Sunday 22 February 2015

Full Measures (Flight & Glory #1)

Goodreads Summary

Three knocks can change everything…

"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.


My Thoughts 
This book had me weeping from practically page one. The lost of Ember's father was tragic as it would be for anyone, but afterward she has to handle so much on her own. She is dealing with her loss as well as keeping her family from falling apart. In the months following her father's death she has to deal with more than most people ever should, but thankfully she had Josh there to help her out. 

I loved that Ember and Josh started out as friends. Friends with an intense chemistry, but basically friends. He was there for her little brother, saved her sister, and stood by her when she needed him to. He never overstepped and seemed to understand that the relationship needed to progress when and if she was ready. It was a beautiful love story...until it was tragic again. Yes I saw it coming, but I think we were supposed to. Did you read the summary? I understood where she was coming from and felt her pain in the final third of the book, but I so desperately wanted them together. 

Yes I guess I am being a little cryptic, but I don't want to spoil it. Just read this book!!
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Saturday 21 February 2015

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1)

Goodreads Summary

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.


My Thoughts  

I am a big fan of Ally Carter's Heist Society trilogy (sadly yes this is still just a trilogy at this point), so when I heard that she was coming out with a new series I was eager to get my hands on the first book. I didn't really care what the plot was about because I was convinced that I would thoroughly enjoy it. And I did...mostly.

Ally Carter has a way of creating quirky characters that I just connect with. They are the perfect combination of weird and relatable. Grace and her friends are no exception. Grace's mother's death has impacted her life immensely. Three years after her death she is moved back to Adria to live with her grandfather, the Adria Ambassador for the US. She becomes reacquainted with some old friends and makes some interesting new ones as well. Alexei, the Russian from next door, is her brother's best friend who feels the need to look out for Grace. I honestly wish their connection was more developed, but maybe that is coming later on in the series. Noah, who resides in both the Israeli and Brazilian embassies, takes it upon himself to become her best friend and he becomes someone she can share her darkest secrets with. Rosie, her German neighbour, is a spitfire and although she is twelve, she teaches the gang to be evasive when danger strikes.  

I thought the plot was strong, although slow to start, and found myself really enjoying the read. I found myself wondering if my theories were correct and had to keep changing them to keep up with what was happening with the plot. I felt like this could have been a stand alone so I am not sure where the series will go from here. We'll just have to wait and see. 


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Thursday 19 February 2015

The Red Queen (Red Queen Trilogy #1)

Goodreads Summary

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?


My Thoughts

Wow!

To say that I am shocked by how much I liked this is an understatement. I thought that this would just be another fantasy book, but it was so much more. In my opinion, this is in the same league as Sarah J Maas' work. 

Mare is a young woman terrified about being sent to war with her best friend. In a chance encounter with a stranger she gets a job at the palace which leads to secrets being revealed and her life changing forever. I love how she took everything in stride. She wasn't quick to trust the silvers because she's spent her whole life under their cruel rule. Those she did trust made her a stronger person. Cal, the oldest prince, taught her about love and honour. Maven, the younger prince, challenged her in ways she never expected. Julian (my personal favourite) was her teacher and he taught her to use her abilities and to trust no one.

Although I did guess the major spoiler, I found this to be a really exciting read. I knew what was going to happen, but I was still really intrigued to see how it would play out. 

I can't wait for the second book! Check this one out!! 

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Sunday 15 February 2015

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)

Goodreads Summary 
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? 


Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

 Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this. It gave us a glimpse into the crazy, evil mind of Queen Levana. She truly is a psychopath and has absolutely no idea. Meanwhile we meet Winter's parents and see the steps Levana went through to make Everet her own which were cunning and heartbreaking. I have no sympathy for Levana. She is the worst kind of person, but there were times where I understood what made her into the disastrous woman she would become.

I don't think that it is required to read Fairest, but if you enjoy this series than I think you should...after you read Cinder, Scarlett, and Cress. Yes it is important that you read those first. Although it does not reveal a lot about the three girls from the other books, it does give away spoilers if you have not read them yet. Plus it's important to read about the good people before you feel sorry for the bad ones.

This book has me pretty excited for Winter, but also a little worried that I might need to do a re-read of the first three books.

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