Musings over Magician’s Guild & Eye of the World

I told you guys in my 2025 Reading Resolution post that I was going to try and read books/audiobooks that I find fulfilling by not rushing or forcing myself to read them to a timetable (funny that as I’ve started a book that I need to read and review by the beginning of April for a blog tour. Oh yes, I am a walking contradiction). 

Well, I have done that with my first two reads of 2025 and I decided to slam my thoughts and feelings over these two together in one post as they are quite similar and yet, very different. They are, as you know if you have read my previous posts on here (or on any of my socials - since deleting the hellscape known as Twitter/X, I am far more active on the others!), The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan* & The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan*. 

FYI, the reason both the titles above have a * is because they are affiliate links to my Bookshop.org* page so you have been warned.

eBook Review - Dead Lucky

We're deep into the the month of romance. So, of course, let’s chat about the book that starts with a murder. When have I ever stuck to my plans of reading romances in the month of February? And if I do, there’s a darkness to it, for love is a beautiful thing but it can also be very dangerous.

Title and Author: Dead Lucky by Andreina Cordani

Publisher: Atom Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction.

Maxine, Leni, Ed and Xav are the lucky ones. The influencers who have it all: the followers, the wealth, the respect. But being The influencers on popular streaming platform PlayMii isn’t so perfect as they claim on screen. It’s broken Ed’s heart, ruined Leni’s friendships, leaving Maxine overwhelmed and for Xav… it ends in his murder as a masked figure walks into his apartment and stabs him to death on camera.

As the world reels from the shocking footage, remembering Xav as the guy with no filter, Maxine reminds a different Xav. One who could be cruel. But when Maxine realises that Xav had a secret file on his fellow creators – his so-called friends – that, if uploaded, could easily ruin their careers. And for someone, they are willing to do anything to keep them hidden, and they are watching Maxine very closely…

Self-Isolation #re3 - Twilight

• Title And Author: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Publisher: Atom
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 513 Pages or 12 Hours 51 Minutes

Well, this is a turn-up for the books. I decided to reread Twilight. Now, I hold this series quite close to my heart (not Harry Potter close, but I do have affection for this series) and in times of darkness, such as self-isolation/furlodged due to COVID-19, sometimes rereading a book you love or rewatching that TV show, film or playing that video game is needed. 

So, not sure why I went to Twilight and not my normal go-on of Harry Potter or Sabriel, but Twilight I did. 

Now, this isn’t a review. There is no point me doing a review for this book as we all agree that, yes, this is a fun, beach read and a perfect read for something to sweep you along and you happily go along with it. HOWEVER, this book is very problematic. 

The book is very much split into two parts. The first half focuses on the romance, the falling in love for the first time. It’s Bella moving to Forks and falling into lust then love with Edward over a period of several weeks/months. I keep forgetting that the first chunk of the book takes place over a long period of time. That’s because Bella rarely mentions time pasting. 

And yes, people have said Bella is very blank-state Mary-Sue character as you insert yourself into her character (had to rewrite that line as “insert yourself into her” sounds increasely filthy!), and because she’s falling in love for the first time, we too are inserting our first time as well. Plus, as we all know, when you are at the beginning of a relationship, we all are wearing rose-tinted glasses and inserting the qualities we most admire onto the other person and not seeing their flaws, hence why Bella sees Edward’s behaviour as romantic and not as toxic masculainy (though why no one else in the book sees it is anyone’s guess).

Then we have the thriller second-half. I’m not against this - I read/audiobook most of this section in one or two days, but I sense that there were some aspects that were a little too easy. A little too convenient. But I read this section at speed and most readers forget this latter part as, when we think about Twilight and the Saga as a whole, we remember the romance. 

I’m surprised at some of the writing. In some places, it’s fairly solid and others, not so much. As someone who has read most of Stephenie’s novel (barring the Eclipse novel, The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner), I can see that she’s grown as a storyteller and go better with her plotting. Her adult novels, The Host and The Chemist are far better and much stronger (though, out of the two, I would say The Host is far superior. Though I do think The Chemist has its moments and would work much better as a TV show, similar vine to Killing Eve, The Blacklist or Blindspot). 

It was nice going down nostalgia reading lane, and seeing as I want to do a lot more rereads as part of my “Ten Years Book Blogging”, it was nice to reread this and make plans to reread a few other titles… gonna keep these under my hat, for now, though keep eyes peeled on my #re3 page as they might offer you clues…

Friendships in the Not Yet Darkness...

It's Halloween tomorrow and, to get your creep on, I am thrilled to have Simon P. Clark on the Pewter Wolf to talk about his latest novel, Not Yet Dark.

Not Yet Dark follows Danny and Philippa, who have been friends for years. And yet, things are changing between them. Danny has new friends - the rugby boys - when rumours and whispers of "Phil the Thrill" begin to follow Philippa around, she knows where they came from.

