Gemma

I gave up on reviewing each individual book in this series as there are so many and they are so short. I really enjoyed re-reading the series; especially as I didn't remember the ending at all. I think they are fantastic books and I wish I had read more books like this as a kid.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment for me. The penultimate book was much stronger in my opinion; particularly as I felt the plot was more memorable.

I picked up this book when I was around 14, and while I don't remember if I finished it at that age, I remember loving the first few chapters that I read. The premise of this book enthralled me so much that I have been thinking about it ever since. When I finally discovered the books were being released in new editions I decided it was a sign, and snapped them up.

This did not disappoint! The first book is a short tale, packed full of rich world building and a warm host of characters that really welcome you into the story. I devoured this book, despite worrying that I may have given it too much hype in my head over the years and it really did not disappoint. Not all books written for younger readers are enjoyable for me as I find some can be written with a pandering, over explanatory tone. This book avoids that tone entirely, and I loved it.

I remember reading this series as a teenager and absolutely breaking my heart over the story. When I re-read it this time, I discovered a much more complicated and convoluted plot that was told too fast to do the story justice.

I will be completing the series as part of my goals to re-read old favourites from childhood and to read my physical TBR, but I don't think I would recommend this book. Possibly later books in the series might change my mind.

This was a short entry in the final half of this series, which followed on from a disappointing book. Like the previous story, I did not enjoy this book.

I did enjoy the plot relevant reveals, and can't wait to get to the next book which I hope will surprise me.

Bloodwitch is the third instalment of the Witchlands series, my current favourite young adult series. It continues on from the second book with the same point of view characters and maintains the same quality the first two books displayed.

I loved this book and my previous reviews of the other books will give you a good idea why. I would like to emphasise in this review that I love how the romantic storylines in this series are going. All the potential couples you meet in the first book are really still getting to know each other at this point. The slow burn is really warming my heart. I can???t wait for the next book, and I???m looking forward to re-reading this one already.

I loved this! It feels like a proper divergence from the format of the previous books will begin from the next book and I???m so ready for it.

I think this review can be best summarised by the fact that I don't think I will read another book in this series, and I won't be picking up a physical edition of this book.

I can't even say I hated it, I was simply bored by everything going on and I felt like some of the big reveals felt like I'd figured them out quite a while back. In some points the naivet?? and shortsightedness of Helene drove me mad. She is highly trained, yet acts with about as much thought as Laia.

The first book was great, the next two were disappointing.

I picked up Leviathan Wakes because one of my book clubs suggested it, and I thought it would be an interesting foray into the world of science fiction. Previously I've read both Andy Weir books currently out and not much else that could be classified as science fiction so I was excited for this book.

I knew almost instantly I was going to love this book. This book steals aspects from various genres; science fiction, crime fiction, and horror mainly. I personally feel that it takes the best parts of each genre for this book and builds a complex story out of them. The world felt expansive and really well designed, and it really gradually pushed the boundaries of the world we were aware of over the course of the book so I never felt lost. The cast also gets fairly large, but I similarly felt that we were never introduced to too many people too fast.

I want to make a special mention of the characters in this book, because it was how developed and how real the characters were that made me really fall for the book. The book is told from alternating perspectives of two characters that felt to me like best friends separated by lifestyle and moral compasses. Like Doug Judy and Jake Peralta. I really enjoyed the two opposite sides to this story.

I found this book to be funny, engrossing and quite thrilling in a slow burn kind of way. I would highly recommend reading these, especially on audio book. The audio book experience could have easily earned an extra star on its own.

I could not resist this one when it came up available on Hoopla. My current read is a bogging me down, and this was the perfect refreshing read. The art is genuinely fantastic and I???m really invested in the story. I would say that I wish more plot was happening but that doesn???t stop my enjoyment.

Another good installment in this series, one of my favourites so far. The introduction of characters I remembered vaguely from later in the series was a great touch.

Very much looking forward to the conclusion of this series.

Read for my IRL Bookclub.I don't really pick up historical fiction, so I was pushing myself out of my usual interests. I was completely wrapped up in the main relationship in the book (and I loved discussing it with my book club).

