God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

Name: God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke.
Pages: 352.
Publication: 3rd July 2012/Orbit.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys

"Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. 


The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.


Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle."

Review.

Alexandra or rather Xandra lives in a world where the plague did not wipe out much of the population but rather transformed them into vampires, werewolves and goblins. Queen Victoria is ruling the empire after 175 years, as a vampire. Xandra is halvie with a vampire father and a human mother. She works for the Royal Guard protecting the aristocracy of Britain. Her life is turned  upside down when her sister goes missing and she learns that everything is not and everyone are not what they seem, even Xandra herself. 

Xandra is a great female lead character. She is feisty and full of wit. She is brave and strong but is not made of stone. She has realistic reactions to events that occur which often does not happen in books. The book is also full of other interesting and unique characters such as Church, who is Xandra's mentor, her siblings, the goblin prince as well as the handsome werewolf Vex who seems to have Xandra in his sights. 

At the beginning of the book, two characters are introduced a girl and a guy. For some reason I thought the guy might play a bigger part but he just disappears and I was disappointed because he seemed like he could have been interesting. I do not know, I just wanted to get that off my chest. 

The only real problem I had with the book is how fast Xandra's relationship escalated. You know me and insta-love. Thankfully, this was not actually insta-love, no-one was declaring anything but I felt that the trust between Xandra and her partner was built far too quick.

Locke has created a wonderful world that is well structured and detailed in her debut novel. It is not quite steam-punk yet it has elements of it along with urban fantasy. Locke's back stories for Britain and the monarch as well as the creatures and causes was interesting as well as believable. Locke has a knack for little details that help build a solid foundation for a series. The book did not lag, and moves at the right pace to keep you reading page after page.

Final Thought.

God Save The Queen is full of mystery and intrigue. The book takes twist and turns and will have devouring the pages.

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Name: Skinned (Cold Awakening #1) by Robin Wasserman.
Pages: 3680.
Publication: 9th September 2008/Simon Pulse.
Rating: ✮✮✩✩✩Buy It: Amazon | Kennys
"The Download was supposed to change the world. It was supposed to mean the end of aging, the end of death, the birth of a new humanity. But it wasn't supposed to happen to someone like Lia Kahn.


And it wasn't supposed to ruin her life.


Lia knows she should be grateful she didn't die in the accident. The Download saved her--but it also changed her, forever. She can deal with being a freak. She can deal with the fear in her parents' eyes and the way her boyfriend flinches at her touch. But she can't deal with what she knows, deep down, every time she forces herself to look in the mirror: She's not the same person she used to be.


Maybe she's not even a person at all."

Review.

Lia had it all. She was the perfect, all rounded, achieving daughter. She had a handsome boyfriend and was popular in school until the accident. The accident where she should have died but instead was saved by The Download. The accident she should not have even been in.

Skinned starts off a little confusing as you are thrown into the story without truly understanding what The Download is. The book contains 'technotalk' and lacks description of some of the technologies used. I was reading it and I felt as if I had missed the chapter or two that explained what was going on. Those chapters come eventually, maybe even a little to late.

Skinned lacks a enticing plot. There was only about two pages of action in the whole book. Sure, the story's concept is interesting but nothing exciting really happens. Nothing that truly builds Lia's character. All she does is lightly tread on the line of her old life and the new life she can embrace being 'skinner.' Some believe she has great personal growth in the book, but I did not see it. I guess this has to do with the book being a part of a trilogy. You need something to keep the readers reading. I, for one, will not be continuing the series. 

Lia character is one that is more annoying than interesting. She seems to have a lot of repetitive thoughts that I do not want to read about...again. You know I lack sympathy for whiny characters and I get it, Lia deserves to be whiny: she was not meant to be in the car but she was and now it is her who lives with the consequences.

Final Thought.

Skinned does not excite or intrigue but what it does do is raise some interesting questions about humanity and can we truly be replaced with machines in the future.

Extra.

Wasserman re-released Skinned in 2011 under the new title 'Frozen.'

Elemental by Emily White

Name: Elemental (Elemental Trilogy #1) by Emily White 
Pages: 260.
Publication: 5th June 2012/Spencer Hill Press.
Rating: ✮✮✩✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys

"Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should. 

But she wants to. 

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner on an interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?"

Review.

