prettylittlewriter

Synopsis
‘Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home.

I’ve seen quite a few low star ratings for this book, but I cannot fathom why! I absolutely adored this novel, from start to finish I was hooked! It only took me 3 days to read (hours really if you put the time spent reading together) and that was an achievement for me as the novel is a hefty 500 pages long!

This book has everything I would want in a fantasy novel; vampires, magic, romance (a love triangle!) and a badass MC.

Ava is a brilliant main character, a teenage orphan with a vendetta, thanks to the death of her Mother by a vampire’s hand. She meets this travelling group of magicians, whom she soon finds out are not your average magicians, they actually have REAL magic, and they want her to join them.

She goes along with them and is soon thrown into a world full of lies, betrayal, death and despair.

There are quite a few shocking moments, some that are even quite hard to read, as there are some severe deaths and horrific scenes that Ava has to watch/go through. The competition to become an ‘immortal’ magician, is incredibly brutal.

When we first meet Xander, Ava’s love interest from the start, I really liked him and thought he was sweet. I had this feeling however, that he wasn’t going to be exactly who we thought he was, so I wasn’t really surprised when things changed towards the end of the novel.

Roman, however, I LOVED from the beginning. Brooding, mysterious but with a sensitive side, I knew even when Ava thought he could be dangerous, that he was going to be a good guy. From the moment they met, he was the one I wanted Ava to end up with.

I also loved Ava’s friendships that she formed with Willow & Nadine (fellow competitors). It just shows that you can be in competition with someone and still be good friends.

The magic system (the entire world building really) was incredible, although quite simple, it was still very impressive, and to incorporate vampires with ‘immortal magicians’, and have them side by side, was really clever (if this doesn’t make sense, upon reading the book it will!).

There were some twists along the way, and one that I managed to guess early on, but it was still thrilling watching it unfold.

I also loved the little pop culture mentions throughout, Buffy is mentioned a lot!

The ending itself was wrapped up in a nice little bow too, as this is a standalone novel, you aren’t left with any questions, so I was very satisfied with it. Although I’m also kind of gutted it’s a standalone, as I’d definitely read more from these characters!

The ONLY thing that I would say is that I would have liked a little bit more in terms of romantic scenes/spice between Ava and Roman.

I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves vampires and magic related stories, and if you also enjoyed the likes of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval, then I’m sure you will enjoy this!

I will definitely be picking up anything else that Margie has written now!

5/5 stars

Synopsis
‘With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.

Okay, so Tahereh is fast becoming one of my favourite fantasy authors! She’s blown me away yet again with this brilliant and gripping story, full of sexual tension and mystery.

Alizeh is yet again, a clever and badass heroine, determined not to let Cyrus or Iblees take advantage of her. But yet, she still wants to help lead her people, so the offer of marriage to Cyrus so she can become Queen, is a temptation.

Throughout this novel, you see her with conflicting emotions towards Cyrus, as one minute he is threatening her life, and the next, he is being incredibly genuine and kind towards her. I truly believe that he is not going to be as bad a person as the rumours within Ardunia have made him out to be, and in all honesty, I actually think him and Alizeh would be amazing together (the sexual tension between them is incredible, and I’m DYING for the next novel to see what happens between them).

On the other hand, I also absolutely love Kamran, and I felt incredibly sorry for him throughout book #2, as he struggled knowing who he could trust and whether Alizeh had betrayed him. It was also very intriguing seeing them explore the magic within Kamran, and why his skin is now suddenly covered in gold.

I think I am leaning more towards Cyrus & Alizeh as endgame at the moment as he had a lot more interaction with Alizeh within this book, but I am torn between who I would actually like her to end up with, they’re both very good love interests.

I definitely think Kamran’s Mother has a lot more involvement in the story than we were first lead to believe too, and I hope this is explored in book #3.

The ending left you on a cliff-hanger yet again, so I am now desperate for Tahereh to give us some ideas on a release date soon as I NEED to read it!! (even just the title of the next book would satiate me, for now!).

Overall, yet another smash hit from Tahereh, and I now need to read the Shatter Me series to continue this brilliant fantasy ride!

5/5 stars

Synopsis
‘To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

Fantasy is a genre that I find pretty hit and miss; it takes a lot for me to concentrate most of the time due to the ridiculous amount of unnecessary descriptive text and background info. However, This Woven Kingdom was not like this in the slightest. Mafi had me hooked from the start with her immersive and cleverly built world.

