Sticks, Stones & Dragon Bones (DNF mini review)

Sticks, Stones, & Dragon Bones | Evelyn Ink

Published by: Spindelay Publishing/Self, December 31st 2012

Genre: MG, Fantasy

Pages: 200

Format: Ebook

Source: Bought

A door that leads nowhere…
a key to open it.
A map of a land that doesn’t exist,
and a monster that does.


Four sisters; a hypochondriac scientist, a mordant writer, and two feisty twins aspiring to be pirates, set off to retrieve their eldest sister who has been kidnapped into an unknown world. The sisters must work together to outwit the monster Brakkus, face their fears, and unravel the clues of an ominous prophecy…


“Follow the river of blood and you will find a coffin of leaves... You will find her in the clutches of two great forces seeking power. They both prowl behind curtains of violence, but one can deliver only evil and the other, possible freedom. The one you seek is in the jaws of the deliverers, but you must hurry, for like meat thrown to dogs she will be ripped apart.”

I bought this because it was an indie middle grade, and I've been wanting to read a lot more middle grade. Also supporting lesser known authors doesn't hurt. But I knew immediately that I wasn't gonna hack the full book. The language was choppy, the sentences didn't flow at all and I feel like MG books need to flow to suck you into the magic. The story might be fun and wondrous but I can't get past the writing. Which is a shame, because I was hoping for something special.

This is the first indie book I've read, that actually reads like an indie book. Milestone, I guess?

DNF at 12%

Reading round up (36)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. DESPERATELY need to get back on track with galleys. I have some books I'm really looking forward to reading so it should be good.

21st July

Started Tabula Rasa, and it must be pretty decent because I read 45% of it in one day. I really like the love interest, and the mystery of the 'hospital' is pretty cool. This is actually the first time I've read about a creepy hospital, even though they're rampant in the genre. The mountainous snowstorm thing is pretty cool as well, reminds me of After The End by Amy Plum a little. Though that could just be the yurt.

22nd July

Currently reading: Tabula Rasa | Kristen Lippert-Martin

Current page/percent: 77%

Read today: 32%

Thoughts: Started off enjoying this but I'm getting bored. I could have done without the "army" guys tbh.

23rd July

Currently reading: Tabula Rasa | Kristen Lippert-Martin

Current page/percent: 100%

Read today: 23%

Thoughts: SO BORED at the end.

24th July

I CAN FINALLY READ ICONS!!!! Aw yeahhhhhhh. One of my favourite books of all time. Read 27 pages and loving it.

25th July

Had a crappy day so only read 37 pages.

26th July

Currently reading: Icons | Margaret Stohl

Current page/percent: page 194

Read today: 130 pages

Thoughts: FINALLY FOUND TIME TO READ. And boy did I read. Powered through a third of the book. Oh Lucas bb my precious thing.

27th July

Currently reading: Icons | Margaret Stohl

Current page/percent: page 337

Read today: 143 pages

Thoughts: I have missed this story so. fuckin. much. I can't wait to start Idols and see what emotions Stohl can make me feel next. I've gone through the whole spectrum with this one.

Books finished this week: 1

(*groaning noises*.)

~

Books added to my collection:

Arrow of The Mist | Christina Mercer

I got a review copy of this once upon a time but it was one of those that expire and I wasn't able to put it on my kindle, so I never got to read it. I bought it from amazon just now, so I FINALLY get to read the damn thing. It's pretty high on my kindle-to-read list for now :)

In other news: the campaign to fund printing and shipping of The Wandering is a go! Donate a pound for your name in the acknowledgements. Donate £3 or more for extra cool stuff, bracelets, bookmarks, rare paperbacks etc. Help me give people more free books!!

Cover reveal: Fire In The Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton #M9BFridayReveals

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel.

But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met?

Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can't get caught.

Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can't really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here.

As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she's to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.

Title: Fire in the Woods
Publication date: September 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Jennifer M. Eaton

Corporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.

Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.

Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.

Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively… creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading round up (35)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. Mini RRU this week to catch up from the bumper London edition. Need to get back on track with my reading now. Finishing two this week would be AWESOME.

16th July

Currently reading: The Lovely & The Lost | Page Morgan

Current page/percent: page 160

Read today: 61 pages

Thoughts: Loving all the OTPs.

17th July

Currently reading: The Lovely & The Lost | Page Morgan

Current page/percent: page 274

Read today: 114 pages

Thoughts: This isn't GOING WELL.

