Cornerstone (Cornerstone #1) by Misty Provencher

Cornerstone by Misty Provencher
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Warning: This was suppose to be a review for Cornerstone, yet somehow I ended up reading all books in practically one sitting. It has thrown me off my usual format so you will  have to excuse me.. Actually, scratch that, I'd better not apologise as there is a pretty good chance it will happen again at some stage.. so yeah.. it may be slightly spoilery .

Cornerstone has been on my 'to read' list for at least a couple of years. I came across it as a recommendation based on previously read books and the synopsis sounded original and interesting. It really grabbed me. But then life got in the way, slowly pushing it further down my list and other books got scooted to the top as sequels kept coming out.

Finally, on a Friday I opened it up on my reader as I was sitting in the waiting room preparing to get my wisdom teeth removed. I can not tell you how glad I am that I did. I literally went on a reading binge for the following 4 days and blasted through the entire series (4 in all). Granted I was probably a little high from all the painkillers but I'm fairly sure they didn't impair my judgement to much..

It was simply unique, invigorating, touching and bitter-sweet. The books branch on a range of subjects in any young adults life as well as throw you into a fantastically imaginative world not found anywhere else. Misty Porvincher is most definitely not afraid of letting her readers stretch their imagination and take a bit of risk. It is not chewed out or easy to swallow but certainly refreshing in the current YA genre to have a writer not be afraid to go beyond the line. Though it is not all seriousness and crazy stuff.. it also shows a light and comical side..

The Divide (The Dreamland Series, #2) by E.J. Mellow

The Divide by E.J. Mellow


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Divide has been on my list of most anticipated sequels for 2015. When it finally arrived in my mailbox I was ecstatic and slightly nervous. As the sequel to a smashing debut novel I was truly hoping it would live up to the awesomeness of the first book and that there would be a good chunk more of Devlin (though really the story was a reason enough of course hah!)...

The Divide jumps right into where The Dreamer left off. Molly is on her way to be put under for a few days in order to get her training under way. And ohh do we get thrown straight back into it! We finally get to delve a little deeper into Terra and get introduced to whole heap more interesting gadgets and what not's. There are some truly tension packed scenes right up my ally and I am extremely glad that this is a NA novel and did not have to conform to YA fadeouts. It delivered on all of my TGTBT expectations  (for anyone wondering , it's short for 'To Good To Be True').

The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (Enlighten series #1) by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos by Kristin D. Van Risseghem
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilletos is a ya/teen novel. It plays on the fantasy genre and follows Zoe, our protagonist who finds out she is destined to fulfill a world saving prophesy. She has a best friend Kieran, whom she later finds out is an angel and is in fact in love with her. However bad boy and half angel Shay comes in the picture and steals her heart as her potential soulmate instead. Both have been appointed to look over her as her 18th B-day is destined to reveal what she truly is and if she is capable to make true to the prophecy. Not only that, but her best friend is a faerie and is ordered by the summer court to guard her as well.

The Collectors' Society (The Collectors' Society #1) by Heather Lyons

The Collectors' Society by Heather Lyons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Collector's Society is a new adult modern day fairy tail retelling.

Whilst the book has multiple mentions of other literary works and it characters, it focuses mainly around Alice from Alice in wonderland and Finn from 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'.

The story begins with Alice who is institutionalized for reasons we will find out later on in the story. She is about to be released when a man comes to her in dire need of help. Alice reluctantly agrees to assist him in order to save loved ones she thought to have left behind for good. Though helping him means she gets thrown into a world and truth she had never imagined. She gets paired up with Finn, who is second in command in the Collector's Society and who's collective goal it is to ensure other worlds and their timelines are kept safe.

~ A doorway can lead a person into new spaces, and can allow in loved ones, enemies, new acquaintances, or horrible things that we never dare dream about. They can remove us from that we've just left, or present us a firm wall of acceptance we may or may not wish to embrace.

Undeniably Chosen (Significance, #5) by Shelly Crane

Undeniably Chosen by Shelly Crane
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Shelly Crane's Significance series has had a big impact on me. It was one of the books that reignited my passion for reading and for me to start keeping track of my favourites. A series I frequently recommend to like minded enthusiasts or people asking for recommendations.

 

The first 2 books had me completely in love, however the last couple, ending with Independence and Consequence, had left me a little unsatisfied. I absolutely adored the concept of the fated soul mates an the powers and world that came with it and it felt like those where just a re-chewing of the previous with in mediocre writing.

When Undeniably Chosen got announced, I was thrilled but also a little unsure. Would this be written in the same style? Would it be so cavity inducing sweet I would have to see a dentist (or throw up)? Would it be another copy of Maggie and Caleb's story?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review may be a tiny bit biased.. 

Sarah J. Maas has been one of my favorite authors ever since I picked up Throne of Glass. I adore her writing style, her unique way with words and of course the fact that she has a knack for coming up with kickass heroines!

A Court of Thorns and Roses ticks all these boxes and delfs into a story involving Fea as well as some 'fairytail' aspects which we are all familiar with. I love books surrounding fae.. No really, I have a very special place for those and if you look through my fave list, you will spot 5 of them already! *insert girly sigh here*

The good part of those is that there are a lot out there. The lesser part, is that this abundance can make these feel regurgitated. ACOTAR is most definitely not one of those...

The story begins with Feyre who manages to get herself in a very tight spot when she kills a wolf in the woods to survive the barren winter with her family. The wolf is not just a wolf, no it's a Faerie wolf.

