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.