Publication:November 8th 2016 by Feiwel & Friends
Goodreads Description:
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.
Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
My thoughts:
Heartless was very different than I expected. I liked it but didn't love like I did the rest of Meyer's books. I think my expectations were too high because I'm such a big fan of The Lunar Chronicles.
Heartless reads in a very childlike and whimsical way if that makes sense. If I could use on one word to describe it, I'd say quirky.
The writing was great (it's Marissa Meyer) but I did have trouble visualising some of the characters and scenes. I had cartoon pictures in my head at times and then more realistic ones at others- it was weird. I usually don't have problem with visualising what I'm reading.
Onto characters. I liked Catherine well enough be didn't love her. It was fun reading about a baker though and I admired how determined she was to make her dream of opening a bakery come true.
The romance wasn't for me. I had no strong feeling about Jest or their relationship. It fell kind of flat for me and I couldn't see the chemistry.
Overall, Heartless is a fun easy read but nothing spectacular.
My rating: 4 stars
Thanks for reading,
A :)
*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Truthwitch*
Series:The Witchlands, #2
Publication: January 10th 2017 by Tor Teen
Goodreads Description:
Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…
After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.
When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?
After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.
My thoughts:
I liked Windwitch but didn't love it. I felt like it wasn't as good as book 1 which I loved. Windwitch just fell short for me and didn't meet my expectations. Everything I loved about Truthwitch was missing.
The biggest disappointed was Safi and Iseult being separated the whole time. This made reading not as much fun, I really missed their banter. Their friendship is what made me love Truthwitch so much.
Merik and Safi's chemistry in the first book was also something I loves but they were in different places in Windwitch so they had no interaction either.
Windwitch is multiple POVs like Truthwitch. And usually I don't have a problem with multiple POVs Buy I felt like too many plot lines going on and I just didn't feel connected to the characters . I wasn't a fan of Merik's POV and I loved his in Truthwitch. I didn't like Vivia either- I didn't care for her at all and was bored reading her parts. I was just there for Is and Safi's POVs and I kind of liked Aeduan at times but mostly just because his interactions with Iseult were fun to read.
There was a few new developments in terms of the magic system that I liked and am expected to see where they go. World expansion was good, we learn about a few places and cultures.
The plot was very slow at times but there was a few twists here and there I wasn't expecting.
Overall I wanted more. I was a bit disappointed because I loved Truthwitch so much but I will probably pick up the next book just because I'm hoping it's more like truthwitch and Windwitch just had second book syndrome.
My rating: 3.5 stars
Thanks for reading,
A :)
*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Illuminae*
Series: The Illuminae Files, #2
Publication:October 18th 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Description:
The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.”
Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.
Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.
When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.
Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.
My thoughts:
If you read Illuminae and are wondering if Gemina is just amazing I'm here to tell you that it is absolutely fantastic, just like Illuminae I couldn't put it down. It is such an epic story and I'd highly recommend you give it a read if you are a fan of Illuminae.
We are introduced to two new main characters. Firstly there's Hana. When the story starts she came across as super girly to me and I wasn't sure I'd like her as much as Kady but I grew to like her as I got to know her. And boy did she surprise me. Her character arc was fab. Our main male character, Nik, also surprised me. I wasn't expecting his personality to be like it was. He's not as snarky as Ezra but still really fun to read. The side characters were so much fun too, especially Nik's cousin, Ella. And just to let you know, yes the Illuminae characters do pop up here and there!
The plot of Gemina is crazy intense, I couldn't stop reading. It was just so exciting and so much going on, it really is a rollercoaster of a ride. The last half of the story had me on edge the whole time. The ending is mind blowing it left me needing the next book asap!
Just like with Illuminae the unique format of instant messages, surveillance footage, file, emails etc makes the story fly by. I really liked the addition of illustrations by Marie Lu for Hana's journal.
Gemina is much more sci-fi-y than Illuminae. It got a bit confusing towards the end for me and I had to reread a few sections to comprehend what was happening. This is probably because I don't read a lot of sci-fi and the format makes it a bit more difficult to comprehend things like what was going on.
Overall, I really enjoyed Gemina and for sure will be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out.
My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Thanks for reading,
A :)
