Books: Siege & Storm ~ Shadow and Bone #2 ~ Leigh Bardugo

Title:Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
Publishing date: June 2020
Number of pages: 435 p.
Series: Shadow and Bone #2
Age Category: Young Adult
Genre: Epic/High Fantasy
Other Books In This Series:
Shadow and Bone, book #1
Ruin and Rising, book #3

Books: Shadow and Bone ~ Shadow and Bone #1 - Leigh Bardugo

 

Title:Shadow and Bone
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Publishing date: October 2020
Number of pages: 307 p.
Series: Shadow and Bone #1
Age Category: Young Adult
Genre: Epic/High Fantasy
Other Books In This Series:
Siege and Storm, book #2
Ruin and Rising, book #3

Books: Crown of Midnight ~ Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publishing date: August 2013
Number of pages: 418 p.
Series:  Throne of Glass, book #2
Age Category:  Young Adult
Genre: Epic fantasy
Other Books In This Series: 
Throne of Glass, book #1
Heir Of Fire, book #3
Queen Of Shadows, book #4
Empire Of Storms, book #5
Kingdom of Ash, Book #6
The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass Novellas
Tower of Dawn

About Crown of Midnight

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But does she have the heart of a killer?

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. But Calaena is far from loyal to the crown. Keeping up the charade - while pretending to do the king's bidding - will test her skills in an entirely new way. And it certainly isn't the only point of confusion for the young girl. Because though she's made her choice between Dorian and Chaol, the ways of the heart are never simple...

My thoughts on Crown Of Midnight

Lest dive into the depth right away. The first half of the book, is rather slow, it is building up to the second half of the book which is very fast paced, and full of action. I think it is a bit of a contrast with the first book, where we got used to all the action, around every corner there was something happening. This was more strategic games, politics and a bit of mystery. I think that if you were to continue straight from the first book into the second one, you will need to adjust abit to the new approach. It slowed down considerably, but I really enjoyed this book, eventhough the pacing was very different I love the political intrigues, the multiple perspectives we see throughout the story. And that ending! Amazing! And I kind of went in a reading slump from there.

There is one part of the book that I really hated and it is sort of the best part of the book as well. One of my favorite side characters dies. It made me cry a bit, I just couldn't help myself. And since this book was a re-read for me I was dreading these pages, as I actually don't like how Celeana's responds to the death of her friend. She get's very unreasonable, and in honesty a bit annoying. She goes to the extremes and it at the end of a the book being a pain in the ass and becomes the reluctant heroine. Don't get me wrong, I get were she is coming from but the way she responds to this death, and again pushes everybody who cares about her away, is just a bit of an overreaction in my opinion.

At the end of the book Celeana is leaving for Wendell, I hope that in the third book she stops running away from her fate, and starts picking up the battle axe, once more. I am very curious to learn more about the fae, this will only be my second series I have read with fae in it. The other series being of course the Mercy Thompson series of which I posted my review of Iron Kissed at the beginning of the year, which is ofcourse an urban fantasy, so in that sense very different. I don't know much about fae in young adult, so I am curious to find out.

Conclusions

I needed some time to adjust to the slower pacing, but that ending, that made up for the entirety of the book. It was so well done. I loved the minor character Mort who is an enchanted doorknob he was so funny. I think story wise we see a lot of character growth, interesting politics and a bit of a mystery to figure out. The outstanding ending of a book, made this into a 5 star read for me.

Books: The Gilded Ones ~ Namina Forna

 

 

Title:The Gilded Ones
Author: Namina Forna
Publisher: Usborne Exclusive Fairyloot Edition
Publishing date: June 2020
Number of pages: 412 p.
Series: Deathless #1
Age Category: Young Adult 
Other Books In This Series (currently):
Not yet announced

About The Gilded Ones

Are we girls or are we demons?
Are we going to die or are we going to survive?
Deka fears the blood ceremony that will determine whether she can become a member of her village.
If she bleeds red, she will belong. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold - the colour of impurity, of a demon.
She has become what she has feared all her live. A mysterious woman can take her away, to join the an army. An purpose after becoming the unthinkable.