Looking at the reviews of Elemental, many of them are at the four and five star mark. I feel as if I am reading a different book. When I first began Elemental, I was disappointed because I was expected something completely different. I got over that and began reading the book with a blank opinion and it turns out that I did not enjoy reading Elemental.

Elemental is confusing. I found it very hard to follow all the different races, species or was it religions? I am honestly not sure. I read through the book feeling as if I was missing something because the whole race/species/religion thing just did not make sense.

None of the characters in Elemental are special. Ella, who has been held captive for ten years adapted to her new life too fast in my opinion. I get it though, the book is only 260 pages so White does not have the space for realistic pacing. Ella is quite a bland character. She has no personality in the book.

All the relationships in Elemental also moved to fast for me. Between Ella and Meir, Ella and Cailen, not so much Ella and Malik.  

I think what annoyed me the most was the ending and who was the traitor. I felt myself sighing because they were the only character I enjoyed throughout the story.

Final Thought.

Overall, Elemental was disappointing for me. It turned out to be completely different to what I expected. As it is, it did not enthrall me in any way.

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Name: Burn Mark by Laura Powell.
Pages: 416.
Publication: 19th June 2012/Bloomsbury USA.
Rating: ✮✮½✩✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys | Easons


"Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside.

And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not ..."

Review.

Gloriana also known as Glory dreams of burning witches on trials. Her mother who has disappeared from her life was a witch and Glory hopes she will also gain the Fae and become a witch. At fifteen Glory lives a life beyond her years with her law breaking family who pull off scams to make money. Glory cannot wait to develop the Fae so she can become head of her coven.

Lucas who is also fifteen seems to have the world at his feet. He has a nice family and home and he plans on becoming an Inquisitor just like his Dad. However, Lucas's life falls apart and he must take a new path when he develops the Fae on the same day as Glory. The Fae intertwines their lives in a way neither of them could expect.

Burn Mark is very interesting. Powell has done a great incorporating witches into what otherwise is the same world that we live in now. The history is the most interesting part of the book.

Glory and Lucas are interesting characters. They are two very different people but Powell did not write it in a way that felt over cliched. Glory is strong willed and brave. She will not let anyone walk over her or make decisions for her. She is not afraid to say what she thinks. Lucas is a nice boy. He believes in doing the right thing even if he goes about it in the wrong way. He stands up for others. 

I found it hard to connect with this book. I did not feel I was living the story with the characters. Burn Mark is long at over 400 pages, probably too long. At times I found myself getting bored and trying to get through it as fast as possible. 

Final Thought.

An interesting book with an interesting concept but does not hit the mark. (No pun intended, no really.) It lacks action and spark that give a book something special.

A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

Name: A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan.
Pages: 192.
Publication: 5th June 2012/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Rating: ✮✮½✩✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys

"Farrah “Digit” Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year.


But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group’s number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping—all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in..."

Review.

Farrah, yes, she was named after the Charlie's Angel actress, is smart. Super smart. Genius smart, as in already accepted to university smart. However, she is more ashamed than proud of her achievements. She hangs with her friends but does not truly get to know them or open up to them. One evening while watching TV with her friend, Farrah or as her old classmates used to call her 'Digit', notice a numerical code at the bottom of her screen. But this good turns out to be so much. Now, she is holed up with the hottest FBI agent ever, while faking her own kidnapping. 

A Girl Named Digit is fun. It has a crime plot but is in no way tense. It is both predictable and a little under-researched in terms of the CIA and FBI.

The book is well written and the characters have realistic traits and problems which occur when you are super smart. I would know but I am LIKE SUPER DUPER SMART. That was a lie by the way.

The main aspect which put me off this book is the insta-love. You know how much I hate insta-love. This was insta-love at its best where the guy gives up his dream job for a girl he has known for a week and a half. I was disappointed with the last few chapters of the book where Farrah's personality changed. It was irritating and predictable to read.

Final Thought.

A fast read with action and romance. However, A Girl Named Digit truly holds nothing special within the pages.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Name: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth.
Pages: 525.
Publication: 1st May 2012/Harper Teen.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✩
Buy It: Amazon | Easons |

"One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature."

Review.

Insurgent picks up where Divergent finished. This caused me a little hassle because I had not read Divergent since the week it was released sometime last year and I had forgotten the details. So, I would warn you that if you do not remember too much from Divergent you may or you may not be a little confused. Do what I did, Google or Wiki the plot, just in case. ;)

At the beginning of Insurgent I did not find myself too engaged in the story but I think that was because I was hesitant that Insurgent would be a disappointing follow up, like how Ally Condie's Crossed was for Matched. That was not the case though and I after a few chapters I found myself immersed in the civil war between factions.

