Category: Review (Page 142 of 297)

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) by Roshani Chokshi

January 10, 2019 / Arielle / 4 Comments

I am so excited to be participating in this blog tour, introducing the first book in Roshani Chokshi's latest series, The Gilded Wolves. I hope you all enjoy this thrilling new heist adventure with a cast of lovable, misfit characters!

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) by Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1)
by Roshani Chokshi
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Set in a darkly glamorous world, The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

Review:

Well I feel like I need to keep this short and to the point until it actually comes out! This was a good book. That being said, did I expect more? Kind of.

There were so many wants inside him that he doubted there was room for blood in his body.

At this point I honestly don’t know if I didn’t like it as much because I started reading it a few months ago, put it down and read a ton of books in-between, and then just now finally finished it. I do think that this might suffer from a case of the “people likened it to Six of Crows so my bar was set IMPOSSIBLY HIGH.” And I get that, it had a cast of misfit and awesomely diverse characters that came together to pull of a heist and that was awesome. BUT. I guess there was also a lot I didn’t get. Maybe it was because unlike Six of Crows, which is set in a completely fictional world, this was set in France in 1889 and I kept forgetting that. There are instances of people being treated a certain way because of their race or class and talks of revolution and things of that nature that had me pausing for a second. I just honestly have no idea what kind of a place France was during that time period. I do always feel slightly..guilty(?) too, when books are compared to a series that was hyped up so much and so loved by so many. I just want people to go into it knowing that yes, this DOES have some similarities, but it also is its own book with its own unique story and set of characters ready to be fallen in love with!

“Tristan, my love,” said Laila with dangerous calm. “If you get it the way of a woman’s battle, you’ll get in the way of her sword.”

EITHER WAY, this book has solid bones. The characters, like I said, were really diverse and fun and had hilarious banter with one another. A lot of things really intrigued me about them and I hope that we continue to get more back story on all of them, ESPECIALLY Laila..Also, the ending set the next book up in a way that I NEED IT *fans myself*. I need more Severin and Laila (the best kind of tortured romance, folks), I need to know more about last thing that was said about a certain someone being an heir or not..I just need to know a lot of things. So again, this wasn’t GREAT like I thought it was going to be, but it was really good and I will be 100% checking out book two. Her writing is as amazingly rich and vibrant as it was in her previous books and I still think this will get a lot of buzz and that a ton of people will fall madly in love with the characters, too.

“When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel,” Severin said, looking each of them in the eye. “Just don’t forget that enough power and influence makes anyone impossible to look away from. And then they can’t help but see you.”

Huge thanks to Wendesday Books and NetGalley for allowing me to honestly review this eARC! ♥ The Gilded Wolves will be out January 15th, 2019!

Giveaway:

✮ Enter to win a physical copy of The Gilded Wolves, that Wendesday Books has graciously offered to give away (USA only).

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About Roshani Chokshi:

Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen, A Crown of Wishes, and Aru Shah and the End of Time. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. Her short story, “The Star Maiden,” was long listed for the British Fantasy Science Award.

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BOOK REVIEW: Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

January 9, 2019 / Cassie / 4 Comments

Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A year ago, Brooke Covington lost everything when her beloved older brother, Jason, confessed to the murder of his best friend, Calvin. Brooke and her family became social pariahs, broken and unable to console one another. Brooke’s only solace remains the ice-skating rink, where she works but no longer lets herself dream about a future skating professionally.

When Brooke encounters Calvin’s younger brother, Heath, on the side of the road and offers him a ride, everything changes. She needs someone to talk to…and so does Heath. No one else understands what it’s like. Her brother, alive but gone; his brother, dead but everywhere. Soon, they’re meeting in secret, despite knowing that both families would be horrified if they found out. In the place of his anger and her guilt, something frighteningly tender begins to develop, drawing them ever closer together.

But when a new secret comes out about the murder, Brooke has to choose whose pain she’s willing to live with—her family’s or Heath’s. Because she can’t heal one without hurting the other.

