Review: Last Seen

Read if you like: dark, twisty thrillers, mysteries that keep you guessing, and a tight-knit gang of friends

Last Seen | Sara Shepard

Series: The Amateurs

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Released: October 4th 2018
Pages: 293
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

At first, the mystery they're tasked with seems to have nothing to do with Aerin or her kidnapper. But as Seneca, Maddox and Madison hit the Jersey Shore to gather clues, they begin to uncover the true background of the killer and the horrors that shaped him into who he is. The scavenger hunt leads them to the family of a recently kidnapped boy and dark secrets they could never have seen coming. 

As Aerin struggles to play nice with the person who killed her sister in order to buy herself time, her friends work feverishly against the ticking clock that could mean her life, and every clue they uncover leads Seneca to suspect she's more connected to the killer's history than she ever realised ... 

Weirdly, this was my least favourite book of the series, even though we got loads of answers and the story arc wrapped up. I did enjoy it, and the mystery built nicely. I liked the insight into Brett, and how his past tied into the present case. I did like how it all wrapped up, and everyone got their happily ever after, whatever form that took, but the end ... something about it felt flat for me. Possibly because the book actually ended around 85%, so I thought something more was going to happen. And absolutely no hint in the blurb that this was the final book, which was irritating. But still, it was a really good book and I'd highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a twisty, compelling murder mystery.

4 stars

Review: The Hazel Wood

Read if you like: dark, dangerous fairy tales come to life, fantasy stories grounded in the modern world, and characters you can root for.

The Hazel Wood | Melissa Albert

Series: The Hazel Wood

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dark Fairy Tales
Released: February 8th 2018
Pages: 359
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice's life on the road, always a step ahead of the strange bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice's grandmother, the reclusive author of a book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate - the Hazel Wood - Alice learns how bad her luck can really get. Her mother is stolen away - by a figure who claims to come from the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: STAY AWAY FROM THE HAZEL WOOD. 

To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began . . .

This took a bit of time to get going but I really liked it once it did. Suitably dark and fairy tale-y, with a couple of shocking twists (one was fun, one was not.) I liked the main characters (loved Finch) and there was enough secretive stuff to keep me guessing. The book really came into it own when it entered the Hinterland (fairy tale world), though - I loved all the darkness, bloodiness, and the world of Stories and their stories. 

My only complaint is I found the ending REALLY unsatisfying, and hope the sequel doesn't just spend time with Finch - I want Alice's story to continue too, she deserves so much more than this book!

Clever and inventive and dark as fairy tales are meant to be. A twisty, dangerous tale.

4 stars

Review: This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story

Read if you like: angsty romances, flawed characters, and people who don't believe in happily ever afters getting their own HEA.

This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story | Kheryn Callender

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Diverse, Queer
Released: October 30th 2018
Pages: 304
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

A fresh, charming rom-com perfect for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Boy Meets Boy about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town.

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.

Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.

After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after?

This is the kind of contemporary book I always know I'm going to love. Cynical grump meets sunny Labrador of a person and they FALL IN LOVE. But this has the added element of the two of them having been best friends when they were younger, then one of them moving away and all sorts of complicated stuff between them. 

I loved Bird and Oliver James, they are so sweet. But I mostly loved how messy every relationship was in this book. Nate did not have a damn clue what he was doing friend and romance wise, and he messed up constantly, and I LOVED how realistic it was. Characters in books sometimes seem to know exactly how to have besties -  and KEEP them, which always seems the hardest part - and how to be good people that others want to date. Nate was a mess, a little too harsh sometimes, and he snapped before thinking, but I loved how honest this book was. 

And he still got his happily ever after.

4 stars

Review: Voices In The Air

Read if you like: authentic, heartfelt poetry that speaks to the soul.

Voices In The Air | Naomi Shihab Nye

Series: N/A

Genre: Poetry
Released: February 13th 2018
Pages: 208
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Acclaimed and award-winning poet, teacher, and National Book Award finalist Naomi Shihab Nye’s uncommon and unforgettable voice offers readers peace, humor, inspiration, and solace. This volume of almost one hundred original poems is a stunning and engaging tribute to the diverse voices past and present that comfort us, compel us, lead us, and give us hope.

Voices in the Air is a collection of almost one hundred original poems written by the award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of the artists, writers, poets, historical figures, ordinary people, and diverse luminaries from past and present who have inspired her. Full of words of encouragement, solace, and hope, this collection offers a message of peace and empathy.

Voices in the Air celebrates the inspirational people who strengthen and motivate us to create, to open our hearts, and to live rewarding and graceful lives. With short informational bios about the influential figures behind each poem, and a transcendent introduction by the poet, this is a collection to cherish, read again and again, and share with others. Includes an index. 

To read this book, every day I took a few minutes of quiet time. It became a ritual to read these poems of love and resistance and frustration and love. There are poems I loved and poems I didn't, but I loved the simple act of reading them either way. Worlds and lives come to life in these pages, in such few words and sparse lines - I want to read more.

4 stars

Review: How To Deal

Read if you like: ultra cool and easy-to-understand tarot meanings, and quick, simple ways to be more spiritual.

