The Taming of the Drew by Stephanie Kate Strohm

The Taming of the Drew by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Published by: Sky Pony Press

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: Four Star

A huge thank you to Sky Pony for letting me read this in advance.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from this other than a retelling of Shakespeare in a contemporary way. My expectations were medium to low as I remembered that I'd requested this from Sky Pony. But as I devoured the book, I was impressed.

The Taming of the Drew follows Cass McKay as she plays the character of Kate from the Taming of the Shrew (Remember 10 things I hate about you? That's the same plot there minus Heath Ledger). It follows her ups and downs as a camper and actor and her joining up with fellow campers to cause chaos at the camp. It's quirky and funny. I didn't think it would be as much as it is but the book is genuinely fantastic.

Cass's world is rocked when she meets Drew. He's like the boy we all hate but secretly love. The pair of them literally become modern day versions of their characters and its all a little cliche as it goes along. We all know how it ends but I think the development of Cass as a character is quite good. She's not as annoying in the end. Yes that was my initial view of her but camp changes her. Life changes us all and it's just who we are. Strohm captures how even a summer can change a teenagers life and how the addition of annoying boys can be both good and bad.

The Taming of the Drew will be available to buy from the 5th April 2016.

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

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

Published by: Simon and Schuster for Young Reader

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Rating: ****

I've had the paperback sitting on a shelf for about a month and a half staring at me. Unfortunately due to the start of my third and final year of University and just not being in the right mood to read it, I've not properly been able to read it until now!

Jenny Han is famed for her amazing summer read series The Summer I Turned Pretty. That series made me fall in love with her writing style and the wonderful characters she creates. 

P.S. I Still Love You continues on from the first book, and follows young Lara Jean as she tries to decipher what her heart wants admist the fiasco with Peter. I'm not going to lie. As a twenty year old I had huge flashbacks for how I felt at her age and some parts I argued were a bit too fantasized but I'm not American or raised with her parents so maybe I'm wrong for feeling that way.

Lara Jean continues her deciding on whether she wants Peter or not, her sisters are so funny and she becomes as we all do, confused. I admire Han on not making her a weak character, a victim of the Bella Swan syndrome but instead simply who she is. A young teenager with the world ahead of her. I laughed and smiled my way through the book and by the time I closed the last page, I couldn't help but think of Belly from the Summer series. 

Both girls are so similar that I feel like I'm reading an alternative world version of the Summer series and that makes me feel like I'm getting another chance to relive that series. (Frantically burrows out the series.)

But there was so much that I couldn't fault. Miss Han has a fantastic way of creating teenage protagonists who mature and transform so much over the span of the series that it's almost as if we too are growing up with them. That's something I admire in authors, particularly Young Adult as it helps us become who we will be someday.

P.S. I Still Love You is available to buy from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W.Petty

Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W.Petty

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Genre: YA, Mystery, Retelling

Rating: ****

Lock and Mori was the type of Sherlock retelling that I think I was dying to read but didn't know. I found the book to be a simple and wonderful reworking of the popular Arthur Conan Doyle tales that I actually hadn't experienced in both print and fanfiction form. 

The book follows the unfortunate life of James Moriarty otherwise known as Mori by our lovely Sherlock, but James is no ordinary human. They're female cursed with a masculine name. However Mori is having a tough time. Her mother just died and her father isn't exactly coping in the best way, add in a few mischievious brothers and then we have a big problem.

Sherlock changes Mori's life though. He adds the sweet to the bitter and they have such a weird but cute relationship. It's something that I wish one day I could have, that easy-going banter and conversations where they just play their deductive games. It's just so cheek squeezingly adorable. 

But the reason I didn't give this a five star rating is just because some parts just didn't add up. I felt that some matters were a little illogical for a pair of high school students to get away with, but if you read the book, and I do reccommend it, then you will see what I mean.

Otherwise the book is available to purchase from Amazon UK and Amazon US now. 

