Hidden Deep - Amy Patrick

Hidden Deep – Amy Patrick

I received an Arc copy of this from Net Galley in exchange for an honest Review.

First let me start with the synopsis of the book:

Sixteen-year-old Ryann Carroll has just run into the guy who saved her life ten years ago. You might think she'd be happy to see him again. Not exactly. She's a bit underdressed (as in skinny-dipping) and he's not supposed to exist. 

After her father's affair, all Ryann wants is to escape the family implosion fallout and find a little peace. She also wouldn't mind a first date that didn't suck, but she's determined not to end up like her mom: vulnerable, betrayed, destroyed. Ryann's just moved into her grandma's house in rural Mississippi, the same place where ten years earlier she became lost in the woods overnight and nearly died. 

She's still irresistibly drawn to those woods. There she encounters the boy who kept her from freezing to death that long ago winter night and was nowhere to be seen when rescuers arrived. He's still mysterious, but now all grown-up and gorgeous, too. And the more she's with him, the greater the threat he poses to Ryann's strict policy-- never want someone more than he wants you. 

Seventeen-year-old Lad knows the law of his people all too well: Don't get careless and don’t get caught. 
It's allowed his race to live undetected in this world for thousands of years, mentioned only in flawed and fading folklore. Lad's never been able to forget about Ryann since that night ten years ago. When he sees her again, his fascination re-ignites and becomes a growing desire that tempts him to break all the rules. He's not even supposed to talk to a human, much less fall in love with one. 

And the timing is atrocious. The Assemblage is coming, the rift between the Light and Dark is widening. Lad may have to trade his own chance at happiness to keep the humans, especially Ryann, blissfully ignorant and safe.

I love nothing more than a good, supernatural romance story. If I read the back of a book and see that there is a whole new world to be explored which contains these general areas, then I am sold. This book certainly did not disappoint.

Amy Patrick delivers a great magical and mysterious world, with brilliant characters. Ryann, our lead female protagonist, not only has character, but great humour and charm to her too. This is brilliantly shown through the writing style of this book. It easily flows off the page and you quickly become immersed within the world. It took me all of two days to read this book, and safe to say if I didn’t have work during the day, I would have easily finished it in one.

There are only a few characters that we see in this first book, which I feel is all that was needed, anymore and I feel like it would have veered away from the focus of the story. We have Emmy, Ryann’s friend, who is completely absorbed in the world of celebrity news and culture, desperately seeking a way to get into the ever growing fan pods that specific celebrities have, I found Emmy an interesting contrast to Ryann and at times even wondered how they were friends. Shay is another of Ryann’s friends, but we don’t really see much of her unless at a gig or a casual evening out at the ball park. We have Grandma Neena, who Ryann and her mother have had to move back in with after Ryann’s father had a ‘midlife crisis’ and left. I thought Neena was an awesome character, especially alongside Ryann, you could see between the two of them there was a great bond and understanding, Ryann is more like her Grandma than anyone else, and that connection is clear to see. With Ryann’s mother, we see that after the separation from Ryann’s dad, has become incredibly bitter and anti-men, constantly drilling into Ryann to always focus on herself and her life and that a man is just ‘icing on a cake’ just an addition as such that isn’t really required. At first we feel Ryann is more like her mother than we thought, with the same mantra and feelings towards not needing a man in her life, until she meets Lad.

I found Lad an incredibly interesting character. A boy she stumbles upon in the woods, only to realise it is the same boy who she saw when she became lost in the woods at 6 years old. Lad is the mysterious attractive young boy who clearly has many hidden secrets. He too has humour and charisma, which I found enjoyable to read, especially with his interactions with Ryann. I feel that there is still so much more to learn with his character. Finally we have Nox, the attractive newcomer to town, in a band and popular, tall dark and handsome, and yet something eerily mysterious about him. I did find Nox’s character interesting, how his confidence and almost arrogance at times towards Ryann was able to draw her in, and fluster her. However I don’t know if it was because I was team Lad all the way, but I did find him irritating as I was worried Lad would get the wrong idea…silly that I as a reader would think that when it is clearly just a story. But that is how involved you feel when reading this book, you are right there with Ryann through all of and this is a true credit to Amy Patricks writing.

As I have mentioned before I truly loved the writing style of this book, the humour that came through felt so similar to my own that I thoroughly enjoyed it. One of my favourite Ryann thoughts and comments was after Lad had helped Ryann, and she needed to jump down from a tree and be caught by Lad. Ryann has a crippling fear of heights, and Lad telling her how it was easy for him as he had been doing it as a child wasn’t helping , especially when  all she had to do was jump down and trust that he would catch her…easy…right? Well she responded with

‘No, No thanks. I can’t do that. When I was seven, I was still riding with training wheels. I’ll stay here’ I looked around for something, a staircase or an elevator to appear I guess.’

