Well, Robert Bryndza has done it again! I am astounded by his ability to keep producing books in this series at such an alarmingly quick rate whilst keeping them fast-paced, interesting and thrilling. I fell in love with DCI Erika Foster and her team way back with The Girl in the Ice and every time I pick up a new book in the series I fall straight back in love with them all. Cold Blood does exactly what the title says; it will make your blood run cold.

There will be no spoilers, do not fear!

DCI Erika Foster and her trusty team (including Moss, my FAVE) are on the tracks of a merciless killer. One who dismembers bodies, puts them in suitcases and disposes of them. Whilst trying to piece together the jigsaw and track down the killer, Erika herself is the victim of a brutal attack, she is also deceived by someone she trusted implicitly. With it soon becoming clear that they are searching for more than one killer, to what lengths with Erika and team have to go to get these murderers off the streets?

This case is by far the creepiest and most chilling of the series so far and I’m SO glad. I enjoyed the previous book but didn’t find the case to be as creepy as I had wanted; well Cold Blood certainly makes up for that. As per usual, we as the readers know who the killers are from fairly early on in the book, which is something I have grown to really like in this series. I really liked that there were two killers because it was interesting to read the dynamics between them and there was a really complex relationship between them. One of them I was absolutely terrified of, they are cold-hearted and my skin would crawl just wondering what they may do next. The other killer I actually had a huge amount of sympathy for after coming to know more of their background and seeing how things played out. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way that will keep you gripped and flipping those pages until the very end!

As well as a really chilling case, Cold Blood opened up even more doors into Erika’s personal life and I really enjoyed that. Erika is so work-driven that it was refreshing to get a bit more of a peek into her emotional side and there were some moments in this book where I wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool and care for her. My love affair with Kate Moss (I kid you not) continues, I just love how sassy and funny she is. I would have liked to see more of Peterson but it’s understandable that he wasn’t so present in this book, I’m keeping fingers and toes crossed he will make more of an appearance in the next one! Once again, Bryndza has written a whole host of characters who feel so real and layered, I love the way he writes them all.

Cold Blood is chilling, fast-paced and full of suspense. With a whole host of layered, interesting characters and mysterious, thought-provoking writing, this book is sure to keep your gripping the edge of your seat from beginning to end!

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Robert Bryndza for my advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Well this book is BLOODY marvellous, I mean, it’s literally bloody and also marvellous.

Whilst there are no spoilers in this review, if you are yet to read Nevernight please go and do that immediately. You will not regret it, these books are incredible. Although, dear friend, if you are repulsed by murder, gore, explicit sexual scenes and bad language, maybe this series would be best avoided. If all of those things interest you, then what are you waiting for?

Godsgrave was easily one of my most highly anticipated books of 2017 after falling head over heels in love with Nevernight last year. When this book arrived on my door step I could easily have combusted with excitement and anticipation (luckily I didn’t!). The cover itself is absolutely stunning and the insides were even more wonderful than I had anticipated!

Luckily for me (and surely many others), Kristoff starts Godsgrave with a recap of the many characters we came to love and loathe in Nevernight. So much happened in that first book that it was great to have this recap and I really appreciated it. I was able to ease myself back into this fantastic world by reminding myself where all the characters were left at the end of book 1. So if you are hoping to go into Godsgrave without rereading Nevernight then do not fear, all will be well.

As I discovered when reading Nevernight last year, Kristoff really does not mess around with easing us in at the beginning of these books. By the end of chapter one I had read an explicit sex scene and a gory, bloody murder at the hands of my favourite assassin. I was squealing with excitement as it all came rushing back to me why I loved the first book so, so much.

From beginning to end Godsgrave is full of action, revenge and lust. Mia is on a mission to bring down those who killed her family and nothing will get in her way. Mia is as badass, sassy and unforgiving as ever whilst still managing to be deeply caring and emotional behind her mask. She made huge leaps and bounds of character development in this book and we see even more of her many layers being peeled back as she kills her way to the top after selling herself off as a slave.

There are so many twists, turns and huge revelations in this book that I found myself spending a lot of time cursing aloud to myself, which was very Mia-esque of me! The darkness and deception of those around Mia just amps up her thirst for bloody revenge even further and brings into question her trust of all those around her. Even right up to the end there were enormous twists that I didn’t see coming and left me with my jaw hanging wide open. I do not know how I will wait another year for the next book!!!

Mia Corvere is easily one of my favourite badass leading ladies. I know I certainly wouldn’t mess with her. She is absolutely unforgiving in her manner and will fight until the end of her days to avenge her family and get her revenge upon those who took them away from her. I’m a sucker for a flawed character and Mia is the Queen of flawed characters. But this book showed so much more of her character and her emotional, loving side and that really choked me up. There are some very touching, emotionally charged moments in this book and I loved what that added to her character.

