I will not stop fighting, I am here beside you, I'll rage, I will rage at the dying of your light

 



This Raging Light
Author: Estelle Laure
 Publication Date: January 14th 2016 
Publisher: Orchard Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~
 

How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend's unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together - just.

A stunning debut to devour in one sitting, Laure captures completely the agony and ecstasy of first love.

“This is home. I forgot it was. Music carries the weight of being human, takes it away so you don’t have to think at all, you just have to listen. Music tells every story there is.”

Oh, wow. Even though I do have mixed feelings for This Raging Light, that's all I'm thinking right now. Wow.

Wow, this book is a hot mess. A complicated hot mess. But, in a good way. Kind of. See? It's hard to explain, it should be hard to like the characters, but it's not. Well, not for me. I like my characters messy and hard to like. They're flawed, they're realistic.

Lucille is...not a horrible person. Neither is Digby. They're good people who make bad choices and let me start by saying whilst I don't condone cheating, God I shipped Digby and Lucille so much. They fit. They're quirky and he made her happy when her life was insane, he helped her when she couldn't help herself. He picked her up. And yes, Lucille liked him a long time before they happened, she may have, kind of made the first move. But they both done it. The blame is not all on Lucille, okay?

The way I see it, I felt like she cracked, all the shit that was put on her shoulders by her parents and her wanting. Wanting a normal life. Wanting parents that loved her, that wouldn't leave her. Hell, wanting one parent who was that. Wanting a home. Wanting to not be doing what she had to do to survive and to keep her sister, Wren, with her. Wanting normal. Wanting a life. And wanting Digby. 

She was trying her hardest to create a semi normal home life for Wren, and looking out for her so she didn't have to feel the way she did. But, who was looking out for her? 

Digby. That's who. 

It's not all about the romance, it's part of it, part of the way the story goes, but it's about family. It's about the way that sometimes people are not cut out for it. It's about adult's majorly fucking up and not taking responsibility. It's about a seventeen-year-old girl who tries her fucking hardest to keep everything together while it's falling apart. It's strong, and it's chaotic, and its Lucille's life, and she grows so much within those pages it's surreal to think of someone going through that, and honestly? I don't think I'd be able to do it. 

The writing is just as quirky, and messy as the story, it fits, it creates the atmosphere and while it took some getting used to it, once I did, I couldn't put it down. The only reason this isn't a five for me is because of the loose ties.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night is probably my favourite poem, so of course that's what drew me to This Raging Light, and I'm so glad it did, because Lucille is not a character I'm going to forget for a while, and neither is her story.

Rating: 4/5

       

 

No Mourners. No Funerals. Except for My Poor Heart.

Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publication Date: September 29th 2015
Publisher: Indigo
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Grisha Trilogy introduced readers to the irresistible fantasy world of the Grisha - and now Leigh Bardugo brings us a new sweeping epic.

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy, Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction - if they don't kill each other first.

Leigh Bardugo's writing has captivated readers since SHADOW AND BONE was published in 2012. SIX OF CROWS will take Leigh's fans back into the world they know and love. As gripping, sweeping and memorable as The Grisha Trilogy, this is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Kristin Cashore and Game of Thrones.

Let it be noted that, I read Six of Crows straight after Queen of Shadows, and it was not the wisest decision I have ever made. All. The. Feels. For. Days. And days. And days.

So I have a confession to make…I only read the Grisha trilogy for the first time a book before Six of Crows, and feel free to shot at me for waiting so long (and if you’re yet to read it, READ IT. NOW. GO. GO. GO.) because holy damn, I fell in love. But, you know the problem that enlists with that now, don’t you? How is a companion or a spin off series in the same world, going to beat the original? 

Read The Dead House in the day, unless you like nightmares, then by all means, go ahead. Don't say I didn't say, I didn't warn ya. #DarkSummerRead

The Dead House
Author: Dawn Kurtagich (Who, is awesome, just saying.)
Publication Date: August 6th, 2015
Publisher: Orion Children's Books 
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . 

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading.

You guys know I love Psychological Thrillers and Horror, right? So having The Dead House as part Psychological Thriller and Horror? The Dead House couldn't get any more of a me book,  and it was one hell of a crazy ride, and honesty? Fucking whoa. That's pretty much what I was thinking the whole way through it.

