Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms book #3) by Morgan Rhodes

 Title: Gathering Darkness

                                                                   Author: Morgan Rhodes

                                                                   Published: December 9th 2014 by, Razorbill

                                                                   Series: Falling Kingdoms book #3

                                                                   Genre: Fantasy, YA

                                                                   Stars: 4.5/5

In GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred - the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied magic...

• THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

• THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia's overpowering magic - all so they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.

• THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia's powers to unveil the Kindred.

The only certainty in the dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the fate of Mytica... but fate can be fickle when magic is involved. 

These books just keep getting better.  Read my reviews of book 1 here and book 2 here.

So in terms of the characters, they pretty much stay the same. The four main protagonists; Lucia, Cleo, Magnus and Jonas are very much alive and taking hold of the book. Additional characters are included such as Amara, Ashur’s sister, and who very much is a snake. And of course Felix.

I can’t put my finger on him, what him and his power’s exact purpose is. Towards the end you realise he was just a lonely boy looking to make some real friends. However, at the sudden turn of events, the readers are left wondering where his true loyalty lies. He’s just an interesting fella.

There’s one major relationship within this book and that’s between Magnus and Cleo. I know I’ve said in my reviews of the two previous books that I really want Cleo and Jonas to become an item and how I hate Magnus due to his disgusting feelings towards his sister (adopted or not adopted) however, that mayyyy have changed a bit in this book (eeike). Okay, I really like love-hate relationshops and Magnus and Cleo’s relationship is the exact definition of that. They hate each other so much and they have reasons to, especially Cleo. But there’s these moments in the book where they see the other side to the person and can’t help admiring them......butttt Magnus (majority of that time) just goes and ruins it all by saying something or doing something on purpose. That boy is just so afraid to let anyone in. And also there is no attraction on Cleo’s behalf towards Jonas. It’s towards the end when I was really clutching the pages and desperately hoping for something to happen between Magnus and Cleo. Safe to say we are not disappointed!

Majority of the plot line in this book is to find the four crystals that have been scattered all over the place. There’s some secrets spilled in this book, some people that you just cannot trust and one major villain appearing at the end of the book. Anddd we just all know Lucia has gone and turned that forever curling leave right over to the dark side *cue dramatic music*.

Like I said, these books just keep on getting better and I have no idea how this is all going to play out at the end. 

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone book #2) by Laini Taylor

 Title: Days of Blood and Starlight

                                                                   Author: Laini Taylor

                                                                   Published: November 6th 2012 by, Little Brown Books for Young Adults

                                                                   Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone book #2

                                                                   Genre: YA, Alternative Universe

                                                                   Stars: 4/5

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. Forhope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

This book was a lot better than the first book (click to read my review of that here).

In terms of characters we got to understand a lot more of Karou and her past and how betrayed and hurt she has become after knowing what Akiva did to her. She had grown a lot more both as her previous self and as Karou.

Akiva just annoyed the hell out of me in this book. He just seemed like a lot puppy desperate for Karou’s affection. I liked him a lot more in the first book.

One character comes back alive, one main character dies and another was on the brink of death. All three scenarios did tug my heart strings......especially the death. I mean come onnnnnnn. I was banking on that character not dying. It was a very emotional scene.

There’s also a potential romance between Zuri and Liraz. I knew something was going to happen between them as soon as she laid her eyes on him. I like her a lot!

The plot line was a lot better in this book purely because as readers, we had a direction as to where the story was going. There’s going to be a massive war between the two species but this time humans will be involved.

In was left speechless at the ending. Safe to say that was a massive turn around and a really good idea on Karou and Zuri’s behalf.

The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave book #2) by Rick Yancey

Title: The Infinite Sea

                                                                 Author: Rick Yancey

                                                                 Published: September 16th 2014 by, Putnam Juvenile 

                                                                 Series: The 5th Wave book #2

                                                                 Genre: Dystopian, YA

                                                                 Stars: 3.5/5

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate. 

Well this was a disappointment.

Not sure where to start from so I’ll just go into my usual description about the characters. It’s the same characters as the first book including a new alien called Grace. However, unlike the first book, (click here to read the review of that) you don’t really get the chance to develop feelings for them. There’s no character development and it just seems like a bunch of teenagers in an abandoned household for the majority of the book, looking for a way out. There’s no sympathy for them.