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Published by: Katherine Tegan Books

Genre:Young Adult, Historial, Thriller?
Rating:****

Debating whether to read this book for a few weeks, I finally took the plunge and downloaded it onto my Kindle and here we are. 

Grace Mae is different. She's locked away in an asylum whilst her proud, rich and powerful parents tell their friends and connections that she's abroad. The truth is that Grace is pregnant and that alone is enough to make this  young woman cower away into the dark corners of her very very intelligent but also rather stupid at times, mind. 

But as she's paraded around as the perfect insane patient, a posterchild for the asylum to cover up their secrets, Grace cracks and is thrown into the depths of those secrets. She meets a promising physician by accident. Her voice adding to her mystery but aiding her as she escapes the asylum only to run around Ohio looking for a murderer.

Of course noone suspects that the insane woman is a threat or that because of her previous condition, that she's no longer a lady or rather a human in their eyes. Grace is able to gleam all the information she can from the public whilst shifting into a completely new woman.

The book isn't just a tale of starting over, it's a story about growing as a person and becoming a leader, a strong and intelligent person.

A Madness So Discreet can be bought from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Published by: Balzar + Bray

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Rating:****

Dumplin' is the book every teen should read. Heck I think most adults should give it a read! Willowdean Dickson is a self-proclaimed fat girl. She knows she's fat and she's okay with it. (Hurrah for a book about a character who is comfortable with their body). Her mother on the otherhand isn't okay with it. She's an ex pageant winner and now judge of the yearly small-town pagaent. Willow then decides to enter it after lots and lots of debating it.

Add in a lot of general fallouts with the best friend  and boy problems mixed with a large dash of the outsiders grouping together and you've got a fantastic book. I really really loved it and it made me feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin because the characters were truly something.

The book has got to be one of my favourite ones ever. I was amazed by how Murphy created this character who was quirky, funny and overall someone I wish I knew or met during my own awkward high school years. 

Dumplin' can be bought at Amazon UK or Amazon US.

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

Published by: HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairy tale

Tagline: When the glass slipper doesn't fit...

Rating: ***

Ash & Bramble revolves around the protagonist Pin and her waking up from one situation, to be in another. She's a seamstress at first in this world called Story, but somehow breaks out of it with a boy named Shoe. However when chased by a Godmother, things go bump.

I wasn't too sure what to think about this novel.

My main thoughts were mainly about how little I cared about Pin and Shoe. Instead I was counting the pages, the minutes and stops until I could turn my kindle off and stop reading the damned thing.

Pin isn't our typical female protagonist. She's against the grain from the very start. I liked that she planned her escape. It was intelligent and smart but also different. Pin is just not any of the female characters in any traditional fairytale not because of any of what I listed above, but because when she's placed into this different situation she chooses not to be submissive and instead thinks for herself (yay!).

But it wasn't enough. She still needed the guy to rescue her and kiss her and all that. It's just annoying that it could have been amazing and strong but instead it had holes in it from how some male characters can kinda ruin the strong woman.

As far as fairytales go, I found this retelling a fantastic idea but didn't enjoy how it unravelled. It was different for sure. But I think if I was forewarned, maybe I'd have given it a miss.


Ash & Bramble can be bought from Amazon UK or Amazon US.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Published by: Simon Pulse

Genre: Young Adult, romance

Rating:****

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids follows troubled protagonist Elyse D'abreau after a tragic accident that has left her incapable to speak.

In the seaside resort of Atargis Cove, she writes poems on paper and ships until one day she writes on the wrong person's ship. Meeting the famed summer resident Christian, Elyse slowly begins to exit her shell.

The book itself is quick read. I managed to read it on my way home from Chester which is about an hour max. I was bored though. There was something about this that didn't read as easy as Ocklers other novels. I just wasn't a fan and this is probably why I have so little to say about this.

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

Published by: Katherine Tegan Books (yay!)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Rating:****1/2

Wilhelmina is a princess of a fallen kingdom. It fell during an invasion by the Indigo kingdom where Wil lost her parents and ran away to watch and plot from afar, her climb back to the throne. Hiding away in the Indigo kingdom, Wil is leader of a pack of thieves and orphans who she cares for and asks to aid her.

