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Book Review: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Feb 14, 2014

First Published: February 1st 2013
Pages: 401 (Paperback)
Publisher: Razor Bill, Penguin Teen Australia
ISBN: 192151891X
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

My Reviews on: Bloodlines – The Golden Lily

Synopsis

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets – and human lives.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch – a former Alchemist who the organisation denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus’s help, Sydney realises that the group she’s been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?

As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her growing magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realises that her only hope is to embrace her special blood – or else she might be next.

Forging her own way is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain – and following her heart – she’ll be able to finally figure out where she belongs.

Review

Richelle Mead you always seem to do again and again. The Indigo Spell is my favourite book so far. It’s heartwarming, cute, beautiful, full of suspense all at the same time.

My heart suffered in this book, it was that beautiful. The dynamic between Adrian and Sydney just increased so much in The Indigo Spell. There were so many moments where my heart melted and I loved them cause they were not cringe worthy, they were beautiful.

Sydney has grown so much throughout her time living in Palm Springs, and we see most of that in The Indigo Spell. We see her not only tolerating the gang but becoming friends with them, caring for them, loving them in more ways than one. She also become more strong minded if that is even possible. She starts standing up for herself and she is believing in herself even more than before that the Alchemists are not what they say to be. We also see her mind in very different places. She still somewhat influenced by her beliefs and I don’t blame her for that at all. She grew up with all these beliefs, she cannot change instantly.

Adrian, Adrian, Adrian my love. Adrian himself has grown so much since we first see him in this series. He becomes more independent. He starts to let go of Rose. The way he speaks about Sydney, to her, is just so much more passionate then when he talked to or about Rose. He changes and I love this Adrian. He is his usual self but so much, what’s the word umm strong I guess you could say.

We find out so much about the Alchemists and lets just say they blew my mind. It was excepted but not to the sense of what they were. It made the story that more interesting. As always I loved the magic that is incorporated into it. It just takes the novel to a different place and WOW it changes the dynamic in The Indigo Spell. Richelle Mead just knows how to take something to a different level. There were just so many twist and turns.

Jill reminds me somewhat of Lissa, in this book. I don’t know what it is. Maybe her ‘anger’ towards Sydney about Adrian or that she is determined. She like most of the characters grows a lot through The Indigo Spell. She is starting to become more independent in some way and I guess that’s because she also getting older. Eddie I just love him and gosh I just want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright. He still cares so much for Jill it’s heartbreaking. Angelina arrg my dislike for her is not at all helped in this book at all, I just want to yell at her.

There was so many moments throughout this book that ripped apart my heart. There were jaw dropping moments. I could not predict anything. I just didn’t know what was going to happen. I think that’s why I think I like Richelle Mead. I cannot expect something to happen in her stories since she just goes one way then, BAM something happens and the story goes into a totally different direction. In a good way. I also love Mead’s characterisation. She does it brilliantly.

The Indigo Spell has unexpected turns and swoon worthy moments that capture your heart. I couldn’t put the book down. I just needed to know what was going to happen.

I Give The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead 5 stars out of 5

Have you read The Indigo Spell? What did you think of it?

ARC Review: Tape by Steven Camden

Jan 24, 2014

Expected Publication: January 30th 2014
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 0007511205
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Synopsis

Record a voice and it lasts forever…

In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother’s death, about his dreams, about his love for a new girl at school who doesn’t even know he exists.

In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room. A tape with a boy’s voice on it – a voice she can’t quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her.

Ryan and Ameliah are connected by more than just a tape.

This is their story.

Tape

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, it in no way influences my review.

I have seen mixed reviews for Tape, but I loved it. It was fresh, different, new, and emotional. It took me on a ride full of emotions.

The first thing that grabbed my attention about Tape was the cover, it is just so gorgeous. Then I read the synopsis and I needed to read it. It sounded so intriguing; I just didn’t know how everything would fit. I also was intrigued by Steven Camden, when I heard about the book, I just learnt about Spoken Word Poetry, which might I say I love, and then I found out that Steven is a spoken word poet, I just could not say no to it.

At first it was hard to grasp the concept of the novel, I was really confused at times but then everything just fell into place and I understood what was going on.

I liked both our main characters, Ryan more than Ameliah. I would have loved a little more characterization, as I felt it lacked a little here and there.

Ryan was really down to earth and his emotions were very raw and on show for everyone, which is unusual for a male character. I felt so sorry for him at times, he missed his mum so much and I feel that his dad, yes he cares, but I just feel there is something is lost between them.

Ameliah pissed me off at times, especially when she is trying to find out who Joe is, just the way she went about it, she was so focused on finding out, that nothing else mattered that much. But other than that I really liked Ameliah she was very strong minded. I loved the relationship between Ameliah and her grandmother, even thought yes they ‘fight’ here and there. They have this strong relationship. I let a few tears fall, a few times when Ameliah’s mum was talked about.