Insurgent focuses around decisions. Decisions on who to believe, decisions on who to save, decisions on with whom to side and the decision whether to live or die. Believe me, Tris has a lot of tough decisions to make and some of these decisions may break Tobias and her apart.

The great thing about Roth's sequel is that it is hard to figure out who is truly good or bad. It gives the books more layer and depth all while creating a mystery for the reader. People's loyalties may not really be as they seem. She shows the truth of human nature, that not everyone is truly good nor truly bad as well as people intuition to try to save themselves.

Tris is back. She in Insurgent is still the brave young girl yet her personality is a little more subdued, not that I blame her, of course. She has been through a lot and is holding a lot of guilt on her shoulders. Despite her more timid personality, her actions are far from it. She is fierce and determined to help the ones she loves and find the truth of what her parents were willing to die for. However, one person who is not happy about Tris throwing herself in selfless and dangerous situations is Tris's boyfriend Tobias, also known as Four. In Divergent we see him as a strong yet caring Dauntless guy who has issues. In Insurgent, we find out more about these issues. Tris's and Tobias's relationship however, is fraying but is Tris willing to give Tobias up to find out the truth? I find often that I do not like reading about couples once they get together in books but there is something different about Tris and Tobias that keeps me interested. I believe that is due to Roth's great writing.

Insurgent will leave you reeling and wanting you to get your hands on the third and final installment as soon as possible. Damn Roth and her cliffhangers.

Final Thought.

Insurgent is still as thrilling as Divergent which is rare in trilogies because more often than not the second book is the filler book. I believe Insurgent will have the Divergent happy.

Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

Name: Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein.
Pages: 304.
Publication: 8th May 2012/Entangled Publishing.
Rating: ✮✮✮✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys


"Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.


Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over."

Review.

Pretty Amy is a contemporary young adult novel that revolves around friends, family and how one decision can change your whole. I expected Pretty Amy to be more funny than it was. It is not intense per say, I suppose dramatic is the word.

Amy is a teenager who has little to no self confidence. She hides behind her two friends, Lila and Cassie. Lila, who seems to ooze self-confidence but feels the need to be told she is pretty. Cassie, on the other, is a bad-ass girl who is not afraid to say what she means. With two friends with such personalities, they are easy to hide behind. When they get arrested on prom night due to their plan on revenge on their dates that stood them up, Amy's life gets turned upside down. Now, Amy is no longer allowed to talk to her only friends, if you do not count her parrot AJ, and must make a decision to turn on her friends or go to jail. 

Amy as a character was a little tedious. Maybe because I did not connect with her. She is shy and will not speak one minute and the next she will come out with a snappy retort. This annoyed me because I just wanted to shout at her, tell them about Brian! Amy, however, is loyal to her friends and does not rat, well anyone, out. Maybe, even too loyal. Her innocence is shown in the book when she believes that people will do what she is willing to do for them which we all know in the real world is not true. People will use and abuse you, all to get what they want. 

Amy has a voice that makes you feel bad for her when you read her internal dialogue, she gets to you. Maybe because in her own way, she is like a lost little puppy, who finally has to make some decisions of her own. Although, I do not like Amy for her personality, I think her mother has a lot to do with it. What an annoying and paranoid woman. Like, seriously. Amy and her mother are quite similar in that Amy would not talk to her mother about the situation and Amy's mother just would not listen at all.

Amy's journey of self-pity ends pretty abruptly and all seems okay with the world again which was a little disappointing but Burstein ends the book on a lovely metaphor or simile, I cannot remember if the world like was in the quote! :P 

Final Thought.

Pretty Amy could have been better or it could have been worse. Despite that, an interesting read that shows how loneliness and insecurities can dominate young people and their decisions.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Name: City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
Pages: 534.
Publication: 8th May 2012/Margaret K. McElderry.
Rating:  ✮✮✮¾✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys | Easons


"The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series"

Review. HAS A FEW SPOILERS - BEWARE!

I was so torn between giving City of Lost Souls (COLS) a 3 and a half or 4 star rating. Then I looked at some other book I had given 3 and a half star rating and I realised I enjoyed COLS more than I enjoyed them so I decided on a 3 and three quarters stars. I cannot give the book four stars because Clary annoyed me a little too much and I also missed good old Jace.

