Currently Reading

Currently reading: Vulture by Bex Hogan.

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Waiting On Wednesday: The Young Elites


The Young Elites by Marie Lu
publishes 7th October 2014.

"I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
 
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. 
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
 
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt."

Marie Lu! What are you doing to me?! This book sounds so good, so perfect and I for one cannot wait to get it and read it! The cover is beautiful and if Legend and Prodigy are anything to go by (I haven't read Champion yet, don't judge me!) then I know I am going to love it! It's supposed to be set in a Renaissance like world! Bring it on! 

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Waiting On Wednesday: The Mime Order


The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
publishes 21st October 2014.

"Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal penal colony of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the fugitives are still missing and she is the most wanted person in London. 
As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city’s gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take center stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.
Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided. Will Paige know who to trust? The hunt for the dreamwalker is on."

Oh man I am so pumped for this book. I absolutely fell in love with the world Samantha Shannon created in The Bone Season and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I am so happy this is a seven book series because I can't see myself ever being able to get enough of it! So so excited! And I've pre-ordered one of Waterstones signed copies so that makes me even happier! ARGH!

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Waiting On Wednesday: Talon


Talon by Julie Kagawa

"Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.
Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons."
Oh man how epic does this sound? It sounds so freaking good. I cannot wait to get a hold of this one! I'm not going to lie, I've never read a Julie Kagawa book before despite the fact I do have a few of them on my Kindle. I've just never gotten around to it. Maybe I should sort that little problem out. One thing is for sure this is a must read for me. I love dragons, the premise sounds great and I am in love with that cover!

Tuesday 13 May 2014

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [Reivews]

Written by: E. Lockhart.
Published by: Hot Key Books.
Format: Paperback.
Released: 13th May 2014.
Rating: 2/5.

Official synopsis: "A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE."

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Hype. It's a funny old thing. Sometimes it is well deserved, the buzz around a book so palpable you can taste it and then when you finally get said book in your grubby little paws and you devour it and it is everything you could ever of dreamed of and more it is such a euphoric moment, one that never leaves you. A good book leaves an imprint for all the right reasons. But then sometimes you read the book and you're left with a funny taste in your mouth because really, in your opinion at least, it isn't deserving of the hype. It doesn't leave you with the satisfaction you were hoping for. It doesn't make you feel all the feels. It doesn't leave an impression on you at all apart from a sadness welling deep inside you because you feel disappointed.

We Were Liars is a book which has received a lot of hype lately. There have been countless reviews praising it, praising the ending which has been reported to be so shocking and life changing that it's hard not to get so excited about the prospect of reading it. But sadly for me, We Were Liars falls on the side of hype that is for me entirely un-justified and I cannot begin to tell you how much that saddens me. The cover is beautiful and it drew me in. The premise is so exciting... You know so little yet you know this earth-shattering moment is coming and the closer you get to the end you are closer to knowing what it is.

I don't know what it was but I just didn't get it. The book itself is beautifully written. Some of the scenes are so stunning, both visually and in the rhythm of E. Lockhart's writing. It's so lyrical, so addictive. But the subject matter just did nothing for me. Over privileged kids whining about what they didn't have when they have so much, and maybe that was the point but I just found myself getting so wound up. I didn't find myself remotely liking any of the characters or feeling any kind of feeling towards them.

And then there is the ending. I'm not going to say much about it because it's the books main point for marketing. It's reported as being earth-shattering, shocking but for me it fell a bit limp. I had kind of suspected what it was earlier on and then when it was revealed I just found myself saying I told you so. It just didn't have the intended effect on me. I don't know why, it just didn't. I know there are others out there who it did and I've spoken to several other bloggers about my experience with We Were Liars and as much as I didn't like it they loved it. And that is the beauty of reading. There's something for everyone. This just wasn't for me.

Saturday 10 May 2014

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige [Review]

Written by: Danielle Paige.
Published by: Harper Collins.
Format: Hardback.
Released: 1st April 2014.
Rating: 3/5.

Official synopsis: "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I've been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. Then and only then—Dorothy must die."

