Everafter by Elizabeth Chandler Review 2/5

Overall Impression:  A disappointing end to an otherwise enjoyable series.

(To read my review of the previous book in the Kissed by an Angel series, Everlasting click here.)

I’m so sad that this book series has finally come to an end. *Sniff, sniff.* I’ve been following along with each installment for a while now – pretty much since I started this blog 3+ years ago and so many things have changed since then that I can’t help feeling a little bit nostalgic! I’ve always cited this series as my guilty pleasure, but unfortunately, book six the final novel in the series was a real disappointment for me. And thinking about it, I think it links back to how much I’ve changed since I started reading this series. My reading tastes are different, I’ve read a lot more widely and I’ve grown up. Sadly, this has made the faults of this book excruciatingly clear.

This review is spoiler free if you’ve read the previous books in the series!

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick Review 1/5

Overall Impression: 464 pages of wasted time!

(To read my review of the previous book from the Hush Hush series, Silence click here.)

It’s safe to say my relationship with this series has not been smooth sailing. Hush Hush had me simultaneously ripping by hair out at the central abusive romantic relationship while secretly crushing on the smoldering love interest. Crescendo made me furious at the inconsistencies in the storyline but admiring the author’s flair for setting a dark, eerie mood. Silence gave me a level of respite with some fun romance and brilliant dialogue but I was frustrated by the lack of progress in the storyline. As for Finale? Oh boy. I teetered close to the edge with this one. I was hoping for some decent action since this was the last book in the series but what I got couldn’t have been further from it.This book is a culprit of the worst crime against fiction: It was boring.

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous books in the Hush Hush series this review will contain spoilers about previous plots and characters from those novels. This review will not however contains any spoilers for Finale.

Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan Review 4/5

Overall Impression: Intelligent world building and complex storytelling at its best.

I don’t normally like this phrase, but at this point I think it’s safe to say that I am one of Trudi Canavan’s ‘biggest fans’. I was first exposed to her work aged 15 Since, I have bought all of her books, visited her at an author signing and followed her general online updates with a bucket of over enthusiasm. Naturally, I was looking forward to the release of Thief’s Magic in May with a sort of excited and impatient hysteria. A new book AND a brand new series? I couldn’t wait to see what Canavan would do with a new fantasy world.
So of course I was in a state of shock when the Little, Brown Book Group offered me an ARC of Thief’s Magic, the first book in the Millennium’s Rule Trilogy in exchange for an honest review. Holding back shouts of ‘Gimme, gimme!’ I accepted, and a pretty brown package turned up the next day. I raced though the pages of Thief’s Magic quickly, once again Trudi Canavan did not disappoint!

In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.
Elsewhere, in a land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it – should she dare to risk the Angels’ wrath.
But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands. Not even the people they trust.

Everlasting by Elizabeth Chandler Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A lighthearted YA read with an intriguing mystery.

(To read my review of the previous book in the Kissed by an Angel series, Evercrossed, click here.)

The Kissed by an Angel series is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, and I don’t have many. I am less patient when it comes to the paranormal-romance genre these days and far more scathing, but this series even three years after I first started it still manages to tug at my heart-strings.
Everlasting is definitely one of those books where people look at the cover and frown thinking ‘Really?’
Yes members of the public, really.
Something about this author keeps me coming back for more. Everlasting is the fifth and penultimate novel in the Kissed by an Angel series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous books in the Kissed by an Angel series, this review will contain spoilers about previous plots and characters from those books. However, this review will not contain any spoilers for Everlasting.

For Ivy, miracle’s are real. After all, it was a miracle this summer when she survived a near fatal car crash. And it was a miracle that Tristan, her boyfriend who died a year ago, returned to earth as an angel. But Ivy knows better than anyone that miracles come at a price. Even though Tristan has come back to Ivy, life is far from perfect. He’s a fallen angel – and he’s trapped in the body of a wanted murderer. With Tristan on the run from the police, Ivy’s not sure she’ll ever get her happy ending.
And when it becomes clear that darker forces are at work, it seems there’s more at stake than either Tristan or Ivy realise. Will they ever be safe together? Or has Ivy finally run out of miracles?

