3.5 Stars Archives - Page 10 of 16

Book Review: Moon Chosen by P.C. Cast – Blog Tour

Nov 14, 2016

Moon Chosen by P.C. Cast

Pages: 600
Publish date: October 25th
Publisher: Pan Australia
ISBN: 9781925483727
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…

Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all.

Moon Chosen:

I received a copy of Moon Chosen by P.C. Cast from Pan Macmillan Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Before Moon Chosen, I hadn’t read a P.C. Cast book, which actually shocked me. There was a lot I liked and there were parts I didn’t. It’s one of those books that I will continue reading the series, hoping that it will get better. Because I can see the potential.

Moon Chosen follows protagonist Mari an Earth Walker, inheritor of the healing powers of her clan. Mari is forced to hide from her powers and duties until she forms a unique bond with an animal ally. But, when her world is torn apart, Mari’s true powers are revealed and she must find the courage to save not only herself but, her people as well. Then she meets Nik, son of the leader of a dominating tribe and everything is not what it seems.

The world of Moon Chosen took me by surprised. The world of magic, love and betrayal was immersive. I was intrigued by the world that I had not read before. The powers that each clan possess are fascinating. The world of Moon Chosen was one of the reasons why I continued reading.

I quite enjoyed Mari as a protagonist. She had this essence and strength about her. It made me want to find out more. But she frustrated me at times. Mari’s emotions came through Moon Chosen They were raw and real, there were times that I felt like I was getting punched in the gut. I feel that Mari wear her heart on her sleeve. She cares deeply for her mother and even her clan at times – it was beautiful.

The romance wasn’t my favourite thing about Moon Chosen. I can see where it can go, but I also felt that it lacked something. Spark, maybe. But, I wanted more. I wanted more of a connection, a bond. Towards the end I was able to see it, it just wasn’t quite there.

However, Moon Chosen was far too long – I can’t even begin to explain. There were parts that dragged on and on with chapters where nothing really even happened. There is a whopping 100 pages that Mari was not in. We got chapters from people that I didn’t even care about. This might not have mattered if we weren’t so close to both Mari and Nik in perspective.

Also, there wasn’t much of a plot until the last 100 pages or so. I like character driven novels such as And I Darken. But, I felt there was nothing going on for chapters and I could have skipped them and I wouldn’t have missed much. In saying that, the last 100 pages were intense and I was eager to see what was going to happen next. Mari’s character arc was well thought-out and left room for more.

Nevertheless, I loved the family and friendship aspects of Moon Chosen. The relationship between Mari and her mother was so nice to see. Both caring and respecting each other in different ways. And even though Mari’s mother is the leader of their clan, she would stop at nothing to protect her daughter. Mari doesn’t have any stable friendships in Moon Chosen – which I hope will be fix in the next novel. Mari has had to lie to many people including her clan, but now with most out in the open, I hope that things change.

I also really enjoyed Nik’s bonds with people. To me, his clan had a big sense of family. All coming together, all knowing each other, all caring for one another – well nearly everyone. I loved the scenes we got from Nik, where he interacted with his people, his friends and family.

Overall, Moon Chosen was a fascinating read. The world swept me up and left me begging for even more. The characters were intriguing and left hanging, wanting to dig deeper. However, it was far too long. I do want to continue reading this series and want to see where it can take us.

Have you read Moon Chosen? What did you think of it? Are you going to read it? Have you read anything else from P.C Cast? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Last Beginning by Lauren James

Nov 3, 2016

The Last Beginning by Lauren James

Pages: 352
Publish date: October 6th, 2016
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 1406358061
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives. But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove’s investigation?

For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future.

The Last Beginning:

I received a review copy of The Last Beginning by Lauren James from Walker Books in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

There will be spoilers from The Next Together

I was intrigued when I read The Next Together and the start of the year. The world was fascinating, and I was allured by the characters, how everything came to be. I loved all the characters from The Next Together so I was excited to meet some new ones in The Last Beginning. With the ending of the first book, I was begging for me and I had no idea what to expect from this one.

The Last Beginning follows Clove Sutcliffe as she learns the life isn’t as simple as she thinks, and when it turns on its head Clove needs to learn to stand on her own two feet. She needs to learn that things you do sometimes have consequences and one little thing can change your own entire life.

Clove was a hard character to ‘get along’ with. She is demanding and a brat at times. I really wanted to like her as much as Katherine and Matthew, but that wasn’t going to happen. I did love how much Clove cared about her family. There were times when she herself though she ‘hated’ them, but the reader is able to tell how much she cares. The relationship between her and her father especially was sweet. Family dynamics are something that I always look for in YA novels and I think I found it here.

One of the main reasons that I loved about The Last Beginning was that Clove was gay. It’s quite rare that you see a gay female protagonist in a young adult book, but it was so enjoyable. I loved seeing Clove’s ups and downs relationship wise and the fact that she rarely second-guessed who she was. What worked well and didn’t take over was the small ‘coming-out’ story. It was nice to see a novel that did include coming out, but that not be what the novel is about.

Ella was mysterious and overall enjoyable. There may be some ethical issues into how things went down, but otherwise, I liked her inclusion into the story. I enjoyed Ella more than I did Clove simply because of how childlike Clove came across at times. If Ella was a protagonist, I am not sure if I would have liked her the same.

I do wish there was more relationship wise from Ella and Clove. I wanted to see more connection. It lacked a bit, one minute they were friends and then the next, they were a couple. There was something missing.

Katherine and Matthew disappeared sixteen years ago and the world is not the same. They have been made heroes, and there are movies about them, books. And Clove is trying to figure out where she fits into all of this.

I enjoyed the plot of The Last Beginning, however, at times I felt that there was a little too much going on and it made me feel scatterbrain. Clove is an integral part of the plot, but so is everyone else. I loved how all the questions we had at the end of The Next Together, were answered. Everything seemed to fit.

The Last Beginning is set out much like the first book. It’s not just one continuous story. There are different forwards interview and extracts from books. There were times where I felt that I needed a ‘normal’ storyline, nevertheless, I loved that it’s different from other books out there.

Overall, I loved reading The Last Beginning. It’s different, intriguing and enjoyable. The protagonist isn’t enjoyable at times, but I saw things as a learning curve for her. The Last Beginning tells a story of family, love and overcoming. It takes you on a journey through time.

Have you read The Last Beginning? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read The Next Together? What did you think of it? 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!