Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Author: Tessa Bailey
Source: Edelweiss Plus

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time--in bed and out--and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his... personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye... yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and... and... man overboard! He's fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead?

Okay... WOW! I recently read It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey and really enjoyed it. It was  a four star read for me and became a top read of the year. But I was really drawn to the side characters in that book, Hannah and Fox and was hopeful they'd get their own book. So as soon as I saw they were in fact getting a companion novel - I HAD TO HAVE IT! And luckily for me I got approved for an eARC and quickly devoured it in one sitting.

This was the perfect friends-to-lovers romance that I needed and was just everything I could have asked for and more. I was in love with this book from the very first page when we got to see some text conversations between Hannah and Fox. I loved their friendship so much and how they communicated through songs. It was just perfection.

But what truly cemented this as a five star new favourite was how beautiful the slow build up of their romance was. This is the kind of slow burn I love, which kind of has you wanting to reach into the book and force the characters together. These two had sooooooo much chemisty and sexual tension building throughout the novel. I can't remember the last time I was this heavily invested in watching two characters get together, and feeling so nervous for the conflict that would inevitably come between them.

I feel like It Happened One Summer was a great book and I loved it, but I will definitely say that this book blew it out of the water for me. This was just perfect from beginning to end and I so wish I got to have more of these two together. And yes, I most definitely wish we had got a few more spicy scenes between the two because those scenes were incredible.

5/5

Crescent City: House of Earth & Blood - Sarah J Maas

Title: House of Earth & Blood

Author: Sarah J Maas
Source: Publisher

Bound by blood.Tempted by desire.Unleashed by destiny.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

I'm planning to just refer to this book as Crescent City throughout this review because I have had enough of these ‘­­­­_____ of _____ and ______’ titles. They are too long and all start to sound the same and I’m not wasting my time typing it out.

Crescent City is a hot mess of a book, that is the only way I can think to describe it. I have no idea how to actually review this one, so this review is about to be as much of a hot mess as the book is. Was this book terrible? No. Was it amazing? Definitely not. Do I recommend it? I don't know, it depends if you want another cookie cutter SJM book or not. This book basically goes the way all of her books do, even to the point where she seems to have copied and pasted characters and plot points from one series to the next. If you aren't a big SJM fan or are just done with her books in general, you are probably going to want to avoid it. Her other series were hard for me because I enjoyed them both in the beginning but both had big issues and I was disappointed with the finales for both books. I still seem to come back to her books though because they are addictive and easy to read.

Dear Evan Hansen

Title: Dear Evan Hansen
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Source: Purchased

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.

Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he's doing can't be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be?

No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

Dear Evan Hansen was a book I eagerly anticipated releasing but then also felt very apprehensive about reading it. It's probably why it has actually taken me a few years to actually get to it. I absolutely love the musical, it makes for a very emotional, moving watch and also the soundtrack is one I never tire of listening to. I really wanted to read the book but then I was also scare that I wouldn't love it as much as the musical or the book would end up leaving me disappointed. I can now say that I wasn't disappointed by this book and I did enjoy it, however it still felt like it was lacking something that it was hard to put my finger on. 

What I Liked:

Connor Murphy:  Connor is a character that you don't actually get to hear from during the musical. Yes, he has musical numbers and moments where he is there but the character is dead and really what we are getting is what Evan imagines Connor would be saying and doing, it is like he feels haunted by Connor and judged for what he is doing. In this we actually get chapters from Connor's POV, in a very 'The Lovely Bones' kind of way where he is watching what is going on once he is gone. I really enjoyed his point of view and voice, and also the fact that we get to know Connor a little better.

The writing: I was worried this would read like a terribly written fan fiction or one of those awful novelisations of movies you sometimes get. I was very pleasantly surprised and really happy with that aspect of the book, it is very well written. I also felt like you could tell that the author really wanted to do the musical justice whilst also fleshing out the story to fit to a novel length. 

What I Didn't Like:

Connor's backstory: I didn't dislike the actual backstory itself and the deeper look into Connor but I felt that it took away something by giving him that. I can't quite explain why. I feel it might be because without that it makes it even more obvious how Connor's story has been taken from him, how other people are creating a narrative of who he is and why he did what he did. He isn't there to give his side of the story but in this we get it and I don't know if it was really needed or added to the story.

Evan: I love Evan but I feel he is a character that doesn't do so well on the page and where you are actually in his head. Let's not pretend that what Evan does is in anyway okay, it is indefensible. It is easier to see how it goes that way and snowballs away from him in the musical then it is here though. The actor I saw in the role portrayed it so well and I felt Evan was easier to sympathise with. He definitely is less so in this and I can see people who aren't familiar with the story would get frustrated with him very quickly.

Zoe & Evan's relationship: I can't explain why it works so much better on stage than it does on the page, it just does. It just feels much more manipulative and hurtful in the book and harder to empathise with Evan here. It doesn't help that his infatuation with Zoe comes across a lot more creepy when you're reading it, rather than a little teenage crush. 

