Review: A Court of Silver Flames (ACOTAR #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Published: February 2021

Pages: 757

Summary

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance and healing in each other's arms.

ARC Book Review: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Published: September 2017

Pages: 267

Summary

From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel -- the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.

Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.

An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.

A bad romance, or maybe three.

Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, villains.

A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.

A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

ARC Book Review: The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Published: January 2017

Pages: 304

Summary

What happens when you fall in love with someone everyone seems determined to fear?

Ninety seconds can change a life - not just daily routine, but who you are as a person. Gretchen Asher knows this, because that's how long a stranger held her body to the ground. When a car sped toward them and Gretchen's attacker told her to run, she recognised a surprising terror in his eyes. And now she doesn't even recognise herself.

Ninety seconds can change a life - not just the place you live, but the person others think you are. Phoeninx Flores-Flores knows this, because months after setting off toward the U.S. / Mexico border in search of safety for his brother, he finally walked out of detention. But Phoenix didn't just trade a perilous barrio in El Salvador for a leafy suburb in Atlanta. He became that  person - the one his new neighbours crossed the street to avoid.

Ninety seconds can change a life - so how will the ninety seconds of Gretchen and Phoenix's first encounter change theirs?

Told in alternating first person points of view, The Radius of Us is a story of love, sacrifice, and the journey from victim to survivor. It offers an intimate glimpse into the causes and devastating impact of Latino gang violence, both in the U.S. and in Central America, and explores the risks that victims take when they try to start over. Most importantly, Marie Marquardt's The Radius of Us shows how people struggling to overcome trauma can find healing in love.

ARC Book Review: Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: Penguin

Published: October 2016

Pages: 388

Summary

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed "America's Fattest Teen". But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game - which lands them in group counseling and community service - Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

RELEASE DAY PARTY + GIVEAWAY for Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully by Megan Tayte

Hey everyone! I'm incredibly excited to be hosting this release day party for Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully, the fifth and final instalment in Megan Tayte's fantastic series The Ceruleans. I read and reviewed the first and second books, Death Wish and Forget Me Not, and seriously can't wait to delve deeper into the series! Be sure to scroll down this post for a great excerpt from Megan's latest book, and enter the giveaway for your chance to win a copy!

DARKNESS HAS FALLEN, AND SHE ALONE WILL SEE THE LIGHT.

With her mother's life hanging in the balance, Scarlett is devastated - and done with being in the dark. She wants answers, all of them.

But when was her pursuit of the truth ever straightforward?

Pulling a single thread impels a great unraveling. And each revelation will force Scarlett to rethink what she thought she knew about the Ceruleans, the Fallen, her family - herself.

All that came before was a mere prelude to this, the last journey. From London to Twycombe to Hollythwaite to Cerulea, Scarlett will be stalked by the ghosts of what has been, what may have been and what may come to pass. Until she reaches the place where it all began, and it all must end.

But in the final reckoning, none will survive unscathed. And some will not survive at all.

In this explosive conclusione to The Ceruleans series, all must be defined by their actions: sinner, saint... or something more beautiful entirely?

Buy Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Book Review: Forget Me Not by Megan Tayte

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: Heaven Afire

Pages: 338

Series: Ceruleans #2

Summary

IN THE FACE OF DEATH, SHE MUST PROTECT THOSE SHE LOVES.

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books; one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be a sinner or a saint?

Death is stalking Scarlett Blake. As if the encroaching darkness in her head wasn't enough, she's become disturbingly accident prone. Falling off a cliff isn't ideal when all you want is as much time as possible to live, to love. Her fate is horrifying. Unbearable. And inescapable, No one can save Scarlett from The End that's looming. Not Jude, the Cerulean who is intent on Claiming her. Not Luke, the boy who is intent on loving her. 

The clock is ticking, louder with every heartbeat. Now Scarlett must decide how best to protect the people she loves. Will she trust in Jude and the life-after-death he promises? Will she stand against the Fallen, who have her sister captive? Will she carry the burden of her death alone - every headache, every hallucination, every wrenching, aching emotion? And when the clock falls silent, when the darkness eclipses the light, will Scarlett fight for life? Or will she have no choice but to surrender?

COVER REVEAL for Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully by Megan Tayte

Hey everyone! I'm incredibly excited to be hosting this cover reveal for Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully, the fifth instalment in Megan Tayte's fantastic series The Ceruleans. I read and reviewed the first book, Death Wish, this summer, and seriously can't wait to delve deeper into the series! And now, on to the cover...

Book Review: The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen by R.T. Lowe

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: May 2015

Pages: 500

Summary

Reeling from a terrible accident that claimed the lives of his parents, Felix arrives at Portland College hoping only to survive the experience. In time, however, his reality star roommate shows him there is more to higher education than just classes, shared bathrooms and bad dorm food, and Felix gradually dares to believe he can put his past behind him. But a fateful storm looms on the horizon: in the nearby woods, two hikers become the latest victims in a series of gruesome murders; a disfigured giant embarks on a vicious cross-country rampage, killing teenagers who fail his 'test'; and an ancient society of assassins tasked with eradicating the wielders of a mysterious source of power awakens after a long silence. Only one man - the school's groundskeeper - knows that the seemingly unrelated events are connected, and that an eighteen-year-old boy stands in the centre of the storm.