I liked there was flashbacks here and there, it was cool and it just added to the book, it made it more emotional. I loved how everyone seemed to intertwined with each other, in one way or another. We find out how everyone knows each other. It was a little predictable, but I still found it interesting and it put a smile on my face that it worked out. I liked that we got to know the characters back stories; who they were, why they did things, and it was really intriguing and sweet at the same time.

In my copy of Tape, when it’s in Ryan’s time it is a different writing style then when we are in Ameliah’s time and I found that pretty awesome. It was cool and different and you could tell the difference between who was who. I also find when there is dual POV’s that both voices come into one and you cannot tell the difference but in Tape by Steven Camden, it wasn’t like that, even if it was the same type of writing you could tell the difference between who was who. I felt that the chapters were really long and I am not sure If I liked it or not. For me, when I read, I read chapter by chapter so when I want to stop reading I stop at the end of the chapter, but with Tape I just could not do that.

I also liked that fact that music was incorporated into book. It was interesting and new, and I love music so it was fun. Some songs that remind me of the book are; A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope, Unconditionally by Katy Perry and Everything has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

Overall I really liked Tape by Steven Camden, it was original as well as touching enough that it pulls at your heart. I think a younger audience will like it, as our main characters are on the

I Give Tape 4 Stars out of 5

ARC Book Review: The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello

Jan 22, 2014

First Published: January 14th 2014
Pages: 216 (paperback)
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 1626811679
Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Synopsis

“Don’t get me wrong. I loved my sister. I never, not once, wished her dead.”

Brady and Sabine Wilson are sisters born eleven months apart, but they couldn’t be more different. Popular Sabine, the head cheerleader dating the high school hunk, seems to have all the luck, while her younger, artsy sister “Brady Brooder” is a loner who prefers the sidelines to the limelight.

After Sabine dies in a horrific cheerleading accident, grief unravels Brady and her family. Once recognized for her artistic talent, 17-year-old Brady finds herself questioning the value of everything she once held dear. Her best friend betrays her. Her parents’ marriage is crumbling. And the boy everyone blames for the accident seems to be her only ally in the search for answers in the wake of her sister’s death. As an unlikely friendship emerges, Brady learns more about Sabine – and love – than she bargained for.

Review

After having so much trouble of being able to read my eARC, I finally got to read The Moment Before and I am very happy that I did.

The Moment Before was a very heartfelt, emotional read. We start reading and we already see and feel the emotions that our main character Brady, has with the death of her sister, Sabrina. She is in a rough place. She can’t seem to concentrate at school, she can function but she really isn’t there.

I really like Brady as a character; she isn’t stuck up, or thinks she is the best in the world. Brady is very much down to earth, but at the same time she is broken inside. I really feel for Brady, she doesn’t really know how to deal with the lost of her sister. And as the book goes on, we see her come to terms with everything as well as become stronger. I love that she is an artist; she sees the world differently then everyone else and that just makes it that more interesting. I feel so much for her, she has gone through so much and she just can not get a break. I also found at times that Brady is so sassy, I loved it. Suzy Vitello created so much emotion throughout the whole book.

Conner, is the boy that is being blamed for Sabrina’s death. I just feel for him, his back story with Sabrina is heartbreaking. He is not only being blamed, he believes that her death is his fault and I just want to go and comfort him and tell him it’s not his fault. I think the fact that he also cared alot for Sabrina makes me feel so much more. The way that Conner and Brady connect, helps them both with their grief and also with themselves.

I really disliked Brady’s parents, yes I understood that they were grieving their daughter’s death, but during that time they pushed there other daughter, Brady, away and it affected her. I disliked Brady’s mum more than I did her dad for some reason, even though what her dad did was bad, just the way her mum treated her, I wanted to scream in her face.

I though the plot behind this book, would be pretty straight forward, but it wasn’t and I loved it. It had twist and turns and it was pretty damn awesome. There is something, more like alot of things that Brady doesn’t know about her sister, and they all came to play a part in her death in one way or another. My heart hurts for her.

I really disliked Nick, Sabrina’s boyfriend before she died. I had this bad feeling about him from the start; I just could not connect with him at all. He is just a d***. He is a Scio. I wanted to hit both him and Martha for what they did.

I don’t understand why Brady keeps on going to Martha, she is just a bitch and so stuck up, she does not care about anyone but herself most of the time. She doesn’t understand what is important. I just found her to be really shallow. At the end she kind of redeems herself, but not that much. It just to made me tolerate her.

I really liked the way that Suzy Vitello set up of the novel, the way that we get flashbacks of time between Brady and Sabrina, I think it’s cute and emotional and showed their relationship with each other. I found it interesting that sometimes Brady heard Sabrina talk to her, I think Brady found comfort it in some of the time.

I didn’t like the ending that much. I think it lacked something, especially between Conner and Brady, it was like “okay, there done”. I wanted something more. It was just so good until then last few pages. But overall I really liked The Moment Before.

I Give The Moment Before 4 Stars out of 5