The Kingmaker's Daughter - Philippa Gregory

Wow, really getting behind on reviews. It's been about a month since I've done one, even though I've read several books in that time. Oh well, better get started on the catch-up.
Actually read this way before Iron Knight but completely forgot to do a review, so here it goes.

This is the latest addition to Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, set during the War of the Roses. The other three books have been from the points of view of: Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII's maternal grandmother; Margaret Beaufort, his paternal grandmother and Jacquetta Woodville, his maternal great-grandmother. This new book is about Anne Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, aka the Kingmaker. It documents her life from the age of eight, to her death twenty years later.
With all of these books it's really amazing how Gregory keeps switching points of view in the same time-frame. Three of the four novels of this series happen at the same time, but shown from the points of view of three very different women, seeing three completely different things. I loved Elizabeth Woodville's point of view in The White Queen and sympathised with her very much, but this book convincingly paints her as a terrifying figure, cold and distant, and it's obvious why. These books show how vastly different perspectives can be, simply by people growing up in different ways and being told different things from birth.
The storyline itself is, of course, historical, so I can't exactly comment on the originality or believability of the plot, but it's certainly very engaging and you definitely want to keep reading.

Anne's voice throughout struck me very much as being that of a child. She clung to her fears and relied a lot on others. She certainly wasn't a brave or assertive character but clearly someone who wanted more out of life but had not the means to achieve it. She did succeed, but with the help of many others.

Overall it is - as with all of Philippa Gregory's books - wonderfully written and creates such a rich image of historical events. I'll be waiting for the next in the series.

The Iron Legends - Julie Kagawa

And the final book in the Iron Fey series (at least until Lost Prince comes out for the new series). This book contains the three novellas; Winter's Passage, Summer's Crossing and Iron's Prophecy, as well as an extended guide to the Nevernever. I hadn't a chance to read the e-novella versions of the first two and the third was new, so I was naturally very excited.

The first novella had a tantalising description - a near-death experience for Ash and plenty of danger. However, the actually story, while there was an element of being hunted and a rather brutal fight, it never quite got to the stakes expected. Not bad but not as much drama as I'd hoped.
The second novella, however, lived up to its promise of humour (being narrated by Puck) and managed to add in a slightly darker element of betrayal too. You can sense more of the layers there are to Puck and how he hides or represses his feelings sometimes. A very amusing and interesting read and I'm hoping Julie Kagawa will conjour us up another story from the famous trickster.
The final novella was the one I was most looking forward to: a hint of what might come in the next series, plus the final say on Meghan and Ash's story. Thankfully, I enjoyed as much as I'd hoped. You get to see Meghan and Ash's relationship now that they know it's forever, Meghan's newfound power and confidence (take that Mab!) and you get the old team of Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grim back together - albeit briefly. It was pretty obvious that this novella did a bit of setting up for the new series, and therefore left lots of unanswered questions that I'm already desperate for the answers to, but it still made a good little story all by itself. A good end for the lovebirds and the Old Team.
I haven't really had the chance to peruse the final section - a guide to the Nevernever - properly, only really skimming so far. But I can say that there is a lot more detail than the guide included in previous Iron Fey novels and I'll be sure to read and absorb its advice at a later date.
For the book as a whole, I'd say it's a must-buy for fans of the series. A way to close off the first series and make way for the new one. (Plus another pretty addition the the bookshelf)

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa



Another Julie Kagawa novel, this time from her much-loved Iron Fey series. I've spent the last eighteen months finding and reading the other three books in the series, and waited with bated breath for the end of the story.

I'd read a mixture of reviews during the wait for this: some loved it, others hated Ash's voice and some thought it was very predictable. I'd agree with the first and last of those opinions. No, it wasn't exactly an unexpected story, but it a way you didn't want it to be. You always know that Meghan and Ash are going to end up together somehow, this book is just the explanation of how.

As always, Julie Kagawa is a gripping storyteller who paints very vivid pictures of the world that she has created. This time around we get to see some new places in the Nevernever that are even more weird and wonderful than the ones you've aready grown to know.

