Review 2014

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

/ beckireads / 3 Comments

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (UK edition)

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Collins (22nd October 2013)
Blurb:

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered – fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world beyond the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature – and herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ALLEGIANT brings Veronica Roth’s fantastic DIVERGENT trilogy to its conclusion. After the events and revelations of INSURGENT (review) Tris and her friends are left with a world thrown into chaos: everything they thought they knew was a lie. But it also offers them a world beyond the city they know, and Tris needs to know what’s out there.

Continue reading →

Review: Rags & Bones edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt

/ beckireads / 4 Comments

Rags & Bones ed. by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt

Title: Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales
Editors: Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt
Genre: Re-telling, Short Story, Young Adult
Publisher: Headline (13th March 2014)
Blurb:

A unique short-story collection from the most unique imaginations.

There are some stories as timeless as they are involving.

There are some authors who can tell any story.

In RAGS & BONES, award-winning and bestselling authors retell classic fairytales and twisted tales in the way that only they can. With magic and passion they bring these stories – whether much loved or forgotten – back to life.

Read ‘Sleeping Beauty‘ as only Neil Gaiman can tell it. See ‘Rumpelstiltskin‘ through the eyes of Kami Garcia. And hear of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Man Who Would Be King‘ from the inimitable Garth Nix.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

RAGS & BONES is a collection of short stories that are retellings of works which mean something to the author. The collection contains re-imaginings of fairy tales as well as stories inspired by works of literature like Kipling’s THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING or Spenser’s THE FAERIE QUEENE. Each contributor adds an interesting twist to the work that inspired them. Contributors include the editors Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt, as well as Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, and Kami Garcia.

Continue reading →

Review: Kinked by Thea Harrison

/ beckireads / 3 Comments

Kinked by Thea Harrison, UK cover.

Title: Kinked (The Elder Races, 6)
Author: Thea Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Piatkus (5th November 2013)
Blurb:

Two opponents must confront the cause of their obsessive fury in the latest novel of the Elder Races . . .

As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.

To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion – culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their mission reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

KINKED is the sixth book in Thea Harrison’s spectacular THE ELDER RACES series. Set not long after the previous book in the series LORD’S FALL (review), KINKED tells the story of Aryal (no last name) and Quentin Caeravorn two of Dragos’s Sentinels. Their dislike of one another and the ensuing fights force Dragos to send them on a mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur to sort out their differences once and for all. Like the previous books in the series KINKED is very definitely a book which is aimed at an adult audience.

Continue reading →

Review: Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

/ beckireads / 3 Comments

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Spy Glass (Chronicles of Ixia 6/Glass Trilogy 3)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira Ink (2nd August 2013)
Blurb:

A new legacy is rising . . .

After siphoning her own blood magic, Opal Cowan has lost her powers and been separated from Kade and Ulrick, the two men who divide her heart. Now an insider looking in, Opal spies through the glass on those with the powers she once had.

Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that some of her blood has been stolen – and that finding it may let her regain her powers for good.

Or learn if they’re lost forever.

Rating: ** (2 stars)
Review:

SPY GLASS is the sixth book in Maria V. Snyder’s CHRONICLES OF IXIA and the third and final book in her GLASS TRILOGY. In SPY GLASS Snyder concludes Opal’s conflicting emotions about the men she loves and her own magic. Opal has come a long way from the girl we meet in FIRE STUDY (review) and it has been a really interesting journey.

Continue reading →

Review: The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

/ beckireads / 2 Comments

The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Title: The Undead Pool (The Hollows #12)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperVoyager (25th February 2014)
Blurb:

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan knows magic – earth, ley line, even the forbidden demon magic – and the knowledge has saved her life more than once. But now something – or someone – is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong while living vampires attack humans and Inderlanders alike.

The pressures build when the city is quarantined to contain the unreliable magic, and Rachel must stop the attacks before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all out supernatural war.

The only way to do so is through the ancient elven magic, but that carries its own perils – for magic always has a price, and gods do not come lightly when called.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

THE UNDEAD POOL is the penultimate book in Kim Harrison’s fantastic THE HOLLOWS series. In THE UNDEAD POOL something is causing magic to go wonky and vampires to attack, Rachel Morgan is worried that somehow she is the cause. Once she establishes she isn’t the cause, she is determined to find out who – or what – is causing the disturbance and putting everyone in danger.

