Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 592

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 8th of March 2018 

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers - and her growing feelings for an enemy.

What I Have to Say 

This book took my breath away. The cover alone is so beautiful and I've been so excited to read it. I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint. The book inside is just as powerful and amazing as the cover. Zélie was a fantastic character to start off with, I loved her from the first page. She may just want to be left in peace at the start, but she soon becomes a force to be reckoned with. A fantastic role model for any young girl, but a desperately needed one for Black teenagers everywhere who can see themselves in a role model that is as powerful and brilliant as Katniss, Tris or any other of the characters who have been out there for white girls for years. 

The magic and the story of the book were just as beautiful as the characters. There was so much that I didn't expect to happen in this book and I enjoyed every twist and turn. I loved the magic system and the entire setting. I loved the way they rode big cats into battle, the images conjured up of the characters being chased by people riding giant snow leopards. Escaping on their own stead. It was unique and felt so right for the story that was being told. 

There is so much in this book that I adored that it would take days to write it all out. But it's also a book and setting that has so much potential to go further. I can't wait for the next book to see more from this world. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Macmillon for providing me with this copy of review. 

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 459

Publisher: HQ Young Adult 

Released: 17th of May 2018 

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…

and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. 

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Trigger Warnings: Gambling, mentions of drug use and prostitution. 

What I Have to Say 

Though this didn't stick out as much as some of the other books that have similar topics and themes, I did thoroughly enjoy the story. Levi and Enne were fantastic characters. I loved Enne so much, the mystery surrounding her, the way she got to grips with the City of Sin so quickly despite being so naive when she firsts arrives. 

Although I took to Levi at first, it really really was Enne who stole the book for me. I can't wait to find out more about her and what she does next. 

The plot also was thrilling. It gripped me pretty quickly and drew me straight into the city, seeing it through Enne's eyes was the perfect way to get to grips with it quickly. It was so immersive and a joy to read. 

There are so many of books about sin and debauchery around at the moment. The seedy underbelly of Fantasy worlds being explored and enjoyed and this is definitely a good addition to the genre. 

My thanks go to HQ and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Released: 14th of May 2018 

SOMEONE IS LIVING A LIE… BUT WHO?

Is it Lisa?

Haunted by a tragic past, all Lisa wants is a quiet life with her daughter, Ava. And when she meets a new man, things seem to be falling into place. But Lisa is hiding a secret so momentous it could shatter her entire world…

Is it Ava?

When sixteen-year-old Ava saves a young boy’s life, she becomes a local hero. But never in a million years could she have anticipated the fallout of her actions…

Is it Marilyn?

Marilyn has the perfect life. Her husband, her job, her house—she seems to have it all. But she could never admit to her best friend Lisa the lies she tells herself to get through the day…

One moment will change these three women’s lives forever. And the secrets they’ve been keeping could destroy them all.

Trigger Warnings: Child death, rape, child abuse, drug usage, forced drug usage. 

What I Have to Say 

It is impossible to predict the end of the book. Or even a few of the twists and turns that filled the pages. It was thought out so well,  written in such a way that you find yourself thinking you know what's going on, only to find out that the author has other ideas. It kept my eyes on the page the whole time reading it, not wanting to wait another second to find out what came next. 

Even though parts of this book were hard to read, I enjoyed it overall. I love a good mystery and I love a book that pulls out the carpet of what you think you know from underneath you. This is definitely my definition of a perfect thriller. 

The characters were interesting too. I felt worried at the start because the two adult characters, Marilyn and Lisa weren't the sort of characters I tend to like reading about, but as they got caught up in the events of the book and all the secrets hidden in their lives started to come out, I was hooked. 

If you're looking for something to read this bank holiday weekend you could do worse than a book by Sarah Pinborough.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review. 

Clean by Juno Dawson

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 399

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 5th of April 2018 

I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom.

She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... 

It's a dirty business getting clean ... 

What I Have to Say 

With every book she writes, Juno Dawson reaches new heights. She's long been one of the top writers in the UK YA book scene, but every time I pick up a book by her, she surprises me with just how amazing her writing is. Hers are books that sweep you away and take you on adventures that can be so far removed, but also extremely relatable to your own life. And even while anticipating the thrill of reading her latest book, nothing prepares you for what you'll encounter. 

Clean was a gritty, relatable and an extremely wild ride. Dawson pulled no punches in describing everything awful about recovery and drug addiction, but also introduced us to a sensitive and lost girl, who just needs to find her place in the world. The layers of Lexi's personality, from spoilt, drug-addicted heiress to the determined, caring girl beneath were detailed and constantly surprising. From not thinking I would like Lexi much, I found that I was rooting for her withing a few chapters. Because it is impossible not to want this girl to succeed. 

