Sunday, 17 January 2016

Cover Reveal: The Teacher by Katerina Diamond

Tonight I have a Cover Reveal for you, not only is it an amazing cover but the book sounds absolutely incredible. I am super excited for this one!



THE TEACHER  - KATERINA DIAMOND
You think you know who to trust?
You think you know the difference between good and evil?

You’re wrong …

A LESSON YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

SMART. GRIPPING. GRUESOME.

This is a psychological crime thriller in a class of its own.

Warning: Most definitely *not* for the faint-hearted!


Weekly Wrap Up and Stacking the Shelves

Weekly Wrap Up


Yay I have managed a 3 book week, that is actually really good for me and I really needed it too. To keep up with all my upcoming books I could do with another 3 book week, but its looks rather unlikely. However I will give it a good try, wish me luck?

The first book I have finished this week is Glass Sword which isn't out  yet, I was so incredibly proud to receive it on Net Galley. This series is incredibly huuuuge and I can totally understand why.


Blurb: Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?




I received Elementals on Net Galley and its an exciting new series. My review will be up on Tuesday.





Blurb: Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.




Just look at this cover! I love it! I haven't written the review yet, so don't want to give to much away. The review will be up towards the end of the week.


Blurb: Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families.

But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world's magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together--to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

A deeply magical, darkly funny examination of life, love, and the apocalypse.




Stacking the shelves


Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews


This week I haven't got quite as many new books as I did last week but they still AMAZING! Just look at the cover of These Days of Ours... the paper of this book too!! Love it!!







Last month I have won a Twitter competition run by BrunetteLifestyle.blogspot.com and I have received a parcel with all these lovely goodies here. Including 4 amazing books :) thank you so so much again!





Saturday, 16 January 2016

Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard


Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?


I thought this one would be very easy to review, but I am actually slightly torn. This was my most anticipated book in a while, I was so incredibly excited when I received it via Net Galley, I was so so happy. I have dropped everything I was doing to read this, it had total priority. However, lets be honest here, its not as good as Red Queen, although its still a really fantastic book.

Let me tell you about the few things that wasn't my fave. For one I felt that Mare has replayed the events from the end of Red Queen over and over again. Personally I thought it was a little much. Also as much as I still remember all that Mare has gone through, I found it rather depressing how much she completely distrusted everyone now, with no exception. But what I missed the most in this book tho was matters of the heart. Mare's feelings have been kind of playing a really small role, where in Red Queen I very much enjoyed reading about her torn heart.

Other then that this has been an action packed book, from the start till the finish. One Prince now the enemy, while the other now by her side. The book never gets boring and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Mare and her friends go from one adventure to another, fighting their enemies on every corner. The change in Mare is also incredible, while I hope that she will be able to trust again in the future, she has become extremely strong and willing to fight for what is right. But can she stay on the right path? Who is really truly behind her? And what is the cost of this war?

The Characters are once again incredible. Mare's transformation as well as both the prince's are huge and interesting. I enjoyed reading more about Kilron and Farley too, getting to know both of them better.

The couple of negatives in this book haven't stopped me from loving this book, I think Red Queen was a hard one to follow. The good much outweighs anything else and I can totally forgive and forget all else. And the end leaves you wanting much more once again. Victoria has shown her amazing writing talent and world building abilities again too. I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Glass Sword will be published on 11th February by Orion.

Friday, 15 January 2016

Review: Unfortunate Souls by Jade M. Phillips


My name is Ruby Carter. I was a normal teenage girl who only wanted what every other teenage girl wanted- love and acceptance. But when my parents revealed a painful secret I couldn’t accept, and my boyfriend broke up with me the night before my eighteenth birthday, I turned into something beyond average. Betrayed and broken, I tore off in my car, into the storm, and straight toward my death. I was sucked into a dark and terrifying world I never knew existed, changing my life forever. That’s when I met him…

My name is Guy Stone. I’ve been told I have no heart- a cold, ruthless killer. And I liked the perception others gave me for it allowed me to shut out my past and focus on hunting down every last Unfortunate Soul, seeking my revenge. But the night I found her lying amongst the flames of the battle, helpless and confused, I caved, finding myself drawn to her dark innocence, unable to follow the rules. And by that one decision, not only did my life change forever, but I found myself falling for the one thing I despised the most: A vampire. My enemy. An Unfortunate Soul.

This book starts with Ruby's worse day, she just finds out her dad isn't her biological father. And to top it off her boyfriend and best friend brakes up with her. Totally devastated and upset she drives her car and crushes in a storm. The crash is meant to be fatal. But Ruby wakes up, convinced she just died. Instead she wakes up turning into a vampire.  By her side is a man, Guy. Guy is a Fuse soldier who hunts vampires and the likes. But Ruby isn't fully turned yet, and he just can't bring himself to kill her. Instead he runs off with her so his fellow soldiers can't kill her. Also he really can't imagine why, he wants to protect Ruby.

Two people who should be complete enemies find themselves drawn to each other. Saving each other. Ruby's world is turned completely upside down, she can't go back home now, she can not stay with Guy, where can she go? What will happen to her now? 

Soon they discover she isn't your normal vampire, once she is fully turned she doesn't turn into a killing monster, quite the opposite. She doesn't feel the need to kill humans or drink their blood. Slowly they discover more and more about Ruby. 

Guy wants to drop her off to safety before he can return to his post as captain in the FUSE. On their way the encounter many adventures and fights.

But why is Ruby so different? Who has turned her into a vampire? And will Guy and Ruby be able to part? 

There is so many different books about vampires, all with their own twists. And this one doesn't disappoint, adding something new to vampirerism once again. I really enjoyed the characters in this, a compassionate vampire, Ruby is just totally adorable. And Guy is very mysterious and dreamy. 

