Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Title: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Date: 31st January 2017

Blurb:

Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

For the last few months, I had been in a ready slump. I attempted to read 3 different books and got through 30-50% of them all and stopped there. I wasn’t sure what it was, but none of them was catching my attention. Feeling fed up, I went to twitter and set up a poll where people could decide what book I should read to pull me out of the slump. Caraval ended up winning by quite a bit, so I started it that night. Two days later and I had finished it and was left wondering where this book had been my whole life.

I honestly can’t remember the last time a book swept me away and transported me to a world where I forgot about everything else in my life. It was the most magical book I’ve ever read with gorgeous prose, incredible characters I cared about and twists & turns I didn’t know were possible. While I was reading I had this warm feeling throughout and struggled to put the book know when it was time to go to bed or finish my lunch break. I was hooked and left wanting more when I turned the last page.

Let’s start with the world of Caraval because it was spectacular. I loved the way Garber describes her settings because I can see it so clearly in my head, full of vivid colours and delightful scents. Some people might not like purple prose, but I for one love it and this book has a lot of it. There are strange and wonderful shops full of secret entryways and if you want access to them or to buy gorgeous gowns it all comes at a price, something that matters to the players such as a secret. The premise of Caraval being a game that is to be played by multiple people drew me in straight away, everyone fighting for a chance to win a wish. As you’re reading, it’s hard to tell what is real and what is an illusion, but that makes it even more fun to read. There are so many secrets waiting to be uncovered and you never know what will happen until it does.

The story is told from Scarlett’s perspective, a girl who is supposed to be getting married but is instead whisked off to Caraval and has to participate in the game to get her sister back. At first, I was unsure about Scarlett as she can be a bit over the top at times, but as the story progressed I found myself rooting for her. She gets caught up in the game, something that often has consequences for her, but she is determined to find her sister and win the game, whatever it takes. After being taken to the island by a sailor called Julian, she spends a lot of time with him and a romance soon blossoms. I say romance lightly because it is more of an insta-love in this book, but that might change in the sequels. Either way, I enjoyed the dialogue and scenes they shared together, showing their chemistry. I was invested in their journey together and was pleasantly surprised by some things that occurred near the end of the book. Julian is definitely one of my favourite characters, mainly because he’s rugged, hilarious and kind of the bad-boy type. Who doesn’t love that?

There were a number of side characters who make appearances throughout and who I’m sure will feature more in the other books. Scarlett’s father is awful and infuriated me with how cruel he is, but the only character I’m not sure on is Tella, Scarlett’s sister. She didn’t feature much in the book, but early glimpses showed her as being a little selfish and impulsive, but towards the end, we are shown a different side of her. I won’t spoil it for you because it is one of the bigger twists in the book.

The twists and turns were so incredible, I almost got whiplash. I think they are part of the reason why the pace was so quick. Something happened in every chapter that made me invested in the story and the characters. I kept saying to myself ‘just one more chapter’ but it was never just one and before I knew it, I was finished! There were even a few times where I gasped out loud while reading. It was that shocking.

I’m not sure what else I can say apart from I adored it. Nothing I say will do it justice, but I tried my best to articulate my thoughts. I finished it a week ago and it’s taken me that long just to get my thoughts in order. This atmospheric mystery is one of my favourite reads for the year so far and I am so excited to buy the remaining two books in this series to see what Garber does with the world and characters.

This is easily a five-star read for me!

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Series I Gave Up On

Top Ten Tuesday was originally hosted over at The Broke and The Bookish and is now over at Jana’s blog, That Artsy Reader Girl.

This weeks topic is all about the book series that we never got around to finishing. Unfortunately, I have quite a lot to choose from, but most of my reasons for giving up on them were good enough. I also realised I’ve forgotten about so many books, but the majority of them were read over six years ago!

1. Angelfall by Susan Ee

While I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, I feel that at this age it isn’t my cup of tea anymore. I am much more into the older section of YA, with a focus on Fantasy more than paranormal. So, unfortunately I won’t be picking up the next two in the series.

2. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I feel like I could put all of Cassandra Clare’s books into this section. I started reading this series, as well as The Infernal Devices series, and I ended up giving up with both of them. I think I just fell out of love with the story and characters, or got bored in some cases. It happens and while it can make us feel bad, at the end of the day we shouldn’t force ourselves to read something just because everyone else loves it.

3. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

I wanted to love this series as much as I love The Vampire Academy, but it just didn’t work out for me. I ended up only reading the first two, even though I owned the third, and didn’t realise it went on for so long!

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I feel like a lot of people say they never finished this series. I never even watched all of the films. Divergent tried to be like the Hunger Games and I don’t think it worked for me. I remember liking it at the time but I didn’t think it was anything special, and I had gone off of dystopian as a genre until I picked up Scythe by Neal Shusterman (but it has a new twist on the genre).

5. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

I think I enjoyed this book, although I don’t remember much about it and I never read the second one. This isn’t the first series that I didn’t finish by Julie Kagawa, as I never finished her Iron Fey one either, even though I own all the books (fellow bookworms, why do we sometimes buy a whole series and THEN realise we don’t like it? I’ve since stopped doing it).

6. The Violet Eden Chapters by Jessica Shirvington

I picked this up when I was going through my angel phase, you know, the one that included Halo and Fallen? Anyway, I can’t remember a single thing about this book and I wouldn’t even know the main character’s name unless it was in the series name.

7. The Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin

Again, another book that I can hardly remember because I read it so long ago. I think it was a mystery, thriller type book, but I could be completely wrong. I may have picked this up because the cover looked cool (no judging please).

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

This could be one of the series I gave up on too quickly considering how many people love it and can’t wait for the final book to be out (unless it already is out, I can’t keep up). I can remember a few details about this book, which shows that I probably did enjoy it, but I don’t think I will be playing catch up anytime soon.

9. House of Night by P. C. Cast

Why couldn’t these books have finished while they were still good? I absolutely adored this series up until Tempted (I think) and I even re-read them a couple of times (it was my vampire loving phase and I blame Twilight for it). It would be quite funny to do a re-read and see if they are as good as I remember, or worse than I thought. Could be an interesting experiment.

10. Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I think I remember these books being based on Greek mythology, which is something I enjoyed at the time (which was about 6/7 years ago now) and all I know is I loved the first two books. I can hardly remember a thing about them and I never carried on reading, even though I had Deity on my shelf. I doubt I will ever pick them up again, but you never know.

There were quite a few that could have been added to this list, but they aren’t as well known as my chosen ten.

What is the most well-known series you gave up reading?

Wrapping Up The Week (28th May – 3rd June)

Even though I was only at work three days this week (thanks to a bank holiday and extra day off) I still felt so drained. I’m pretty sure it’s due to the humid weather we’re having at the moment in the UK and it is making me realise how much I miss Autumn and Winter. I prefer prefer being cosy in a jumper and wrapped in a blanket in the evenings. Still got a while to go until I can do that again.

I would say that this week has been a good one for reading, finishing two books and being over halfway through another one. I doubt I will get as much reading done this week with a full week at work, but I will try my hardest!

Books I read and reviewed…

The first book I finished this week was Ace of Shades, which I was approved to review on NetGalley. This was the first novel I had read from Amanda Foody, even though I have her debut on my shelf, which I am going to get around to soon. I first heard about Ace of Shades from twitter and it really intrigued me. Once I got into the flow of the story I found myself enjoying the world of New Reynes and all the mystery that surrounded the characters. While this isn’t the best book I have ever read, I thought it was a fun and light read, and I am looking forward to the sequel, King of Fools, next year. You can click here to see my review.