18th July

Currently reading: The Lovely & The Lost | Page Morgan

Current page/percent: page 352

Read today: 78 pages

Thoughts: LEAVE ME ALONE TO DIE MY HEART IS BROKEN.

19th July

No time to read. Personal drama.

20th July

Pretty much the same as yesterday. *sigh*

Books finished this half-week: 1

(*groaning noises*.)

~

Books added to my collection:

Afterworlds | Scott Westerfield

Yaaaaaaaaaaas. Thank you Simon & Schuster UK. So happy to have this giant book!!
(according to the little kindle dots, The Forgotten is as big as Afterworlds, which would put it at 600+ pages. Eek!)

The Lovely and The Lost (Review)

The Dispossessed: The Lovely & The Lost | Page Morgan

Published by: Hot Key Books, May 1st 2014

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Bought

Gabby and Ingrid may have saved their brother, but their journey is far from over. Ingrid must learn how to control her powers before they begin to control her. She wishes Luc would help her, but he's refusing... Meanwhile Gabby has thrown herself into the Alliance, despite the eye patch she now wears thanks to a hellhound. But there are major changes afoot. When Nolan returns from the trials of the traitorous Alliance members he brings his father and his cousin, whose first order is to remove Chelle, Ingrid, and Gabby from their duties - women are no longer welcome.

But Paris needs hunters, especially now murder is sweeping the city again. Whole families are being slaughtered in their sleep, at the dinner table - even while out in the family carriage. Just who or what is behind these slayings? The action, romance, and devastatingly dark secrets revealed in THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED continue as Ingrid and Gabby fight for their loves, their lives and their city.

Ah!!!!!!!! That ending!!! Nope. *quits life*

I wasn't sure if this book was going to live up to The Beautiful and The Cursed but whoa were my doubts proven wrong/ The drama, the thrills, the danger, the romance, everything is back in full force in this book. There are more demons, more gargoyles, and more of my favourite badass ladies. 

Ingrid and Luc's romance becomes even more impossible and heartbreaking, Gabby and Nolan aren't allowed to be happy either (curse you, Morgan!) and Grayson and Chelle ... well he might eat her *shrug* hellhounds, y'know? It's a pretty tough ride, The Lovely and The Lost.

Basically, if you read this book you will be thrilled and enchanted, and then BROKEN INTO TINY PIECES. I hope you don't want your heart uncrushed. I love everything about this series and I need the next book right right now.

Side note: What the everloving HELL is the blurb all about? Ingrid's powers controlling her? Uh ... when? Half the book was about her not being able to call them up. Luc refusing to help????? He's literally got no choice but to help. GABBY IN AN EYEPATCH? Hell you missed the chapters when she wore veils to cover half her face didn't you? Did you even read this book?

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world building ★★★★★

Writing Style ★★★★★

YALC and London.

I don't usually post about my life outside of blogging and books, but this just had to be blogged about. Also it's partially about books because 1) I can't help myself and buy a tonne of books whenever I go away, and 2) YA lit convention!!

click photos to make bigger :)

Last weekend, I went to London for London Film and Comic Con, which just happened to have another con inside the con specifically for books. There were book stalls, lots of authors signing (Rainbow Rowell's and Darren Shan's queues were ridiculous. Kinda glad I'm not a huge fan of them now), publishers giving away swag like postcards, samplers, bookmarks etc. I got a super cool Skulduggery Pleasant wristband and some Angel badges!! I was exceptionally thrilled at my Iron Trial sampler.

I got books signed by Kim Curran, who was super nice and also gave me some stickers and bookmarks. It was blisteringly hot inside Earl's Court at that point, with bodies packing even more heat into a hot Summer day, so at one point I ended up fanning Kim Curran with my fan. Which was quite fun, not gonna lie. Hence the comment.

I also got my copy of The Oathbreaker's Shadow signed by Amy McCulloch, who was also really cool and nice (are all authors just really great people?). I'm pretty proud of how I stayed unnervous through both signings, and my voice didn't do that awful thing it tends to do when I meet people I admire, but I totally ran out of conversational material with Amy McCulloch. I think I may have perpetrated an awkward silence :( Sorry Amy!

I also bought Sinner, Idols, and The Lovely & The Lost, and went inside the fancy new Foyles flagship because I have absolutely no self control when it comes to books. These are all the new books I came home with:

that book right on the top was from the LFCC free books stall !! Ignore my messy wall.