Thank you to NetGalley, Abigail Johnson and Harlequin Teen for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“I’m not allowed to feel bad in front of you. I’m not allowed to feel bad in front of anyone, but especially not you, and I don’t know how to stop.”

“Even If I Fall” by Abigail Johnson is a hauntingly beautiful YA novel about love, family and forgiveness. As I described it to a friend, it reminded me of a more tragic, YA version of Mariana Zapata’s “From Lukov with Love.”

As the synopsis says, the story follows Brooke, who (along with her family) become social pariahs following her brother Jason’s murder of his best friend, Calvin. Brooke’s family is shattered, and each member struggles to deal with the loss of someone who is still alive, but admitted to committing an unspeakable crime. Also dealing with the loss of a brother, enter Heath, Cal’s younger brother.

“I resist another urge to press my back against my door. Not because I’m physically afraid of Heath, but because I’m afraid of what he might say and how his words could shred me if he wants them to.”

One day, Brooke offers Heath a ride into town. And that’s how the story of Brooke and Heath begins. Both are struggling with the loss of a brother, though Brooke knows Heath’s pain comes from the decision of her own brother. There are so many layers of loss, sadness and struggle. There’s also a good deal of anger and resentment. It’s a lot for our main characters to deal with, but I thought it was all very realistic and thoughtful.

After several other encounters, Brooke eventually asks Heath with his help training for an ice skating tour, as Brooke is an excellent skater. Heath ultimately agrees and they being spending more time together, but not before agreeing to keep it a secret from their respective families.

We keep trying to not hurt each other. But I did and he did. We are.

While it was fairly obvious what some of the main plot points were going to be, it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable. I adored both Brooke and Heath and their slow-burn relationship. It was so well done and the build up was great. I also enjoyed the cast of characters around Brooke. They were all well-defined and added so much to the story. I would love to see a novella or long-form epilogue some day, as I’d love to see what everyone is up to after some time has past from the book’s ending.

As steady as his arms are, my heart is beating wildly. And he just keeps holding me in the air like that, like I weigh nothing and he can go on holding me forever.

BOOK REVIEW: The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

January 4, 2019 / Cassie / 2 Comments

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she'll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain...

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Hamilton and Wildfire for my free ARC.

I loved him and yet I’d been unable to stop him making the biggest mistake of his life. He was mine.

Juliette loved Nate. Nate decided to end his relationship with Juliette. Juliette cannot let Nate go and will do anything to get him back. And thus begins our story.

Once upon a time, I could walk up to him and hug him any time I pleased. Now, I am not allowed. Those are the rules. I have not been given any choice or say in the matter.

Juliette is both highly problematic and also sympathetic in moments. After being dumped by Nate, an airline pilot, Juliette becomes a flight attendant to worm her way back into his life. She is methodical, disciplined and tries to stay three steps ahead of everyone else. It honestly sounds exhausting, but Juliette is nothing but dedicated.

He thinks he doesn’t want me, but he’s proving that he does. It’s all up to me to help him come to terms with his feelings so this whole mixed-messages thing stops.

This book is very much along the lines of Kaira Rouda novels or “The Last Mrs. Parrish.” I found it hard to put down because I wanted to see what Juliette would do next. I think my mouth dropped open as some of the pieces fell together at the end. I felt like I should have seen it coming, but I was so invested in what was in front of me, I wasn’t really trying to piece it together like that.

Some people may hate the ending, as it is not the cleanest, but I didn’t mind. After all the events of the book, it seemed fairly realistic. It thought this was very well written and while Juliette was far from a good person, I did have sympathy for her, especially as we learn about her background. I didn’t want her to succeed, but I did want her to get the help she very much needed.

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, make them.