This is the sort of humour we continuously have through this book and it is such a joy and a breath of fresh air, the narration and almost internal monologue from Ryan is so relatable I couldn’t get enough of it.

The overall story was great too, at the start I was a bit dubious, and I wasn’t sure how it would pan out, what would happen or where it could go. But wow was I surprised, I really and truly loved it so much. I am shattered today because of it, as I just could stop reading it, and as a result ended up staying up late to finish it, even though I had an early start the next day. I just needed to know what was going to happen. One thing I would say is that I would love to know more about Grandma Neena and her past, and also the outcome of her with her family….this may seem cryptic, but I’m not giving anything away in this story, as you really have to read it yourself to get the full enjoyment of it all.

Safe to say I am eagerly awaiting book 2, in fact, I don’t think I can even wait; the cliff hanger at the end certainly makes me want to know, what happened? What’s going to happen? And what will become of Ryann and Lad? Also what will happen with Emmy? So many questions, I just need the answer too!! So if you love a good supernatural romance, with great characters and humour, then this is certainly a read for you.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Summoner: The Novice - Taran Matharu

Summoner: The Novice - Taran Matharu

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC copy of this for review from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and safe to say I am incredibly pleased that I did.

I have not had many experiences reading a book with a lead male protagonist, so I decided to go in with an open mind of what to expect and as to what story will unfold before me. First things first here is the book synopsis for those who do not know what it is about:

‘When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.’

I was instantly drawn to the book due to this; it enticed me with a world filled with magic, fantasy and mystery and I knew it would be a world I would instantly love.

I have to say upon starting this book i did find it a little bit slow to get into, but this is no fault to the book itself, as it merely has to develop and set the world for you to get your bearings, and as slow as it may feel, it is worth the wait getting through those first few pages. Your main protagonist is Fletcher a 15 year old orphaned boy who was taken in by a blacksmith name Berdon when abandoned as a baby. We see he has been very lucky to be bestowed with Berdon as a guardian, he has raised him well, taught him a skill of reading that so many lack and more importantly you can see he is in fact cared for and loved. We follow Fletcher and his story as he uncovers an ability he comes across after meeting a traveling seller. An ability which opens up a world filled with danger, corruption and power, to which Fletcher has no choice but to jump head first into in order to survive. 

This story very much felt like a cross between Harry Potter meets Pokémon, which at first I found a bit humorous as both I grew up with, and yet both worked so brilliantly together within this book that it created such a unique and cleverly crafted world that you became hooked to learn more. The world at Vocans, the ‘school’ as such to train up new summoners/battlemages ready to join the front line in the war against the Orcs, did have that Hogwarts feel to it. Of roaming the dark mysterious corridors at night and the hidden secrets taking place amongst its grounds. But it was a great thrilling and action packed world to be introduced to, especially in comparison to Pelt, where Fletcher originated from.

Fletcher is a great main protagonist, the detail in which he is described and his humble yet loyal nature really allows you to root for his character through this book. Many of the characters have been so cleverly created, and the detail in which to introduce and describe the Dwarf and Elven characters in the book, really adds to that fantasy element, capturing the magic and talents of both. I really enjoyed the friendships Fletcher made whist at Vocans. Othello, Sylva and Seraph really seemed to be truly supportive and loyal to each other, especially in a time where strength in numbers was really needed.

The detail in which the Demons of the summoners was carried out was brilliant, it allowed a perfect picture in your head of each Demon to form, and the variety and various names, levels and species of Demons was incredibly vast and yet impeccably detailed to the finest point. Safe to say Ignatius is my favourite of them all, and I personally wish I had my own version of him.

I have to say I really don’t want to give too much of the storyline away, as it has to be read to experience the full impact of the world within your hands. But I truly enjoyed this book. I really wasn’t too sure what to expect, especially when starting the novel, I had no idea where it would take me, or what could possibly unfold. But this is a truly incredible world, the ending to this book was certainly cliff hanger enough to make you want to read more, but also the fact that this world seems so large and there is still so much to learn and find out. It was completely action packed which i just know will continue on to the next book in the series. So that even without that cliff hanger, you still would pick up the next book in the series. It is safe to say I am expecting great things from Taran as an author. If this book is anything to go by I truly cannot wait for the next.