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As soon as I heard about Dorothy Must Die all sorts of feelings ran through me at once. I was extremely excited to start with because it sounded so good, so promising. It sounded like a great re-imaging and I couldn't wait to get a copy. But then some doubts started to creep in. Oz and the stories surrounding it are so ingrained in a lot of peoples childhoods, I for one had an unhealthy obsession with the movie as a child, just ask my family - it's something that is still mentioned a lot at family gatherings much to my embarrassment, and wondered if it is the sort of thing that should be left well alone...

And then my copy came and I dove straight in. The cover and the overall package of the book is brilliant. You can instantly tell it's about Oz regardless of whether or not you've read the synopsis. Front and centre is the trademark blue and white chequered dress made famous all those years ago. The book itself is very well designed.

 I have to say I was a little lost with the book to start with. It starts of fast paced. Amy is in school and she's been accused of something she didn't do. She returns home to her mum and has to tell her that she's been suspended, but her mum couldn't really care less and leaves her to her own devices. But she couldn't of picked a worse time. A storm is coming. A tornado. Famed for whisking Dorothy away to Oz and before Amy knows what is happening her home, a trailer in Kansas, is plucked into the sky and the next thing Amy has no idea where she is. With only her pet rat, Star, for company Amy soon learns that maybe Oz is real, that the stories might just be true...

I have to say that when the book first gets to Oz it is quite slow. A lot of groundwork is laid out. Back story. Oz is in a state of disrepair. It's dark. It's malevolent. It's broken, and it is all Dorothy's fault. She's sucking Oz's land of all of its magic so that she can control it.

The world of Oz is twisted. Sick. The characters are too. Gone is the lovably bashful Lion, he's a dark, menacing creature who preys on fear. The Scarecrow is conducting horrific experiments and the Tin Woodman... Well, lets just say he's had a few modifications.

But then about three quarters of the way through the pace really kicks in as the action sequences begin to take place as Amy tries to carry out the mission she has been given. To kill Dorothy. These scenes were my favourite from the book because they actually got me excited about the story. Before that I had struggled so hard to actually give a damn. It was almost as if I was reading a different book all of a sudden. I just didn't gel with the voice of Amy, and even now after finishing the book I still don't know that I 100% get her or even like her as a character. The love interest in the book, Nox, also didn't seem to intrigue me. The romance between the two seemed so sudden and almost unnecessary. One minute they had only just met, and the next Nox was helping two friends who were in trouble and Amy was jealous. I mean... WHAT?! I don't get it. It's a scene which still irks me and it's been a few weeks since I actually finished the book. I just don't get her as a character, her thoughts, her motives.

And then the book ends. It was kind of a cliff hanger but for me I don't know if I liked the ending or not. It didn't necessarily make me excited for the second book but it did show that there is some promise left in what is now a trilogy where I had thought there would be none half way through reading this book. I'm kind of on the fence if I am completely honest. I liked some aspects of it but then there aspects that annoyed me so much. And it is such a shame because there is no denying the fact that Danielle Paige can write. Some of the book is beautifully written and there is obviously talent there, but I just can't help but feel there are forces higher up the chain that are having an affect. It was only a few weeks after finishing the book that I found out it's the brainchild of Full Fathom Five. A company run by James Frey - the man called out by the Queen of interviews Oprah for being a liar and fabricating large parts of his so called memoir. The company itself doesn't have a very good reputation. Basically they hire writers to write their ideas for them and they get a (very) small wage. For me, personally, it detracted from it. It has almost put me off reading the sequels, I'm still very undecided.

I wouldn't say don't read this book, but I also don't know if I can genuinely recommend it to anyone either because it feels morally wrong as well as the fact that I just didn't really enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Maybe it'll be a slow burner? Maybe now all the world is laid out book two will hurtle along and take me by surprise? Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.

Have you read Dorothy Must Die? What did you think about it? Comment below, I'm interested to see if it was just me (a quick check on Goodreads says it isn't...) and also, what do you think of all of this Full Fathom Five business? Does it put you off reading a book? I've seen a lot of blog posts recently and seen that quite a few people boycott any of their releases which is something that intrigues me!