It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Publication:  August 2nd 2016 by Atria Books

Goodreads description:
Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan - her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

This book contains graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.

My thoughts:
It Ends With Us is a very intense and emotional read. While I didn't love it as much as some of Hoovers other books I think this one is some of her best work. It was raw and really packed a punch.

It Ends With Us is such an important story; deals with some very important topics. I won't say what because it is much better to go in blind but I definitely think this is a book everyone should read.

If you are looking for a strong female character, It Ends With Us is where you will find one. The main character Lily is such a joy to read. She is so determined and brave. I loved how she was into flowers and tries her very best to go after her dreams. She is a true inspiration and I think many will be able to relate to her.

Friendship is something that I never really see explore in NA because the main focus is usually the romance, but It Ends With Us has a good bit of friendship. Alysa (one of Lily's employees) and Lily's friendship was one of my favourite aspects of the story.

The narration style of It Ends With Us is really interesting because it's duel POVs but both are Lily's perspectives. One is in present day and then we also follow Lily when she was 16 through diary entries- I really liked reading her diary at times they were so funny and I wish we had got more of them. 

My only problem was it was very instalovey for me but most of Colleen Hoovers books are; this one was just a bit over the top for me. And because I wasn't in love with the relationship the events that happen later in the book didn't effect me as much as if I had fallen in love with Ryle along with Lily.

Overall It Ends With Us is not my favourite Hoover book. It's a tearjerker for sure, i just didn't have as much fun reading it as I did with her other books.

My rating; 4.5 stars

Thanks for reading,
A :)
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Spoiler Free Series Review of The Lumatere Chronicle by Melina Marchetta

Series includes:
Book 1; Finnikin of the Rock
Book 2: Froi of the Exiles
Book 3: Quintana of Charyn

Goodreads Description of book 1, Finnikin of the Rock:

Finnikin of the Rock and his guardian, Sir Topher, have not been home to their beloved Lumatere for ten years. Not since the dark days when the royal family was murdered and the kingdom put under a terrible curse. But then Finnikin is summoned to meet Evanjalin, a young woman with an incredible claim: the heir to the throne of Lumatere, Prince Balthazar, is alive.

Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.

My Thoughts:
The Lumatere Chronicles is a new all time favourite high fantasy trilogy of mine. It is a fantastic series. I enjoyed every minute of it. 

Something to know before picking up one of the books- This is not a companion series; I've heard people say each book focuses on a different character which is true but the story line from book one continues on on the second and third book.

The Lumatere Chronicles has a huge cast of characters. In the beginning it gets confusing but you gradually get to know them all and grow to love them so much. The side characters are fleshed out just as much as the main cast which I really appreciated.


What's great about having such a big cast of characters is that all their seperate stories cross paths. Marchetta expertly weaves all the storylines so that everything connects really nicely. It is so cool seeing the different plots come together.

The plot (of all three books) is so well paced. There is lots of adventure with twists and turns everywhere. A lot of the story focuses on journeys through the different lands which means there is lots of world building. We get to go to lots of different places and learn about their cultures and politics.

The first book does have a satisfying ending so you can stop reading after that one unless you want to know more about the side characters. The last book in the trilogy has a really great ending too. Everything is wrapped up really nicely.

I highly recommend The Lumatere Chronicles. It's classed as YA but it does have some adult content/themes. If you are only getting into YA high fantasy I don't think this series is for you. It's not heavy on the magic but is hard to get into if you're not used to reading HF with big worlds and huge casts of characters.

My ratings: I gave all three books 4.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks for reading,
A :)
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This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Series: Monsters of Verity, #1

Publication:July 5th 2016 by Greenwillow Books 

Goodreads Description:
There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives. 

My Thoughts:
This Savage Song is a truly unique story that captivated me from the very first page. It is unlike anything story I have ever read before and I enjoyed reading it because it was so fresh and new.

Kate is a very intense character. She is hard to like because she so cut-throat and edgy. The only problem I had with her was she is a rebellious bitch who rebels for the attention in the beginning of the story. I did really grow to like her though. It was slow going but by the end of the novel I did like her.

August on the other hand, I loved straight away. He is the sweetest monster. I loved reading about how he just wants to be human. It was also cool reading his POV becuse he is really into music; so the way he describes things was so interesting.

Kate and August end up in an unlikely friendship and it doesn't hint have any hints of  romance which is so refreshing to read a YA like that. Usually the romance in YA can take away from other aspects of the story like plot but because there is no romance in This Savage Song this isn't a problem!

The world building is done really well. The story is set in a very dull war torn city with humans and monsters trying to live alongside each other. The different types of monsters is explained really well. I found the concept of monsters being the results of different negetive actions so interesting and fascinating.The Malchai are formed from murders, the Corsai are formed from violent act and the Sunai are formed when there is a major catastrophe such as bombs. 