When, one night, Philippa goes to an abandoned house by the sea to clear her head, not only does she discover the Danny secretly followed her, but something is happening in the house. Something dark. When the two escape, Philippa and Danny discover that two children are following them. Two children that claim not to be human. But, if they are not human, what are they? And what do they want?

I met Simon briefly at the launch party of David Owen's The Fallen Children earlier this year, so am thrilled that Simon wrote this and I can share with you guys! (if you haven't met him, he's super nice!)

But before I hand you over to Simon and his guest post about friendships in Not Yet Dark (now you see why I called the blog post what I did - I know, bad pun alert!), I just want to thank Simon for writing this (and so quickly! I've been sitting on this post for a few weeks because I wanted this for this week!). And I also want to thank Stephanie from Atom for setting this up!

And now, over to you, Simon!

The Fallen Children Launch Party

Or, as I like to the call it, NICHOLAS CAGE CAKE!!! (hence the link and my reason why is coming soon!) 

So, last week, I was very kindly invited to the launch of David Owen's The Fallen Children. This was fluke as I met David at the launch party for Melinda Salisbury's The Scarecrow Queen and he asked if I wanted to come along. So, hidden in the depths of London, a small launch party for David and his slightly creepy book was taking place, filled with lovely kind people such as family, friends, authors, book publishing peeps, bloggers gathered. 

And I managed to sneak in! 

After sneaking in and buying a mystery copy of The Fallen Children (I have always told David I was going to buy a copy at his launch party), had a glass of pale ale (NOT WINE THIS TIME!), I spent time chatting briefly to David but to other people who turned up such as Jim from YA Yeah Yeah, Darran from ShinraAlpha, Charlie from @charlieinabook, Nicola Burstein, Non Pratt, Lisa Williamson, Robin Stevens, Simon P Clark and others (who's names I have forgotten as my memory is useless! But you know who you are and I hope you shout at me!). 

During this time, we had a speech from David (a clip is down below and I want to apologise for the audio. Hand was on my phone's mic!) 

The World of "Secret Fire"

As you guys are probably aware if you follow this blog for a while, I am a bit of a fan of CJ Daugherty. Especially her latest series, The Alchemist Chronicles, which she is co-writing with French author, Carina Rozenfeld. And now, the newest book, The Secret City, is about to come out and CJ has been super kind to ask Michelle from Tales of Yesterday, Virginie from LaChouett and myself to host special posts in connection with this duology.

Today is the first post and it's an introduction-slash-refresher video to the first book in the series, The Secret Fire.

Are we all up to speed? Did this wet your reading appetite? 

Well, if you snoop on LaChouett and Tales of Yesterday in next few days, you might see something linked to The Secret City... what, I hear you ask. Now, why would I want to spoil you? 

GoodRead - Life And Death

Of course I was going to read this. Of course I would! I read Twilight nearly ten years ago (just before New Moon came out. I couldn't buy the hardback - it had an awful cover!) and now, here we are, celebrating it being published for 10 years. And, out of nowhere, Stephanie drops Life and Death on the fandom and the fans are freaking out over it. A new Stephanie Meyer?!

Well, technically, yes and no. It's a reimagining of Twilight, but nearly all the characters have been gender-swapped (Bella is now Beaufort or Beau and Edward is now Edythe). The only characters that have stayed the same are Charlie and Renee (Stephenie explains why in her foreword). But, interestingly, we have more words/pages. And it might not be the words you'll be expecting.

But let me come to that later.

So, most (if not, all) of us know the story of Twilight. But Life and Death follows Beaufort (or Beau, for short), as he moves to Forks and, not long after that, he meets Edythe Cullen, a girl unlike any he has met before. But, on their first meeting, without even saying a word to him, Edythe reacts like she hates him. Only to act normal and, even pleasant, the next time they meet a week later.

As Beau tries to figure the mysterious Edythe out, he doesn't realise that he's putting himself in danger. His frenzied first love makes him blind to the dangers crashing towards him. Soon, there will be no turning back...

Ok, I am going to start by saying this: I forgot how much fun reading a Stephenie Meyer book was. Yes, she gets some stick for her writing, but she's fun. I was planning to read this as a side project while I read my "real" book, but this took over my life for a week. Stephenie still knows how to hook her readers.

The story itself was interesting. While gender-flipping characters isn't anything new to fan-fiction writers, this is new for published author and it was fascinating to see what the story would have been like if the roles were reversed. If it was a human boy that fell in love with a vampire girl? I get why Stephenie did it - she got sick of people saying Bella was a damsel in distress all the time and wanted to see if this would be the case if the genders were flipped - and there are elements when this works really well.

