Review: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Title: Let's Get Lost
Author: Adi Alsaid
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 1 August, 2014
Source: HarlequinTeen via NetGalley
Goodreads

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Review by Nara

Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy
Release Date: 29 July, 2014
Source: Penguin Australia
Goodreads

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Review by Nara

Read ALL THE BOOKS Update: Weeks 3 & 4 (July 14 - 27)

If you don't know what this post is about, you can read this introduction post. Basically, I realised I have way too many unread books on my shelves, and so I'm going to try read as many of them as possible in the coming months. I'll probably continue this feature until I finish them all...but I don't know whether that will actually happen seeing as though I keep buying books. Tis a problem.

Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Title: The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Source: Random House UK via NetGalley
Goodreads

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

Review by Nara

Favourites Breakdown (January to July 2014)

Well, the first half of the year has gone by, so I thought I'd show you some good old statistics regarding my favourite books from this year so far. These are from the books that I've read this year, so they may not necessarily be published in 2014.

Here's the list of my favourites so far this year (roughly in order of date read, as of July 21):
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Panacea Candidate)
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi (Panacea Candidate)
Cress by Marissa Meyer (Panacea Candidate)
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (Panacea Candidate)
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Ruins by Dan Wells (Panacea Candidate)
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (Panacea Candidate)
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead (Panacea Candidate)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Review: Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

Title: Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3)
Author: Susan Dennard
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk, Paranormal Fantasy
Source: HarperTeen via Edelweiss
Goodreads

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

Review by Nara

Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Title: The Peculiars
Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk
Source: Thames & Hudson Australia. Thank you!
Goodreads

On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train north, she meets Jimson Quiggley, a young librarian who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is soon boarded by a handsome young marshal, Thomas Saltre, who learns who Lena’s father is and convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, called Zephyr House. Eventually, though, Lena must venture into the wilds of Scree and confront her deepest fears.

Review by Nara

Half Bad: Drowning in a Sea of Feels

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy
Goodreads

Half Bad by Sally Green is a breathtaking debut novel about one boy's struggle for survival in a hidden society of witches.

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.

Review by Nara

Read ALL THE BOOKS Update: Weeks 1 & 2 (July 1 - 13)

If you don't know what this post is about, you can read this introduction post. Basically, I realised I have way too many unread books on my shelves, and so I'm going to try read as many of them as possible in the coming months. I might continue this feature until I finish them all...but I don't know whether that will actually happen lol.

I think I've made pretty good progress on my unread shelf books! Here's what I've read so far:

Review: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick

Title: The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet
Author: Bernie Su and Kate Rorick
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Simon & Schuster Australia
Goodreads

"Pure genius... a sharp, clever re-imagining... if Austen was writing now, she might have created something like this." The Guardian on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries may have started as a school project for Lizzie, but it grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. People watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr'd, and suddenly Lizzie was YouTube sensation. But not everything happened on-screen. Lizzie kept a secret diary. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet is everything you didn't see in her videos - and more. This is Pride and Prejudice as you've never experienced it before! Read The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, watch the YouTube videos at lizziebennetdiaries.com and check her out on Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter - become part of the sensation that's captured the imagination of millions of fans!

Review by Nara

Quiz: Guess the Book from the Tagline

It's been a while since I've done one, so.....Quiz Time!

This time round, it's going to be guessing the book from the tagline! 12 books in all, some pretty obvious, some not so obvious- all in all, hope you enjoy hunting for the answers :)

Review: Skyfire by Skye Melki-Wegner

Title: Skyfire (Chasing the Valley #3)
Author: Skye Melki-Wegner
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy
Source: Random House Australia via NetGalley
Goodreads

What if you achieve everything you’ve dreamed of – and it turns into a nightmare?

Danika and her crew of refugees finally reach the Magnetic Valley. Will it be the safe refuge and land of freedom they had imagined? When a runaway girl is shot down before their eyes, Danika and her friends realise that this new land is no paradise. They must try to fit in at all costs – even if revealing their secrets will mean a death sentence.

The conclusion to the Chasing the Valley trilogy will reveal explosive surprises and terrifying new dangers.

Review by Nara

Flailage: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy
Goodreads

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review by Nara

Review: Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor

Title: Searching for Sky
Author: Jillian Cantor
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: 3 July, 2014
Source: Bloomsbury Sydney. Thank you!
Goodreads

River means everything to Sky. They have lived alone together on Island for as long as they can remember. The two of them hunt for food, wash in Falls and curl up together in Shelter. Their life is simple and safe. Until River sees a boat . . .

Across Ocean is California, a place where nothing makes sense to Sky. She is separated from River and taken to live with a grandmother she doesn’t know. Lost and heartbroken, Sky searches for him so they can return to Island, only to find out that their paradise wasn’t as perfect as she thought, and everything she’s ever known and loved may have been a lie.

A gripping and beautifully told story of love and survival in a hostile world – ours.

Review by Nara

Review: Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan

Title: Flirty Dancing
Author: Jenny McLachlan
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Release Date: 3 July, 2014
Source: Bloomsbury Australia. Thank you!
Goodreads

Bea Hogg is shy but fiery inside. When national dance competition Starwars comes to her school looking for talent, she wants to sign up. It's just a shame her best friend agreed to enter with school super-cow Pearl Harris. Bea will fight back! But when school hottie, Ollie Matthews, who also happens to be Pearl’s boyfriend, decides to enter the competition with Bea, she will have more than a fight on her hands.

This warm, nuanced, hilarious story about friendship, fortitude . . . and dancing is impossible not to fall in love with. Jenny’s voice is fresh and convincing, and she handles both darker and lighter elements of the story with equal panache.

Review by Nara