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Eliyana Ember has been ashamed of the birthmark covering her ace for her entire life. Soon after her mother dies in mysterious circumstances, El is thrust into a world beyond her own and further than she could ever imagined. Suddenly, her birthmark means something special and she's among people who can transform their bodies, paralyze with a look and choose between the paths of Light or Darkness.
The world in this book is really fantastic and so amazingly detailed. It took me a while to really get used to what the 'reflections' were but gradually it started to make a bit more sense to me the more the characters all talked about the reflections, and the thresholds.
Unfortunately for me, one of the main problems I had with this book was Eliyana. I really didn't like her! Obviosuly at the start of the book she is grieving and I do try and feel for her but she rapidly devolves into a whingy, moany mess that got on my nerves. She gave out about everything and the way she repeatedly talked about Joshua did my head in. At one point she even gave out about him not noticing her tripping up, like really? For the majority of the book she remains like this, and is also extremely prissy and judgmental (something I was surprised by considering she has dealt with judgement over her birthmark all her life). One thing that really irritated me was her comments when people were eating meat around her. I'm a vegetarian but I don't judge, or make nasty comments, about people who do as I understand it's a lifestyle choice and harder for some to make than others. I didn't appreciate her comments and felt like it was the type of thing that encourages all those stupid assumptions people make about vegetarians and vegans.
I did really like Ky and his character development. He slowly, slowly came out as the story progressed and he went from a spotty, nerdy kind of guy to someone very brave and open-hearted.I really liked our journey with him and how I was never quite sure if I could really trust him or not. But by the end of the book I was 100% Team Ky. I will say as well, I liked how the love triangle played out in this book and the way it's connected to Verity and the Void. It's pretty clever and avoids some of the cliches around love triangles. Though, I still hated Joshua.
There were a few too many movie and song references in this for me too. I don't think the book really needed it - the writing was strong enough to stand on its own without the references.
Following the ending, I am looking forward to moving onto Unravelling and seeing what happens next.
The world in this book is really fantastic and so amazingly detailed. It took me a while to really get used to what the 'reflections' were but gradually it started to make a bit more sense to me the more the characters all talked about the reflections, and the thresholds.
Unfortunately for me, one of the main problems I had with this book was Eliyana. I really didn't like her! Obviosuly at the start of the book she is grieving and I do try and feel for her but she rapidly devolves into a whingy, moany mess that got on my nerves. She gave out about everything and the way she repeatedly talked about Joshua did my head in. At one point she even gave out about him not noticing her tripping up, like really? For the majority of the book she remains like this, and is also extremely prissy and judgmental (something I was surprised by considering she has dealt with judgement over her birthmark all her life). One thing that really irritated me was her comments when people were eating meat around her. I'm a vegetarian but I don't judge, or make nasty comments, about people who do as I understand it's a lifestyle choice and harder for some to make than others. I didn't appreciate her comments and felt like it was the type of thing that encourages all those stupid assumptions people make about vegetarians and vegans.
I did really like Ky and his character development. He slowly, slowly came out as the story progressed and he went from a spotty, nerdy kind of guy to someone very brave and open-hearted.I really liked our journey with him and how I was never quite sure if I could really trust him or not. But by the end of the book I was 100% Team Ky. I will say as well, I liked how the love triangle played out in this book and the way it's connected to Verity and the Void. It's pretty clever and avoids some of the cliches around love triangles. Though, I still hated Joshua.
There were a few too many movie and song references in this for me too. I don't think the book really needed it - the writing was strong enough to stand on its own without the references.
Following the ending, I am looking forward to moving onto Unravelling and seeing what happens next.
I received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley.
Edie Latchford is always battling another side of herself - her brother Gnome, who she transforms into every night. The two siblings share one body and as they grow older, their struggles for control become more vicious.
This was a very interesting book. It removed me a little bit of The Dead House except done way better. At first I enjoyed the POVs of both Edie and Gnome but gradually I definitely liked Edie more. Edie gets involved with the women's suffragette movement in Manchester in the early 1900s and I loved reading about the rallies she went to and what went on about them.