However, there are times when this doesn't work or it feels jarring. At times, the characters were saying things and I would stop for a moment as what that character said didn't feel right. It didn't feel true to these "new" characters. For example, The whole of chapter 13 - the famous Meadow scene - just felt out of place with the rest of the book. And what the characters - Beau and Edythe - were saying never felt right. It felt like they should be saying the others's lines. I wonder if it's because I am so use to this chapter, I just expected it to flow the same way.

I wonder if I would have the same reaction if it was a LGBT reimagining. With the love story being Bella/Edythe or Beaufort/Edward? Or maybe even a Jacob/Edward?

And the names. I liked most of the names used, but some characters names were either "Huh?" or just laughable. I mean, Royal? Royal?! Are you actually kidding me?

Another thing that I had problems with was Beau's and Edythe's actions. In Twilight, both Bella and Edward don't exactly do sane actions in their relationships. But when Beau and Edythe do them, these actions take a sinister turn. There were several moments I thought it was going to go Single White Female on us. If you were reading this for relationship advice, what you would been reading is a love story about one dangerously unhealthy relationship.

Now, I have read some blogpost about the ending. I won't go near that as... well... spoilers. But fans will love it, while casual readers might find it a bit rushed and maybe wanting an extra 50 pages.

But my biggest rant is how you can read Life and Death. You have to buy a special hardback edition of Twilight: Ten Year Anniversary Edition. So you get one HUGE bind up, which isn't necessary as most/all fans will have at least one edition of Twilight. This is the same if you buy the eBook edition of the audiobook edition. You have to get both Twilight and Life and Death. This could be seen by many people - myself included - as a money-making ploy - not exactly the best way to thank fans for their loyalty nor to show respect to a book that many people see as the book that truly kickstarted YA.

I read this as bonus content, and while I had fun enjoying it, it still has issues and with that price tag... am quite torn over my feels on whether you should buy this or not. If only you could buy Life and Death SEPARATELY...

I think my reaction is mostly this: as a fan, I had a fun time reading this and I want to reread the series again (maybe next year. Or maybe just Twilight and New Moon. Maybe even The Host and this rumoured adult thriller that is in the works). But as a reader, I feel a bit disappointed. So very mixed feels on this, I'm afraid, dear blog readers.

The Secret Fire Tour!

Today, am excited to be part of the Secret Fire blog tour, which is celebrating the release of The Secret Fire by CJ Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld. But today's tour post is a little different from the others!

Today, myself and my French blog-twin for the day, Les Mondes de Clèm (who was so lovely helping me translate the questions and some answers into French - if you are French speaking/reading person, please check her out!), are switching posts. So, I will be hosting our shared blogpost in French and Les Mondes de Clem will be hosting our blogpost in English. So, please, check each of us out as we try this out!

Both blogs are very excited to welcome the main characters of The Secret Fire series, Taylor and Sacha, on our blogs for a quick Q&A. Now, we asked these questions PRIOR to the events of the book... we have our reasons...

Anyway, enough of this talk, let's get start with these questions, shall we...?

*

Bienvenue sur mon blog, Taylor et Sacha. Avant de continuer, pourrais-tu nous dire quelques mots sur toi. 

Sacha: Je m’appelle Sacha Winters. Je vis à Paris et j’ai 17 ans, bientôt 18 (hélas). Je vis avec ma mère et ma petite sœur dans un appartement à l’ouest de Paris. Mon père est mort, il y a quelques années de cela, dans un accident de voiture. Ma particularité ? Je ne peux pas mourir, pas tant que j’ai 18 ans, et je peux vous dire que ça pourrit bien ma vie…

Pourquoi pensez-vous que professeurs, M. Finlay pour Taylor et M. Deidé pour Sacha, vous ont demané de répondre à cet article ?

Taylor: Il fait toujours des choses comme ça. Pour être honête, je pense qu'il veut que j'aille à Oxford plus que je ne le veux moi-même. Mais c'est un très bon professeur.

Sacha: Parce qu’il aime me donner du travail en plus ? C’est sa grande spécialité. Mais je l’aime bien. C’est le seul prof du lycée qui s’intéresse un peu à moi. Alors peut-être qu’il me la demandé justement pour me prouver qu’il m’aime bien… à sa façon !

Quels sont les cours que tu aimes ? Et ceux que tu n'aimes pas ?

Taylor: J'adore l'histoire, le français, les sciences... Et j'adore aussi les maths. En fait, il n'y a pas de cours que je n'aime pas ! J'ai quand même hâte d'aller à l'université. C'est à ce moment là que les choses deviendront vraiment intéressantes.

Sacha: Quand j’allais en cours, j’aimais l’histoire, parce que mon père était historien médiéviste, l’anglais, facile pour moi, puisque mon père, d’origine anglais, me parlait dans cette langue. Pour le reste, je ne me débrouillais pas trop mal. Mais tout ça, c’est du passé.