I finally finished off the Grisha trilogy with Ruin and Rising, and I’m honestly sad to have finished with these characters and their story. I thought that the ending was great, with a few twists thrown in for good measure, and it was perfect for me. There was a lot of action in the last 50 pages that kept me wanting to reach the end. I found myself still wanting to know more about the world, so I guess it’s a good thing that I have the Six of Crows series to read and that King of Scars comes out next year. You can check out my full review here.

I am currently reading…

I put Empire of Storms down for a bit to read the two books above, but now I am back to reading the 600 plus page book and I’m enjoying it. There were a few slow bits in places, but it has started to pick back up now. There’s a lot of events and characters to keep track of, but their paths are crossing more now which makes it easier. I still have about 280 pages left to read, so there is a lot that could happen between now and then. I better get reading tonight if I want to finish it in the first half of the week!

Posts from the week…

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Worlds I’d Never Want to Live In

WWW Wednesday – Finishing Off a Trilogy

Wrapping Up May -18 – Hitting New Targets

My TBR For June – An Exciting Month

A busy week for the blog, with four posts going out and that doesn’t include the two reviews either. I am also happy to say that I finally reached 300 followers! I cannot wait until I have 500 because then I can treat you all to a fun giveaway!

My WIP…

Over the bank holiday I didn’t do any editing, mainly because I was focused on reading two books so I reached my goal of 7 for the month. However, I still managed to write another 8,000 words this week, bringing my second draft to a total 41,111 words (very accurate and a great number to end my editing for the day today). I was just editing one of my favourite chapters today where my main character’s life begins to change and it’s gotten me so excited for what comes next.

Each chapter that I edit reminds me that changing details about the story isn’t as scary as I thought it would be, or as daunting. I know that I will probably have to do another draft after this before it’s ready to head out for querying, but I’m excited.

On another note, I have had some great ideas for the sequel that I have written down in my notes. I just wish I could crack on with writing it, but I have to wait until the first is complete. A lot of things could change between now and then.

Other Fun Stuff…

I haven’t really done too much this week, apart from reading and writing that is. I did order my tickets for a book event to meet Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone, when she goes on tour in the UK. I will be heading to the event in Nottingham and I am so excited! A re-read will probably be in order before then, just so it’s all fresh in my mind. My ticket includes a special edition of the book, along with a signed map, but I’ll probably ask her to sign the book as well.

On Tuesday my boyfriend and I went to see Deadpool 2 in the cinema, and honestly I think I enjoyed it even more than the first one. I don’t know how they managed it, but the sequel was just as good and so funny. Ryan Reynolds plays the character perfectly and I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.

I’m looking forward to next week as I have some great books lined up to read this month. I hope you all had a great week as well!

Let me know in the comments what the best part of your week was.

My TBR For June – An Exciting Month

Last month I managed to read a grand total of 7 books, but I’m not going to be giving myself the same target for this month. This is mainly because there were two bank holidays in May and I don’t think I’ll have to time to read another 7 this month. However, I’m still going to be ambitious and choose 6 books that I would like to get around to this month.

June will be a mixture of carrying on with a few series and starting some brand new ones as well, which I am really looking forward to. My main problem will be deciding what order to read them in.

And the books are…

I am about 60% of the way through Empire of Storms, so my first goal is to finish that by Monday night (possibly today if I have the time). This series is definitely in my top ten and I am finding myself enjoying this instalment more now that there’s a bit more action. I can’t wait to see what will happen, and depending on how it ends you may find me sneaking Tower of Dawn into this months list.

After loving Scythe so much I headed straight to Amazon and ordered Thunderhead. The first book was incredible and I’m just hoping that the second one lives up to it as well. Everything about this series is so unique and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Rowan and Citra in the sequel. Something tells me it’ll be very interesting.

I am slowly making my way toward the end of the Falling Kingdoms series, with the fourth and fifth book added to this months TBR. I am obsessed with this world and all the characters, and the ending of the third just left me wanting more. I have no idea what is going to happen next but I am enjoying the ride. Also, I am living for the covers in this series. They are gorgeous! Although, unfortunately I don’t have the final and sixth book yet, but hopefully I will before I finish Crystal Storm.