BOOK REVIEW: Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare

January 2, 2019 / Arielle / 2 Comments

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

“When I was at my worst, you were at your best for me. I can only do the same for you.”
“All right,” she said. “All right, I’ll wait one day.”
As if it heard her voice, the color closed up at her feet, hiding the parabatai tablet beneath the protecting marble. She wanted to reach out to Julian, to touch his hands, to tell him she was grateful. She wanted to say more, say the words they were forbidden to say, but she didn’t—just looked at him silently and thought them, wondering if anyone had thought these words in the Silent City. If they had thought them like this: with equal hope and despair.
I love you. I love you. I love you.

All right, can I just say that this took me like TWO TOO MANY WEEKS TO FINISH?! That is entirely my bad though and I am so annoyed at myself for it. I feel like I have been disconnected from my previous obsession with all things Cassandra Clare and because of that, I wasn’t fully prepared for this. In the past with her other series, I would have taken the time to reread all of the previous books before the new ones came out. Guys…I literally did NOT have the time to do that/ maybe I did but I was being greedy with wanting to finish the last book and was too impatient to read the previous two first. Also, I was kind of annoyed that all of the Ghosts of the Shadow Market novellas were recently released and I was worrying about missing out on information from those but also too busy to read through those as well. Long story short I have become slightly overwhelmed with how expansive the Shadowhunter world has become.

Reading this book has immediately sucked me back into this world. It hit me like a ton of bricks how much I used to live and breathe in the world of Shadowhunters and I cannot believe I have been absent from it for what seems like forever. When I finished up with Lord of Shadows last year I was left in awe of what Clare had done with Julian’s character and with this particular set of main character’s story lines but I was also straight up annoyed with how we were still getting strung along with the problems of Clary and Jace. I did not care to hear about them because their story, in my eyes, had been over. After reading this book I can obviously see that that isn’t the case. They were an integral part of this last chapter of this series and honestly, I didn’t mind it as much. Now that I know that she plans to end the Shadowhunter Chronicles in the distant future series, The Wicked Powers, I feel a sense of relief. I mean, they were the heroes of the very first series in this world, obviously they are still going to be important. I hope that Clare is able to give all of her characters the sendoff that they deserve in that series because after being with them and their families for the last decade, they have become like family to me.

Enough about that, though. Let’s get into the real reason I came to this review. This G-d book. Um…yeah, wow. I just finished rereading City of Bones and it is literally INSANE how much Clare’s writing has grown in the last decade. I am stunned. The Blackthorns’ grief, and Julian’s cunning and wit, and Emma’s strength and their love for each other and EVERYTHING ELSE. My heart was just this throbbing, beating mess for most of the book that I literally don’t know how I put it down as much as I did. Clare creates these UNFORGETTABLE romantic and even familial ties that I would lay down my life to protect.

I also loved seeing more of both the Seelie and the Unseelie courts. Books on the Fae have really been on the up and up lately so getting to see more of how their courts were set up and learning more about the Queen and King and the heirs was very interesting… During this final installment we met more Shadowhunters from around the world. We got to see things go to shit and then be reborn with the Clave. We got to see a NEW, and possibly equally horrible other dimension…..just…it was a lot. I am so intrigued with what will happen with so many different things and people and I refuse to say more on the matter lest I spoil ANYTHING.

The ONLY complaint that I have with this book (that isn’t really anything to do with the actual book) is that there were aspects of it that I just felt like I possibly should have known more about…? Again, it goes back to me not being able to reread the previous books and not being able to read the last set of novellas though. As much as I CRAVE series that are long and drawn out and that interconnect, sometimes it can be a pain in the ass. I can see how it would be daunting if you were a newcomer to try to figure out which to pick up first and in what order, etc. Each series makes mention to events in other series and other characters and their families in other series so as you can probably guess, if you don’t have it all straight or haven’t read it all, you are going to miss out on a LOT.

That being said, I would recommend this series (& all of her series) to literally anyone who likes fantasy. These books have something for everyone and are diverse in a way that a lot of YA isn’t. I will be reading her books until the day I die, mark my words, lol.

