The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA Contemporary, YA Romance

Rating:****

The problem with The Problem with Forever is that it took forever to get to the good part.

Don't get me wrong. I've been a fan of Jennifer Armentrout for ages but this book did not appeal to me as much as her supernatural and fantastical series have. Maybe it's because I cast her into those genres or my love of the Lux series? Either way, I did not appreciate the book for what it was and that was disappointing.

Instead, the book focuses on the female protagonist Mallory, or Mouse as people of her past called her. She has endured a lot in her time on the book's Earth. But most of all, the surprising aspect is the way Armentrout approaches this dark past.

I was pleasantly surprised to read these snippets with emotion. Rarely do I get to read these scenes without feeling bored of them and that is the strange part. This novel made me care about Mallory/Mouse.

Yet Mallory's story takes a turn when she decides to attend high school despite her inability to perform via speech classes. Therefore, when a character from her past, a very important guy named Rider Stark, walks into her classroom, Mallory cannot help but feel trapped and excited at once.
The two characters reunite despite fellow classmates being wary of the relationship. It's a strange predicament. But as a reader, you can understand both sides of the argument.

It's a funny book with funny situations. I cannot fault it too much because it is a well-written novel. However I did knock it down a star due to my lack of interest in the novel.

Apologies Ms Armentrout. I do love your other books though!

The Problem with Forever can be purchased from Amazon UK.

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Music

Rating: ****

Tone Deaf is literally every fangirl's dream book in the sense that the main character gets to spend time with a famous band. I mean who wouldn't want to do that?

Ali Collins is different though. She used to be a prodigy but now she's deaf and stuck in a home with a father who hates her disability and will try anything he can to belittle or hide the fact that she isn't like him. It's only until she goes to a concert with her friend and wins a backstage tour that she meets Jace, the lead singer of Tone Deaf, a very popular band.

He acts spoilt and awful to Ali until another encounter between the two of them leads to Ali coming on tour with him and learning that first impressions aren't everything. Sound familiar? That's because its a little Pride and Prejudicey in parts. But don't let that deter you. It's a good book. I really enjoyed it and found myself rushing to read the final pages before I got off the bus.

There's something about it that will make the toughest of hearts feel for the characters. It also contains very serious topics and illnesses that are now becoming more and more talked about like abuse and deaf. Think Nial from ANTM or ABC (Freeform)'s Switched at Birth.

Tone Deaf is published May 3rd via Sky Pony Press.

Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor

Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Rating: ****

Wandering Wild is a very different story that revolves around wanderer Talia and her brother Wen. Living a life away from what other might, the duo travel state to state as they work cons and earn money in unethical and illegal ways.

In all honesty I forgot I requested this and when it appeared in an email, I was reminded of what made me want to request it. The sheer-non fiction elements of this, that people do live this way and it interests me to read, if fictionate, accounts of lives like this because it makes you wonder whether or not there is someone out there like this. 

Talia is both likeable and not. Her attitude is understandable and her behaviour is just right for a young woman of her age and position in the world. It's got to be hard to be alone, no mother or father and forced to carry on with the amount of anger for that said mother. But she carries on. Despite knowing bad things that are about to happen in her life, Talia remains strong even when she wants to break down.

It all changes though, when she meets Spencer Sway. 

He's kind and studious but can work a con just like Talia can if given enough time to prepare. They're a weird and doomed duo that it breaks your heart assuming nothing good can ever come of them being together as the book develops into something I didn't expect to read.

Again being honest, I didn't think I would enjoy this but I did. It was a true page-turner and will make a great impact on the fiction charts, or at least it should.

Wandering Wild will be published on May 3rd by Sky Pony Press.

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

Published by: Little Brown

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publication Date: May 5th 2016 

Rating: ****

A huge thank you to Little Brown for letting me have an advance copy!

Told via two perspectives, Girls on Fire is a complex book that tells the story of how strong a friendship can be between two girls. 

Hannah "Dex" Dexter is at first described as a normal girl. She's quiet and smart and just the girl not many people would recognise unless its Nikki Drummond aka the school bitch calling her out for almost anything she can. Lacey on the otherhand is the opposite. As the new girl in town, she's already caught attention that isn't precisely welcome but throughout the novel she becomes a figure that we're pushed and positioned to go from liking to disliking. Back and forth on an endless cycle. 

The book starts with the suicide of Nikki's boyfriend which triggers the book into action like a pile of dominoes falling around the two girls in a vast maze. I admit I got confused and lost a few times because my heart wasn't in it. By pushing my way past the difficult parts, the book became easier to read and follow but parts just weren't interesting. Maybe that's just me, others will probably like the book much better than I did.

A four star rating was the best I could do. 

Girls on Fire will be available from May 5th in most bookstores.

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1) by Jennifer Estep

Cold Burn of Magic (Black Blade #1) by Jennifer Estep

Published by: Kensington

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Rating:****1/2

Cold Burn of Magic is set in an alternate Earth where we have magical and mythological creatures and powers. It's fantastic (pardon the pun there!) 

