The Darkest Minds

****

4 Stars/5

At the age of 10 Ruby was sent to the rehabilitation camp, Thurmond, along with all the other children who survived the mysterious which killed most of the children in America. However, the children that lived have developed powers which scare the people in power so they send them away. 6 years later Ruby and another child escape Thurmond, but she thinks the people who helped her have other motives, so she runs away from them and meets up with 3 other children who have escaped their own camp and are searching for the East River and the Skip Kid, who is said to help them find their families. However, as Ruby grows closer to the group, she fears that if they discover her secret they will but frightened of her just like everyone else.

The Darkest Minds is a YA dystopian novel set closer to modern day than most in this genre. The Darkest Minds is a really good story with lots of twists and turns which keep you guessing what will happen next. The pacing of this book is ok but I felt it was too long and could have done with 50 to 100 less pages.

I like Liam, Ruby and Chub but my favourite character is Zu as I just want to protect her and keep her safe. However, the main problem with this book is that I found it really hard to connect to any of the characters and I have no idea why.

The story is really enjoyable and I really look forward to reading the next book especially with what happened at the end of this book. I would recommend The Darkest Minds to people who like YA dystopian such as Matched or Crewel. 

On Dublin Street

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books Ltd for giving me this book to review.

As a teenager, Jocelyn Butler left America and all the painful memories of her dead family and moved to Edinburgh. Now in her 20s she is moving in to a new house on Dublin Street, where she gets to know her new roommate Ellie and her attractive brother Braden. However, can Joss protect her heart from both of them or will her arrangement between her and Braden grow into something more.

I have read and really enjoyed Samantha Young’s YA books and decided to give this a go even though it is not my normal type of book. On Dublin Street is a quick read and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Joss is an interesting person who is stubborn but also very vulnerable which likable in a character. Braden is a good male lead but I did not like how possessive he was. My favourite Character is Ellie as I feel we have the most in common and I liked how sweet and nice she is.

While I liked this book I’m not sure I will read Down London Road as I’m not sure how Young will deal with the ME/CFS of the main woman’s mother, as I know people with this illness and would hate to see it dismissed. I would recommend On Dublin Street to people who like nice and easy to read romance novels.

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

Escape from Riddler's Pass

**

2 Stars/5

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

Jesse, Silas and Rae are returning from their failed mission to get the Scorpion Jewel and are on their way to recover Pavel whom they left to recuperate from his injuries. They are still reeling from the revelation that the youth guard are put together and deliberately made to fail, by the king to remove the brightest and bravest young people from the country to stop them plotting to overthrow the king.

Escape from Riddler’s Pass is ok, however is a bit preachy, and tries to convert you to Christianity. This gets annoying after a while, however, if you ignore this it is as good as Quest for Scorpions Jewel.  The pacing is quite good, however neither book seems to have a full ending, with most of the questions raised not being answered.

Jesse and Rae have not significantly changed since Quest for Scorpions Jewel, however we see a change in Silas as he goes to confront those who killed his father, and we get to see more of Pavel.  Pavel comes across as very Christian, and is trying to convert everybody, including the reader.

I felt Escape from Riddle’s Pass was ok, and would recommend it to people who liked Quest for Scorpions Jewel.

Quest for the Scorpion's Jewel

***

3 Stars/5

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

Jesse has a crippled leg, and after his parents disappear he is left to live on the mercy of his aunt and uncle, who run Mir’s inn. After 3 members of the Youth Guard, Silas, Rae, and the injured Pavel, come requesting aid at the inn, Jesse is asked by Pavel to go with Rae and Silas, and complete their patrols mission of extracting the missing tribute from the Sheik of Da’armos in the form of the Da’armon people’s sacred jewel, the Scorpion Jewel.

Quest for the Scorpion’s Jewel was a good book, with a few semi-expected plot twists, which is set in a different world, without any magic (so far at least). The book can drag you in, and has good pacing, however, there are quite a lot of questions which have not been answered which I hope will be answered in Escape from Riddler’s pass.

Jesse is quite a nice boy, who seems to be a bit too willing to volunteer for the most dangerous of jobs. Rae is quite aggressive and confrontational, but very loyal to her friends.

In conclusion, Quest for Scorpions Jewel is a good book, and I would recommend it to people who enjoyed the Temereaire series by Naomi Novik

The Gathering Dark

*****

5 Stars/5

Alina is a pale, lonely, orphan who, with her best friend Mal, are journeying across the shadow fold, a dangerous, impenetrable darkness that has separated Ravka in half. However, when disaster strikes Alina discovers she is a Grisha, but she has a unique power that could be the key for setting Ravka Free. But can Alina ever forget her best friend and person she has always loved, Mal or will she be seduced by The Darkling’s allure and power.

The Gathering Dark is a magnificent YA fantasy book which makes you want to carry on reading to find out what happens next. This book has adventure, romance, magic and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I really like Alina as she is strong but does not realise it and also feels like she does not belong anywhere which I think most people can identify with. I also like Mal as he is strong and cocky but is also sweet, however, I wish there as more of him in this book.

However my favourite character has to be The Darkling as he is such a complex person and I could not guess what he was going to do next. I really liked the magic in this book and also how it was set in a Russian inspired world and not the usual medieval Europe setting.

The Gathering Dark is an amazing Young Adult fantasy novel and I cannot wait to read the next book in the Grisha series. I would recommend this to people enjoy reading the Black Magician’s trilogy.  

Fractured Soul

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort Inc. for giving me this book to review.

Llona is an Aura, a being of light, and after her friend is killed, and she is bitten by a Vyken, she is sent to Lucent Academy, a school for Aura’s and other magical races. The only other magical race that Llona knows of at Lucent Academy is Fury’s, like her friend May, who comes with her. There is also a training facility near Lucent’s for guardians, which Christian attends. However, Llona finds that not all is as it seems at Lucent’s, and with the help of Liam, a strange Vyken she meets whilst outside the academy’s grounds, and all of her friends, they try to discover what is going on, and find out that the mystery is deeper than it first seemed.

I was slightly confused by Fractured Soul book, as I did not read the first book in the series; however the book explains the main back story of the first book. I found this book to be quite good, however very like many other young adult books as it is set in a school. The pacing of this book is very good, and allows the reader to be dragged into the story line.

Writing about the characters is difficult with this book as I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers. Llona is a complicated character, who is a creature of the light, but battling the dark she received from the vyken bite. May is almost too nice, and very trusting, and comes across as too good.

In conclusion, Fractured Soul is a good book, with good pacing and varied characters, which I would recommend to people who enjoy the Vampire Academy series