Book Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Name: The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Summary: Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's 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 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. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

Review: Packaged together, these 5 novellas are all prequels to Throne of Glass and tell the reader more about Celaena’s backstory, how she ended up in the salt mine’s of Endovier and why she is the way she is. I have to admit I didn’t expect much from the book, but as I started reading it I became absolutely absorbed in it – the stories ran smoothly into each other (I can see why they have been packaged as one book), there was action, suspense and romance – I was captivated from page 1.

From plotting against pirates, training with the Master of the Silent Assassins, becoming more independent and finding love, Celaena grows into her own in these stories whilst fighting and kicking ass. Having been brought up by Arobynn, master of assassins in Ardalan, she has always lived by his rules and tried to be the best assassin. But on meeting the pirate lord she discovers there is more to life than just killing on demand, and she decides to rescue a shipload of slaves, which sets a series of actions into play that affects the rest of the plot and Celaena’s very future. For me though the fact that she has morals and only goes after the ‘bad guy’ makes me feel better about her being an assassin and puts me 100% on her side throughout the story.

Although I pretty much knew where the story was going (having already read Throne of Glass), the ending blew me away! I just wasn’t prepared for how it would affect me and it honestly broke my heart. It was a complete emotional rollercoaster.

Whether you’ve read Throne of Glass or not this is a fab read!

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Book Review: Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Name: Cuckoo Song

Author: Frances Hardinge

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

Summary: When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out.

Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...

Review: Frances Hardinge has a talent for creating uniquely imaginative worlds for her characters to live in, and with Cuckoo Song she has done it again.

Set in a Victorian-esque time Triss finds that after an accident her memory isn’t quite right. In fact she isn’t quite right. There’s something wrong with her, and as she tries to find out what it is she is led into a dark and creepy world of unusual faerie creatures, with upside down towns and plenty of danger. These weren’t your typical faeries – there was something unpredictable about them, seeing so normal to start with but then becoming very creepy in seconds.

Hardinge’s beautifully descriptive writing style brought the story to life and made the characters feel so real. As Triss’s time to find out and fix what is wrong runs out I felt her growing anticipation and disappointment, and felt the danger she was in with a racing pulse. The mysterious events and occurrences in the story kept me wondering and guessing

My favourite part of the story was the connection between Triss and her suspicious and extremely adventurous little sister Pen. Pen was the only one who could see that Triss was different and she was determined to call out Triss on it and prove something was up. At first this created a lot of conflict between the two, but as they became more embroiled with the strange fairy creatures they soon realised they might be on the same side. What developed between them was truly heartwarming and the idea of family was a strong theme running through the story.

It didn’t quite match A Face like Glass (which I thought was pretty darn amazing) but Cuckoo Song is still an enchanting read and would be brilliant for a younger, middle grade audience.

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Book Review: Every Year By Cecelia Ahern

Name: Every Year
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Publisher: HarperCollins

Summary: A wonderful collection of Cecelia's short stories.
As the smell of pinecones and cinnamon fill the air, and the plump turkey roasts in the oven, the final preparations for Christmas day have begun, just as they do every year. The tree lights are twinkling and the mince pies are cooked, and there is just one final tradition to carry out before the Christmas magic can begin.
This year though, something is different, and it's time for life-long traditions to change. For years the family has followed the same pattern, not changing their routine through the generations; babies have grown into teens and then adults, and then eventually have had children of their own, but one thing always remained constant throughout....Time has finally caught up with the family and this year the new traditions must be formed.

Review: I am pretty sure that I have mentioned that Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors. When I had been studying I lost the love for reading for pleasure until I devoured Cecelia's first novel PS I LOVE YOU!. I truly fell in love with the story, the characters and the effortless way she wrote. Since then I have read most of her books. I am slightly ashamed to say that of late I have fell behind with a few of her books, I still have The Book Of Tomorrow (One of my Ninja Book Swap treats), One Hundred Names and How to Fall In Love to read. But I know that they're waiting for me to get my hands on them. 
I downloaded these short stories a while ago, and I started reading and got distracted. Just recently I've discovered a few book hangovers and that has given me the chance to get the love for short stories back. In between a number of my actual books I have been reading shorts.
What I love about Cecelia is that whatever subject she decides to tackle she does so with grace. This collection of short stories cover a number of topics and each one of them will have you on the edge of your seat eager to know the outcome. If you've never read a Cecelia novel pick up these shorts and fall in love with Cecelia Ahern. I bet you end up devouring her back catalogue after these beautiful quick reads. There's something for everyone in the Every Year collection, so check it out.

I'm going to highlight a few of the stories from this collection...