This has been a really surprising book so far. I knew nothing about it when I began it and was really struggling with the writing style. It was slogging by and didn't feel like I was going to enjoy the story at all. Around 2/3 of the way through the first part it changed pace, and began to hit its stride for me. I began to enjoy Rachael and Borne's relationship at that point.

Other than that, I'm not sure I can make any other comment. This really was ‘new weird' and I'm not sure if I enjoyed it.

The third in my series of short reviews for A Series of Unfortunate Events. This one was fine, but over quickly and I would have liked more. I read these such a long time ago that my memory is fuzzy, but I think the later books get longer and more satisfying.

We are now at the point where I no longer remember the plot of the books at all because the film only covered the first three books. I'm looking forward to finishing this series this year.

This book hurt to read. It was painfully real, and the characters felt like people I could lift off the page into reality. Some of the development that is revealed along the course of the book really added to the dimensions of the plot and the characters simultaneously.

This was an incredibly crafted story; it didn't miss a beat. It is just shy of a five star book for me, and I strongly recommend it. Depending on how much the story stays with me I may even bump it up.

Vox is dystopian America where women can only use 100 words a day, and are heavily policed. Jean is an Italian-American woman whose life has been irrevocably tore in two by this law. Her life before was full as a neuro-linguist, married with four children. Now she feels adrift in life as she struggles to live her new life.

I'm not going to share anything else about the plot because I want you to pick this book up as I did, completely blind as to the details. I devoured the book in a day and I could not wait for the next chapter, the next clue as so what was going to happen. I don't think I really knew what was going to happen next at any point through the book. All of the chapters are short, and really kept me engaged with every page turn.

I didn't expect to love this, because it was similar in concept to The Power by Naomi Alderman. However, this book was executed in the way I expected The Power to be, so it suited me much more. I'd really like to read more of this type of story, so I will have to keep a lookout.

I picked this up purely based on the rave reviews it has been getting across the bookish internet community. It really held up to those reviews!

Fence follows a young boy trying to become a nationally ranked fencing champion. He faces a lot of prejudice and he has a pretty big chip on his shoulder that he will need to overcome on his journey. So far the world hasn't really been fleshed out yet, but it is vibrant and engaging so far. I think the second volume will hopefully develop the characters more because currently that is lacking for me. The art is gorgeous and I really liked seeing all the alternate covers at the end of the volume.

I am excited for the volumes to come and I think this will be a series I will try to keep up with as it is published.

I loved this, I felt there was no dip in quality from the first volume. The only reason it gets four stars over five is because it didn't make me immediately pick up the next volume.

This is a dequel trilogy to The Black Magician trilogy which I re-read in the past few years. The original trilogy follows Sonea, a girl from the slums who is discovered to have magic and it taken to the Guild (and surrounded by nobles) to learn magic. The originally trilogy was my original introduction to adult fantasy books, and it was genuinely life changing. It opened up a new world of books and renewed my waning interest in reading.

To start, the original trilogy commented on the discrepancy between classes through self centred attitudes of the nobles. I found that to be one of the reasons I enjoyed the first trilogy so much, along side Canavan's writing and my deep love of Sonea. In this second trilogy, old favourite characters are there alongside Sonea's son, Lorkin. Lorkin is a young man with the ambition of finding ancient magic, but he doesn't yet have a strong personality on the page. This did hold the book back somewhat, as I do not feel any attachment for Lorkin. I am not particularly worried that this is a long term issue, because I remember finding the first book in The Black Magician trilogy slow therefore it is likely that the later books in the trilogy will develop him further.

All in all, I think this is a good start to the trilogy and I have high hopes for it to get better. I think I currently own all of Canavan's back list books, and I would quite like to read as many of them as possible in 2019.

This was a delightfully quick read, which I was in need of after hitting a small slump. I found the writing to be a bit bland to read, but I suspect that was due to the author trying to convey the lack of emotions of some of the characters. This was a good thriller, and I would have given it four stars if the ending had not left me feeling unsatisfied. I understood the twists, and I really liked the idea of them, but I think if they had been revealed more gradually (over 20% of the book versus 10%) the impact of the individual twists would have hit me more. I will say that I only saw about half of the twists coming, and even then I wasn't really sure.

