Top 10 Mondays: Writers

1 .Amy A. Bartol - if you've been reading this blog for a while, then you'll know how much I love her writing. 'Nuff said 

2. Jennifer L. Armentrout - I love how even though all her books are paranormal -fantasy based, they still have a bit of humour in them and there's always this occasional funny line that makes you laugh. 

3. Cassandra Clare 

4. Victoria Aveyard- even though she's only released one book, I loved it so much that she just automatically earns a spot on my Top 10 Writers

5. Susan Ee- her writing style is amazing and I love the descriptive language of her work 

6. Sarah J. Maas- her stories always have an incredible plot that always leave you with the biggest book hangover ever and you don't even know what hit you 

7. Tahereh Mafi - The Shatter Me series was absolutely gold 

8. Michelle Hodkin 

9. Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles 

10. Marie Lu, author of the Legend series  

Waiting On A Wednesday: Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Book 1 of the Never Never series

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. 
Complete strangers since this morning. 

He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So it's been a while since I've done one of these- actually, it feels like forever. Schools just started and I have to say that it feelings like I'm approaching my impending doom. Anyway, back to today's book for my Waiting On A Wednesday post: Never Never by Colleen Hoover.

I picked up this book a while back and read it with a little reading group on Goodreads, and I have to say I have kind of mixed-feelings about it. Basically, this book is about this boy named Silas and a girl named Charlie. They've been in love since they were young (the best friends turned boyfriend type of thing) and then one day, poof, they forget everything and can't remember what happened, who they are and who the other person is. They become total strangers, but for some reason, even with their memory gone they're still drawn together so this book is about how they try to find out what's happened. (Spoiler alert: this is only part 1! There's a part 2 to this book that came out not too long ago if I'm not mistaken.)

The thing about this book is that while I love the premisis of the story, the actual thing wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Maybe because I built it up in my head and set a such high expectation for it, but whatever it was, the book just didn't really do it for me. It's not a terrible book, and I don't dislike it, it's just that I don't love it.

I promise I'll do a full review of this book soon - I know I've been saying this about all the books I talk about but I promise I'll get down to it someday. In the mean time... *whips out popcorn and laptop and starts binge watching Freaks and Geeks* 

Top 10 Mondays: Series & Trilogies

1. Shatter Me Trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

2. The Premonition series by Amy A. Bartol (exciting news about the release of her final book in the series coming up!)

3. The Dark Elements Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout

4. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare- Because lets be honest: nothing beats Jem and Will

5. Throne Of Glass series by Sarah J.Maas

6. Angelfall Trilogy by Susan Ee

7. LUX series by Jennifer L.Armentrout

8. The Covenant series by Jennifer L.Armentrout - basically all of JL.A's books are amazing. 'Nough said.

9. Significance series by Shelly Crane

10.The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And wait don't go yet, there's more! I have some exciting news!
Drumroll please........... I'm introducing a new segment on the blog! I haven't actually come up with a name for it yet, but basically every week I will upload and share something that made me smile or laugh, whether a book, a quote or anything.

I'm really excited for this, and hopefully you guys will all enjoy it too!xx

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, I'm sitting here at exactly 12.14am at night typing up this review and I'm still reeling from that book. Seriously.
When I first began Fangirl, I was very doubtful. I was so sure that it was going to be one of those icky, cliche teen love stories that I would hate instantly but instead I found myself falling in love with the book as I turned each page.

How to start? One of the biggest reasons I love Fangirl is because it's not just about how a girl falls in love with a boy as she struggles through colleges and goes through her ups and downs; it's about the love between a family, relationships, about growing up, about how sometimes you have to go through the tough bits and grit your teeth just to make it out.The book develops the relationship between each and every person so beautifully, and it's honest and realistic, and frankly, just what I was looking for. I loved how the relationship between the twins wasn't just all sunshine and rainbows, and the anger and resentment between Cath and Laura. The story has so much more meaning than you would think a book titled Fangirl would have! The plot of the story, while very simple, really drew me in.