For the most part I enjoyed the book, so much so that I managed to read it in one sitting and stayed up far too late to finish it. However it just didn't pack the emotional punch that I was expecting. I found it a lot harder to connect with Evan, which also then made it harder to understand how he could do what he does in regards to Connor and his lies. I feel I'd have also enjoyed this even less if I wasn't already familiar with the characters and story through the musical. 

3/5

Aurora Burning

Title: Aurora Rising
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Source: From the publisher

Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.
First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.
Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.
And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.
Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.
When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.
Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

I have one thing to say about this book that sums up my feelings about it:

"I am not feeling nothing."

And if you have read the book then you already know exactly what I mean. If not, let me just say that I absolutely loved this book so much. It ended and I just felt like I wanted to flip right back to the first page and read it again. It also left me wanting book three so badly that I know the wait is going to feel excruciatingly long. This was a superb read and a new 5/5 favourite read for me. If you haven't started book one in this series, go read it. And if you haven't ordered Aurora Burning yet, do it, you won't regret it.

What I Liked:

Basically me during every part of this book.

Pacing: There wasn't much I didn't enjoy about book one, I did however think the pacing was slightly off and that made the book harder to get through. I am happy to say that the pacing was absolutely perfect here. There was a lot of action but it wasn't all shoved near the end of the book, nor was it followed up by pages of nothing until another action-packed scene. This book had the perfect balance, there was enough action to keep you engaged but also time to be with the characters and to really get to know them better, as well as helping to build up their friendships. I honestly can't find one fault with the pacing here, I loved it.

Action-packed: I can't say it enough but I loved, loved, loved, loved this book! There was so much going on in this book and I didn't want to put it down. It jumps straight into the action and the book doesn't really let up until you reach the end. I couldn't get enough of this story and I loved all the twists, turns and surprises and the wait for book three is already killing me.

Backstory: I loved Squad 312 in book one but I felt that we definitely only scratched the surface of some of these characters, especially Zila. She was the character I most wanted to find out more about when I was reading book one, especially because she could be so quiet at times and we didn't know very much about her before she joined the Aurora Legion. I got what I wanted, more backstory for her and other characters. I loved getting to know characters more, I wasn't expecting for this to be a book that would have me sobbing though - it did!

Characters: I still absolutely love the cast of characters here, even more so now that we are exploring more of their backgrounds and lives before they joined the squad. I still absolutely adore their interactions, they make me laugh and I love the back and forth between them all.

The Ending: P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N! I loved the entire book and I especially loved the ending and how it has just left me wanting to build a time machine so I can go forward in time and read book three already.

What I Disliked:

Romance: I still do not like the romance between Kal and Auri. I loved basically everything else about this book. I even love these two characters as individuals, but I fucking hate them as a pair and any scene with just the two of them made me cringe. I'm honestly just done with 'mates' being used as an excuse for authors to not actually build a real or realistic relationship between two characters. This feels as rushed, forced and underdeveloped as mate romances usually do. I honestly think this book would have worked way better if they built up an actual relationship and there wasn't a 'mate' part to it.

5/5

*I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher.

Aurora Rising

Title: Aurora Rising
Author: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Source: Purchased

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.


Let me just get this out of the way first: The Illuminae Files is a series that I have a deep love for and consider one of my favourite series of all time. I loved the format of it, it made for such a unique reading experience and wasn't something I had seen a lot or read for myself. My expectations going in to Aurora Rising were definitely high because it was coming from the duo that brought me one of my favourite series. Once again I was getting a sci-fi trilogy with a whole host of characters and stretching across galaxies and I was excited, I was also worried that it would not measure up. Try as you might to not compare a book to an authors other work, you inevitably do. Did I enjoy Aurora Rising? Yes, very much so. Is it as good as or better than Illuminae? In my opinion, no. Should you go read it as soon as possible in preparation to book two? Most definitely yes, I've read book two and you will not be disappointed.

What I Liked:

Characters: I am always here to read about a group of people having to join up to become just the unlikely team you need to take down an evil force. I loved this group of characters a lot but I'm also excited for the next book because I can't wait to find out more about characters that kind of took a back seat. The main cast of characters gel together so well and I loved their back and forth during this book.

Tyler Jones: Tyler is the leader of Squad 312, top of his class at the Aurora Academy and about to get first pick for his dream squad before doing his first mission for the Academy. That is until he decided to take a quick, relaxing trip into Fold entry to clear his head as he can't sleep. Instead what he gets is an SOS from the Hadfield, a ship that disappeared in the Fold over 200 years ago, losing over 10,000 people. Tyler answers the SOS and finds only one survivor who has been frozen the entire time. This kicks of our epic space adventure and also gives us a great introduction to Tyler.

