April's review of 'Spell Bound' by Rachel Hawkins

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins 
Publication Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Number of Pages: 336
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Description:  Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

 The final installment in the series pick up right where Demonglass had left off. All Sophie wanted to do was to find her mom. Cal had told her that she's with the Brannicks, which confuses Sophie. The Brannicks is an Irish family of women who hunt the supernatural. Putting her faith in Cal, she finds herself in the middle of the Brannicks compound. And the first big twist of the book is thrown at us, Sophie's mom is a Brannick and has been on the run from them all these years. 

Cal and Sophie's dad eventually find the way to the compound. And they set out for their long journey. And Archer isn't too far behind. I wouldn't say there's really a love triangle with Cal, Sophie, and Archer. Her heart clearly belonged to Archer. I just couldn't really hardcore ship Sophie and Archer. In this book everything comes to a full circle. There was a big sacrifice that just made me want to cry my eyes out. But other than that I was very satisfied with the ending.   

Rating: 4/5

Teaser Tuesday 07

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Want to play along?

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers
• Share the title and author

Sorry that I haven't posted one in a while. This week's teaser comes from Witches of East End by Melissa  de la Cruz.

"With all due respect, Mr. Forseti, the last time you advised us, you also argued that magic was not real and we were hanged anyway," Ingrid said.

Jen's review of 'Fury' by Rebecca Lim

Fury (Mercy #4) by Rebecca Lim
Publication date: May 1st, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Number of pages: 364
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository
Description: Heartbreak. Vengeance. Fury.

Mercy is an exiled angel cast down to earth and forced to live out thousands of different lives for her own protection. Betrayed by her eternal love, Luc, Mercy burns with fury. The time of reckoning is here and now she must wage open war with Luc and his demons. Ryan’s love for Mercy is more powerful than ever, but loving an angel is mortally dangerous. As their two worlds collide, Mercy approaches her ultimate breathtaking choice.

Hell hath no fury like Mercy ...

In the electric conclusion to Mercy's journey, she finds herself in the middle of an impossible situation.
Mercy has been through Hell and back, and just when the thought things were improving, they only seem to get even worse. Not just for her, for her love, Ryan who is only human and in a battle between good and evil, there is a chance at death occurring.

Mercy's journey between this series has not been an easy one. It has been confusing, frustrating, but also life changing full of revelations.
The shocks of the previous books are nothing compared to everything that transpires in this one.  Not only do we find out who Mercy really is (But unfortunately we never did find out her true name, but I don't think its important in the long run), but there was discoveries about the EIGHT and Luc (Lucifer) and her role she played in Heaven and Hell.

The relationship between Mercy and Ryan has gone from strength to strength. It started in MERCY when they met and then only built over the next few books. The love he has for her was so powerful to be able to see through illusions and know who she is, even if she is even in another body.
In FURY, Mercy is finally able to explore her feelings for him, now she has her memories back and knows the truth about Luc. She no longer can feel guilty for something that she has a right to feel in the first place.
No matter who or what tries to come between them... they always stick together as they are each others lifeline. The very thing that gets them through everything.

Mercy herself grew as a person/angel throughout the series. She started off unsure of what was going on and scared. She transformed into this person who was no longer frightened or even feared the EIGHT or even Luc. Anger and Fury can change a person and make them into such a strong person that no matter what anyone tries to say... that is the one thing that can fuel a soul. That and love.

I really loved how everything came together in the end of this book. I had no idea how this series would even, or whether Ryan and Mercy would find some sort of happy ending which they so deserved. There was certainly a chance people could die, or things be done for the 'greater purpose.'.
I was happy with how it ended and the things that happened. It was definitely the perfect ending to an amazing series.

The Angel genre is quite popular these days and a lot of books tend to get the same feel to it. But not this series.
I love that Rebbecca has put her own spin on the genre and made it out to be something special. Such a talent, she is. The way she writes makes you believe in everything that is happening just as if you were there witnessing the very acts and actions that take place.

I will surely miss this series, but I look forward to what Rebecca has in store for her next project.

                                                             Rating: 5/5

Jen's review of The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

The Rise of Nine (Loren Legacies #3) by Pittacus Lore

Publication date: August 30th, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Australia

Number of pages: 384

Format: Kindle via Netgalley

Preorder/Purchase: Amazon |The Book Depository

Description: Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Australia for giving me this chance to review this title.

Book 1 was about Number Four.
Book 2 was about Number Six.
And this book is about Number Nine. But even though it's meant to be about Number Nine, we have various of POVs. We have Six, Marina(Seven) and John (Four), but yet.. there is no NINE POV, but then again, since Nine and Four were together... it wouldn't make sense to have both.

