Wereworld: Rise Of The Wolf

I'm reviewing this book on the 2nd of January as part of the blog tour that will run throughout January. I've read almost half of it and I'm really enjoying it, I don't want it to end!
Satisfy yourselves with the trailer until January!


Wereworld: Rise of the werewolves trailer

In my mailbox #4

In my mailbox is hosted by Story Siren inspired by Alea from pop culture junkie

Werworld: Rise of the Werewolves by Curtis Jobling is the first Arc I've gotten for review and the review will be up on January 2nd. I'm about a hundred pages in so far and it. Is. Awesome. - Thanks Puffin!

Blue Fire by Janice Hardy: Healing Wars! Such a good series.
 Ordered from Amazon
The White Queen by Philippa Greogory - Waterstones

Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Heard so much about this one can't wait to read it. - Amazon
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The Secret Circle - Review

The initiation and the Captive part one

  
Review:
The circle's power has lured her home
Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witches that's controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she's drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that's both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants—even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her.

The circle's power has lured her home

Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witches that's controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she's drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that's both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants—even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her.

The secret Circle is a natural page turner like most of LJ smith’s books. You don’t really feel the pages or the time going by when you’re reading it, I like to think she’s the Jane Austen of our timeJ.

In the beginning the main character Cassie is coming to terms with her mother’s abrupt decision to move back to her hometown in New England, back with her estranged grandmother.  

Terrified about going to a new school Cassie adopts a positive attitude for her first day, but quickly realises this is no ordinary school, and there are a circle of students who are worshipped and feared like gods.

This is very hard to put into words but I’ll try! Even though the book was highly entertaining, I still felt the main underlying plot was drawn out and too slow. The first half of the book was establishing Cassie’s relationships with the other characters and I was expecting… I’m not sure really… maybe for Cassie to be attacked by a tree like Elena did in Vampire diaries. I think my head was in gear with pace of all the other LJ Smith books I’ve read and I should have just focused on this one. Ok I really hope that made sense.

The main character Cassie is shy and weak in the beginning but through out the book she finds her niche and subtly gets stronger. It didn’t feel forced at all and it was nice to see her character grow.

I didn’t feel the secondary characters had any special traits or unique personalities so the girls kind of moulded into one like Laurel, Melanie and Suzan, it was hard for me to see them as individuals. That being said the main characters were very engaging and interesting like Faye was the infuriating antagonist of the novel and Diana was the ever trusting popular girl.

The love interest was far too perfect for my liking, apart from the fact he was good looking there was no foundations of their relationship that I could see and be ‘oh I get why they’re drawn to each other’ so when Cassie was desperately fighting her feelings for him, I was like “Hey do you even know his last name?” 

 It was a fast paced book and the story never dragged the storyline developed with each word. Thought a couple of the plot points I could see from miles away the rest of the story was unpredictable. All in all The secret circle was a great read and I’m interested to see if the CW make it into a TV series.

Rating 3 ½ out of 5

In my mailbox #3

In my mailbox is hosted by Story Siren inspired by Alea from pop culture junkie

All three books I burrowed from the Library : )

BloodHound By Tamora Pierce
Richelle Mead was reading it on goodreads so I followed in her footsteps = )

Gone by Micheal Grant
After Charlie Higson's The enemy I'm really into the whole teenagers rule the world thing!

The Secret Circle by LJ Smith
I heard this is being made into a series by CW like the Vampire Diaries so i'd thought I'd check it out. I'll write a review of it shortly.
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Author interview - Janice Hardy - The Healing Wars

Part fugitive, part hero, fifteen-year-old Nya is barely staying ahead of the Duke of Baseer’s trackers. Wanted for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, she risks capture to protect every Taker she can find, determined to prevent the Duke from using them in his fiendish experiments. But resolve isn’t enough to protect any of them, and Nya soon realizes that the only way to keep them all out of the Duke’s clutches is to flee Geveg. Unfortunately, the Duke’s best tracker has other ideas.

Nya finds herself trapped in the last place she ever wanted to be, forced to trust the last people she ever thought she could. More is at stake than just the people of Geveg, and the closer she gets to uncovering the Duke’s plan, the more she discovers how critical she is to his victory. To save Geveg, she just might have to save Baseer—if she doesn’t destroy it first.