Alizeh is a brilliant MC & heroine, plays her part of the weak servant girl to fit in and go under the radar, but in reality, she’s a badass with incredible resilience and strength. I loved watching her story pan out, with plenty of mishaps on the way.

Kamran is a great love interest and secondary MC, who although I think fell in love with Alizeh way too quickly (first sight of her really), was incredibly protective of her and believed her to be good throughout, an even went against his own flesh and blood to protect her.

There are a couple of characters that I’m still unsure of their intentions, including Hazan, but each character has a vital role to play, even that of a young boy whom tried to kill Alizeh at the very beginning.

The ending was shocking; plenty of twists and turns, including Alizeh showing some badass bravery again to protect Kamran.

I absolutely loved this book and found it completely thrilling throughout! Although it’s almost 500 pages long, I smashed through it as it was just SO GOOD.

5/5 stars

Synopsis
‘Six magicians. Two rivalries. One researcher. And a man who can walk through dreams. All must pick a side: do they wish to preserve the world—or destroy it? In this electric sequel to the viral sensation, The Atlas Six, the society of Alexandrians is revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way. But the cost of knowledge is steep, and as the price of power demands each character choose a side, which alliances will hold and which will see their enmity deepen?’

This is a brilliant dark academia novel, with action packed chapters and some very interesting characters!

I will admit, at times I was quite confused as to what was going on. There were moments when something major happened, and then the it skirted on to something else, leaving you hanging and desperate to find out what had just happened, and why. Obviously this is not an entirely bad thing, as it makes you read on!

Most of the characters were delved into more, my favourites being Nico & Tristan (also surprisingly Parisa!) and finding out a bit more about their past and personalities, really helped bring you into the novel and made you feel for those characters. The only character I didn’t really care for within this 2^nd book is Reina, as I felt she didn’t really have much of a role to play in this book (however, I’m thinking this is because she’ll play a big part in the 3^rd book!).

Dalton also had a fairly large role to play in this book, with his and Parisa’s relationship at the forefront, and keeping secrets from Atlas. I think his character may be evolving into something dangerous, and that might also be a big part of book 3.

Libby was lost in 1989 for most of this book (hello Taylor Swift fans!) so it was interesting to see how she dealt with being in this almost ‘new’ world on her own, making friendships and relationships with new people (one of which was a character also in the ‘now’).

Time passed very quickly within this novel (did a whole year pass? I’m not sure) so often you’d find that we’d skipped ahead a month or two and something entirely different to what you’d just read was happening. I think Blake has done this with the intention of keeping the book a little shorter, as otherwise it could have been 700+ pages long!

I think the baddies within this novel were good, with Tristan and Nico often banding together to fight them off, especially whilst they’re out trying to find Libby.

We are also briefly introduced to Tristan’s father, which I’m hoping is explored more in book 3, as those dynamics are VERY interesting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, not quite enough for 5 stars (mainly because the jargon confused me and sometimes the skipping ahead was annoying), but I’d really recommend it to anyone that enjoys Dark Academia, and science fiction!

Thanks again to Black Crow PR for letting me take part in the blog tour!

4/5 stars

 Today is my turn on the book tour for this incredible novel! Thank you so much to Black Crow PR for allowing me to take part and sending me a review copy!

Synopsis

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the little boy’s secret and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.’

 Wow.

This is the first novel by Klune that I’ve read, and holy hell it’s good!

I went into this novel not really knowing much about it, I didn’t read the synopsis, I just knew it had werewolves. So when we dove into the life of Ox, a young man living in a middle-of-nowhere town with an abusive Father and everyone treating him differently, I was intrigued to see how they fit in with the story.

When Ox meets the werewolves, he has no idea what they are. But he falls in with them like he’s known them his whole life, with Joe, the youngest, becoming his best friend. Things were slightly weird between them, with Joe being very protective, but I saw that as a cute friendship thing (young kids can be a bit possessive over their friends).

Then one day, Ox discovers who they really are, and becomes an integral part of their life and their pack (packpackpack).

I wasn’t expecting any romance within this book, I thought it was just going to be family and friendship, so when Ox & Joe started to become more than friends, I was a little taken aback (if you’ve seen Twilight/read the books, you’ll know Jacob ‘imprints’ on a youngster, and this feels quite similar, and Klune actually throws in a joke about it too).

