Weekly Book Round Up! - 9th September

 

Weekly Book Round Up!

 

3rd - 9th September

Hi everyone! It's time to round up my book antics for this week. I have major love for my library at the moment for managing to get my hands on some really amazing titles. I put a hold on Cinder and only had to wait a few days before it turned up, waiting for me. As well as that, I've also been reading on the Kobo again this week after a bit of a break from e-books. Here are the books I've been checking out.

Currently reading: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Books finished: The Tower by Jade Varden, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (review coming soon!), Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Bought: Linger and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. Grabbed these today on 4 for £5 in The Works (I split the cost with a friend and we got 2 books each for £2.50). Not bad! I actually had Linger on hold from the library but I already own Shiver (another Works bargain) so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to own the set, could I?!

Library books: Cinder by Marissa Meyer, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. I'll be starting Crescendo next. I loved Hush, Hush so can't wait to dive into that one!

What have you been reading this week?

 

 

 

 



Review: The Tower by Jade Varden

Spoiler warning! This is the 2nd book in the Deck of Lies series. If you have yet to read Justice then look away now, or read my Justice review right here!

The Tower by Jade Varden

Author: Jade Varden.Website, Twitter
Published: 28 May 2012 (CreateSpace)
Pages: 160
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Smashwords: e-book
Barnes and Noble: Nook


Source: Free download from Smashwords (during sale)

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Death brings some families closer, but it’s ripped mine apart. I wanted to convince the police that they had the wrong suspect...but I never expected them to start suspecting me. Now, I have no choice but to keep searching for the truth, even if all my relationships fall to pieces around me.

Someone is trying to make me look guilty. I never thought my mission to prove my own innocence would lead me to more family secrets. I thought I had already discovered the truth about myself. But every answer raises more questions, and everything I think I know is about to change...again.

I have to find the truth, no matter how much it hurts -- before I get charged with murder.

My Review:
I really enjoyed Justice and I've been looking forward to reading The Tower for a while now. Picking up after the events of the previous book, Rain must try and get to the bottom of Laurel's murder and try and clear River's name.

As with the first book, I really loved the mystery element of the story. I really like crime fiction and having the police investigation and Rain's ongoing confusion and suspicion throughout the story made for a gripping, tense read in places. I really like Jade Varden's writing style. It's just so seamless and creates a great atmosphere.

I felt for Rain as she suddenly finds herself in the spotlight. Her determination to find out just what happened to Laurel kept me rooting for her. I really like the high school drama and atmosphere of Sloane Academy and I think my favourite scenes are probably those that take place at the school. Rain's friendship with Fallon was something I really liked in this book as well.

The first couple of chapters of the book go over what happened in Justice as a kind of recap. As Rain's love interests were recapped it reminded me that I really didn't like the number of romantic links she has. She's with boyfriend Owen, trying to clear River's name and at the same time trying to rebuild a relationship with Sawyer. It was just too much, and I became very confused as to where Rain's loyalties actually lie. I don't like Owen, and I was really hoping to hear more about River in this book but his character made very little appearance which was disappointing.

Just when I was really getting into the murder investigation, the book started to take some other twists. At first I loved the extra drama and all the things the author had managed to weave into the story. But after a while it just got too hard to keep track of. The book delves more into Rain's past and by the end I was not only lost as to who was who, but annoyed that yet more elements of Rain's past had been thrown into doubt. It just felt like one or two steps too far. There were a lot of names and connections to process and seeing as I didn't really like the twist in the first place, it was hard to remember and take in everything towards the end.

I feel like this series has a lot of potential. I like the writing, and the mystery and drama has me hooked for the most part. I just think it's gotten a little too out there. I'll probably still check out the third book because I really want to know what happens after the end of this one. A little disappointing, sadly.

Rating: 3*
What to read next: Death by Jade Varden, book 3 in the Deck of Lies series.
Books like this: Paper Towns by John Green

Friday Finds - 7th September

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted over at Should Be Reading and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

My finds for this week:


In Your Dreams by Amy Martin. Amy got in touch with me this week to ask if I'd review this book so I looked it up and it sounds great! Can't wait to give it a read.









Defiance by C.J. Redwine. I've seen this on a lot of blogs lately. Seems like this book of the moment!











Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Came across this on Goodreads.












Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg. Another Goodreads find!











Ruth De Lune by Andy Davidson. I was given a code by the author to get a free copy of this and so I've downloaded it. Looking forward to checking it out.

Review: Blue Moon (Immortals #2) by Alyson Noel

Spoiler warning! This book is the 2nd in the Immortals series. If you haven't read Evermore then look away now, as there will be spoilers. You can read my review of Evermore, book one in the Immortals series, right here!





Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Goodreads page

Author: Alyson Noel. Website, Twitter
Published: 5 March 2010 (Macmillan Children's Books)
Pages: 384
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback|e-book
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library.

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's begin to fade after he is stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

My Review:
I really liked Evermore so I've been wanting to check out this book for a while. Picking up where Evermore left off, we see Ever and Damen as they settle into their relationship. Things don't stay happy for long when Damen starts acting weird, and the new guy at school Roman is acting suspiciously.

