Mini Pin-It Reviews #20 – Four YA Novels

Hello everyone and welcome to another mini pin-it reviews post! I have a massive backlog of reviews and this is my way of trying to get on top of things a bit. This isn’t to say I didn’t like some of these books – my star rating is a more accurate reflection of this, but this is a great, snappy way of getting my thoughts across and decreasing my backlog a bit. This time I’ve got four YA novels for you – please see my pin-it thoughts below!

1.) Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) – Lois Lowry

What’s it all about?:

Lois Lowry’s Gathering Blue continues the quartet beginning with the quintessential dystopian novel, The Giver, followed by Messenger and Son.

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

2.) Rebel Belle (Rebel Belle #1) – Rachel Hawkins

What’s it all about?:

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y’all beg for more.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

3.) Evertrue (Everneath #3) – Brodi Ashton

What’s it all about?:

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself… which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

In this stunning conclusion to the Everneath trilogy, Brodi Ashton evokes the resiliency of the human spirit and the indomitable power of true love.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

4.) Into The Still Blue (Under The Never Sky #3) – Veronica Rossi

What’s it all about?:

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do—and they are just as determined to stay together.

Within the confines of a cave they’re using as a makeshift refuge, they struggle to reconcile their people, Dwellers and Outsiders, who are united only in their hatred of their desperate situation. Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. Then Roar arrives in a grief-stricken fury, endangering all with his need for revenge.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble an unlikely team for an impossible rescue mission. Cinder isn’t just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival—he’s also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her earth-shattering Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

COMING UP NEXT TIME ON MINI PIN-IT REVIEWS: Four Random Books.

Mini Pin-It Reviews #13 – Four YA Novels

Hello everyone and welcome to another mini pin-it reviews post! I have a massive backlog of reviews and this is my way of trying to get on top of things a bit. This isn’t to say I didn’t like some of these books – my star rating is a more accurate reflection of this, but this is a great, snappy way of getting my thoughts across and decreasing my backlog a bit. This time I’ve got four YA books for you – please see my pin it thoughts below!

1.) The Impossible Knife Of Memory – Laurie Halse Anderson

What’s it all about?:

For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

2.) Through The Ever Night – (Under The Never Sky #2) – Veronica Rossi

What’s it all about?:

It’s been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don’t take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe’s precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, can their love survive through the ever night?

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

3.) Belle Epoque – Elizabeth Ross

What’s it all about?:

When sixteen-year-old Maude runs away to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Increasingly desperate for money, she answers a mysterious advert: ‘Young Women Wanted for Undemanding Work. Apply In Person To The Durandeau Agency.’ But the work is very strange indeed. Maude discovers she is to be a repoussoir – an ugly young woman hired by Parisian socialites to enhance their beauty.

Maude is humiliated – but faced with destitution, what choice does she have? Quickly (and secretly) selected as the perfect companion for the Countess Dubern’s daughter Isabelle, Maude is thrown into a decadent world full of parties, glamour and astonishing cruelty. Maude finds that academic Isabelle is equally disenchanted with the Parisian social scene, and the girls form a tight bond. But when bohemian artist Paul and the handsome Duke d’Avaray are introduced into the girls’ lives, their friendship will be tested to its limits. The girls are about to discover the true meaning of being beautiful…

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

4.) Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) – Jessica Spotswood

What’s it all about?:

A gorgeous, witchy, romantic fantasy by a debut author! Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and the Beautiful Creatures series!

Everybody thinks Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship–or an early grave. Then Cate finds her mother’s diary, and uncovers a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. But if what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe–not even from each other.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

COMING UP NEXT ON MINI-PIN IT REVIEWS: Four Thriller Novels.

December 2016 – Chrissi Cupboard Month #6

It’s December. And that means (drumroll please)….. it’s Chrissi Cupboard Month!

Hi everyone! It’s nearly Christmas and what better way to finish off this year than a whole month of reading books loaned to me by my beloved sister, Chrissi Reads? This is what I’ll be reading for the month of December.

