Weekly Wrap Up and Stacking the Shelves #6

Weekly Wrap Up...

I have finished two books this week, which is my average really but I was hoping to manage more. Most of all because one was just a half book really...

The first book I have finished this week is Rebels of the Sands and OMG I loved this one so so much. The review is up already on my blog...

Blurb: She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

The second book I have finished is Truthwitch, I have had an extended extract of it before, which was almost half of the book. So in this case it was just about me finishing the book. I still loved it as much as I did the extract.

Blurb: On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Stacking the Shelves...

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

The first book added to my bookshelf this week is The Sin Eaters Daughter. I am a bit late to this party but it was on offer so I just had to get it, a little treat for myself.

Blurb:
I am the perfect weapon.
I kill with a single touch.

Twylla is blessed. The Gods have chosen her to marry a prince, and rule the kingdom. But the favour of the Gods has it's price. A deadly poison infuses her skin. Those who anger the queen must die under Twylla's fatal touch.

Only Lief, an outspoken new guard, can see past Twylla's chilling role to the girls she truly is.

Yet in a court as dangerous and the queen's, some truths should not be told...


The Second book is the physical copy of Jihadi: A love story! I have had it on my kindle but wow, the physical book is so so pretty. I am currently reading this book too. Thank you to the wonderful Karen at Orenda Books.

Blurb: A former intelligence agent stands accused of terrorism, held without charge in a secret overseas prison. His memoir is in the hands of a psychologist with her own agenda, and her annotations paint a much darker picture. As the story unravels, we are forced to assess the truth for ourselves, and decide not only what really happened, but who is the real terrorist. Peopled by a diverse and unforgettable cast of characters, whose reliability as narrators is always questioned, and with a multi-layered plot heaving with unexpected and often shocking developments, Jihadi: A Love Story is an intelligent thriller that asks big questions.

And the third book I have received is You Send Me A Letter. This sounds so so intriguing I cant wait to read it. Thank you Corvus Publishing for my copy.

Blurb: What if your worst enemy found out your darkest secret?

At 2 a.m. on the morning of her 40th birthday, Sophie wakes to find an intruder in her bedroom. The intruder hands Sophie a letter and issues a threat: open the letter at her party that evening, in front of family and friends, at exactly 8 p.m., or those she loves will be in grave danger.

What can the letter possibly contain?

This will be no ordinary party; Sophie is not the only person keeping a secret about the evening ahead. When the clock strikes eight, the course of several people's lives will be altered forever.

Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Wow now this has been a total breath of fresh air. Deep in the desert is where Amani grew up. In a world where you are already worth nothing when born a girl, she has even less. Living with her auntie and uncle because she has no parents of her own. But she is different. She doesn't want to get married, she wants so much more for herself.

The small desert village has a factory, one that produces guns and gunpowder and Amani knows exactly how to use one. To get away from that village and into the big city her mother spoke of she pretends to be a boy and enters a shoot out. But things don't go as planned and she looses the money she invests. However this is where she meets Jin for the first time.

Soon after she finds herself having to hide Jin from the military in her uncles shop, because of this she finds herself and her friend in danger. Jin saves her and they run away together. From that point on they find themselves on different adventures through the endless desert, with the deserts magic, djinni's and ghouls. But is there much more to Jin then meets the eye? Who is he really and what is he hiding?

Eventually Amani finds herself among the Rebels, now she will have to choose if she wants to go on by herself or join their rebellion. Whichever way she will go, what will she discover about herself on the way? 

I am so so excited about this book. It's so different from anything I have ever read before. I loved the desert and all its magic. The world building has been incredible and the character are superb. I love when a book in this genre can still surprise me. The Characters are so well thought out. Most of all I am in love with Jin. He goes to this mysterious Bandit to so much more. But we can't forget Amani. What a strong young lady, one that has a dream and wants to go and make it happen by herself.

What is absolutely jaw dropping is that this is Hamilton's debut!! What great writing, I am certainly a new fan. If this is what the debut novel looks like, I cant wait to read what comes next from Hamilton.

And hellooooo beautiful cover, I think I am in love! This cover would stand out on anyones bookshelf. I know for a fact I would have picked it up even without knowing about this book before.