Aurora O'Malley: Aurora is the seventeen year old human who was expecting to wake up from her cyrosleep to find herself on Octavia III and reunited with her father. What she gets instead is to wake up 220 years later to realise that every single person she loves and cares for is now dead, and that they died never knowing what happened to her. She begins getting strange visions and then slowly discovering that she can now do things she could never have imagined and she doesn't know why. I love Aurora and she's a character you really empathise with and feel for throughout this book.

Cat Brannock: Cat is the star pilot in her year of the Aurora Legion, she's been best friends with Tyler since they were kids but she definitely wants them to be more than that. She's also cynical and not a fan of Aurora or the situation saving her has got them all in.

Scarlett Jones: Scarlett is the twin sister of Tyler, she's also the diplomat at the group who has an almost sixth sense about how others are feeling and thinking. She's a total heartbreaker, who has never had a long lasting relationship but does have a long list of hearts she has broken. Scarlett is incredibly sarcastic and I love that about her.

Kaliis Gilwraeth: Kal is a Syldrathis, which explains his violet eyes, silver hair and pointed ear. He was a member of the Syldrathi Warbreed cabal but chose to join the Aurora Legion. Kal is the typical brooding character who also has a habit of solving his issues with violence, an urge he calls the Enemy Within. He's an interesting character but again, he isn't my favourite.

Finian de Seel: Finian is a Betrasken and also the Gearhead of Squad 312, he wears an exosuit to help with nerve damage, muscle weakness and impaired mobility caused by an illness he had at a young age. He is also hilariously funny and has a quick, witty comment ready for any occasion. I also love all of his attempts to flirt with Scarlett. I adore him and yes, he is definitely a favourite and I want much more of him in the next book.

Zila Madran: Zila is the most intelligent of the group, she is also the quietest. She keeps to herself a lot but when she does speak it is with rationality, she doesn't really take into consideration what her observations and comments will mean to other people and their feelings, she is very blunt and to the point. She's the character I most want to know more about in the next book as we really don't know much about her or why she acts the way she does. 

Banter: I should have known that I'd love the interactions between the characters here. These two authors already proved with the Illuminae series that they are great at dialogue, they can make you laugh during even the most tense scenes where characters lives are literally at stake. I really couldn't get enough of the dialogue here.

Found Family: Who doesn't love the found family trope! Honestly, this book really reminds me of Six of Crows but in space. Some also compare it to Guardians of the Galaxy, which also makes total sense but I must admit I was the only person who didn't really love the film all that much. I'll take Squad 312 over the Guardians any day. I love watching the characters get to know one another and get close over the course of this book.

Space Adventure: I think it is also easy to compare this to Illuminae because both are sci-fi trilogies with a host of different characters, that span across galaxies and involve sketchy galactic governing bodies that you can't really trust. I loved that aspect of it, the traversing across space and the different planets they need to visit. 

What I Didn't Like:

Pacing: I feel one of the only things that stopped this book becoming a new favouite for me was the pacing. This can be a problem with first books in a series, as they often have to spend time introducing the characters, the world, the different races of aliens and other information you need to know. It is laying the groundwork for what is to come and it is fascinating, but it also slows the plot down. At times the plot is slow and it feels like you are just plodding a long, then it will suddenly speed up and rush through a piece of action. It is also one of those books where most of the action and excitement happens right near the end and then leaves you craving the next book. I also think I should have loved the Six of Crows style heist that happens in this book but I didn't, it felt forced, weird and a little out of place for some reason.

Romance: The other thing I am not a fan of in this book is the romance, I was not a fan of it at all. Quite honestly I would love to see the end of mates being used in YA fiction. I HATE IT! It just feels like an easy way to rush your romance and try to excuse insta love. I'm completely done with mates in my books, that plot device needs to be thrown away and never used again. I feel if they had a more organic and realistic romance than I could actually have got behind it and liked it more. Instead it just feels rushed and the mates aspect is just a way to excuse the fact they don't actually build a relationship between the two.

Aurora Rising is a fun and enjoyable read overall. It has a great cast of characters, an interesting story that keeps you guessing and keeps you reading. There are some great action sequences, as well as quieter moments where we just get to be with the characters. I do feel the romance here is weak and lacking and that the pacing is off at times, but the book is still a lot of fun. This book leaves you wanting more and was a great story, it just doesn't feel s original or as good as Illuminae. I highly recommend you still pick this up and read it though, especially since I have read book 2 and it is 5/5 perfection and you don't want to miss it.

4/5

If you'd like to order a copy of this, feel free to use the link above. It is an affiliate link and helps to support the blog as well. 

Show Stealer by Hayley Barker: Blog Tour

Title: Show Stealer
Author: Hayley Barker
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Sent by publisher

Hoshiko and Ben have been on the run since they burned Silvio Sabatini's circus down to the ground at the explosive finale of SHOW STOPPER. But Ben's mother will stop at nothing to track him down and get her revenge: backing him into a corner where he is forced to sacrifice himself to save Hoshiko. The deadliest show on earth has been resurrected and if Ben thought he'd seen into its dark corners as an outsider, the true extent of the horrors that lurk beneath the Big Top are about to be revealed as he becomes the circus' new star attraction...