I mean, their love for each other is incredible, and after reading the book, I can see why it was needed, but the age gap initially was a little weird.

For anyone that has read this book already, what are your thoughts on the ‘Love’ chapter?! Shocking, incredibly detailed, and FUCKING HOT went through my head!! I had to have a break from the novel after this chapter to cool down!! I think it’s probably the most graphic sex scene I’ve ever read before, and it was impressive to say the least!

I loved the antagonistic element of the novel; it actually felt purposeful and was cleverly done. I’ve read a lot of fantasy books, and sometimes there’s a baddie involved that is destroyed within seconds during the final battle, so it was nice to have it prolonged and they actually felt like a threat to the Bennetts.

I loved almost every single character within this book, each one of them having something that I could relate to, but my favourites were definitely Ox, Gordo, Carter & Kelly!

Now, I don’t want to go into too much detail as I implore you to just go ahead and read this incredible story, but I will say, that I’m in so deep, that I cannot wait for the release of the 2^nd book, and I’m also going to go away and read the rest of Klune’s novels!

5/5 stars

I am very excited to be participating in the blog tour for the 2nd instalment of the Edinburgh Nights series by T L Huchu & thank you to Black Crow PR & Tor Books for providing me with a copy and for allowing me to take part!

Synopsis
'Ropa Moyo’s ghostalking practice has tanked, desperate for money to pay bills and look after her family she reluctantly accepts a job to look into the history of a coma patient receiving treatment at the magical private hospital Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments. The patient is a teenage schoolboy called Max Wu, and healers at the hospital are baffled by the illness which has confounded medicine and magic.

T L Huchu has brought the post-catastrophe Edinburgh to life again with this sequel to The Library of the Dead. Ropa Moyo is no longer charging for her Ghostalker services (her last adventure caused her a lot of problems) and is starting on the straight and narrow by getting a 'real job'. But when her best friend Priya asked her to help solve the mystery of the terribly ill teenage boy at her hospital, she gets taken down another dangerous road.

I absolutely love Ropa's character, she is feisty, brash and full of vigour, determined to make something of herself so she can provide for her family. Her street smart and language is brilliant, it really brings her character to life.
I also adore Priya, who doesn't let her disability stop her from being an absolutely badass, and I certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her and that magic she wields!

The world that Huchu has creating is incredible; completely immersive, I could picture all of the places that Ropa went in detail, and I could really see this series making a brilliant a tv show!

I really enjoyed finding out more information around the magical history of Edinburgh, as well as learning more about her Gran (who might not be as innocent as we first thought). 

Whilst the action within this novel I found was not as scary or 'dangerous' for Ropa as the first instalment, the mystery surrounding the ghost and the topiary creatures that come to life, bring some brilliant fight scenes and an element of uncertainty. 

Overall, Huchu has given us another brilliantly clever and unique story which kept me completely immersed! 

4/5 stars 

 I am super excited to be participating in the Random Things Tours Book Tour for the new novel, King of Battle and Blood by the wonderful Scarlett St.Clair!

Synopsis
‘Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. 
But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court.
Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.
The answer will shatter her world.’

I was absolutely hooked on this novel from start to finish.
It has just the right amount of angst, sex, hunger and violence to satiate my adult fantasy craving, and I cannot wait for book two! 

This is the first novel I have read by Scarlett, and now I am desperate to read her Greek Mythology series!

Isolde is a badass heroine with thick thighs which I absolutely love; instead of your stereotypical skinny female. I felt I could picture myself as her more (which was VERY nice when reading the spicy scenes!!).

I loved Adrian from the start. I didn’t ever really see him as a baddie once we’d been introduced to him, as he was so chivalrous and kind towards Isolde. Every time they were both alone together it got my pulse racing ready for their next tryst. The spice started quite early on and I can’t believe how brilliantly written it is!

Adrian’s love and adoration for Isolde is incredible, and I really felt that he could not live without her.

Without any spoilers because I encourage you all to read this book, there is a brilliant twist that I’m proud to say I guessed quite near the beginning of the novel, but didn’t know just to what extent it was! 

It is very clever and I am just so incredibly honoured to have received a copy of this wonderful book and goodies via Black Crow PR to take part in the blog tour, so thank you!

Overall, a sexy enemies to lovers dark fantasy romance novel which I really enjoyed, and can’t recommend enough!

5/5 stars