Every Year is the title story, it sure is a beauty it focuses on the wonder of Christmas and family time. As I started re-reading this it reminded me of when I first read it and how it made me feel. Having recently lost my grandfather who has been a constant figure that I have looked up to my entire life, this story brought a whole new meaning to me. Each and every single day we should never take for granted our family and friends. If you want to know the stupidest of questions ask them. As you never know when you won't get that chance again. The one thing that I hold dear to me is the time I spent with him especially on that final week. I feel close to him when I read as he was a bookworm like me. Every Year looks at family life and that however much families argue they still mean the world to each other and Christmas brings that togetherness.

Twenty-Four minutes, this story well and truly affected my senses. Steven is the name of the main character, a guy who works hard but his everyday life seems monotonous. He's living day by day with the hope of getting promoted. This story focuses on a hard subject matter in suicide. It will have you on the edge of your seat and the outcome will make you breathe a sigh of relief.

Next Stop: Table For Two, In this story Lucy the main character is going about her everyday life as a like minded single girl who works as a waitress. The story is set on Valentines day and as the story builds momentum Lucy mentions always inviting yet always being alone. In other words she would welcome people and take them to their seats but she's never in this position herself. What I truly loved about this without spoiling the ending is Lucy makes a stand.

I could honestly go on and on about all of these wonderful stories as each one had me hooked from start to finish. They were an absolute treat to read and in reading these shorts I have well and truly fell back in love with Cecelia Ahern and I hope to get back up to date with her books as soon as possible. A wonderful writer and a truly lovable woman.

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Book Review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary: Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s every boy she’s loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

For a couple of years now I’ve heard all sorts of hype about Jenny Han’s contemporary trilogy The Summer I Turned Pretty and somehow I’ve just never gotten around to reading the series. So when To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was released and I heard bloggers talking about it, I knew I needed to pick it up to see what all the fuss was about. I’ve been in a serious contemporary mood lately and this book was exactly what I was looking for. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean who is in her late teens and has a pretty non-existent love life.  She is the middle child of three sisters. Her older sister, Margot, is a bit of a perfectionist and is preparing to go off to college in Scotland. Kitty is her younger sister who is nine and truly needs her sisters as their mother died when Kitty was young and she was raised with Margot and Lara Jean as her female role models.

Lara Jean has never kissed a boy and has never pursued the feelings that she has. When she feels that she is “over it” and needs to let go of her current crush or love, she writes him a letter. Not a letter to mail out to them so that they are aware of her feelings, or a love letter that professes her undying love for them, but a letter where she has the ability to be completely and gut-wrenchingly honest. She can delve into every emotion that she has and write it out and to rid herself of those feelings. Then she seals it up in the hat box that her mother gave to her. However, everything goes awry when somehow the five letters that she has written to boys are mailed out to them.

One of the things that I loved the most about this book – although it’s hard to focus on just one or two things – was the family aspect. As a family they were absolutely amazing and realistic. Since their mother died when they were all young, Margot took over the role of organizer with a primary goal of making it as easy as possible for their father to raise the three of them. However when Margot jets off to Scotland for college Lara Jean’s role in the household changes from middle child to the eldest with its own host of new responsibilities. I loved the flashbacks and moments that looked back at their Chinese heritage that they tried to keep alive, though mostly through food. They were a wonderful family and I LOVED them.

I found Lara Jean to be largely comical and just a really fun, yet flawed, character. The romantic entanglements and storyline are great—and I’m grateful that the synopsis doesn’t give more away because I had a lot of fun discovering. Who were the five boys? What would their role be in her life? It’s better to find out once you’ve been thrown into this amazing world that Jenny Han has built. I did have a moment of ‘what the heck??’ at the end because seriously, who ends a standalone like that? And then I found out that there would be a sequel which has calmed my emotions— at least a little bit. I can now say I am a Jenny Han fan and will anxiously await the sequel. In the meantime, I will happily read her trilogy.

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Mortal Instruments fairwell blog tour!: Cassandra Clare on City of Lost Souls.

Yes. the time has come to say goodbye. There were tears, screams, bites, kissings and many shocking moments. It has been a long time coming and on the 28th of May 2014, we say goodbye to our beloved TMI characters. Im so nervous and scared as to what might happen aren't you? 

(Me and Cassie :D)

So without further or do I have the wonderful Cassandra Clare on the blog today talking about my favourite book in the TMI series; City of Lost souls! and also after this interview there is an EPIC giveaway!

Was Alec and Magnus' confrontation and break up always planned throughout the series?

In the sense that Alec and Magnus’ breakup grew very organically out of their characters, yes. These are the same character flaws and difficulties that have always plagued them both. Alec has always been insecure and Magnus has always been secretive. Not to mention the fact that Alec is mortal and Magnus isn’t. That would be a problem for any couple, especially one that often talks around their problems.

Was having heavenly fire involved a thought that came prior to the events in The Infernal Devices?