I am excited to be the next stop on the Show Stealer bog tour. Show Stealer is the second book in the Show Stealer series by Haley Barker. Show Stopper takes place in a not-so-distant future England where the poorest people, considered 'Dregs' and not 'Pure' English have no rights and a terrible way of life. Many Dregs are forced to sell their children into a travelling circus, where they are forced to perform in deadly acts where many of them die. The first book followed Ben, the teenage son of a government minister who visits the circus for the first time and falls in love with Hoshiko, one of the young circus performers. Ben quickly becomes aware of how wrong the society he lives in really is and he works to help Hoshiko escape the circus,

Show Stealer takes place a year after the events of the first book. Hoshiko, Ben, Greta, Jack and Bojo the monkey are still in hiding, having escaped the Circus. Ben's mother is determined to track them down and get Ben back. And the Circus has been rebuilt bigger and more deadlier than before. Ben sacrifices himself and gives himself up, in order to allow the others to escape. Ben finds himself thrown into the Circus, as the new star attraction. Ben's position in the Circus will see him learn more about the deadliest show on earth, and will change everything he thought he knew.

Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt: Blog Tour

Title: Theatrical
Author: Maggie Harcourt
Publisher: Usborne
Source: Sent by publisher

Hope dreams of working backstage in a theatre, and she’s determined to make it without the help of her famous costume designer mum. So when she lands an internship on a major production, she tells no one. But with a stroppy Hollywood star and his hot young understudy upstaging Hope’s focus, she’s soon struggling to keep her cool… and her secret. 

There are very few things in this world that I love as much as I love theatre and books. Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt manages to bring my two loves together and it is total perfection. Visiting the theatre is always a magical experience and Maggie manages to bring the magic of the theatre to life on the page. Before I gush about Theatrical, I first want to talk a little bit about the theatre and why I love it so much.

I still remember the very first time I saw a show on the West End. I went to see The Lion King for my 13th birthday, in a new outfit that was bought for the occasion - a tradition that continues today. The show started and it was as if I had been transported to the savanna's of Africa. My face was one of complete awe and wonder. I had fallen in love with the theatre that day and I haven't looked back since. I have seen quite a lot of shows on stage, but there are so many more I am desperate to see. Every show I have seen was unique, mesmerising and transported me someplace new. I've seen Hamilton five times in six months and I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing that show. The Cursed Child blew my mind with the ways it managed to bring magic to the stage, I still can't even figure out how they did some of it. The theatre is an experience you never forget and you'd struggle to find a more talented bunch than the people you see on that stage and the incredible people behind it too.

Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt follows Hope, who dreams of working backstage in the theatre. Hope wants to earn her place though, she doesn't just want to be given a job because her mother is a famous costume designer, When Hope gets an internship at a theatre, working on a major new production, she could not be more thrilled. Piecekeepers, a best-selling novel, is being turned into a play with the famous Hollywood heartthrob Tommy Knight in the lead role. Hope has her work cut out for her trying to ensure the show is ready for opening night, all the while trying to keep her internship hidden from her family.

Zenith by Sasha Ahlsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Title: Zenith
Author: Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.
But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.
Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

No, your eyes aren't lying to you, I really am posting on the blog... Finally! And I'm returning as one of the last stops on the Zenith blog tour. Zenith was advertised as a pirates in space adventure, with a kick-ass, all girl crew. It sounded like my idea of a good time, so I was excited to read and review it for the tour stop. But I wanted to mention something that I noticed when I added it to my Goodreads. There was a little controversy over the fact a Booktuber got a book deal, which felt like a no brainer to me. I'd rather one go to a book lover than a beauty vlogger who would just get a ghost writer to do it and then slap their name on the front. But maybe that's just me. This book faced much harsher criticism and scrutiny than your average book because of that. So please don't let that put you off, this book is worth your time if you love science fiction, space adventures, political intrigue, and a killer, all girl squad.

This is a space opera, so it means we get all of the space! I love being able to travel to the different planets and seeing the world that Sasha and Lindsay have created. Science fiction is a genre that just has such endless possibilities, and I really love what they did with theirs. I think it was obvious to see that they went for a large scope and have thought hard about their world, the people within it and everything else. It also means that their are many more places and things to explore in future books. I also loved that we get a deeper look at the past, and what led to the different planets and solar systems within the book being at war. This book has some interesting political intrigue and moving pieces all across the board. And it keeps you on your toes, as there were some twists I did not see coming at all.

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer: Review & Interview

Title: Letters to the Lost
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only way Juliet can cope. 

Declan Murphy isn’t the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he’s trying to escape the demons of his past. 

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he’s opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither of them knows that they're not actually strangers. When real life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. This emotional, compulsively-readable romance will sweep everyone off their feet.