I loved the range of other characters as well. The exclusive rehab island offered up a lot of potential for different characters there for different types of therapy and treatment, from all types of addiction to bullimia and anorexia. It gave the background cast of Lexi's story life and diversity and a small glimpse of other issues. 

It would be great to have a sequel. I want to see what becomes of Lexi after the ending of the book. It would perhaps be interesting to delve into the story of a different person on the island receiving treatment and have Lexi as a background character. 

Whether there's any more Lexi in our future or not, I cannot wait to see what Juno brings us next. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this copy for review. 

Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 17th of May 2018 

'I was getting almost as good at running away from enemies as I was at making them in the first place. Turns out, I wasn't running nearly fast enough.'

Kellen has begun to master his spellslinging and the Argosi tricks for staying alive, and he and Reichis have found a career that suits them both: taking down mercenary mages who make people's lives miserable. But Ferius is concerned that Kellen is courting 

disaster . . .

What I Have to Say 

I could easily read a million of books in this series without tiring of them. There's always something more to explore, something new that Kellen and the others have to face and more secrets to reveal. I love all the characters and how various people pop up on Kellen's path who he's met or knew before. This book brings back a few names we thought we'd never see again in completely unexpected ways. 

The future however seems to be heating up for Kellen. While I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, I do feel that it might be nearing a conclusion. All good things come to an end and all that. I'm sad to think of never hearing from Kellen and Ferius and Reichis again, but then there is so much more to explore in the world, so maybe there'll be stories from the other people living in his world. 

That is possibly the only letdown in this series is that because of the nature of Kellen's path, we never stay in one country or city long enough to really explore it or the culture. It's a shame but it's the nature of the books. 

I can't wait to see what happens next for Kellen and the gang. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 480 

Publisher: Orion's Children's Books 

Released: 22nd of March 2018 

Leigh Chen Sanders is sixteen when her mother dies by suicide, leaving only a scribbled note: 'I want you to remember'. Leigh doesn't know what it means, but when a red bird appears with a message, she finds herself travelling to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time.

Leigh is far away from home and far away from Axel, her best friend, who she stupidly kissed on the night her mother died - leaving her with a swell of guilt that she wasn't home, and a heavy heart, thinking she may have destroyed the one good thing left in her life.

Overwhelmed by grief, Leigh retreats into her art and into her memories, where colours collide and the rules of reality are broken. The only thing Leigh is certain about is that she must find out the truth. She must remember.

What I Have to Say 

A beautiful moving book about family and the past, a vivid picture of Taiwanese culture and at least 50% of the reason I decided to learn Mandarin, this book is something truly, truly special. It showed the grieving process that Leigh goes through and the impact of her mother's suicide in a very real way but without making it overwhelming or triggering for the reader. Painting it with colours and isolation and the magical realism of the bird. 

The way that Leigh's grief is painted turns it to more of an adventure, chasing the bird and exploring her family and Tawainese heritage. It doesn't hide the harsh realities any more than Leigh's grief does, bringing them crashing down on her and her families head, as is always inevitable. 

It's very hard to truly express how very special this book is, but it is definitely on list of books to push on everyone I know. 

My thanks go to Orion Children's Books and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 389 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 6th of March 2018 

Marilyn is in search of freedom. She grew up as a child actor, her mother's meal ticket out of mediocrity. But it's been a long time since she booked a job, and she and her mother have no choice but to move in with her volatile uncle. Marilyn is counting down the days until she can escape to college, and the promise of her own future. That is, until she falls in love with James, the boy downstairs, who shows her that her life is worth living in the present. At 17, Marilyn is about to learn that everything can change in an instant.

Angie is in search of answers. She is mixed race and has never met her father, but she knows she looks and thinks a lot like him. Though Angie grew up with her devoted mother, Marilyn, she's always felt the absence of the man she never knew. But after discovering that her mother has been lying to her, Angie sets off on a road trip to Los Angeles, in search of an unknown uncle - and maybe even her dad. At 17, she hopes to finally find out the truth about where she came from so she can discover who she truly is.

What I Have to Say 

This was a fascinating story about the longing for identity and the secrets of the past. The only thing was that every time I got into a thread of the story, it switched back to the other thread. Though I liked both of the threads and Marilyn and Angie were both great characters, it just jarred me every time it switched. 

I got into it more as I got further into the book though and it felt less jarring. The best thing about it was the romance. Marilyn's relationship with James felt so very real, which is something that I don't find often with book romance. And Marilyn as a character was so great and vivid. She felt like someone I just wanted to know more and more about. 

Angie felt less detailed, but what I liked about her story was the sense of loss she felt at never knowing her father, never knowing anything about her father. Throughout the book she was searching for an identity that was so lacking throughout her childhood and was emphasised to her every time someone pointed out she didn't look like her mother. 