I couldn't finish it quick enough. So many great thinks have happened and the best of all... it seems like there will be more books to come. All in all this has been an incredible read.

Stunning, Magical and absolutely unforgettable.

Thank you to Net Galley for granting my wish. I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rebels of the Sands is out today, 4th February in the UK and 8th March in the USA.  

WWW Wednesday (3rd February)

 WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. It’s open for anyone to join in and is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading...

Blurb: A former intelligence agent stands accused of terrorism, held without charge in a secret overseas prison. His memoir is in the hands of a psychologist with her own agenda, and her annotations paint a much darker picture. As the story unravels, we are forced to assess the truth for ourselves, and decide not only what really happened, but who is the real terrorist. Peopled by a diverse and unforgettable cast of characters, whose reliability as narrators is always questioned, and with a multi-layered plot heaving with unexpected and often shocking developments, Jihadi: A Love Story is an intelligent thriller that asks big questions.

I have recently finished...

Blurb: She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Blurb: On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

I plan on reading next...

Blurb: An unforgettable and addictive story, perfect for fans of Lesley Thomson, Diane Chamberlain and Tracy Buchanan.

Blurb: I was dead for 13 minutes.

I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal.

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it?

Blurb: Nineteen twenty-two. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own.

Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?

Review: Another Love by Amanda Prowse

In the early years of their love affair, Romilly was happy. She had worked hard for her stunning, modern house in one of Bristol's most fashionable suburbs. She adored her gorgeous, gap-toothed daughter and her handsome, kind husband. Sure, life was sometimes exhausting - but nothing that a large glass of wine at the end of the day couldn't fix.

And then a new neighbour arrived and everything unravelled. A glass of wine became a bottle; one bottle became two. Romilly's family were once everything to her. Now, after years of hiding the drinking, she must finally admit that she has found another love...

This has been a really emotional one. Most of the book is from the perspective of Romilly and some bits from the perspective of her daughter, who remembers her childhood. Romilly has it all, the perfect husband, a great job, a nice big house and a beautiful little daughter. And still she finds herself often with a glass of wine in her hand. At first you don't think much of it, because we all have a glass of wine here or there, right? But unfortunately, an occasional glass soon isn't enough for Romilly.

We see her falling deeper into alcoholism with every passing chapter. Often acting out or even neglecting her daughter. Her new friend and neighbour isn't helping either, making things rather worse. We experience her fight to get better and we see her lowest times.

What is even more heart breaking was reading the daughters point of view. Her very painful memories of her mother and how everything affected her.

How far does one have to fall before they realise they need help?

This has been a very devastating and heart breaking read. Its not something I would usually pick out but I was very much hooked from the start. The author has described alcoholism in such a real, raw and painful way it was making me incredible sad for this women and her family. It opened my eyes and reminded me that this is an illness, an illness that could happen to anyone. It doesn't matter if you have a nice and fulfilled life or not.

Watching this family fall apart was breaking my heart. In this the husband has been an absolute hero and my favourite character. Amazing!

From the first page I couldn't put this book down, tissues at the ready at all times. Emotional, heart breaking, captivating and raw. I rather enjoyed it a lot.

I did however almost expect a different end, so when this one came I was a little: oooooh! But I wont spoil that one for you.

Thank you to Amanda and Simeon Prowse for my proof copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another Love will be published in hardcover on the 11th Feb! 

Weekly Wrap Up and Stacking the Shelves #5

Weekly Wrap Up

The first book I have finished this week is Viral. And my review is up on my blog now!

Blurb: So far, twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen me online. They include my mother, my father, my little sister, my grandmother, my other grandmother, my grandfather, my boss, my sixth year Biology teacher and my boyfriend James.


When Leah Oliphant-Brotheridge and her adopted sister Su go on holiday together to Magaluf to celebrate their A-levels, only Leah returns home. Her successful, swotty sister remains abroad, humiliated and afraid: there is an online video of her, drunkenly performing a sex act in a nightclub. And everyone has seen it.

Ruth Oliphant-Brotheridge, mother of the girls, successful court judge, is furious. How could this have happened? How can she bring justice to these men who took advantage of her dutiful, virginal daughter? What role has Leah played in all this? And can Ruth find Su and bring her back home when Su doesn't want to be found?