As for Ash, while he isn't exactly the most animated of narrators, it was good to get inside his head as he was always acts so calm and collected - it's good to know he has doubts and worries of his own. Plus it turns out he finds some things funnier than he shows. I also liked getting a bit more information about his past, the good and the bad, and how his vows and contracts actually affect him and his actions.

Puck and Grim were exactly the characters I already knew from the first three books, from Puck's habit of pushing buttons to Grim's instinct for danger. It was nice to have these familiar aspects while having to adjust to someone else's point of view. The new characters that we met didn't add enough interest as they should have done, though. One you thought was going to be vicious and a tricky ally for Ash to have but he ended up almost being another Grimalkin, just with more of a noble streak and not inclined to run away from danger. The other, while and unexpected and interesting addition, was very predictable, once you got used to the idea of them being there: you knew the entire time what was going to happen at the end.

Overall, a fitting end to the Meghan/Ash love story, just with a few niggles and not very much mystery to it. I liked it but other certainly wouldn't.

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas



Another new author, but this time with a very different premise.
This books, as the cover says, is about an assassin and sounded pretty darn cool. From the blurb I expected it to be a Hunger Games-like scenario: a fight to the death between a number of trained criminals. I was very wrong. There were indeed some aspects that matched to HG, but there were a lot more where it differed.
I'll start off with the characters. The main character, Celaena, started off as expected: a very cool and collected personality, hardened over time through experiences and training. I liked her almost from the off for her sardonic attitude and defiance, and also for how she spent most of the first few chapters contemplating how she would kill most off the people around her (fortunately never seriously). She always seemed to know exactly what she was capable of without being overconfident. Her narrative didn't grate on me as Katniss' did in HG and - surprisingly for an cold-hearted killer - was very relatable. Once her hard shell started melting a bit she became quite a fun person and surprisingly girly at times. Some may consider her a bit too Mary Sue, but I liked her. The other characters as well were very well done. None of them felt flat to me and they were all completely individual: Chaol, stoic yet a very warm person underneath; Dorian, flirty and dashing but with a determination of his own; Nehemia, determined, opinionated but guarded and many others.
The plot, in my opinion, moved a little too slowly compared to the excitement promised in the blurb. It wasn't a boring pace per se, but when you go into the book expecting action and blood and gore it's a bit of a downer. There were plenty of moments of excitement and there was always an air of mystery about it, but these were interspersed with periods of calm that made it hard to pick up the pace again when the time came. There was a touch of romance in there but it wasn't exactly the focus of the story, it came across as slightly superficial but I think that was the aim; to show the difference between it and a much more real love story that I could sense brewing.
The end of the story left me wanting more and with plenty of unanswered questions. I can't find word of a sequel anywhere but it definitely feels like there is more to tell. Perhaps more is explained in the accomanying e-novellas.
Overall a good read but don't go into it expected wall-to-wall action. Can't fault the writing in any way.

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

This book and Insatiable are reinstating my faith in vampire books!
I'd already been introduced to Julie Kagawa through her Iron Fey series (which I will be reviewing two of very soon) and count her as one of my favourite YA authors. However, I had no idea what to expect with this book as I'd seen some mixed reviews by the time I finally found it in my local books shop (though I still squeeed when I managed to snatch up the only copy).
The first few chapters you start off with the main characters still human, though you know she's going to get turned very soon, and you have a little time to get to know her and the life she's led. It was a bit depressing knowing what was going to happen, but it helped me to understand her decision a bit more.
Then, of course, came the inevitable turning to vampirism. In all honesty, I completely understood her decision and I may have even made the same one in her position, much as I may hate myself for it afterwards. Then came the learning about vampires, getting the backstory and a few hints of what's to come but not too many. And then the struggles of being a bloodsucker alone, the love interest and the reactions of the humans to what she is (because they were always going to find out eventually) and much more. Definitely a lot happens in this book and Julie Kagawa's brilliant descriptions kept me right there in the middle of it. The introduction of the love interest was, perhaps, a bit obvious but it is in most books.
It's also much grittier than the Iron Fey series and there is a lot more blood and gore (then again, what can you expect from a vampire book) and, unlike in Iron Fey, there were plenty of deaths of well-loved or undeserving characters. Even when you think the group is safe something comes along and rips one of them apart. And it shows plenty that being a vampire isn't an easy road to take: Allison is constantly having to struggle against her monster nature not to bite someone, while at the same time she knows she'll become a crazed monster if she holds off.
Then there's the action, and plenty of it; keeping up the excitement and sense of danger and letting Allie be as kick-ass as she wants to be. You definitely see the animal side of her come out when she's fighting. There's also scene with a stake that shows that the author is by no means unwilling to torture the characters when needed.
And finally... NO INSTA-LOVE. You know they definitely like each other and it's clearly confusing for them both, but it's slowish in building and it definitely isn't a boy-gets-girl happy ending.