I love Chandler’s writing style, she is remarkably natural with her storytelling. Even though it had been a year 

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick Review 3/5

Overall Impression: A disorganized mess which against all odds was the most entertaining installment of the series so far.

(To read my review of the previous book from the Hush Hush series, Crescendo click here.)

Well, these books are nothing if not consistent. Ohh how I wish I could write a raving review of how tremendous this third installment of Fitzpatrick’s world was, how it captivated me and tugged at my heart strings…but twas not to be. While I liked that a few of my favourite elements from Hush Hush came back into play, I mostly enjoyed this book for all the wrong reasons, the hilarity and insanity of it all. You know when something is so bad that you can’t look away? Yeah, that. My high hopes for this series have officially fallen in a cascade of black and red feathers.

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous books, skip the blurb and first paragraph as it contains spoilers about previous plots and characters from those books. This review will not however contains any spoilers for Silence.

Day 22: Least Favourite Plot Device.

Hey guys, today we’re going to be talking about…….LOVE TRIANGLES. Doesn’t that sound fun?

Today’s topic is your ‘least favourite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise’ but I shortened the title because hey, WORDY.

So we all know that love triangles are a painfully consistent trend in YA at the moment, and and it doesn’t seem like it will be changing any time soon. I feel that there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, love triangles are

DAY 5: Your “Comfort” Book.

Hmm, the dilemma with this question is that the book series I consider my comfort reads fit better with the day six question. So, instead I am going to use this wording in the broader sense, looking at it less as books I return to again and again for comfort and more ones that give me those warm fuzzy feeling of content when reading! 🙂

There is one series that I think suits this description, one I originally wasn’t even sure if I would enjoy. It includes young romance, grief and angels (I was very hesitant about the angel part).

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick Review 2/5

Overall Impression: Becca Fitzpatrick once again defies the laws of logic in this disturbing paranormal romance.

(To read my review of the first book from the Hush Hush series, Hush Hush click here.)

This review is wayyy overdue, the sunshine has been making me lethargic, it doesn’t make sleeping the easiest and the last thing I felt like doing was using a laptop that radiated heat! That being said, I have been loving the sunshine and I don’t want it to go away. I hope everyone else has been enjoying it. 🙂
The first time that I read the second installment of the Hush Hush series Crescendo, I remembered it being heart wrenching, exhilarating and dark. The second time around only the latter was true. Unfortunately I had a feeling this might happen, but it didn’t make me any less disappointed. I wasn’t expecting it to be mind-blowing but going from my original five star rating to a two star was quite a fall!

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous book Hush Hush, skip the blurb and first paragraph as it contains spoilers about previous plots and characters from that book. The rest of the review has no major is spoilers.

Nora should know better than to think her life can return to normal after falling in love with a fallen angel. And Nora’s life isn’t normal – her dad was murdered, and the facts about his death just don’t add up. Now Nora’s own life is in imminent danger. Are she and Patch strong enough for the battle ahead?

Crescendo starts with an ominous flashback before snapping back to reality. Nora is anticipating a summer of relaxation with her best friend Vee and her new fallen turned guardian angel boyfriend, Patch. But when Nora lets an ‘I love you’ slip and Patch drives off suddenly without a reply, she can’t help but feel 

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Review 2/5

Overall Impression: This novel should come with a health warning – May cause readers to violently throw the book across the room.

Just to make it clear, I am completely against book violence. This novel however, tempted me to change my mind multiple times. Becky has reader’s angst!
I recently acquired the last book in the Hush Hush series Finale, only to realise I couldn’t remember any of the key plot details of the series. So hesitantly I decided to reread the first two books. Bearing in mind I remembered hating the first novel Hush Hush, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Well, on a second reading it turns out I enjoyed it a little more, although I really wish I didn’t… This is one of those novels that has so many issues you wonder how it got past the publishers, and yet against all reason, I still kind of enjoyed it. (Bad brain, bad!)

For Nora Grey, romance was never part of the plan. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seems to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora isn’t sure she can trust him. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and to know more about her than her closest friends. And when she tries to seek answers, she discovers she is right in the middle of a centuries-old battle between the immortal and the fallen…and it’s time to take sides.