I was already working on TID when I realized that heavenly fire would play an important part in TMI. A lot of people do ask if the heavenly fire in Jace is the same heavenly fire that was in Tessa in Clockwork Princess. I have to say I think of it as different. Tessa took on the form of an angel, she was burning up with angelic fire. What’s in Jace comes from the sword of the archangel Michael. It’s a lot more about the vengeance and glory of heaven than about the more compassionate qualities of angels.

What scene in City of Lost Souls  sticks out in your mind? 

It’s hard to pick. I love the scene at the lake with Simon and Raziel. And Jocelyn and Izzy’s visit to the Iron Sisters. And Jace and Clary’s visit to the club in Prague stands out in my mind. It was fun writing something that was at first a fun wild dance party scene and that turned very gradually dark and threatening and bloody.

The ending made many fans on edge after reading it, was there anything that didn't make it in to the ending?

I don’t think so! I think everything that was meant to get in there, got in there. You don’t want to spend the end of a book dwelling too much on what’s essentially setup for the next book. Sebastian’s murderous message — “I am coming” — was always planned to be the ending. I wanted to end on a note that indicated that something big was about to happen. But I also meant to leave Clary and Jace in a pretty solid place. Their relationship was made stronger by what happened in CoLS and I wanted to acknowledge that.

I loved the club scene in COLS. The moment Clary looks up and sees you know what on the celling? *shivers* how fun was writing that scene? 

 It was really fun, like I said, one of my favorites! Because it's a really sexy scene at first. Jace and Clary are both in this really weird headspace — he's possessed, and she's playing this dangerous game pretending to be on his and Sebastian's side — and they sort of fall into each other in this scene, freed up by the music and also the demon drugs that are in the air. And so they're really desperate, not just for each other, but for the sort of safety and salvation they usually find in each other but which is not happening here, because neither of them is really themselves. And then the outside world starts to reflect that, and you can see the wrongness in the death and the dripping blood. It really creeped me out to write it.

 And there you have it guys! Hope you enjoyed this little Q&A.. and now to the giveaway US only Competition ends 6th of June! good luck x

MUNDIE MOMS tomorrow to talk all things City of Heavenly of Fire.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Book Review: You're The One That I want By Giovanna Fletcher

Name: You're The One That I Want
Author: Giovanna Fletcher
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: 22nd May 2014

Summary: Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob- the man she's about to marry. 
Next to Rob is Ben- the best man and the best friend any two people ever had.
And that's the problem.
Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right?
Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it...

Review: I'm ashamed to say I purchased Billy And Me in the Kobo sale on Boxing day, and it's still unread in my Kobo library. I remember it like it was yesterday, I was sat in my nan and granddad's front room nosing through the sale. I'd heard lots of good things and decided that it would be one of my Christmas treats to myself.
When I requested to get an early copy of You're The One That I want on Netgalley I wasn't sure I'd be approved. Not because I don't review but because I'm such a novice with Netgalley, you should have seen my face when I was approved and when I successfully managed to get it on my Kobo. I was like a child in a sweet shop, it was actually a lot easier than I first suspected. 
Firstly, I have to mention the truly gorgeous book cover for You're The One That I Want. I am not an overly pink girl but the contrasts with the sky/baby blue makes it stand out for me, it's going to look truly gorgeous on any book shelf. I really did fall in love and the Grease reference was an added bonus for me, It has and always will be my favourite film, and one of my fave love stories. 
You're The One That I Want is about three friends Ben, Maddy and Robert. Who meet as children and continue to be friends throughout everything. It's a tale of friendship, love, vulnerability amongst other everyday issues in life. I like that Giovanna writes from all of their points of view. Well mainly Ben and Maddy with the occasional Robert. She focuses on a number of teenage issues including unrequited love. It's such a beauty of a story one that is intriguing and oh so hard to put down. 

There are a number of moments as a reader when you're on the edge of your seat unsure of which way the story will go, I often found myself shouting at all of the main characters for one reason or another. Although saying that, all of the characters were easily like able and I found reading this a true guilty pleasure. 

Maddy is like you're usual girl next door although she doesn't know this, as she's always been one of the boys. Well since Ben and Robert took her under their wing when she started their school, and they were as thick as thieves from that day on. The tripod was born- even that line makes me go all gooey for their friendship. Maddy never missed out on anything but seeing as both her best friends were boys it made a few things harder as she turned into a teenager. Robert comes across cocky and confident but underneath all that brashness he's a lovable guy. Ben is cute in a different way and as a reader I warmed to him quite quickly, as much as part of me really liked Robert. I am definitely team Ben.

I don't want to ruin the story but their friendship has a number of twists that will have you begging for more. If you can go to sleep at a decent hour then you're really not taking advantage of this rollercoaster read. Having devoured this I now look forward to discovering Billy And Me. I think Giovanna could potentially write a follow-up to You're The One That I Want but I shan't be spoiling this gem. 

You're The One That I Want is definitely in my top five of awesome reads from 2014. If you love a good girlie read then what are you doing still reading this go and BUY IT NOW!!!

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