In terms of the plot line it was quite dry to be honest. Again, a huge part of the book was with the characters being in an abandoned household with snipers or aliens on their trail. One thing that this book cleared up thankfully was whose chapter was whose. It wasn’t as confusing as the first book and you knew whose perspective it was from.

However, there wasn’t really anything substantial or interesting that was happening in this book. We didn’t get far in knowing how the characters could potential defeat the aliens. I guess Rick is leaving all that for the last book. 

Zero Hour (Department 19 book #4) by Will Hill

 Title:Zero Hour

                                                               Author: Will Hill

                                                               Published: May 29th 2014 by, HarperCollins

                                                               Series: Department 19 book #4

                                                               Genre: Adventure, YA

                                                               Stars: 3/5

Department 19 still stands against the darkness. But for how much longer? Book 4 in the epic series from bestselling author, Will HIll.

When Jamie Carpenter's mother is kidnapped by strange creatures, he finds himself dragged into Department 19, the government's most secret agency.

Fortunately for Jamie, Department 19 can provide the tools he needs to find his mother, and to kill the vampires who want him dead. But unfortunately for everyone, something much older is stirring, something even Department 19 can't stand up against…

Check out my reviews for books 1, 2 and 3. 

A very short review:

All in all, as this book is following the events from the previous three books and drawing it to a close, my opinions about the characters are pretty much the same.

With regards to the plot line, I found it meh.....it wasn’t that great but it wasn’t bad. I just think it was time to close the chapter on this story, with Jamie and his friends and towards the end it seemed like it was dragging out.

There were a lot of deaths, but I didn’t find any of them sad or heart breaking.

There were a lot of action, as usual, in this book but in my opinion, it took time to get there. Once it did, it was in full swing; the fight between the humans and Dracula’s army of vampires. On the flip side though, once the action was in full swing, it was never ending. I guess that makes sense since from book 2, everyone’s been waiting for the Zero Hour.

With regards to Jamie and his friends, they all had a happily ever after, although I didn’t like how the author shun Kate out from all the action. 

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

  Title: The Winner's Curse

                                                             Author: Marie Rutkoski

                                                                    Published: March 4th 2014 by, Farrar Straus Giroux

                                                                    Series: The Winner's Trilogy book #1

                                                                     Genre: YA

                                                                     Stars: 4/5

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

This book was kind of like a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet but with a lot of in between events that occurred within the book.  The main girl Kestrel is the daughter of a powerful General of the Valorian Empire, who has conquered the lands of the Herrani.  Whilst she has been brought up to train in basic military arts and self defence, her true passion lies in music.

Whilst in a market place, she bids for a slave called Arin.  However, Arin is a Herrani loyalist and plans to free his own people by infiltrating Kestrel’s home and obtaining knowledge that others would not know of.

Nevertheless, surprise, surprise, they fall in love. They’re both enemies and they both have individual goals and ambitions. The fate of Kestrel’s kingdom lies on her shoulders and the fate of Arin’s people and their freedom lie on his.  

Both characters were exceptionally written and created. Kestrel has a brilliant mind and Arin is a strong hero who stands for what he believes to be right, despite the obstacles that came his way.

Moreover, the writing itself is brilliant. Marie does the book justice for its storytelling. Her prose is beautifully written, capturing the war and battles, the secret love between the lovers and the family and friendships in between.

However, a criticism that I would say about the book is the character development for Kestrel half way through the book when she has found out Arin’s true identity and is held hostage. Her sudden turn of behaviour and what seems like a careless thought to her people was very quick. Her thought process only seemed to be thinking about Arin and how he betrayed her whilst it seemed like she did not even bat an eyelid to what was happening to her own people. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone book #1) by Laini Taylor

 Tile: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

                                                                   Author: Laini Taylor

                                                                   Published: September 27th 2011 by, Little Brown Books

                                                                   Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1

                                                                   Genre: YA books

                                                                   Stars: 4/5 

                                                                  Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hairactually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

***THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN NO SPOILERS***

This book sounds like it’s like any other YA but there is a lot more tension and mystery that ultimately relies on how Karou reacts to the bits and pieces of information she discovers.