I look forward to reading more of Dellaira's books. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.

Storm-wake by Lucy Christopher

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Chicken House 

Released: 5th of April 2018

Moss has grown up on the strangest and most magical of islands. Her father has a plan to control the tempestuous weather that wracks the shores. But the island seems to have a plan of its own once Callan -- a wild boy her age -- appears on its beaches. Her complex feelings for Callan shift with every tide, while her love for the island, and her father, are thrown into doubt...

And when one fateful day, a young man from the outside world washes up on the beach, speaking of the Old World, nothing will ever be the same.

What I Have to Say 

Lucy Christopher's beautiful writing, combined with her imaginative retake of The Tempest make a beautiful book that's perfect for anyone looking to escape to a beautiful island full of dark secrets. I loved the characters, so connected to their Shakespearean counterparts but also so unique and full of life. 

I loved the close friendship between Moss and Callan, the way they were so close that they belonged to each other in a way that if there had been other children around, probably wouldn't have been the case. It was a unique relationship and so interesting to explore, especially when other people are added to the picture. 

This is the kind of book that makes you want to read it a few times. There's so much detail in the book and so many secrets that come out, meaning that there's so much more to pick up on in the second reading. I'm looking forward to a second and maybe even a third reading. 

My thanks go to the Chicken House for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 266

Publisher: Candlewick Press 

Released: 8th of May 2018 

i am the girl manny loves. the girl who writes our story in the book of flying. i am alice.

Alice is fifteen, with hair as red as fire and skin as pale as bone. Something inside Alice is broken: she remembers words, but struggles to speak them. Still, Alice knows that words are for sharing, so she pins them to posters in tucked-away places: railway waiting rooms, fish-and-chips shops, quiet corners. Manny is sixteen, with a scar from shoulder to elbow. Something inside Manny is broken, too: he once was a child soldier, forced to do terrible, violent things. But in a new land with people who care for him, Manny explores the small town on foot. And in his pocket, he carries a poem he scooped up, a poem whose words he knows by heart. The relationship between Alice and Manny will be the beginning of love and healing. And for these two young souls, perhaps, that will be good enough.

What I Have to Say 

It took me a while to get into this. Alice's voice was very interesting and I liked her use of words, but especially in the first few chapters and the poems were hard to understand, but after I got into it, it became much easier. It was definitely a unique voice, with a playful use of words that really showed Alice's character, that despite her struggles with words being a result of her brain injury, she has found a way to own it and make it her unique way of speaking. 

 I felt that the story was a bit lacking through most of the book. The fact that Manny and Alice didn't even meet properly until quite a way through the book meant that the first half was just them wondering about one another and not much really happened. 

I really got into the book by the end though and the finale was very good and quite gripping. I only wish that the rest of the book could have been as satisfying plot wise. 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with this copy for review. 

Bookish Boyfriends: A Date With Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Amulet Paperbacks 

Released: 1st of May 2018 

Boys are so much better in books. At least according to Merrilee Campbell, fifteen, who thinks real-life chivalry is dead and there’d be nothing more romantic than having a guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories. Then she, her best friend, Eliza, and her younger sister, Rory, transfer to Reginald R. Hero Prep—where all the boys look like they've stepped off the pages of a romance novel. Merri can hardly walk across the quad without running into someone who reminds her of Romeo. 

When the brooding and complicated Monroe Stratford scales Merri’s trellis in an effort to make her his, she thinks she might be Juliet incarnate. But as she works her way through her literature curriculum under the guidance of an enigmatic teacher, Merri’s tale begins to unfold in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Merri soon realizes that only she is in charge of her story. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that first impressions can be deceiving . . . 

What I Have to Say 

This was just the book I was in the mood to read. It was a nice light contemporary filled with boy drama and bookish daydreams. It explored different types of romance and the realities of book romance versus how it works in real life, showing that dramatic gestures that are made in books are often over the top and just plain embarrassing in real life. 

I found the characters all very interesting and very quickly grew to love Merrilee, her friends and her sisters very much. I can't wait to read more in this story. I want to know about some of the stories that were hinted at during the book and I hope that we can learn more about Trent and Lilly in the next book and how they met as well as Rory'story which I definitely want to find out about. 

The only criticism I have is that for a character who is supposed to read all the time and be obsessed with book romance, not only had she not read Pride and Prejudice before (let alone not even knowing the story, especially since Darcy is one of the most talked about love interests, which Merrilee knew nothing about), but she didn't read much at all through the whole book. For a girl who started off not being able to put her book down for long enough to get dress, she then barely read anything that wasn't for school for the rest of the book. 

