Review: Stake You

Devlin O’Mara has spent a long time cultivating her reputation as a scary bitch, and nothing’s going to change that. Not cheating boyfriends, annoying ex-crushes, or even a cheesy new kid who looks like he could have walked straight out of a young adult novel.

But life takes odd turns and eerie events coupled with a stalking classmate threaten to send Dev’s walls crumbling down around her, finally forcing her to face the true horror of her past.

Joining forces with an enemy is the only way to get to the heart of an enigmatic boy’s true intentions and protect everyone in her life from a being who couldn’t possibly exist.

It took me a little to get into this, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. In the beginning I thought it was too similar to Twilight but after the first few chapters I realised it was completely different. Devlin was a strong character who was scared and wasn’t in love with the idea of having a vampire boyfriend.

I cannot believe how bad her mum was, she was never there for her daughter. I cannot believe none of her friends noticed what was going on.

I thought the story progressed nicely and flowed well. The history was explained at a reasonable pace. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series, although every thing was wrapped up so not sure what will happen.

4 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter Covers from Around the World: Ukrainian Edition

These are so bright and eye-catching. I love how the first four have some flying creature or object, it brings a sense of cohesion to the books. There seems to be so much going on in the backgrounds which I love. I adore how in the first one it looks like Dumbledore is part of the building and wearing some of it as a hat, it’s so fun. 🙂

Would you like these books on your shelves?

Harry Potter Covers from Around the World: UK Bloomsbury

I never owned any of these but did see them in shops. They are very pretty and very elegant. I like how they give just enough away to make the story interesting but not enough you can guess any plot lines before the story starts. I love the forth book especially, I can just imagine how scary that would be in the night sky.

ARC Review: Gathering Frost

Will his kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart?

Once Upon A Time meets La Femme Nikita in GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care…even to love. Working as a member of the queen’s guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen’s runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission–to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she’ll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen’s realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher’s relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she’s ever known–and, more importantly, whose side she’s really on.

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little while to get into this book, the premise was a little odd and it took me a while to get my head around it. But after that it was pretty good. I liked the idea of the two worlds meeting, but I would have preferred a little more explanation as to how it happened.

I liked Jade as a character and how she grew as a person. But some of her decisions were a little strange. And her inner monologue was irritating at times.

Asher was a good character but how he managed to get respect from everyone without telling the truth about who he was, was very unclear.

The ending was good and there was plenty of room for a sequel but it seems that the next one in the series is going to be about a different fairytale entirely. Looks good but I want more on this one, there’s so much unfinished. Especially since many major details were only revealed at the very end and they would have been better at the beginning, better to understand the story.

3.5 stars out of 5

Harry Potter Covers from Around the World : Swedish Edition

I love these covers, they have a very Roald Dahl and adventure feel. They are bright and full of wonder, I would have spent ages looking at these for details about the book if I had these as a kid. What do you think of these?

ARC Review: The Palace Library

Three children stumble upon an extraordinary library in an old house. Armed with magical books, and accompanied by an enchanting deerhound, they leave through a door that takes them to a world in the past. Beyond the door, a kingdom is in crisis.

The children must unlock the secrets in their books as they face storms, fight traitors and tackle dragons.

The Great Sword of State has been stolen and destroyed. The Queen reveals an ancient prophecy that says only these children can replace the Sword and she sends them on a journey that takes them beyond the world’s end.

Without knowing who they can trust, can they succeed?

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had some charm, but it was a little lack luster. It kinda ebbed and flowed but not in a good way. The points were I thought it should go faster went slowly and the points that should have been eeked out went really fast.

The story was good, not amazing but good enough. I am trying to remember that this book is aimed at children and not for adults. I do think it would be an exciting book for younger readers. I do read a lot of books aimed at this level and enjoy them. I just think this book could have done with a little more oomph, it was a little on the bland side. It was also a lot of tell and not showing the reader. There was quite a lot of needless explanations as to why the characters were doing what they were doing.

I did like the premise behind the story and how it unfolded, it worked well and I think kids would like it.