Another thing I loved about the book: the characters. Each character was well and fully developed, not to mention realistic and relatable, and I felt like a personally knew each and every character inside out by the end of the book. Not one character was redundant, boring or flat - every character had it's own unique style, it's own unique characteristics that made it stick in your head. The only minor problem I had with the book was that it was too focused on the developing of the characters- I feel like for a good first half of the book, it was all about describing the characters! I mean, taking so long to describe the characters in such depth draws you much deeper into the book, it's just that it took up too much of the story. I swear at one point of the book, when Levi and Cath were together, I started to tear up because it was just goddamn beautiful. The plot may not have been so solid but the relationship between the characters was just perfect. It was honest, realistic and hit all the spots for me.

My favourite character would probably Levi. I absolutely freaking adored him. He's the cutest, sweetest and most charming boy and if he was real I'd grab him right away.

“I miss you."
"That's stupid," she said. "I saw you this morning."
"It's not the time," Levi said, and she could hear that he was smiling." It's the distance.” 

Levi's pretty much the epitome of a perfect boyfriend in my book. 

In conclusion, while Fangirl may not have a perfect plot, it certainly makes up in the way that it was written, and the way the characters were developed. I loved every bit of it and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a coming-of-age/romance-ish novel!

Review: The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak 

Book 1 of The Heartbreakers Chronicle 

Release Date: August 4th by Sourcebooks Fire 

"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."

Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she'll never see him again.

Except, Stella's life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?

But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver — dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band — when her sister could be dying of cancer?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My first impression of the book: it's a really sweet, light and fun book to read with a great romance and basically the perfect summer read. The Heartbreakers is about this girl called Stella, who has a sister called Cara who has cancer, and for Cara's birthday she and their twin brother Drew decide to go to this signing for a band called The Heartbreakers to get a signed copy of their CD. On the way to get the CD signed, they stop by a Starbucks and Stella bumps into this handsome guy, who she later finds out is Oliver Perry, the main singer of the band and they end up staying at the same hotel that night and from there the story unfolds.

The sweetest thing about this book was that it was very centered around the themes of family and friendship. Stella's sister Cara is very sick and Stella can't bring herself to leave her sister so she decides to defer college for the time being, and passes off a lot of opportunities to do thing she loves to spend time with her sister. And throughout you can really see the consistent bond between Stella and Cara, and the love they have for each other with is lovely.

Another thing I liked about this book: Stella is the perfect main character. She's sassy, funny with a quirky sense of humour and very witty, yet has a soft side for Cara and is super caring and protective. and can fend for herself just fine. She's very likable unlike the common whiny, helpless, I-need-to-be-saved female main characters you see in books now a days, and it's really refreshing.

I also really enjoyed the interactions between Stella, the members of The Heartbreakers, her sister and her brother. Everyone got along well and it was fun to read about the way the speak to each other, their relationships and all. Each character was developed thoroughly and it really shows in the book each time an individual character showed up.

I'd definitely recommend this book to you if you enjoy fun, light reads especially since this book has little touches of quirky humour here and there that really make you giggle! It's one of those very pleasant, sweet and lovely romance stories perfect for a lazy summer day!

Review: All I've Never Wanted by Ana Huang

All I've Never Wanted

by Ana Huang 

Release Date: 06/15/15

Summary from Goodreads:

The Scions were the four richest, most powerful guys at Valesca Academy, and they ruled the school with iron fists. Everyone wanted to date them or be them...everyone, that is, except Maya Lindberg, who just wanted to avoid them until she could graduate.

She almost succeeded, until an ill-advised outburst on her part put her right in the Scions' path. Just like that, one became her fake boyfriend, one her unwanted matchmaker, one her guardian angel, and the one she couldn't stand the most? Yeah, he's her new housemate.

A Young Adult romantic comedy that explores what happens when a girl gets everything she never asked for, including a puppy, a new wardrobe, and, possibly, even true love.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following my promo post on this book a while ago, I though I'd do a review on it! 

I'll admit, when I first started off in the book I was hesitant, partly because I was afraid it was going to be one of those classic cliche-teen novels but I was pleasantly surprised as I read on in the book and about 20% in I found myself enjoying it quite a lot! 

