ARC Review: The Sister

Tags

mystery, thriller

Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home.

But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie …or was there?

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

This book took me a long while to get into, it was only about half way through that I started properly enjoying it. There was too much fluff and not enough substance. It took too long for the book to get into what was going on. There was a lot of half secrets, ones that were not fully formed and some even once I found out what they were, they were a little of a let down.

The characters were fine but a little all over the place. Grace grew through the book but she was extremely naive and that didn’t really change. Dan was a grumpy sod and the way he treated Grace was shocking. Lexie was quite an unbelievable character, she seemed too over the top. Anna was a strange character, over the top nice with a very mean streak.

I did really want to know what happened after I got about half way through, I raced through the second half in almost one sitting. I was a little let down about what the secrets were, I guessed a few and some were disappointing.

Overall this book was a little disappointing.

3 out of 5 stars

Similar books in my opinion

 

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books that have been on your shelf for years

This meme is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, this week’s topic is books that have been on your shelf since before you started blogging, I have no idea which ones were since I have been blogging for over 3 years, so I am changing it slightly to books that have been on my shelf for a long time. In no particular order.

1. This books looks right up my alley, not sure why i haven’t read it. Keep meaning to dive in. I will one day soon I hope.
2. I know the outlander series is really popular right now, maybe it’s time I got around to reading it.
3. This is meant to quite a sad book, which is why I have probably why I haven’t read it yet.
4. This book has been on my shelf for ages.
5. This is just on my TBR and not actually bought but it’s been there for ages.
6. I love the cover of this book, and not sure why I haven’t read it.
7. The idea of this book is amazing. I started this a while back but didn’t finish it, hopefully will manage to start it soon.
8. I have read a few books by this author. I am very much looking forward to reading this one.
9. I started this book and didn’t get very far, Love the idea of it though.
10. I love fairytale retellings, heard good things about this.

What books have been on your shelf for a long time?

Goodreads Monday: 22/08/2016

This meme is hosted by Page Turner, the idea is to show a book that is on your TBR pile. To let people see some great books that you just haven’t gotten around to reading yet.

The Spellspinners of Melas County is a fantasy YA romance series about a witch, a warlock, and their fight for their forbidden but prophesied love.

Once soulmates, the witch and warlock covens of the California coast have been estranged for a century. Raised to hate each other, their teenagers meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground where they draw energy from each other to maintain their balance. 16 year olds Logan and Lily have spent years training for their first Stones…only to discover just days before that the enemy may not be what either of them had thought.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan and her coven’s need to know who—or what—he is. The young lovers race against time, their distrust for each other, and the powerful influence of their elders to unravel the mystery of their pasts before their future is destroyed.

This looks like a very interesting book, the cover is gorgeous. I love anything to with magic and witches, this is one I am unsure as to why I haven’t read it yet, but I am very much looking forward to it.

ARC Review: Bright Blaze of Magic

As a thief, I’m good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families–and kill every last Sinclair. What they don’t know is that I’m on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I’ve got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…

“An adventurous ride you will never want to get off.” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout on Cold Burn of Magic.

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

I thought I had reviewed this a while ago but unfortunately I forgot. I loved this series. The magic was complex yet easy to follow. The plot had lots of twists and turn, some where expected some were not.

This last book lived up to the good name of the series. It had a really great end that left me feeling satisfied, there was no loose ends.

The characters had good growth from the last book and Lila got of some good fixes again, like always in creative ways.

If you liked the first two I highly recommend you reading this book.

5 out 5 stars

Similar books in my opinion

 

Goodreads Monday: 15/08/2016

This meme is hosted by Page Turner, the idea is post a book that is on your TBR pile and show it off.

March 1880, Limehouse.

Kitty Peck, a spirited but vulnerable seventeen-year-old, is the reluctant heiress to Paradise, the criminal empire previously overseen by the formidable Lady Ginger. Far from the colour and camaraderie of the music hall where Kitty had been working, this newfound power brings with it isolation and uncertainty. Desperate to reconnect with Joey, her estranged brother, Kitty travels to Paris. Reunited at last, she is unable to refuse his request to take a child back to London. Within days of her return it’s clear that someone has followed them… and this someone is determined to kill the child… and anyone who stands in their way.

Kitty Peck and the Child of Ill-Fortune is a fast-paced historical mystery with breath-taking twists and turns that takes us from the decadent, bohemian world of late 19th-Century Paris to a deadly secret at the heart of the British empire.

This book looks amazing and I am very much looking forward to when I get around to reading it.

Goodreads Monday: 08/08/16

Goodreads Monday is new meme to me. It is hosted by Page Turner, the idea is to post a book that’s on your TBR pile and show it off. This is the first time I am participating, it looks like a great way to show off books I have not yet managed to read.

The Forgotten Cottage, the eagerly-awaited and chillingly terrifying new book in Helen Phifer’s best-selling ‘Annie Graham’ series.

Annie Graham has fought her demons, and is ready to leave them behind. Her new cottage seems like the new start she’s craved: quiet and quaint, it’s empty of the memories which have haunted her for so long.

But before long, the ghosts of a forgotten tragedy stir within Annie’s new home. Someone – or something – is coming for her. And this time, she might not get the chance to run…

This is a book in a series but as far as I am aware you do not need to read them in order. I love the look of this book and am very much looking forward to reading it. Have you read it, what do you think?

 

ARC Review: The Academy Alignment

Tags

fantasy, YA, young adult

Who decides what music defines a generation or which war gets funded? Who determines high fashion? Who gets to choose which dusty African village thrives and which suffers famine and genocide?

For centuries, the world’s wealthiest have sent their children to an elite boarding school known as The Academy to ensure continued control over global events. This year, The Academy offered its first scholarship to Peter Foster, a 17 year old from the blue-collar town nearby. Before Peter can get his bearings in this world of unimaginable wealth, sexual gamesmanship and obscene entitlement, he uncovers information about the mysterious and violent disappearance of a recent student — information everyone, even the teachers, is desperate to cover up. As the forces of Light and Dark continue their age-old dance of influence and manipulation, The Academy students fight to run their parents’ empires, and to consolidate wealth and influence at any cost. Peter soon realizes he is up against forces that operate far outside his reality, and he’ll have to risk everything, even his life, to expose the truth … even if his discoveries upend the fragile balance of global power.

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

I was a little unsure of this book when I started it. It had an interesting premise but I had no idea where it was going. I know you do not know everything at the start, but I think a little more would have been better.

The characters were interesting, there was a lot of drama which was unexpected but fun in this type of book. I liked Peter, his inquisitiveness was a really good quality in him. His manner never really changed, he was a good guy through and through, matter what was thrown at him.

Dr Linden and Dr Brown were unique characters, at times it was hard to tell which side they were on at times, which made it a good read. It was the same of the other characters, they seem to switch sides all the time. I would have liked to see more of some if the other characters, some seemed to less of a presence than was necessary and just come in at the important points and I was left thinking “what do they have to do with this?”

Overall an interesting book and well worth the read but not sure if I will read the second one in the series.

4 out of 5 stars