A review is hard to write for COLS because the story has a good few subplots going. You have Simon's and Isabelle's subplots, Alec and Magnu's, Jordan and Maia's as well as Jocelyn and Luke's mini, minor subplot. That is a hell of a lot of sub-plots so I think I'm just going to write about the positives and the negative like I did for my Wings of the Wicked review.

Positives:

+Concept: The story within COLS is interesting and invigorating. You have Jace and Sebastian/Jonathan bound. What will hurt one will hurt the other. Clary has to make the toughest decisions of her life. That put everyone is quite a sticky situation if you ask me. You have the sub-plots, such as Simon coming to terms with his new life as a vampire as well as Isabelle coming to terms with having feelings, maybe even for a certain vampire. Alec is trying to get over the fact that his boyfriend is immortal and over two hundred years old and Jordan, well he is just is just a love lorn werewolf, who I actually forgot existed and I was all 'WHAT? WHO ARE YOU RANDOM BOY?'

+Simon: Simon, who is not actually my favourite character but my second favourite probably saves this book in more ways than one. His story, for me was the most interesting to read. Now that he is a day walking vampire with the Mark of Cain on his head, he has issues, especially with his family and with Jace kinda but not really being possessed, Simon steps up as a true friend to Clary. Will Simon be the hero after all? I think he deserves to be.

+Magnus: I just love Magnus. That is all. He had the best lines because I must say Jace's wit was not up to standard in this book at all. For example: “Even the trip through the Portal had not disarranged Magnus's hair spikes. He tugged on one proudly. "Check it out", he said to Isabelle. "Magic?" "Hair gel. $3.99 at Ricky's."

+Sebastian as an antagonist: Sebastian is a very good antagonist. You do not really know what he is up too. He is hard to figure out as he seems to always have an ulterior motive for everything which adds some thrills and mystery.

Negative:

-Less action: There is less fighting in the book which is a bit of a downer because the fighting scenes in TMI series's are often super cool with interesting creatures and demons.

-Over describing: The book is the second longest of the series at 534 pages. There is defintely a good few paragraphs that could be taken out mainly of description, which are mainly of Jace and his beauty.

-Clary: Girl, you got issues and not the good kind. As TMI has evolved as a well fleshed out series, Clary has devolved into a too stubborn, naive, rash and obsessive girlfriend. She does not understand that she is sixteen and that there IS more to life than Jace. She puts him ahead of her family, which is probably a no no and despite my love for Jace, I can see why Jocelyn dislikes her daughter's boyfriend. Clary, as a character has changed, she has lost her coolness and apparently her love for drawing and all she does now is whine and make stupid decisions. If you read the book, you know what I'm talking about. Towards the end, for about a page, she has an epiphany and does something heroic and then the next chapter, well, you see for yourself. Sorry, repetitive rant over. One good thing about Clary in this book is we finally see some of that Shadowhunter within her come to life. ABOUT TIME, I SAY! 

Also, since City of Heavenly Fire is not out until March 2014, Clare thankfully does not end with a cliff-hanger that will have you, well, hanging of a cliff. Oh, what a terrible pun. 

Final Thought.

Many series's by the fifth book are drawn out and boring but Clare has done a good job at keeping the series as fresh and eventful as she can. COLS is the game changer for these Shadowhunters and I have a feeling the real battle is just beginning.

Extra.

Here's a picture of me with the lovely Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments series.

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Name: Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones.
Pages: 352.
Publication: 5th January 2012/Walker Books. 
Rating: ✮✮✮½✩✩
Buy It: Amazon | Kennys


"Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an “abducted” CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’s OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold.

Enter a girl named Caution. As in “Caution: Toxic.” As in “Caution: Watch Your Step.” She’s also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the train station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel.
Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst—along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption."

Mini-Review.

Blink & Caution is a young adult contemporary thriller that revolves around two teenage runaways whose nicknames are, shockingly, Blink and Caution. Both find themselves knee deep in trouble, Caution with her boyfriend and Blink, when he witnesses a crime.

I found Blink and Caution's relationship moved too fast but the fact that the relationship started out so honest overshadows the fast pace.

Blink & Caution contains a very unique and interesting narrative to distinguish between both of the character's voices. In Part One of the book, the narrative alternates from Blink to Caution. However, in the Part Two of the book, the book is still a dual narrative but their stories have not merged. In a few other parts, the book is from an omniscient view. The narrative gives the book an original flourish. 