This book is about a girl named Maya, who lives in a town (I think it's a town) called Valesca, and there are these group of guys called The Scions, the most powerful and richest people in town who had the power to do anything to you, namely get you kicked out of school. So Maya tries her best to avoid them, until one day she goes to a party and after a whole series of events ends up screaming at Roman, the 'leader' of the Scions who then sets out to get his revenge on humiliating her. Along the way, a lot of things happen, from fake-dates to kidnapping to trips to New York, and they fall in love. 

Things I liked: The characters. They were absolutely hilarious and at some parts I found myself giggling quite some bit. They were well developed, and you can really see the personality of each and every character. Most of the characters were quite likeable as well - take Maya as an example. She's a stubborn, feisty but very determined girl with a good sense of humour. My favourite character though, would be her grandmother, who for some reason has a vendetta against Mickey Mouse and every time she appears in the book it sends you into fits of laughter. What I also really liked was how Roman and Maya fell in love: it wasn't insta-love and it was actually developed quite well - you can clearly see how it develops from attraction-disguised-as-hate to love, and it's very sweet. 

The things I didn't like: the POV switches back and forth between Maya, Adrianna and in third person as well, but the book doesn't tell you who's POV it is so in the begining it's a little confusing. Another thing I didn't like so much was the plot: it was one of those classic girl falls in love with boy even though they start out hating each other, something big comes up and either girl or boy gets hurt, strengthening their love for one another and everyone lives happily ever after. The plot wasn't original, but what definitely made up for it were the characters and the writing style! 

Maya was also a tad irritating in the beginning, with the classic she-thinks-she's-ugly-but-actually-is-drop-dead-gorgeous syndrome, but her flaws are forgiven later on in the book with the squeal worthy romance scenes! 

My rating for this book would be a 3.5/5 stars! In conclusion, All I've Never Wanted is a great, light read especially if your looking for a book to laugh over and a perfect book for reading over the summer!

TBR of The Week: Ugly Love by Coleen Hoover

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 


Synopsis: 
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've only read one other of Colleen's books- Never Never, which was co-written with Tarryn Fisher and I really liked it even though the book was surprisingly short. (I'll leave that to talk about another time!) I really like Colleen's writing, especially because she writes a lot of romance and I am a huge romance sap, so I was instantly attracted to the book when I heard about it, and the blurb makes it sound so interesting! I can tell that this book is the type with a guy that tries not to fall for this girl but inevitably ends up falling in love with her and I can't wait to start reading! *swoon* 

And that's it for today's short TBR of the week: let me know what you're currently reading or what's on your TBR list! 

Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

99 Days by Katie Cotugno


Synopsis:
Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I highly recommend this book if

a) You are into brother-brother love triangles

b) You enjoy characters that never, ever, ever learn from mistakes and repeat them over and over again without remorse.

I DNF’d this book at around 50% because I just couldn’t take it anymore. 99 Days is about a girl named Molly, who slept with her ex-boyfriend Patrick’s brother Gabe very shortly after they broke up (within a day of their breaking up if I remember correctly) and she tells her mother about it, who then goes on to publish a book about it, humiliating Molly and making everyone hate her. So then she moves on to go to boarding school for senior year, without telling her friends or anything. The book starts off when Molly returns, only to find that everyone in the town hates her, even her best friend (no surprise!) and the only exception to this is Gabe, her ex-boyfriend's brother. 

Gabe is the only one that doesn't hate her, and as we find out later in the book, has had a crush on her for the longest time! And let's not forget he's the one that slept with Molly very shortly after she broke up with his brother. But I'll leave that for now and move on. 

Let’s talk about Molly. She is by far, the most stupendously irritating character I’ve ever read about and if I ever met her in real life, the first thing I’d do is give her 3 tight slaps across the face. Despite the fact that I had a lot of sympathy for her during the first half of the book and even empathised with her, come the second half and I came so close to wanting to reach in and give her a good shake! So she comes back to town to find that everyone hates her, and in the beginning I feel sympathy for her, I really do. But as the story goes on, I found myself wanting to slam my head against the wall repeatedly and slap her as hard as I could? Why the sudden change? Let me explain it. 