As well as an incredible main character, we also have a whole host of complex and layered secondary characters. As well as some old faces, we are introduced to a whole new cast of characters in Godsgrave. Some of these I grew to love, like little Maggot and Furian, others I was more wary of after being swept into Mia’s circle of distrust.

The settings of this book are so gorgeous and the descriptions so vivid and this really brought them to life for me. There is a selection of gorgeous maps at the front of the book and I loved taking some time to look over them and study the world that Mia lives in. Having grown accustomed to the writing style in Nevernight, I never found some of the more floury wording a problem in this book and loved jumping back into the story. The footnotes are still there to glean extra information about the world, but you could just as easily not read them if you preferred not to.

Something that I did not expect but completely LOVED was that there is an f/f relationship in this book and it was a relationship that I didn’t see coming at the very beginning of the novel but I am SO glad it did. I am totally behind shipping this couple and it was also refreshing to see that the explicit sexual scenes we had grown accustomed to in Nevernight did not shy away from an f/f romance either.

Godsgrave is everything I loved about Nevernight but dialled up a notch. It is bloody, murderous and sexy. It is dark and unforgiving, full of revenge and lust. Mia Corvere is a fucking badass. Incredible!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager and Jay Kristoff for my advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh how I pine for my uni days! I absolutely loved uni and some of my favourite ever memories were made when I was there so when I first heard about Freshers I was absolutely made up. I immediately knew I would need to have a copy and snatched one up as soon as I saw it on the shelves a couple of months ago.

I liked the dual narrative approach to this story a lot because it really added an extra element to the book. Phoebe is single and ready to mingle, she makes a good group of friends with the people on her corridor and spends many a drunken night dancing whilst dressed up as a fool. For Luke things don’t quite go to plan. Within days his relationship ends, he doesn’t bond with the people on his corridor and he feels alone. Going to uni feels like a terrible mistake to him and he finds it hard. I was really glad to see Luke’s struggle with the transition to university. Although I was lucky and my story was much closer to Phoebe’s, not everything clicks straight into place for everyone when they go to uni. University is such a huge life changing moment and it doesn’t work out the same for everyone and that’s okay. Whether it’s first year or third year, eventually you will make friends and you will enjoy the experience. It was also refreshing to see the honesty and emotional side of Luke’s narrative.

I liked the characters and Frankie was definitely one of my favourites. She just sounded hilarious and is definitely someone I would have found myself navigating towards. There was a wide range of characters described throughout the book and I liked how this portrayed uni life. People of all different backgrounds coming together.

The book fell slightly short on the humour for me but there were a couple of laugh out loud moments, condom-gate being my favourite. I mean, that’s one way to test your friendship with the girls! Something that really grated on me when reading was the lad behaviour (you will know what I mean if you’ve read this) because it just made me feel physically sick. But unfortunately it happens and I was glad to see it being resolved and called out in the way that it was. This isn’t a criticism of the book, it was pleasing to see that it was tackled.

Essentially, Freshers is exactly what it says on the tin. It is fun, relatable (for people who have been to uni) and entertaining. It is a quick read that I was quickly able to lose myself in.

I started reading Invictus without really knowing much about it. I knew it had something to do with space and that people were super excited for its release. I hadn’t previously read anything by Ryan Graudin either but her other duology is on my tbr. Let me tell you, this book was a real treat!!

Invictus is an exhilarating ride throughout time and history. I loved the time travel aspects and the way in which real historical events were visited. There was something about the crew visiting the Titanic just before it sank that made this book feel so real. I’ve not read a book like this before that flitted so easily between Sci-Fi and Historical Fiction. The timey wimey parts were easy enough to get along with and the idea of different universes and time spaces was really intriguing.

Whilst reading this book I could tell just how much research must have gone into writing it. As well as the historical elements, this book is a complex web of timelines for the different characters involved and it must have taken quite some planning to make sure it all entwined so seamlessly. Graudin took the time to consider the effects of visiting different societies and time periods and I was pleased when there was a part of the book where Gram, who is black, was worried about visiting certain time periods because of how black people were treated at the time. I was really glad to see that this was considered and acknowledged.

The crew aboard the Invictus really made this book for me. Although Farway is our leading character, each of the other crew members was just as layered and I felt drawn to them all in their own way. It was nice that the book was written with bits from each of their POV because that really helped me to make those connections.

