Blog Tour: Frost Like Night Review

  

Frost Like Night
Author: Sara Raasch
Publication Date: September 22nd 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Angra is alive, his Decay is spreading—and no one is safe.

Meira will do anything to save her world. With Angra trying to break through her mental defenses, she desperately needs to learn to control her own magic—so when the leader of a mysterious Order from Paisly offers to teach her, she jumps at the chance. But the true solution to stopping the Decay lies in a labyrinth deep beneath the Season Kingdoms. To defeat Angra, Meira will have to enter the labyrinth, destroy the very magic she’s learning to control—and make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Mather will do anything to save his queen. He needs to rally the Children of the Thaw, find Meira—and finally tell her how he really feels. But with a plan of attack that leaves no kingdom unscathed and a major betrayal within their ranks, winning the war—and protecting Meira—slips farther and farther out of reach.

Ceridwen will do anything to save her people. Angra had her brother killed, stole her kingdom, and made her a prisoner. But when she’s freed by an unexpected ally who reveals a shocking truth behind Summer’s slave trade, Ceridwen must take action to save her true love and her kingdom, even if it costs her what little she has left.

As Angra unleashes the Decay on the world, Meira, Mather, and Ceridwen must bring the kingdoms of Primoria together…or lose everything

*Spoiler free, though spoilers from the previous two.

That's it, the end of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy, and I'm sad because I'm not quite ready to let go of the characters and their world. 

Continuing on from where Ice Like Fire ended, we're thrown back in to the story and aftermath of Ice Like Fire, Mather and the Thaw and Jesse, Ceridwen being captured, and Meira learning to control and use her magic in a way to defend herself from the Decay - and not feed it.

Ice Like Fire Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

I adored Snow Like Ashes, so I am so excited to be part of the UK Ice Like Fire Tour, thanks @Harper360UK for letting me be a part of it! I'm reviewing Ice Like Fire, and don't forget to check out the awesome giveaway (with signed bookplates) below!

Ice Like Fire
Author: Sara Raasch
Publication Date: November 19th 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins UK
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

 It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

Let me start by saying that Ice Like Fire is vastly different from Snow Like Ashes. If you're expecting a lot of action, strong, bull-headed- and frankly, badass characters, you'll be sorely disappointed. You see, you'll be frustrated at the characters, especially our main three, they all have their reasons why they act like they do, but they're different from who we met in Snow Like Ashes.
 
But.

Yes, but.

It's a necessary adjustment. Meira finding out who she really is, Mather finding out who he thought he was, and Theron (well, I'm keeping my mouth shut on him), they're going to be different. They're facing the truth and the lies and what it means, fighting and hiding from it at the same time. Of course they're going to be different. Meira's adjustment is realistic. She's just been handed a kingdom on her shoulders and has no idea how to be Queen other than trying to do what's best for Winter. Which is a lot harder when she's fighting being Meira, and trying to be Queen Meira, which ultimately leads to mistakes and stupid decisions as she's struggling to piece those two halves together.
 
Mather...Mather has all of those things taken off his shoulders-officially, but they're still there, and he doesn't have a choice or voice for Winter, he's angry, angry at that and angry at the parents he's suddenly got that don't feel like parents. He has two halves of himself struggling. Prince

Mather and Lord Mather, just like Meira.
 
It's the same for the relationships that leave the love triangle strained on all sides. Meira and Mather. Queen Meira and Prince Theron. The choice between what is wanted and what is best for Winter, and the blurred lines between that and betrayal.
 
Although Ice Like Fire very much feels like the Middle Book syndrome, meaning not a lot happens for most of it because it's reeling from the first and setting up the third, I wasn't bored. And that's down to the writing for me, it's easy to read, flowing and kept me reading.
 
We get to explore different Seasons and Rhythms, and discover more of the world Sara Raasch created, and strengthens the building. Which is also why we have two perspectives this time. We have Meira's perspective in first person present tense and the other (I’m pretty sure you probably know who the second perspective is, but I won’t spoil it in case.) in third person past tense, which I thought would've been my issue, which it was in the beginning, but I got used to it.
 
Ice Like Fire wasn't what I was expecting, but it's a great set up for what feels like a badass conclusion to the trilogy.

Rating: 4/5

       

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For my monster from his slab, began to rise, and suddenly to my surprise..