Final Thought.

Although I did not find Blink & Caution to be a 'dazzling crime novel', I did, nevertheless, find it to be a very good book.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Name:  Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3) by Kristin Cashore.

Pages: 576.

Publication: May 1st 2012/Gollancz.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✩

Buy It: Amazon | Kennys

"Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart."

Review.

Bitterblue was a book I was waiting for. I loved both of Cashore's acclaimed Graceling and Fire. So, I was excited to read it...last year but then it got pushed to 2012. So when May 1st finally got around I was glad to see it in my bookstore. Cashore has a gift of writing a story that captivates you, where you feel drawn into her Graceling world, from start to finish.

Bitterblue is a book shrouded in mystery and has thrill permeated through the pages. You want to know the how the puzzle of Leck, Bitterblue's cruel father, fits together. You want to know and so does Bitterblue. She is frustrated at her closest staff, who seem to be, in her mind, a little crazy. Well, maybe a lot crazy.

Bitterblue is a more timid book compared to the others. There is a lot less action. Bitterblue, as a character, is like the book; more timid than Katsa or Fire. Yet, she still shares the bravery and determination that the former women have. That being said, she can hold her own and knows well how to throw a knife.

What I found so true in Bitterblue is her reliance on her friends. She was not afraid to let them know that she needed them and was willing to let them help her fight her past demons. However, Bitterblue is also naive and at times, she can come off as a little selfish. She sometimes leans to heavily on the same few people without thinking of their needs, such as Po.

Bitterblue has a lot of characters throughout the story such as Saf, a freckled faced thief and his best friend, the lovable Teddy. There is a few familiar faces from Graceling (do not worry, you do not have to have read Graceling to understand Bitterblue) such as Prince Po, Bitterblue's cousin, plays a huge part in the book helping Bitterblue while fighting a demon of his own which gains him a few bruises, as well as, Katsa and Giddon. Look out for a few others as well! It is dangerous territory introducing as well as reintroducing so many characters yet Cashore pulls it off. You create a connection with most of the characters.

What is so interesting with the novel Bitterblue, is the antagonist. It is very rare to have the bad guy of the story already dead. Leck may be dead but his his horrible doings live on with evidence in the castle and in the minds of the Monsean people. 

I have read in many reviews, that the author, Kristin Cashore is an anti-man kind of writer. They see this as a negative. I do not. Maybe in Cashore's world pre-marital sex is not seen as any kind of sin.There is romance in the book but it does not play a large part in the story. It was paced and realistic to the situation. Unlike Katsa in Graceling, I believe that Bitterblue does want love.  I'm sure she wants a husband and an heir, but this is not her biggest concern right now. Her concern is with her Kingdom.

Final Thought.

A should read. Follow Bitterblue on her journey of truths and lies where she may uncover something bigger than she imagined.

Tarnished by Karina Cooper

Name: Tarnished (The St. Croix Chronicles #1) by Karina Cooper.
Pages: 384.
Publication: 26th June 2012/Avon.
Rating: ✮✮✮½✩✩
Pre-Order It: Amazon

"In Victorian London, where science skirts the line between magic and mechanics, one stubborn miss will face shadows from her past, demons from her desires, and choices that will forever shape who she is.

A brand-new, sexy series from Karina Cooper featuring fearless heroine Cherry St. Croix-debutante by day, bounty hunter by night-set in an alternate London where proper Victorian society sits above a seedy steampunk underworld teeming with dubious loyalties, advanced technology, and incredible magic."

Review.

I must say the girl on the cover is really creepy looking and looks much too old represent 20 year old Cherry St. Croix (an awesome name, no?).

Cherry St. Croix is more than meets the eye. If you met her during the day, you would see her as a wealthy red-headed socialite orphan who lives above the drift. However, if you met Cherry St. Croix at night, you would see her as Ms. Black, a collector or also known as a bounty hunter, with blackened hair, and often mistaken for a man. Cherry is too young to receive her deceased parent's inheritance and has no interest in marriage. She spends her allowance which she receives from her elderly guardian on scientific research and opium. To supplement such habits, Cherry collects for Menagerie, a organization with ties to the 'Karakash Veil', a Chinese originated crime circle. What matters to Cherry though is her bounty.

When some of the female workers of the Menagerie turn up dead, Cherry is approached by her friend, Zylphia, who also works for the Menagerie to catch the killer, but what Cherry unearths is something bigger than she could ever imagine.