At a chance opportunity, Wil and best friend/fellow thief Melanie hide away in the castle under the guise of migrants seeking aid. Using the time to map out the kingdom and to work out a plan to get her kingdom back, Wil is literally on her own and becomes half the princess she is. Truly in the moment she is dressed as she should have been, she becomes this wise and strong leader that gives the reader faith that the sequel will be strong and amazing.

I'd write more but I'd probably drop more spoilers than describing the book. However one thing I have always stood by is that if  a book was published by Kathering Tegan, then it is amazing. Her imprint is almost always publishing captivating and thrilling books that make readers stop and think a little whilst sending them away to other worlds to be blown away.

The Orphan Queen is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

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

Sea of Stars (Kricket #2) By Amy A. Bartol

Sea of Stars (Kricket #2) By Amy A. Bartol

Published by: 47North

Genre:Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi, YA/NA

A huge thank you to 47North for letting me read this wonderful book.

Sea of Stars is a fantastic sequel. Most books following such a fantastic first are often rushed or boring because the author takes time to setup for the next or the final. Sea of Stars made me very happy as I was literally continuing on Krickets big adventure.

Following on from Under Different Stars, Kricket is evolving into a true citizen of Rafe and has so far denied most of her Alameedian heritage. Thankfully most of the bad stuff that happened to her in the first isn't over. She's getting stronger and we find out more about those abilities of hers.

War is happening. But it's a classic case of Cassandra with Kricket. You feel awful but understand why the Rafians react like that. It's just a very weird place the reader is placed in but we're completely aware of all sides to the story at that moment.

I admit I skipped a few pages on this book. I got a little bored with all the romance drama between the Alameedian guy (literally cannot remember his name right now) but I was more annoyed with the face she did nothing but run away or be rescued. Yes I know women on Rafe don't fight or anything but surely she could have been allowed to do something remotely active.

I think this is the end of my review for now. When I've read the third and final installment, I might change things a little on here.

Otherwise, Sea of Stars can be bought from Amazon UK or Amazon US,

Emancipated by M.G. Reyes

Emancipated by M.G. Reyes

Published by: Katherine Tegen books

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Tagline: No Parents, no limits, no alibis

If you haven't seen the book trailer for this, then you can here.

But be warned. The book and trailer are completely different.

The plot of this book is basically stuffing a bunch of teenagers in one house with the overall theme of emancipation from their parents. Each teen has a deep dark secret, or are just hiding stuff to make them more interesting. However it fails.

Unfortunately I wasn't emotionally invested into any of the characters and couldn't care less if they were in trouble or died. They just weren't there. Maybe it's the length of the book compared to the amount of backstory/story the characters had, or maybe it was just because their problems were painfully obvious.

Our characters are: Candice (actress/wannabe), Grace (letter-writer), Paolo (tennis guy), John-Michael (driver), Myra (coder) and Lucy (musician). Yes I have summed them up with one- two words simply because that's how I could tell the difference between them. I want to point out that Myra was useless. She added nothing to the story in my opinion, in fact they are all irrelevant because it's simply John-Michael's story that we get the most about. Of course there are little tidbits about everyone else, but he is the only reason we read to the end.

A most unimpressive book.

Emancipated can be bought in the UK in a hardback only at Amazon but in the states you can grab a copy from Amazon US

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige

Published by: Harpercollins

Genre: YA, YA Retellings, Fantasy

A magical return to Oz with a twist.

Amy Gumm is just another trailer park girl from Kansas. She's wears charity shop clothes, her mother steals money from her and she's basically friendless. But a tornado comes and takes her from present day Kansas and into the magical world of Oz that isn't so magical anymore. 

Oz nowadays is very different from the sunshine and rainbows when Dorothy went there. Now Dorothy has become a malevolent force, she's sucking the land dry of it's magic.