Now that I have finished reading the Grisha trilogy, it is time for me to move on to a series everyone seems to love…Six of Crows. I am so excited to read more about the Grisha world and meet some new characters. I hope there’s some appearances from characters I already know of, or at least mentions of them. Fingers crossed I enjoy it even more than the original series.

Lastly, I have added A Court of Thorns and Roses, which is a series I have been meaning to start for a good few months. Everyone always says how dark and sexy this series is, so I’m intrigued, and you can’t go wrong with books about the fae. It’ll also be good to see how different it is to the Throne of Glass series. Lucky for me that I have the next two for when I finish the first.

I’m not sure if I will be able to read all of these, as some are quite big, but I’m going to give it my best shot!

What book are you looking forward to reading the most this month?

Wrapping Up May -18 – Hitting New Targets

I think I blinked and May just disappeared in an instant. How did it go by so quickly? Probably because the month was jam packed with fun activities, movie trips, lots of editing for my novel, and a tonne of amazing books!

At the beginning of the month I set myself a target of reading 7 books (a lot more than I’m used to) and I am happy to say that I reached it. I only deviated from my TBR once because I was approved for a book on NetGalley, but apart from that I read everything I wanted to.

Books I Read…

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

I started off the month by finishing Falling Kingdoms and I was swept away by this incredible story. I was completely hooked by the characters and the world that Rhodes created. A lot of people have talked about this series, mainly good things, and I am so glad that I gave it a chance because it is one of my favourites! As soon as I finished it I went onto buy the next two in the series. I ended up giving this 5 stars, and you can read my review here.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

These books are getting so big! I finally went back to reading this series in the month of May and I really enjoyed this instalment. So many amazing things happened and there were some reveals that left me in shock, especially towards the end. Aelin is a complete badass, as always, and I can confirm that my love for Rowan has grown considerably in this book (I knew it would happen eventually). It left me excited to read Empire of Storms, which I am currently reading, and it was so easy to give it 5 stars. You can check out my full review here.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

By the time I had finished reading Queen of Shadows, the next two in the Falling Kingdoms series had arrived, so I was pretty certain with what I would be reading next. Once again I was drawn into the story and enjoyed everything that happened. The story definitely starts to develop more in this one and there wasn’t as much action unfortunately. However, we got to learn more about the characters and what means the most to them. You can read my 4 star review here.

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes

Well, this series just got kicked up a notch and it was torture not being able to carry on with the series (I hadn’t ordered the next ones at this point). I love how unpredictable the books are and I never really know what is going to happen. There was a lot of character development in Gathering Darkness, with some events happening that changed the lives of a few. We get to see a different side to Magnus and we realise how dangerous Lucia can be. As well as this, there was the introduction of some new characters that are probably going to feature a lot in Frozen Tides. In the end I gave this a solid 5 stars and you can find my review here.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

May was the month that I finally found a sci-fi book that I fell in love with! Something I have mentioned before is that I don’t tend to read books from this genre, but I took a chance with Scythe and I am so glad that I did. This book is incredible and so unique! I love the ideas behind the world and how everything functions, with the Thunderhead governing the world and the Scythedom deciding how to whittle the population down through gleaning. There are so many twists within the story and unexpected events. I was blown away! One of the easiest 5 star ratings I have ever give, and you can read my thoughts here.

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

A last minute approval from NetGalley saw this book make its way into my reading list and I felt very lucky to have been given the chance to read it. Ace of Shades was such an enjoyable read, with great characters and a unique world that is mimicked off of Las Vegas. There are high stakes, a tonne of mystery and plenty of banter between the characters. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and cannot wait until King of Fools comes out next year. I ended up giving this a solid 4 stars and if you want to know my full thoughts, click here.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

And last, but not least, I finished off the Grisha trilogy with Ruin and Rising, which I just finished my review of today. I always hate finishing a series off, but I guess the good thing is that I have two spin-off series to look forward to in the future. Ruin and Rising offered, what I thought, was the perfect ending for the characters and so much happened. There were a couple plot twists that I wasn’t expecting and a lot of heartache for the characters. While this series isn’t the best (I much preferred Bardugo’s writing in The Language of Thorns) it still captured my heart and for that reason I gave this 5 stars, which you can read about here.