Still, I'm really looking forward to the next book. I want a whole series of people being steered towards their stories. It's a wonderful idea. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and ABRAMS kids for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 512

Publisher: Penguin 

Released: 3rd of May 2018 

A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict. 

In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.

As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize?

What I Have to Say 

I enjoyed this a lot more than Half Bad, not that Half Bad wasn't a good book, but I found out that the voice put me off it a lot so I couldn't really get into it. With The Smoke Thieves though, it was in Third person and so much easier to get into. 

I loved the characters so much. Each character was so strong and it was great to see them coming from such different places and coming together in various ways. I think though I might have been more interested in hearing from the Prince that Catherine was engaged to though, because I would love to know his side of things, though it might have made for too many character's viewpoints because it was already quite a lot to follow. 

The story was so engrossing and I can't wait for the next book to come out. I want to see how everything works out and which side of things everyone ends up on. There's deception and allegiances and doubt and it really feels as though everything could change at any point. 

The next book is going to be very interesting to read. 

 

My thanks got to Netgalley and Penguin for sending me this copy for review. 

We Are Young by Cat Clarke

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 3rd of May 2018 

On the same night Evan's mother marries local radio DJ 'Breakfast Tim', Evan's brand-new step-brother Lewis is found unconscious and terribly injured, the only survivor of a  horrific car crash.

A media furore erupts, with the finger of blame pointed firmly at stoner, loner Lewis. Everyone else seems to think the crash was drugs-related, but Evan isn't buying it. With the help of her journalist father, Harry, she decides to find out what really happened that night.

As Evan delves deeper into the lives of the three teenagers who died in the crash, she uncovers some disturbing truths and a secret that threatens to tear her family - and the community - apart for ever... 

What I Have to Say  

This book was great but definitely not one if you're not into dark books. The tagline on the cover sums it up perfectly, the further you read into this book the darker and darker it gets and considering that it starts with a very gory car accident, that's pretty dark. 

At it's heart though, this is a book about family. It's about how family can be pulled together or pulled apart and how important it is for a family to support and trust each other, no matter what. Throughout the book, you see Evan getting closer to her step-brother, Lewis, as hard as that is, as she supports him at the hospital and tries to uncover the truth behind the crash. 

This was a great mystery and showed some really interesting and easy to like characters. It was a really great read but not for the faint of heart. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Quercus for sending me this copy for review. 

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400 

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books  

Released: 3rd of May 2018

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world.

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

What I Have to Say 

Alice Oseman has proved once again that she writes great books, books that challenge perceptions and bring important issues to light. This book was a very insightful look on Fandom and the different sides of it. I felt she really showed all the different sides of fandom, the perception of it from outside, from inside, the different types of fans and some of the more worrying reasons that people turn to fandom. She managed to write a book that showed what goes in inside the heads of superfans without ignoring the bad or the good. 

Jimmy was a really interesting character. Through Jimmy Oseman showed anxiety at it's worse and she wasn't afraid to show it realistically. A lot of books try to pretty up anxiety showing it in a way that may be more palatable to the reader, but doesn't show truly how bad it can get. And while I did find some of Jimmy's part of the book a little hard to read, as a sufferer of pretty bad anxiety, I can attest that there is nothing in the book that wasn't a real thing that many people go through every day.

 I worry that people will see it as immature and over the top, but the fact is that a lot of people view anxiety attacks as immature and over the top, because we're a society that values a tampering down of emotions and showing extreme emotions such as those that come in a panic attack or the other things that Oseman showed Jimmy feeling throughout the book are seen as immature in today's society. 

I also liked the fact that there wasn't one part of fandom that Oseman didn't look into. She showed the pressure of fame and how it can bring those in the spotlight a lot of stress and pain and cause them to resent or fear their fans. She looked at the two sides of fandom as a group, those that didn't care who they hurt and the ones who would protect the band no matter what it took. She showed the friendship and happiness that being part of a fandom, part of /something/ can bring and she showed how people can let fandom consume their life due to problems or worries in their own lives. 

I loved all the characters in this book and as always, how real Oseman's writing in. I hope you all do too. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this copy for review. 

Hiatus update

I feel I should write something explaining my long absence. I'm sorry I didn't post a notice before, but things went a bit bad for me and I wasn't up to it.

As those who read my reviews may know, I suffer from anxiety and depression, amongst other things and basically some stuff happened that sent my mental health spiralling out of control.

I'm trying to resume regular reviews now, but there may be a few missed dates in my schedule if I'm not feeling well enough to post a review.

My apologies to the publishers who have sent me books in exchange for honest reviews, I promise that all the books I have received that were meant to be reviewed during my absence will be reviewed, it just may take me some time to catch up with everything.