So you might ask what Amy has to do with this?

Well the title says it all...

--

I found the book on a first read to be a disaster. I didn't get past the first three chapters and just couldn't bring myself to like it. However I recently reread the book and loved it.

Just goes to show that if you dislike a book at first, you might like it months later because we're constantly shifting our likes and dislikes. I'm a strong believer in giving some books a second read and this was a perfect example of this.

Amy Gumm is a bit annoying at first, you don't pity her which is fantastic. Most authors want you to pity their protag but Paige made Amy stand out more this way. I loved how the story developed and became more and more thrilling. I just ended up devouring the book on my way home, and then rushing out the next day for the sequel.

Dorothy Must Die can be bought from Amazon UK and Amazon US now.

Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult romance, contemporary, music

Tagline: One day will change the beat of her heart

Just to let you all know, Hundred Oaks is the universe in which most of Miranda Kenneally's books are set in. She's very similar to Sarah Dessen who writes her book in the fictional town of Colby.

Jesse's Girl is a very short book. I was able to read it within the space of an hour which pleasantly surprised me. The books focuses on the life and aspirations of talented but unknown musicican Maya Henry who's supposedly amazing at guitar. Maya is a very typical musical orientated teen who knows what she wants and works very hard but she needs a little more confidence to go solo.

Her school has a shadowing day where classmates follow a person who practices their dream job and Maya manages to shadow Jesse Scott who is a huge country/rockstar. Oh and I forgot to mention the book is set in Nashville.

So she follows Jesse around who acts like a complete tool and then extremely nice. He's wary but so is she. It's weird how alike the duo can be but we all know where it'll end. 

--

I wasn't too sure about this. I loved other Hundred Oak books because they were quick easy simple summer reads but this felt different. I wasn't too sure she felt authentic enough as a protagonist yet at times she felt just right. It's strange. 

Jesse's Girl can be bought from Amazon UK and Amazon USA

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Published by: Delacorte books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult romance, Social issues, YA contemporary

A new read for me especially since I bought a copy months ago. Now I've finally had time to read the book cover to cover, I can say that it's certainly entertaining.

Finding Audrey is about protagonist Audrey who suffers from anxiety, like a severe form of anxiety, and depression. We don't know exactly what happened but the book introduces the reader into the manic world she lives in. It's actually remarkable that her family haven't caused her more stress. But at the same time, you laugh and smile at how insane they are. It's literally like having that weird uncle every family has.

But Audrey's brother is the one whosuffers the most. He's addicted to some computer game similar to World of Warcraft, and their mother isn't a fan of that. A compulsive Daily Mail reader, she takes time to go out of her way and try and cure the poor lad of his addiction and in turn pushes the mysterious Linus into Audrey's life.

Whilst this all happens, Audrey is taking steps to get better and just be able to go back to the person she was before, or at least some version of that.

It's a magical story that I loved. I just wished we were told the full extent of what happened to her.



The book can be bought in the UK from Amazon or Amazon US.

The Fixer (The Fixer #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Fixer (The Fixer #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Genre: Young adult thriller, contemporary, crime (almost)

Tagline: Any problem can be fixed for a price.

Sold as Scandal meets Veronica Mars, I was immediately intrigued by this book. And I have to say it was absolutely amazing! I'm a huge Scandal fan so reading this felt like one of those episodes and left me wanting absolutely more.

The Fixer focuses on teenage protagonist Tess Kendrick whose parents are dead. She lives with her grandfather on a ranch away from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C. However this all changes when her sister manages to get her to move into the city and places her into a new world of politics and typical rich people problems as Scandal does. Yet as she starts at the fancy school for children of the higher up, she discovers she has a gift just like her sister.

Ivy Kendrick is a fixer. She finds and solves problems for the politicians, royals etc. She's a younger Olivia Pope in all simpleness. Tess and Ivy are typical sisters who have grown apart. There's a lot of tension between the two as expected but Jennifer Lynn Barnes makes it work. Okay so she makes it very natural and not at all over the top as some authors do.