There we have it! Turns out every book I read this month was 4 stars and above, which is pretty good going I think. I loved all these books for different reasons and they have made me even more excited for the books I am reading in June.

What was your favourite book that you read in May?

Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Title: Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)

Author: Amanda Foody

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Date: 10th April 2018

I am so grateful that I got the chance to read Ace of Shades, and a big thank you to HQ Young Adult for approving me on NetGalley. I was sent the UK edition to review (this cover is the US one) and although I missed reading it before the release date (17th May) it didn’t stop me from really enjoying this book. I flew through this in less than 48 hours, that’s how great this story is.

Enne Salta is poised and proper, having been brought up the right way by her mother to become a lady. The last place she would ever be seen is New Reynes, the City of Sin, but that’s exactly where she needs to go. When she realises that her mother has gone missing, Enne travels to the last place that she visited, unsure of what she will find. There she asks for help from Levi Glaisyer, street lord to one of the three gangs of New Reynes, the Irons. Levi has his own motivations for wanting to help, mainly taking compensation from Enne to dig himself out of some trouble with the mafia. Mysteries begin to unravel as they visit the casinos, cabarets and alleys searching for clues, until they are led to the clutches of the mafia donna. It’s a race against time for both of them and they’ll both need to play their cards right if they’re to get out alive.

When it comes to the writing, I thought it was very well written with a great pace that kept me hooked. I loved the mystery that surrounded the characters, especially Enne, and how we were drip fed bits of information here and there, which kept me hooked and invested in the story. I am a big fan of multiple POVs in books and I really enjoyed how the perspectives switched between Enne and Levi so we got to see more aspects of the world that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

The world of New Reynes felt so real thanks to the descriptive writing and I definitely got Las Vegas vibes from it. The casinos and cabarets were described perfectly and I felt as though I was there with the characters, thanks to the colour and imagery. There’s a bit of info-dump in the beginning, but eventually I managed to wrap my head around the way the world works. There are three gangs that rule the streets, the Doves, the Irons and the Scarhands, and then we have the two major crime families; the Augustines and the Torrens. Each gang specialises in something unique that makes them all as deadly as each other.

The fantasy aspect of this book was so interesting. Everybody has an ability of some kind. Some only have one, but most of two with one being secondary to the other. Your surname predicts what your ability is, such as Salta, which means that you have a dancing ability. This features quite a bit in the story and makes up some of the mystery that surrounds the characters as not all is as it seems. There are also talents that are more magical, such as having an affinity for fire or being able to read minds, etc. It’s a very intriguing system that may seem complicated at first, but I can’t wait to see how it develops in the second book.

At first I wasn’t sure about Enne, but when the story got going I found myself being able to connect more with her. She definitely had great character development, especially towards the end, and it was interesting to see how she reacted to everything that was going on around her. Then we have Levi, the gang leader who isn’t anything like I thought he would be, and that’s a good thing! He was incredibly protective of those he cared about and only wanted the best for them, even if he couldn’t give it to them. In the story Levi has gotten himself into some trouble with the Torrens that he is desperate to get out of and we see that desperation grow throughout the story, bringing him down. Another fact about Levi is that he is also bisexual, which is great to see that representation in novels for people like him, and I feel it made him more interesting as a character.

I loved all the mystery that surrounded Enne’s mother, Lourdes, and the way her story unfolded. Even though she wasn’t present in the story, I still had a great idea of who and what she was through the eyes of the other characters. As with every good fantasy story, we have some great villains who are devious and wicked. The head of the Augustine family was particularly nasty with a spiteful nature that rang true. I can’t wait to find out more about these characters, especially a certain one that was introduced right at the very end.

