Review ~ The Iron Traitor ~ Julie Kagawa

Title:  The Iron Traitor

Author: Julie Kagawa

Published: 1^st November 2013

By: Harlequin Teen

Source: netgalley

First line: My name is Ethan Chase.

Last line: Spoiler, sorry!

I was in a bit of a YA reading slump when I read this for the first time and so I decided to go back and read it again before I wrote my review.  I’m so glad I did!  Had I written it as soon as I’d read it my review would probably have been a tad jaded and unfairly so.  Now that I’ve found my reading mojo and re-read my love for all things fey is back in full swing and my love for all the characters that Kagawa has created is back with a bang!

The Iron Traitor (loving the cover) picks up exactly where The Lost Prince ends but already things are afoot.  Ethan and Kenzie are back home, although Kenzie has not exactly returned unscathed, not surprising considering her health, Ethan is trying to justify Todd’s current state of mind to the authorities and as much as Ethan might be seeking normality it’s kind of clear that’s not gonna happen.

This becomes reality almost immediately when Meghan informs Ethan that Keirran has gone missing.  Add to that the arrival of Annwyl who appears in Ethan’s room and you know that the chaos in Ethan’s life is about to go into overdrive. In short Annwyl is fading away and Keirran is prepared to do anything he can to make sure that the girl he loves hangs around.  You can’t help but see the similarities between father and son and as erratic as Keirran’s behaviour is sometimes you can see that Ethan understands him.  Whilst he doesn’t state it you know if the opportunity arises he would do the same for Kenzie.

The second instalment of this series creates further division between The Call of the Forgotten series and The Iron Fey series which works really well.  Kagawa has embraced the peripheral characters in this book and filled them out so the cast of players seems deeper and richer.  I loved Annwyl and her relationship with Keirran which is so sad at times.  The same can be said for Ethan and Kenzie.  I really felt for both of them.  Kenzie is determined that her illness won’t affect her desire for adventure and Ethan is determined to wrap her in cotton wool as much as he can, even lying to her and potentially ruining their relationship if necessary.  Whilst there is a definite split now between the Fey series there are still plenty of appearances from the regular favourites, most notably Ash (sigh!), Meghan, Puck and Grim.

This book does have more of a middle book feel to it than Kagawa’s books usually do but having re-read and thought about it I can see how a larger story is set out over the course of the three instalments. In this tale we see how far Keirran is prepared to go to protect his own and by the end there are a couple of revelations that leave you reeling.  As for the final few pages – well!  Not liking The Lady BTW. The only thing frustrating about finishing this book is the knowledge that I’ll have to wait another year before I get some kind of closure! 

On the plus side, at the end of the book there’s also an excerpt from The Forever Song which makes me so happy!

4/5 Started off unsure and ended up loving it!  Can’t wait for the next instalment!

Stacking the Shelves #70

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your  shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Clicking on a book title will take you to goodreads.

Some amazing books added to the shelves this week!  Bungle got a copy of  Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber which looks absolutely amazing!  Sally got her hands on one of her most anticipated books of 2013 this week when Allegiant, #3 of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth landed on her doorstep.  We can't believe it's time to say goodbye to this series!  Sally in particular is going to be missing Four. A lot! She also got Teardrop, the first instalment in the new series by Lauren Kate.  We loved the Fallen series by Lauren and she's been a fantastic contributor to our Christmas special over the last couple of years so we can't wait to see what she's been up to since she said goodbye to Luce and Daniel. Sally also got a copy of The White Stag by Linden Flynn.  The White Stag is the first instalment of the fantasy series A Knight's Game.  We'll be posting a review in the near future. 

Stacking The Shelves #69

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your  shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Clicking on a book will take you to goodreads.

 

Bungle's Shelves

This week our Stacking The Shelves is just the one book but we think you'll agree it's a fab one! I was sent a copy of Panic by Lauren Oliver at the bookshop which was unexpected but happily received! Sal has spent the last two weeks writing, I'm hoping when she's a published author she doesn't forget about me, I naturally want first edition signed copies of her books :) I've been crazy busy with work but I found time to by a new car, I had to buy something considering I've been good and not bought books in a week :D

 

 

Panic~ Lauren Oliver ~ unsolicited

 

 

So just the one fab book this week, now off to look what you have been sent/bought this week.

