Book Reviews Archives - Page 72 of 115

Book Review: Firewalker by Josephine Angelini

Oct 2, 2016

Firewalker by Josephine Angelini

Pages: 339
Publish date: August 27th 2015
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
ISBN: 1447260856
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Lily Proctor has made it back to her own universe, and it’s finally time for her and Rowan to be happy and relax. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape, and they must hide her new magic for the safety of the world, but compared to fighting the monstrous Woven and leading armies in the alternate Salem, life is looking good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. Lily is the closest version of herself she’s ever seen in all her worldwalking, and Lillian’s running out of time. If she can’t persuade Lily and Rowan to return to her world, she’ll have to find a way to make them come back.

Firewalker:

There will be spoilers from the previous book Trail by Fire, however, not from Firewalker

I received Firewalker by Josephine Angelini from Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was going into Firewalker with high expectations, I loved Trial by Fire and was waiting for more. However, I was a little let down – however, not a huge amount.

Firewalker begins where we left off; Lily almost dying on the pyre and travelling back to her universe with Rowan in tow. It’s fast-paced and from the start, you don’t know if she is going to make it out alive. Covered in burns and on the brink of death, Rowan once again comes to her rescue.

From the start of Firewalker the reader is able to feel the tension for multiple reasons. At first, we don’t know if Lily will make it through the first couple of chapters. The tension between her family; now that they are back with them. There is tension between Lily and Rowan, Lily and Tristan, Lily and Lillian. The tension grew throughout the book and I really enjoyed, even though it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Lily is one of those protagonists that you love or you hate. Throughout Firewalker, Lily has to deal with the trauma that she had to endure in Trial by Fire, and that was heartbreaking to witness. The reader wants to wrap their arms around her and tell her that she will be okay.

One of the things that I loved most about Firewalker was the friendships. I loved the bonds between everyone, it was beautiful. And even though magic was involved somehow, it didn’t start with it.

The new characters that were introduced were all great and added a layer to the book. Breakfast and Una were really enjoyable to read. They had this banter about them that cut through the intensity of the book.

The romance in Firewalker was frustrating to say the less. There was zero communication between Lily and Rowan, they both avoided speaking about how they really felt and everything was bottled up

I was still feeling a little lost about the world. We found out more in Firewalker, yet some things still confused me – now this might be just me. However, the world that Josephine Angelini is quite fascinating and the world building of the alternate universes’ is quite amazing.

I found that some of the flashbacks and conversations between Lily and Lillian to be distracting. Sometimes I wanted to skip them and get on with the story.

Firewalker | Book Aesthetic – Images from Pinterest

A problem that I did have with the book is I felt that there was a lot going on, maybe too much. I was taken here and there, flashbacks to current time and back. From one universe to another. Nonetheless, I felt that Angelini could have pulled back just a little and it would have flown a little smoother.

The ending, though man – Josephine Angelini sure does love her cliff hangers. Normally I am not a massive fan of them, however, she does them so well that I want to pick up the next book straight away.

Overall, Firewalker by Josephine Angelini is an underrated series that every fantasy lover reader should read. Firewalker is tense, fast-paced, full of magic and demands your attention till the end. Nevertheless, your heart will break, be torn to shreds and beg for more.

Have you read Firewalker? Did you like it? Have you started this series? Have you enjoyed them? Are you going to start it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Sep 25, 2016

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Pages: 405
Publish date: September 22nd
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1509804552
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Three sisters. One crown. A fight to the death.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose . . . it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

Three Dark Crowns:

I received an arc of Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I loved Three Dark Crowns. I was swept away in the world of magic, betrayal and living up to what you were born to do. It’s wicked, sinister and dark, this fantasy book had me locked in from the get-go.

Three Dark Crowns follows a set of triplets: Mirabella, Katharine and Arsinoe as they ready themselves to fight to the death. Because on the island of Fennbirn only one can be queen. Each can control a different sort of magic that is just as important as the other, the night that they turn sixteen it all begins and in the end, only one will survive.

While the three sisters were together for a little while, they were torn apart and raised on different parts of the island, by different people. It shows that sometimes the way that you are brought up, can define who you are, not by the blood that runs through you.