My favourite character from the crew is probably Imogen because she just felt like a breath of fresh air. Her daily hair colour change represented her bright, wild side to me and her optimism and love for everyone on board was really refreshing. Not to mention that she has a furry red panda friend called Saffron – I’d love a red panda to cuddle! Imogen is incredibly intelligent, being the onboard Historian and her eye for detail has made for many successful missions. I also really liked Priya and although I didn’t trust her at all to begin with, Eliot really came into her own for me too. (Look at that, once again I love all the female characters…)

There were a few things about this book that really stood out for me. The first of those is how strong the family bonds were threaded through the book. Farway and Imogen are cousins and Farway is determined to locate his Mum who has been lost in time. There are some really heartbreaking family moments in this book as well as some shocking reveals, twists and turns. The friendships were also fantastic: there is such a bond between the Invictus crew and you can see clear as day why they get on so well. They all balance each other out: Farway is ambitious, determined but can also be hot-headed whilst Priya is intelligent, caring and a calming presence. Imogen is bright, vivid and funny whilst Gram is a bit quieter, thoughtful and studious. They all balanced each other out so well.

I loved the romances in this book and thought they were really well written and incorporated into the story without becoming the story. This book is in no way about the romances, but they are mentioned and I really liked the way it was done. The romances are tender, sweet and feel so genuine. One of them is already fully fledged as we read whilst the other is building over time and my little shipper heart was willing it on SO much.

Invictus had me on the edge of my seat with its twists, turns and reveals. As we raced through time to reach our end, I laughed, loved and cried. A fantastic book for anyone who is a fan of sci-fi and time travel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Children’s Books and Ryan Graudin for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Are you looking for the perfect Halloween, spooky read for your young ones? If so, then look no further! Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball is the PERFECT creepy read for the youngsters this Halloween.

Amelia Fang is no ordinary girl. She is a vampire and her best friends are Florence, a rare breed of yeti, and Grimaldi, a young Grim Reaper in training. Not to forget her absolutely adorable sidekick Squashy the pumpkin. Amelia’s parents are hosting the annual Barbaric Ball and the King and his son, Prince Tangine, have agreed to attend this year. Amongst all her mother’s excitement, Amelia cannot think of anything worse than the Barbaric Ball and things don’t exactly get better when she is tasked with looking after the Prince when he starts school.

There are lots of wonderful, funny twists and turns along the way but something that I truly loved about this book was how deep and meaningful the underlying message is. This book approaches the themes of family relationships, loneliness and friendship in such a refreshing way that I’m sure many kids reading this would relate in some way. The last half of the book especially was pretty powerful in its message.

This book is crammed full of some of the most gorgeous illustrations I have seen in a children’s book. Honestly some of the illustrations are just so incredible detailed and they really set my imagination on fire. Being able to see for myself all these gruesome monsters and the horrid Creatures of Light truly threw me into Amelia’s world.

The characters are just wonderful! Alongside the adorable, loveable Amelia, Florence, Frimaldi and Squashy there are a whole host of entertaining characters but one of my favourites had to be Woo, the ghost butler of the Fang family. He truly saves the day on a few occasions and also had a great sense of humour.

Talking of humour, this book is SO refreshing and hilarious. There will be quips in here that make both the children and adults reading this book cry with laughter. Some personal favourites of mine where ‘The Great Gothic Gravestone Carve Off’ and the ‘diePhone’, such clever twists on modern culture that will be sure to make you laugh out loud, I know I did!

Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball is the perfect book for this Halloween, it will keep you entertained and laughing whilst also having a truly spooky edge to it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Egmont UK and Laura Ellen Anderson for my advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4.5 stars!

Ink is just as wonderful on the inside as it is on the outside and I really hope that gorgeous cover catches the eyes of many readers and brings them into Leora’s world too. Ink is gritty, dark and mysterious. From beginning to end you know there is more to Leora’s story than meets the eye, especially where her father is concerned, but what is the mystery? There are many twists, turns and big revelations towards the end of this book and THAT glorious ending already has me needing more!!

I absolutely adore the world that Alice Broadway has created for Ink. The idea of having your life inked on your body for all to see was one that really provoked a lot of thought for me. I couldn't stop thinking about this concept for days after starting this book.

The characters are really well written too and I liked Leora a lot. She is so courageous and brave, especially towards the end of the book where she faces some life changing news. At the same time she is independent, fierce and sassy. I personally loved that by becoming an Inker she is challenging the gender stereotypes of her society – this always is a winner with me!

Fantastic world-building, a great plot and fantastic characters, I certainly can’t wait to return to Leora’s world and see what happens next!