How To Deal: Tarot For Everyday Life | Sami Main, Marisa De La Pena

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Tarot, Spirituality
Released: May 1st 2018
Pages: 240
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

If you want to channel the power of the cosmos through tarot, this accessible and practical guide is for you. Written for novices and seasoned readers alike, How to Deal is packed with artwork and includes prompts, exercises, and layouts to give you the answers you're looking for.

Sometimes you just need the universe to tell you whether your crush likes you or how to handle that awkward family situation or which life path is the best one for you. Sami Main breaks down how the cards relate to one another, explaining spreads for future readings and questions to ask the cards. And she takes you through all the Major and Minor Arcana, with colorful illustrations of the cards and detailed descriptions of what they mean.

As Sami will teach you: The cards are here to guide you through life’s ups and downs—you just have to understand what they’re trying to say.

I wish I'd had this book as a teenager. How To Deal is an awesome, easy to read, relatable guide to tarot reading, and I hope it introduces a new generation of tarot readers. I loved all the quirks in the writing, the pastel colour scheme adds to the no-pressure vibe of the book, and the illustrations are perfect. All in all, I love not just this book but the approach to tarot reading. There's no stuffy, rigid meanings of cards here - it's not just teen-friendly but beginners-of-all-ages-friendly.

4 stars

Review: Wild Embers

Read if you like: poetry that will touch your heart and heal your weary soul.

Wild Embers | Nikita Gill

Genre: Poetry
Released: November 16th 2017
Pages: 160
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

They have lightning in their souls, thunder in their hearts, chaos in their bones.

Nikita Gill's poetry has captured hearts and minds all over the world; her inspirational words have been shared hundreds of thousands of times online, been plastered across placards on international women's marches and even transformed into tattoos. This collection will showcase mostly unseen poetry and prose, delving into ideas about passion, identity, empowerment and femininity.

Equal parts haunting and inspiring. I love these poems of self love, healing, and trauma. This is an essential book for anyone who has ever been broken or bruised. It will mend your heart and help you rebuild yourself

4 stars

Review: The Dragon's Hunt

Read if you like: mythology, a new twist on paranormal, and characters with chemistry.

The Dragon's Hunt | Jane Kindred

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: December 1st
Pages: 304
Format: EBook
Source: Publisher, via Netgalley

By day, Leo Ström works as an assistant in a tattoo parlor. By night… Well, he isn't quite sure what happens at night. He just knows that it's best if he restrains himself. 

Ink is more than just superficial decoration to Rhea Carlisle. Her ability to read her clients' souls in their tattoos gives her work its special magic—and it allows her to see that there's more to Leo than his brilliant blue eyes. 

The passion that kindles between them might be Leo's salvation. Or it might be the end of the world…

Look for 2 new titles from Harlequin Nocturne every month!

Harlequin Nocturne: Delve into dark, sensuous and often dangerous territory, where the normal and paranormal collide

The first two thirds of this book? Awesome and interesting and seductive. The last half? I have NO IDEA what happened. I could not tell you.

But I did really enjoy most of this book, and I want to read the books with the side characters (especially Dev,  helloo Dev.) I really liked the main characters, Rhea and Leo, and I LOVE the tattoo sight, which was not what I expected of tattoo magic. The Viking element too is awesome, though I do wish it had hinted at it in the blurb. There are SO MANY old Norse words in this and I honestly can't remember one of them. At one point there were so many in a sentence, I just skipped ahead to a part I could understand. And like I said, I like Leo. He's fun and snarky and interesting but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why there were SIX versions of him. I feel the last few weren't explained well at all. So I got lost but I just sorta went with it and enjoyed the story.

What I liked was the magic, the vision parts, the characters and the romance. The Norse bits really confused me but I'd still recommend this book. I don't get why it's called The Dragon's Hunt though - there's a dragon in ONE scene. I kept waiting for dragons but nope. Vikings.

4 stars

#FreeReads - Born Of Faerie

Read if you like: fast paced urban fantasy, badass female characters, and supernatural creatures

Born of Faerie | WB McKay

Series: Stolen Magic

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Ebook
Source: Free on Instafreebie

Prequel to Stolen Magic series available from author website.

Sophie Morrigan knows she needs to set the tone for her new life. Being drowned by a dragon certainly sets a tone.

A newly minted agent for the Faerie Affairs Bureau, Sophie is excited to retrieve her first magical object. Unfortunately, her boss ruins it by assigning her a partner she doesn’t need. When her first day sends her limping home with water in her lungs, she has to consider that she might be in over her head.

Can Sophie quash her loner tendencies and learn to work with an annoying selkie partner? Or will she wind up another piece of junk in a dragon’s hoard?

A great addition to the Stolen Magic series. I loved seeing the start of Sophie's and Art's partnership, and how the main threat was a water dragon instead of the usual fire-breathing kind. Fast paced and awesome and a great entry into the series if you haven't started it yet.