I like it when a sequel starts off recapping what happens in the previous book because I have a memory like a sieve! It can sometimes be a little off putting if you feel the author is going over everything, but in this case I found it really handy to be caught up on what had gone on in Evermore. I liked how the book started off with Damen and Ever exploring their new relationship and Ever discovering her new found abilities. Just when you think everything is going swimmingly, though, a spanner gets thrown in the works and suddenly Damen is acting totally weird. I loved that twist! Cue Ever trying to find out what's really happening whilst feeling completely heartbroken.

A lot of the story revolves around the mysterious new guy Roman. He's totally creepy and Ever's suspicions about him made for a great mystery as she strives to find out just what he's up to. I loved having that villain role filled by a fresh, new character to the series. There were other new additions as well, with Romy and Rayne, who Ever meets in Summerland playing a key role.

As well as new characters, there's plenty of attention on some of the ones we met in Evermore. I particularly liked getting more of Damen's history and seeing more of Ava, who becomes a guide to Ever even more in Blue Moon.

I loved the fact that Summerland was featured a lot more in this book and in greater depth. It made the whole book feel a lot more magical and some of the settings were beautiful and imaginative.

As with the first book, I really like Noel's writing style for the most part. There's one thing that really puts me off, though, and I think I even mentioned this in my Evermore review. The use of the phrase "pressed my lips together" just jumps out at me every time. It's completely overused to the point of becoming annoying. Perhaps a bit picky of me but it was starting to ruin my enjoyment of the book! I had a few issues in places where I had to go back and re-read things just to make sure I'd understood, and some things happened quite quickly within the story.

There were some big twists towards the end which totally took me by surprise! The ending felt very Mortal Instruments-esque  but I love that series so it'll be interesting to see how that carries on into the next book and how the series compare. Blue Moon has definitely made me want to invest more in this series, and was a book I really enjoyed.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Shadowland by Alyson Noel, the third book in the Immortals series
Books like this: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Goodreads page

Author: Moira Young. Website, Twitter
Published: 2 June 2011 (Marion Lloyd Books)
Pages: 492

Amazon: paperback|Kindle

Waterstone's: paperback|e-book

Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library

Plot Summary:
In a lawless future land, where life is cheap and survival is hard, Saba has been brought up in isolated Silverlake. She never sees the dangers of the destructive society outside. When her twin brother is snatched by mysterious black-robed riders, she sets outon an epic quest to rescue him.

My Review:
I first heard of this book a while ago when it was being tipped as the next big thing after The Hunger Games. This book follows Saba who sets out to rescue her twin brother Lugh who has been captured.

Starting this book, the first thing you notice is the style it's written in. It's very similar to The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness in that words are spelt the way the characters speak and how the characters would spell them. It makes for some strange spellings and odd words, but it's a very effective tool at really getting inside the main character's (in this case Saba) head and hearing their voice. Once you get used to it, though, it's one of the things I came to love about the writing.

The story is set in a barren, post-apocalyptic world where dust storms are frequent, humans of the past are referred to as Wreckers, and only odd bits of human technology remains. Most of the main characters are illierate (hense the odd spelling and way of speaking) and Saba and her family live in almost total isolation. It creates a great atmosphere and a wonderful setting for a gripping plot.

I really liked the characters. Saba is really fierce and gobby and prepared to put up a fight. She's completely determined to track down her brother which makes her quest to find him all the more poignant. I really enjoyed the strained relationship between her and her younger sister Emmi, as well as her interactions with the other characters throughout the story. During her mission to find her brother she meets Jack, who completely confuses her. She's never met anyone like him before and I really enjoyed the development of their relationship.

It quickly becomes apparent that as well as Saba's mission to save her brother, there is something much bigger going on in the world she lives in. People are being controlled, captured and killed. It makes for a pretty brutal story in parts. I think the closest comparison to The Hunger Games I felt was the scenes where children are attacking children. It's definitely a gritty, harsh world that this book takes place in. There's plenty of villainous characters that stir up strong emotions both for the characters and the reader.

Overall I was pretty impressed by this book. The characters, plot and unique writing style all come together to create an intense read that I couldn't put down. I sometimes struggled with bits of the story where I would get confused, which maybe wasn't helped by the lack of speech marks. I would have to go back and re-read certain sections to check just what was speech. I wasn't too sure about the ending, but there's a book that comes after this and I can see the potential for the next book. There were a few issues that were only just touched upon that I'm really hoping take centre stage in the following book. Despite all that, I'd definitely recommend this as a must-read.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Rebel Heart by Moira Young, book 2 in the Dustlands trilogy
Books like this: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, The Hunger Games by Patrick Ness

Teaser Tuesdays - 4th September

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

 

"The moment I turn toward the door it opens before me. And since it's not one of those automatic doors like the kind they have at supermarkets, I'm guessing it means I'm worthy of entering."

-page 181, Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

August's Book of the Month!

At the end of each month I pick one stand out book (that I've read in that month, not necessarily released that month) that did enough to earn a 5* review and shower it with even more praise!

And August's book of the month is...

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry!



This was a book I was really excited about. A love story that went so much deeper, tackled some huge issues and created the ultimate chemistry between Echo and Noah. The characters remained with me long after I'd finished the book and they felt so real. I loved the fact the chapters alternated between Echo and Noah's perspective, giving you a chance to see so much of both of them. And Noah became one of my all time favourite characters! Read my full review here.

Runners up:

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Legend by Marie Lu