But then there's that little problem. There's a theory that a death wasn't just a death and Tess copies her sister and delves into it headfirst whilst tackling school, family secrets and possible romance. She's not just any schoolgirl, she's a fixer like Ivy.

------
My overall opinion?

I absolutely bloody loved this book. Devoured in less than two days,  I found myself hooked on every word as the storyline developed into a fascinating and amazing storyline. I gasped and gripped my kindle throughout the shocking moments, the parts where I wanted to scream at the book and even when I was super happy about everything and nothing.

Tess Kendrick is an amazing protagonist. A strong female lead that we need more of in books targetted for young audiences!

***

The Fixer is available in hardback via Amazon UK with the paperback available from May 2016 but in the states it is available now.

City Love by Susane Colasanti

City Love by Susane Colasanti

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Young Adult romance, Contemporary

Tagline: Look up. Anything is possible.

First of all I want to say that this book was absolutely breathtaking and captivating. I don't think a book has affected me so much in my life before. It made me feel as if I was in every scene of the books, as if I was part of those girls and experienced everything they did. And as someone considering the future, it definitely made me think about emigrating to New York so thank you Ms Colasanti for a beautiful and magnificent book!

But now back to the book!

City Love is split between the lives of three very different girls from different lives who share an apartment before starting college or university in the city. The reader is introduced to Sadie, Darcy and Rosanna in very different ways but you get to know each girl in how that happens. 

Sadie is the first person we meet. She's that friend we all have, the ready to be completely in love and totally optimistic about everything. I genuinely liked Sadie because of these characteristics. Of course I felt a bit off about how damned happy she could be but she's literally like a puppy. Adorable and one of the best and loyal friends you could have.

Then there's Darcy. Darcy is the opposite of Sadie with her fast attitude and at first, laziness. We discover this is jetlag because she's from Cali. But she's not who we think she is. She's been burned and so this explains everything about her. Yet there's so much more to the complex puzzle that makes her who she is.

Rosanna is the last girl to introduce and probably my favourite. She's the poorest student out of the three, and the one who is very realistic. She so desperately wants to help everyone and anyone but needs to help herself. She has so much weight on her shoulder, so many problems to tackle and solve that when she meets someone who can actually treat her right, she's very uncertain of what to do. 

It's a fantastic book that explores the magical city of New York and it's allure. We all fall more in love with the city through each character and their experiences. We all want to move there and experience almost the same things as the girls do but this is the exciting part about New York. The reason there are so many books and films set in and around the city. We all just want to fall in love and this is the city to do it in.

City Love is available to buy from Amazon UK and Amazon USA now.

Under Different Stars (Kricket #1) By Amy A. Bartol

Under Different Stars (Kricket #1) By Amy A. Bartol

Published by: 47North

Genre:Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi, YA/NA

A huge thank you to 47North for letting me read this wonderful book.

Under Different Stars is a type of book I've not read for awhile. I mean, I've read a lot of fantasy romances and such aimed for that Young Adult audience but this series felt different. The protagonist is different to most and that was good and bad.

Kricket is an escaped teenage delinquent avoiding trouble so she doesn't have to go back to juvie. She's been careful, spent time hiding under the radar until she's finally old enough to be completely forgotten about. But there's a flaw in the plan.

One night she's targetted by two groups of men who tell her contrasting stories about who she really is. One claims she's a priestess and his intended consort, whereas the other wants to take her to pay for her crimes (or rather her parents). Confused, alone and wanting to escape this crazy, Kricket tries to evade these weird people who also say they're from another planet where she apparently belongs to.

Born of both worlds, Kricket Hollowell is left with a big decision. Should she go or stay? Who does she belong with truly? What should she believe or rather who?

But what surprised me the most was the love triangle or rather lack of. It's clear who Kricket loves and despite one man telling her she is his and the other not, it's a very basic feature found in nearly every book. I admit I was bored by this as the book blew me away otherwise. Yet it only added to the storyline because it's a different world.