It may not be a earth shattering book that will haunt me forever but I totally enjoyed the book. I am a sucker for anything paranormal and I just eat this stuff up. It had a fab surprising ending that leaves you wanting more. I for one can't wait to read the next book in this series, Broken Souls. 

It was very well written and flowed perfectly.


Wednesday, 13 January 2016

WWW Wednesday (13th January)


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: Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families.

But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world's magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together--to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

A deeply magical, darkly funny examination of life, love, and the apocalypse.


I have recently finished...


Blurb: My name is Ruby Carter. I was a normal teenage girl who only wanted what every other teenage girl wanted- love and acceptance. But when my parents revealed a painful secret I couldn’t accept, and my boyfriend broke up with me the night before my eighteenth birthday, I turned into something beyond average. Betrayed and broken, I tore off in my car, into the storm, and straight toward my death. I was sucked into a dark and terrifying world I never knew existed, changing my life forever. That’s when I met him…

My name is Guy Stone. I’ve been told I have no heart- a cold, ruthless killer. And I liked the perception others gave me for it allowed me to shut out my past and focus on hunting down every last Unfortunate Soul, seeking my revenge. But the night I found her lying amongst the flames of the battle, helpless and confused, I caved, finding myself drawn to her dark innocence, unable to follow the rules. And by that one decision, not only did my life change forever, but I found myself falling for the one thing I despised the most: A vampire. My enemy. An Unfortunate Soul.




Blurb: Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?






Blurb: Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.



I plan on reading next...


Blurb: 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.




Blurb: Perfect for fans of The Book Thief and Code Name Verity, New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant unleashes an epic, genre-bending, and transformative new series that reimagines World War II with girl soldiers fighting on the front lines.

World War II, 1942. A court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. The unproven American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering: Rio fights to honor her sister; Frangie needs money for her family; Rainy wants to kill Germans. For the first time they leave behind their homes and families—to go to war.

These three daring young women will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they will discover the roles that define them on the front lines. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.





Blurb: Can you imagine keeping a secret so devastating, you couldn’t even tell the people you love?

Honor’s secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for eighty years.

Jo’s secret could smash apart the ‘normal’ family life she’s fought so hard to build.

Lydia’s secret could bring her love - or the loss of everything that matters to her.

One summer’s day, grandmother, mother and daughter’s secrets will collide in a single dramatic moment.

Is it too late for second chances?



Monday, 11 January 2016

Review: Nightblind Ragnar Jonasson



Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by the murder of a policeman – shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark arctic winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor, and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik, where someone is being held against their will. Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.


I have only just finished Snowblind recently and I was a huge fan of the book. I couldn't wait to start Nightblind, unfortunately I have to be very honest here, I much preferred Snowblind. Don't get me wrong this book is still a fantastic read, but I feel like the first one was much more complex and mysterious.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed Nightblind. I loved being back in this beautiful place.  Some years have passed and Ari Thor is back with his girlfriend, who has now moved to live with him. Not only that but they now have a little son too. A lot has changed at his work place now too, his former boss has moved away, his former colleague is dead and Ari Thor has a new boss, with which he hasn't bonded yet at all.

Then the unthinkable happens, for the first time ever in Iceland a police officer gets shot, not any police man but his new boss. Ari Thor being the only officer left gets help from his former boss. Together they investigate the case. And  this is where the difference to the first book comes in, where there is everything was a mystery in Snowblinf, here we basically just follow their investigation. Taking away what was so unique before, not knowing what is going to happen in the first place. Maybe I just expected to much of the same?

However this book is still an absolute page turner. The place seems to have gotten even better, completely making me want to visit Iceland. There is lots of new intriguing characters. But what the author has once again achieved is that I have had no idea how this is going to end. Absolutely no clue.

It had me guessing all the way trough and the diary entries through out added some extra mystery, where at first it seems rather unrelated.

Thank you to Karen from Orenda Books for my copy of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can download Nightblind today and you can own the physical book from the 22nd January.

Sunday, 10 January 2016

Weekly Wrap Up and Stacking the Shelves

Weekly Wrap Up

Like most weeks I have finished 2 books this week. The first one was Nightblind, I will be posting my Review tomorrow and the second one was Unfortunate Souls, the Review will follow sometime towards the end of the week.



Blurb: Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him. The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by the murder of a policeman – shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark arctic winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor, and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik, where someone is being held against their will. Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.






Blurb: My name is Ruby Carter. I was a normal teenage girl who only wanted what every other teenage girl wanted- love and acceptance. But when my parents revealed a painful secret I couldn’t accept, and my boyfriend broke up with me the night before my eighteenth birthday, I turned into something beyond average. Betrayed and broken, I tore off in my car, into the storm, and straight toward my death. I was sucked into a dark and terrifying world I never knew existed, changing my life forever. That’s when I met him…

My name is Guy Stone. I’ve been told I have no heart- a cold, ruthless killer. And I liked the perception others gave me for it allowed me to shut out my past and focus on hunting down every last Unfortunate Soul, seeking my revenge. But the night I found her lying amongst the flames of the battle, helpless and confused, I caved, finding myself drawn to her dark innocence, unable to follow the rules. And by that one decision, not only did my life change forever, but I found myself falling for the one thing I despised the most: A vampire. My enemy. An Unfortunate Soul.



Stacking the shelves



Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Stacking the shelves this week was a busy job. By far my biggest one so far. I have been absolutely spoiled by publishers and Net Galley. Better get reading.

The books of Netgalley are...




I have won a beautiful book on Facebook too. All wrapped up in Christmas paper still, its lovely getting such a late present...


The post man also delivered some absolute beauties this week... Thank you to all the wonderful publishers and authors for my copies. Always a such a pleasure to receive book post. One was an absolute surprise too, which made it even more exciting...