So she cheated on Patrick, the boy she has known since forever. It's not something small, but it happens. And when something like this happens, the norm tends to be you apologize, feel remorse, learn from the mistake to improve yourself. But this doesn't happen at all in the book! Molly acknowledges she cheated on Patrick, she takes the consequences yet not once do we see that she feels remorse!  But then I told myself, it's okay, just look past it. 

And I did until I came to the next part that made me put down the book. After getting together with Gabe and having the perfect boyfriend (Loving, caring, with absolute adoration) she goes and freaking cheats on Gabe with Patrick! I mean, are you kidding me? Do you never learn from your mistakes woman? The main character is selfish, self-centred and utterly weak and helpless! 

This book turned out to be very dissapointing, which is sad because it could have been a really good book had it not been for the repeated cheating! I know that cheating is part of the book, but you can only go so far before it gets irritating. I'd give this book a 2.5 stars out of 5. 

Top 10 Mondays: Best Covers

So todays Top 10 Mondays post is going to be on.....*drumroll* Best Covers!

1. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

2. The Heir by Kiera Cass

3. Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sánez

4. Incarnate by Jodie Meadows

5. Across The Universe by Beth Revis 

6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

7.World After by Susan Ee 

8. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

9. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

10. Panic by Lauren Oliver 

TBR of the week: The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 

Synopsis: 
A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This book was released some time ago, in May if I'm not wrong and I've been seeing it everywhere, on my favourite blogger's reviews and instagram, and ever since I've been dying to read this book!

It's supposed to be a romance based of A Thousand and One Nights and an re-imagining of The Arabian Nights so I guess a little bit of a Arabic setting and also is a little bit of a historical fiction book/fantasy fairy tale retold- I'm really pumped to reaed this book! And look at that gorgeous cover!

That's it for todays TBR of the week, hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you're currently reading!

Waiting On A Wednesday: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand 

Book 1 of the Unearthly series/trilogy

Synopsis: 
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unearthly is one of the best angel books I've read so far - the plot is amazing and well-written, not to mention the characters and the gripping romance in the book! Clara, the main character, is a very likable heroine, not one that makes you want to rip out your hair. You know the type : whiny, helpless and overall very useless until saviour(normally in the form of a dashing, young and hot guy) comes and boom, whiny heroine becomes supergirl and rides off into the sunset with said saviour. No, this book is nothing like that. The plot has twists and turns, and Clara is the perfect heroine in my opinion and there's a bit of a love triangle, as well as a kind of forbidden romance, which makes the book that much interesting. Full review soon to come!

Some of my favourite quotes so far:

"But she gave me the perfect gift."

"What?"

"You."

"Are you any good at it?"

"Pulling idiots out of the snow? I'm the best" 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Author: 

Joint Review: The Iron King and The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

 

                                                  Join Review: The Iron King (Book 1 Of The Iron Fey Series) & The Iron Daughter (Book 2 Of The Iron Fey Series) by Julie Kagawa 

Synopsis for The Iron King: 
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Synopsis For The Iron Daughter: 
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. 

Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, okay, how to start? The first book of this series, The Iron King, is about a girl called Meghan Chase and one day her little brother Ethan starts acting very strangely, and as it turns out he has been replaced by a changeling, basically a faerie, so she and her long-time best friend Robbie (who actually turns out to be Puck/Robin Goodfellow from A Midsummer's Night Dream if you've heard of it) have to venture into the faerie land, the Nevernever, to get back her brother. Along the way, she finds out she is the princess of the summer court, daughter of King Oberon (Midsummer's Night Dream!), is half-fae, half-human and a whole bunch of other things. During the journey she also encounters alot of dangers, falls in love with the mysterious prince of the winter court, Ash (forbidden love alert!) and meets a cat the reminds me suspiciously of the Cheshire Cat.

What I liked: the characters and the romance (being the romance-sap I am)

Meghan was this wonderfully stubborn but determined girl with a fierce sense of loyalty and her love for her family, as seen from the way she ventures into an unknown land to get him back. She's strong, tough yet vulnerable and makes impulsive decisions sometimes, but all for the good of her friends and family.