No book is ever perfect and Ace of Shades doesn’t pretend to be. There are some things I would have liked to know more about, but I am hoping they can crop up during the sequel. Overall, I thought that this book was a fun and interesting read, with characters that intrigued me enough that I want to know more. I am going to give this a solid four stars.

Wrapping Up The Week (14th May – 20th May)

Guess who finally caught up on all the reviews she needed to write this week? This girl right here! It feels great to be back up to speed and now I can fully focus on the book I am currently reading. It’s hard to review a book when you’ve read two in-between it and you end up not remembering as much (damn these good books taking up space in my head). It’s fine though because I am all sorted.

This week has been a pretty good one for reading. I am now onto my fifth book of the month and, while I know it’s a little ambitious, I am still aiming for a total of seven. I have 11 days left to do it, but it would mean finishing two books this week and I’m not so sure about that one, especially when I’m not even halfway on my current read.

Books I read and reviewed…

Queen of Shadows review

Rebel Spring review

Gathering Darkness review

All three finally have reviews! I feel like it’s been a great couple of weeks for reading and I hope that it can continue that way for me. All of these books were amazing and left me wanting more of the series, which I will probably finish reading next month for both of them.

I am currently reading…

Finally, I am reading Scythe. I have heard so many amazing things about this book and so far it is living up to my expectations. I think I am just over a third of the way through and it has definitely captured my attention. This world is so unique, with the idea that there is no more death and the only way to die is to be gleaned by a scythe.

It is so interesting to see how people are chosen and why (with a lot of stats), and already we are noticing something odd with a certain group of Scythes that like to do mass gleaning (sounds as horrible as you’d expect). I’m really enjoying reading about the two apprentices of Scythe Faraday, Citra and Rowan. I can’t wait to see what else this book has in store for me.

Posts from the week…

WWW Wednesday – My New Favourite Series

I missed out on this weeks Top Ten Tuesday because I couldn’t think of anything for the topic, but I am looking forward to this weeks one!

My WIP…

For the last couple of weeks I have been saying that I have wanted to start editing again, but the prospect seemed so daunting. My first draft is 100,000 words long and the thought of going through that and trying to sort it out was terrifying. There is so much that needs to be changed and sorted out. However…

I started again on Tuesday this week and wrote nearly 10,000 words altogether. I have no idea why I was worried because now I have started again, I can’t stop! The ideas are forming a lot better and everything fits together nicely. Some chapters and scenes have been cut, and others have been added it, but it is all for the better. With the rate at which I am writing (having a total of 24,000 words on my second draft already) I am hoping to finish it before the end of July if I can.

This story has my heart and I believe in it so much, I just hope that someone else will too.

Other Fun Stuff…

This weekend my boyfriend and I binge-watched the last four episodes of Lucifer, season 3, and it was amazing. Which only makes it a hundred times worse that the show has been cancelled! I can’t tell you how sad that has made me because this show is amazing.

Tom Ellis is brilliant when it comes to playing Lucifer and makes him so loveable. The characters are so diverse, with Latinos and African-Americans, and the writing is incredible with genuine humour that doesn’t seem forced. I just can’t understand why FOX would cancel it, but I know there is a movement on twitter to get it saved (hey, Netflix, check this out!)

Apart from catching up on my TV shows and doing some cleaning, I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary this week.

I hope all you had a great week and spent the weekend doing something enjoyable! Let me know what book you are currently loving (or hating) in the comments.

Review: Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Publisher: Razorbill

Date: 9th December 2014

As soon as I finished reading Rebel Spring I dove straight into Gathering Darkness and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. This series has me hooked with how unpredictable it is. Nobody is safe in this story and that is shown with multiple deaths, and characters dying who I thought would be around for a lot longer.