Continue reading →

Review: Awaken by Meg Cabot

/ beckireads / 1 Comment

Awaken by Meg Cabot (UK cover)

Title: Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3)
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Macmillan (26th September 2013)
Blurb:

DEATH HAS HER IN HIS CLUTCHES. PIERCE DOESN’T WANT HIM TO LET GO.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden she’s be forced to live forever in one of the places she’d always dreaded the most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness – and safety – are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: he revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on Earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order: someone has to die.

THE MYTH OF PERSEPHONE… DARKLY REIMAGINED

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

AWAKEN is the final book in Meg Cabot’s ABANDON TRILOGY – a re-telling of the Greek myth of Persephone. Pierce Olivierea captured the attention of John Hayden, the lord of the Underworld. Eventually she fell in love with him, even though it meant living in the Underworld. Unfortunately, the balance between life and death is broken and Pierce and John have to find a way to fix it so they can have their happy ever after.

Continue reading →

Review: Tiger’s Quest

/ beckireads / 1 Comment

Tiger’s Quest by Colleen Houck

Title: Tiger’s Quest (The Tiger Saga #2)
Author: Colleen Houck
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Hodder (9th June 2011)
Blurb:

Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest. This time with Ren’s dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger’s Curse.

Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, Tiger’s Quest brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

TIGER’S QUEST is the second book in Colleen Houck’s superb series THE TIGER SAGA. It tells the story of Kelsey an average teen who comes across two Indian princes who have been cursed to spend their lives as tigers. In TIGER’S CURSE (review) Kelsey and Ren embark on a quest to break the curse, and along the way come across Ren’s brother Kishan. In TIGER‘S QUEST, which continues not long after the end of the first book, Kelsey undertakes the second quest with Kishan.

Continue reading →

Review: Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

/ beckireads / 3 Comments

Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

Title: Falling Fast (Flynn #1)
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (1st March 2012)
Source: Orli
Blurb:

When River auditions for a part in an inter-school performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself falling for Flynn, the boy playing Romeo.

River believes in romantic love, and she can’t wait to experience it. But does Flynn see things the same way?

The path of true love never did run smooth . . .

Rating: * (1 star)
Review:

FALLING FAST by Sophie McKenzie is the first book in a four book series focusing on the potential romance between River and Flynn. Shakespeare’s play ROMEO AND JULIET seems to play a large part in the first book – and potentially in the rest of the series. I got my copy of this book from Orli as part of my Valentine’s Day Ninja Book Swap gift.

Continue reading →

Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

/ beckireads / 4 Comments

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Title: Stolen Songbird (Malediction Trilogy #1)
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Genre: Swords and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Source: Strange Chemistry via NetGalley
Format: e-ARC
Blurb:

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

– Blurb taken from Strange Chemistry website.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

STOLEN SONGBIRD is the first book in Danielle L. Jensen’s MALEDICTION TRILOGY. It tells the story of Cécile, the daughter of a farmer, who dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and being an opera singer. On the eve of her achieving her dream she is kidnapped and brought to Trollus, where her whole world changes.

Continue reading →

Review: The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison

/ beckireads / 3 Comments

The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison

Title: The Hollows Insider (The Hollows #9.5)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager (1st September 2013)
Blurb:

ENTER THE WORLD OF THE HOLLOWS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

In the Hollows, the supernatural Inderlander rule, and humanity must abide by their conventions, or else.

To survive among vampires, witches, Weres, gargoyles, trolls, fairies, and banshees – to say nothing of demons – humanity needs a guide. And now, written by Kim Harrison herself, here is an insider’s look at the supernatural world of the Hollows, from an overarching new story to character profiles, maps, spell guides, charm recipes, secret correspondence from elusive Trent Kalamack, and much more.

One misfired spell that burned off his hair is all it took to send investigative reporter Devin Crossman on a mission to uncover all the secrets of Rachel Morgan and expose them to the world.

Collected here are all his notebook entries and a treasure trove of evidence, including maps, species profiles, magic spells, documents from Inderland Security, Takata’s song lyrics, Betty Bob’s recipes, Ley Line Charms, entries from the Were Registry, articles from The Hollows Gazette, and many more documents that cast light into regions of the Hollows that have never been revealed.

But Crossman’s one-man war has not gone unnoticed . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

THE HOLLOWS INSIDER by Kim Harrison is a guide-book come side story to her superb Urban Fantasy series THE HOLLOWS, which follows the story of Rachel Morgan. THE HOLLOWS INSIDER tells the story of investigative reporter Devin Crossman, who gets caught in a misfired spell. The book documents his research into the witch who cast the spell (Rachel Morgan) and the conclusions he draws. Unfortunately, Crossman’s research does not go unnoticed.

Continue reading →