The second book I have finished is Another Love, I really enjoyed that one. So heart breaking, my review will be up on Tuesday.

Blurb: In the early years of their love affair, Romilly was happy. She had worked hard for her stunning, modern house in one of Bristol's most fashionable suburbs. She adored her gorgeous, gap-toothed daughter and her handsome, kind husband. Sure, life was sometimes exhausting - but nothing that a large glass of wine at the end of the day couldn't fix. And then a new neighbour arrived and everything unravelled. A glass of wine became a bottle; one bottle became two. Romilly's family were once everything to her. Now, after years of hiding the drinking, she must finally admit that she has found another love...

Time to say goodbye is one I haven't finished. And its not because it was a bad book, I just felled it wasn't for me. Not only do I have a 6 year old daughter myself but I also felt like after a few pages I knew where this story is going to end. I felt myself looking interest. Shame. Its not something I do very often,

Blurb: Is there ever a right time to let go?

HOW DO YOU LEAVE THE PERSON YOU LOVE THE MOST?

Will Curtis’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, knows her father will never leave her. After all, he promised her so when her mother died. And he’s going to do everything he can to keep his word.

What Will doesn’t know is that the promise he made to his little girl might be harder to keep than he imagined. When he’s faced with an impossible decision, Will finds that the most obvious choice might not be the right one.

But the future is full of unexpected surprises. And father and daughter are about to embark on an unforgettable journey together . . .

Stacking the Shelves

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Look at this beauty I have won from Maximumpop and Maximumpopbooks. This book looks beautiful and sounds amazing. Cant wait to read it.

Blurb: Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play. Not cool. Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery. But sometimes it’s all a bit much. Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy.

Now this has been the most amazing book post!!! OMG so beautiful. It sounds like exactly my thing. I need to squeeze these in asap. Thank you to Lizzie at Headline Books for these three babies.

Blurb: The Earth has been invaded by the Illyri, a beautiful, civilized, yet ruthless alien race. Humanity has been conquered, but still it fights the invaders. The Resistance grows stronger, for it is the young people of Earth who are best equipped to battle the Illyri.

Syl Hellais, conceived among the stars, is the oldest alien child on Earth, the first to reach sixteen years of age. Her father rules the planet. Her future is assured. And Syl has hidden gifts, powers that even she does yet fully understand.

But all is not as it seems. The Illyri are at war among themselves, and the sinister Nairene Sisterhood has arrived on Earth, hungry for new blood. When Syl helps a pair of young Resistance fighters to escape execution, she finds herself sentenced to death, pursued by her own kind, and risks breaking the greatest taboo of her race by falling in love with a human.

Now the hunter has become the hunted, the predator become prey.

And as Syl is about to learn, the real invasion has not yet even begun...

Now this is something very exciting for me! My first Graphic Novel. I have always wanted to try one and I will now have my chance. This is so different to anything I have reviewed before but I cant wait.

Blurb: Continuing the only complete collection of Modesty Blaise adventures! The return of the 'ass-kicking femme fatale'. Full of classic action and adventure and dripping with ‘60's chic.

Now for the first time ever Net Galley has granted my wish and WOW WOW WOW look at this cover. It's so pretty I think I am in love. So much so I had to start reading this book straight away. Loving it already.

Blurb: She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

Blogtour / Review: For The Most Beautiful by Emily Hauser

Three thousand years ago a war took place that gave birth to legends - to Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, and Hector, prince of Troy. It was a war that made - and destroyed - both men, a war that shook the very foundations of the world. But what if there was more to this epic conflict? What if there was another, hidden tale of the Trojan War that had yet to be told?

Now is that time - time for the women of Troy to tell their story

This is the first time I am doing a review for a blog tour and I was so so worried, what if I didn't like the book? But I didn't need to worry, I could not put this book down. I have finished it in two days which is pretty good for me.

The book is a reimagining of the Trojan war, but from the point of view of the women during that time. Instead of concentrating on the battle itself, the worriers or even the gods it is all about two women. Two different women, both strong in their own way, both playing a very important role in the Trojan war. Two women who, because of their seemingly small acts, become the unknown heroes.

Krisayis is the daughter of a priest, destined to become a priestess herself. She however would much rather be someone else. She lives at the kings court, friends with the princess Cassandra and in love with the youngest prince Troilus.

