop reading at 77%. It wasn’t the writing it was the characters and the way the story was going.

I really did not like Aster in this book.

SPOILER

This is because she says she loves Chase, sleeps with him but then ignores him, flirts with and eventually fools around with Jastin, another guy. If a man did this we readers would hate them but because she is a girl and going through a rough time we are meant to pity her. The reason she ignores him is that she believes he doesn’t trust her because he thinks he can protect her more than she can, but of course he can protect her better as she has only be training for a month and he has been for years.

When she decided that she couldn’t be with someone who loved someone else (hypocrite) she goes back to Chase and he was angry at how she acted, everyone thought he was acting unreasonable. I hope he leaves her (but I doubt he will) and she gets what she deserves.

SPOILER END (sorry rant over)

Reave had so much potential but I could not get into Elude as it really annoyed and infuriated me.

Seeker

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Publishers UK for giving me this book to review.

In Scotland, Quin has been training her entire life to become a Seeker along with her two closest friends. However, the night she takes her oath, she discovers that the Seekers are not at all that she had been told. With everything she has known be to not true, will she be able to trust anyone.

Seeker sounded really good but I just could not get into it and I had to stop reading at 35%. I was expecting a fantasy novel based on the description but it is not. While there is a lot of implied action, none of it happened in the book, and nothing is explained, especially a major point in the book.

Quin is unlike most 15 year olds as she is not really curious about her future and did everything her father wanted her to do. I just could not the characters of John and Shinobu, as all John wanted to do was restore his family honour and nothing else, and Shinobu is in love with his cousin (although distant) and I found it a bit creepy.

Seeker seems to be a bit of a Marmite book, you either love it or hate it.

Follow me Through Darkness

*

1 Star/5

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

Less than a year ago Neely Ambrose believed in the elders and her only worry was that she does not have the freedom to do want she wants. Then she discovers the elders plans and that her whole life has been manufactured. Now Neely is on the run in the dangerous wasteland and has 40 days to find out the truth and to save everyone she knows and loves.

Follow me Through Darkness is a young adult dystopia but I could not get into it. I was confused all the time during this book, as the main character already knew what was happening but us, the readers, were not told and I did not like it so I stopped reading it.

I could not connect with Neely but she seemed a nice enough character. Thorne did not interest me much especially as I was really confused by the twin thing. The only person who truly interested me was Xenith but he was not in it that much.

Unfortunately I could not get into Follow me Through Darkness. 

Curse Breaker

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for giving me this book to review.

Wendy has lived a Privileged life in Jupiter city until her mother is murdered and she is framed for it. Wendy is sent away to Greenleaf asylum and after years of terror and pain she is rescued by a mysterious guild, which shows her a world of magic users called Validus, and half-breeds. However, Wendy is a special and powerful Validus, the curse breaker, but this means all the other guilds either want her for themselves or want her dead.

I did not like Curse Breaker as I really could not connect to the story, it had a slow pace and lacks world building. It seemed to be a steampunk book, but when I started to read it, I realised it is a sci-fi novel.

I could not connect to Wendy as I just did not care about what happened to her, even when her mother was murdered and everything that happened to her at Greenleaf asylum. The rest of the characters were not as bad as Wendy but all of them felt a bit flat.

Curse Breaker had an interesting premise but I could not finish it.

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. 

Fireblood

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for giving me this book to review.

Tyrus of Kenatos believes the end of the plague, which ravages the kingdoms, is in Scourgelands, but his quest fails and most of his party don’t survive. Now years later he sends his nephew, a Druidecht, Annon, to find a hidden treasure to purchase his twin sister, Hettie’s, freedom along with the help of warrior-monk Paedrin. However, they find out that they have been manipulated and the ruthless leader of Kenatos, Arch-Rike is determined to stop them.

Fireblood is not a bad book, but I was bored while reading it and did not care about the story. I could not connect with the characters as they came across as stereotypical.

Fireblood is not a terrible novel but it did not hold my interest so I could not finish it.

Initiate

*

1 Star/5

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

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.

Falling Kingdoms

*

1 Star/5

The death of a wine seller’s son sparks a war between three kingdoms, and four different young people, Cleo, Jonas, Magnus and Lucia are caught in the centre of this conflict. I felt I should have liked Falling Kingdoms, but I found it was boring and did not interest me, as the plot seemed very obvious and predictable. I could not connect to any of the characters as they all seem very stereotypical. Falling Kingdoms is marketed as a YA Game of Thrones, but I am not a fan of either TV series or books, so people who do like it may like this book more. I did not enjoy this book and did not finish it.

The Seven Markets

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Smith Publicity for giving me this book to review.

Ellie finds a flyer outside her family’s farm, and finds out that the Market is coming to town. The market comes every century, and is filled with magic and wonder. Ellie is due to be betrothed to Jason, and enters the market with him. Whilst waiting for him at the Markets in, the Prince takes an interest and magically charms her into leaving with him forgetting all thoughts of Jason and her life before.

I found this book to be very confusing as nothing is explained, and you lose interest before finding any explanations. The pacing of this book is too long and too descriptive, slowing the book down even further.

Ellie is a very naive character; however we do not see much of her or of any other character as the author’s description does not cover the characters thoughts or emotional reactions.

I found The Seven Markets to be dull and confusing and would not recommend it

Sister Assassin

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me this book to review.

Sisters Annie and Fia are both unique girls as Annie is blind but can see what is going to happen and Fia has perfect instincts. After their parents death they are offered a place at Kessler School for exceptional girls but, Fia know there is something different and wrong about the school. However Fia will do anything the school says to protect Annie from them, even kill.

I was disappointed with Sister Assassin as it had a really good premise but it did not deliver.

I could not connect with any of the characters in this book and I did not really care what happened to any of them. Also the points of view are really confusing because, Annie and Fia’s voices are very similar, and there was too much jumping back in time.

Apart from the first chapter the story was very slow and not very interesting. I would not recommend Sister Assassin as I just could not get into it.