The culture within the book can be very confusing and irregular for some readers and you can tell the author did a lot of research to be able to execute the intricate details that this fantastical world, that Karou has grown up in, has.  

Indeed it is a very fantastical world where, in the otherworldly, which can only be accessed from ours by a system of doorways; is populated by demons and angels who are enemies from an age old past.

But mostly, this story is a love story, between two enemies, one who is a demon and the other who is an angel. It reminded me so much of Romeo and Juliet, the forbidden love and the (somewhat) unhappy ending and betrayal. 

I am looking forward to reading the next book and seeing how Karou, who now knows her true self, comes to terms with her betrayal and the events that will unfold. 

Champion (Legend book #3) by Marie Lu

 Title: Champion

                                                                    Author: Marie Lu

                                                                    Published: November 3rd 2013, by Putnam Juvenile 

                                                                    Series: Legend book #3

                                                                    Genre: dystopian, YA

                                                                    Stars: 3/5

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. 

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. 

I am not going to lie. This book was such a disappointment compared to the first two books, which you can read the first one here and the second one here.

Okay, despite the fact that there was a substantial plot line, after reading and finishing the trilogy, it just really felt like the storyline should have ended with the 2^nd book, but of course with a few tweaks at the end. It just felt like the author was struggling to think of a good plot line to tie the story of June and Day together and just wrote anything in order to make it a trilogy.

I really hate the fact that the author eradicated the strong ambience that June used to ooze out of her and made her just a regular, practically boring person. She hardly used her logic and rationality, which is what used to define her in the previous books.

Day was also very weak, but that was understandable. But I just think that there wasn’t, again, anything substantial with Day. There was hardly any character development, despite the fact that it was the final book in the series.

Overall, this was not a good book, the plot line was weak and I was disappointed with this final book. 

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Mindsbook #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Darkest Minds

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Published: December 18 2012, by Disney Hyperion

Series: The Darkest Minds book #1

Genre: Dystopian, YA

Stars: 4/5  

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

This review is going to be pretty short and simple.

Yes, it’s another YA, dystopian book and this time, children are either dropping dead from a young age from an illness or have supernatural powers that automatically make them freaks in society, feared by the adults and shipped to ‘rehabilitation camps’ to turn back to normal. However, little do they know, these children are slowly being killed off (depending on your colour. Orange and Red’s are the most dangerous and therefore are made to disappear of the face of the earth) or being used as part of an army for various societies/clubs.

Seriously, there are about four or five societies that all have different political goals. We have the Government, we have the Children’s League (whose aim is to eradicate the Government and use the children as a weapon in order to do so), we have the Psi camp run by children and we have various tribal groups, which are also run by children.

The main character here is Ruby. I was ambivalent about Ruby. There were some instances where I liked her and I thought her personality really shined through but there were other times where I thought she was just a really boring character. There wasn’t anything really unique about her or her story.

I really liked Liam, Zu and Chubs. I thought they had a really good friendship between the three and it was nice how they just left Ruby fit in. I thought Liam was an interesting character and I liked how he interacted with Ruby, Zu and Chubs.

All in this entire book is okay. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best I’ve written, nor is it the worst. I just think the story line was not really original and there really wasn’t any main plot line to this book, aside from the group running around from one place to another. However, I did like the section about the Psi camp with Clancy as their leader. But he is a bit of a creep in order to satisfy my appetite for a love triangle between him, Ruby and Liam. 

Battle lines (Department 19 book #3) by Will Hill

Title: Battle Lines

Author: Will Hill

Published: August 9th 2013, by Razorbill

Series: Department 19 book #3

Genre: YA, Adventure

Stars: 4/5

It's always darkest before dawn.
Secret government unit Department 19 is recovering from evil vampire Valeri Rusmanov's deadly attack on their base. The Department’s newest member, teenage operator Jamie Carpenter, is tasked with training up a new squad, as his friends and colleagues desperately search for ways to try to stop what is coming.

The timing couldn’t be worse for a coordinated, global attack on a number of maximum security prisons and hospitals—with the already-dangerous inmates now on the loose and turned into vampires. One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. And with each day that passes, the regenerated Dracula gets stronger, bringing Zero Hour closer.

In this third installment of the epic Department 19 series, Will Hill delivers higher—and sharper—stakes than ever before.

