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Book Review: The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward

Jun 22, 2015

The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward

Pages: 320
Publish date: 2 July 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4711-4356-4
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Meet Samantha Kemi – an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. her ability to mis potions is second to none, and makes her the perfect competitor in the Wilde Hunt – a deadly quest to save Nova’s princess, who has been poisoned by her own love potion.

With the nation’s media watching her every move, Sam must overcome incredible danger and impossible dilemmas in order to hunt down the ingredients for a cure. but is she up for the challenge

The Potion Diaries:

I received a copy of The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward from Simon and Schuster in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Firstly the premise of The Potion Diaries was intriguing. A main character that can mix potions, therefore coming the perfect competitor in a deadly quest to save the princess. For anyone that loves fantasy – this is what will pull them and it did pull me.

I have mixed feeling about Samantha; the main protagonist of The Potion Diaries. I loved when she was in her element mixing potions, the way that her mind was working throughout the book. It was different from other young adult books that I have read before. It’s rare that you have a protagonist that is smart the way Samantha is.

But then she was so whiny and annoying. She was trying to save the princess, but she was still longing for ‘love.’ For someone who is so smart, she was blinded and distracted by the thought of love.

Zain…what can I say about him. I didn’t like him too much. He was the person that always got on my nerves, that whatever he did, I just could not like him. Especially at the ending, the way that he was forgiven so easily. I wanted to scream at Sam.

I found the romance lacked. I could not get into it and I felt disappointed.

I truly enjoyed the Kemi family –and that is not saying that I say often. I liked the way that the family worked, how they acted towards each other. It was nice seeing a family unit that worked – most of the time.

I found the world of The Potion Diaries interesting, but I felt that the world building lacked. I was left hanging a lot of the time, asking myself all these questions. We were just pushed into this world that was somewhat high tech but was using potions.

Though I felt disconnected from the world. The Wilde Hunt was interesting. It was exciting, intriguing, and had me on the edge of my seat. What was going to happen next? Are they going to be okay? Those are the types of questions the reader is posed with while the hunt is on. They kept the book going and it was interesting.

I also would have liked The Potion Diaries more if it was only from Sam’s perspective. Princess Evelyn while under the love potion annoyed me so much. I understand that she was poisoned and was going kind of insane, but I felt that it was unnecessary. This could still have been shown this side of the princess through Sam’s eyes.

The Potion Diaries is being said to be a cross with The Hunger Games and The Princess Diaries. And I do have a slight problem with this. I don’t really understand how it was like The Princess Diaries. But I could see how it was like The Hunger Games. A teen girl put into a dangerous game, where people can die with media watching, but then it stops there.

I liked Amy Alward’s writing style, it was intriguing and I didn’t feel that someone older (an adult) was telling the story. I felt that it was a teen girl who was whiny, wanted to be loved but was also smart.

Furthermore, I enjoyed reading The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward. It was different and refreshing. Yes, there were some problems that I had with world building and the characters, but I overall enjoyed this fun and exciting read.

Have you read The Potion Diaries? What did you think of it? Are you going to read it?

You can find me on twitter at @angel_reads and on facebook and also on Instagram at angelreads. Subscribe to my email through the sidebar or follow me on bloglovin’ to keep up to date.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Jun 12, 2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J.Maas

Pages: 416
Publish date: May 5th 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 1408857863
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

A Court of Thorns and Roses:

I received an e-copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J.Maas from Bloomsbury via Netgalley, in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the review. (And if it makes you feel better, I did go and buy a copy of it myself)

I love fantasy and A Court of Thorns and Roses is the reason why. All my life I have grown up watching and reading fantasy and paranormal/supernatural so when I heard what A Court of Thorns and Roses I knew I need to read it. However I did put it off simply because of all the hype around Maas and her books.

I read Throne of Glass, a couple of books before A Court of Thorns and Roses and I wasn’t that happy. If you saw my tweets, I loved the world and the plot, but they thing, that put me off was the love triangle. So I was pretty nervous about A Court of Thorns and Roses, but let me tell you, wasn’t disappointed.

Maas is a master at world building, the way that she layered and build the world was fantastic, the world pulled me in from the start and I could not put it down. I haven’t read a book about faeries before, because I love the thought of faerie’s so much and I haven’t heard great things about books that are focused on faeries.

Like I said the world building was so on point. She didn’t throw everything at you from the first page or all at once, but gave the reader just enough to understand the world and then here and there gave us more information and I think it was perfect.

The fact that this was also a beauty and the beast re-telling, yes please. Beauty and the beast was/is one of my all-time favourite fairy-tale, so that alone pulled me in. and I definitely same the similarities.

“You look . . . better than before.”
Was that a compliment? I could have sworn Lucien gave Tamlin an encouraging nod.
“And you hair is . . . clean.”