My thoughts on The Gilded Ones

After the first chapter, I didn't know what I was suppose to think, I wasn't sure where the story was going and here is an unpopular opinion I thought it was a little too obvious black girl in a white town being shunned. I wasn't sure that if the book turned out to be solely focused on this if I would have continued. I promise you the story takes on a whole different turn and I love that the author has chosen to pick a divers cast of chacters representing people from all corners of Otera.

After the first chapter, the story got really really dark, I was surprised at how dark it was. And I loved the book for it, I think it gave the reader perspective and explains a lot of the choice Deka will make during this story. Through out the story we she how Deka is process the trauma she has been through and she here grow as a character. There is a lot of character development, which makes this a character driven story. Seeing the world through Deka's eyes, whe get to see a lot of world building, we also she the hatred towards the Alakai, the religion printed on everybodies brain. I really hate the world Deka lives in, the religion in this world is brainwashing the people.

The elders bring out buckets, gold lust in their eyes.

I love the character White Hands, the mystery about her, the small hints she drops, which Deka can't seem to figure out. What is her end game, I have wondered this from the beginning and I tell you, I was really suprised about how the story unfolded. I think that from the large cast of side characters White Hands is one of my favorites, very unique, very strategic, and full of secrets.

Then we have not yet talked about Britta, she is descriped as someone from Scandinavia but in my head she has an Scottish accent. Britta is a likeable character from the beginning, even a little bubbly, which might seem odd in this cruel world. She is so much fun, but she has depth to her as well, she also has scars..

Going back to Deka, I really enjoyed her character, I understand the decicions she makes, all but one. When they are on a raid they enter an old underground temple, with a lake in it. From the waters comes a creature, which bites Deka. Instead of getting rid of the creature she decides to keep it. I don't understand why, and I thought is was a very naive choice. In the end the creature does proof it's loyaly.

In this world there are a lot of creatures that are unique, I haven't heard of any of them, the creature that Deka found in that temple is called Ixa, and it is some kind of shapeshifting being. Very interesting, it enjoys the form of a cat but can also turn in to some big ass lizzard/dragon? like creature. Very cool!

The final battle was really something, oh by the way you will get a proper battle, I promise, we are right there on the battle field slaying deathshrieks. It all is very well written. I think this book is a great introduction to the world Otera and I want more of it! Like right now! I know this is suppose to be a series, but a title for the second book is yet to be announced, I will be keeping an eye out for it!

Conlcusions

This book is an action packed, character driven story, set into a new world, we explore to the eyes of Deka. I love our main character, the worldbuilding, and the wide cast of side characters. This book is very well written and therefore I am giving it 5 stars!

Books: All Our Yesterdays ~ Cristin Terrill

Title: All Our Yesterdays
Author: Cristin Terrill
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publishing date: September 2013
Number of pages: 360 p.
Languages: English
Age Category: Young adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Time Travel 

About All Our Yesterdays

Yesterday - Marina was safe, privileged, wealthy. She was falling for James - the super-brainy youngest son of a very powerful family. Yesterday ended badly.

Today - Em is in a cell she may never get out of alive. There's a flicker of hope when she talks to the boy in the cell next to hers - and when she remembers who she used to be... Yesterday.

Tomorrow - Em has a mission. She must escape and travel back in time. She must kill the boy Marina loved - to save her future.

My thoughts on All Our Yesterdays

Let me start of with a bit of a content warning: THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER FREE, so if you don't want any spoilers please skip to my conclusions.

Oh this book, this book really tore me apart, what an amazing read this was.

All Our Yesterdays has been on my wishlist for many years, finally I found a copy I think it was at one of the Boekenfestijn events. They always had a very large English languages section on these events, which was the reason I went to these events. I always found very nicely priced books there. If you have any online suggestions of good webshops for English Fantasy and Science fiction that ship to the Netherlands, and are cheaper than the regular bookstores/online players, please let me know. I am a little stuck with Bookdepitory and Bol.com and I have recently noticed that the book prices are going up. I was so happy to have found this book, however it remained on my shelf for years and years. So I could not remember what it was about, I decided to go in blind.

I dove right into the story, our main character is lock up, we don't know where, we don't know why and we don't know what the prisoners are to each other. I was very intrigued that we did not get much information, but the author managed to keep me on my toes the entire time. The POV starts of with Em, who is the person that is locked up, after a couple of chapters the POV switches to Marina. Marina is a brat, spoiled, rich kid that is very very naive. You might have gathered from this that Marina was far from a favorite. We also find out that Finn is in both story lines so it must be Finn in different times.