This is a really great exploration into being more than what you were physically born into. It looks at what it is to be male, to be female as well as what it means to be both and neither. I'd love to find out what any trans or non-binary readers made of this book as I feel they would have more personal connection to it than I did as a cisgender person, but I did really enjoy it. This also looks at sexuality and involves gay, lesbian and bisexual characters - as well as a look at how LGTB people were able to socialise during the 1900s without getting into trouble.
A fascinating read and some really strong writing. I really recommend!
Edie Latchford is always battling another side of herself - her brother Gnome, who she transforms into every night. The two siblings share one body and as they grow older, their struggles for control become more vicious.
This was a very interesting book. It removed me a little bit of The Dead House except done way better. At first I enjoyed the POVs of both Edie and Gnome but gradually I definitely liked Edie more. Edie gets involved with the women's suffragette movement in Manchester in the early 1900s and I loved reading about the rallies she went to and what went on about them.
This is a really great exploration into being more than what you were physically born into. It looks at what it is to be male, to be female as well as what it means to be both and neither. I'd love to find out what any trans or non-binary readers made of this book as I feel they would have more personal connection to it than I did as a cisgender person, but I did really enjoy it. This also looks at sexuality and involves gay, lesbian and bisexual characters - as well as a look at how LGTB people were able to socialise during the 1900s without getting into trouble.
A fascinating read and some really strong writing. I really recommend!
I received a free copy of this book from O’Brien Press in exchange for an honest review.
Sam Hannigan is one of the best Irish dancers in Clobberstown, and lives with her mad granny and annoying brother. One day, things s wrong for Sam when she and her friend Ajay accidentally trap her in the body of her next door neighbour’s dog Barker using her granddad’s invention.
This was a refreshing pot of fun for me and this is definitely one of those rare books that is both entertaining for an adult and a child. I really loved this story, and the matching illustrations in the book. Sam is a great character, and this entire book also throws a great light on animal welfare and how animals should be treated in a way that young children can understand and emphasise with.
I loved how Irish this book was as well. I haven’t read a whole load of Irish children’s books so I loved seeing tarantulas called Tadgh and Sam performing in an Irish dancing costume. there was also a character cameo in this book from one of Alan Nolan’s other books - Conor’s Caveman: The Amazing Adventures of Ogg, so if anyone has read that, they might enjoy this one too!
I read this in two sittings, more or less in one day and i enjoyed the entirety of it! I recommend for both adults and children alike!
Sam Hannigan is one of the best Irish dancers in Clobberstown, and lives with her mad granny and annoying brother. One day, things s wrong for Sam when she and her friend Ajay accidentally trap her in the body of her next door neighbour’s dog Barker using her granddad’s invention.
This was a refreshing pot of fun for me and this is definitely one of those rare books that is both entertaining for an adult and a child. I really loved this story, and the matching illustrations in the book. Sam is a great character, and this entire book also throws a great light on animal welfare and how animals should be treated in a way that young children can understand and emphasise with.
I loved how Irish this book was as well. I haven’t read a whole load of Irish children’s books so I loved seeing tarantulas called Tadgh and Sam performing in an Irish dancing costume. there was also a character cameo in this book from one of Alan Nolan’s other books - Conor’s Caveman: The Amazing Adventures of Ogg, so if anyone has read that, they might enjoy this one too!
I read this in two sittings, more or less in one day and i enjoyed the entirety of it! I recommend for both adults and children alike!
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Pinks is a non-fiction book about the women who worked with the Pinkerton Detective Agency - the first agency to employ women as detectives.
This book is very interesting, and also a short, quick read. I found the different cases the women worked on pretty amazing (aka travelling with president-elect Abraham Lincoln to ensure his safety) and I really loved that this actually happened, and in the 1800s rather than the 1900s.