Tarnished is a novel set in a Steampunk world. Cooper has created a new, unique version on London. High class London society has been altered and sits above the unclean air known as the drift and the lower class civilians, literally. I found this a little tough to imagine so I had a hard time picturing everything that was going on while I was reading.

Cherry is an interesting character. She is independent in a world where women were seen as nothing but property with no interest in marriage, much to her carer's, Fanny, sadness. Cherry is also smart and cool. She has a sharp wit and she can take down the average man easily. 

Someone who also finds Cherry interesting is Lordship Cornelius Kerrigan Compton. He seems to have Cherry in his sights, much to his mothers dismay. As a character, Compton is the average handsome  man with his own secrets. However, what annoyed me was how Cooper wrote him in, to only diminish his presence with no real answer. 

Tarnished also holds some steamy (Yes, pun intended) aspects which gives the book a well needed kick in the romance department. So, be warned, this book is for mature YA readers. It also has a lot of murder as well as action, and some lesser interesting parts that all happen when Cherry is above the drift. 

Final Thought.

Give it a read. The plot has twists and turns and is one of those books where you should expect the unexpected.

Make Me by Parker Blue

Name: Make Me (Demon Underground #4) by Parker Blue. 
Pages: 224.
Publication: 15th April 2012/Bell Bridge Books.
Rating: ✮✮✮½✩✩
Buy It: Amazon

"Shapiro has a secret she’s desperate to keep—she’s lost her slayer powers. As the new guardian of the Encyclopedia Magicka, Val expected the books to give her powers to replace those that disappeared after she lost her “V card” to Shade. But the encyclopedia exacts a price for every spell, making the job of guardian a tricky proposition.

When a rogue demon kidnaps Val’s roommate Gwen and Micah, leader of the San Antonio Demon Underground, Val is plunged into the middle of a Solomon’s Choice. The rogue wants the dangerously potent Encyclopedia Magicka in exchange for her friends’ lives; the succubus leader of the Demon Underground in Austin is demanding the books be destroyed rather than let them fall into the wrong hands and wants Shade for herself, swearing to do everything she can to prevent Val’s turning over the books. 

The kidnapping isn’t the only crisis Val faces. She’s been betrayed by Fang. Demons and vampires are disappearing. The vamps of the New Blood Movement are forcing Val to keep the terms of her agreement to work for them to combat this new threat. 
The Demon Underground is challenging Micah's leadership, and everyone is depending on a now-powerless Val to set things right. Val needs all the help she can get. Even if it means forgiving Fang and spending time with a dangerously sexy cowboy-vampire."

Review.

First things first, of all the Demon Underground books, Make Me has the least appealing cover but do not let the overly cartoony, childish cover put you off the book.

Poor Val. It seems that trouble just follows her and she cannot do anything about it. Now that she has lost her Slayer powers, all she has is Lola, the succubus within her, which is helpful, but having accelerated healing powers, speed and strength sure did come in handy when fighting the bad Vampires. The good Vampires, however? Well, she has a contract with them to help them until they unveil themselves to the world, which is not going as smoothly as head Vamp, Alejandro, had hoped.

Now, to help clean up this mess, Val is on her way to Austin with Alejandro, his right hand Vamp, the sexy southern Austin, and Jack, ex-keeper of the Encyclopedia Magicka, who is going to teach present keeper, Val, all there is to know about the books. Oh, and do not forget jealous boyfriend, shadow demon Shade, you demands on following Val there. What is the worst that can happen? Well, this is Val we are talking about and everyone, demon and vampire alike seems to be leaning on her for help.

The Demon Underground series is a well built world with each book being highly entertaining. The character's are likable even if a lot of the characters walk in and out of the books, such as Dan, who was pretty big in the first, but now, has turned quite one dimensional and plays a very minute role. 

Make Me has a large sub-plot that on Val's personal struggle with Shade. This was not a very enjoyable sub-plot, mainly because Shade completely changed in this book, even without a certain someone's help. (I'm trying not to spoil here!) From the start of the book, he seems resentful of her despite the fact that Val gave up her super powers when she lost her virginity to him.

The books are also quite short, with Make Me being only 224 pages. This is a good thing, it means the story are fast paced and you will not get bored of the series as it is not drawn out.

Final Thought.

Although less actiony than the past three books of the series, Make Me is still interesting and shakes up the Val's world. Who knows where book five will lead too?