Mirabella has the power of the elements, able to create storms with the snap of her fingers, however, she was my less favourite sister. There was a lot of decisions that she made throughout the book that just ticked me the wrong way. I found her at times to be selfish, there was little hints that she cared for her sister but, something happened in the middle of the book and I couldn’t deal with it.

Katharine is a poisoner, it is said that can consume any poison and not die. I think Katharine was my favourite sister, I was always wanted to be in her perspective. Her view on the world, the way that she was brought up was interesting. She was quite naive at times, but you were able to see her grow

Arsinoe is a naturalist, and it’s said that she can control the bloom of flowers and the fiercest of beasts. She was my second favourite, she was a timid little thing at times and I felt that she need someone to hug. Arsinoe also had a strong bond with a certain character, that stood out.

Each sister had their own personalities and have wonderful character arcs. Each sister grew in some way or another throughout Three Dark Crowns and it was fantastic to see. The reader is able to see each sister find out something about themselves. Each sister also has different motives and wants, again it all comes down to how each were brought up.

The romance was probably my least favourite element of Three Dark Crowns. Instalove, cheating, more instalove. I dislike nearly every single romantic element of the book. I basically shipped no one.

One of my favourite things about Three Dark Crowns was the world. Blake created a world that fascinated me. The reader is able to immerse right into it, and it was so beautifully done. I did want to know more about the history of the magic in the world, but overall the world building was lovely.

There was a lot going on plot-wise because we are in three different perspectives and each sister has different things going on in their lives. There were times that were quite slow, especially around the middle. However, it did pick up.

Overall, Three Dark Crowns is dark and sinister. You don’t know who to trust or what is going to happen next.There were a couple of problems here and there, but overall, I really enjoyed it. The reader is left on their feet through the book, and even when it ends, you are left standing on the edge of a cliff.

Have you read Three Dark Crowns? What did you think? Are you going to read them? Have you read anything else from Kendare Blake? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

Sep 20, 2016

The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

Pages: 256
Publish date: June 29th 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 1681190222
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it’s just the risk she’s been craving the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

The Devil You Know:

I received a copy of The Devil You Know by Trish Doller from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for an honest review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

The Devil You Know isn’t one of my favourite books out there. But with its fast-paced plot and writing that is simply easy, you’ll be turning page after page waiting for something to happen.

The Devil You Know follows protagonist Arcadia (or Cadie) as she decides it’s time to let go, time for her to have some fun – however, things don’t always go to plan. When Cadie decides to go to a campfire party, she never expects to meet two cousins that take her on a road trip like no other.

Cadie has a lot going on in her life. Her mother is dead, her father is barely there, trying to finish school and caring for her four-year-old brother. When she is offered a night out, she takes it – however, it turns into something more.

Cadie is giving me mixed feelings, I adored her determination to looking after her brother, her family. The way that she took it all up and still managed to finish school and provide. She felt genuine and real. However, at times her decision making was quite poor. I mean who decides to go on a road trip with someone that you have just meet.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy this book was that none of the characters were perfect. Everyone has flaws, had a story to who they are, why they are that way and that was the most addicting part. I wanted to find the flaws of the characters, I wanted to find out who they are.

A problem that I did have, was I knew who the ‘villain’ was from the start. It was easy to figure out nevertheless, I did second guess myself throughout the book.

The romance in The Devil You Know was quite problematic for me, I dislike insta-love a lot and even though they didn’t say ‘I love you,’ it was insta-attraction. Nevertheless, if the book was longer, I would have loved the romance. I did feel the connection between the two and liked the way that it did development for the short amount of time.

I also enjoyed the ending of The Devil You Know, it was quite satisfying. Everything wasn’t tied up in a neat little bow, however, on the whole, I am happy with finishing the story where it did.

Overall, The Devil You Know by Trish Doller is addicting. The reader is entranced in the story from the first page, pulled this way and that way. Not knowing who or what to believe. You are waiting for something to happen, and it does, just only to bring you back to the start.

Have you read The Devil You Know? Did you enjoy it? Are you planning on reading it? I want to read more books by Trish Doller, but where should I start? Let’s Chat!