Review: The Girl with the windup heart by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk chronicles, #4) by Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: May 27th, 2014
Number of pages: 400 pages
Format: E-galley via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.

London's underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End's most dazzling circus.

Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe-especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends.

Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist's maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have to confront his greatest fear and finally come face-to-face with the destructive power he wields.

In the epic finale of this fantastic steampunk series, comes a fantastic story sure to please the most loyal of readers.

After all his flirtations, dirty dealings and escapades, Jack Dandy finally has met his match, and gets his story told. With Mila she is every bit his match, the piece to the puzzle finally being placed together. You'll swoon at their moments. It's romantic, daring and all-round satisfying, not just for these characters, but also the series in itself.

Kady Cross really has come so far with this story, characters and the overall story and I could not have been any more happier to see where each of these characters have ended up.
If someone told me a few years ago that I would be enjoying a story on steampunk I'd have told them they were crazy. It never seemed to be something I thought I would like, but then comes along this story (and also Cassandra Clare's 'The Infernal Devices') and I'm hooked. I was so fascinated with this whole genre that it has taken a place amongst one of my most enjoyable genres within the literary world.

Not only do we get to see Jack's journey and romance, but we also get to see the final continuation of my favourite couple in this series, Griffin and Finley. These two have come such a long way since 'The Girl in the Steel Corset' and I couldn't be more pleased with how things had progressed from start to finish between the two of them. They have been through so much, not just as a couple, but as characters, individuals.

This is a series that will forever be in my mind and one I wouldn't mind re-reading from time to time. This is my love letter to these characters.

Thanks to Harlequin for giving me this opportunity to review this in exchange of an honest review.

Review: Burning Dawn by Gena Showalter

Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark, #3) by Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Publication date: May 2nd, 2014
Number of pages: 384
Source: ARC from Publisher
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository |Booktopia


A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies.
He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy's clutches—a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.
Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary.
But Thane's unwavering determination to protect her means she must face her greatest fears—and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender.

Just when you think Gena has lost her touch when it comes to romance, sexual tension and sex, think again. Burning Dawn has got to be one of the most hottest books I have read from her in a while. *fans self*

I admit I didn't remember exactly what happened at the end of the previous book, but soon enough the information is basically given to you and it then it all came back to me.
Thane *drools* is such a gorgeous son of a beast. He doesn't apologise for nothing. You take him as he is and nothing less. He has tastes for strange things, which not everyone would go for, and if you do, don't expect anything more to come from the liasion.

Elin Vale is half Phoenix and prisoner in the same place that holds Thane captive. When he saves the young prisoner and takes her up into the skies under his protection, he has no idea how much affect she'll have on him from that point forward.
Elin has as much of a dark past that Thane does. Not only has she lost her entire family, when she finds kindness and some sort of purpose up in the skies, Elin just might discover this was where she was always meant to be.

The passion between them was so gloriously hot. Heart-pumping sexy especially a certain scene that involves a bath tub *cough*

This is my favourite book in the series thus far, and I certainly hope this is not the last. Not only was the romance was top notch, but it had mentions of the lords and awesome interactions between Thane and his best friends, who desperately need a book of their own *hint*

A big thanks to Harlequin Australia for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden, #3) by Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Number of pages: 394
Format: Kindle via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Kindle | The Book Depository | Bookworld | Booktopia
Source: ARC from Publisher

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

Please excuse me as this might be a bit wonky. It's my first review in over a month so hopefully this is just what I need to get back into blogging. Curse you school. LOL Seriously ever since I started classes I barely have had time to do much anything. Why do this do this to ourselves. Hah.

Back on topic it is. We've come to the end, Ladies and Gents *tear*. I know.. I know, let's all hug it out and relive all the good memories of this fabulous trilogy. Out of all of Julie's books I'd say this is my favourite series because it is so much more than just a series about vampires. SO MUCH MORE.

Julie has done an amazing job with this series. These characters are top notch and the plot thrilling every step of the way. I even came to love the romance from book 2 and this one, as I wasn't a big fan of it in the beginning, but came around eventually.

The Forever Song packs no punches and goes in full force. There is blood. Romance. Some shocks and twists along the way.
Just when you think you have seen it all, everything goes out the window and you are given a new thing to adjust to.

The cliffhanger from the previous book was harsh and you might not have known where the story was going to go, but in The Forever Song, things pick up pretty much not long after those events. Allison, Kanin and Jackal are on their own. Allison has changed a bit from the last time we saw her, well because of those certain events that transpired. But what she doesn't know...

