Friday 28 February 2014

City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 


Title: City of Bones 

Author: Cassandra Clare  

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Published: July 10 2004, Walker Books

Pages: 442

Blurb: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?


This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know... 

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.


With a story like City of Bones it can either go two ways; it could be over packed with action and confusing as hell or it could be interesting and kick ass/awesome.  Personally I found it to be the second one - mainly because City of Bones was the right mix of knowledge and action. The book tells the story of Clary and how she gets mixed in with the Shadowhunters and Downworlders all because she tries to save her mum. She meets “demon” hunters, vampires, a warlock and werewolves. She learns about her mother’s past, the Circle, Valentine and meets her brother! There was a lot of betrayal, confessing of love, people getting beaten up and a lot of history lessons. Overall it was a lot packed into 442 pages but somehow it worked.


Clary 
So Clary witnesses a demon getting killed and arrives home to find the place trashed and her mother missing. The girl’s gonna have a lot of questions to ask. And she asks a lot and I understand that. She’s not like the characters that take a one word answer, nod their head and continue to stay with the guy they just literally met. Logic. I love characters that can hold their own against the “bad guys” and not need the love interest(s) to save them. However you can`t expect an untrained – I thought I was human 24 hours ago – scared 15/16 year old girl to battle demons. But she wasn`t completely useless, she had her own back. Also the way she handled the truth, she was calm most of the time. I expected her to freak out.
One thing I really hated about her character was how she compared herself to her mother and Isabelle. Yeah I get it you think you’re ugly compared to Isabelle – we don`t want to hear it every time you see her. Plus that’s no reason to hate on someone.


Jace
 If you’ve watched the movie; Jace is portrayed as a gothic, brooding and dark character. And I’m like no – Jace is a charming, witty and cocky guy who makes jokes at the most unexpected times.  Yeah he kills demons for a living and is haunted by his “dad’s” death doesn`t mean he has to be a brooding character.
What I don`t like is how quickly and how much information he gave to Clary about Shadowhunters – dude have you heard of trust and secrets?


Romance
Oh. Well I like how it isn`t the main focus of the book. It happened quite fast and ended really quickly. Also near the end Clary was like “nothing happened” well you did kiss that kinda counts as something.


And that my fellow readers was a four star book 












Thursday 27 February 2014

March 4th YA Book Releases

March 4th YA Book Releases


The Winner's Curse 
by Marie Rutkoski 

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.
 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
 
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

 Half Bad 
by Sally Green 

A stunning, magical debut. An international sensation.

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page.

Death Sworn 
by Leah Cypess 

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

 Let the Storm Break 
by Shannon Messenger 

Whirlwind romance and breathtaking action continues in the sequel to Let the Sky Fall, which Becca Fitzpatrick called “charged and romantic.” 

Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.

But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.

With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

Panic
by Lauren Oliver 
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Nil
by Lynne Matson 
On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.


Dangerous
by Shannon Hale 
Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There's no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?


 The Assassin's Blade 
by Sarah J. Maas 

Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

A Death-Struck Year
by Makiia Lucier
 A deadly pandemic, a budding romance, and the heartache of loss make for a stunning coming-of-age teen debut about the struggle to survive during the 1918 flu.

For Cleo Berry, the people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic. Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run out?
Riveting and well-researched, A Death-Struck Year is based on the real-life pandemic considered the most devastating in recorded world history. Readers will be captured by the suspenseful storytelling and the lingering questions of: what would I do for a neighbor? At what risk to myself?
An afterword explains the Spanish flu phenomenon, placing it within the historical context of the early 20th century. Source notes are extensive and interesting.

The Nightmare Dilemma 
by Mindee Arnett 
The second in a thrilling new fantastical mystery series

Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn’t make her life even remotely easy. When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school’s jokester, Lance Rathbone, is accused of the crime, Dusty’s as shocked as everybody else. Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that’s easier asked than done. Eli’s dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.
 

To make matters worse, Dusty’s ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place. The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, to discover his real motives. But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty’s heart.

As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they’re connected to something bigger. And there’s something very wrong with Eli’s dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have ever imagined.

Steadfast 
by Claudia Gray 
Nadia, Mateo, and Verlaine have saved Captive's Sound from the dark Sorceress Elizabeth...or so they thought. Despite their best efforts, a crack opened and a new, greater evil seeped through. With Mateo as her Steadfast, Nadia's magic is magnified and she is more powerful than ever. But there is still so much she doesn't know about the craft, leaving her open and vulnerable to a darker magic...which has begun to call Nadia's name.


The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare 
by M.G. Buehrlen 
For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

16 Things I Thought Were True
by Janet Gurtler 

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

Sing Sweet Nightingale 
by Erica Cameron 



Mariella Teagen hasn't spoken a word in four years. 

She pledged her voice to Orane, the man she loves—someone she only sees in her dreams. Each night, she escapes to Paradise, the world Orane created for her, and she sings for him. Mariella never believed she could stay in Paradise longer than a night, but two weeks before her eighteenth birthday, Orane hints that she may be able to stay forever.
 

