Saturday 30 November 2013

Stacking The Shelves #75

Stacking the Shelves
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 Almost Girl



 Another fab looking book for B this week! She received a copy of The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard which was a fab surprise! Sally was particularly pleased this week when she received a galley of Enders by Lissa Price which is of course the sequel to the amazing Starters.She also received a copy of Splintered by A.G.Howard and Antigoddess by Kendare Blake.  Sal was a huge fan of the Anna Dressed in Blood series so has high hopes for this one. Finally Sally received a copy of Take me Home by Daniela Sacerdoti, author of Watch Over Me, the review for which can be found here.
So that's it from us this week, we're looking forward to seeing what you got too.

Saturday 23 November 2013

Stacking The Shelves #74

Stacking the Shelves
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 Lying Game (The Lying Game, #1)  Daylighters (The Morganville Vampires, #15)  Perfect Ruin (Internment Chronicles, #1)
The Rabbit Back Literature Society
 
 
The Lying Game ~ Sara Shepard ~ free ebook
Daylighters ~Rachel Caine ~ bought
Perfect Ruin ~ Lauren Destefano ~ gift from Michelle @ Much Loved Books
The Rabbit Back Literature Society ~ Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen ~ publisher
 
All books for Bungle this week. A massive thank you to Michelle over at Much Loved books for Perfect Ruin, I can't wait to get stuck in! I of course needed Daylighters in my life/book collection as it's the final in the Morganville series. The Lying Game was free so thought I wouldn't let it go to waste and The Rabbit Back Literature Society was up for grabs and work and I really liked the sound of it. Not heard too much about it but everyone seemed to want it.
 
Hope you got some great books too!? Happy reading.
 
 
 
 

Saturday 16 November 2013

Stacking the shelves #73

Stacking the Shelves
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.


                 

RoomiesBeyond the Night (Envy Chronicles, #1)The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)




Sally did particularly well this week.  She grabbed a whole load of new books from netgalley.  This week she picked up Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton, The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorenson, Bittersweet Magic by Nina Croft and Bitter Fruits by Sarah Daltry. Bungle didn't do to bad either, this week she was sent a copy of Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando (unsolicited), she bought a copy of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which was just £1.49 on ibooks! She also got a free copy of Beyond The Night by Colleen Gleason via ibooks. 

So that's it from us!  What did you get this week?


Thursday 14 November 2013

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire trailer.

OK, so if you haven't already seen this at least once, where have you been? We at Midnight Reads are a caring bunch and were concerned that amongst our fellow book-lovers there may be some of you who have been on holiday and didn't know that this magnificent beast of a trailer was out yet.  There may be others among you who, like myself, just can't get enough of the whole shabang!

The trailer for Catching Fire is, I have to say, amazing! One of the best things about The Hunger Games was that they tried (within the time constraints imposed on them) to stay as faithful to the book as they could and whilst I did have a few gripes about story changes (as any self-confessed geek would) I felt that out of all of the books turned film it was the best adaptation so far.  Now I've seen the trailer for Catching Fire I think we can say the same for instalment two! I'm so looking forward to this film!

Enough of me droning on.  Let's take another look at the trailer...*squeals*


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is released on the 22nd November 2013.



Wednesday 13 November 2013

Review ~ The White Stag ~ Linden Flynn


Title: The White Stag

Author: Linden Flynn

Published: 29th August 2013

By: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Source: A free galley of this book was supplied by the author

First line: The keep was not burning down, but men were rushing about as if it were.

Last line: Spoiler! No can do!



Synopsis: Win and become the King. Lose your armor, lose your life. A kingdom in chaos, and countless men dead. When Cypress emerges from her village in the forest to seek her fate in the outside lands, she doesn't bargain on becoming part of the realm's politics with the Knight's Game. Twelve men were chosen for the Game, each with his own symbol, and the last one standing becomes the next King. One man wears the sigil of the white stag, an unearthly being from Cypress' own forest, that draws her into a world she never dreamed of. But when Cypress comes face to face with her spitting image, the father she never knew, she joins the Game to ensure his tyranny will not become law, all while hiding a secret that could get her killed - that she's a woman.