Two words to appropriately sum up The Dead House (that isn't holy shit, because holy shit.) is psychologically disturbing. I'll get my issue out of the way because I only have one problem with it, and starting it, I thought that it would have been the format of how the story is told, but it wasn't. And it wasn't having a connection, like my major issue in books are, but it wasn't that either (not that I had a connection, because really, I don't expect it with the genre, especially because you can't trust any character. And I mean, any character. My main issues is that I felt two completely different things about the first half and the second half.

Review: Made You Up (hug the book, just hug it)

Made You Up
Author: Francesca Zappia
Publication Date: May 19th 2015
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

Made You Up is a...touchy one to review, which is why I'm doing more of a What I Liked Vs Issues. But, I just have to say, though I haven't read many (if any) books about Schizophrenia, this has to be the best one I've read (I know, totally illogical, but whatever). I loved how it was explored and felt more  of a positive story than a negative one. 

Guest Review by Amber: Possess

Possess
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publication Date: August 23rd 2011
Publishe  Balzer + Bray

Pages : 382

Rough estimate of time it took to read: 8 Hours

Source: Gifted by Kirsty 

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons - and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.

Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco's senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she's in deeper than she ever thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone else close to her winds up dead - or worse, the human vessel for a demon king.

 Reaaaally enjoyed this book a lot, so I'm suddenly really glad Kirsty's pawning off her DNF'S to me. I've you've been reading my reviews (or even just checking out the ratings) then you would know I have only really disliked one or two books, although it is rare for me to hate a book, since I always like to see the good in a book more than being technical (or if you've read some of Kirsty's DNF reviews, cynical sorrynotsorry)

Now, onto Possess...

Review: An Ember in the Ashes

An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date: June 4th 2015
Publisher: Harper Voyager
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.

What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?

For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.

For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power.

When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

But once Laia and Elias meet, they will find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself

If you've already read An Ember in the Ashes you'll know three things. If you haven't read An Ember in the Ashes, you should know these three things.

It really is brutal.

It's without a doubt cruel and immoral.

Its empowering. 

Review: The Orphan Queen (!!!!!!!!!!)

The Orphan Queen
Author: Jodi Meadows
Publication Date: March 10th 2015 (US) April 9th 2015 (UK)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap. That was pretty much me through the last half of The Orphan Queen. I know, I know, I'm being amazingly subtle at how amazing The Orphan Queen is. I will try to resemble my thoughts into something coherent, but you know how it goes with books you love, you never know how to review it. So here's four words to accurately describe The Orphan Queen.

Damn, Jodi Meadows, damn.

Review: Mr. Kiss and Tell (Rejoice, Logan!)

Mr. Kiss and Tell 
Authors: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Publication Date: January 20th 2015
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

In the second book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series, Veronica Mars is back with a case that will expose the hidden workings of one of Neptune’s most murderous locations.

The Neptune Grand has always been the seaside town’s ritziest hotel, despite the shady dealings and high-profile scandals that seem to follow its elite guests. When a woman claims that she was brutally assaulted in one of its rooms and left for dead by a staff member, the owners know that they have a potential powder keg on their hands. They turn to Veronica to disprove—or prove—the woman's story.

The case is a complicated mix of hard facts, mysterious occurrences, and uncooperative witnesses. The hotel refuses to turn over its reservation list and the victim won’t divulge who she was meeting that night. Add in the facts that the attack happened months ago, the victim’s memory is fuzzy, and there are holes in the hotel’s surveillance system, and Veronica has a convoluted mess on her hands. As she works to fill in the missing pieces, it becomes clear that someone is lying—but who? And why?

I loved The Thousand Dollar Tan Line, I'd put off from reading it for a while since I didn't think it could hold up to the show-or even the movie-and while it doesn't replace either, it was a good fix to be with the characters again, the snark and wit and the sleuth ways. But, it wasn't perfect. What was missing in The Thousand Dollar Tan Line was present in Mr. Kiss and Tell, and by "what was missing" I mean who. And by whom, I mean Logan. Logan, Logan, Logan. Also, Weevil has more of a role this time around too, since the beginning is all about his trial from the aftermath of what happened in the movie.