A genuinely engaging and surprising read, but not a favourite of the genre so far.

I read this online years ago, so I am really glad to get to pick it back up now it has been published. It was a great, quick read and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

The prince of Akielos is captured and sent to a rival kingdom as an unwilling slave. To protect himself he must keep his royal birth a secret while trying to find a way to return home. The characters are interesting to read, there are multiple layers to the movements of the plot and it was a genuinely well crafted novel. It was rather short, but surprisingly I didn't feel anything was lacking from the world. I do tend towards longer books, so I wish it had been longer to develop the atmosphere and world further.

An old favourite, and one I'm glad I read.

Sharp Objects is my first Gillian Flynn novel, but not my fist experience of her work. I watched Gone Girl and was hopelessly confused. Not by the plot, but I had read a review before seeing the film that desibed it as a feminist work of art. After seeing the film I had to conclude it was one of the greater thrillers I'd seen, but that blogpost about its feminist contributions must have been satire.

I read Sharp Objects for my bookclub, on my suggestion. I was expecting a typical detective style thriller where the big twist was that the reporter we were following was much more closely connected to the story that we expected. A lot of thrillers follow this pattern, but I really wasn't expecting the twists and flavour that Flynn put on that storyline. The plot took such a rapid increase in tension towards the end of the book that I flew through the pages. The story was captivating and horrifying; I almost didn't believe the ending once I had read it.

For this book, I would have to say that while I enjoyed the reading experience I would have preffered a longer book. I think that some of the plot elements would have benefitted from more time before the reveal, and that Flynn's writing was so gripping that I could have easily read double that pagecount. I'd like to go on to read all of her stories, especially as I hear so many great things said about her as an author.

The Way of Shadows ???????????????Shadow's Edge ???????????????Beyond the Shadows ???????????????

For this review, you need to know that I went into this trilogy with an open heart. I had read the complete trilogy years ago, possibly encroaching on ten years ago, when I was a bairn. When it came to my 2018 re-read I only remembered the first book but my feelings regarding the trilogy were warm and fuzzy.

That was lies. I adored book one, it always and forever will be a favourite book of mine. Both books two and three are trash fires that I kind of wish hadn???t been written. That???s not a fair nor objective response to those books. My hopes were high and then subsequently destroyed so my ratings are possibly an overreaction. I???m going to cover my issues with both of the sequels in this review, but be aware that beyond here there be spoilers.

In the second book the cast widens from the first to include POV from Kylar/Azoth???s childhood friends, Elene and Jarl. Additionally we get POV from another apprentice wetboy who was mentioned in the first book Vi, Momma K, Logan Gyre and Solon, Feir and Dorian. There is a wide range of backstories and character types in this cast that would have made for some excellent reading. Only, every time any of the women in the main cast are in a scene it is somehow related to their sexuality and connection to one of the men in the series.

Momma K is the only one who I feel could argue doesn???t fall prey to this as she is successful currently in the timeline of the series on her own means. However in scenes where she interacts with any bloke we are reminded of her beauty and how it made her the hottest commodity back when she was a whore. So I both loved Momma K and her boss ass knowledge/most competent character thing and hated how her backstory kept creeping back in there.

Then we get Elene, the virginal woman who is literally lifted onto a pedestal for her morals and innocence. She really felt like I should be imagining a golden glow around her the whole time. I think this could have been passed over if it hadn???t been for Vi???s demonisation due to her promiscuity. It mentions that she used sex as a weapon and that the master who essentially raised her abused her sexually, yet somehow she never felt sexual pleasure until she fell in love with our hero. I???m not buying the dick so good it reversed the numbness. I just don't. The triangle that was going on for the last two books never felt worth it to me as it was so one sided and undeveloped. Additionally we were treated to that double love triangle goodness in the third book with Jenine/Logan/Dorian. I???m not touching that one at all, none of it was believable or well written and I could have happily skipped it entirely.