I certainly enjoyed Feyre’s as a character and as the protagonist. She as bad ass at times, but she also struggled, she was human. After killing a faerie that was disguised as a wolf, and to Feyre’s knowledge she didn’t know (though she did have her suspicions), she is taken into the faerie kingdom that will change her life forever.

Then comes in Tamlin. I cannot explain how much I love him, he is up there with my favourite book boyfriends, because come on. Tamlin whose face is obscured by a jewelled mask is more mysterious than Feyre first thought and what readers first thought.

Then there is Lucien, he just cracked me up way too much. The banter between Feyre and Lucien was so good.

The romance was just beautiful, it was that slow burning kind and then bang it’s all let out. It was so nice to see something different.

I threw myself into that fire, threw myself into it, into him, and let myself burn.

The last half or so of A Court of Thorns and Roses was good; however, at times I felt that it dragged on. I can’t truly expand on this because it will spoiler the book, but if you have read it I hope that I am making sense.

Sarah J.Maas writing is beautiful and intriguing. And much like Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses is very interesting and beautiful in the way that is was written.

Also that ending. I need more. I just hope that the next book doesn’t have a love trianlge, please no.

Overall, I cannot wait to read more from this series, it’s everything that I love. Sarah J.Mass’ beautiful writing, intriguing plot and world building that is on point equals a fantastic read that every fantasy reader and everyone certainly should read.

Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses? Did you like? Are you going to read it?

Book Review: Modern Monsters by Kelley York

Jun 5, 2015

Modern Monsters by Kelley York

Pages: 352
Publish date: 2 June 2015
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
ISBN: 1633750027
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…

And wished he hadn’t.

Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible. Suddenly, Invisible Vic is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and figuratively, with the angry kids at school. As the whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name, even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie’s best friend, the beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.

But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened at the party, they realize that while the truth can set Vic free, it can also shatter everything he thought he knew about his life…

Modern Monsters:

I received an e-copy of Modern Monsters by Kelley York from Entangled teen via Netgalley for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book.

Modern Monsters isn’t like something that I have read before. It’s hard to read, gripping and eye-opening. Modern Monsters tells the story of everyone’s worst nightmare for more than one person.

Modern Monsters follows Vic Howard, the invisible guys. Not literally, but the guy that doesn’t have many friends, the one that you see in the background. People talk to him, but not because they like, just so they can invite his best friend Brett to parties and Vic is their way in.

Vic also has a stutter, and I think it’s fantastic! I love diverse characters and books and the main protagonist having a stutter is perfect. You are unable to detect it when he is telling the story, but when he is speaking, it’s all out in the open.

Vic never wanted to go to the party, but after being convinced by Brett and lying to his mum on the way he ends up at a party that would change his life forever.

There are a lot of books out there that tell the story of the person that was raped or even the rapist, but there are very few novels out there that follow, the life of the person being accused of rape.

Vic was doing the right thing and I wish all guys were like this. He saw a girl throwing up, decided to help her and suffered consequences of a good deed. Callie Wheeler’s life changed forever that night, but so did Vic’s.

Modern Monsters takes the reader on a journey of suffering. For most of his life, no one knew who Vic was by name, but now everyone knows. All I wanted to do was give him a big hug.

It was so hard to read, not because of the subject per say, but just what happened around. Not only did Callie had to suffer, but so did Vic and it was heartbreaking. Not only did people who never knew him judge believe what had happened, but people that he loved and care about as well. And that was the hardest to read, because the person that you relied on the most turned their back on you.

“Just because one person is going through something painful doesn’t mean what you’re experiencing is somehow less relevant”

As everything starts to escalate and his life slowing falling apart, Vic is determined to clear his name and this is what I loved the most. He didn’t hid away and let whatever happen, happen. He stood up and start to unpeel the layers that surrounded the party.

With the help and Callie’s, best friend Autumn, they find out everything is what it seems. Callie doesn’t remember everything from the party, she was drunk and the last thing that she remembers before she passed out was Vic. But as all three of them start putting things together, everything because more unclear.

I did guess who raped Callie, and I didn’t mind it. York left enough clues here and there for the reader to pick up the pieces and it was haunting discovery, especially what happens after.

The relationships throughout Modern Monsters are like roller coasters, there are many ups and downs.

York is a brilliant writer. She manages to capture such a hard topic to talk about, and make it somewhat easy to read. I would have loved more character development and less hints of what happened and other events that unfolded (that I don’t want to talk about, because it will spoil, a very important aspect of the story.

Modern Monsters is beautiful, heartbreaking and moving read that if you are looking for something different, then pick this book up without a second thought.

Have you read Modern Monsters yet? Did you like it? Are you going to?

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