BOOK REVIEW: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

December 31, 2018 / Arielle / 2 Comments

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
by Cassandra Clare
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

“All the stories are true.”

One of the best parts of re-reading old favorites (especially series) is actually getting around to reviewing them. One of the saddest parts of trying to review them, though, is that all of my initial wonder and excitement is lost. I will always love these books and characters, I know I will. BUT, this time around, this particular book was more of a four instead of the five I initially had it at. It might be because Clare’s writing has grown so exponentially and I know just how more amazing and intricate her books get….I’m not sure. Either way I will try to do my best to do justice to what sixteen-year-old thought about this book. *lol oh God what am I getting myself into*

“It’s so dark,” she said lamely.
“You want me to hold your hand?”
Clary put both her hands behind her back like a small child.
“Don’t talk down to me.”
“Well, I could hardly talk up to you. You’re too short.”

Yeah literally right after I typed that I knew there would be no way that was going to be possible bahahah. Sixteen-year-old me probably thought she was hot shit and was an idiot when it came to a lot of things and I literally would never want to read a review that she had written. And anyways, I can guarantee for the most part, the things I liked then were still the same things I liked now. Basically the reason why I started reading this again was that I am about 75% of the way through Queen of Air and Darkness and I felt like I had forgotten so many things and kinda of missed where things were in the beginning. I kept on reading QoAaD, of course, but I would randomly pick up this book throughout that too. Kind of a horrible idea, but here we are.

One of the best parts of this book, this series, this world of Shadowhunters is just that—the world. I have always been a fantasy fan so the thought of there being vampires, faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and a warrior race that has angel blood in their veins that spend their lives protecting the human race against demons (all hidden in plain sight of course!). As much as I would feel offended that such a world is there and that I haven’t been asked to be a part of it, I still think it is cool to think that *more* might exist than what we know.

Another aspect of these books that has always intrigued me is the Shadowhunter’s government structure, The Clave. I think Clare wrote their laws, their beliefs, and their prejudices very deliberately. It is so frustrating to read about their clashes with the Downworlders at times but then if you take a step back and consider how minorities are treated in real life, you have to think, ‘yeah..you think these fictional problems are frustrating and horrible? Try thinking about the ones that real life people face every day…’ It only kind of gets worse too and is at somewhat of a boiling point in the point I’m on in Queen of Air and Darkness. I really hope we can see things get better asap…

“Aren’t you tired?” His voice was low. “I’ve never been more awake.”

Finally, THE most important part of this book, this series—the characters!!! Clare knows how to write some funny/interesting/relatable/annoying/diverse/unforgettable characters, let me tell you. Clary, the main protagonist of this entire series, can be annoying at times but given her age and the amount of bat shit craziness that gets dumped on her all at once, I get it. Onto Jace. Jace for me is the OG snarky bad boy of Young Adult fantasy. Their dialogue is so funny and full of quippy one liners I can barely handle it (it a good way). You either love to love or love to hate her characters and I am all here for it. Also—can we just talk about how awesomely messed up it is that she wrote this story line where two of the main characters fall in love (and most of us immediately root for them), we find out they are “siblings,” and then we still end up rooting for them (or at least I did bahahaha) to be together until View Spoiler ». I remember being so ashamed/ embarrassed trying to explain the plot of these books to my friends back in the day lol, man. Good stuff.

Overall if you’re looking to get into a series that is now 16 books long and counting (counting the e-books as 3 separate books for when they’re in their compiled form) and is crazily woven together with characters that are related and interconnected over the span of over a hundred years then this is the series for you!!!!!!!!!!

“If you insist on disavowing that which is ugly about what you do,” said Magnus, still looking at Alec, “you will never learn from your mistakes.”

…So it turns out that I didn’t actually review this book but my general thoughts on the concept of the whole series, woops. I think it’s still plain to see what my thoughts and feelings are, though and that’s really why I came here to finally add a review! Onto the rest!

“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he’d learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”