Another issue I had with this series was the lack of world building. I struggled to keep the countries and motivations straight in my head the whole time. I???m still not sure where the Chantry is or why everyone seems to not mind that their method of recruitment is kidnapping. Alitaerans are who exactly and what stake do they have in any of this? Why is Cenaria the name of a city and its country (as far as I can tell)? I thought Ceuran meantime someone from Cenaria for ages, and now I???m not sure. I feel like having read this entire series twice I should be sure. If this element had been stronger I probably would have enjoyed this series better.

And finally, what brand of bullshit are we calling that ending? Vi realises magically that Elene is no longer pregnant at Elene???s funeral when touching her. Then instantly realised this must have been because of Dorian touching the two most magical artefacts (as they sang that weird song as a group as Elene lay dying) took her baby and implanted into the pregnant womb of the woman he loved. I would like to smoke whatever Vi is smoking because it might have made that make sense. After this bombshell is dropped, we just move on with life in the happily ever after.

I???m doubting my choice to buy the first four Lightbringer books now. Can someone reassure me they are better that this mess?

I genuinely loved this book for many different reasons. Firstly, I know the history of how the States came to be (a little), but the specifics of it all isn't something I'm familiar with. I really enjoyed and appreciated a closer look into the life, and variations of a life, you might expect living in different states in that time period. I love the closeness we feel to Cora, in fact, I found her to be an endearing character. I really resonated with her struggle with her relationship with her mother, the sudden moments of anger she felt and admired how human she felt at times.

Similarly, the book struck a really strong emotional chord with me throughout. I really feel like this book was the one that made me feel the most this year.

The Golden Compass ???????????????The Subtle Knife ???????????????

The second book in His Dark Materials was a romp through multiple worlds, and delivers some interesting plot developments along the way. I found the plot to be less interesting than the first book as I am not particularly interested in the witches and a bigger portion of the plot follows their story. I liked the new characters who were introduced and am still looking forward to finishing this series. I may try the third book on audiobook to see if it keeps my interest more.

I have been queuing for this book on my library app for a while now, maybe a month or so. I remember being excited for it when I discovered it was provided by my library and immediately forgetting what the plot was and why I was excited. As you can clearly tell, I loved it.

My overall feeling from the book is that this is an adultier, better version of An Ember in the Ashes (which I liked, possibly loved). This book follows two (kinda three, but honestly not really) children of the Emperor. One son is the heir and was sent to live in a remote monastery as a part of his training. The other was sent to train to become a member of an elite military squad. The Emperor dies (it's in the Goodreads blurb, so I can spoil it) and the sons are thrown in immediate danger. The book follows both boys closely as they try to complete their training but there is also a murder mystery at the heart of the story that is a stroke of genius. I want more fantasy murder mysteries.

I adored every second of this book. I initially planned on marathoning it in one day while I was in work. The initial 30% or so is a slow paced deep dive into the world, but as we get further into the plot we reach the surface of the water and things just gradually speed up until we reach a comfortable pace. The plot was complex enough, and the different connections between the separate story lines kept me interested.

I found the male characters to be compelling and enjoyable to read. There wasn't too much in terms of variation between the women, they were all gorgeous and adept at their required physical skill. This in some cases felt surprising (a young girl who has not trained physically can keep pace with three others who have trained relentlessly everyday) and repetitive. No bloke was described by how sexy or attractive he was, so I could have done with less of a focus on the women's bodies and more on their person. All that being said, there were some fantastic female characters that showed flaws and strengths at the same time. I think the main source of the poor characterisation came from the idea that the book was written from the point of view of a 19-21 year old man, so he will be focusing on the sexy aspects of the women. If we could abandon this idea and let young men in books control their genitals more often, that'd be great.

The setting was clearly well developed and I adored every aspect. I'm desperate to find out more and see a map, as my library ebook copy did not have one. The writing had me by the heart from the prologue and it didn't let me down once. I feel acutely aware that the next book I read is going to be heavily compared to this, and likely won't hold up.

I'm excited to see where the second book goes, and I will definitely keep an eye out for more of the author's works. My largest paragraph in this review is dedicated to a negative aspect of the book, but it was a minor issue and overall I felt like this was going to be a five star book all the way through from page one.