This book has just been announced as part of the Zoella Book Club and I couldn't be happier for Brigid Kemmerer. This book is incredible and I can't wait for so many new people to read the book because of this! Grab yourself a copy asap, and now you can even grab the Zoella Book Club WHSmith exclusive cover.

Before Letters to the Lost, I'd actually once tried to read another book by Brigid Kemerer, Storm, the first book in her Elemental series. I ended up not finishing the book, I couldn't get in to the story and thought that maybe her writing just wasn't for me. So I must admit that I was a little hesitant to pick Letters to the Lost up, but I just had to read it as it seemed like exactly my kind of contemporary. I was so very right. I am so glad I took a chance on it, I ended up absolutely loving this bstory and now I am left wanting more from this author. I read this book in just a few hours, I honestly just couldn't put it down and step away from the story or these characters. Within just a few pages Kemmerer managed to get me ridiculously invested in her characters and their story. Ahhhhhh, I just really loved this book and now I just kind of want to gush about it.

Since Juliet lost her mother in a car accident, she has been leaving letters at her grave as a way to feel close to her. Her mother was a war photographer, constantly travelling to war torn countries to capture the true horror, so letters have always been how Juliet and her mother kept in touch whilst she was away. Juliet never expects anyone to read the letters she leaves at her mother's grave, she definitely doesn't expect anyone to reply. But Declan does. He is currently doing community service at the graveyard when he finds one of her letters. He understands her feelings, he is still dealing with the death of his sister and the guilt he feels from that. He write back, which begins a communication between the two of them. They seem to understand each others pain, guilt and grief, but they don't realise that they know each other in real life and they haven't exactly had the best interactions with one another. Cue all the good stuff!

I'm not even sure where to begin, there are so many things that I loved about this book. It covered so many issues so well, and gave me so many feelings in the process. I think first I should say that I loved the characters, they just felt so real. Their grief and pain was just so easy for me to understand and relate to, as well as their guilt, even for the things they really shouldn't blame themselves for. I loved watching Juliet and Declan connect through their letters, whilst also getting to know one another in real life without even realising it. It showed so well how quickly we can judge people and make assumptions about them, without knowing their full story. It also perfectly showed how anonymity can make us far more comfortable and willing to show who we really are.

This book dealt with a lot of tough subjects, not just loss and grief; Brigid Kemmerer dealt with these all so well. It never felt like too much, or that she went too over the top with it like I have seen in other books. These tough issues were never used for drama, they were so important to the story and these characters, who they were and the decisions they made.

Another thing I loved about the book was all the different relationships portrayed here. You had those with good relationship with their parents, those without. Not to mention the strong friendships here, ones that I really enjoyed. I especially enjoyed Declan's relationship with his best friend Rev, the level of understanding those two have of each other is just brilliant. They know each others past and the struggles it caused them, they were supportive, whilst also being capable of calling the other out on their bullshit when they needed it. I felt the family relationships were also very realistic, especially Declan's struggles with his step father. I felt like their lack of communication was so true to real life. If you don't open up and tell someone your feelings and motivations, they'll judge you only on what they can see and that won't always be who you are. I really enjoyed how Kemmerer dealt with that relationship over the course of this novel.

Kemmerer did such a wonderful job building up the relationship between Declan and Juliet. This is a fantastic contemporary, where the romance isn't overpowering the story, and I actually preferred it that way. This was definitely a slow build and slow burn romance, with two characters truly opening up and getting to know each other; my favourite kind of romance. That isn't to say that I didn't totally want to see these two end up together, I did. I shipped these two so very hard!

I absolutely loved this book and can't really find any faults with it. My one and only complain might be that I wanted one more chapter or so, which is what I seem to say about every single contemporary I ever read. That's not because the ending didn't wrap up the story enough or didn't give me closure, it was just that I didn't feel ready to say goodbye to these characters, which is a good sign that I loved the book.

5/5 Butterflies

Why do you write?

I’ve always loved telling stories. I started writing stories in middle school because I couldn’t find enough to read to keep me busy.

Do you write letters? How important do you think it is to keep up letter writing rather than just always texting/emailing etc – or do you think we have to move with the times? 

I rarely hand-write physical letters (though I’m going to write two physical letters to two people I found incredibly inspiring as I was writing Letters to the Lost). That said, I am constantly emailing and texting. I love being able to take the time to sit down and think through what I say, and especially with email, being able to deliver all of it at once, instead of as part of a conversation. I think that goes hand-in-hand with writing books: I’m just a storyteller at heart.

In the age of digital dating and online friendships, how much do you think it is possible to get to know a person without actually meeting them? 

My absolute closest friend is a woman I met online through a writers’ message board. We’re as close as sisters now, and we’ve only physically seen each other twice. I met my husband over the phone, and we developed a friendship well before we ever met in person. And those are my two closest relationships! I think it’s very possible to develop a close relationship with someone online. I’ve never met many of my writer friends. Being able to connect with people all over the world is one of the best parts of the digital age.