                                        

***THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Click to see my review of book 1 here and book 2 here.

I’m going to keep this review short and simply. It was an action packed, kick arse book!

I absolutely loved EVERY.SINGLE.MINUTE.OF.IT!

Now my opinions of each main character, such as Jamie, Larissa, Kate and Matt were pretty much the same. They all rocked in their own individual way and I really liked how each of them progressed individually with their own individual task at hand. Matt with the Lazarus Project, Kate with the ISAT project, Larissa and NS9 in America and Jamie.....well Jamie is the centre of everything pretty much. But it was nice to see each character run their own job without relying on the group (or Jamie for that matter) to guide them.

I absolutely still adore and love Valentin. He is just a charmer. That’s all folks. Still speaking of original vampires, there wasn’t a lot of chapters dealing with Dracula and Valeri specifically. When we did get to read their side of the story, it was pretty much gruesome and bloody (as it would be). And poor, poor Admiral Steward! I fear he will not live past the fourth book!

I also absolutely loved the opening chapter of the book. Boy oh boy! It was like a horror film and what a way to open the story! Those newly, strong, demented prison escapes! Ouch! I’ll be running for my life!!!

All in all, I loved it and again, I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. Each chapter has twists (and of course another...or two traitors within the Department), bloody and gore and things just keep being added onto the already long list of things they need to deal with before zero hour is up and Dracula finally rises. But now, they also have the fear of being publicly acknowledged to consider now.

Ignite Me (Shatter Me book #3) by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Ignite Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Published: February 4th 2014, by HarperCollins

Series: Shatter Me book #3

Genre: Dystopian, YA

Stars:4/5

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Read my reviews of book 1 here and book 2 here.

Okay, do we all really know that what Ignite Me is really about is the chemistry and romance between Juliette and Warner....and boy is there a lot!

I’m just going to swiftly brush along my opinion of the plot line. Yes, the mission is to defeat Anderson, Sector 45’s Supreme Commander, and who we really only saw at the end of book 2. And yes, Juliette finally, FINALLY, comes to terms with who she is and accepts her destiny. Seriously, it’s taken her two books to get there?! Yada, yada, all that is swell, but the action and defeating Anderson was all very, very, very rushed to me. I mean, after a couple of tumbles against Anderson’s ‘secret weapon’, she just kills him really quickly. His Achilles Heel was if someone (preferably Juliette, since she’s, you know, a tad bit stronger than everyone else), went up to him and just squished his ankles together, making him collapse and wither in pain. Then just get a gun and shoot the terrible person in the head. Bam! All problems solves...well in terms of getting the villain out of the picture. Seriously Juliette, if you just accepted your powers, you could of done that before and saved you a whole LOT of troubles.

But of course, you would not have got to know Warner as well as you did in this book. Literally ¾ of the book was about them, which I just LOVED! We all read it because of them. Don’t lie to me.

So, Juliette finds out about Warner, the real Warner, under that entire facade he puts on. And yes, the author has an answer for every terrible thing that Warner has done. There was always a purpose. It’s like the author wanted us to root for Juliette and Warner (for those who weren’t already or were Team Adam. I mean come on, you should of been rooting for Warner in the beginning anyway, despite his psychotic being at first)!

There were at times when I just wanted to slap Juliette and tell her to get with Warner already and to stop hurting his adorable face. But there were also other times when I was just confused as to why they were playing cat and mouse with each other, or like two magnets, pulling and pushing away from each other. There were some occasions where Juliette resisted Warner and there were other occasions were Warner resisted Juliette.

BUT FINALLY, there came the time when Juliette fully embraced Warner and all was sun and kisses (in terms of their romance).

In terms of other characters, I’ve always loved Kenji and I was glad we got to see another side to him, other than him being funny all the time.

What I didn’t like was the way the author portrayed Adam. I get it, it was the last book, but I think there should have been some hints in the 2^nd book as to the strained relationship that was beginning between him and Juliette, as opposed to just portraying him in a negative light and a person who is just angry ALL.THE.TIME. I mean where did this anger come from?

All in all, it was a good book, mostly because I’m glad majority of the book was dedicated to Juliette and Warner. But I think Team Adam fans out there would obviously beg to differ.