It took me a much longer while to figure out that Em and Marina are actually the same person. You would not have guessed if it wasn't explained at some point, it was so interesting to see that one person can change so much that you would not even recgonize them, this was really smart writing, and it is one of the things that I really appreciate about this book. This not only goes for our main character but the same is true for the side characters. We see a lot of development between the future selves and past selves of our characters. Allthough I must say Finn remains relatively the same in any time line.

When Em & Finn manage to escape from the Doctor, they travel back in time to kill James. We see how they track James, prepare for attack, but also the hesitation on Em's part, as James was her friend, the friend she was so desparetly in love with. We see the contraversy this gives Em, the hesitation to kill him, as past James was relatively innocent. It is not easy for the old friends to try to kill someone they loved, that they trusted. This is what makes this book so realistic, it shows the struggles of the characters, and we get a well rounded story since the POV's switch between Em and Marina.

The end was really suprising, it took a turn that I did not see coming, a very daring thing to do. The ending was great, and I think what made this book so great is that it was not your straight forward, predictable YA book you would expect, it twists and turns, and you have to figure out all the details as you go along.

Conclusions

If you like time travel, then this is for you. If you are looking for a well-written suprising, not so predictable YA story, then go right ahead an pick this up. This book threw me out of my 5 year long reading slump, it was addictive, action packed, with amazing character development in a well rounded story. I can only say please read this, it is amazing, it is an older young adult book, and maybe even a bit underrated as I never really saw a lot of people talking about it, but damn, what a ride. 5 stars for this one!

 

Time travel isn't a wonder, it's an abomination. - Cristin Terrill

Books: Anna Dressed In Blood ~ Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publishing date: 27 Augustus 2013
Number of pages: 420 P.
Languages: English, Dutch, German, Spanish and more
Age Category: Young Adult, Horror
Other Books In This Series:
The Girl of Nightmares

Books: Bellamy and the Brute

Books: Throne Of Glass ~ Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne Of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass, book #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publishing date: 3rd of May 2013
Number of pages: 404 p.
Language: English, Dutch, Spanish, German, a.o.
Age Category: Young Adult
Other Books In This Series: 
Crown Of Midnight, book #2
Heir Of Fire, book #3
Queen Of Shadows, book #4
Empire Of Storms, book #5
Kingdom of Ash, Book #6

Books: City Of Bones ~ Cassandra Clare

Title: City Of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Mortal Instruments, book #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publishing date: 27th March 2007
Number of pages: 485 p.
Language: English, Dutch, Spanish, German, a.o.
Age Category: Young Adult
Other Books In This Series: 
City Of Ashes, book #2
City Of Glass, book #3
City Of Fallen Anges, book #4
City Of Lost Soul, book #5
City Of Heavenly Fire, book #6

Books: Grasping At Eternity ~ Amanda Karen Hooper

Title: Grasping At Eternity
Author: Amanda Karen Hooper
Series: Kindrily, book #1
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing
Publishing date: 25th, May, 2012
Number of pages: 328 p.
Language: English only
Age Category: Young Adult
Other books in this series:
Taking Back Forever, book 2
Fighting For Infinity, book 3

Books: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children ~ Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar
Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publishing date: 2011
Number of pages: 352p.
Language: English, Dutch, Spanish, German, a.o.
Age Category: Young Adult
Other Books In This Series:
Hollow City, book #2
Library Of Souls, book #3

Books: Beautiful Creatures ~ Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Caster Chronicles, book 1
Publisher: Razor Bill - Peguin
Publishing date: 4th of February 2010
Number of pages: 563
Language: English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch a.o.
Age Category: Young Adult
Other books in this series:
Beautiful Darkness, book 2
Beautiful Chaos, book 3
Beautiful Redemption, book 4

Books: Vampire Academy ~ Richelle Mead

Title: The Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: The Vampire Academy book #1
Publishing date: Oktober 2010
Publisher: Razor Bill
Languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish a.o.
Number of pages: 333 p.
Age catergory: Young adult
Other books in this series: Frostbite, book 2
Shadow Kiss, book 3
Blood Promise, book 4
Spirit Bound, book 5
Last Sacrifice, book 6 

Books: The Girl That Could Catch On Fire ~ J. Sharpe

Dutch Title: Het Meisje Dat Vlam Kon Vatten - E.a. verhalen
Translation: The Girl That Could Catch On Fire
Writer: J. Sharpe
Sort story: Short stories
Publishing date: March, 2014
Publisher: Zilverspoor
Language: Dutch only
Age category: Young adult
Number of pages: 150 p. 