One – Sarah Crossan

Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2) – Lois Lowry

Rebel Belle – Rachel Hawkins

Evertrue (Everneath #3) – Brodi Ashton

Into The Still Blue (Under The Never Sky #3) – Veronica Rossi

The Daughter Of Smoke And Bone – Laini Taylor

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children Of Ashton Place #1) – Maryrose Wood

The Drowning – Rachel Ward

Follow Me Down – Tanya Byrne

The Art Of Being Normal – Lisa Williamson

As usual, I’m really looking forward to all of these books but in particular, continuing with The Giver series and finishing the Everneath and Under The Never Sky series. There are also a couple of books on this list, namely Rebel Belle and The Drowning that come highly recommended from Chrissi. Here’s to an excellent month of reading!

Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1) – Veronica Rossi

What’s it all about?:

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she’s never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He’s searching for someone too. He’s also wild – a savage – but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other’s best hope for finding answers.

What did I think?:

Under The Never Sky is another one of my books from Chrissi Cupboard Month in June, the debut novel from Veronica Rossi, and a series I had been excited about starting. It’s not just another one of those dystopian novels that seem to be all the rage at the moment instead it blends a bit of fantasy and science fiction with some high class world-building to give the reader strong main characters and a story that they can really invest in. Our first main character is a teenager called Aria, known as a Dweller, who lives in a little bubble of a world called Reverie. Inhabitants of this strange dome are protected from the wild lands and occasionally dangerous climate outside  and exist mainly in virtual reality, with an eye attachment that allows them to escape to other virtual settings – say, if they fancied lying on a beach, well er… virtually lying that is! Aria’s mother works on a different planet on very important business but she finds time to virtually link up with her daughter via Aria’s “Smarteye,” where she encourages her to sing, hence the name.

When we first meet Aria, things are going a bit haywire. She hasn’t heard from her mother for a while and has no clues as to her disappearance. Rebelling slightly against the rules of the pod they live in, her and a few friends decide to break out and see what the outside world is really like. For example, what exactly is fire? What does it look like, how does it smell etc? Well, unfortunately the teenagers soon find out with some tragic and dangerous results for them all. An outsider called Perry, who seems somewhat mythological to the Dwellers, saves Aria despite his misgivings, but in the end she is expelled from the protection of Reverie to try and survive on the outside.

Perry is a fantastic character. From his impossibly long canines, to his difficult relationship with his brother, and to the love and responsibility he feels towards his nephew are all points in his favour. However I also enjoyed the fact that he wasn’t perfect and breathed a sigh of relief while reading about characters that are quintessentially flawed, therefore human, and far more realistic. Aria’s mission apart from trying to stay alive in a dangerous world, (hey, it’s not called the Death Shop for nothing!) is to find out what has happened to her mother. When Perry meets her for a second time on the outside, he is also looking for something, and it makes sense to team up and look together – at least for a while anyway, as they both find each other highly irritating. However, the two must learn to work together if they are to survive in a world of cannibals, disease, and storms so intense that even the air has the potential to kill you.

As I mentioned before, I loved that this wasn’t just another dystopian novel, much as I enjoy them. I loved the science fiction edge to the story, even if I didn’t really understand what was going on at times. What exactly is the Aether again?! Aria and Perry are both strong and intriguing main characters that I found easy to like, and am curious enough about them to want to continue the series. I’m hoping Veronica Rossi has some more tricks up her sleeve, and a bit more explanation about this fascinating world in the second book as I think this series has the potential to be really fantastic.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

June 2014 – Chrissi Cupboard Month

It’s June. And that means…. (drumroll please) it’s Chrissi Cupboard Month!

My lovely sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads gives me books on a regular basis, and as she reads at the speed of light I have had to acquire a cupboard in my bedroom purely for her books. Unfortunately, with all my other books and huge TBR pile, I’m not getting through them as fast as I’d like so I would like to dedicate the month of June to reading books purely from the Chrissi Cupboard. I will obviously be reading my short story every week and our Kid-Lit book for the month of June, but I’m hoping the majority of books will be from this cupboard. Here are the first ten I am planning to read and review:

Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Undone by Cat Clarke

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Echo Boy by Matt Haig

Hollow Pike by James Dawson

The Madness by Alison Rattle

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Shadows On The Moon by Zoe Marriott

Siege And Storm – Leigh Bardugo

I’m really excited to get started on this little bunch, looks like many hours of happy reading ahead! For Chrissi Reads fabulous blog please click HERE.