Interview

Q:I thought the idea of buying and selling pain is so unique and ingenious. How did that idea come about?

A: I was playing around with ways to make healing something that could be used for evil. Pain was the most obvious "bad" thing associated with healing, so I started thinking about how it might be used. I'm actually not sure how buying a selling it came to be, just one of those bolts of inspiration I think, but I really liked the idea of pain as a commodity. The more I thought about how that would function within a society, the more I saw the potential for some cool problems. And cool problems lead to interesting plots, so I kept running with it.

Q:Who is your favorite character to write?

A: The bad guys. Zertanik from The Shifter, and Vyand from Blue Fire. I've always loved villains, and they're both practical and businesslike in their badness. They come across so reasonable, but what they're asking for or doing is really horrible. And they have weird senses of humor, which is always fun to write.

Q:What are you currently working on?

A:Waiting on my revision letter for book three, then I'll be diving into edits and whatever revision might be needed. I'm also letting the idea for my next book percolate in my mind so I'll be ready to go on that as soon as Shifter 3 is done. That will be a YA fantasy, and I hope to start that one in January.

Q:Ooh would you like to give us any details?

A: I've been wanting to do some genre mixing, so this one is a bit of a fantasy spy novel. It'll be a solid fantasy, but with elements of espionage. Can't say more than that yet, though.

 

Q:If you could have dinner with any three fictional characters who would it be and why?

A:Hmmm...1)  The interviewer from Max Brooks's "World War Z."  He must have heard even more stories from the zombie war and I'd love to hear those. 2) Lord Akeldama from Gail Carriger's "Parasol Protectorate" series. He just cracks me up every scene he's in and I think he'd be so much fun to hang out with for an evening. 3) And Faithful from Tamora Piece's Alanna series. That cat has seen a lot more than he lets on.

 

Q:And lastly what can we look forward to in future healing wars books?

A: In the new one, Blue Fire, Nya gets to tangle head on with quite a few Baseeri and finds out things are not as black and white as she always thought. You also get to learn more about the enchanting side of the magic of this world. That was a lot of fun to explore. Then in book three, there's the war in The Healing Wars title, and I got to pull out all the stops for that one.  

Thanks so much Janice!

Most welcome!

More on Janice Hardy

A long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, and BLUE FIRE from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins.  She lives in Georgia with her husband, three cats and one very nervous freshwater eel.

Order Blue Fire

Visit Janice Hardy's website and blog.

A BIG thank you to Janice Hardy for coming over!

In my mailbox #2

In my Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

 Once in a thousand years its 10.10.10 What an awesome day!

(My attempt at being artistic)

Both the books i burrowed from the library
Evermore by Alyson Noel
Everyone's been talking about it so I have to see what the fuss is about.
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
I love Zombie movies! I've heard this one is very real so i'm intrigued.

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Review - Pride by Rachel Vincent

The blurb has spoliers if you haven't read the first two books, but the review is spoiler free!

I'm on trial for my life. Falsely accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend—and killing him to cover up the crime. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride—along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.

I'm two for three. A goner.

Now we've discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. It's up to us to find and stop him before a human discovers us. With my lover Marc's help, I think I can protect the vulnerable girl from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.

Pride is the third book in Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series. I was told at a Rachel Caine signing that this series is amazing and particularly the third is exceptional, I wasn’t disappointed. Firstly I’d like to express how original I think these books are, I can’t compare the Shifter series to any other books I’ve read. In the Shifters series there are prides of werecats who are living in secret from humans. They follow an old fashioned way of living where the males do all the hunting and the females breed. Well, the protagonist Faythe Saunders does not follow that way.

In the beginning we are immediately thrown into the two central storylines of the novel. One is being Faythe’s trial for accidentally killing a human. And the other, more mysterious plot is humans going missing in the remote mountain area nearby where the prides are currently living.  

One Character I think deserves special mention is Calvin Malone; he really upped the antic and got me engaged in the plot. Malone is a judge on Faythe’s trial and is pretty much determined to destroy her life, literally. His cunning ways got me frantically flipping through pages to see what he did next to Faythe.