A very different read to the Iron Fey but that's definitely not a bad thing. Utterly enthralling and I eagerly await the next one.

Stolen Away - Alyxandra Harvey

This book played up to my love of all things faerie and fantasy. Not the cutsey thing of fairy tales and true love, but something a bit darker and more alluring.
<----Plus it looked pretty :D
It's a pretty standard premise: girl discovers family links to the Good Neighbours that end up coming home to bite them, plus some great friends and a splattering of supernatural romance. But luckily, some formulae are used often BECAUSE THEY WORK.
First off, there are our two main characters (that was a surprise - I was only expecting one): Eloise and Jo, best friends with lots of similarities but querks of their own - Eloise's quieter behaviour and Jo's fettishes for example. Eloise is the one with the faerie problem and Jo tries to help her out. These two made the story work for me and kept me entertained.
All the places and characters were wondefully described and it was really easy to imagine. I had a little trouble picturing Eloise at first as we didn't get a physical description of her until a little way in and she did not fit any of the stereotype images that my mind provided me with, but I got her after a few chapters. All of the characters seemed to have some sort of back story that was explained by the end and you could tell where most of their motivations stemmed from.
There were a few things that bugged me about the story though. First of was a major case of insta-love: not the couple-of-weeks-to-becoming-a-perfect-couple kind, the within-two-days-declaring-their-love kind. It was really only two days! The initial attraction between them was fine - from the description I'd jump him too - but how quickly it progressed to love was irritating. And there was the second case that wasn't as bad as the first but, again, travelled far to fast for me to believe it.
Overall, the entire time-frame of the book wasn't great: for three people who didn't believe in the supernatural they acclimatise to it all ridiculously quickly, even for book characters. It wasn't an absolute disaster and I still enjoyed the story but this niggled at me quite a bit.
In the end, I liked it a lot but there were just a few things that didn't sit right. As far as I can tell this is a stand-alone but I may venture to read a sequel if one appears.

Night School - C.J. Daugherty

I actually bought this book while I was busy reading another and I had planned to wait until the first was finished before I dug into this one. However, this one just kept looking so tempting just lying on my table that I abandoned the first book.
<---- I mean, just look at it!

Anyway, after completely ignoring my reading principles, I opened this book with high hopes - the description was as alluring as the front cover.

I'd expected to find some supernatural elements to this book, but it turned out there was as much magic in it as a lawnmower. But in the end that hardly mattered - there was enough going on without it. Far most grisley and gritty than expected, lots of plot twists - though they became more and more predictable - and lashings of humor.

Some characters were a little flat and I didn't like the fact that a couple of them kept switching from loveable to someone-I'd-be-willing-to-punch-in-the-face (okay, when it's someone who's fighting feelings I can cope with it, but when that someone is meant to be the 'best friend' ?), but the developed characters were well done and there are plenty that you know have a back story but you just don't know what it is yet. I liked our protagonist, Allie, who was nice and spunky, by no means a push-over and really relatable. And you could see her change and grow throughout the book, opening up more and becoming much more steady on her feet.

There were points where the story dragged a little and it was pretty obvious from the start who Allison was going to end up with, plus the inevitable love triangle situation that will no doubt play a part in the sequel. There were also far too many unanswered questions for my tastes. One or two things still unexplained are fine, but most of the things that were mysteries at the beginning still are by the time you close the book.
A good book to occupy yourself with but not one to read if you don't want to commit to a series. It's definitely only the start.