Briseis is a princess herself, while she has been at the right age to be married for some time a prophecy scares most men away. Her last hope is Mynes who appears not to be scared of the prophecy and they are married. Briseis cant quite believe her luck and she soon finds herself in love with Mynes.

But just as their life's seem to be perfect everything is about to change... Prince Paris brings home a new wife, the most beautiful women in the world. However he has stolen her from her husband. Who sends 1000 ships to revenge Troy. An awful war starts and in the middle of it all are Krisays and Briseis.

Captured by the Greek soldiers, loosing everything they love, both women decide to do more then just live with the fate they have been dealt.

I can't tell you enough how much I liked this book. I don't know much about the Trojan war so I don't really know how much of this has been changed and how much is still the same. But that doesn't really matter, what matters is that this book has been interesting from the very first page. Not only that but I always fear, that with historical fiction, there will be things I will not understand, but I needn't worry it was all very easy to follow weather you studied the Trojan war before or not.

Most fascinating are the two main characters, so different and yet both so strong and likable. But we cant forget the gods, who have been meddling in the war all along. I did really enjoy reading about how they had their hands in all of it. But I am glad it wasn't the main plot, I rather enjoyed the women playing the biggest part. Believing that women have been overlooked in the telling of the Trojan war, before now.

This has been a total emotional rollercoaster for me. It broke my heart, it made me laugh, cry and it made me happy. I was genuinely upset that this book has ended. It left me wanting to know more about the Trojan war and this era in general.

Absolutely beautiful, stunning and unforgettable! This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat many time, every chapter was fully packed and important to its story.

If you have read any of my reviews before, you will also know that I am a big fan of beautiful covers and this one is my favourite so far this year. Absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you to Patsy Irwin for my gorgeous copy and thank you to Lily Capewell for allowing me to be part of this amazing blog tour.

Review: Viral by Helen Fitzgerald

So far, twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen me online. They include my mother, my father, my little sister, my grandmother, my other grandmother, my grandfather, my boss, my sixth year Biology teacher and my boyfriend James.


When Leah Oliphant-Brotheridge and her adopted sister Su go on holiday together to Magaluf to celebrate their A-levels, only Leah returns home. Her successful, swotty sister remains abroad, humiliated and afraid: there is an online video of her, drunkenly performing a sex act in a nightclub. And everyone has seen it.

Ruth Oliphant-Brotheridge, mother of the girls, successful court judge, is furious. How could this have happened? How can she bring justice to these men who took advantage of her dutiful, virginal daughter? What role has Leah played in all this? And can Ruth find Su and bring her back home when Su doesn't want to be found?

Wow what a line to start a book with! But you will have to find out for yourself. Certainly had me interested from the very first line. Imagine going to Magaluf, getting stupidly drunk, so much so you do something you would never ever do. That's exactly what happed to Su. The same Su who is a virgin and ready to go to university. But things get even worse when, during her most embarrassing moment, she is being filmed and finds herself all over the internet. The video goes viral and the views keep going up and up.

What else is there to do but disappear. Instead of going home, Su doesn't turn up at the airport and her sister has to go home by herself. Now while Su is hiding away in Spain, her family is picking up the pieces. The mother who is a successful court judge, the sister who is blaming herself and the father/husband who is suddenly questioning his wife's treatment of the girls. Because Su is their adoptive daughter while Leah is their biological daughter.

We go on to experience the extreme backlash of such a viral video. One that doesn't only affect the person in the video but all the people close to her. How much damage can it do? And what can you do when no laws have been broken? But most of all, how far will a mother go to revenge her daughter?

This has been a very interesting read. While its not the best book I have ever read it had me hooked all the way through. I was absolutely gobsmacked at how much damage one silly night can do. And its kind of very scary, because this is the world we live in. Not only is it cool to go to magaluf or suny beach to get in this kind of state. But with everyone having a camera phone these days, every embarrassing moment can be made public. This certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things.

However the book doesn't only focus on the video, it also focuses on a rather complicated mother and daughter relationship and one between two sisters, of which one is adopted.

A very compelling and intelligent read. I really enjoyed the characters and where the story ended.

Thank you to Sophie at Faber & Faber for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Viral will be published on 4th February.