I also enjoyed the mentor/ big sister relationship between Faythe and Kaci.  When Kaci was first initiated into the story I expected her to be shy, weak and a liability, but she turned out to be funny, strong  willed and confident. There are many reasons why I read this series and Kaci is now one of them. I look forward to seeing Kaci’s character develop in the next instalments.

Rachel Vincent weaved together an almighty climax. In books I sometimes struggle to imagine fight scenes, but Rachel Vincent’s writing style made it clear and easy to follow. She definitely pulls out all the stops for a very dramatic ending.

This book really didn’t give me a choice, the moment I opened it I was hooked. So if you’re looking for a fast paced, enjoyable read, the Shifter series is perfect for you.

Favourite character: Kaci Dillon

Least favourite character: Calvin Malone

Rating: Four out of five stars

Waiting on Wednesday: Blue Fire

Thanks to Jill at Breaking the spine for hosting!

Part fugitive, part hero, fifteen-year-old Nya is barely staying ahead of the Duke of Baseer’s trackers. Wanted for a crime she didn’t mean to commit, she risks capture to protect every Taker she can find, determined to prevent the Duke from using them in his fiendish experiments. But resolve isn’t enough to protect any of them, and Nya soon realizes that the only way to keep them all out of the Duke’s clutches is to flee Geveg. Unfortunately, the Duke’s best tracker has other ideas.

Nya finds herself trapped in the last place she ever wanted to be, forced to trust the last people she ever thought she could. More is at stake than just the people of Geveg, and the closer she gets to uncovering the Duke’s plan, the more she discovers how critical she is to his victory. To save Geveg, she just might have to save Baseer—if she doesn’t destroy it first.


I can't wait to read Blue Fire, it's almost like waiting for Mockingjay all over again because I have no idea what's going to happen. Nya and the gang have such a huge mountain to climb I'm so intrigued to see how Janice Hardy will execute this!

Review - Clockwork Angel

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.



Review
The Clockwork Angel is the first book in the infernal devices trilogy. Being a prequel to the Mortal instruments my expectations were high. And I am very thrilled to say they were met.

The story begins with our protagonist Tessa Gray arriving in England to find her normally intoxicated brother Nate, but instead gets kidnapped by two creepy old women called the Dark sisters. She gets rescued by Will/ Jace Herondale and the story kicks in.

Fans of the Cassandra Clare will not be disappointed by Clockwork Angel; it provides a solid plot with really unexpected twists, which I’d advice reading in private as you may or may not get funny looks when you exasperate on the bus home. This book seriously sucks you in.

My main pet peeve in this book was Will. When I first met him I thought, what a nice young lad, he’d treat Tessa well. And then twenty pages later every time I saw his name it annoyed me, I don’t know if that was the intended effect and Cassandra was ingeniously infuriating me, but I think what added to my dislike for Will was that in my opinion he was Jace with an English accent (Character From her Mortal Instruments series), I know he’s his great great granddad and you may inherit some traits, but not an entire personality!

There were developments of a love triangle between Bad boy Jace I mean Will and nice guy Jem, but to me I felt the scenes between Tessa and Jem were forced and the real passion was between Tessa and Will.

Fans of Magnus Bane should lower their expectations, as I was disappointed by his lack of wit but Cassandra Clare justified that by reminding us that Magnus is a Character and not a punch line which is fair enough.

All in all Clockwork Angel was a highly entertaining read which pushed me through both ends of the spectrum. It had a nice steam punk element added to the shadowhunter world which gave things an eerie twist. I shall definitely be Looking forward to Clockwork Prince.
I'll give it Four out of five

In my mailbox

Hey everyone, this is my first blog post, My name is Mahesh I'm from the UK and This is my In my mail box! Hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

Books I bought:
Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Pride by Rachel Vincent
Dead to the world By Charlaine Harris

Books I burrowed:
The Gunslinger by Stephen King (Library)
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield (Library)
The Forbidden Game by LJ Smith ( My sister lol)
Sabriel by Gath Nix (Library)

I've started Pride and I'm really enjoying it, I couldent get into the Gunslinger for some reason. But plenty of enjoyable reading to do. Thanks for stopping by!
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