There were also talks and workshops going on at YALC, though I didn't go to any of them because I didn't have time, but I bought so many things at the actual LFCC, had photos with cosplayers (ARROW!!), visited the popup Sherlock set, and almost had a photoshoot with Natalie Dormer - she cancelled.

All in all a really great con and a fun, if way too hot, weekend. And here's some bonus tourist photos:

Did any of you go to YALC or LFCC? Who did you get to meet?

~Saruuh

Reading round up (34)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. Extended RRU because IT'S LONDON WEEK BITCHESSSSSSSS!!! This week there'll be a London megapost, with photos & ramblings about YALC so be on the lookout for that. I don't anticipate getting much reading in this weekend but I don't care *runs off into the sunset, singing*

7th July

Currently reading: Under Nameless Stars | Christian Schoon

Current page/percent: 67%

Read today: 23%

Thoughts: Really warming to Fane, so of course he gets injured and taken by hostile aliens. Of course.

8th July

SO bored with Earthfall that I think it's gonna have to be a DNF. I don't understand why I'm not loving it, but I'm really disinterested. I read another 15% of Under Nameless Stars, though, which I really like. A whole heck of a lot.

9th July

Finished Under Nameless Stars (17%), and started The Oathbreaker's Shadow by Amy McCulloch (44 pages) so I'll finish it in time for YALC this weekend! Liking it so far.

10th July

For some reason I started reading Eren by Simon P. Clark (27%). I recently got approved for a galley of it and I was just excited to read it. So far it's distantly intriguing but nothing much is really happening. Family drama, new friends, mostly it's waffle, but hoping it will get gradually darker. (I say waffle, and waffling, a lot and I just realised it might be an English/British or a Northern thing. Do you understand what I mean when I say that?)

11th July

Guess how much I read today. Guess. Did you guess nothing? I read nothing. I think it's safe to say I won't be finishing the Oathbreaker's Shadow in time for tomorrow.

12th July

Too busy meeting fabulous authors to read.

13th July

Again. Nothing. BUT LONDON!!!

14th July

You already know what I'm saying here, don't you?

15th July

I read 12% of Eren, bringing me to 49%. It's getting more boring with each chapter tbh. And I started The Lovely and The Lost by Page Morgan *confetti erupts from ceiling*. If you don't know, it's the sequel to The Beautiful and The Cursed and I recommend this series to literally everyone who loves a good fantasy novel. It's set in turn of the century Paris and has gargoyle protectors (gargoyle protectors who are also human babes, might I add) and badass ladies finding themselves and demons and demon hunters!!

Books finished this week and half: 1

(Barely anything read but I had a cool weekend.)

~

Books added to my collection:
~*~*London Edition*~*~

yaaaaaaaaaaaas I have SINNER!! and IDOLS!! Also bonus The Lovely and The Lost! I got the latter two for £3.99 each - NEW RELEASES, HOW CRAZY? - because Blackwells was closing down. The others were books I got signed at YALC by their fabulous authors and A Wilderness of Stars I got for free from a free books stall at LFCC.

The Queen of The Tearling (ARC Review)

The Queen of The Tearling: The Queen of The Tearling | Erika Johansen

Published by: Bantam Press, July 17th 2014

Genre: NA, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 432

Format: Ebook

Source: Random House UK & Bantam Press, via Netgalley

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

Queen of The Tearling was both everything I expected and the complete opposite of what I wanted. I have a lot of conflicted opinions about it, hence the huge review. This book is a sweeping high fantasy, with a girl rising to rulership of a corrupt kingdom and dealing with all the consequences of putting said kingdom right. 

HOWEVER. For most of the book, it just plods along at a snail's pace. Stuff happens, but it doesn't really feel like much is happening, to me at least. Kelsea didn't even make it to her castle (keep) until 30% into the book, at which point I knew a lot of back story about the world, but little else. It meandered on in the same way, all the way to the end.

I couldn't seem to read more than 10% in one go, which averaged about 40 pages, though it felt like I was reading double that amount. The book itself had the feel of something about 600+ pages long. Along with that, I think my main problem with Queen of The Tearling was its lack of threat. Sure, there was a looming war on the horizon but it felt distant, impersonal. There were no real stakes, and because of that the book felt flat. 