3 out of 5 stars

ARC Review: Haven

From missing socks to missing people, nothing could remain hidden from seventeen year-old Katelyn Kestrel for long, but after locating a forbidden passage out of her isolated country, Haven, she discovers for the first time that there are some things that should never be found. Outside the safety of her homeland’s borders, Katelyn meets Rune, a young soldier who will die without her immediate aid. She never considered that helping him would lead to her capture. While being held prisoner by the handsome Lord Dylan Axton, she learns that the outside world is rife with war and controlled by people with extraordinary powers. It becomes clear that there was a very good reason the founders of Haven locked their people away from the rest of the world. The depth of her peril reaches a fever pitch when a ruthless Commander wants Katelyn dead. Her only hope is to return to Haven, but can she survive long enough to find her home?

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out simply and was like most YA books, soon it complex and full of twists and turns. It was much more than I expected, the world building and politics were great and really interesting. I am looking forward to finding more about the history and the evil people who run the country.

The characters were great, I really liked Katelyn and the strength of her character. She was willing to put her own life at risk to save her people. I really want to know why Haven was formed and more about how.

I love Rune, I wish he was real and I hope he is in the next book. He was nice and mysterious with just enough bad boy image to be desirable. And just enough sweetness to be boyfriend material, the perfect combo in a book hottie.

The action was very good and there just enough of it without it being overwhelming. The gifts or abilities were really well done, I had fun trying to work out what people might have.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for people who like

R4R: Dead Til Dawn

Disturbing the dead doesn’t prove you’re brave – it proves you’re stupid.

After touring Gettysburg battlefield, Jessica, Tim, and Steve decide to sneak out to the Devil’s Den for some late-night fun. Jessica’s friend Kathy objects, and warns them about trespassing where they’re not wanted.

Undaunted by ghost stories and fueled by his own arrogance, Tim races toward the Devil’s Den. When the group drives through mysterious battlefield fog, they find themselves surrounded by Civil War soldiers looking for a little fun of their own.

Kathy leaves the others to fend for themselves and flees to Little Round Top. Although she’s rescued by a kindhearted Union solider named Charlie, she refuses to believe that what she’s experiencing is real. As the nighttime battle rages on, Charlie introduces Kathy to other weary soldiers, and she quickly realizes she’s trapped in the land of the dead until dawn.

Another great ghost story by this author. It was very dramatic and a very interesting read. I loved the interaction between the characters. Tim really did seem like a very nasty character and he didn’t change, no matter what was thrown at him.

I liked Kathy, she stuck by her friend through thick and thin.

The setting the book was very atmospheric, I thought the descriptions were great and I could the story unfold clearly in my mind.

The length of this story was great, long enough to get the idea and great detail across without it being too long and droning on.

I am not even sure if this was a based on a real battle but I felt the historic element was well executed, making me want to know more about this battle.

4 out of 5 stars.

R4R: Kropsy’s Curse

Late one Halloween night, two young boys venture into a secluded graveyard in the hopes of conjuring up a spirit. Although Kyle is skeptical and would rather be home eating candy and watching horror movies, he reluctantly goes along with Jerry’s plan. He doesn’t believe Ouija boards work—until this one starts spelling out a message…

This Halloween-themed 1500-word short story is a cautionary tale about playing with a Ouija board in a graveyard.

I am not always a fan of short stories, mainly because I want more. This I really enjoyed. It was short but definitely sweet and a little creepy.

I loved the idea of this story. I can imagine kids reading this book on Halloween and scaring each other. The sudden ending which leaves a lot to the imagination is perfect for this time of story.

I liked how there was a little humour in this, well a few points made me smile, even if that was not the intention.

Kelli may have changed my mind on short stories. 🙂

4 out of 5 stars

Review: The Book of a Thousand Days

When a beautiful princess refuses to marry the prince her father has chosen, her father is furious. So furious he locks her in a tower, where she has seven long years of solitude to think about her insolence. But when she escapes from the tower, she finds her land has been laid to waste and the kingdom destroyed.

This was the first of Shannon Hale’s books I have read, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a little unsure of the way it was written at first and had no clue as to where it was going. Soon I didn’t care I was living it and along for the ride wherever it took me.

I loved the way the story unfolded, going back and offering information on the girls lives when it was needed. I would have liked a little more description on the gods and history of the lands.

Being that it is classed a YA book I think most of the was appropriate but the end did have some parts that are probably not suitable for younger teens.

I had some Rapunzel influences, which nice but not enough to make it seem like typical retelling.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

4 out of 5 stars