Having never read a book by Holly Black before this one, I really didn’t know what to expect. I really enjoy YA fantasy novels and this book really didn’t disappoint.

From the very beginning there is a glorious darkness to this book that I just fell in love with. Some of these characters are cruel beyond belief and on more than one occasion I found myself exclaiming loudly ‘Oh my God!’ or taking in a huge gasp of air. It twisted and turned like no other and I felt like I was constantly on my toes to find out what would happen next to Jude and the other characters.

Alongside outright murder and death, there is also a lot of deceit and betrayal. I found myself not knowing who I could really trust but at the same time I also really liked almost all of the characters. I love flawed characters and The Cruel Prince certainly comes with its fair share. I loved that each of the characters had something about them that prevented them from being perfect because it made them all the more real and their stories more compelling.

I absolutely loved Jude as our main character. Although not necessarily instantly likeable, she has an admirable inner strength, she is brave, courageous and, best of all, rather flipping sassy. She endures the most horrific bullying from her Faerie companions due to her mortality but I loved the way she used this to strengthen herself. She is the exact kind of leading character I love to read about. I also was really intrigued by Vivi and would have loved to see more of her rebellious side. I couldn’t help but like Madoc (and trust me he has some big flaws!). Cardan is a mysterious being and I still don’t quite think I know him as well as I want to but he did surprise me!

Gosh were there some complex relationships in this book! I mean, to begin with Jude and Taryn are being raised in the world of Faerie by the man who murdered their parents in front of them – way to go on making things difficult from the off! I am a BIG fan of a complex relationship because in life that’s exactly what relationships are. The idea that Jude and Taryn could forgive Madoc for what he did was something I battled with but I also loved the really layered relationship that Jude and Taryn shared. Whilst Jude has ambitions over and above her station as a mortal in the Faerie world, Taryn is willing to accept her lesser role and marry herself off, so to speak. The contrast between them was really interesting but the fact that there was also such a mixture of love and affinity too just really kept me interested in their dynamics as sisters.

The world building was exquisite! From the first few pages I felt completely at home in this new world and this is all down to the excellent writing and vivid descriptions. I was easily able to imagine the world Holly Black had created and absolutely adored the contrast of the dark, twisty Faerie world against the modern world we are familiar with. These two worlds were so different yet woven together so perfectly.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be seeking out more of Holly Black’s writing in future. Dark and twisted, this Faerie-tale kept me hooked from beginning to end with its glorious twists and turns. I certainly will be tuning back in for book 2 next year!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hot Key Books for my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When this book was first sold to me as ‘The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park’ I was in some kind of disbelief. That is one heck of a big statement to make and so I was REALLY excited to get into this book and see if it lived up to my high expectations and I am absolutely THRILLED to say that it did just that and MORE. That’s right, this book was just THAT good.

The plot of the book was really interesting and drew me in straight away. A world where humans live crammed onto one continent whilst dinosaurs (that’s right, real, actual dinosaurs) live on the other. The human continent is hugely overcrowded leaving the people struggling for food, water, energy, accommodation, everything. In a bid to save their race, the humans decide they need to learn more about the dinosaur continent of Piloria in order to take it for themselves. This is where the Extinction Trials come in: a Hunger Games style contest where 100 people are sent to Piloria and encounter a number of gruelling missions and tasks (and that’s aside from the dinosaurs!). I really don’t want to say any more than that about the plot but let me assure you it will keep you flipping those pages and twisting and turning until the very end!

I really liked the characters in this book. The story itself is told from two POVs: Stormchaser is our leading lady. Storm’s upbringing has been far from easy but her character says it all. She is independent, sassy, fiercely determined and competitive but she is also loyal, compassionate and intelligent. I absolutely adored reading her chapters and I especially loved the way she saw the dinosaurs. Lincoln, our other POV, hasn’t had the same difficult start to life as Storm but has much more to lose due to an ill younger sibling. He has a lot more weighing on the outcome of the trials than Storm does and it’s interesting to see how that dynamic pans out during the story.

Of course, there are plenty of secondary characters involved in the story too from some competitive villain types to Storm’s best friend Dell but my favourites of all had to be the blinking dinosaurs. I mean when do we ever find YA books with dinosaurs in? I just loved reading about them and got excited every time a new one was mentioned. Plus, not all of the dinosaurs were terrifying beasts (although plenty of them were!) and I really liked that this was shown too. An element that really interested me was the way in which Wilson set about showing a varied attitude among the human characters towards the dinosaurs. Some of the characters hate the dinosaurs and want nothing more than to see them all dead, others are interested but rightfully wary and a few believe that the dinosaurs should be treated just as the humans would want to be: with respect. I really liked how this was gently explored through the dialogue and reactions of the characters.