I thought at times the book came off a bit ‘hero worship’ with Allan Pinkerton, who employed the women. A few times there was mentions of how great he was for daring to employ women, and I was “okay, I get it.” Some of the stories were a little bit over the top which does make me understand why some people thought that Pinkerton might have made them up. Some cases as well depended on the agents messing with a person’s mental capabilities and often driving them mad with fear or grief until they confessed, which did make me a little bit uncomfortable at times.
Overall though this was a fantastic read and a bit of history I had no idea about!
The Pinks is a non-fiction book about the women who worked with the Pinkerton Detective Agency - the first agency to employ women as detectives.
This book is very interesting, and also a short, quick read. I found the different cases the women worked on pretty amazing (aka travelling with president-elect Abraham Lincoln to ensure his safety) and I really loved that this actually happened, and in the 1800s rather than the 1900s.
I thought at times the book came off a bit ‘hero worship’ with Allan Pinkerton, who employed the women. A few times there was mentions of how great he was for daring to employ women, and I was “okay, I get it.” Some of the stories were a little bit over the top which does make me understand why some people thought that Pinkerton might have made them up. Some cases as well depended on the agents messing with a person’s mental capabilities and often driving them mad with fear or grief until they confessed, which did make me a little bit uncomfortable at times.
Overall though this was a fantastic read and a bit of history I had no idea about!
Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the much awaited for and highly anticipated last book in the Lara Jean trilogy, which focuses on a young teenage girl who writes love letters to all the boys who once had her heart.
This book seen Lara Jean in her last year of high school and on the brink of a huge change in her life. Those that know Lara Jean and have read her other stories know that she’s a bit of a homebody and a goody-goody which means she has her own set plans on what comes next. This obviously ended up ensuring what came next was predictable though I actually didn’t mind it. Surprisingly, I actually ended up getting emotional in several moments in this book when Lara Jean was disappointed with something. I’m not sure if it was just I resonated with her fear and her disappointment in not getting exactly what she wanted when it came to college decisions but it really hit me.
This book was SO SWEET, I genuinely began to get diabetes but I loved it. Lara Jean’s boyfriend is literally one of favourite book boyfriends EVER and I’m so in love with him. This book just made me smile insanely wide all the time because they were so, so sweet.
Lara Jean is still her slightly ‘baby’ self but that’s just part of who she is. She’s always going to love baking, crafts, pink things. She’s a bit of a girly girl but that’s not a bad thing. She shows off her maturer self a lot in this book. She steps out and really becomes an independent person, and is able to make decisions for herself and not just for her family and her boyfriend.
Kitty, as always, was QUEEN, and i loved her. I would love a special spin-off to these books about Kitty when she is a teenager as I know she is going to wreck havoc. I hated Margot as always, though she wasn’t as bad in this book than in others.
I loved the ending of this book. it was what I wanted, and I was so scared it wouldn’t happen. So I was very, very happy.
This book seen Lara Jean in her last year of high school and on the brink of a huge change in her life. Those that know Lara Jean and have read her other stories know that she’s a bit of a homebody and a goody-goody which means she has her own set plans on what comes next. This obviously ended up ensuring what came next was predictable though I actually didn’t mind it. Surprisingly, I actually ended up getting emotional in several moments in this book when Lara Jean was disappointed with something. I’m not sure if it was just I resonated with her fear and her disappointment in not getting exactly what she wanted when it came to college decisions but it really hit me.
This book was SO SWEET, I genuinely began to get diabetes but I loved it. Lara Jean’s boyfriend is literally one of favourite book boyfriends EVER and I’m so in love with him. This book just made me smile insanely wide all the time because they were so, so sweet.
Lara Jean is still her slightly ‘baby’ self but that’s just part of who she is. She’s always going to love baking, crafts, pink things. She’s a bit of a girly girl but that’s not a bad thing. She shows off her maturer self a lot in this book. She steps out and really becomes an independent person, and is able to make decisions for herself and not just for her family and her boyfriend.
