Angel Reads

09 Nov

Book Review: Magnus Chase and The Ship of the Dead

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The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) by Rick Riordan

Pages: 456
Publish date: October 3rd, 2017
Publisher: Penguin Australia
ISBN: 9780141342597
Purchase: Book Depository– Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Loki the trickster god is free from his chains. Now he’s readying Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead, armed with a host of giants and zombies, to sail against the Norse gods and begin the final battle of Ragnarok. It’s up to Magnus Chase and his friends to stop Loki’s plans, but to do so they will have to sail across the oceans of Midgard, Jotunheim and Niflheim in a desperate race to reach Naglfar before it’s ready to sail on Midsummer’s Day.

Along the way, they will face angry sea gods, hostile giants, and an evil fire-breathing dragon who happens to be a former acquaintance. But Magnus’s biggest challenge will be facing his own inner demons. To defeat Loki, Magnus will need to use words, not force. This will require finding a magical elixir so deadly that it will either make Magnus Chase powerful enough to out-talk the silver-tongued Loki, or destroy Magnus utterly

The Ship of the Dead

I received a free copy of The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan for review from Penguin Teen Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

This review will contain spoilers from The Sword of Summer and The Hammer of Thor.

I’ve loved reading Rich Riordan’s books for years – and now because I work in a bookshop I try and recommend it as much as I can. The Magnus Chase series has to be one of my favourites – it’s full of diversity, adventure and breaks my heart at the same time. You can check out my reviews of The Sword of Summer and The Hammer of Thor. I loved them both, so when I started reading The Ship of the Dead, I was excited and I wasn’t disappointed.

The Ship of the Dead made my heart fill up so much. I loved seeing how much the characters have grown throughout the whole series. I loved seeing characters find themselves – find out who they are. It’s one of my favourite aspects of young adult books – characters finding themselves. Going on that journey as a young adult when life seems shit – but in the end, you find out things that you never knew.

The Ship of the Dead follows Magnus Chase and his fellow crew on a journey to save the world from Loki and Ragnarok. Everyone comes together to travel the seas and try to attempt to stop Loki – again. It’s really nice seeing everyone come together – sort of their differences and save the world.

The Sword of Summer – is the classic Hero’s Journey arc and I really loved seeing it in the setting that is based on myths. It’s very different to other YA books hero journey’s and I loved it. This series also sparked my interest in Norse Mythology, which I didn’t know a lot about before.

I loved Magnus in The Ship of the Dead. Like I said before he really finds himself in this one and I loved seeing it. Throughout the whole series, the reader is able to see Magnus struggle with finding himself, coming to terms with his death and many other elements of his life. It was hard to see him struggle, but it was also realistic. The reader is able to see a character in fantasy esq world – struggle with who they are.

Again Alex was fantastic in The Ship of the Dead. Like Magnus, Alex sometimes struggles with who they are and it hurts my heart. Alex uses this front to hide away from that and we see it fall in The Ship of the Dead. The reader is really able to see Alex in this last book – before they were hidden away and throughout the whole book, the mask falls.

I could talk about this book for some time – but I’ll stop here. If you haven’t picked up a Rick Riordan book, please do. They are fantastic and you can really see him grow both as an author and as a person throughout all of his books

Overall, I loved this ending to another fantastic series from Rick Riordan. The Ship fo the Dead was intense, a little crazy at times and put a smile on my face. I let a few tears fall at the ending because my heart is weak okay. It was just really nice to see. The Ship of the Dead explores the notion of family and finding yourself. It’s about more than blood and loyalty at it’s highest. If you love mythology, diversity, and an adventure of a lifetime – this series is for you.

07 Nov

Ten Characters Who Would Make Great Leaders

Posted by angelreads Features, Top Ten Tuesday 2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list that members at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone join as you please. This week’s topic is Ten Characters Who Would Make Great Leaders.

This week was so much fun. The characters that I chose are leaders of all different things from sports teams, to leading a rebellion. Some are already leaders and some I think would turn out to be great leaders. Like always these are in no particular order.

Ruby from Frostblood and Fireblood: I love Ruby. Not only does she have a physical power, but she also has the drive to lead. I think that if she finds herself in the next book – she will a pretty great leader. Check out my reviews of Frostblood and Fireblood.

Lada from And I Darken Series: Okay this might be a little out there, but I think Lada is still a great leader. While she is driven by revenge – she will stop at nothing to get her land back. Her people. Her life. And I love that about her. She might just need a little compassion – but I just don’t think that will happen. Don’t forget to check out my reviews on And I Darken and Now I Rise.

Josh Walker from Full Measures: He might be all macho man sometimes, but in reality, he cares so much. Hence why I think Josh will be a fantastic leader, Weather it’s on the Ice or in the air – I think that he knows how to take control – Hallowed Ground anyone.

Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic: While I have yet to finish the last book – I think that Kell would be a hell of a leader. He can fight and people listen to him in different ways. And well his has a few tricks up his jacket.

Emelina from Ruined: She might not be your conventional leader, but she can kick butt. In Ruined she was in it for revenge, but after Avenged, I can see her becoming a leader. Helping her people and hopefully winning the fight.

Magnus Chase from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series: I might be going out on a limb here, but I think Magnus could be a great leader – if he believes in himself. I think for the most part he just does not believe that he can do it and that makes me sad. But I know that he can, he can fight and win.

And that is it for this post! Do you agree with my leaders? Who are some of the characters that you think would be great leaders? Let’s Chat!

03 Nov

Book Tour: Ride Wild by Laura Kaye | Book Review

Posted by angelreads Blog Tours, Book Reviews 1 Comment

Ride Wild by Laura Wild

Pages: 384
Publish date: October 31st 2017
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062403407
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Wild with grief over the death of his wife, Sam “Slider” Evans merely lives for his two sons. Nothing holds his interest anymore—not even riding his bike or his membership in the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. But that all changes when he hires a new babysitter.

Recently freed from a bad situation by the Ravens, Cora Campbell is determined to bury the past. When Slider offers her a nanny position, she accepts, needing the security and time to figure out what she wants from life. Cora adores his sweet boys, but never expected the red-hot attraction to their brooding, sexy father. If only he would notice her…

Slider does see the beautiful, fun-loving woman he invited into his home. She makes him feel too much, and he both hates it and yearns for it. But when Cora witnesses something she shouldn’t have, the new lives they’ve only just discovered are threatened. Now Slider must claim—and protect—what’s his before it’s too late.

Ride Wild:

I received an e-arc of Ride Wild by Laura Wild from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Last week I shared my thoughts on Ride Hard and Ride Rough, the first two books in the Raven Riders series. Overall I really enjoyed both books, and I was so excited to pick up Ride Wild for many reasons. I’ve wanted to hear Cora’s story since we meet her in Ride Hard, then I wanted to hear Sliders story whom we really didn’t know much about. And finally – Slider has two young boys and that always warms my heart.

Ride Wild follows Cora as begins to bury her past and find a new life with the Raven Riders. She has a job looking after Slider’s boys and she wants to find a volunteer position at the local pet rescue. And when she has the opportunity to become a nanny full-time, she wants to take it.

Slider grief over the death of his wife has taken over his life. He wants to do nothing but look after his boys. He is trapped in this cycle, but when Cora comes to stay, his walls start to break. Not only is she changing his boys, but also himself. And then Cora gets into trouble, and Slider will stop at nothing to protect her and his boys.

I loved this story so much that I was able to read it in a couple of hours. The storyline was intriguing and the romance was adorable and steamy at the same time. And let’s not forget how much I love Slider and his boys; Sam and Bean…I mean Ben.

Cora was such an interesting protagonist. The reader has known her for a couple of books now – but we only know her as others see her. So it was really nice to see her in a different light. As a protagonist of Ride Wild – she is very closed off. She keeps a lot to herself and the past that she lived is very hidden. But as the novel goes on and Slider and boys break down her walls – we see a different side of her. One of my favourite things about Cora was how good she was with Sam and Ben. They adore her and I think that she adores them as well.

Slider was a hard shell to uncover, even for Cora. It was really hard being in his head at times because of all the grief, guilt and anger that he holds. But like Cora, as the novel goes on, his walls are broken. And the reader is able to see a side of Slider that only his brothers; the Raven Riders know. My heart was filled was so much happiness when Slider interacted with Sam and Bean – like oh gosh, so damn cute.

Slider and Cora together are just a match made for me. They are both dealing with personal things and keep it to themselves. But, as they come together and get to know each other, they both start to break down. They both share secrets with one another and the reader is able to see them bond. Plus they do have one more thing in common – they both care deeply for Sam and Ben. It was really nice seeing the different perspectives of each other when they were looking after the little ones.

There were so many adorable moments throughout the whole book that I was unable to keep the smile off my face. The way that Sam and Ben adored Cora and their father just hit me in the right spots. But, also the moments between Cora and Haven, as well as Slider and the Raven Riders. They were just one big happy family.

And continuing with that, they will do anything for each other. So when Cora falls into trouble, they are all there. Ride Wild was probably one of the most intense books out of the series, but it worked so well. And man that ending!

Overall, Ride Wild was such a good read. It may not be the best book out there, but over the last couple of months, I have been reading more romance. And I loved it. I adored the relationship between Slider and Cora. And I couldn’t forget about the boys. It’s an intense, sexy and adorable read that you can sit down and enjoy. There are times you might cry and want to hug everyone. But, Ride Wild also puts a smile on your face.

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About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.