Books: Nomad ~ J.L. Bryan

Title: Nomad
Author: J.L. Bryan
Kind of story: Standalone
Publishing date: 26, Juli, 2013
Publisher: Publicatie in eigen beheer
Number of pages: 136 p.
Language:  English
Age category: New Adult

About Nomad 

They took everything: her family, her home, her childhood.

By the age of nineteen, Raven has spent most of her life in the sprawling slums of America, fighting as a rebel against the dictatorship.

When the rebellion steals an experimental time-travel device, she travels back five decades to the year 2013.

Her plan: assassinate the future dictator when he is still young and vulnerable, long before he comes to power. She must move fast to reshape history, because agents from her own time are on her trail, ready to execute her on sight.

My Review

This book started with a bang, a girl standing in the middle of the high way with no recollection of how she got there or who she is. She hitches a ride with a kind truck driver. And from there the action starts, because she is not the only one who travelled back in time.

Raven is being hunted, and is lucky enough to escape, but the nice truck driver isn't that lucky.

A good start of this book, you might think, and it is also what the gorgeous cover promise us, but all good things end. In this book they end when Raven gets part of her memory back. This is the point in the book were the river slow down to a little stream. 

The story turn into more or less a phsychological game, were Raven has to make a choice to either kill the future dictator, or find another way to rewrite the future. It is a bit more slow paced but still very enjoyable. 

In the end I really enjoyed the book, but it was hard for me to keep mind with it. I think that was due to the slow pace.  Towards the end the book picks up again and the way Raven solved her puzzle was very well done. I was very satisfied with the ending.

This was not my first encounter with J.L. Bryan, in 2013 I read Jenny Pox, which was also very well executed. You can read my review here.

My Rating:

This smart read gets 3 skaters for me, because it did not hold my attention like some books can. The story line is one I haven't seen before but the book just didn't blow my mind.

Alberta Cross ~ Broken side of time

This song fits perfectly with the whole setting of this book, and of course Raven in born in A Broken side of time, and other wise interpret, she breaks time to travel back in time... Right, you still with me? No? Then just enjoy this beautiful song.

Buy this book on Amazon

Books: Frost ~ Kate Avery Ellison ~ promo

Titel: Frost
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Series: The Frost Chronicles #1
Publication date: March 28th 2012
Publisher: Self published
Number of pages: 195 p.
Age category: Young Adult
Language: English only
Other books in this series:Thorns, book 2
Weavers, book 3
Bluewing, book 4
Brewer, novella 4.1
Fugitive, novella 4.5 

Books: My Wishful Thinking ~ Shel Delisle

Title: My Wishful Thinking
Author: Shel Delisle
Sort of story: Standalone
Publishing date: 20, Oktober, 2012
Publisher: Something Else Publishing
Language: English only
Number of pages: 242 p.
Age category: Young Adult, New adult

Books: Hopeless ~ Colleen Hoover

Title: Hopeless
Series: Hopeless #1
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publishing date: 19th, December, 2012
Publisher: Colleen Hoover
Language: English, dutch a.o. languages
Number of pages: 327 p.
Age category: New Adult, Young Adult
Other books in the Hopeless series:Losing Hope #2
Finding Cinderella #2.5

Books: Hedge Witch ~ Simon Kewin

Title: Hedge Witch
Author: Simon Kewin
Series: The Cloven land trilogy #1
Publication date: April 2014
Publisher: Stormcrow books
Languages: English only
Number of pages: 285 p.
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Other books in this series: 
Worm Lord, book 2
Lich King , book 3

I received a copy of this book as part of the Hedge Witch  blog tour organized by Xpresso book tours. This review is my honest opinion of this book, and is not influenced by the fact that it was provided as part of a book tour.

First of all I want to thank Xpresso Book tours for the change to review this book. Unfortunately I did not finish the book in time to put up my review on the time I should, making me a day late. For those who have been waiting for my review, I am extremely sorry you had to wait this long. So I decided to make this review extra special! 