Lila Merriweather is just another girl with magical powers who has her fair share of problems. In Cold Burn of Magic, she's unique, different and has a big secret task to do. As bodyguard to the ever so attractive Devon Sinclair (typical YA books!) Lila represses her emotions for Devon in order to remain focused and ontask. Her life isn't the average teenagers, she's got so much on her plate that I question her ability to add this potential relationship despite secretly wanting them to get together.

But Estep doesn't rush or push her characters to romance. Instead she lets them build up the passion, the chemistry to a very appropriate time ie when something bad happens etc. It's not about the romance to Jennifer, it's the story. 

The characters are introduced in a very mafia mob style. Not just the once you're in, you're stuck, but the way in how close knit the families are. Yet there's the other side to the mafia. The competition side is highly portrayed in the book very similar to Harry Potter's house rivalry. There's actually a competition that is eerily alike the Twiwizard Tournament.

As a fan of Estep and in particular her Gwen Frost series (which are amazing mythological series), I found Cold Burn of Magic exactly the same. They read so easily, so compelling and leave you wanting the next and the next until the series has ended and you're left wanting more still. I rarely read books like this. I just wish there were more. It's a fantastic first book. I was entertained and captivated. I just wish I'd read it earlier.

CBoM is out now and can be bought from Amazon UK or Amazon US

Summer Update #1

Finally. It is Summer!

Yes it is finally June which means University is over until late September and I am able to read and review as much as I can (Whilst working and of course writing). Therefore I will announce my main books of June/July which will be what I consider the A-List books (think the book version of Avengers, Mockingjay part 2 etc) that are books by my favourite authors. Sprinkled with those will be other books, not necessarily B-List but books by authors I haven't discovered just yet or haven't been brave enough to read during term time.

So let the games begin!

Planned Reading:

A Royal Wedding (Princess Diaries book #11) by Meg Cabot Done

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

P.S. I Still Love You (To All The Boys I Loved Before #2) by Jenny Han

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessan

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh Done

Angel Fall (Penryn and the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee Done

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Prisoner of Night and Fog #2) by Anne Blankman

Stay the Distance by Mara Dabrishus

Stay the Distance by Mara Dabrishus

You can tell it's nearly summer because I'm getting all horsey!

So I requested to read this book (look at how beautiful the cover is!) and I was not disappointed!

It was magical and I felt like I was part of the story.

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

This is the first time I've read Adi Alsaid and I must say he is a mastermind of writing YA! I was at first a bit surprised to realise this was the same author of the roadtrip book released just last year, but needless to say I think I might continue to read his books. 

Never Always Sometimes follows two best friends, David and Julia who are literally like any normal best friends in that american highschool/college age and for Brits thats the college/university stage. But instead of making his characters so obviously in love with one another, Alsaid starts off with how they realise it and then develops it into something so much more. It was very realistic and I was overjoyed to read something very close to my own heart instead of a Katherine Heigl-esque book because she is the queen of cliche rom-coms. 

   

Therefore I announce that you must buy this book, I know I will be!

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

What possibly could I say to get you to read this book?

How about the fact that it's from the author of amazing series such as Shifters and Soul Screamers? If that doesn't work then maybe this review might. 

The book inserts the reader into an almost apocalyptic world, I had the feeling I was stuck in the last of Us world minus the zombies and a bit more civilised and noone wanting to kill you. However you get the gist of everything Vincent wants you to get and more. The characters are wonderful, very easy to get, understand and relate to whilst being entertaining and clearly able to be envisioned in your mind. 

I was blown away by this book. I only finished it last night and I couldn't even sit down and read some other arcs. That is very rare. 

The Stars Never Rise is out June 18th 2015 and should be available at most bookstores in the UK.

Go buy this book because it's amazing!!

The Originals: The Rise by Julie Plec

The Originals: The Rise by Julie Plec

I cried when my request to read this approved. Okay so cry is a bit strong. I wept in delight because it's Klaus. Everyone loves Klaus!

This book starts off before the tv show, it's New Orleans still but it gives you more of a background and it's got Klaus in it (That is how I'll sell this book). Within the novel you get the typical Elijah is a saint, always helping the family, Klaus the one who's reckless and does what he does as seen in VD and TO. Rebeckah is Rebecca, the girl who falls in love and the world is against them until bad things happens. I felt like I was in their world even more than when I watch the show. 

All fans of the series will adore this book. 