Read my full review here (with pictures!): https://kellysramblings.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/ink-by-alice-broadway/

It goes without saying that The Language of Thorns was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2017. I am a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo and any chance to get back into her Grishaverse is hugely welcomed. I pre-ordered this months ago and was delighted when it arrived 10 days early (thanks Waterstones!).

This book has one of the most striking covers I have on my shelves. The details on the cover are so intricate and it really is rather beautiful to look at. But don’t let the cover fool you, this book is even more gorgeous on the inside than you could imagine. It is filled with the most beautiful illustrations and one of my favourite things about the illustrations is the way in which they grow around the story as you flick through the pages. As the story reveals more of itself, so do the illustrations, eventually giving way to a double spread illustration for the story. I probably spent longer looking at the illustrations than I did reading this book as it is a pretty quick read. They really are gorgeous.

The stories themselves were also really wonderful to read. Many of them are based on fairytales we are familiar with but Bardugo has well and truly put her own spin on them. I’ve been asked by some people if they could read this without having read the Grisha trilogy and the answer is definitely YES (but why would you want to? Go read EVERYTHING Leigh has written!).

I’m not sure if I can pick a favourite because every time I decided on one the next story came along and I fell in love with that too. There is plenty to please in this anthology and Leigh has shown just how masterful a writer she is with these creations. I particularly loved the final story in the collection, When Water Sang Fire, which is Leigh’s take on the little mermaid story. It is the longest story in the collection but one that came packed with lots of emotion and morals.

These stories reminded me of every reason why I love Leigh’s writing. They are exceptionally well-written; every word on the page seems to have its purpose. Each of the stories is beautifully atmospheric and they are definitely dark and haunting in places. This is definitely a book I will read again and again!

When I reviewed Three Dark Crowns, I remember stating that I felt that although the book was good, it didn’t quite live up to what the blurb had me expecting. One Dark Throne was everything I wanted from the first book and so much more.

There’s no messing around with this second instalment to the series. From the very first few pages we are thrown right back into the middle of the story. The three sisters are fighting for the crown and it doesn’t take long before we can see who is the most merciless of the three. This book is really fast paced and I enjoyed being swept up in the excitement of it all. There were plenty of questions raised, plenty of questions answered but also plenty left to be discovered in future books.

This book has a LOT of different characters and I was really pleasantly surprised to find how quickly they all came flooding back to me. I enjoy that the book is has chapters from each of the sister’s POV and I love the idea that because of this there isn’t one particular Queen you feel that you should be rooting for.

My favourite is Arsinoe and I absolutely adore her friendship with Jules. Jules is probably my favourite character of the book and I love her and Camden. As well as the three main Queens, I loved that there was some significant character development for many of the other characters, including Jules.

The ending of this story made me feel so sad but it was also an ending that was hopeful. I’m intrigued as to where the series will lead, especially as there are still two more books to come but I know that I will definitely be returning when book 3 is released next year!

Expectation: unable to put book down, horror filled and scary, fast paced.

Reality: more romantic than expected, not particularly scary, very slow beginning.

There has been so much hype around this book. I have never read a book by Stephanie Perkins before this one and maybe that will have had some effect on my judgement of There’s Someone Inside Your House.

Let me clear something up: this is not a bad book. The book itself is okay, the story is okay and the plot is okay. But that’s what this is for me, a book which is okay. One that I am glad to have read but probably not one I will be shouting about passionately or rereading.

I don’t read a lot of horror books but when I do I want them to terrify me. I am the same with horror movies. I both hate and love them but if they don’t scare me then what is the point? There were maybe one or two moments in There’s Someone Inside Your House where I felt a little bit of fear creeping in, but I’m not sure if that was more my own imagination. By the end of the first chapter the first victim has been murdered but then it takes a little while before anything else creepy really happens. I wanted the pace of this book to be action-packed and a race against time, but for about 75% of the book it doesn’t feel that way.

There was quite a lot of focus on the romance in this novel, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just wasn’t what I had expected. (I assume by now that you are gathering that my expectations were something quite different!) The romance itself was nice and I had no problem with that. I liked both Ollie and Makani, I just don’t feel a passionate love for them.

The biggest disappointment in this book for me was the reveal of Makani’s secret past life. Throughout the book we see references to something that Makani did back in Hawaii that caused her to need to move across the country and even change her name to protect her identity. When that big reveal arrived I found myself thinking ‘Is that it?’. Don’t get me wrong what happened was not nice but it was definitely built up to be a lot more than it was.

If you’re looking for a slasher horror that’s not too scary but with some teenage drama and romance then you’ll probably really enjoy this book. It’s an okay book, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for or expected.

Thanks to MyKindaBook and Stephanie Perkins for my advanced copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.