Bartol writes a fantastic tale of intergalactic romance that makes us and the protagonist question who they really are and whether things are really as they seem (Recent photo of the woman from Mars could link to this.) It's another fantastic story from Bartol and it makes me wish for next installment of the Premonition series even more.

Under Different Stars can be bought from Amazon UK and Amazon USA now.

The Wanderers by Kate Ormand

The Wanderers by Kate Ormand

Published by: Sky Pony Press
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 1st 2015

I want to thank Sky Pony Press for sending me not just aa copy but an actual physical copy. 

The Wanderers follows the story of Flo, a young shapeshifter who transforms into a horse. But as a young sixteen year old, she has a lot of anxiety that comes with being a teenager especially one who now has to perform in the circus. Where are her parents one might ask? We don't exactly know. Its hinted that they're dead but Flo is alone. Her life is just the circus, it's all she's ever known. 

But as usual there's a boy involved. 

And he is adorable! I genuinely adored reading their relationship as it developed from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend by the end. I admit though there were parts I was a little iffy about. I just felt like there could be more to the romance or a little more something, yet that could be because I've been reading intense romance style novels like End of Days or Every Last Breath. It's different. But good different.

The circus show as they do in real life have threats. But for this particular pack, it's in the form of EOS aka hunters. The reader gets very little about them. Just snippets at first but that's okay because we're still learning about the world the book is set in. I genuinely liked the way it was so subtle and so not over the top in mentioning like Teen Wolf or other similar genre books/shows. It was simple.

I think overall the book was fantastic. I loved how quick and easy it was to read, especially considering I was reading it at seven in the morning or nine at night.There was no complex things that meant I had to stop and think and so that's why I really really liked the book.

The Wanderers can be bought from Amazon UK and Amazon USA from September 1st.

The Wrath and The Dawn (The Wrath and The Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and The Dawn (The Wrath and The Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult romance, retelling, fantasy

This has got to be one of the biggest books of the year in terms of debuts and overall.

A retelling of Arabian Nights where Shahrzad tells her husband tales to keep herself alive, Ahdieh unknowingly wrote the book that I had been waiting most of my short life for. I was blown away by such a wonderful retelling, hell I even bought a copy of Arabian Nights so I could read the stories she told in more detail. However what made the book stand out even more, was the fact the book drove away my writers block.

The Wrath and The Dawn follows the tale of Shahrzad, a sixteen year old girl who sacrifices herself to marry Khalid (a prince). The stitch however is that Khalid's brides always seem to die at sunrise which leads to a rumour that he is a cruel man etc. Shahrzad though goes into the union with intentions to kill Khalid as he killed her friend. It's one of those moments where the reader can be found on the tips of their toes wondering whether she'll succeed or not.

Nonetheless something does happen. I'm not specifying what because it's a big spoiler. But throughout the book, the reader is left gasping and hooked. Honestly. You will devour this book. It's chemically brilliant. I just couldn't put it down and when I did, I ended up buying it so I could continue to paw through this wonderful book.

Therefore I will end the review at this.

The Wrath and The Dawn can be purchased on Amazon UK here and in the US here.

Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

Published by: HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Childrens

Genre: Young adult romance, coming of age, 

Tagline: Love is the greated work of art

This book was absolutely fantastic. I read this on my commute to work and managed to devour the entire thing.

Iris is a fantastic character who has been kept from her father by a greedy and money-orientated mother and step-father. After a long time Iris's father is dying and wants his family around him as he slowly deteriorates. Iris's mother takes this as an opportunity to see how much money she can get out of him as apparently he collects rare paintings that are now worth quite a bit. However Iris gets a shock. Her father is actually quite cool and understanding that his daughter will be distant with him and even accepts her fiery secret.

What more can I say?

This book is amazing. I laughed and cried. Yes I cried on a packed bus. However I want to add that this a book for all ages and genders.


The book is available from bookstores from the 2nd July and can be bought on Amazon UK here and on Waterstones here