Feature and Follow Friday #5

This meme was created by Alison can read and Parajunkee 

Prompt of the week:

Name one or more standalone books that you wish was a series.

Title: Twenty Boy Summer

Author: Sarah Ockler 

I had to think a bit with this one, I don't read too many standalone's (and most books I read are apart of a series) but I read this a couple of years ago but it was definitely a book that I still think about and wonder about certain things that were not answered so Twenty Boy Summer would definitely be one that I would love to see a sequel for.

Happy reading everyone! :)

- Jordy 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Genre: Dystopian/Fantasy/Young Adult

Pages: 444

Publisher: Harper Teen

Date Released: February 9th 2016

Format: Hardback

Synopsis:
If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.
Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 
The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.  (Goodreads Synopsis)

Review:  
*There are a couple of spoilers in this review so if you have not read Red Queen or Glass Sword I suggest you don't read this and come back once you have :) 

So when I started this, I could not remember for the life of me what happened in the first book Red Queen .... oops. So I will admit that it was a bit hard to get into this one which was really frustrating because I quite liked the first one. I think it was about 150ish pages in that I really started getting back into it. I certainly got more invested in the story as I remembered things. Mare was A bit annoying at times, some of the choices she made were not always the best and she can become a bit whiny.

 I love Cal, there is just something about his character that makes me swoon haha, though there was one point where I was like seriously Cal why would you not comfort Mare after Shade's death, she needed you! There were definitely some intense scenes thrown in there that had me on the edge of my seat. I was honestly quite shocked that Shade died, he got brought back at the end of Red Queen only to be killed. That just seemed so unfair! There is this one line on the end of page 250 "If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter" I just love the sound of that and I have a feeling that this line inspired the title of the book. After finish Glass Sword I can still say I really hate Maven with a passion, he is so awful I can't stand him but I guess thats what makes him the perfect villain, he is truly evil even though he "tries" to hide it from his people.

One thing that is constantly brought up is Mare's lack of trust, it frustrated me a bit because not everyone is out to get her honestly I felt she need to grow up at times and pull on her big girl pants. Another Character that I started to love was Shade, he was not in the first book very much and we get to see a lot more of him in this book which was awesome. I do hope in the next book we will get to see more of Mare's other brothers. Also the way this ended makes me wonder what the fate Mare will have. Having her chained like a dog my goodness I wanted to punch Maven right in the face. Hard. I will definitely be re-reading Red Queen and Glass Sword again before the release of the 3rd book in Feb next year. 

Overall: I liked this one, I can't say I liked it as much as Red Queen but I enjoyed it. I would still recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy as the good outweighs anything negative and it doesn't help that at the start of the books I wasn't really into it. :)

Cover art: 5
Plot:4
Characters:3
Writing:4
Level of interest:3
Total rating:4

Happy Reading Everyone!! :D
- Jordan

Waiting on Wednesday - #1

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. This is a great way to showcase those highly anticipated books you can't wait to get your hands on!

                   The book I have picked for this week is one that I have been desperate to read...

Title: The Beauty of Darkness (#3)
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Release Date: August 2nd 2016

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.
Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

I am sooo excited to read this. The beauty of darkness is the final instalment  in the in the Remnant Chronicles. The last book left on a bit of a cliffhanger so I am can't wait to dive in.

If you haven't read this series yet I definitely recommend it as it is a hidden gem and I cannot express my love of these books. If you love fantasy pick up  The Kiss Of Deception you will not regret it!

Happy Reading Everyone!
Let me know if you've read this series and what you think so far :D

June TBR

This is a very short list of books that I am going to read this month... I will be putting up a review for each of them as I read them :)

Title: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2)
Author: Victoria Aveyard

I've had this one sitting on my shelf waiting to read for a while now. From what I remember I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I am sure I will love this one. Also if anyone is interested I saw that Red queen is going to be made into a film and be directed by Elizabeth Banks though i am not sure if that is just rumours but I guess we shall see.

 Title: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children#2)
Author: Ransom Riggs

This is yet another book on my shelf I have yet to read so I am determined to read it. I read the first book Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children last year and really enjoyed it. I love the whole aspect of the book as it was like no other book I had read. There are also cool old creepy photos mixed in which  intertwines with the story.




Title: Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)
Author: Ransom Riggs

Library of souls is the same as Hollow city. I can't wait to finish of this series and see what is to come.  :)








Happy Reading Everyone! :)

PS: Let me know in the comments below if you've read any of these and what you thought but no spoilers please!

Alive by Scott Sigler

Title: Alive (The Generations trilogy #1) 

Author: Scott Sigler

Genre: Sci-Fi

Pages: 345

Publisher: Del Rey

Date Released: July 14th 2015

Format: Hardback

Synopsis: A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth. (Goodreads Synopsis)

Review: This books intrigued me from the start. The thought of being trapped in a coffin and coming out into the unknown, not even know your own name left me wanting to know more. Like does that not sound intense! I wasn't to sure as to what I was getting into reading this book but oh am I happy that I picked it up. The character development is brilliant. A lot of the characters especially the main character really grows. Now I don't want to say to much in this review because I do not want to spoil anything and this is definitely a book that you should go into not knowing a lot because boy are you in for a ride.  Even if you're not much of a sci-di  fanatic I still believe you would benefit from this book and i can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Sigler takes you on many twists and turns (pun intended) that will having you wide eyed and gasping wondering how you didn't see that coming. 