I had to remember what happened in the previous book as I was a tad confused for a little bit, but then I remembered that Four and Six had gone their separate ways for different missions, before they would then meet up a few days later.
They both had their own journeys that take on very interesting routes with surprising discoveries along the way. By the time they meet back up, everything has changed.

On the surface, Number Nine doesn't seem that great, but once you really get to understand why he is the way he is, its normal to act the way he does. Not everyone has had the perfect life. I doubt any of them did, but some worse then others... like Number Nine for example. But he learns that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
John then starts to have visions of their enemy and his friend Sam, and that is the moment that he knows he has to try find out what is going on, because he has a feeling that these visions are actually real.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Number Six, Seven, Ten and a few others discover Number Eight, and together it makes them stronger, but it also makes them more confident in their fight against their enemy who seems to want to kill them all off for a reason that is unknown to them all.

There are a few shocks and twists involved with this book. I couldn't stop reading. The action was nonstop with a battle scene in the second half of the book which is to die for.
If you have loved the first two books of this saga, there is no doubt you'll love this installment just as much as the others.

Pittacus Lore does a great job in adding to this series and making every book as interesting as the last. This is no exception.
We discover more about THE Pittacus Lore, and what roles everyone plays in this battle. Is Lorien lost to them, or is it still possible to get back to their planet?

I enjoyed getting back into Four's head, and also nice seeing Six and Seven. I think my favourite Viewpoint was Marina. She goes through many emotions when Number Eight joins them and I really liked seeing her interactions with the new guy.
Not everything is roses though. There is death, and so much of it that even I was shocked at some of the things that happened and how they happened to go down.
They are getting stronger together, but that doesn't mean you can't lose someone in the process. But the lesson they learn is that you can't let loss weaken you. Just use it to your advantage and make it count.

Be sure to pick this installment up when it gets released next month, because it does not disappoint.

Bring on book 4.. which I hope is about Number Eight.

Rating: 4/5

Jen's review of Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Publication date: July 3rd, 2012

Publisher: Tor / Macmillan

Number of pages: 368

Format: Kindle / via Netgalley

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Description: When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for allowing me this chance to review this in exchange for an honest opinion. 

I'd imagine every foster child longs to escape (unless they are happy) to a place that gets them out of their situation. 

When Jane Williams gets that very opportunity to do this, when she gets accepted into a elite boarding school for girls, Birch Grove Academy, she jumps at the chance. 

When Jane arrives, she is suddenly met with the headmistress who gives her everything she could ever want. She doesn't quite understand why she out of everyone got picked to attend, but she tries not to think too much about it.
Soon Jane meets the family of the Headmistress. Lucky and Jack, who couldn't be even more different from one another.
But the more time she spends with the brothers, Jane starts to realize that things are not what they meant to be. There is something hidden underneath the layers of why she is really there, and it is one revelation that will shock her to the core.

I enjoyed this book. It was different and dark and quite gothic, I think I would describe it.
Jane is a relatable character. She wanted to think the best of where she is and the people around her, but sometimes, some things are too good to be true.
She has a relationship with both of the boys, but each is quite different from the other. On the one hand, her relationship with Lucky is quite odd, and it makes Jane seem desperate and obsessive over someone she barely even knows. But for some reason, she knows she wants him..
And yet, on the other hand, there is his brother Jack. He is someone she also feels drawn to, but she feels something about him she can't quite put her finger on. He is mysterious and puzzling, and sometimes I want to knock some sense into her.

The plot is an interesting one, and the secret that holds this book and the plot I didn't see coming.  If you like a dark paranormal novel with a side of romance, then I would reccommend this book to you.

I would also to point out that I really adore this cover. The girl in the woods is perfect. It adds a touch of mystery to the eye.

Rating: 3/5

Cover Reveal: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Publication date: March 19th, 2013.

The final book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Isn't the cover gorgeous?
It seems the Tessa is holding the Codex. I wonder what the significance will be, and if there is one.

Who will Tessa end up with? Jem or Will.
What will happen to Jem? Questions.. and questions. 

Jen's review of "The Iron Knight" by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

Publication date: October 26th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Number of pages: 394

Format: Paperback

Purchase: Amazon |  The Book Depository

Summary: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

In the conclusion to Ash & Meghan's story comes a thrilling and action packed adventure that brings us to the final book in the Iron Fey series. At the end of The Iron Queen, Ash and Puck were set on a quest of a lifetime. Ash was going to try find a way to become human. The only way he can be with Meghan, and he is willing to do anything he can, no matter what it takes. 