I would say if you like fantasy books filled with thrilling action and magic, then this would be right up your street, but even if not, I would still highly recommend you read this book. The world, story and characters are a joy to themselves and certainly worth a read, and I’m sure you would enjoy it just as much as I did.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

My February TBR

So after Christmas and my Birthday last week, I have received an abundance of new books for me to delve into, and even better vouchers to purchase more! What more could a girl want!

So after staring at the growing pile on my shelf and umming and ahhing, about which books i should focus on reading and reviewing for this month, i have decided on the following:

Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor (Book 2 in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy)

It began with the breathtaking DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE...The story continues in the astounding, must-read sequel, DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living - one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers' arms to take their turn in the killing and dying. Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon's secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel - a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness. This was not that world.

The Assassins Blade - Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass Novella)

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassins' 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 prequel 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 . . .

Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

THE 1st WAVE

Took out half a million people.

THE 2nd WAVE

Put that number to shame.

THE 3rd WAVE

Lasted a little longer. Twelve weeks . . . Four billion dead.

IN THE 4th WAVE,

You can't trust that people are still people.

AND THE 5th WAVE?

No one knows.

But it's coming.

On a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs.

Runs from the beings that only look human, who have scattered Earth's last survivors.

To stay alone is to stay alive, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be her only hope.

Now Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

The Mime Order - Samantha Shannon (Book 2 in the Bone Season series)

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields.

But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy - the magic that lies in all metals

If I manage to finish them this month then I may even squeeze in another.

If you have any recommendations of books I should read, or anything you would like to see me do a review of, let me know and i will add it to the list :)

Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire – Sarah J.Maas

*This review will contain some spoiler information for the previous two books in this series*

Heir of Fire is the third book in the Throne of Glass series. Still following the story of Celaena Sardothien, a young assassin who is now reluctantly the Kings Champion, all be it in hope to gain her freedom back. The story carries on where it left off with Celaena being sent to Wendyln in order to kill the royal family. However the twist Sarah left us with at the end of Crown of Midnight, certainly complicates matters. Even more so that Celaena hasn’t actually been killing any of the targets assigned to her by the king either, merely faking their deaths and ensuring they leave and start a new life. Not something easily done for a royal family…

I said this with Crown of Midnight, and I can only say it again with Heir of Fire. These books become even better as they go along. Each time I read one, I go ‘That’s my favourite book in the series’ then I read the next and think the same thing. Well, Heir of Fire didn’t disappoint and now I am saying that this is my favourite in the series…until book 4 maybe? Sarah J. Maas creates such a fantastic world; I honestly cannot get enough of it. I always worry that people think I am over exaggerating about a book, or that I’m just easily pleased. But this is honestly such a great series, and is so beautifully written and carried out. I would encourage anyone to give it a read.

The detail, in which the world is created, flows so easily off the pages. Created so well within your imagination that you don’t have to worry about keeping up or pondering what exactly this setting or even person may be like, there are never any questions about the world that are not meant to be asked as Sarah J Mass intricately creates it all so perfectly for us to delve into.

I absolutely adore the characters in this book; we have the old as well as some new characters, Rowan, Luca, Emry, Aedion and Maeve. Which I found incredibly refreshing to see Celaena’s development with these new faces as opposed to that of Chaol and Dorian. I thought it was brilliant of Sarah to veer away from focusing on romance with Celaena, and just that of friendship. More importantly the bond she develops with Rowan.

Rowan was a great character and i feel like there is more we can learn of him and his back story, perhaps a Novella of his past and his history with his Cadre would be needed so we could learn more. I have to say at first I thought I would detest his character, his allegiance to Maeve and his cruel and punishing training regime for Celaena. You really felt for Celaena, but over time he changes and you see what he is really like, and it is that friendship that you really root for, it was brilliantly executed by Sarah, throughout the whole story.

Another character I thought was quite interesting was Mahon, one of the iron teeth witches, Sarah dedicated the odd chapter from her perspective, not only allowing us to see what the King of Adarlan is planning and has been breeding. But also gives more of an insight into another part of the world. I again feel there is more we can learn from this character and The Thirteen.

Throughout the book Sarah keeps us up to date on all the other characters in Adarlan, keeping us informed as to what they are doing, their plans and uncovering how magic disappeared. We see Chaol veer away from his duties as Captain of the Guard as he prepares to leave for Anielle, as well as forming a bond with Aedion as they plot together about the king’s motives and finding Aelin. We see Dorian slowly learning how to control his growing power, and his new relationship with Sorscha. A lot seems to not only be happening back in Adarlan, but Celaena too has a lot on her hands to deal with keeping the whole book fast paced and action packed throughout, and yet never leaving you to fall behind on other events taking place in the world.

