LGBT Month: April

LGBT Month is hosted by Cayce at Fighting Dreamer and Laura at Laura Plus Books. It runs throughout April and it’s here to celebrate LGBT readers, LGBT authors and of course LGBT books!

Introducing… LGBT Month! Throughout the month of April, Laura and Cayce decided that they should celebrate the LGBT+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) through the love of books.

Over the next month, there will be discussions, reviews, guest posts, Twitter parties, giveaways, and a read-along. (Which, I'm hoping to be able to join in on). But, you don't have to. To participate you only have to post one thing about LGBT in April and you’re qualified for some goodies. Your blog post can be a review of an LGBT book, a discussion, basically anything goes and you don't even have to have a blog.

You can also help by spreading the word on twitter and about your posts using the hashtag #LGBTApril.

On here, I have a few discussion posts, Waiting on Wednesdays and reviews lined up, LGBT inspired.

So, go Sign Up! It's open until the end of April.

And remember Revel & Riot 's lovely (and true) tagline Life Goes By Too Quickly.

Stacking the Shelves (#37) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? I had four surprise packages this week, which I'll leave until next weeks Physical StS, because Harper Collins strikes again (I have no self control), and Once Upon A Time happened. I. Am. Addicted. And it's all Elizabeth's fault.


For Review
Edelweiss:

,Don't Touch, Poisoned Apples,  Feral, Kiss of Broken Glass
 The Dolls (YESSS!) and Rites of Passage
(Thanks to HarperTeen, Greenwillow Books, Balzer & Bray
and Edelweiss)

Review: Dear Killer

Dear Killer
Author: Katherine Ewell

Publication Date:  April 1st 2014        
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

~An advance readers copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

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Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

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Disclaimer: I always try to write a spoiler free review. In this case it's impossible to talk about it without some spoilers. Major spoilers and theories themselves, you have fair warning and are covered.

Dear Killer, where to I even start? Freaking hell. My head hurts.

I'll start by saying not everyone will love his book, i don't even know if I do love it, it's unethical, immoral and pushes a dozen of boundaries,  and most of the conversations seemed awkward and sometimes  unrealistic, but to put it simply.

It's fascinating.

Waiting on Wednesday (#37)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell
 

Expected publication: October 8th 2014 by Flux

 

 

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Lucy Aimes has always been practical. But try as she might, she can’t come up with a logical explanation for the recurring dreams that have always haunted her. Dark dreams. Dreams of a long-ago place filled with people she shouldn’t know…but does.

When her family moves to a New Orleans plantation, Lucy’s dreams become more intense, and her search for answers draws her reluctantly into the old city’s world of Voodoo and mysticism. There, Lucy finds Alex, a mysterious boy who behaves as if they’ve known each other forever. Lucy knows Alex is hiding something, and her rational side doesn’t want to be drawn to him. But she is.

As she tries to uncover Alex’s secrets, a killer strikes close to home, and Lucy finds herself ensnared in a century-old vendetta. With the lives of everyone she loves in danger, Lucy will have to unravel the mystery of her dreams before it all comes to a deadly finish.
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And I'm back with the voodoo.

What're you waiting on? :)

Review: Always Emily

Always Emily
Author: Michaela MacColl

Publication Date:  April 8th 2014        
~A copy was provided by Chronicle Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

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Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature.

But they’re not there yet.

First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.


 

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• I confess, this is more of a mini-review.

I love Historical fiction, but it's one I always have to concentrate harder on than any other genre,  but Always Emily was different, though it had the feel and context of an historian. That could either be the way it was written or perceived, or mainly because of our MC's are not your traditional brand you'd expect from that century.  Emily's more headstrong and unconventional in what she wants, while Charlottes more diligent and conservative, but they both have one thing in common.

Review: Echo Boy

Echo Boy
Author: Matt Haig

Publication Date:  March 27th 2014
~A copy was provided by Random House Childrens via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

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Audrey's father taught her that to stay human in the modern world, she had to build a moat around herself; a moat of books and music, philosophy and dreams. A moat that makes Audrey different from the echoes: sophisticated, emotionless machines, built to resemble humans and to work for human masters.

Daniel is an echo - but he's not like the others. He feels a connection with Audrey; a feeling Daniel knows he was never designed to have, and cannot explain. And when Audrey is placed in terrible danger, he's determined to save her.

THE ECHO BOY is a powerful story about love, loss and what makes us truly human.