The world building is absolutely exquisite! I felt like I was stepping into a full formed world that was vivid and easy to imagine thanks to the gorgeous writing. I felt like I was stepping through the pages into Piloria with Storm, Lincoln and the others for the first time too. Every step they took in their dangerous new surroundings both thrilled and terrified me: I really didn’t know what would happen next but I loved every second of it!

The ending of this book was superb! It has perfectly set up for the next book in the series and the surprises kept coming at me from all directions right up until the end. I really, really loved this book, the characters, the concept, the world building, everything about it was fascinating and exciting. It’s a book I know I will read over and over again. Marvellous!

Final 7 was SUCH a thrilling read from beginning to end. It is tense and full of action, taking plenty of twists and turns along the way. Picking up just where Day 7 left off (don’t worry, there are no spoilers from me!), I found it really easy to pick up the story and fall back in step with these wonderful characters and thought provoking story lines and was compelled to keep reading Martha’s fight against social discrimination.

My absolute favourite thing about these books is the way in which they explore social class and discrimination. I am always interesting in how social class affects various aspects of all our lives and these books really don’t shy away from that. After reading each book in this trilogy, I have had to take some time to sit and think about them carefully and some of the themes and messages they hold within. These books are really powerful in their message of speaking out and standing up for what we believe in and what can happen if we just standby and allow things we believe are wrong to continue. Martha, Max, Isaac, Cicero, Josh and Eve are all fighting against the tide for what they believe in and along the way have to make huge sacrifices for themselves and others. It’s made really clear from all angles that making your voice heard is not the easy option but they don’t stop their fight and I found that really thought provoking and inspiring.

There’s also the huge amount of corruption within government and from the media that goes on in this book which I think is so incredibly relatable to the world today. The idea that money is power is something I have always struggled with because it doesn’t sit well with me but unfortunately it really is quite true. There are some really despicable characters in these books who I really loathe (no names for fear of spoiling!) but they were so necessary to this story and really evoked a lot of emotion in me.

Something I’ve loved all the way along this series is the structure of the books as this is part of the reason (aside from the compelling storyline and excellent writing) these books are such fast paced reads. I love how they flick between different perspectives and also how we get the glimpses of the infamous TV shows televising death row. The glamorisation of death row is really unsettling in these books and I would like to think that if I found myself in this dystopian version of our world that I wouldn’t get sucked into this sickening reality television but the power of the media in these books and the hold that it has over the public is terrifying.

I ADORE these characters. Their strength, compassion and drive for what they believe in is something I truly admire. They are all flawed in their own way and that is something else that I love because it is real. There are moments in this book where the characters made me laugh and also where they broke my heart – one loss in particular in this book really deeply upset me but I can also see how that death was necessary to the plot. Most of all though, these characters made me feel empowered. They made me want to use my own voice more to stand up for what I believe in. I’m not sure I would have all of Martha’s strength, or all of Eve’s drive and compassion, but if I could use just an ounce of it I would be proud.

My final thought on this book was THAT ending really makes me want more and I’m sad that this wonderful, thought provoking trilogy has ended. If we could get a novella from Sofia’s POV I’d be all over it! *cough* I definitely think there’s room for more from these characters and I’m excited for what Kerry Drewery will write next!

Thanks to Hot Key Books, NetGalley and Kerry Drewery for my advanced copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars

As someone who has never read a book by Marie Lu and also has only ever indulged in Batman movies, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book but it really did surprise me in a pleasant way.

I expected lots of action and that’s what I got. The book was really plot driven and full of twists and turns. The first half of the book is definitely much slower but you can feel the anticipation building and the last 100 or so pages were just phenomenal and really fast paced. It took me a little while to remember that the things I’d seen in the movies hadn’t happened to adorable, teenage Bruce yet but that didn’t stop me from quickly being drawn into the book. There were definitely several completely unbelievable elements to the book, for example, teenage Bruce being sent to the top security prison for his community service? But then we have to remember this is a book about Batman so literally anything goes!

I really adored the characters, especially those recognisable names such as Harvey Dent and good old Alfred (whom I could only read with the voice of Michael Caine!). There was something comforting about having those characters to anchor Bruce’s world on these pages. Madeleine absolutely terrified me. She was scary as hell and all those moments when Bruce is talking to her in her cell had me on the edge of my seat that she was about to completely flip out. I absolutely loved her character, despite the creepiness!

Overall this was an entertaining read with great characterization and a fast paced plot. Not quite up there with Wonder Woman: Warbringer but a great addition to the DC Icons series!

Thanks to Sarah at Penguin UK for my copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this on audio. Sarah is charming, intelligent and outrageously funny. As well as being a light-hearted read, this book also gives a glimpse into some more hard hitting topics and is certainly food for thought as well as fun.