Friday 30 June 2017

NO MORE WAITING #9: THE SAXON STORIES

Are you fed up with cliffhangers? Are you not patient enough to wait months for next instalment when reading series? Or do you just prefer to completely lose yourself in story and marathon all the books together? If you answered "yes" to at least one of these questions, this post is for you. NO MORE WAITING is a feature on my blog that spotlights completed series. You can look forward to spoiler-free reviews and graphic arts to accompany it.

The Saxon stories by Bernard Cornwell

Published by: HarperCollins

Genre: Historical Fiction


     
This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms.

The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, who is captured as a child by the Danes and then raised by them so that, by the time the Northmen begin their assault on Wessex (Alfred’s kingdom and the last territory in English hands) Uhtred almost thinks of himself as a Dane. He certainly has no love for Alfred, whom he considers a pious weakling and no match for Viking savagery, yet when Alfred unexpectedly defeats the Danes and the Danes themselves turn on Uhtred, he is finally forced to choose sides. By now he is a young man, in love, trained to fight and ready to take his place in the dreaded shield wall. Above all, though, he wishes to recover his father’s land, the enchanting fort of Bebbanburg by the wild northern sea.

This thrilling adventure—based on existing records of Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors—depicts a time when law and order were ripped violently apart by a pagan assault on Christian England, an assault that came very close to destroying England.

Friday 23 June 2017

REVIEW: BAD ROMANCE BY HEATHER DEMETRIOS

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Release date: June 13th 2017

       
          
Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.

Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape.

Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.

Monday 22 May 2017

BLURB LOVE #11

Book blurb is the most important aspect when it comes to deciding what I want to read. It is usually what makes me add (or not add) book to my TBR. Imagine there is no cover, no title and you have no idea who wrote it. Would you read such a book based just on its blurb?
Test yourself.


Thursday 30 March 2017

MY NEW ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK

The Name of the Wind 

Written by: Patrick Rothfuss
(The Kingkiller Chronicle #1)
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Release date: March 2007

     
      
"MY NAME IS KVOTHE

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me."

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature--the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

Friday 3 March 2017

THE POSSESSIONS - DELICIOUSLY CREEPY DEBUT

The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy

Published by: Harper

Genre: Mystery Thriller Fiction

Release date: February 7th 2017

      
         
In this electrifying literary debut, a young woman who channels the dead for a living crosses a dangerous line when she falls in love with one of her clients, whose wife died under mysterious circumstances

In an unnamed city, Eurydice works for the Elysian Society, a private service that allows grieving clients to reconnect with lost loved ones. She and her fellow workers, known as “bodies“, wear the discarded belongings of the dead and swallow pills called lotuses to summon their spirits—numbing their own minds and losing themselves in the process. Edie has been a body at the Elysian Society for five years, an unusual record. Her success is the result of careful detachment: she seeks refuge in the lotuses’ anesthetic effects and distances herself from making personal connections with her clients.

But when Edie channels Sylvia, the dead wife of recent widower Patrick Braddock, she becomes obsessed with the glamorous couple. Despite the murky circumstances surrounding Sylvia’s drowning, Edie breaks her own rules and pursues Patrick, moving deeper into his life and summoning Sylvia outside the Elysian Society’s walls.

After years of hiding beneath the lotuses’ dulling effect, Edie discovers that the lines between her own desires and those of Sylvia have begun to blur, and takes increasing risks to keep Patrick within her grasp. Suddenly, she finds her quiet life unraveling as she grapples not only with Sylvia’s growing influence and the questions surrounding her death, but with her own long-buried secrets.

A tale of desire and obsession, deceit and dark secrets that defies easy categorization, The Possessions is a seductive, absorbing page-turner that builds to a shattering, unforgettable conclusion. 

Friday 17 February 2017

REVIEW: EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
(Empress of a Thousand Skies #1)
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Release date: February 7th 2017

     
         
Empress

Rhee, also known as Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an, is the sole surviving heir to a powerful dynasty. She’ll stop at nothing to avenge her family and claim her throne.

Fugitive

Aly has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. But when he’s falsely accused of killing Rhee, he's forced to prove his innocence to save his reputation – and his life.

Madman

With planets on the brink of war, Rhee and Aly are thrown together to confront a ruthless evil that threatens the fate of the entire galaxy.

A saga of vengeance, warfare, and the true meaning of legacy.

Saturday 11 February 2017

BLURB LOVE #10

Book blurb is the most important aspect when it comes to deciding what I want to read. It is usually what makes me add (or not add) book to my TBR. Imagine there is no cover, no title and you have no idea who wrote it. Would you read such a book based just on its blurb?
Test yourself.


Saturday 4 February 2017

REVIEW: INFINI BY KRISTA & BECCA RITCHIE

Infini (Aerial Ethereal #2)

Written by: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Genre: Contemporary NA Romance

Release date: January 31th 2017

      
        
Some love is infinite

"Don’t have a best friend that’s a girl" — this was the advice from my older cousin. I didn’t take it. Because he followed with, "friends don’t f*ck friends. And you’ll want to f*ck her."

It was terrible advice.

My cousin should’ve told me that being best friends with Baylee Wright — since she was twelve — would be the best and worst decision of my life.

He should have told me to protect her from what was coming.

He should have told me that when a darkness crawled towards us, there’d be no safety net.

Now I’ve signed back on to the same Vegas acrobatic show as Baylee, working together for the first time in years. And she tells me that she’s having trouble in a certain “area” of her life — because of our past.

“You can help me fix it,” she says.

And then she hands me a list.

Standalone New Adult Romance - Recommended for readers 18+ for mature content.

Luka Kotova is introduced in Amour Amour, and Infini takes place in the same acrobatic world. However, it's not necessary to read Amour Amour prior to Infini

Saturday 14 January 2017

WINDWITCH - MY FIRST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2017

Those of you who follow my blog regularly know that Truthwitch was one of my favorite reads last year and main protagonists Safiya & Merik even made it to my top favorite ships of 2016. To say that I was super excited to read sequel, would be an understatement. I simply could not wait to get my hands on Windwitch. So imagine my disappointment when it did not meet my expectations at all...

Windwitch (The Witchlands #2)

Written by: Susan Dennard

Published by: Tor Teen

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release date: January 10th 2017

       
           
Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands. 

Sunday 1 January 2017

MOST EXPECTED 2017 RELEASES + CHALLENGES

Happy New Year everyone! Let's toast to having an awesome reading year in 2017 and let me tell you about the books that I seriously can't wait to get my hands on this year!