 

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Echo Boy was a complete surprise, but forget The Walking Dead, try my Walking Nightmare. It scared the crap out of me.

Have you seen Surrogates? If you have, I feel sorry for you, I mean, I feel sorry for myself. You haven't? Don't bother. Just read this, it's much better. It's not the same thing, since the "Echo's" are not you hooked up to a machine and mind controlling the robot body, and more Echo's are actual robots, created, made, signed, sealed and delivered all round technically human like advanced robots, but they are machines and nothing more.

Review: This Wicked Game

This Wicked Game
Author: Michelle Zink

Publication Date: November 14th 2013      
Publisher: Dial         

 

 

 



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Claire Kincaid’s family has been in business for over fifty years.

The voodoo business.

Part of the International Guild of High Priests and Priestesses, a secret society that have practiced voodoo for generations, the Kincaid’s run an underground supply house for authentic voodoo supplies. Claire plays along, filling orders for powders, oils and other bizarre ingredients in the family store, but she has a secret.

She doesn’t believe.

Struggling to reconcile her modern sensibilities with a completely unscientific craft based on suspicion, Claire can’t wait to escape New Orleans – and voodoo – when she goes to college, a desire that creates almost constant conflict in her secret affair with Xander Toussaint, son of the Guild’s powerful founding family.

But when a mysterious customer places an order for a deadly ingredient, Claire begins to realize that there’s more to voodoo – and the families that make up the Guild – than meets the eye.

Including her own.

As she bands together with the other firstborns of the Guild, she comes face to face with a deadly enemy – and the disbelief that may very well kill her.

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*Some spoilers ahead, since it's impossible to explain without them.

I can't believe I'm saying this but this wasn't good. I know,  it's about Voodoo, and darkness and curses and voodoo dolls and all those wonderful stuff that is just right up my alley. I love reading about it. And since it's set in New Orleans, the same as Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton, that though is more Greek Mythology than Voodoo, it's kind of a mixed one that I loved. I so wanted to love this one just the same...and didn't.

Waiting on Wednesday (#36)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Killer Instinct (The Naturals #2)  by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
 

Expected publication: November 4th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion

 

 

 

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 Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel.
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I loved The Naturals, because Criminology and Profiling are one of the fascinating things on the planet, and that cover? Love it.

Have you read The Naturals, what did you think of it?

What're you waiting on? :)

DNF Review: Faking Normal

Faking Normal
Author: Courtney C. Stevens

Publication Date: February 25th 2014

~Won an ARC from Amy Plum~

 

 

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An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.
Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

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Lets make this clear, it is not a DNF- Just not a now.

This is why I hate saying DNF, because this really isn't one. It's nothing to do with the writing of the story, well, it is, In a way but not in a bad way. If anything, it's too good, too real, and that's the scary part.

Faking Normal is a struggle. I read up to page 166 of my ARC and had to leave it there for my own sanity. I didn't not finish it because I wanted to, because I wanted to finish reading Lexi's story, but I left it there because I had to.

Review: Side Effects May Vary (AKA, I actually liked it.)

Side Effects May Vary
Author: Julie Murphy

Publication Date: March 18th 2014        

~A copy was provided by Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

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What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

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Oh wow. Like the story, my thoughts are kind of a mess right now. It's just- wow. To be honest, I was kind of expecting a happier version of The Fault in Our Stars, but whoa. So. Not. It's just as great in a completely different way (this is why I hate comparing books) but the feel is way different.

It's actually kind of hard to know what to feel about it. I think it'll be the type of book you'll either hate or love, and no between, because I'm not going to lie, it is a hard one to like. You kind of have to go beyond that to scratch beneath the surface.

Stacking the Shelves (#36) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mine was relatively boring, but the past two weeks ebooks are pretty amazing.  I do actually have a proof copy of The Three which is not shown but looks like this...

As you can see, the pages are lined with black ink/charcoal or something that likes to get everywhere (which s why I haven't taken a photo myself)

Review: Elusion

Elusion
Author: Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Publication Date: March 18th 2014           

~A copy was provided by Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

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Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.
A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

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I'll start this one with a questions that's plagued me since the beginning of Elusion. What happened to the actual world that it's in the state it's in? Terrorist attack? Some natural disaster? Some evil thing that devastated it? Oh, what's that?

We don't get to know.