I love getting my hands on books written by Indie authors and The White Stag is no exception! From the outset Flynn begins to create a complex and well detailed world that instantly draws you in, providing enough detail that you are able to perfectly picture every scene and character.

It was nice to find a female protagonist, in this case Cypress, who is truly kick-ass but who still retains her own morals and opinions irrespective of those around her, particularly so given that she resides in a male dominated world.  There are various points during the book where Cypress’s perspective in certain situations begins to rub off on her male counterparts, but it’s certainly not a one way street, indeed there are times where they in turn affect the way that she thinks and this makes for an intriguing dynamic. Interesting too to see how characters react to her differently depending on whether they know her to be female or not, something which also becomes a source of frustration for her at time.  It is I think something she handles pretty well and her reaction certainly strikes a blow for the female protagonist.

As with all YA reads there is a romance element but it was pleasantly understated and was certainly secondary to the plotline.  There are a range of characters here that I really enjoyed reading about, particularly and whilst some remain faithful in their relationships others change allegiances when you least expect.  The switching between causes makes for a more unpredictable read, taking the plot away from the line you expect it to take and it was great to find a book that actually kept me on my toes instead of going through a box-ticking exercise.

The White Stag is the first instalment of the Knight’s Game series, however, unlike a lot of YA series it is a complete story within itself.  That said, the way that the book ends means that there are a plethora of stories for Flynn to tell.  I look forward to reading them!


4/5 If you like the kind of world that Maria V. Snyder creates then this book should sit very nicely on your shelf! A fab start to an intriguing new series!


Saturday 9 November 2013

Stacking the shelves #72

Stacking the Shelves
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.






Bungle got one book this week and it looks really good. Sally wants! She got The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine. Sally had a totally amazeballs week and got three of her most anticipated books of the year.  She got Champion by Marie Lu, which is the last in the Legend series, The Iron Traitor by the wonderful Julie Kagawa (you can find the review for The Iron Traitor here) and Sentinel, the last in the amazingly brilliant Covenant series by Jennifer L Armentrout.   The only question is which to read first...




Monday 4 November 2013

Review ~ Geist ~ Philippa Ballantine

Title: Geist

Author: Philippa Ballantine

Published: November 2010

By: Ace Fantasy

First line: It was good weather for a riot.

Last line: “You know where to find me, have you a need.”

Fave line: “Don’t you dare open Teisyat,” Merrick bellowed at her while the geist began to squeeze in on the shield of fire…
“I don’t like you that much,” Sorcha screamed in return.


This book was a bit of a find for me. While searching for books on Amazon, it came up as a suggested read. Usually I ignore them, but something struck me about the book, so I foolishly bought it not really expecting anything. Actually, I think I bought it because it was cheap, as I bought the sequels (Spectyr and Wraith) at the same time! When it arrived, it was an unprepossessing book; smaller in height than your average YA, with a mud-green cover that didn’t instil any sense of confidence in me. However, I was hooked after the first three pages…

In the city of Vermillion, home to the new Emperor of Arkayam, lies the Abbey. The Abbey’s residents are the ‘Deacons’ who use runes to detect and control ‘Geist’ activity; the leaking of spirits from the Otherworld, who enter the world and create havoc amongst the living.

Deacon’s are split into two types; Actives and Sensitives, who work in pairs. The Sensitives have the ability to detect Geist-activity, while the Actives battle the Geists, sending them back to the Otherworld. Very few Deacons have the ability to wield both Active and Sensitive powers.

Deacon Sorcha Faris is one of the Abbey’s strongest and most experienced Actives. A seasoned warrior, she regularly uses nine of the ten Active runes to battle Geists. The final rune, Teisyat, is rarely used, as it opens a large door to the Otherworld, so potentially Geists could enter the world through the Teisyat door. Sorcha is paired with her Sensitive husband, Kolya; the pairing makes them one of the most valuable and effective assets of the Abbey in controlling Geist-activity.