Review: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
Author: Rob Thomas and  Jennifer Graham
Publication Date: June 30th 2014         
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

From Rob Thomas, the creator of groundbreaking television series and movie Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling new mystery series.

Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.
Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined

Veronicas Mars was one of the best shows on TV when I was in high school, and as we all know where the best shows go: TV Gold Heaven.  And then there was the movie. Finally. And we got everything we didn't get in the non-ending of season three. And now we have book versions! Book. Versions. Okay, I was a little apprehensive because Veronicas one of those characters you either get...or don't. And would that still show? Her voice still sound like her voice? It's all how it translates on the page, despite Rob Thomas. I don't know what I was worried about really.

Giveaway: Win One of Three Ally Carter Prizes!

To celebrate Ally Carter's newest release, All Fall Down, Hachette Children's have teamed up with the brand Miss Sporty, and you can get a free mascara when you buy All Fall Down.

Giveaway!

To also celebrate the gorgeous newly jacketed releases of the Gallagher Girls series, the lovely PR team at Hachette Children's are offering up to my UK followers, three sets of the following prize packs.

Three of you can win:

(1) Newly jacketed Gallagher Girls novel

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Disclaimer: (please bear in mind that the items you receive may different from the actual prize

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: All the Bright Places (Just go buy it)

All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publication Date: 8th January 2015
Publisher: Penguin Random House
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven

I honestly don't know where to start with this one, so this is more of a feeling and reaction review than a straight up review, the same as I did with We Were Liars. Because, All the Bright Places is another book where whatever you say it's not going to be enough, it'll never be enough to say in a few paragraphs how much you love and got a book so much that you literally stared at it for half an hour just thinking and trying (unsuccessfully) not to cry. Because it affected me in a way no other book has done before, not even The Fault in Our Stars or  Heart-Shaped Bruise (as much as I love them)  or even Speak, that changed everything for me and got me reading in the first place. But, this is why I read. Beautiful, beautiful books like these are what keeps me reading.

Review: Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication Date: November 6th 2014        
Publisher: Quercus
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

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

 

The first paragraph has a major spoiler from The Naturals, so if you haven't read The Naturals yet, skip the first paragraph, you've been warned.

After the aftermath and betrayal of finding out that the serial killer the FBI and The Naturals were after was one of their own, and a pretty important one involved in The Naturals training, The Naturals programme is coming under fire. Everyone's still shaken, Deans closed off as usual, Michaels using his humour mechanism, you never know what Lia's feeling, Cassie's second guessing herself and her ability and feeling guilty for how and what she's feeling and Sloane...is Sloane.

Review: Falls the Shadow

 

 

 

Title: Falls the Shadow

Author: Stefanie Gaither

Publication Date: September 16th 2014        

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young  

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

 

 

 

Ugh, you have no idea how much I loved Falls the Shadow, it's a little embarrassing. Halfway through I was thinking a solid four, and then it just upped and upped and away it went, pretty much perfect. It reminded me a lot of Jennifer Rush's Altered series, but longer, It's not exactly the same as it, but the character vibes I got from Altered I got from Falls the Shadow. That chemistry between them, when characters just click. They bounced off one another and it's just makes the whole book just flow a lot better because of it.

Falls the Shadow pretty much had me from the get go with the opening sentence, I don't usually use quotes in reviews unless they're utterly ridiculous so I use them to rant with, but I just had to with this.

Review: The Cure for Dreaming

The Cure for Dreaming
Author: Cat Winters
Publication Date: 1st October 2014
Publisher: Amulet Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout

Can we just stop and think for a minute of the oppression of women in this era? Can we honestly, in this age, know and feel how that would have felt? 100 pages in and well, anger doesn't seem to cover it. Sexism still exists, it's a thing along with others that will probably always exist, especially in a work place and when it comes to what's considered as 'Man Jobs',  Military and cut-throat jobs that apparently are no places for Women. Now, what I loved about The Cure for Dreaming, that while it does the oppression and repression well, it also uplifts the arguments well. Especially in the letter Olivia writes.