After a clunky and confusing prologue we meet Nora Grey, your average high school student intent on getting good grades. So when she is assigned a cocky, aggressive new biology partner named Patch who refuses to cooperate on their assignment, she can hardly contain her anger. 

Books I Just HAD to Buy… but are Still Sitting on my Unread Shelf

I saw this title bobbing around the blogosphere a couple of weeks ago, I think it might have been for a meme but I don’t seem to be able to find it now. Either way, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun! After all, how many books have you just HAD to rush out and buy on a whim because you read a great review of it, or it was new from your favourite author or had taken the world by storm? Before you know it you get distracted by something shiny, and suddenly it’s months later and the book is still sitting on your shelf. I am definitely guilty of this, so I felt the need to participate and make my own post! 🙂

So without further ado here are ten books I absolutely had to buy that are still unread:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I decided to buy this after reading so many great reviews. Everyone was calling it a captivating, magical story about a mysterious circus that appeared at nightfall and disappeared at dawn. At first I wasn’t sure about it, I had never really been interested in circuses. But reviews from spellbound readers continued and the cover was so beautiful (Especially in hardback!) that I came to the conclusion I absolutely, positively had to buy it!
The main reason I haven’t read it yet is that I am saving it for the right moment….if that makes any kind of sense. I don’t know, I feel like I will really enjoy it but I want to wait for a day where I can appreciate it. Plus, after all the hype I’m a little scared I might not like it. :S

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time Book 1) – I got this book in 2011 for Christmas because it was on my wishlist. It’s the first in the popular Wheel of Time series known by pretty much every bookworm dedicated to the fantasy genre. I was on a fantasy kick when I first heard about it and so I automatically wanted to read it! It was a couple of months later that I started questioning whether it had been a good idea. 

Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler Review 4/5

Overall Impression: An excellent lighthearted book that is a must read for hopeless romantics.

(To read my review of the previous book from The Kissed by an Angel series click here.)

This is the third book that I have read for the Eclectic Reader Challenge, this one is for the romance catagory. To find out more about this challenge you can visit the original challenge creator at Book’d Out. 🙂

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous book, Kissed by an Angel this review may contain spoilers in the first two paragraphs only. However, for those of you who have read the previous book, this review will not contain any major spoilers about the book Evercrossed.

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died, and in that time she has tried to move on. But when a near fatal accident leaves her own life hanging in the balance, Ivy finds herself reunited with Tristan as she floats towards the afterlife. A passionate kiss from him returns her to life, but when Ivy wakes up in hospital, all she can think about is Tristan and the love she has lost.
And memories are not all that’s come back from the past… Cast out from heaven for saving the girl he loves, Tristan finds himself back on earth, in the body of a stranger. Can he find his way back to Ivy – and will their love be enough to save them?

The book begins with Ivy, Beth and Will trying to escape the memories of last summer by spending their holiday in Cape Cod in exchange for working at Beth’s Aunt’s hotel. On the surface, Ivy has moved on with her life, and is happily soaking up the beach with her boyfriend Will. But

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler Review 5/5

Overall Impression: A beautiful, captivating story that made me tingle all the way down to my toes.

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for about a year, but I only just decided to pick it up and read it this week. I bought it around the same time as I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for about a year, but I only just decided to pick it up and read it this week. I bought it around the same time as Fallen by Lauren Kate and Evermore by Alyson Noel, which were so desperately trying to tap into the forbidden tortured love craze in the YA section created by Twilight it made me cringe, and the books weren’t even well written, so they left me disappointed and angry. Because of this, I really couldn’t stand to read what I thought would be another poor attempt to write a tortured love story. But how completely wrong I was.

When Ivy’s boyfriend Tristan dies, she’s desolate without him, until she discovers Tristan hasn’t abandoned her – he’s her guardian angel, watching over her, close enough to hear, to see, to touch… But Ivy’s life is in danger. If Tristan rescues her, his mission on earth will be over and he’ll have to leave her behind. Will Ivy lose Tristan forever?