Insatiable - Meg Cabot

Well, another thing I tend to avoid: a vampire novel. But this one is more Adult than YA and by a well-established author (though, I'm ashamed to say, not one I'd actually read before) so I decided to give it a go.

The blurb was definitely a draw - someone who's sick of how often vampires pop up in modern culture, fits me perfectly - and it gave away very little of the story. No choice but to dive straight in!

Well, Meg Cabot definitely lived up to her reputation and I was hooked from the start. The main character, Meena, was wondefully ordinary with a few quirks and some supernatural excess baggage, but that excess baggage never seemed to take over the storyline - it was just there adding extra drama which didn't hurt at all. The supporting cast, also, were well developed and all had their own agendas, making for some amusing situations (Alaric and Jon in particular, one is clearly exasperated while the other won't give up pestering). There were one or two dotted around who I found a little two-dimensional, but it didn't bother me much and it's really only looking back that I noticed it.

The plot meanwhile, while predictable at points, certainly kept me entertained and there were some very unexpected twists towards the end. And the ending itself, while definitely setting up for the sequel, didn't just trail off like I'd been afraid it would. A couple of cases of insta-love (or at least insta-crush) thrown in there but none of them disaterous.

All in all making me much less leery about modern vampire books and I'll be keeping an eye out for the next.

Burn Mark - Laura Powell

Well, I definitely powered through this book - less than 24 hours I think.
I hadn't read any books by this author before. I picked it up because it had a really interesting premise: the modern world but with public awareness of witches.
The setting definitely proved interesting and well thought out: witches weaved into different parts of history and modern society. I also loved the way magic is actually described and used - not with ease as is often the case. Some parts of the plot were a little unbelievable for me: leaving the breaking and entering to one teenage boy, with the risk of arrest and torture, didn't make any sense to me (classic example of splitting-up and failing).
As far as the characters went; most ended up feeling fairly flat and stereotypical to me. There were the Thugs, the Well-Meaning Officials, the Bigoted Idiots and plenty more. Luckily I didn't really have time to focus on them with the fast  pace of the story. As for the main characters, I loved Lucas. You understood perfectly the struggle he was going through and really rooted for him. Glory, on the other hand, grated after a while. She started off quite interesting but became, if not arrogant, then certainly overly cocky. Still, she wasn't your average teenage heroine and I did manage to stand her until the end of the book.
It's definitely fast-paced and with plenty of drama, but it didn't quite have me on the edge of my seat. There aren't many things I could pick out that I found I didn't like about it; it just didn't quite seem to pack enough of a punch. Certainly readable but not memorable.

Until I Die - Amy Plum

Okay, normally I'm not a huge fan of Paranormal Romance and I get very annoyed if the whole story just becomes about the romance rather than the supernatural element. Thankfully, Amy Plum has managed not to do that: certainly the story does focus around the romance, but the supernatural is by no means lost amidst all the fluffiness.
I originally picked up the first of this trilogy, Die For Me, a year ago when I was short of things to read. I thought it would be interesting but not necessarily my cup of tea. How wrong I was. It seemed to tick all my boxes while still being mainly a romance: there was action, there was mystery, danger, a wondefully constructed romance (obviously), fun characters, witty exchanges - the lot. Overall I wouldn't say I was completely overwhelmed by it, but I certainly enjoyed reading it and was eager for the next installment.

Sadly, despite an awful lot of searching, I didn't manage to find a copy of Until I Die until nearly two months after it was released (which lost me the chance to win a signed bookplate). My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when I finally spotted a copy, standing on a shelf in Smiths next to Die For Me. Needless to say, I grabbed it before any other pesky reader could. Within half a hour I'd found a cafe and started reading.
The stakes had definitely been upped in this book and you got quite a few shocks as you went along. I started off fairly certain that the book would go in one direction, but then it veered off in a completely different one. The characters are just as I remembered from the previous book, exactly how I liked them, and I got to hear new stories from some of them while I learned about the new characters as well. The new characters were intriguing and - until a certain twist - you grow to love them (or dislike them) along with the protagonist.
Kate, the main character, is still a normal girl that you can relate to, but she is slowly but surely coming into herself and you can see the kick-ass heroine beginning to emerge. Vincent is as charming as ever and I really wish he was real at times. Jules and Ambrose are ever the flirts, and Jules is still being wonderful by keeping tight-lipped about his feelings for Kate.
The book ends on a massive cliff-hanger that left me gasping for more, but sadly I'm going to have to wait until May next year to get my answers. It's clearly setting up for the sequel, leaving plenty of questions, but is still a fantastic book in its own right.
Thank you, Amy. I can't wait for If I Should Die.