Review: Moonrise

Moonrise | Sarah Crossan

Published by: Bloomsbury Children's, September 7th 2017

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Poetry

Pages: 400

Format: Ebook

Source: Bloomsbury, via Netgalley

'They think I hurt someone. 
But I didn't. You hear?
Coz people are gonna be telling you
all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.'

Joe hasn't seen his brother for ten years, and it's for the most brutal of reasons. Ed is on death row.

But now Ed's execution date has been set, and Joe is determined to spend those last weeks with him, no matter what other people think ...

From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?

This book was so sad. I expected it to be full of grief but it was just SO sad and lonesome. The premise itself was really unique and interesting and just heartbreaking, with the main character's brother on death row. But he was so alone throughout much of this and that really came through the poetry and the language. I like how the book wasn't a hundred percent about Joe's brother, that there were elements of life outside that, and there was a bit of a romance but not too much to detract from the heart of the book. My only niggle is I wanted justice for Ed, wanted the killer to answer for the crime, but I still like the ending. 

This book is so pure and sad and honest that it hurts.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Shade The Changing Girl, Volume One

Shade The Changing Girl: Volume One: Earth Girl Made Easy | Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone

Published by: Young Animal, July 4th 2017

Genre: YA, Comics, Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Pages: 144

Format: Ebook

Source: Publisher, via Netgalley

Part of Gerard Way's new imprint, DC's Young Animal!

Far away on the planet Meta, Loma's going nowhere fast. She's dropped out of school, dumped her boyfriend and is bored out of her mind. She longs to feel things. That's where her idol, the lunatic poet Rac Shade, and his infamous madness coat come in. Loma steals the garment and makes a break across galaxies to take up residence in a new body: Earth girl Megan Boyer.

Surely everything will be better on this passionate, primitive planet with a dash of madness on her side and this human girl's easy life. Only now that she's here, Loma discovers being a teenaged Earth girl comes with its own challenges and Earth may not be everything she thought it'd be. Megan Boyer was a bully who everyone was glad was almost dead, and now Loma has to survive high school and navigate the consequences of the life she didn't live with the ever-growing and uncontrollable madness at her side. Not to mention that there are people back on her homeworld who might just want Shade's coat back.

Written by Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes), drawn by Marley Zarcone (Effigy) and overseen by Gerard Way, Shade, the Changing Girl starts a whole new chapter in the story of one of comics' most unique series.

Collecting: Shade, the Changing Girl 1-6

I liked this but it was weird as hell and I'm not a hundred percent sure what I just read. The story kinda lost me in parts but I like the main character and the friends she makes and it was interesting to see a possession from the intruders POV. But what even is this coat about? How was it in two places at once? How was she? None of this was explained. 

I did like it but ... I'm not sure if ill read the next volume.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

Review: Angel Unleashed

Angel Unleashed  | Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Published by: Harlequin Nocturne, April 1st 2017

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mythology

Pages: 304

Format: Ebook

Source: Harlequin Nocturne, via Netgalley

A fine line between vengeance and desire… 

As an immortal Blood Knight, Rhys de Troyes is familiar with quests. It's obvious that the ethereal beauty who just arrived in London is on one of her own. But Avery Arcadia Quinn seems intent on keeping her secrets, even as Rhys strips away all her defenses. 

A grounded angel, Avery seeks to recover the wings stolen from her centuries ago when the Knights were created from her suffering and pain. She swore vengeance, but her burning connection with Rhys threatens to consume her anger, her mission…and even her vow to destroy him.

This was not what I expected - it was SO MUCH better.

Urban fantasy and romance blended with all my favourite parts of Arthurian legend.  I want to read the author's other books - that's how much I enjoyed this. There was a bit of instalove, which is to be expected of the genre - but I kept expecting the big reveal that they were together in the past, before Rhys had died, and his memories of that had been lost too. But that didn't happen.

I loved a whole lot about this - great world building and setting (yay, London!), interesting characters (the MC is no damsel), and secrets that make this story even better. I want to read more in this world!

The only things that really bugged me were I thought it went on too long, there were SO MANY action scenes basically one after the other, and Avery didn't really defend herself in the beginning (Rhys came to her rescue A LOT when she could have handled it.)

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

Review: Legion

Talon: Legion | Julie Kagawa

Published by: HQ, April 25th 2017

Genre: Urban fantasy, Dragons

Pages: 384

Format: Ebook

Source: HQ, via Netgalley

The legions are about to be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragon slayer can stand against the coming horde. Book 4 of 5 in The Talon Saga from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa.

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield. 

(I am so happy no one died. So, so happy.)

I didn't love this nearly as much as the other books but it was still packed full of action, heart, and intrigue. I really liked how we saw Dante's role more, even though I don't like him at all, and how far he's willing to go for Talon (way, way too far.) Garret and Ember continue to be couple goals, and I love them supporting each other. And Riley, poor Riley - I actually felt sad for him in this book. Please let him find someone to love him (hi, Mist, looking at you.)

This series is one of my favourites, and this was another strong installment. There's nothing I don't like in these books. Everything's going to hell in the next book but I'm actually looking forward to it. Plus, I'm super excited to see the fallout of Riley saving Garret (please can we give him a dragon form? That would be AWESOME!)

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★★☆