Happy reading everyone :)

 

 

 

Stacking The Shelves #68

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your  shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Clicking on a book will take you to goodreads.


   

Taste of Darkness ~ Maria V. Snyder ~ netgalley
Unbreakable ~ Kami Garcia ~ bought
Cracked ~ Eliza Crewe ~ unsolicited

    

Lips Touch ~ Laini Taylor ~ for review
Half Bad ~ Sally Green ~ unsolicited
Let It Snow ~ John Green ~ Maureen Johnson ~ Lauren Myracle ~ bought

 

Angel Fever ~ L.A. Weatherly ~ bought

So as you can see we had a really good week in books :) Sally was more than excited to get a galley of Taste of Darkness and is really looking forward to Unbreakable. Bungle was so excited to get a copy of Lips Touch. We are big Laini Taylor fans here at Midnight Reads and Bungle can't wait to read this one! Both Cracked and Half Bad were unexpected books for Bungle this week, she actually got 2 copies of Half Bad so of course 1 is being sent to Sal. Cracked was of one of her favourite reps at the bookshop who she hasn't seen for such a long time but she'd so happy he popped in. Bungle bought Angle Fever to complete her trilogy and Let It Snow which she might just save for her Christmas read ;)

So that's it from us this week, brilliant books we think. We hope you have got some exciting new reads and we're off to have a look now.
Happy reading everyone :)

 

Stacking The Shelves #67

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngs's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your  shelves, may they be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

We love sharing our books with you each week but more importantly we loving see what you add to your shelves. Clicking on a book will take you to goodreads.

 

 

   

 

The Visitors ~ Rebecca Mascull ~ unsolicited

Unspoken ~ Sarah Rees Brennan ~ audio for review via Audiogo
Perfect Ruin ~ Lauren DeStefano ~ bought

As you can see we've had a change of format for our STS which has been inspired by other blogs but mainly by Much Loved Books. We think it's a lot simpler and cleaner and easy to see everything. Books this week belong to Bungle and Sally. Bungle has already started listening to Unspoken and is enjoying it so far. Even though Sally was left emotionally crushed by the Chemical Garden trilogy she's giving DeStefano's new series a read in the hope the emotions are not toyed with as much.

That's it from us this week. It's Bungle's birthday so she's off to eat cake drink tea and is saving the reading for bed. Sally is reading and might just have to eat cake in honour of Bungle's birthday.

 

Review: Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Title: Belle Époque
Author: Elizabeth Ross
Published: September 2013
Released by: Hot Key Books
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 stars

Opening line: "Perfect, just perfect," says the stout man.

Closing line: This is my time, my beautiful era, my belle époque.

goodreads:
When sixteen-year-old Maude runs away to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Increasingly desperate for money, she answers a mysterious advert: 'Young Women Wanted for Undemanding Work. Apply In Person To The Durandeau Agency.' But the work is very strange indeed. Maude discovers she is to be a repoussoir - an ugly young woman hired by Parisian socialites to enhance their beauty.

Maude is humiliated - but faced with destitution, what choice does she have? Quickly (and secretly) selected as the perfect companion for the Countess Dubern's daughter Isabelle, Maude is thrown into a decadent world full of parties, glamour and astonishing cruelty. Maude finds that academic Isabelle is equally disenchanted with the Parisian social scene, and the girls form a tight bond. But when bohemian artist Paul and the handsome Duke d'Avaray are introduced into the girls' lives, their friendship will be tested to its limits. The girls are about to discover the true meaning of being beautiful...

I requested Belle Époque from the publishers because firstly it has a beautiful cover and secondly it's set in Paris and that was enough for me! I also loved the sound of the book which always helps. To be honest I wasn't sure what to expect from this story as it sounded very different to anything I had read before but it was a lovely surprise and it's a book I'd happily recommend it to customers at the shop.