Which novelists do you admire? 

Oh my goodness, SO MANY! Huntley Fitzpatrick, Sabaa Tahir, Charlaine Harris, Sophie Kinsella, Bill Konigsberg, Jane Green…I could go on and on!

Describe your route to being published: 

I feel like I’ve been writing forever, but I started to really take it seriously in my late twenties. I began researching what it would take to get published—and learned it takes a lot of work! My first real novel was rejected everywhere, so I wrote another one. That novel landed an agent—but didn’t sell to any publishers. My third novel, Storm, sold at auction, and it’s the first novel in a series about four brothers who control the elements of earth, air, fire, and water.

What songs would be on a Letters to the Lost playlist? 

I always say that Shots by Imagine Dragons is the book’s theme song. The regular version is great, but there’s a slower, acoustic version that just absolutely nails it. The song is about someone who wants to do things right, but they feel as though everything they do ends up being terribly wrong.

What is the first book that made you cry? 

I can’t remember. The last book that made me cry was The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

What drove you to make Juliet’s mother a war photographer? 

I wanted her mother to have a job that would require a lot of travel, but also be something unusual and admirable. I started researching photojournalism and it just clicked immediately.

What’s your favourite photo you’ve ever taken? Or one that you’ve seen? 

The most powerful photo I’ve ever seen is the one that inspired the opening chapter of Letters to the Lost. It’s called “Iraqi Girl at Checkpoint,” taken by Chris Hondros, and it’s terrible and devastating.

Here’s a link: http://100photos.time.com/photos/chris-hondros-iraqi-girl-at-checkpoint How a Photo of an Iraqi Girl at a Checkpoint Changed the ... 100photos.time.com

The girl's parents were shot dead by U.S. soldiers who thought the family's car held insurgents or suicide bombers But seriously, it’s terrible and heartbreaking. Not for the faint of heart. The instant I saw it, I started crying, and the mother in me wanted to find her and hold her.

What was the hardest part of writing the book? 

Looking at war photographs. Some of them (like the one above) are terribly difficult to look at. My husband and I went to the Newseum in Washington D.C. so I could do some research for Letters to the Lost, and seeing so many photographs all at once was an incredibly emotional experience.

Can you tease any future projects? 

Yes! Rev Fletcher, a side character in Letters to the Lost and already a reader favorite, is getting his own book. More Than We Can Tell will be released in March 2018. I’m also just finishing A Curse So Dark and Lonely, a fantasy/contemporary crossover, which should be available sometime in 2019.

Swear on this Life by Renee Carlino

Title: Swear on this Life
Author: Renee Carlino
Publisher: Atria Books

When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.

Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.

That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.

The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction?

Anyone who has followed my blog for a while will know that I have a complicated relationship with New Adult books. It is very rare for me to find a new adult book that I like. My biggest issue with the genre from the majority of books I have read is the poor writing, annoying tropes, every tragic backstory you can think of and the cringe-inducing dialogue. I mostly stick to Colleen Hoover, although I've been disappointed with her last few books. I recently discovered Fisher Amelie and I will forever recommend Katja Millay's The Sea of Tranquility. Every now and again I will take a chance on a new adult book, hoping that it will pay off. I decided to give Swear on This Life a try because it was recommended by Colleen Hoover and I was curious. Unfortunately, I have to say that this was one of the worst books I have read in a very long time.

The story follows Emiline, a writing instructor at UC San Diego, who always longed to be a writer but could never find the story she wanted to tell. When a debut novel blows up and becomes the next big thing, Emiline decides to read it. She is surprised to find that the book is about her. The author, J. Colby has to be Jase, the guy she grew up with and her first love.

Another reason I was curious to read this book was because of the childhood friends to lovers story line, as I usually find them super cute. However this story offered me absolutely nothing and I honestly wish I had never picked it up. My biggest problem with this book was that it was poorly written. It had some of the weakest dialogue that I have ever encountered. It also contains the whole 'book within a book', a book we are supposed to believe is getting world wide attention and acclaim, which made no sense given how poorly that book was written, so much so that it could make Fifty Shades look like a work of genius. It was just so, so, so, soooooo bad.
This also had one of my least favourite tropes that is ride in New Adult literature. And that is the tope of the tragic back stories. Why can' a lead character in a new adult book not have some awfully tragic back story? One has an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother who abandoned them. The other has a druggie mother, absent father and brother who dies tragically. Of course! It is always sooooo fucking over the top and ridiculous and I hate it.

The book within this book made it hard for us to get to know the characters as adults. Instead we kept going back to a fictionalised version of their childhood. It made it hard to connect to them or to really buy their romance. Not to mention it had a really rushed and swift end. It felt like you got absolutely no pay off for sticking through the whole book. I just had a horrible time with this book and it has put me off trying anything else by this author.