One day, Kolya detects major Geist movement in the city. Sorcha tries to reach him, but does not arrive in time. The Geist attacks Kolya (an attack against a Sensitive is almost unheard of), and Sorcha must open Teisyat to save him. Even so, Kolya is badly injured in the attack.

The leader of the Abbey, Arch Abbot Hastler, hears of major, unusual Geist-activity in Ulrich; a remote town of the Empire. He must send his strongest Deacons to investigate the incidents. As Kolya is still in hospital, he pairs Sorcha with an extremely talented, (although Novice) Sensitive Deacon, Merrick Chambers. Sorcha and Merrick set off on their mission, armed with the ten runes of the Active and the seven runes of the Sensitive. But Merrick has some secrets, and not just those of the Sensitive!

The old Emperor of Arkayam was banished years before, but his only grandson still lives; Raed, the ‘Young Pretender’ to the throne. There is a price on Raed’s head, so he must keep constantly on the move. His preferred mode of transport is by boat for reasons known only to himself and his selected confidents. Raed is in desperate need of supplies and to conduct repairs to his ship. He too makes his way to the remote town of Ulrich.

What I like most about the book is two of the main characters and the way the book is written. This sounds obvious I know, but Sorcha is not your usual YA heroine; she’s a cigar-smoking, slightly cynical, rune-wielding warrior in her 30s. Instead of viewing the story through her eyes, we are led through the plot by the Novice Merrick, discovering Sorcha’s world as he does. Merrick is our narrator in the third-person, but is also part of the audience, as we are.


5 Stars
Genevieve

Sunday 3 November 2013

Review ~ The Returned ~ Jason Mott

Title: The Returned

Author: Jason Mott

Published: 27th August 2013

By: Harlequin

Source: netgalley

First line: Harold opened the door that day to find a dark skinned man in a well-cut suit smiling at him.

Last line: Things were happening like this all over.


I'm not sure where to start with this book.  I guess I was initially drawn to the title as I was already watching the series of the same name.  Coincidentally there is a basic similarity in the premise of each but that is where the similarity ends.  

There are a series of small tales in this read which are woven ever so carefully around a main story and all relate to the re-emergence of deceased loved ones and their effect on one village in particular. It is the story of the return of Jacob that takes centre stage.  His childhood death in the 60's has understandably haunted his parents ever since, but his return has an even bigger impact, not just for his now aging parents but for the local society who are they believe at risk of being overrun by 'the undead'. 

This book tells how not only the central characters cope but also how the wider society reacts.  The tales of each weave together slowly to form a really well written plot, the problem for me is that it was too slow.  I was reading patiently for the first third of the book waiting for something to happen and when it didn't I slowly began to lose interest.  I'm sad to say I didn't finish the  book in the end.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't fail to finish because I didn't think the book was any good, I was just never gripped by the plot and because I wasn't gripped by the plot I lost interest in the characters as well written and rounded as they are.

I did enjoy some of the side stories a tad more, especially the tale of the artist and his muse but those even those weren't enough to keep me reading. I decided in the end to quit while I was ahead. I do wish I could have engaged in The Returned more. Mott adds subtle detail that makes scenes and characters come alive but this unfortunately didn't make up for the lack of pace in the story. This is actually a really well written story and no doubt for every one person that like me, doesn't gel with it there will be a thousand that do. The Returned is well worth a look.

3/5 For all my misgivings about the book this is a really well written story and I do suggest you give it a try. You might love it!


Saturday 2 November 2013

Stacking the shelves #71

Stacking the Shelves
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.



Bungle did really well this week and she got her hands on three new books! She got The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger and Finding Cindarella by Colleen Hoover. Sally didn't do too bad either!  She got two books for review from netgalley.  They are Pawn by Aimee Carter and The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank.


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