The entirety of this book is filled with pure emotion as we learn what really happened to Celaena 10 years ago. You feel her pain, her anguish and her exhaustion. We watch her grow into her powers, becoming ‘Fireheart’ and becoming even more bad ass than she already is. We see her confront Maeve, and show what she is really capable of, and we begin seeing the person she will become in the next few books.

Some of the monsters created in this book, Skinwalkers, the Valg and that thing in the lake!...Jeez, they are creepy, the idea of something lurking under a frozen lake poised and ready to enjoy the meat on your bones, is certainly something to freak you out when you are still reading the book at gone 1 in the morning! Sarah’s writing and imagination was brilliant here, to be able to scare and freak you out simply with her words is a real credit to her.

The ending to this book completely shocked me, I wasn’t expecting it all to kick off so suddenly, and become so brutal. We are left desperate to now know, what will become of Aedion, What will happen to Dorian, What about Chaol and Fleetfoot, are they going to survive? Then we have Celaena, about to head back to face the King of Adarlan, and you just know, book 4 is going to be completely explosive, and possibly even more jam packed with action than that of Heir of Fire. The title in itself being ‘Queen of Shadows’ just makes you desperate for September to get here as quick as it possible can!

I have given this book a 5 out of 5

Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight – Sarah J. Maas

*If you haven’t read the first book, there may be a few spoilers for it in this review*

Crown of Midnight is the second novel in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and wow did it pack a punch. After reading Throne of Glass, I was absorbed into this epic world of fantasy, magic, and murder and I instantly loved the world Sarah had created through the pages in her book. Because of this I eagerly awaited to receive Crown of Midnight, desperate to know and see more of this truly amazing world. Safe to say I really was not disappointed.

Crown of Midnight, if even possible, is even more brilliant than the first book. It almost feels like as Sarah goes along, she becomes more comfortable within this world and her writing and creations are really brought to life. You create each character and setting within your imagination so perfectly that you feel you are there yourself until you close that book, and I truly love that about this author and this series.

Crown of Midnight follows on from Celaena’s story and her new title of Kings Champion. On a mission assigned to her by the king. We still have the main characters with Dorian, Chaol and Nehemia and the relationships Celaena has with them. Her friendship with Dorian is slightly strained due to the sudden end to their relationship in the first book; however her friendship with Chaol grows stronger than ever. I really enjoyed the character development throughout this book. We are given more POV chapters from Dorian and Chaol and even at one point the King and Nehemia herself. It really allowed us to learn more about the characters, their feelings and views and where they stood on exactly what the King of Adarlan was doing. I found it interesting learning more about Chaol and seeing a more softer less ‘Captain of the Guard’ like side to him, and I feel after reading this book we will learn even more about him when he heads to Anielle. Dorian was incredibly interesting and I really didn’t expect that little twist with him, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing how that plays out in later books, as if that is only the beginning of what’s happening, who knows what will happen a few months or so down the line. It will certainly change a few of the character dynamics. 

Celaena was for me as always the biggest character development within this book. I felt like we saw two sides of a coin with her, the start of this book, yes, she is on a mission from the King to assassinate his requested targets, however we see a much caring and almost sweet person, with what she does for Chaol on his birthday and her reaction to just how moved Chaol is by it. To then nearer the end of the novel, seeing Celaena as the complete badass that she is, you really see exactly how she got her reputation as an assassin. As much as most people may feel some scenes were gory and violent, I really loved all of it, I felt it was great to see just the strength that she empowers and the rage she unleashes, for vengeance and to protect those she cares most about. At times within this book we truly felt Celaena’s heartbreak, we felt her pain. The moment she screamed to Chaol ‘You will never be my friend. You will always be my enemy’ I was devastated! I have been and always will be Team Chaol but to be able to feel that hatred through Sarah’s writing was incredible, and I was left in complete shock at it.

I have to say I did slightly guess the ending to this book, however it was still shocking to know and to have my theory confirmed as such, but it is a great plot twist and certainly leave you eager to pick up the third book in the series Heir of Fire.

Crown of Midnight is full of action, betrayal, magic and even corruption. It truly is an epic and enthralling read that leaves you hanging on to ever word Sarah writes. Sarah J Maas is an incredible author and vastly becoming one of my favourite authors. I am absolutely loving the Throne of Glass series, and I have no idea how I am going to cope once I finish Heir of Fire and have to wait for the fourth book in this series to be released later this year!!

I have given this book 5 out of 5 stars

We each survive in our own way – Celaena Sardothien