The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby: Review

Title: The Secret History of Us
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Harper Teen

A near drowning…a coma for days…and then…

Olivia wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember. Not just the accident—but anything from the last four years. Not high school. Not Matt, the guy who is apparently her boyfriend. Not the reason she and Jules are no longer friends. Nothing.

That’s when it hits her—the accident may not have taken her life, but it took something just as vital: her memory. The harder she tires to remember things, the foggier everything gets, and figuring out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

But then there’s Walker. The guy who saved her. The one who broke her ribs pumping life back into her lungs. The hardened boy who keeps his distance despite Olivia’s attempts to thank him.

With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t even remember living.

I was very excited when I saw this book was available for review, I'd read Jessi Kirby's Things We Know By Heart  last year and absolutely loved it. Her writing just drew me in and I connected to her characters, so I was hoping my reading experience would be the same for this book. In the end, I did enjoy this book, it just didn't pack the same emotional punch as the first book I read by her.

We follow Liz, who wakes up in a hospital after spending eight days in a coma following a serious car crash, one that no one can understand how she survived. It soon becomes apparent that Liz doesn't remember the crash, in fact she doesn't remember the last five years of her life. She has no memories of her boyfriend of two years, who was in the car with her that night. Liz has to learn to come to terms with who she is now and where life has taken her in those five years. She is drawn to the young man who pulled her from the water that night, the same person who performed the CPR that saved her live.

I'm still really enjoying Kirby's writing, there is just something about it that draws me into her stories and makes her books hard to put down. I struggled to connect to the characters here, but that had a lot to do with Liv's memory loss. It feels like you never really get to know her and who she actually is. The book doesn't spend enough time on any of the other characters for them to make much of an impression.

I hadn't known what to expect from this book. I associate Kirby with contemporary fiction, but I got the impression this would be more of a mystery/thriller going off the slightly creepy cover and the memory loss story line. It isn't at all though, it is more of a contemporary about finding who you are and who you want to be, with a little bit of romance thrown in.

Overall, I felt it was an okay read but it just didn't make me feel much of anything. I never truly connected to Liv as a character. I also was never able to buy the romance here because we just didn't spend enough time with the other characters.Without Liv's old memories we are unable to see the moments they've shared, the ways that they connected. Personally, I just felt that not much happened in the story overall, and all the major events that do happen, happen right at the end, making the story feel rushed and incomplete. I still enjoy Kirby's writing, but I would definitely recommend her other book before recommending this one.

The Inventory Series by Andy Briggs: Review, Giveaway & Guest Post

Titles: Iron Fist, Gravity & Black Knight
Author: Andy Briggs
Publisher: Scholastic

The Rules: if you find a secret inventory of utterly deadly battle tech. 1) Do not try it. 2) Do not tell anyone. 3) Do NOT let thieves in behind you. What’s more secret than top-secret? The Inventory. Home to the deadliest inventions the world isn’t ready for. Invisible camouflage. HoverBoots. Indestructible metals. Plus a giant creature of chaos: war robot Iron Fist. No one has ever broken past the state-of-the-art AI security system. (Seriously, most bad guys have no idea this stuff is even there.) Problem 1: the security robot wasn’t ready for a gang of kids wandering in. Problem 2: they’ve ONLY brought the ruthless Shadow Helix gang in behind them. Seriously dumb, but it’s a bit late for ‘sorry’. Say hello to trouble: the Iron Fist is in the wrong hands!

The Inventory series by Andy Briggs is one of those action-packed books that is just perfect for its middle grade audience. I am actually starting a new job next week, managing a Secondary School library and I will be buying these in straight away if they don't have them. The Inventory is basically a huge storage facility where technology deemed 'unsuitable' or too dangerous for use is stored. Now this includes dangerous weapons, crazy inventions and incredible pieces of tech. Dev has lived with his uncle his whole life, and his uncle is charged with watching over the Inventory. Dev has never really made friends, so it comes as a surprise when two classmates show up at his 'farm' one day. It just so happens to be the day the Inventory is attacked by Shadow Helix, a group determined to break in and steal the Iron Fist, a piece of technology even Dev doesn't know what it can do. When they capture Dev's uncle it is down to Dev and his two classmates, Lot and Mason, to outsmart the bad guys and protect the Inventory.

Me at almost every page!

This book is honestly just perfect for the age range. A group of teenagers working together, with all this advanced and rather incredible technology, to take down a gang of adults and protect the world. Seriously, perfect! And it is done soooooo well. There is action on every single page, there isn't a boring moment at any point during the book. I also loved watching Dev, Lot and Mason work together throughout the book. And that is continued on in the sequels, where they are helping to trach down items from the Inventory. The first book is set almost entirely within The Inventory, but with how big that actually is and the exciting inventions inside, it seems like such a bigger world and you don't get bored, instead you kind of wish you could peer into every corner of the Inventory and see all it offers.