Robbie, or more referred to as Puck in the book, is the court's prankster, but he has a lot of unexpected depth that the reader doesn't realise in the beginning. When the book starts out, you think he's just this boy who likes playing tricks on people, who is sarcastic but actually as the book goes on you realise he's much more than that. He's fiercely loyal to Meghan due to his feelings to her, as well protective of her. He adds that little bit of humour and lightness to the book that is needed especially during the more grim parts of Meghan's journey to rescue her younger brother.

Prince Ash, the youngest son of Mab, the Queen of the Winter Courts. He's the type of guy that every girl will fan over - hot, dark and deadly with a mysterious past and an icy wall built around him, only to be broken down by Meghan. His relationship with Meghan starts out kind of rough, but towards the end it smooths out and well... I won't spoil it for you but I'll tell you this : it gets very sweet and you will come very close to squealing your heart out. They fall for each other slowly (despite the fact that Ash tried to kill her in the beginning) and it's just perfect. Not too fast, yet not too slow.

And then there’s Grim the cat, whose standard answer to everything is “I am a cat”. Observe the following: 

"Wait, you already know where you are?" Puck demanded as we edged toward the mouth of the alley, stepping over trash and piles of debris. 
"How does that work, cat?" 
"Most cities are very much the same, Goodfellow." Grimalkin reached the edge of the sidewalk and peered back, waving his tail. "Trods are everywhere, if you know where to look. Also, I am a cat." 

This happens not once, not twice but many many times. Kind of reminds me of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, if you’ve seen the movie, who can only say 3 words. “I. AM. GROOT!” Grim's this mysterious, ever-knowing cat that I've come to love as the book goes on. In the begining, I'll admit, he irritated me a lot and I was very suspicious but then throughout the book he pops up at the oddest times to help Meghan and his sarcastic, wry and "I-know-everything-just-don't-question-it" manner makes me laugh. 

The plot itself in the first novel was fast-paced and a lot of things happened. Normally I don't like stories where a lot of things happen in them and just confuse me but it was okay for me in this novel because the writing smoothed it out, but by the time I finished the book I had a headache from staring so fiercely at the pages! 

Now, onto the second novel of the series: The Iron Daughter. In this second book, it continues where it left off in The Iron King: Meghan made a deal with Ash that if he helped her get her brother back, she would come back with him to the Winter Court where she was to be kept prisoner (or watched over) by the Queen Mab. But of course, as most stories happen, she manages to escape and a whole course of events take place and she finds out more about herself and her power. 

I thought this book was good, though it could have been better and I liked the first book much more. The plot, storyline and characters made up for it, though In the beginning of the book Ash really irritated me and I came close to wanting to lob his head off with a baseball bat, no kidding! It started of with the classic boy-ignores-girl situation due to icky circumstances and rules and I felt that Meghan obssesed a bit too much over Ash but the plot more than made up for it! The second book was also fast-paced, action-packed and thrilling, though like I said before, could have been better! 

Overall, I give the first book a 3.5/5 stars and the second book a 3/5 stars. 

Waiting On A Wednesday: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

If you follow my Instagram, you'll know that recently I just ordered a whole crap-load of books from Book Depository as a little 'Yay you survived one more year of school!' treat for myself, and they just arrived yesterday. I've just finished the Jewel and I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this book.

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Book 1 of the Lone City series 

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I won't bore with a long lengthy paragraph about my thoughts on this book (My review is soon to come!) but in short I quite enjoyed this book, even though I had a major problem with the romance. It romance happened so fast, like insta-love. There was no build up to it, it was just like "Ooh lookie hot guy!" to "Let's get together and make out even though it's forbidden" *Shudder* Definitely not a fan of insta-love. I feel like the 'insta-love' part of the romance is what brought down the book, and if not for that it would have been a lot better! On the plus side, I loved what happened after Violet and Ash (the main male character) fell in love and what happens after that. 

“It would be easier to forget you," he says to me, "and these past few weeks we've had together. It would be easier if I could hate you. But the sad truth is, I will more than likely love you for the rest of my life.”