Review of Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom

 

Athena Vosh lives just like any other teenager from the year 2099. She watches reality shows with her friends, east well and occasionally wonders to herself what like would be like if men were still alive?

It has been almost 50 years, since an experimental virus accidentally killed all of the men on earth. However a controversial project is currently underway to bring men back. There's just one catch. The project has been sabotaged and stolen.

So begins Athen's Choise. When the police of 2099 are tasked with finding the saboteur, they recieve a mysterious command to investigate the otherwise innocuous Athena Vosh. After it becomes clear that the young girl might know more than she lets on., Athena is brought into partcipate in the official investigation. Simultaneously, the girl begins to experience a series of cryptic and confusing dreams which feature solely around a ruined library and an old book containing all the clues which reveal the saboteurs identity. As the police close in on the prize, Atthena find herself on a journey of her own. Her clue fillled dreams and the incorruptable spirit bring her face-to-face with a pair of forgotten truths about happiness and gender. The world in this book waits to see if men will return as Athena fights a seperate battle, culminating in the choice that will define her and others lives.

I found this young adult novel very compelling and this has something to do with Athena's narration and also her age as she is telling her story in her own words. I found this story a very captivating and i usually dont like science fiction however i love this story and it very unique story telling format. I like the elements in this book and it held me in the story and i wished that we has several more chapters to show what decision Athena makes in the end of the story.

Review of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

 

In the magical underworld of the Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. However that saffety proves to be fleeting when a rogue force in the Clave plots to see that her protector Charlotte is forceable removed from her position. If Charlotte losses her position, it will mean that Tessa will be put out onto the street and this will make her easy prey for the Magister - who is still intent on capturing her and using her powers for his own dark and evil plans.

with the help of the handsome and destructive Will and the fiercely prtective Jem - Tessa discovers that the Magisters war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy which shattered his world and as he claims detroyed his life. It is up to this trio to unravel the secrets of the past and journey to the yorkshire towns to the manor house which holds untold horrors to the slums of London. This will lead them Tessa to a enchanted ballroom where she discovers that the truth of her own parentage is more sinister than she had ever imagined. When the trio encounter a Clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the magister himself knows their every move - and one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa find that her heart is more and more drawn to Jem, but she still has a deep longing for Will - even with his dark moods, and this is one of the things which continue to unsettle her. In Wills case things are starting to change and this means that the walls which he has built up around himself are starting to crumble down around him. Could finding the Magister free Will from his demons and give Tessa the answers about herself and what her purpose is and why she has the powers that she does. 

During the dangerous search for the Magister, the trio will uncover truths which will in turn lead their friends to peril. Tessa learns that when love  and lies are mixed together, the result can corruppt even those with the purest of heart.

Well, Cassandra Clare has done it again. She has sucked me into the Shadowhunters story line and has me guessing the outcome of the love triangle on every turn of the page. I didnt even give myself a break between the books as i found that i needed to get onto the next book to find out what happens to all of the characters which we love in this trilogy. This was my favourite book in the Shadowhunter realm and when i say that i read all 501 pages in a three day period this shows how much i loved it.

Review of Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter

 

From the bestselling author of 'Burying the Honeysuckle Girls' returns in the novel which sees the return to uncover a faith healer's elusive and haunted past.

Dove Jarrod was a renowned evangelist and a faith healer. Only when it comes to her gradndaughter, Eve Candler who knows that her grandmother is a con artist. In the eight years since Dove's death, Eve has been the one to maintain Dove's charitable foundation ... as well as her lies. However just as a documentary team is about to wrap up the shoot which focuses on the miracle worker, Eve is assulted by a vengeful stranger who is intent on exposing what could be the darkest and most explosive skeleton in Dove's closet.

Tuscaloosa, in 1934, a wily young orphan makes an escape from one of the countries psychiatric hospital where she has been born and raised. When she joins the itinerant inspirational duo of the Hawthorn Sisters, the road ahead is one of the mosr stirring possibilities. All this is while an obsessive predator on her tail, one of the untold dangers of her life. For this young girl to surviv, she needs to make some desperate choices which are vital to her survival.

Now, to protect her family, Eve will join forces with the investigative filmmaker, and one of Dove's friends. She is willling to risk eveything to help unravelthe truth behind the accusations against her grandmother. However will the truth set her and her family free or wwill it set her world on fire.

If you like a captivating thriller this is the book for you, I did find this a very slow burner however once i got into the story then it captured me and couldn't put it down. I love the atmopheric gotic vibes which this book has and the way that emily Carpenter tells the story in such a way which just builds the suspense, and developes the dark and very forboading characters in a way that makes yu want to be their friends and their enemies at the same time. I love the way that this book has a way of twisting 2 different story lines which come together and buids the story to a natual twist in the story.