The Words We Use are Black and White by Simon Holloway

The Words We Use are Black and White by Simon Holloway

'On essaie de trouver les couleurs qu'on a reve.' - Jacques Brel In Evian, on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lucy sells tickets at the cinema. In the hills above the water, her brother believes himself happily married to a woman he once tried to find by swimming across the lake. Their childhood friend, Fabrice, is returning from the quiet confusion of Canadian trees and the brief memory of his girlfriend in Toronto. Into this relative stillness comes Alain, escaping Geneva's necessity of human contact. But a budding relationship between Alain and Lucy forces them all to reconsider the ways in which they try to talk to each other. To the songs of Jacques Brel and with the lake as a constant presence, Lucy, her brother Jean-Luc, and Fabrice struggle to make themselves heard among the clamour of failing words and misconceptions, leading to potential crises for them all. This interwoven story of love, family and our inability to make ourselves understood leaves you wondering if language can ever be more than guesswork, and if so whether anyone can ever be heard. And for Alain, tangled somewhere in the middle'

So I have a number of notes on my kindle about this novel and overall I found it a really enjoyable read and that's not because Simon is my lecturer. The book itself is easy to read, to follow and is set in some really beautiful clear places. An example would be 'The lake is clear. At it's edge you can see small catfish and perch flit about in the shallows, praying for bands of well-wishers to cast out yesterday's bread' For me this created a beautiful image in my mind because it captured a side of Lucy that I hadn't yet encountered. Also Lucy has to be my favourite character in the novel! She's so gone with the wind it's just wow.

The whole book has examples that I could gush and gush about, I wasn't expecting this when Simon gave me a copy but I'm really glad I read it, I think I might even buy a paperback of it because it's so good. I can't fathom more words to explain the story except suggest that you should read this book.

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner

I went into this book predicting it to be similar to If I Stay and other atypical realistic young adult stories and it was. The protagonist Torrey Grey (named after a moutain) was the standard griefstricken teenager who's forced to carry on with her life after the recent death of her younger sister, a last memory of them also being an argument. There's a twist though. Torrey is internet famous and has previously been featured in Vogue etc. 

It's a bit sudden. You know she's going to fall for some guy, it's how the cycle goes and she does. It just takes her a while to get over appearances and what other people think of her. Still that doesn't make me thirst for more. I thought Torrey was a bitch, she was to choose the popular girls over the real and nice people, she even hurts her cousin but apologises. I get the thrill of being popular, it's what shes always been but still. 

I don't know what to say. Other people might enjoy this but I didn't that much. The ending destroyed what emotion I had for her.

Unmarked (Legion #2) by Kami Garcia

Unmarked (Legion #2) by Kami Garcia

I received this book in exchange for a honest review and I have to say I LOVED it! Louise lent it me and hasn't read it to my dismay, maybe that's because I have her copy but still. I devoured the first and that was awesome, review to come soon. But mixing things up here by saying the second is far more better than the first. There's a bit that makes it seem like it would suffer from second book syndrome (That's where the second book is a bit yucky but still makes sense) but it still maintains that strength and I really think you should all read it.

Publishes September 30th through Little Brown Book publishers

Also here's the Goodreads link for it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12371865-unmarked

Unraveling (Unraveling #1) by Elizabeth Norris

Unraveling (Unraveling #1) by Elizabeth Norris

Buying a new ereader meant I could start getting through the mountains of arcs I have and this was one of them that I chose. Just so you know this book was first published in 2012 but I was shocked to read in my edition the amount of spelling mistakes, although I may have recieved a bad copy from pre-publish etc. 

The plot is brilliant, I was really invested into it until the last 100 pages, maybe more. Norris had clearly created a book that made the author feel like this could actually happen but the ending just seemed super rushed, almost as if she just wanted it to end and I found that part really boring. I know I'm supposed to read to the end but I ended up skimming it.

ARC Replies and possible insight into the Writing industry

As an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) reviewer, I generally get sent books and I choose which ones I want to read and I selected Appaloosa Summer which was a fairly lovely and simple summer read. (My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/971715104?book_show_action=false)

But what I didn't expect was to recieve such a lovely email back from the author herself. Sometime soon I will be starting to contact and post interviews, advice and more from published (Contracted, self pulished and one day the bigger housed) authors in the world.

Avoiding Alpha (Alpha Girl #2) by Aileen Erin

Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

okay I received an arc of this and it honestly made my day to receive it because I loved the first. This one carries on from the first and was full of cutesyness and a good entertaining story. Admittedly it was quite short a book (or maybe it was how I devoured it) but it honestly entertained me and I can't wait for the third book to come out in October!!

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One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly martin

One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

God I hated this

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The 100 (The Hundred #1) by Kass Morgan

The 100 by Kass Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

if it had that extra bit to it, that magic then I'd have given it 5. The book was rather bland and the multiple point of views weren't that hard to follow. However saying that, I would have killed to have more details about this "radioactive and dystopian Earth"

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The Queen's Choice (Heirs of Chrior #1) by Cayla Kluver

The Queen's Choice by Cayla Kluver
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

banal!

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Two by Karl Alexander

Two by Karl Alexander


I requested to review this by the publisher but I just couldnt finish it. It's a good book for those who like the whole time travel and funny twins but to me, I just got lost in what could have been a great book

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