This book was in Ash's POV, which was interesting to read.. I admit, while I did like him.. I didn't love him as much as others out there. I was more of a Puck fan.
So this book, by being inside his head gave me a new appreciation for him, and I found a new fondness that I came to accept and understand about him.
I really came to like his relationship with Meghan. Although I have never been their biggest fan, but still liked them, I found myself enjoying them more over the course of the books.
The things that he went through , and they weren't easy, to be with her.. was quite endearing and admirable. It was quite nice to see him on his journey for true love.

I loved his love/hate friendship with Puck. I think that has been one of my favourite things about the series. The way they interact with one another, and their history... it always made me look forward to their scenes, and I was happy to see this book focus a lot on that, and came to the resolution that it did by the end.
There was certainly some reveals that I didn't see coming, but I think they were done for a reason.. for Ash to be able to forgive Puck and be able to finally really move on from his past, which has haunted him for such a long time.

Puck. Oh Puck.
My favourite character. I loved that we got to see so much of him in this book, more so than any other book in this series. And while it didn't center on him, this story certainly found him in the spotlight. I hope that someday soon we get him front and center and have his own book, or get his own happy ending, as he deserves it so much.

Rating: 5/5

Cover Reveal:: A Corner of White

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

Publication date: September 18th.
By Pan Macmillan Australia

The cover is gorgeous, and the blurb really makes me intrigued by this book. This is the first I have heard of it, but I definitely have added it to my TBR list! And you should too.

April's review of 'Demonglass' by Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins
Publication Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher:  Hyperion Books
Number of Pages: 368
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Description:  Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

Sophie is determined to go through the removal to get rid of her powers. Too bad that nobody is on her side. Summer is approaching, and her dad has come up with a deal. Sophie gets to spend the summer in the England countryside with her dad. If Sophie still wants to go through the removal process when summer is over she can. Sophie puts in the deal that Jenna has to come, and is surprise to find out that Cal is also coming. And not only is she spending the summer with him, but they are betrothal to each other. The surprises doesn't stop there. When they finally get to their new summer home, Sophie is more shock to see that there are two demon teenagers there. 

Even though her crush, Archer, is working with the Eye, and would kill her in a minute, she just can't get over him. And secretly hopes that she runs into him since there's been sightings of him in London. In the first book I was all for Team Archer. But his involvement in the Eye, well I couldn't see any happy endings for these two. And I think Sophie is very stupid for still being in love with a guy that try to kill her. I fell in love with Cal in this book. 

What a book without a problem? Someone is raising demons. The reveal who is raising them will make your jaw drop. Nonetheless this book was amazing. 

Rating: 5/5

  

Jen's review of "The Iron Queen" by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)  by Julie Kagawa

Publication date: January 25th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Number of pages: 358

Format: Paperback

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Description:  My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

In the third book of the Iron Fey series, the stakes are turned up and things get as real as they can be. Meghan has to make a deadly choice, and it's one that she will have to live with for the rest of her life. The love between Meghan and Ash just gets deeper and deeper as this series goes on, and no matter what Ash will always be there to protect her.

In this book, Ash becomes her Knight, which is a vow to do anything for her, protect her and never leave her side. They are joined by her best friend Puck, as they go to battle the Iron King, as it's the only way for things to return to normal. It's definitely a do or die type of situation and they are all prepared for whatever outcome it might hold.

 Puck. how anyone can not love this guy is beyond me. He is my far my favourite character from this series.. even in dire situations, he seems to find some way to put a grin on his face and makes you believe in the optimistic. I came to like and respect Ash. His battle with Puck is still an ongoing on, and you wonder whether it's going to end at some point. 

Ash still has a dark past that he needs to come to grips with, and to let forgiveness in his heart to do so. Without it, he won't be able to properly move on... and that is something that might kill him eventually. I would say this book is definitely a game changer for the series. Something you never thought would happen, happened. There are definitely shocks and twists and surprises in store, and it's an action packed adventure you never want to leave. 

You got to see more of Meghan's dad, the one who knows... not the Seelie King dad. And she has to make choices that is difficult for her to make, but sometimes you have to do what needs to be done... whether they are good or bad decisions. 

 The end was quite bittersweet, and I heard this was originally meant to be the end of the series, but Julie's editor convinced her to write another book to finish off the series with a happy ending rather than what happened in this one. The thing about happy endings... they aren't always reaslistic, so I think if she left it with this book.. it still would have been okay.

 Rating: 5/5