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After waiting for what felt like forever, C M Stunich's Allison and the Torrid Tea Party was released - and hearts was it worth the wait. I'd even go as far as to say that it was even better, and definitely significantly longer, than Adventures in Underland.
The story picks up right where book 1 left off, with Allison and the Savage Duke kidnapped by the Mad Hatter and his cronies. I loved Allison's interactions with each of the characters in the book, reading about the prophecies and meeting all of the new additions to the story - especially Brennin! Also, that ending had me screaming - cliffhanger much! C M you're so terrible to us (not really!)
Cannot wait to read Allison Breaks the Looking Glass soon!
The story picks up right where book 1 left off, with Allison and the Savage Duke kidnapped by the Mad Hatter and his cronies. I loved Allison's interactions with each of the characters in the book, reading about the prophecies and meeting all of the new additions to the story - especially Brennin! Also, that ending had me screaming - cliffhanger much! C M you're so terrible to us (not really!)
Cannot wait to read Allison Breaks the Looking Glass soon!
Fantastic Trilogy
After discovering the first in this series earlier this year, it's felt like a long wait to get to this stage - but that wait was more than worth it. The finale to the Harem of Hearts trilogy was fantastic and I can't wait to read more from this universe!
After discovering the first in this series earlier this year, it's felt like a long wait to get to this stage - but that wait was more than worth it. The finale to the Harem of Hearts trilogy was fantastic and I can't wait to read more from this universe!
★★★★★/★★★★★
Book Review: The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
This new adult sports novel had me slightly perplexed when I finally agreed to give it a try considering the first in the trilogy was free on Kindle. If you knew me in real life, you'd know that I am not one for sports but the story of Neil Josten and the foxes was so much more than a sports novel.
Neil Josten is about to graduate high school when a college coach appears and offers him a scholarship to play the fictional sport of Exy (Exy is described as a cross between larcrose and ice hockey, played on a court the size of a football pitch) with the Palmetto State University Foxes; Neil is a young man with a past, and with nothing to lose he finally agrees to join with the struggling Foxes, a team of misfits, recruited seemingly for that express reason by their coach, David Wymack.
He moves and begins to train with the reluctant Foxes who haven't left for the summer, Kevin (a former star Exy player who was injured in a skiing accident the winter before and also 'discovers' Neil), Andrew (psycho extraordinaire, heavily medicated some of the time), Aaron (Andrew's less psychotic twin) and Nicky (the twins' cousin). What follows is a relentless and gruelling training schedule until school starts and the rest of the team descend again - as you can imagine, most are not keen to see an inexperienced player amongst their ranks and don't hold their punches (quite literally for some).
The Exy parts were initially confusing but with the help of a wiki article and further reading of the book, I actually found myself enjoying them. They're very well written and believable, especially as it's a fictional sport - I did picture it as something similar to the sport played in Starship Troopers initially to help me visualise it.
The whole other side to the story is Neil and his secret past which is touched upon at various points during the story. It's very readable and I was intrigued, and can't wait to read more about the team and their upcoming challenges after that ending, in The Raven King
Book Review: The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
This new adult sports novel had me slightly perplexed when I finally agreed to give it a try considering the first in the trilogy was free on Kindle. If you knew me in real life, you'd know that I am not one for sports but the story of Neil Josten and the foxes was so much more than a sports novel.
Neil Josten is about to graduate high school when a college coach appears and offers him a scholarship to play the fictional sport of Exy (Exy is described as a cross between larcrose and ice hockey, played on a court the size of a football pitch) with the Palmetto State University Foxes; Neil is a young man with a past, and with nothing to lose he finally agrees to join with the struggling Foxes, a team of misfits, recruited seemingly for that express reason by their coach, David Wymack.
He moves and begins to train with the reluctant Foxes who haven't left for the summer, Kevin (a former star Exy player who was injured in a skiing accident the winter before and also 'discovers' Neil), Andrew (psycho extraordinaire, heavily medicated some of the time), Aaron (Andrew's less psychotic twin) and Nicky (the twins' cousin). What follows is a relentless and gruelling training schedule until school starts and the rest of the team descend again - as you can imagine, most are not keen to see an inexperienced player amongst their ranks and don't hold their punches (quite literally for some).
The Exy parts were initially confusing but with the help of a wiki article and further reading of the book, I actually found myself enjoying them. They're very well written and believable, especially as it's a fictional sport - I did picture it as something similar to the sport played in Starship Troopers initially to help me visualise it.
The whole other side to the story is Neil and his secret past which is touched upon at various points during the story. It's very readable and I was intrigued, and can't wait to read more about the team and their upcoming challenges after that ending, in The Raven King
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson is the first YA sci-fi novel in a new series by one of my favourite authors. I've loved all of his books that I have read so far, and really enjoyed his other sci-fi series, The Reckoners Trilogy so I was excited to read his latest offering.
The remnants of the human race are living in large underground caverns on a planet surrounded by a large debris field and a seemingly hostile alien force. Spensa idolises her father, a pilot with the DDF, when she is a young girl her father is killed in action and branded a coward after leaving his flightmates during an all out assault on their planet. Spensa spends the next ten years trying to come to terms with his loss, whilst pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot in the DDF, but as the cowards daughter, Spensa finds the way to flight school a bumpy path.