A Witch In Love - Ruth Warburton

I read the first book in the Winter Trilogy, A Witch In Winter, a few months ago and completely loved it; from the British coastal setting, to the magic, to the steamy romance brewing throughout. So I was naturally eager for the sequel to come out and quickly checked the publishing date: luckily I only had a few months to wait (February to July 5th).
I was actually fortunate to find a copy on sale a week early and snapped it up immediately. I had it devoured in less than 24 hours.

These were my thoughts:
This book is a lot darker than the other at points and there's an awful lot of drama (torture!!). As in the last, the writing is vivid and fun and Anna's voice isn't at all whiney or irritating; just an ordinary teenage girl with some extra-ordinary powers. Her lack of faith in her and Seth's relationship did begin to grate, especially as he was trying so hard to convince her and really putting himself out there in the open. I completely understood his decision at the end (which I will not share - spoilers!), though it still was very upsetting: Anna needs to sort herself out. Hopefully they can work things out in the next book.
The intrigue has certainly stepped up in this book and, as a reader, I've got no idea who Anna should trust and who she shouldn't; this definitely made things very interesting and unpredictable. It's also nice that we're finding out more and more of Anna's background as she does, though there's still more for her to find.  There's still an awful lot of unanswered questions at the end, but that's going to keep me hanging on for the last book in the trilogy.
I liked seeing more sides to some of the characters that we met in the last book: Emmeline's girly side and Anna's Dad's angry side, for example. They're feeling a lot more 3-dimensional now. And then - one of my personal favourites - we references to things like A-Levels: things that ordinary girls have to worry about and that I've just gone through myself. It grounds the whole thing a little bit.

My only negative thing to say, is that I'm sensing a love triangle being set up. In some situations I do like them and they add levels, but I think in this book there are loads of those already and this might just be too much. For all I know it could be really good and play out well, but - for now - I'm a bit wary.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I look forward to A Witch Alone.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

First thoughts after finishing were: wow, I need to read that again!
As intricate, intriguing and carefully put together as the Wunschtraum Clock described in its pages. You get drawn in by the tantalising descriptions of the circus and then bound in place by the delicately building romance and your own curiosity, to find out what exactly is going on in the Cirque de Reves. While not exactly a quick read, I at no point felt bored with the story and was just as eager to carry on. This is not a book to be devoured, so much as slowly taken in.
The main and secondary characters were well developed and each very individual, though I would have liked to have learnt a bit more about Poppet and Widget. I started off think that the story would be mainly about Marco and Celia, but then Bailey was introduced, and Mr Barris got his own section, and they all added their own tones and points of view to the story.
I got a little confused by the jumping times at first, but eventually just went with it and found it quite atmospheric - to have bits of the story developing at different rates - and it all tied up nicely at the end.
Overall, an enchanting read and definitely something I will be revisiting.

Rain

Open eyes stare upwards,
While icy drops fall down.
The air is moist and of rushing sound,
As raindrops fall around.

The Review Blog

Blog number 2!
This blog may not added to very often and it's one I never planned on starting - hence the name.
My first blog was about one of my loves: writing, and this second blog will be about another (that goes hand in hand with the first): reading.
This is where I will write reviews of any books that I read and feel are worth sharing.
I may also occasionally post poems or short stories of mine.


For more info about me, please look at my profile or head over to my other blog.

Note: I will review books as I read them. There will be many books that I won't review as I have already read them, though if I decide to read any of them (which is highly likely) I may well do them a review.