Overall: This is a book that will get you out of that reading slump you're in. If you're looking for something new and exciting then this is the books for you. I love how fresh the material is. I've read nothing like it and that is one thing that I always hope for in a book. Something that I don't feel like I have read before. I highly recommend this one! 

Cover art: 4
Plot: 5
Characters:4
Writing:4 1/2
Level of interest:5
Total rating:5

Happy Reading Everyone!! :D
- Jordan

Need Something To Read?

Ever find yourself in a place where you just have no idea what to read? Or you've just read an incredible book and now that its over you've gone into a huge reading slump because nothing compares. Look no further as I have some great books that I believe could solve all your problems... or cause you to go into another reading slump because they're that good! haha :)


Number One: 

Title: Where I belong

Author: Gwendolyn Heasley

Genre: contemporary/young adult

Where can you buy this: Amazon / Book Depository / Kobo

Now this is one of my all time favourite contemporary reads and I can't tell you how many times I've re-read this. Where I belong is short but sweet little story or a girl called Corrinne who has been brought up in a wealthy family. Her father gets laid off on work and her parents decide to send her and her younger brother off to live with their grandparents in Texas which to corrinne seems like the middle of nowhere. The thing I love about this book is the character development of Corrinne she starts off as a whiny girl who has nothing better to do than complain but as the story progresses she becomes a different person changing for the better when she realises that texas is her home now. She makes some bad choices but she more than makes up for them. :)


Number two: 

Title: The summer I turned pretty #1

Author: Jenny Han

Genre: Contemporary

Where can you buy this:Book Depository / Amazon / Kobo


This is another one of my favourites, I read it every year. Its a great pick me up. Also its a trilogy so you get more of Conrad and Jeremiah :D
This is a great summery read and I can't express my love for these books. If you're in a reading slump and needing a cure this is it. These books will have you laughing out loud and screaming in frustration ( not in a bad way). Highly recommend this one!! :)



Number Three: 

Title: Glass houses (morganville vampires #1)

Author: Rachel Caine                       

Genre: Paranormal/Romance/Action

Where can you buy this: Book Depository / Kobo / Amazon

This is a series that I fell upon by accident, before you think uh that looks dumb look beyond the cover seriously. Rachel Caine is  a seriously talented author and I love these books! I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give away the plot. Its basically about a girl called claire Danvers who moves away to go to college only thing is Morganville (the town she moves to) is run by vampires. Honestly Goodreads has a better synopsis so check that out but this is a great series and its a long one with a total of 15 books. So most definitely check this one out guys you won't regret it.



Number Four:

Title: Hush Hush #1

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Genre: paranormal/young adult/romance

Where can I buy this: Kobo / Book Depository / Amazon

This is a book about fallen angels and let me tell you every time that I read this i'm cracking up laughing the banter between Nora and Patch is the best! As there series goes on there are parts that aren't as good but overall its still a series that I enjoy and hopefully you will enjoy it too :)

Tarnished (Wolf Gatherings #1) by Becca Jameson

Title: Tarnished (Wolf Gatherings #1)

Author: Becca Jameson

Genre: Fantasy/paranormal/romance

Pages: 136

Publisher: Hartwood publishing

Date Released: August 1st 2013

Format: ebook





Synopsis:   Wolf shifter Mackenzie Davis has no interest in mating with another wolf. Plenty of experiences in her past have hardened her to this resolve. She is loving life with the perfect job, the perfect friends, and the perfect boyfriend—a human one. Nevertheless, her mom implores her to attend this year’s Wolf Gathering. Reluctantly dragging her feet, she agrees to one day only.

Drake Spencer has come to the gathering from Texas with his family. He’s twenty-eight and believes his chances of finding a mate are slim to none, especially since he saw the woman he felt connected to leave with another man at the last gathering. But what if the woman who has consumed his dreams for the last few years is not actually mated?

When Mackenzie and Drake meet, sparks fly. Kenzie still hopes to deny the claim on her. But can she? The call of mates is stronger than she expected. What will happen to her sense of self if she follows this man to Texas? Not to mention Drake. Can he live with the mental scars of her past? (Goodreads synopsis) 

Review: Lately i've really been into werewolf novels, I have no idea where it came from. I've been a bit obsessed haha. I am just going to put it right out there and say that I didn't really like this one. There was not much of a plot, i'm not even sure that there really was one at all to be honest. The whole book felt rather rushed, it only took an hour or two to read it but I wish I hadn't. I didn't really like the characters either. they annoyed me and didn't really have a lot to them. They had no depth.  The book kept mentioning how much kenzie loved kids but it never showed her interacting with them until the end and even then the was brief. Also once Kenzie left her house other than a phone call to let her parents know where she was there was no other communication which was rather strange, I mean if you are going to live with a complete stranger don't you think that her parents would have wanted to at least meet Drake. There were some other small things that ticked me off but I won't delve into those. 

Overall: 
I would not recommend this to anyone, I didn't really enjoy it and it needs some work of character development and an actual plot. I am quite disappointed.

Cover art: 1
Plot: 1
Characters:1
Writing:1
Level of interest:2
Total rating:1

Happy Reading Everyone!! :D
- Jordan