Review of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

 

Magic is indeed very dangerous but love is more dangerous still. Discover the 'complusively readable' and the first installment in the Infernal Devices Trilogy. This is the prequel to the bestselling Mortal Instruments Series.

When Tessa Gray crosses the atlanic ocean to find her brother who she has lost contact with to her new destination of England, this novel is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifyling is waiting for he in Downworld London - where Vampires, Warlocks and all the other supernatural folk who stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons and keep order admist the choas. Tessa is kidnapped by a secret organisation called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa begins to learn that she herself is a Downworlder with a very rare ability - the power for her to turn into another person. what is more, the Magister an illusive and shadowy figuree who runs the club and will not stop untill he has claimed Tessa as his own. Friendless and being hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the shadowhunters of the London Insitute, who swear that they will help her brother if she will help them by using her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by two best friends, James - whose fagile beauty hides a dangerous secret and Will - who caustic with and volitile mmoods keep everyone away from him.... everyone apart from Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of the arcane plot that threatens to destoy the Shadowhunters. Tessa then realises that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world .... and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

I love the first installment in this trilogy and loved the way that she helped build the backstory for some of the families we meet in the original series. To find out when and where the traits of the most famous families such as the Herondales and Lightwoods. I can not help but love the way that Cassandra Clare writes and how she has a way a developing all of the plot lines and expands on the world that she has already created. I am so in awe of her and i have now purchase every book that she has written and can not wait to dive into the new installments that await me. 

Review of Peril at Thornywilde by Jonni Rich

 

This historical fiction book follows Lady Mariana Belmont and her arrival at the family's town house in Dublin. On arrival she is greeted unceremoniously by her fathers art protege, Thomas O'geary. Realizing that she has been mistaken for one of the models for his art. Mariana retaliates by playing along with the case of mistaken identity.

To her surprise she encounter with Thomas is just the first of many surprises in the whirlwind of events that will culminate into a take of murder, romance and mystery. When Mariana learns more about her father and about the rumour field origins of the dark estate of Thornywilde.

I listen to this as an audiobook on my commutes to work and found that this helped me enjoy the story even more. I would have not been able to enjoy all of the twist and turns which this story has. Saying that i did get lost in the story and found myself cheering all of the characters on and hoping for a happy ending. This is a book for people who love Gothic romance and mystery story which sadly is not the genre that i like to read however this book did grab my attention and would read other books by this author

For your copy, click the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peril-at-Thornywilde

Review of The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

 

This is the explosive sequel from Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu, and this is a new thrilling adventure for High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alex Lightwood. This is a death-defying mission into the heart of evil, however this is not just a job this is supposed to he a romantic getaway for the two of them.

Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They are finally living together in a fabulous New York Loft apartment, with their Warlock son Max. Max is learning to walk and the streets of New York are peaceful .... as peaceful as they can be with everything that hustle and bustle.

Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus's apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec are thrust into a new mission and drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the breadcrumbs which the thieves to bustling Shanghai, it is at this point that they will need to call for some backup to accompanying them and find a capable babysitter for Max.

Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange and magical weapon and with this wound glowing and this is impeding his recovery .... and this is an extra worry for the couple.

Fortunately, their friend arrive to back them up and this includes the newly minted shadow hunter Simon - as well as Jace, Clary and Isabelle. On their journey they learn that there is some much darker threats which effect the whole planet. Magnus's magic is growing very unstable and if they can not stop the demons who are flooding into the city, they might have to follow them into the realm of the dead. Can they stop this threat to the world? Will the couple make it back before they Max wears his grandmother out.

This was delightful and was the exact thing i wanted after reading the first novella, it gave me the magical story that i was expecting and built on the relationship of my favourite couple in the shadow hunters world. I love Magnus and Alec relationship and hope that Cassandra Clare gives us another instalment of this couples life. I am obsessed with the Shadow hunter world and absolutely love how this has focus on one of the couples. I love that Clare had the idea to give us this and made me love the characters even more. I love how this built on the world that she had already created and expanded it to other locations. I will never stop reading books from this world.

For you copy of this click: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Book-White

Review of The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

 The follow up novel from The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic instalment in The Burning Chambers series.

This is set in August 1572, Minou Joubert and her family are in picturesque Paris for the Royal wedding. There is an alliance between the catholic crown and the Huguenot King of Navarre which is intended to bring peace to the country after a decade of religious wars. The oldest enemy, Vidal, still in pursuit of a priceless relic which will change the course of history. However within days of the marriage, thousands of people will lie dead in the streets and this will include Minou's beloved family will be scattered by the four winds.