Magic features a lot more in this book and there is more mystery surrounding the kindred, the four magical stones that can restore magic to the Sanctuary, and give power to those that wield them. I can see a lot of the comparisons to Game of Thrones, although I have never read the books and I gave up watching the TV show. This is less bloody deaths, no graphic sex scenes (great for if you’re not into that) and characters who I enjoy reading about. Bear in mind that my review will contain spoilers.

The stakes are higher than ever for the characters in Gathering Darkness as they hurry to find the Kindred. After learning of Princess Lucia’s powers, Princess Cleo and the rebel Jonas team together to use her magic to their advantage and search for the Kindred before Lucia’s father has a chance to take them. But they aren’t the only ones looking for it. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from Kraeshia, are also manipulating their way into finding the magical stones and are proving to be more ruthless that they first seemed. Then there are the Watchers, mystical beings who have hunted the Kindred for hundreds of years, and are now setting foot on land and allying with the King. They know that Lucia is they key to finding the Kindred and they will stop at nothing until they have them. Prince Magnus has learned the truth about his family and has been betrayed by those he loves. Now, he has to decide which side to join.

So much happened in this book and although I finished it a few days ago now, I am still thinking about that ending. Unexpected information was revealed about the Kindred that completely changes everything, especially for the next book in the series (which I don’t have yet). I loved the way Lucia used her magic to find the stones and how everything finally made sense, especially with the road and the strange things that happened on it.

There was a lot more action and killing in this book, with some of the deaths very unexpected. You never really know who had good or bad intentions and I love that about it, especially towards the end. The Kraeshians were a welcome mix to the story, changing it up, and there was a lot of betrayal going on. We also see a lot more of Melenia, a Watcher who is hell bent on finding the Kindred for her own reasons, which we find out in this story, as well as the real story of the Goddesses (it was amazing to know the truth). Everything made sense and yet at the same time I still have so many questions!

While I enjoy most of the characters and root for them with all my heart, there are still some I don’t like. I’m all for rebels, but when you are terrible at it (*cough cough* Jonas) it can be a little painful. I can feel myself losing interest in his side of the story and felt he didn’t contribute much in Gathering Darkness. But then there is Cleo and Magnus, two of my favourites in the whole story. Cleo is definitely getting her confidence back and is taking risks to fight for what she wants. She makes some bold moves and takes the lead with the rebels (go her). Then we have Magnus, who does some very unexpected things in this book and by the end I found myself falling for him as a character. I hope that in the next few books he can become the hero we all want him to be.

Lucia is still an enigma and often acts completely crazy, mainly due to her magic, but I think we would all be the same if everyone was trying to use us to find the Kindred. The only person she feels she can trust is the Watcher, Alexius, but even then we find that he has a dark secret of his own. There are a lot of revelations in this book and I can only imagine that there will be more in the next.

Overall, I am still obsessed with this series and I am loving the direction it is taking. There is so much back-stabbing, people changing sides, and secrets that you can’t think straight. This series brings out a lot of emotion in me and I can’t remember the last time I felt this way about one. All I know is that I cannot wait to get my hands on the last three books. 4.5 stars for me on this one!

Review: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

Title: Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)

Author: Morgan Rhodes

Publisher: Razorbill

Date: 3rd December 2013

This series is addictive. It’s been a while since I fell hard for a story and something about this world and these characters has captured my attention. I enjoyed Falling Kingdoms so much that I went straight ahead and bought the second and third (although now that I’ve read them I am regretting not buying the full series).I love Fantasy as a genre and this has the best of everything. Thrilling twists, revenge, romance and a world that seems so real. I only wish that I had read it a lot sooner. Be warned, there will be spoilers for the first book.