The plot is a bit slow in the beginning but I didn't mind because I was so interested in learning about the world and characters. The plot really picks up when Kate and August meet. And the story gets really fast paced towards the end of the story.

The writing is amazing,as expected since it's Victoria Schwab! The duel points of view are easy to distinguish because Augusts' uses sound and music to describe a lot of things whereas Kate doesn't.

Overall This Savage Song is not my favourite Schwab book, but I still really enjoyed it. 

My rating: 4 stars

Thanks for reading,
A :)

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Initiate by Laura L. Fox

*I received an eARC of Initiate by Laura L. Fox from the publisher, OfTomes Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Publication:November 15th 2016 by OfTomes Publishing

Goodreads description:
The only home Riga Garrison has ever known is the Tunnel, a subterranean research facility buried deep beneath Antarctica’s ice and snow. 

Yet, while a safe haven for the last outpost of humanity governed by the Initiate, it is also home to a secret so dark that they will risk anything to protect it.

Surrounded by deceit and faced with exile to a frozen wasteland, Riga must defy not only the Initiate's top biologists and loyalists but also her own mother, in an attempt to unearth the truth.

My thoughts:
I liked Initiate but didn't love it. I think my expectations were too high as I was expecting to be blown away with it but I wasn't. It was an enjoyable read for the most part but I had a lot of problems with it.

Firstly, the writing. The writing style was not for me. I felt like it was very inconsistent; especially at the start. Sometimes it felt very formal and at other times it felt like it was trying to hard to sound like a teenager. There were parts though that Riga's narration did feel natural it just took a while to get right. I also noticed there was a lot of long paragraphs; some were almost a full page long. Personally long paragraphs are hard for me to read as I get lost reading them.

The main character Riga annoyed me so much. All her problems were problems because she made them problems. There was easy solutions too most but she made stupid decisions and complicated her situation by making rash decisions. 

Riga's friendship with her best friend was probably the best part of the story. It was nice to see two girls being there for each other as opposed to being against each other. I wish we had gotten a bit more time exploring their relationship.

I was not a fan of the romance- if there was any? Riga does start a relationship- i guess that what you would call it...later in the book but I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between the two characters. To me they felt more like friends so it was weird when they turned their relationship into a romantic one.

The plot takes a while to get rolling and it is pretty predictable for the most part. But there was some mystery and a few action scenes that were enjoyable.

The setting was super interesting- there's lots of explanation which is good but I felt like it could have been executed better; as I mentioned earlier there was a lot of long paragraphs and a lot of them were explanation about the world.

The ending wasn't really an ending- it felt more like the start of a story. As if what I had just read was only half the book. I assume this means there will be more books to make it a series. I'm not sure if I will pick up the next book.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

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Spoiler Free Review of The Dark Elements Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Book 1: White Hot Kiss
Book 2: Stone Cold Touch
Book 3: Every Last Breath

Goodread Description of book 1, White Hot Kiss:
One kiss could be the last. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne… it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

My thoughts:
The Dark Elements Trilogy is such a fantastic fun fast read. Don't let the titles or covers of these books turn you away. I'm telling you now you do not want to miss reading this trilogy. I had so much fun reading it! It is such a good read to get out of a reading slump- I'd recommend marathoning the series. I read them back to back in a few days.

This series is about gargoyles! How cool is that? I'd never read anything like it before. I loved learning about the wardens and demons. It's explored a lot more in the last book compared to book 1. It was so interesting learning the mythology behind the two races.

The plot is pretty predictable, but there are a few surprises which keep the reader on their toes.

Layla is such a fun character. Her character arc in the series is well written. In the first book she acts pretty childish at times and is annoying but she gradually grows into a more likeable character over the course of the books.  She struggles a lot with her identity because she is half warden half demon so she feels like she can't really be one or the other. Her dealing with that, especially her demon side and soul addiction, is super interesting to read about. 

Of course it's not a Jennifer L. Armentrout book without a good romance, and The Dark Elements has a pretty interesting love triangle. Firstly there is Roth, who has that typical bad boy misunderstood feeling. He is so snarky and sassy. His banter with Layla was hilarious. He reminded me of Daemon Black from The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I was team Roth from book 1! On the other side of the triangle is Zayne- I liked him but didn't ship it. He felt to big brotherly for me to really get behind any romantic relationship between him and Layla.

The side characters are all so much fun. Layla's best friends Stacy and Sam were a bigpart of the story which I liked because usually mortal friends in these kinds of books are abandoned pretty early on. Another side character that I love is Bambi- I really liked her in the first book but grew to love her so much over the course of the series.

Overall, The Dark Elements Trilogy is such a fun fast paced read and I'd highly recommend it!