This is a gripping and breath-taking novel of revenge, persecution and loss with boundless action which sweeps from Paris and Chartres to the City of tears itself in Amsterdam.

I am a sucker for a historical fiction novel and this one gripped me totally from page one until i turned the pages till the last. This is a story of perseverance and how the characters are able to forge a path from them to survive. This is them coupled with their fear for the families with missing members. This could also be a standalone however as part of the story of several books which helps with the development of the storyline and the world which the story is taken place in. I have to take my hat of to Kate Mosses and how she has developed the characters and left this as a cliff hanger ready for the next book.

For your copy, please click: https://www.amazon.co.uk/City-Tears

Review of Untouched (The Girl in the Box #2) by Robert J. Crane

 

Sienna is still being haunted by her last encounter with Wolfe - a sadistic and unrelenting shadow on her life. However she must put aside her personal struggles when a brand-new threat to her emerges ... a man by the name of Aleksandr Gavrikov. He is a meta human who is so powerful to the point that he can destroy entire cities. He has the sole focus on destroying the Directorate and bringing it to their knees.

I did not enjoy this one as much as the previous book. I found that i enjoyed the pace of action scenes however the sections between this were a bit flat. The story line on this book was full of trigger points relating to rape and sexual abuse which i found very uncomfortable, however maybe this is a way to make this book being talk about was what makes this book appealing to some readers. This was the book that has turned me off the series i am sorry to stay.

Review of The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

This book is from the #1 bestseller author Cassandra Clare and award winner author Wesley Chu with a new book to the series that follows the High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood as they take a tour after the Mortal War. The Red Scrolls of Magic is a new type of shadowhunter novel centred on the dynamic and fascinating character.

All Magnus Bane wanted after all of the trials of war was a vacation, a lavish and amazing trip to Europe with the love of his life Alec Lightwood, the shadowhunter who against all odds is finally his boyfriend. As soon as the pair start to settle in Paris for the first leg of the vacation, an old friend of Magnus's arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent of causing unimaginable chaos across the world. This is a cult that has apparently been founded by Magnus himself ... years and years ago, as a joke.

Now Magnus and Alec must race across Europe to track down the Crimson Hand and its elusive new leader before the cult can cause any more damage to the mundane world. If it was not bad enough that their romantic getaway has been side-tracked, demons are now dogging their every step, and it is becoming harder to tell who is a friend and who is an enemy. As the quest for answers becomes increasingly dire and Magnus and Alec will have had to trust each other more than ever ... even if it means revealing the secrets that they have both been keeping.

I loved this novella and how we get an insight into the dynamics of this wonderful couple. I have fallen in love with this couple and enjoyed the way that they have developed as a couple and the interactions that they have. I have loved to watch Alec fight for his right to be with the person that his loves. I want more of this story and can not wait to see where this love affair goes after this and when and if they ever get married.

To get your copy, please click: https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Red-Scrolls

Review of The Shadowhunters Codex (Shadowhunter Chronicles) by by Cassandra Clare & Joshua Lewis

 

When i saw that the shadow world had a user guide of such I had to get this handbook. This chronicles the Nephilims training manual since the thirteenth century and this has firmly become a trainee shadowhunters go to manual When you are being swarmed by demons it can become so easy to forget the finer points of obscure demon languages of the fastest way to defeat demons. However with the knowledge that the is contained in this book and it helps to compound the background knowledge of the world.

In the twenty-seventh edition of the codex it now covers everything you need to know about the world and every dark and dangerous thing that inhabit the world we know. It identifies the history and laws of the shadow hunter and world of the downworlders. No more does a shadow hunter have to attempt to fight off rogue campfire's and warlocks by endless power, they have the knowledge to do this within the bounds of the accords.

This was a wonderful and insightful book which helps the reader of the shadow world series and other novels set in the same world. I picked this up at the right time and i could not be more grateful to have this to hand when i started the Infernal Devices trilogy. I found that this helped to fill in some of the blanks which could not be covered in the original 6 box set of the world. I loves that this book included black and white illustrations of the creatures and individuals that it describe. Every chapter has an individual and unique illustration to help the section of the book and its understanding. I would recommend that this book is read between the Immortal Devices set of books and the later trilogy's as well as the other trilogies. I am raving about this book when talking about the shadow hunter world.

To get your copy, click the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadowhunters-Codex

Review of Alone (The Girl In The Box #1) by Robert J. Crane

This book opens with Sienna Nealon. Sienna is a 17 year old girl who has been held prisoner in her own house by her mother for over 12 years. However one day her mother suddenly vanished and Sienna woke up to find that her once safe home was invaded by 2 strange men. Men who seemed to know everything about her. Sienna then goes on the run and during this time she is unsure of who she can turn to as the only human interaction she has ever had is with her mother. She also finds that she has procession of some mysterious powers and find that she is the target of a shadowy agency call the Directorate and is being hunted by one vicious, bloodthirsty psychopath named Wolfe. Wolfe is determined to capture her and she fine out that he is not the only one who is after her ....