Taking place after the events that led to the downfall of Auranos and the death of their King, King Gaius has taken control of all of Mytica, thanks to the magic of Princess Lucia, his adopted daughter. Princess Cleo, the rightful heir to Auranos, is held against her will by the tyrant and forced to show him respect and to recognise him as the ruler. But she is holding out hope that magic could help her to regain the throne, she is just unsure how. Jonas, the fearless rebel, wishes to help Paelsia, his home, and gain power from the King at whatever cost, while Princess Lucia wishes to understand her own power. Then there is Prince Magnus, the King’s son, who yearns to prove his worth to his father and become just like him. Gaius has begun to build a road that will link all of Mytica and end at the Forbidden Mountains, but it is paved with blood and its true meaning kept a secret.

I love how unexpected this series is. You never really know what is going to happen and I love being surprised by what the characters do. I also really like the magical elements to this story and the elementia that Lucia possesses. We find out more about the Watchers in this book, mystical beings who are searching for the Kindred which will restore magic, but only the very powerful sorceress can find.

The plot definitely thickened a lot more in this book, with more secrets and political intrigue. We have the introduction of a few new characters, such as Prince Ashur who is from Kraeshia, a country across the Silver Sea. He was a bit of a mystery but I have a feeling he will feature more later on. We still have the multiple perspectives, which I find great because I love getting to see what everyone is doing and little secrets are given here and there, which is only more frustrating when the other characters are oblivious.

As for characters, I felt even more attached to them and couldn’t help beginning to like some more than I first thought I would (looking at you Magnus) and then there were others who made incredibly stupid mistakes (yep, that’s you Jonas). Lucia was a lot more complicated in this series and took me by surprise with some of the things she did, and it just seems like all that power is going to her head. I see bad things coming in the future. Then there is Cleo, who has had her whole world torn down and is forced to live with the people who did it. I can understand why she wants revenge and I urge her onward because King Gaius is the worst.

While there wasn’t as much action as the first one, as this was way more political, I still enjoyed all that it had to offer and went onto the third one straight away. I enjoy the way that Morgan Rhodes writes because it moves so quickly and I am always on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next unexpected thing to happen. There is a lot of romance and feelings in this book, a love triangle, hate-to-romance kind of thing and in a way I kind of loved it. I just can’t wait to read more about these characters and how their lives become intertwined, more so than they already have.

Overall, I’m going to give this a solid 4 stars.

WWW Wednesday – My New Favourite Series

WWW Wednesday was originally hosted by A Daily Rhythm, and was taken over by Taking on a World of Words.

This post is a little late as I was out walking around my village (I’m trying to get back into exercising regularly) but I am so excited about the books I’ve been reading at the moment. I am pretty sure that I have a new favourite series right now and I am wishing I had picked it up sooner.

Also, as well as doing a lot of reading, I am back editing! In the last two days I have written nearly 3,000 words on my second draft and I am pushing past the doubts that I won’t be able to work my way through the novel. It was so daunting looking at all the words and trying to wrap my head around all the things I have to change, but I figured it would be best to just dive into it. It’s working out pretty well.

What Are You Currently Reading?

This series is everything! The books just keep getting better as I go along and I am genuinely sad that I won’t be able to buy the next three until I get paid at the end of the month. I am 70% of the way through Gathering Darkness and it is so good! The plot keeps thickening and the plot twists just keep coming at me. I am obsessed with the characters and love how there are so many perspectives to tell the story from. I can’t wait to see how this instalment ends.

What Did You Recently Finish Reading?

Like I said, I’m obsessed with the series and as soon as I finished Rebel Spring I knew I had to read the next one. I still have to write my review as I’m a little bit behind but I can’t wait to let you all know what I thought of it. The stakes are so high with this series and you never know what is going to happen next, which is my favourite part of the story.

What Do You Think You’ll Read Next?

As I don’t have Frozen Tides yet, I figured it would be best to pick up Scythe considering how many good things I’ve heard about it. I am praying that I really enjoy it because I know it’s sci-fi and that isn’t my favourite genre, but I’m giving it a go. Plus, the synopsis sounded incredible and such a unique idea, and I love the cover too.

That’s a pretty good set of books, but I know that if I had the rest of the Falling Kingdoms series then I would be binge reading them.

What book are you currently reading?