The story follows Maude as she is takes on the job of "repoussoir" to survive her new life in Paris. A repoussoir is a person hired by another woman to enhance their beauty and make them stand out, you are hired on account of your ugliness. I thought the idea was so interesting and as I was reading I couldn't help but think of those kind of people who actually surround themselves with people they don't see as pretty as them or as any kind of threat. It also made me think about brides who have people in their wedding party that they think won't out do them! It's actually all around us this idea of repoussoir but people are just not paying for it.

Unbeknown to Isabelle, Maude is hired as her repoussoir and I loved their relationship. With Maude you more or less get what you see but Isabelle is a really interesting and has two sides to her, obviously one you hate and one you love. I love the time the girls spend together and the secrets they share and I'm so happy with how things turned out between the two.

Now no story these days is complete without some kind of love interest and we get little snippets of one with Maude and Paul. But this is where my only niggle with the book lies, we don't see enough of the two together and although there are hints that the two will become an item it's just not enough.

I really liked the style of Ross' writing, I felt like I was in Paris and she truly bought things to life for me. As I said I would happily recommend this book to others and I will be sure to read anything Ross writes in the future!!

Waiting On Wednesday #3 Dreams of Gods & Monsters

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

 

 

 

Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Laini Taylor

 

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theatre that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

 

 

 

Review: Soulmates by Holly Bourne

Title: Soulmates
Author: Holly Bourne
Published: September 2013
Released by: Usborne
Source: Publisher
Rating 2.5 stars

First line: It started just like any other day, with the sun rising.

Last line: And then there are the times when the only appropriate thing to do is stop crying, let it go, with light and love in your heart, and to continue living your life to the best of your ability.

goodreads says:
Every so often, two people are born who are the perfect matches for each other. Soulmates. But while the odds of this happening are about as likely as being struck by lightning, when these people do meet and fall in love…thunderstorms, lightning strikes and lashings of rain are only the beginning of their problems.

Enter Poppy, the 17-year-old cynic with a serious addiction to banana milk, and Noah, the heart-throb guitarist; residents of mediocre Middletown, sometime students, and…soulmates.

After a chance meeting at a local band night, Poppy and Noah find themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. But with a secret international agency preparing to separate them, a trail of destruction rumbling in their wake, (and a looming psychology coursework deadline), they are left with an impossible choice between the end of the world, or a life without love...

As you can see from my rating I wasn't a massive fan of this book. The story is a massive 500 pager and about halfway through I got fed up and turned to the end and read the last chapter, I then did a lot of skim reading for the second half. I really wanted to love the book as I want to love every book I read. It's hard to give a low rating on someone's work, their pride and joy but we are all different and have different tastes and unfortunately Soulmates wasn't mine.

I liked the characters , Noah is a good enough hottie for the teenagers out there and I didn't mind Poppy to much, she was a typical teenager really. Some of the supporting cast were fun and gave the book a little more depth, but I wanted more!

Knowing that the world could potentially end if two Soulmates come together sounds like an awesome idea but I think Bourne could have given us more on the destruction side of things! We are given little snippets here and there about what happens when Noah & Poppy kiss, lights flicker, we see that when the kissing is hot and emotions raw we get some thunder, maybe some lights blow, some car crashes and so on but I don't think we get enough of this, as readers we needed to see more of what the consequences were and what could have really happened.
The science behind it all and the group that monitor the Soulmate situation was rather interesting, but again I think it could have been more developed. The whole story had so much potential but it just lacked here and there.

*SPOILER ALERT*
The ending was not what I wanted! It was really rushed considering how the rest of the book played out and it felt like it was over with in a mater of moments. And I really wasn't expecting the ending to be honest. I know other reads have loved this book and thought the ending was amazing but I can only come to the conclusion that at some point we are all expected to have our hearts ripped out and we are left with the message 'that it is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all'. And to be honest I'm not sure everyone really agrees with that!

I think maybe a little more cut-throat with the editing of this story would have really helped and I need to remember it's a debut. I'd happily read the authors next books as I believe she has a lot of potential!