I found this a wonderful coming of age novel which gave me the right amount of mystery which held me captivated for all 166 pages. I love the way that we learned about the Meta human world as the main character of the story. This book had the right amount of character building and world building while concussively gave us enough of the back story which help me fall in love with the world. I am already in love with Sienna and can not wait to see how she develops in the next few books.  I think this is an excellent book which introduces the reader to the Fantasy genre and have already suggested this to several of my friends who have enjoyed this equally as much as me 

To get your copy of this book - click on the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alone

Review of City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare

 In this fantastic and dramatic conclusion to the Mortal Instruments Series, Clary and her friend have to fight the greatest evil that they have ever faced - Clary's own brother Jonathan.

Sebastain (Jonathan) Morgenstien is on the move again and is systematically turning all of the shadowhunters against shadowhunters. To do this he is in procession of the Infernal Cup and he transforms Shadowhunters into some of the creatures from your nightmares. This is tearing families apart and all this is happening as the ranks of his Endarkened army is swelling.

The embattled Shadowhunters all withdraw to Idris and not even the famed demon towers of Alicate can keep Sebastian at bay. However with the Shadowhunters trapped in Idris the question is asked who will guard the world from demons?

When the greatest betrayal of the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary and her friends must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms. This is not neutral ground and the Shadowhunters have not set foot their before and from which no one has returned.  In this conclusion love with be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the world is weighing heavy on their shoulders.

This was my favourite instalment in the Mortal Instruments collection and was so happy to find that all my favourite characters were there fighting for their lives along with some new ones such as Emma. This was amazing in all of the battle scenes and the connecting sections ... all i can say is I LOVED THIS BOOK and will continue to recommend Clare's work to my fellow book worms.

To get your copy, click the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortal-Instruments-City-Heavenly-Fire

Review of Daughter by Jane Shemilt

 

Jenny is a highly successful family doctor and the mother of three fantastic and talented teenagers and is happily married to a celebrated neurosurgeon. 

However when her daughter, 15 year old Naomi, doesn't come home from a school play, Jenny's seemingly perfect life starts to crumble. The authorities launch a nationwide search for the teenager and they have no success. Naomi has vanished without a trace and her family are absolutely heart broken. 

As the months pass, the worst case scenarios - kidnapping and murder - all seem plausible. The trail has gone cold and there are no clues around. However for the desperate Jenny, the search for her daughter has only just began. More than a year after her daughters disappearance, Jenny is still digging for clues and answers to why her daughter would want to leave ... and the answers that she finds start to really disturb her. Everyone she has previously trusted, everyone she thought she knew have all been keeping secrets from her and this is especially true of her daughter Naomi. When she piecing together the clues and traces that her daughter left behind. Jenny discovers a very different child from the girl that she knew. 

I loved this so much and was gripped from page right the way through to page 390. I read this book in a 24 hour period and was captivated by Shemilts writing style and how she develops the characters. She has a way of making you feel that you are in the room with the characters and that you know the characters personally. I love the way that this novel switches between the different time periods and really liked the way that the characters have changed during this time. I am going to be bold and put this book on my top 5 mystery novels and will be recommending this to everyone.

To get you copy of this fantastic novel, click the following link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daughter

Review of One Perfect Morning by Pamela Crane

 She has made her own bed, and now he is lying in it dead...

Mackenzie, Robin and Lily have been an inseparable trio since they were in college. And twenty years on they have all set up homes in the same neighbourhood all with their perfect homes, perfect families and the truly perfect lives ..... or so it seems.

However in this idyllic suburban town no one truly knows what goes on behind closed doors and the histories that they hid. For each of these women life is crumbling under the extreme weight of secrets, betrayal and lies.

When the worst happens, will the trio's unbreakable bond of their friendship survive, however even this has started to fray around the edges. There will be one dead husband and all three women have motives for this crime. Will the best friends stand by there friendship or will they stab each other in the back. This is a sharp, twisty and addictive novel which grips lovers of Big Little Lies.

I did find this story a bit slow and it didn't grip me as much as i thought it would and i love a murder mystery. I wanted to love this novel as much as the reviews hyped it up. I did however love the character development and the writing style of the author and this would not stop me picking up other books from the author. Even though i didn't enjoy it i have already recommended the novel to some of my fellow book lovers. 

To get your copy click the following link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Perfect-Morning