Hudson Vincent made a pledge to never fight again.

Calease, the creature who created his dream world, swore that giving up violence would protect Hudson. But when his vow caused the death of his little brother, Hudson turned his grief on Calease and destroyed the dream world. The battle left him with new abilities and disturbing visions of a silent girl in grave danger—Mariella.

Now, Hudson is fighting to save Mariella's life while she fights to give it away. And he must find a way to show her Orane’s true intentions before she is lost to Paradise forever.
















Wednesday 26 February 2014

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday


A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that people are eagerly anticipating.


My choice for Waiting on Wednesday this week is:      

                                                  
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers                                                                                                      Publication: November 4th 2014
480 pages                                                                                                                                                                Blurb: Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has.


Tuesday 25 February 2014

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish 


This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is  Top Ten Rewind


Books That Have Been On My Shelf For The Longest But I've Never Read. 

  
1.       Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta 

2.       Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John 

3.       Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 

4.       Winter Town by Stephen Emond

5.       In Honor by Jessi Kirby 

6.       Something like Normal by Trish Doller

7.       Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

8.       Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick 

9.       The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding 

10.    The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead 






Monday 24 February 2014

BlogLovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11839427/?claim=hymja6s83ek">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling


Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 


Author: J.K. Rowling 

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure and Classics

Published: July 10 2004, Bloomsbury

Pages: 796 

Blurb: Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

In the beginning of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is at the Dursley’s home where he is isolated from the magic world and his friends. He doesn’t know what to do and he has no clue what’s going on with the whole Voldermolt dilemma. This leads to him developing a lot of anger at his friends and people who support him for withholding the truth and leaving him in the dark. So when Harry does join his friends at Sirius’s house you can understand his anger because one of the things that is important in the Harry Potter series is the friendship between Harry, Hermione and Ron; they are the trio of misfits. They always tell each other secrets and Harry feels they were betraying him by not telling him the truth. Understandable.

Also later on in the book when Ron is made a prefect, Harry’s confused because even though he doesn`t want to admit it he’s always thought that he was better than Ron and this adds an awkward phase to their friendship. Furthermore by making Ron a prefect, Harry believes this is Dumbledore’s way of separating himself from Harry.

“About You-Know-Who. He said his “gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust”

The Weasley’s – I just love them all except Percy who’s a dickhead to be plainly said. The twins are awesome with their fireworks and inventions - they’re geniuses in the making.  They show how sometimes you have to rebel against the system to make a change. Mrs Weasley is extremely motherly and over protective and her actions show this, making her a relatable and realistic character. Ginny is taking her own stand and not letting anyone hold her back with Quidditch and DA. Percy deserves a slap from reality – he put the ministry over his family and totally had no regrets. Finally to sum Ron up –

“Weasley is our King,                                                                                                                    Weasley is our King,                                                                                                                             He didn`t let the Quaffle in,                                                                                                               Weasley is our King.

Weasley can save everything,                                                                                                          He never leaves a single ring,                                                                                                            That’s why the Gryffindors all sing:                                                                                  
Weasley is our King…”   

This is the first time we actually see Harry start a rebellion – Dumbledore’s Army – and we see him as a leader. He teaches others Defence Against the Dark Arts and we get to see his character developing into a “hero” who can lead others against the battle with Voldermolt when the time comes.

Mrs Umbridge – you got what was coming Dolores you snooty pink bitch. Just to add - everybody hated her at Hogwarts (including the teachers) except for Filch and Malfoy.  

Dumbledore - “You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he's got style...” 

 Snape – When Harry was getting taught by Snape and Snape saw Harry’s past you could tell he cared even though Harry took it the other way, he thought Snape was mocking him.  I knew you cared Snape.

“When, however, you did not return from your trip into the forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried”

Sirius – Let’s not go there

Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. 
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though a high wind and then fell back into place. 

To end on a good note – isn`t funny how a bunch of kids could hold their own against deatheaters

Hands down it’s a five star 






Sunday 23 February 2014

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking The Shelves


Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews  

 Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course eBooks! 


Books I brought or borrowed:




City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Sister Assassin by Kiersten White
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau 
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa 

Saturday 22 February 2014

Reveal It

Reveal It

Reveal It is a post I do on Saturdays that concludes what I did this week and what I found



About Me

So this week I did start my blog which I have been meaning to do for a quite a while. I posted my first review and three other posts. On top of that I had to revise for my mocks which are coming up in March meaning I only had time to read one book this week which was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was supposed to post the review on Friday for the book but I didn`t have time so it'll be up on Monday. That was pretty much all that happened this week as it was a half term and there was no school.


Entertainment

A clip for Divergent was released this week:


Also The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer was released:


My favourite song this week is Say Something by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera:



Book Related


Some book covers that were revealed recently