Don't get me wrong, there were aspects I loved - like the world. Johansen did a great job setting up the Tearling and Mortmesne, despite the often winding info dumps. It was unique and fascinating, with a seat of corruption and evils as deep as hell. It was really cool to see mentions of things that exist here (Grimm's fairy tales, for example), to put together the pieces that Tearling was a land separate from ours, but still very much in the same world. I even liked the characters. Kelsea is alright, a decent enough main character, but I adore Mace, her guard. If the book was just about him doing whatever it is he does every day, I think it would have been 100% more exciting.

I liked this book, but there just wasn't enough in it for me to really enjoy reading it. I finished it, but that was a mix of determination and love of the Mace (and Mace is the only reason this isn't a 2.5 star rating.) I wish there'd been more of Mortmesne, more immediate threats, and less of the long stretches of information. All in all, an okay epic fantasy, but not recommended for people looking for adventure, action, or a fast pace.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing Style ★★☆☆☆

The Queen of the Tearling is destined to be a fantasy classic. Johansen’s writing is assured, confident and thrilling. I can’t wait for the next book. 

- AMY McCULLOCH, author of The Oathbreaker’s Shadow

Under Nameless Stars (ARC Review)

Zenn Scarlett: Under Nameless Stars | Christian Schoon

Published by: Strange Chemistry, April 1st 2014

Genre: YA, Science fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Ebook

Source: Strange Chemistry, via Netgalley, before the huge shitstorm.

Zenn Scarlett’s novice year of exoveterinarian training on Mars isn’t quite going to plan…

After barely surviving a plot to destroy her school and its menagerie of alien patients, could things at the Ciscan cloister get any worse? Yes. Yes they could: Zenn’s absent father Warra Scarlett has suddenly ceased all communication with her. Desperate to learn what’s become of him, Zenn stows away aboard the Helen of Troy, a starliner powered by one of the immense, dimension-jumping beasts known as Indra.

With her is Liam Tucker, a towner boy who is either very fond of her, very dangerous to her, or both. On the verge of learning the truth about her dad, Zenn’s quest suddenly catapults her and Liam thousands of light years beyond known space, and into the dark heart of a monstrous conspiracy. Braving a gauntlet of lethal environments and unearthly life forms, her courage and exovet skills will now be tested as never before.

With the fate of entire worlds hanging in the balance, Zenn is racing headlong into trouble… again.

As wonderful and imaginitive as the first of its series, Under Nameless Stars takes exovet Zenn Scarlett away from her homeplanet of Mars and across the stars in a quest to rescue her father and find some answers about why she was abducted.

Under Nameless Stars starts with a bloody big bang. Zenn has boarded the Helen of Troy with little to no plan, no way of staying on the starliner because of a lack of boarding pass, and Liam nowhere to be found. So what does she do? Befriends a big walking dolphin with a voicebox and a penchant for crime mysteries.

The thing about this series is it is so utterly bizarre, but somehow Christian Schoon makes it believable. I don't know how, but a dolphin in a walksuit makes total sense. You kind of just accept Jules as a regular person, and that's by far my favourite part of this book, and the series. You're introduced to all these alien lifeforms, these absurd and completely unfounded creatures, and after a while you forget that they're alien because they have their own personalities. You meet someone as a strange, imposing animal and end up loving them as a person. That, I think, has quite a few real world implications that I enjoy a lot.

But I'll stop ranting about the aliens and say: the plot of this book is as packed and exciting as the first, the world as brilliant and wildly creative as that of Mars, Zenn is as gutsy and real a character as any you'll ever meet, and Liam is a love interest who isn't much of a love interest (I enjoy this so much. A book with a new kind of romance and a giant lack of kissing. Thank you, Schoon.)

Also Katie. You really ought to just read this series of Katie. I usually refrain from quoting from galleys as a courtesy to Strange Chemistry, but since there is no Strange Chemistry anymore, what the hell! Enjoy these snippets of Katie, furry rikkaset sweetheart that she is:

Katie yawned, then climbed out of the pack, sat on the arm of the chair and gave Jules an intense, inspecting look. She signed at Zenn:

"Walking fish-man have food for Katie?"

"Friend-Zenn! Friend-Zenn!"

"Yes, Katie?"

"Katie have breakfasty food? Food now?"

The rikkaset was sitting upright on her haunches, vocalizing in high-pitched squeaks and signing a stream of words that equated roughly to "Friend-Zenn being silly. Katie doesn't like. Stop now."

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world building ★★★★★

Writing Style ★★★☆☆