 

This Monstrous Thing
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Publication Date: October 22nd 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

This Monstrous Thing is a hard one to review, mainly because it's down to it not being what I thought it was going to be. In some ways, it was great, especially in the way that attracts me to certain books and keeps me reading, which I'll get to in a minute. But, in other ways I felt it let me down because it just...lacked something for me. So I'll get that bit out of the way.

Review: Tiny Pretty Things

 
Tiny Pretty Things
Author: Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
Publication Date: July 2nd 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Well, Tiny Pretty Things is not pretty, and not in the way you think. Tiny Pretty Things is a dark, twisted and honestly, completely cutthroat. I avoided all reviews of Tiny Pretty Things going in, I think I only read one a week before it, which made me worry about the drama, because you know me and unnecessary drama, so I was surprised by how much I actually loved the drama, and I think that is mainly because the drama in Tiny Pretty Things isn't unnecessary and is completely realistic in its setting, because Tiny Pretty Things shows the dark side of ballet, how competitive and ruthless it is.

Review: Deadfall (I'm so not forgiving you, Anna Carey)

Deadfall
Author: Anna Carey
Publication Date: July 16th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 In the compelling sequel to Blackbird, Anna Carey delivers a gritty and adrenaline-filled story of a girl desperate to escape her mysterious and terrifying assailants. Told in second person, this heart-pounding thriller puts the reader in front of the target.

A week ago, you woke up in Los Angeles with no memory of who you are. The only thing you knew: people are trying to kill you. You put your trust in Ben, but he betrayed you and broke your heart. Now you've escaped to New York City with a boy named Rafe, who says he remembers you from before. But the two of you are not safe. The same people who are after you are tailing Rafe as well. As the chase heats up, your memory starts to return, but your past cannot save you from the terrifying circumstances of your present, or the fact that one wrong move could end this game forever.

With enemies on every side, and not a reprieve in sight, Deadfall will grab readers and refuse to let go. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner series and the Legend series.

• Warning! There might be some slight spoilers for Blackbird ahead!

I really enjoyed Blackbird last year, while I know some had a problem with the second person narration, I loved it and it worked so well with the plot and story, and I don't think it would have worked any other way.

Blackbird and Deadfall have a lot of things working for it in YA, it's original, I haven't read another book like it, it runs and feels like a movie, which I always love when books can do that, they're fast paced to the point where they don't let you get comfortable with the story so you feel how intense it is and it creates the dangerous atmosphere and keeps you on your toes. It isn't predictable and while one major thing felt predictable in Blackbird, it set things up perfectly for Deadfall, which I have to say, is more intense, crazy and twisted than I thought it would be.

Magonia Blog Tour: Review & Q&A with Maria Dahvana Headley

 

 

Magonia
Author: Maria Dahvana Headley
Publication Date: June 4th 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds... two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

How to describe Magonia? I don't know how, so I'll just go with wow. There. I can't say I 100% got it, because I didn't, it got confusing at times, especially when Aza gets to Magonia, but not totally getting it doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like it, in fact, I freaking loved it despite that. You know all those comparisons X meets Y that are rather annoying at times because they are not even close to describing the book? This isn't one of them. I totally get why it was Stardust meets The Fault in Our Stars, but especially The Fault in Our Stars and not for the obvious reasons, the characters weren't the same, and neither was the writing, but it had that same feel to it, in a way characterisation, humour and the lyrical undertone in the writing, but you just have to read it to understand it, because it is unique and original and honestly? I haven't read anything else like it.

Review: The Wicked Will Rise

The Wicked Will Rise
Author: Danielle Paige
Publication Date: May 7th 20105
Publisher: Harper Collins
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.

To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die....

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?

I read Dorothy Must Die last year, and it fell flat for me. Maybe that was because of high expectations or the lack of learning the plot considering what you learn from the whole 452 pages was mostly on the back of the book. But, I did love how twisted Oz had become (or should I say, more twisted?) and it felt more of a companion to The Wizard of Oz in the vein of Splintered, which was the best part of the book. Going into The Wicked Will Rise, I lowered my expectations and I ignored the synopsis and the mission taglines on the back, and you know what? I liked it so much better for it. The Wicked Will Rise was everything I wanted Dorothy Must Die to be, badass, twisted, character development and originality in a world we already know. In short, The Wicked Will Rise brought it's A Game.