Waiting on Wednesday (#35)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Reborn (Altered #3) by Jennifer Rush
 

Expected publication: January 6th 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

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 Book 3 is told from two different, alternating perspectives--a change from both Altered and Erased. In a sea of darkly ponderous dystopian and angst-filled supernatural, this series provides a refreshing read with just the right balance of action, mystery, humor, and romance.
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I don't care that we don't have an official cover or even an official synopsis, but hell, I'm shipping this one already. I love this series.

What're you waiting on?

Review: Ask Again Later

Ask Again Later
Author: Liz Czukas

Publication Date: March 11th 2014           

~A copy was provided by HarperTeen  via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 



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Sixteen Candles meets Sliding Doors in this hilariously charming and irreverent YA debut. Fans of realistic teen fiction like Lauren Barnholdt's Two-Way Street and Sarah Mlynowski's Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) will love Ask Again Later's pitch-perfect tale of prom night drama—with a twist.

Heart LaCoeur has zero interest in a messy high-school romance, no matter what her name suggests. That's why she's decided to avoid prom angst by going with a group of single friends. And that's why, when two surprise prom invites derail her brilliant plan, Heart takes the only foolproof, drama-free solution: a coin flip—that somehow gives her the chance to live out both prom nights. Heads or tails, where they both end up might be the most surprising thing of all.

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I have two words for Ask Again Later.

Cute. Hilarious.

I can honestly say it was not what I was expecting at all. And I know, I know, I pretty much say that with each book but it really wasn't. For the first part, it's kind of like Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young's Just Like Fate, where it's not a paranormal alternative universes, but just two different paths and the outcome of what those paths lead to. For Ask Again Later, it's the choice of who to go to Prom with after being invited by two guys (who have two different motives), when the original plan was to go with her group of friends. But, of course she doesn't know who to choose and she doesn't want to hurt  their feelings, so after much procrastination she uses a coin and thus begins the alternate chapters of HEADS and TAILS (because magic 8 balls are mean.)

Review: The Shadow Prince

The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark #1) 
Author: Bree Despain

Publication Date: March 11th 2014        

~A copy was provided by  EgmontUSA via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 




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Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails. As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.
 

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Greek Mythology in YA, what can go wrong? Really, just don't ask yourself that question.

Since I've read a lot of them, and most of them have been good, The Shadow Prince, however was average. The mythology was fun and though I'm not the person who could go through one and go "that's wrong", it was pretty good. That part was fine. You have the preface of the myth of Persephone and Hades,  overlapping with the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Stacking the Shelves (#34) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I've had a crappy week, but book wise has been great, and today I had a lovely surprise.

You know you have an amazing friend/pen pal when they send you chocolate in the mail.

 

Also, mean because I'm on Lent, and therefore gave up chocolate. (I should rethink that next year)
I'm also not religious yet still do Lent. (I don't get that either.)
 

So, remember I said Bloomsbury had an Harry Potter 50% off sale?

 

Yeah. I totally bought them again just for the box, I'm not even going to lie.

Review: Death Sworn

Death Sworn  (Death Sworn #1)
Author: Leah Cypess

Publication Date: March 4th, 2014    

~A copy was provided by Greenwillow via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

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When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world
 

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I had high expectations from Death Sworn, and on one hand, it did deliver, but on the other, it didn't. It's kind of great, but then it's kind of...ugh, I don't even know. I liked it. I kind of loved it. The characters are sarcastic, sadistic, completely moronic and sometimes savage, but there's a huge hole in the world building. Meaning, we don't actually get to see any. There's magic and assassins', and though we do get to see magic, you don't get the assassinations'. There's the fact we get a basic back story on what they are, what they do, the meaning behind the whole mission, but let's be real here. We don't see as much as the outside world, so we don't have much world building. We're set in a cave people, when I say set in a cave, I mean set in a freaking cave for the whole duration of the book. And while that was fun and different and all, because of it made Death Sworn hang in the balance by the characters. All on them.

World Book Day

 

Happy World Book day book lovers! I remember my school would do a 12 hour readathon in the library from 8-8. The first time I went was just to get out of classes that day, and hey, it sparked my love of reading and here I am now. Tada!
 
Never underestimate the influence of books.

Waiting on Wednesday (#34)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King
 

Expected publication: October 14th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

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WOULD YOU TRY TO CHANGE THE WORLD
IF YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD NO FUTURE?

Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities—but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying.

A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn’t come to pass.

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.

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So, I totally stole this from Natalie over at Natflix&Books, because the idea of it scares the crap out of me.

What're you waiting on?

A Q&A with Lucy Saxon

What are your favourite books and why? 