My Ratings: 
White Hot Kiss: 4
Stone Cold Touch: 4
Every Last Breath: 4

Thanks for reading,
A:)


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The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes

Series: Spirits and Thieves, #2

Publication:June 28th 2016 by Razorbill

Goodreads description:
In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes's highly acclaimed Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, danger looms and the mystery deepens as two warring evils vie for possession of one elusive, powerful book.

Modern-day Toronto: Sisters Crystal and Becca Hatcher are reunited after reclaiming the Bronze Codex and narrowly escaping death. They have no one to trust but each other, and the only thing keeping them safe is the book that sent Becca's spirit to Ancient Mytica--the same book that their enemies would kill them for. 

Ancient Mytica: Maddox grapples to keep his newly discovered powers under control, while the ruthless goddess Valoria hunts him down. 

Modern-day Toronto: Farrell embraces his dark side as he unwittingly falls further under the spell of Markus, the mastermind leader of the nefarious Hawkspear Society, who will stop at nothing to find Crys and Becca--and the remarkable book in their possession. 

New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes takes readers into exhilarating new high-fantasy territory with volume two of the Book of Spirits and Thieves series, an epic contemporary saga perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Diana Gabaldon’sOutlander.

My thoughts:

The Darkest Magic is just as fantastic as book one in the series, A Book of Spirits and Thieves, if not even better. I loved this book so much and enjoyed every minute of reading it!

I really liked how we get Becca's point of view in this book. I really like her so it was fun to be in her head this time around.

Maddox and Barnabas' father-son relationship is explored a lot in The Darkest Magic. It is interesting to see them coming to terms with the fact that they are family.

Farrell- his character development was amazing. He goes even darker and gets more intense. I love how morally grey he is. Like is he a good guy or a bad guy, you don't really know and it's so compelling to read about.

Lots of new characters are introduced in The Darkest Magic. Some I really liked and others I'm not really sure about yet. I loved how when a new character was intoduced I never fully trusted them.I was constantly looking out for someone to betray everyone or something. I was so paranoid while reading that one of these new characters were going to stab us in the back. 

There was so much mystery going on in this book, I loved it. It made me never want to put the book down. There is plot twists left right and centre in this one. So many Oh My God moments.

The ending is crazy. I will leave you begging for the next book. I need book 3 ASAP!

My rating:4.5 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

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A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes

Publication:June 23rd 2015 by Razorbill

Goodreads description:

Modern-day sisters discover deadly ancient magic in book 1 of this Falling Kingdoms spin-off series!

Worlds collide in this suspenseful, page-turning Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, which explores a whole new side of Mytica—and an even darker version of its magic.

Crystal Hatcher, Modern-day Toronto: It’s a normal afternoon in her mother’s antique bookshop when Crys witnesses the unthinkable: her little sister Becca collapses into a coma after becoming mesmerized by a mysterious book written in an unrecognizable language.

Maddox Corso, Ancient Mytica: Maddox Corso doesn’t think much of it when he spots an unfamiliar girl in his small village. Until, that is, he realizes that she is a spirit, and he is the only one who can see or hear her. Her name is Becca Hatcher, and she needs Maddox to help get her home.

Farrell Grayson, Modern-day Toronto: Rich and aimless Farrell Grayson is thrilled when the mysterious leader of the ultra-secret Hawkspear Society invites him into the fold. But when he learns exactly what he has to do to prove himself, Farrell starts to question everything he thought he knew about family, loyalty, and himself….

Fate has brought these young people together, but ancient magic threatens to rip them apart. 

My thoughts:
I loved this book! It was such a fun way for Morgan Rhodes to expand the world she's already created in her Falling Kingdoms series. It was fast paced and full of super engaging characters!

I would recommend reading Falling Kingdoms before reading A Book of Spirits and Thieves as you would have a better understanding of Mythica. There is world building for Mythica in A Book of Spirits and Thieves but I don't think it's enough to fully understand the magic and folklore of the kingdom.

There was an excellent balance between reality and the fantasy world. We follow three different story lines and they are all woven together so well. We follow two in Tronto and one in Mythica. I couldn't decide which one was my favourite. I loved all three and because we flip back and forth between them it makes A Book of Spirits and Thieves such a quick read!

I loved all the characters. I think Crys is my favourite. She's so determined to get answers and get things done! Next is probably Farrell, he's so witty. His and Crys banter back and forth is so much fun to read about. I really liked Becca and Maddox's relationship too. Their friendship!! Just yes!! I loved how Becca really pushes Maddox to be more confident. They really compliment each other nicely.

There is so much twist and turns going on in this book. The plot was crazy- especially near the end. I was shocked/ surprised on multiple occasion!

I'm so excited for the next one! I'll definitely be picking it up!

My Rating:4.5 stars out of 5

Thanks for reading,

A :)

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