Synopsis: 

Fifteen year-old Cait Weerd has no idea she’s being sought by the undain: sorcerous creatures of necromancy that feed off the spirit of the living. She doesn’t know the undain need her blood to survive. She doesn’t even know she’s a witch, descended from a long line of witches. Cait Weerd doesn’t know a lot, really, but all that’s about to change.

At Manchester Central Library she’s caught up in sudden, horrific violence. In the chaos she’s handed an old book that’s been hidden there and told to run, hide the book or destroy it. It contains all the secrets of the undains’ existence. They and their human servants want to find that as much as they want Cait. What’s more, she learns that the fate of two worlds is at stake here. Just what she needs.

Along with definitely-not-a-boyfriend Danny, she has to decide what the hell to do. Run, fight or just hope it all goes away. It’s only then she learns who she really is, along with the terrible truth of what the undain have been doing in our world all this time …

Review

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, the synopsis doesn't do it justice (not that I could write a better on myself), in a good way. There is way more to this book then the synopsis lets on, this books is set in both the modern world and in the other world: which is cut in half by the river An. One side is the land Andar, the other side is the land of the "Undain" Angere.

Part of the story is told by two of the witches of Andar, Hellen and Fer. Their world intrigued me, it lured me in, it was like I walk right back into Middle-Earth or Alagaesia. Worlds I miss and haven't visited in a while.

I took me a while to find the connections in the story, the master plan and how the worlds work. It was interesting, it is an exciting thing when you first enter a new world, without know what you walked into. Fer, Ran and Johnny Electric set out for this world, Cait's world , but their travel is not without many obstacles. With them also traveled another interesting companion, an Archaeon, a bookworm, he made quiet an interesting character, he reminded me of another riddle speaking creature but I am not sure from which world. The fight agains evil has started and it is a wild ride, exciting, interesting and lovely.

This book is action-packed from beginning until the end, without a pause to breath. I devoured this book and I am very glad that I have signed up for the book tour! What made me decide to sign up for this book tour was the pretty cover, ain't it beautiful? Also the fact that it said witch on the cover caught my immediate interest. I love books with witches and haven't read many lately.

If you love stories like those of the masters of Fantasy, you might also like this one, even though this world is not as complex as that of for example Alagaesia, but it has a lot of similar elements in it. I can tell you that if you like urban and epic fantasy you will surely love to read this.

Rating

This book was fantastic! Great world-building, great realistic characters and very original. 

Quotes

She charged at the creature. She still carried her school textbooks. Uselessly, not really knowing what she was doing, she tried to batter the monster with English Literature.

"It really exists?" Of course. Sung unceasingly at Islagray for years uncounted. Andar itself given voice. The spirit of the land. The beauty of it, the life and death of it." " I would be allowed to hear?"

"Spring always follows winter," Fer said. "True. But the winter doesn't care who lives through it and who dies."

Music

There is a scene in this book, where Cait is caught by Genera, the humans that work for the undain. This song, it fits the scene, the purpose, the business, and the machines.

Books: Day Human Prince ~ BK McMichael ~ promo

Titlel: Day Human Prince
Author: B. Kristin McMichael
Series: The Day Human Trilogy #1
Number of pages: 234 p.
Publisher: Lexia Press
Publication date: April 2014
Age category: Young Adult
Language: English Only

Synopsis:

Devin Alexander grew up as the only day human in a world surrounded by night humans who drank blood, sometimes his blood. He spent his life training towards one goal: the protection of one of those blood drinkers, Arianna.

But what is he supposed to do when the blue-eyed girl of the legends doesn’t need him anymore? What does his life mean then? How is a guy supposed to move on when the girl he has pined over for a decade chooses someone else?

Before he can even start to figure out his new life without Arianna, Devin has to deal with another problem. He needs to take care of some unfinished business with a night human he has known for less than a month, but with whom he is magically bound.

Vanessa McKinny has promised that she knows a way to undo the spell she placed on Devin to save his life. Devin would do anything to break the bond to be free of her, even if it means traveling to the sidhe village, a place inhabited by a race of night humans that has not had a day human visitor in more than a hundred years.

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Book trailer

About the author

Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in biology as a scientist. In her free time she is currently hard at work on multiple novels. Every day is a new writing adventure. She is a fan of all YA/NA fantasy and science fiction.

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