 

The Harry Potter series, because picking up Philosopher’s Stone at age 7 was what inspired me to start exploring the world of fantasy fiction.

The Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices, because I find the whole concept very interesting and well-developed, and the Infernal Devices have a great steampunk twist to them

Good Omens, because the level of wit and sarcasm cannot be beaten

The Fault in Our Stars, because of the amount of time I spent crying in silence after reading it

The Kingkiller Chronicle (Patrick Rothfuss), because the amount of worldbuilding in that series is immense, and his writing is incredible.

 

Who are your 5 favourite authors/illustrators, and why? 
 

JK Rowling, both for reasons mentioned above, and the fact that without Harry Potter fanfiction I would not be the writer I am today!

John Green, both for his writing abilities and for creating such an amazing community as the Nerdfighters

Rick Riordan, for writing middle-grade books that I still enjoy at the age of 18 more than most other books I’ve read

Maria V Snyder, because everything she comes out with is gold

George R R Martin, for being able to keep track of three hundred character storylines at once, and have them intertwine flawlessly.

 

What was your favourite book when you were a child?
 

The Faraway Tree (or Harry Potter, depending on your definition of ‘child’)

 

Who is your favourite hero in a book?

Tyrion Lannister

 

 

Who is your favourite villain in a book?

 

Tyrion Lannister

 

If you could be a character from a book who would you be?
 

(You seriously expect me to be able to pick just one???) Luna Lovegood. Or Celaena Sardothien. Or Magnus Bane. The list goes on.

 

If you could recommend just one book for everyone to read what would it be?
 

(Again, just one??) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

 

What book do you wish you had written?

Not including the Harry Potter series, Throne of Glass

 

Who or what was your biggest influence in deciding to become a writer?

JK Rowling and John Green

 

What inspired you to write your latest book?

The steampunk costuming and design I see at conventions

 

What's the best thing you've ever written?

‘Take Back the Skies’, though I don’t have much else in the running for that title. I am pretty damn proud of some of my old fanfiction though.

 

When did you start writing?

At the age of 12

 

If someone wanted to be a writer what would be your number one tip for them?

Keep writing. Even if you think it’s terrible, keep writing; you will only get better with practice. And learn to finish the things you begin, because the ending is the hardest part.

 

Is there any particular routine involved in your writing process (favourite pen, lucky charm, special jumper)?

I don’t tend to sleep much, and I write the entire novel in a very short space of time, usually doing nothing but writing from the time I wake up to the time I sleep. Also I probably drink my own bodyweight in tea several times over.

 

Do you have any abandoned stories in you ‘bottom drawer’ that you would like to revisit?

Plenty! All of which I do actually plan to revisit at some point, when I have the time.

 

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Lucy Saxon is 19 and lives in Hertfordshire with her parents. She describes herself as a cosplayer, con-goer, book-lover and all-round nerdgirl.

Lucy wrote her first novel, Take Back the Skies, at the age of sixteen, finding a home for it with Bloomsbury at seventeen, and is now working on the rest of the series.

When not writing, Lucy spends most of her time on the internet, reading books and slaving over her sewing machine.

 

 

 

ARC Review: Half Bad

Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy #1)
Author: Sally Green

Publication Date: March 3rd, 2014    

~A proof copy was provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

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A stunning, magical debut. An international sensation.

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page.

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Oh, Half Bad, you were delightfully cruel. I may love you a little. A lot.

I read quite a few "witches" in the genre last year that really just didn't do it for me, even with the ones that were supposed to be to do with witch hunts,  but ended up being about love and love triangles and all that sappy stuff  that made them fall flat.

But this. This.

Stacking the Shelves (#33) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mine was busy, and annoying. I cracked my laptop screen, but it's fixed and back, and I had a lovely hospital appointment, which I won't go into otherwise there'd be a lot of swearing. And I swear enough already.

So this weeks digital haul is small, (but I have my first Simon Pulse approval, yay!) But, next weeks physical will be fun. All I'm saying is, Bloomsbury had an Harry Potter 50% off sale.

 

 This is How it Ends and Dangerous
(Thanks to Simon Pulse, Bloomsbury Childrens, Netgalley and Edelweiss)

 

 

 

  What did you get this week? :)

   



 A recap of posts this week

 

• Monday I reviewed  Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine
• Teaser Tuesday: Always Emily by Michaela MacColl
• Waiting on Wednesday: The Dolls by  Kiki Sullivan
• Friday I reviewed Panic by Lauren Oliver