The Dreamer (The Dreamland Series, #1) by E.J. Mellow

The Dreamer by E.J. Mellow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



 

When the cover and synopsis of The Dreamer where announced on my blog, I was brimming with excitement at the prospect of reading it. I couldn't wait to have it in my hands (release date is May 15th, you can buy it here)! This book has probably counted toward my most anticipated reads this year and it has fully lived up to my
 expectations!




The Dreamer is a New Adult story with a contemporary fantasy/paranormal twist. It really is a mixture of all my favorite genres and as such, it brings their best aspects to light. It's written in first person, modern day time.

Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack #1) by Suzanne Wright

Book has Adult Content (18+)

Feral Sins by Suzanne Wright  
My rating: 4 of 5 stars (4.5 stars)






As much as I love the YA scene, I sometimes have to step away from the angst to find a book in which I don't come across fade to black and consequently get left to the devices of my own (slightly inappropriate) imagination.


When I saw some of my fellow bloggers raving about Feral Sins, no other encouragement was needed for me to pick it up.

Feral Sins start with Taryn who is a latent shifter and daughter to an Alpha packleader with influential circles. It goes to say that she and 'father dearest' do not get along and circumstances have her trapped into an arranged mating, thereby securing her father with another alliance. Unfortunately her intended mate is a total jerkoff and she is desperate for a way out, one way or another.

The Boy From The Woods by Jen Minkman

The Boy From The Woods by Jen Minkman 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Boy from the Woods is a stand alone novel and follows Julia and her group of friends.

Julia has been in love with Michael for over 2 years when he finally makes an advance on her. When he has had his fun he drops her and Julia tries her hardest to get over her infatuation for him.

Luckily she has a bunch of friends who pull her out of her slum. But just as things look up and she may actually have another cute guy entering her life, she ends up finding Michael in the woods after an accident and saves his life.

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

When I picked up Stolen Songbird mid June last year (2014), I was swept away in the story of a curse, trolls, magic and a great cast of characters who quickly captured my heart. This book swiftly landed in my favorites list and has always burned in the back of my mind. My review of Stolen Songbird can be found here for anyone interested.

When I discovered the sequel Hidden Huntress was out on Netgalley, I was absolutely thrilled. And I have to say, it does not disappoint! In fact, it blew me away..

Treasure, Darkly (Treasure Chronicles, #1) by Jordan Elizabeth

Treasure, Darkly by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
2.5 really

It started out so promising. The author seemed to be on to something, writing a book that crosses Western with Steampunk some Paranomal, Action and some potential Romance. Made even more interesting by the fact that she has chosen a male lead (unusual for a female author). Or so I gathered from the intriguing short that accompanies this book. Unfortunately it fell flat and sunk like a river stone. The best thing about Treasure Darkly is most likely it's cover. Let's be honest, that cover is a gorgeous piece of art.

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars (and 80% frustration)
Copy supplied by Netgalley in exchage for a honest review.

Still reeling from The Winner s Curse, I had the next instalment The Winner’s Crime waiting for me, which was a very good thing as the first book ends on a very sad note.

This book picks up shortly after the ending of the last instalment. We get faced with the aftermath of Kestrel’s decision to bargain with the emperor.

Kestrel is now betrothed to the crown price and he is just as unhappy about the engagement as she is. To top it off, she has not heard a word from Arin after the ‘peace offering’ she has given herself up for, which Arin views as betrayal.

When a royal summons pressures him to come to court, the two have to try and find a means of understanding. Kestrel can not jeopardize her efforts to keep peace and is faced with the horrible decision of lying to keep them both safe as the Emperor starts to question her loyalty to the crown and country.

The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 Stars

For the longest time The Winner's Curse has been showing on my E-book shelf, and when I saw the sequel The Winner's Crime I could not resist putting my hand up to review it. I completely glanced over the fact I had not actually read the first.

Consequently, I started reading, and came to the conclusion that I was seriously missing something and I had better skim the previous installment to refresh my memory. Only to find out I had NOT in fact read it. Queue, me in a panic as my deadline was looming and now I had 2 books and reviews to finish.

Lark Rising (Guardians of Tarnec, #1) by Sandra Waugh

Lark Rising by Sandra Waugh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lark Rising is a cross between a High Fantasy and YA genre with a lovely romance aspect. This sounds relatively simple, however it is a hard thing to pull off. I have previously read some horrid attempts and I’m glad to say that this has hit the nail on the head for me.

There are not many authors that create such world building. Lark Rising takes you on an intriguing quest (yes, your typical Fantasy cliché) and sprinkles it with a budding romance, without getting tacky, overburdened or an altered version of all of the above.

The Pledge (The Pledge #1) by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Pledge is an interesting combination of a YA Romance and Fantasy. I have seen a few references to a Dystopian theme fly by and even though there are some minor hints throughout the book, that it is a modern civilization thrown back into another era, I feel that people who are expecting a Dystopian will be left wanting more from this book.

It is written in alternate POV's and we mainly follow Charlie who is 17 and lives in a 'kingdom' segregated on language. In this world the language you speak dictates the social status of your family; and her family falls somewhat in the middle class.

Ondine Quartet by Emma Raveling

Ondine Quartet Collection: Volume 1 by Emma Raveling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series is very close to my heart as I have read, cried and laughed with the characters since the first installment which I picked up in 2012, on my Birthday.

Whirl starts with our main character Kendra (an Ondine) whom after the death of her mother is picked up by a stranger to land smack bang in the middle of a community and school which her mother ran away from with her as a baby.