Initially I found the story slow paced, though I did like Spensa, her sense of humour is very well written, and I was keen to find out the eventual result of her struggles. I really liked the ensemble cast, especially Skyward Flight and M-Bot who I would liken to The Illuminae Files' AIDAN, but without the murderous streak. I enjoyed Spensa's character arc and found it to be a believable change in character, especially with the first person narrative, so we could see what she was thinking and how she actually felt about certain aspects. My favourite parts of the book pretty much all occurred in the final 40% which I actually read in one sitting, it was so gripping that I couldn't put it down.
Overall I would recommend Skyward, especially if you like sci-fi. It appeals to a broad range of age-groups, whether you're an adult like myself, or a young adult - I'd have no issues with my 14 year old reading it. It's a fun read, and at 528 pages (hardback) it's fairly short for a Sanderson novel. I believe that the sequel will be released Autumn 2019 and I'll definitely be reading it to find out more of Spensa's story, especially with that ending!
4/5 due to the slow start
The remnants of the human race are living in large underground caverns on a planet surrounded by a large debris field and a seemingly hostile alien force. Spensa idolises her father, a pilot with the DDF, when she is a young girl her father is killed in action and branded a coward after leaving his flightmates during an all out assault on their planet. Spensa spends the next ten years trying to come to terms with his loss, whilst pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot in the DDF, but as the cowards daughter, Spensa finds the way to flight school a bumpy path.
Initially I found the story slow paced, though I did like Spensa, her sense of humour is very well written, and I was keen to find out the eventual result of her struggles. I really liked the ensemble cast, especially Skyward Flight and M-Bot who I would liken to The Illuminae Files' AIDAN, but without the murderous streak. I enjoyed Spensa's character arc and found it to be a believable change in character, especially with the first person narrative, so we could see what she was thinking and how she actually felt about certain aspects. My favourite parts of the book pretty much all occurred in the final 40% which I actually read in one sitting, it was so gripping that I couldn't put it down.
Overall I would recommend Skyward, especially if you like sci-fi. It appeals to a broad range of age-groups, whether you're an adult like myself, or a young adult - I'd have no issues with my 14 year old reading it. It's a fun read, and at 528 pages (hardback) it's fairly short for a Sanderson novel. I believe that the sequel will be released Autumn 2019 and I'll definitely be reading it to find out more of Spensa's story, especially with that ending!
4/5 due to the slow start
2* read for me
Initially I was very receptive to the book; but I just could not get over my dislike of Jen and Tom wasn't much better. Aiden was by far my favourite character but even he couldn't bring this story together for me. Unfortunately, not one for me.
Initially I was very receptive to the book; but I just could not get over my dislike of Jen and Tom wasn't much better. Aiden was by far my favourite character but even he couldn't bring this story together for me. Unfortunately, not one for me.
★★★☆☆/★★★★★
Book Review: Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton
Positives
🍫Rose and Theo were both likeable
🍫Cute, YA contemporary - if not a bit predictable
🍫I liked how we got more of the story after the HEA when most stories would end
Negatives
🍫The writing seemed quite clunky at times
🍫The timeline was wonky, or appeared that way to me
🍫Its very middle of the road for the genre - I've read worse but I've also read better
Cotton's debut YA contemporary is sweet but falls short of some of the other books in this genre that are our there right now.
Rose Valentine's chemistry lab partner has vanished and no one knows where he is. Theo Lockhart keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved with anyone, unless their face is meeting his fist. Rose can't explain why she's so invested in finding out what happened to Theo, but when he shows up at her door and asks to stay in her house, in secret, she can't bring herself to say no, even if he won't tell her why he vanished. The longer Theo stays, the closer the two get and Rose begins to think she has solved the enigma that is Theo Lockhart.
I found it to be fairly predictable and rolled my eyes many times, and there was one part in particular that just screamed 'Twilight' at me; and there was a definite overuse of both of the characters names which irritated me no end.
I read it in one day and I did like it, but it meanders on at a leisurely pace and at times I wished for a bit more excitement. At 288 pages it's a quick, easy read and if you like the genre then it may be for you, it's not one I'll be holding onto though.
Book Review: Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton
Positives
🍫Rose and Theo were both likeable
🍫Cute, YA contemporary - if not a bit predictable
🍫I liked how we got more of the story after the HEA when most stories would end
Negatives
🍫The writing seemed quite clunky at times
🍫The timeline was wonky, or appeared that way to me
🍫Its very middle of the road for the genre - I've read worse but I've also read better
Cotton's debut YA contemporary is sweet but falls short of some of the other books in this genre that are our there right now.
Rose Valentine's chemistry lab partner has vanished and no one knows where he is. Theo Lockhart keeps himself to himself and doesn't get involved with anyone, unless their face is meeting his fist. Rose can't explain why she's so invested in finding out what happened to Theo, but when he shows up at her door and asks to stay in her house, in secret, she can't bring herself to say no, even if he won't tell her why he vanished. The longer Theo stays, the closer the two get and Rose begins to think she has solved the enigma that is Theo Lockhart.
I found it to be fairly predictable and rolled my eyes many times, and there was one part in particular that just screamed 'Twilight' at me; and there was a definite overuse of both of the characters names which irritated me no end.
I read it in one day and I did like it, but it meanders on at a leisurely pace and at times I wished for a bit more excitement. At 288 pages it's a quick, easy read and if you like the genre then it may be for you, it's not one I'll be holding onto though.