Kitty, as always, was QUEEN, and i loved her. I would love a special spin-off to these books about Kitty when she is a teenager as I know she is going to wreck havoc. I hated Margot as always, though she wasn’t as bad in this book than in others.
I loved the ending of this book. it was what I wanted, and I was so scared it wouldn’t happen. So I was very, very happy.
Read for the second time on audiobook July/August 2017.
First read review:
THIS BOOK MAKES ME SO CONFUSED!!!
Aline is an apprentice map-maker until the day she crosses the Shadow Fold with the army of Ravka and sets loose a powerful stream of light to ward away the monsters trying to kill her and her friends. It turns out that Alina is a Grisha, the word for magician in Ravka, and her power is something that could save everybody. Now Alina needs to learn how to use her power while trying to trust The Darkling, the most powerful Grisha, and also sort out her own feelings for her childhood friend Mal.
I've heard so much about this trilogy so I was afraid of going into it and being disappointed but I wasn't at all in the end. Once I got into the story, it took a few chapters for me to get my hear around the Russian-style words and the 'ki' at the end of everything, I was hooked. I love the magic system of the Grishas (reminds me a bit of Trudi Canavan's The Black Magician trilogy and how they're separated into their skills by colour) and I'm definitely guilty of falling in love with The Darkling. He's so addicting and I just wanted more him and more sexy time between him and Alina and then he went and ruined everything. And even though he's a total tyrant, I STILL LOVE HIM. His whole aura reminds me of The Dragon from Uprooted, plus a bit of Akkarin from The Black Magician trilogy AND Valek from Poison Study (and okay, a bit of Voldemort's cray-cray) and apart from Voldy, I love all those characters so much so The Darkling is bae, okay?
I wish I could Mal just as much but I don't really right now. He's alright, he just doesn't set me on fire. I'm looking forward to seeing Nikolai in Siege and Storm because I've heard him mentioned a lot too.
I love Alina's character development. She starts off being a confused, scrawny girl with no idea where her place in the world is and she grew so much in strength and confidence. I can't wait to see where she goes in the next books and how she grows even more. Onward to Siege and Storm (claps hands and descends into darkness).
First read review:
THIS BOOK MAKES ME SO CONFUSED!!!
Aline is an apprentice map-maker until the day she crosses the Shadow Fold with the army of Ravka and sets loose a powerful stream of light to ward away the monsters trying to kill her and her friends. It turns out that Alina is a Grisha, the word for magician in Ravka, and her power is something that could save everybody. Now Alina needs to learn how to use her power while trying to trust The Darkling, the most powerful Grisha, and also sort out her own feelings for her childhood friend Mal.
I've heard so much about this trilogy so I was afraid of going into it and being disappointed but I wasn't at all in the end. Once I got into the story, it took a few chapters for me to get my hear around the Russian-style words and the 'ki' at the end of everything, I was hooked. I love the magic system of the Grishas (reminds me a bit of Trudi Canavan's The Black Magician trilogy and how they're separated into their skills by colour) and I'm definitely guilty of falling in love with The Darkling. He's so addicting and I just wanted more him and more sexy time between him and Alina and then he went and ruined everything. And even though he's a total tyrant, I STILL LOVE HIM. His whole aura reminds me of The Dragon from Uprooted, plus a bit of Akkarin from The Black Magician trilogy AND Valek from Poison Study (and okay, a bit of Voldemort's cray-cray) and apart from Voldy, I love all those characters so much so The Darkling is bae, okay?
I wish I could Mal just as much but I don't really right now. He's alright, he just doesn't set me on fire. I'm looking forward to seeing Nikolai in Siege and Storm because I've heard him mentioned a lot too.
I love Alina's character development. She starts off being a confused, scrawny girl with no idea where her place in the world is and she grew so much in strength and confidence. I can't wait to see where she goes in the next books and how she grows even more. Onward to Siege and Storm (claps hands and descends into darkness).