These books are fast-paced and action-packed. I could get through these books in one sitting, without even realising it. It is hard to put them down because you are always in the thick of the action and there never seems a good time to step away and take a breather. I am actually so excited by this series, it is one of the best middle grade series I have read in a long time. I can't wait to start my new job and start recommending these to the kids I'll be working with, I know they're going to love them. Anyone looking for an exciting, adventure series then this is one I highly recommend.

7 Tips for Aspiring Authors
by Andy Briggs

1 - Finish your book. 

While on the surface this may sound like completely pointless advice, you’d be surprised. Touring around the UK, I meet many people who excitedly tell me that they’re writing a book. You meet very few people who have actually finished one. While it’s great that so many people are writing, it takes a lot effort to actually finish a book. Just remember, once you have completed your epic, you’re in a small select group of people who have actually done so – regardless if you’re published or not!

 2 - Write different things.

It seems that publishers all want are series. So, of course, everybody pitches their series ideas and then are surprised when they’re turned down. The thing is, publishers want material that has the potential to be a series, but stands up as a strong single book. One of the unexpected things writers get asked, shortly after being rejected by an agent or a publisher, is “what else have you got?”. If you’ve just been rejected for your dystopian vampire love story because there are billions on the shelves already, make sure you have something different (and preferably complete) in your back pocket – a story about a talking horse perhaps, make it something very different from your first offering. If the agent/publisher is asking that question, it’s because they like you and your writing, so don’t disappoint them.

 3 – Experiment.

Some people are desperate to be authors, but struggle to make it a reality. Constant rejections shouldn’t be the end of the dream, consider them a beginning. Writers create comics, non-fiction stories, magazine articles, screenplays, computer game scripts – and just about every other creative avenue requires writers. Spread your wings and experiment… you may find your niche in the most unexpected place…

4 – Don’t care, get it down!

I find it sad when I visit schools and see creative kids stymied by the ultra-important need to spell a word correctly and sharpen their grammar, because we all know that is much more important than creating anything original. The end result of their endeavours is a clinical lab experiment with no soul – accurately crafted sentences that are dull and unimaginative (and probably stolen from that movie the teacher hasn’t watched). I strongly recommend writing your story with no regard for spelling or grammar. Your goal here is to lay down your plot and bring your characters to life. Then you have the chance to rewrite, correcting spelling, grammar, and any other technical detail you feel is important. Oh, and by the end of the first rough draft… you have the pride of knowing that you’ve written a book!

5 - Write then rewrite. Repeat.

Following hot on the heels of point 4, rewriting is your friend. I know writers who hunch over their work, stressing about how they can make that next sentence perfect. As a result, days, weeks and even months pass with no progress – and the little demon called Writer’s Block has won once again claimed a victim. It’s best not to worry about perfection. You won’t achieve it. Write something, anything, then move on and you will soon find your rhythm. Remember, you will fix everything later in the rewrite, that’s the magic wand that makes your work even better.

6 – It’s a numbers game, not a word game.

When not stressing about their work, first-time authors stress about getting an agent or publisher. I don’t know any published author who doesn’t have a stack of rejection letters stowed away somewhere. You have to remember, most of these rejections aren’t a slight on your work (unless you get detailed criticism – in which case listen to it!), they’re simply stating a fact the market isn’t ready for yet another dystopian novel or an agent has exactly the number of clients they can comfortably manage. The harsh reality of this artistic endeavour is that it’s really a business and based on numbers. Generally, a rejection is not a rejection – it’s just a “this isn’t the right time” note. Write something else, and try again. Apply to other agencies and other agents within the one you have just been rejected by. Agents, like editors, have their own tastes. Just keep trying. Go to publishing events where you can mingle with agents and get to know them (before you insist they read your work). It’s just as much who you know as it is your quality of work.

7 – Don’t give up.

That should say it all. You never know when your break may occur. I used to think (and still do) that writing is an endurance game. Editors and agents move from place to place, and sometimes into completely unrelated jobs (I know one who now runs a pub!) – that means you have a clear playing field to start pitching your work all over again…

 Andy has extensive experience working on multinational co-productions and has worked in comics, books, TV, film and trans-media projects.
 Andy wrote and Executive Produced Legendary, currently the most successful independent UK/Chinese co-production. Released in China and grossing $5 million in the first week, with a theatric US release in 2014. With his brother he worked on Hollywood features such as Judge Dredd and Freddy vs. Jason and TV shows for the SyFy Channel and Netflix.
 He wrote and co-created Secret Agents, a trans-media interactive spy experience for children, currently on at the Discover Centre, Stratford. He has written 20 books and graphic novels published in the UK and around the world. In 2016 his latest feature, Crowhurst, will be released.

Win a copy of Black Knight by @abriggswriter 📚 RT + Follow to enter (UK only) pic.twitter.com/2LvDzzZ2SM

— Charnell (@reviewbookworm) April 29, 2017