I really enjoyed the.. relationship between Allison and Jackal, even the three of them. They have this family bond where two sisters barter with one another and throw insults, while the parent has to keep the peace. Yeah -- it was kind of like that.  It was definitely interesting to read about, that's for sure.

While they try find their way toward Eden, a peaceful place not many people know exist, or actually believe it does, these characters find out more about themselves, what they're willing to do for the sake of humankind.

If you're a fan of this series, this conclusion won't want to be missed. With so many things happening, you might want to make sure you have some tissues on hand while reading this little beauty.

Be sure to check this out come release day.

Review: The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Morarity

Time slides around the world so strangely ...

It's not easy being Princess Ko.

Her family is missing, taken to the World through cracks in the Kingdom, which were then sealed tightly behind them.

Now Princess Ko is running the Kingdom, and war is looming.

To help her find her family, she gathers a special group of teens, including Elliot Baranski of the Farms. He's been writing secret letters to a Girl-in-the World named Madeleine Tully - and now the Kingdom needs her help.

Madeleine and Elliot must locate the missing royals, convince them of their true identities, and figure out how to unlock the dangerous cracks between the Kingdom and the World.

All before their enemies can stop them

Have you ever imagined if there could be another world parallel to own? Whether there could be just a crack in the distance that would split each of the worlds. This is the case for Madeline and Elliot, who live in different worlds; but yet only a crack away from touching.

The way Jaclyn has created this story is just so unlike anything I've ever heard it. It brings something new and special to the table.  A world so enticing, and adventurous that all you want to do is know more about it.
This is the second book to this thrilling saga and Jaclyn does not pull any punches in terms of surprises and unexpected twists.  Elliot and Madeline find themselves teaming up to stretch their little crack a bit further in an attempt to basically break it open.  Elliot has been given the task in helping to find the missing royal family, who is in the normal world but yet have no idea who they are and whether they are from someplace else.

That's not the only thing Elliot has on his hands, because on top of finding the Royal Family, he is also working on finding his father, who has also disappeared. The two mysteries become even more interesting as the story unfolds. He is a young boy with so much to deal with... is there a point where it could all become too much?  It certainly would be understandable if he decides he can't do both things without unravelling himself.

Madeline's life hasn't become any easier either. Between her friends, who discover the secret she and Elliot share, to her relationship with her mother, whom has basically come back from the brink of death.  The letters she and Elliot continue to pass between one another seems to be the only thing keeping them together.  Although, even that simple thing gets a bit too much for them both when the situation with the Royal Family arises to be a bit too much to handle... can their friendship survive, or were they always meant to part ways when they no longer needed one another?

This was a thrilling installment, which might be even better than the first. It brings in friendship, secrets, drama, action and heartbreak.
The friendship between our two characters seem to be changing every time, and it's a matter of how much they are willing to go on until everything is changed to the point of no return.

I absolutely love this story and cannot wait until the third, next year!  Oh why do we have to wait so long? I don't do well with waiting.

A BIG thank you to Pan Macmillian Australia for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.  I must apologise for the delay... it seems I had to take a break in regards to blogging for a while.. but hopefully I am back now.

Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu
Publication Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Number of Pages: 369
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

I will have to say after the last book, Prodigy, I was a little bit worried about how this one would end. Especially considering the majority of books in the genre doesn't always have the best endings.  But Marie Lu nailed it.

The book picks up sometimes after the end of Prodigy. June has accepted one of the Princeps-Elect positions and is working for Anden, while Day is on the other side of the country with his brother, also working for the government, but still getting treated for his illness, which June nor the country knows about. But the country is on a brink of a war, and could face a terrible fate. Which is why June has asked Day to come to the capitol.

Revelations and secrets unfold in this fast paced book. Day and June will just break your heart. They've fought so hard to be with each other. There were scenes that brought me close to tears. The love triangles...well more of square was resolved in a very believable way. I was more than pleased with the way Tess was handled. June and Anden...well I wished we got to see more of that. Don't get me wrong, I like Day and June, but I felt a huge spark between June and Anden.

It's interesting seeing the different countries in the book. The US not being a powerhouse country, and Antarctica actually having inhabits, and even Africa being one of the most powerful countries. I did wished we learned more about what exactly happened to the US or even see it become whole again.

The ending...well it was one of the better ones for this genre. Even more of a happy ending. I really enjoyed this series.

Rating: 4/5