Où te vois-tu dans cinq ans ? Dans des études supérieures, voyageant à travers le monde ou bien faisant quelque chose de différent ?

Taylor: Je vais étudier l'archéologie à St Wilfred, à Oxford. Ensuite, je vais être diplômée. Dans cinq ans, je serai archéologue. Attendez de voir.

Sacha: Ahah, c’est une blague, non ? Je ne pense même pas être en vie dans cinq ans ! Je vous rappelle que je dois mourir dans 8 semaines, le jour de mes 18 ans ! Alors dans 5 ans, si j’y arrive… On verra à ce moment-là. 

Penses-tu que le passé est important pour l'avenir de chacun ?

Taylor: ABSOLUMENT. Nous construisons nos villes sur d'anciennes villes. Et nous construisons nos vies sur d'anciennes vies. Comment le passé peut-il ne pas être important ? Il est une partie de nous.

Sacha: C’est le passé qui fait de moi celui que je suis aujourd’hui. C’est le passé de ma famille qui me poursuit encore, et qui est à la fois un fardeau et un trésor. Le passé est le socle de chaque individu. Sans lui, nous sommes des nouveaux nés. Maintenant, j’aurais préféré que le mien soit un peu plus… léger, on va dire hein ! Parce que pour l’instant, il ne m’aide pas trop à envisager mon avenir. Bon sang, vous m’embrouillez avec ces questions ! 

Maintenant que nous en avons terminé avec les questions ennuyantes, parlons musique. Quel genre de musique aimes-tu écouter ?

Taylor: Ma meilleure amie Georgie est obsédée par Taylor Swift, et je l'aime bien aussi. Mais je suis plus indépendante. Quand Georgie n'est pas là pour s'en plaindre, j'écoute des groupes comme First Aid Kit and Neko Case.

Sacha: En ce moment, j’avoue que j’écoute des trucs pas forcément joyeux. J’aime quand ça parle de la mort, d’être un monstre, d’être différent. J’étais plus bisounours avant, mais on va dire que les temps changent. Ces derniers jours, j’écoute Nirvana en boucle. Peut-être que je sens une connexion avec Kurt Kobain. Je le lui dirai si je le croise après ma mort…

En ce moment y a-t-il une chanson que tu aimes particulièrement ?

Taylor: Il y a une chanson de First Aid Kit qui s'appelle "When I Grow Up" et que j'écoute beaucoup. C'est un peu vieux, mais c'est bien.

Sacha: "Creep" de Radiohead. 

À quoi te fait-elle penser ?

Taylor: Être capable de prendre mes propres décisions, et faire ce que je veux. Être courageuse.

Sacha: Que je ne suis pas le seul à me sentir mal, à penser que je suis bizarre, que je ne comprends pas pourquoi je suis comme ça et comment je peux changer. 

Quand tu n'es pas de bonne humeur, y a-t-il une chanson que tu écoutes souvent ?

Taylor: Je suis toujours de bonne humeur !

Sacha: Je ne suis pas souvent de bonne humeur en ce moment. 

Et une qui te motive peu importe le moment ?

Taylor: Connaissez-vous la chanson "Boom Clap" ? Je l'adore !

Sacha: Je ne me souviens plus. Avant, j’écoutais des chansons qui me donnaient la pêche, qui me donnaient envie de chanter, de danser, de rire. Je ne me souviens plus comment c’était…

Pour finir, quelle est la dernière chanson que tu aies écoutée ?

Taylor: Georgie était là hier soir et elle était en charge de la musique alors EVIDEMMENT c'était "Bad Blood", de Taylor Swift. Ça ne change jamais.

Sacha: "Losing My Religion" de REM. Ça parle de perte de tout : confiance, foi, amour. « That was just a dream ». Peut-être que c’est ça ma vie. Un rêve, un cauchemar… 

Merci beaucoup Taylor et Sacha d'avoir répondu à mes questions!

(Et un grand merci à CJ Daugherty et Carina Rozenfeld!!)

4 Weeks of Summer - The Secret Fire

If, like me, you mourned over the end of CJ Daugherty's Night School series (which ended earlier this summer), the news of this new two book series must have caught your attention. And I was very VERY lucky to get an ARC earlier this month and read it very quickly (am writing this on Tuesday 11th August as part of my 4 Weeks of Summer).

And what is more exciting is that CJ co-wrote this with French author, Carina Rozenfeld. An author I have never heard of, seeing as I am a quite dumb Brit and I don't believe Carina is published in the UK. To my knowledge, this is a the first time that two authors wrote a book together who don't speak the same native language - very intriguing.

Taylor is a girl from England. Sacha is the boy from Paris. They have nothing in common nor do they know each other. Until Taylor's French teacher and Sacha's English teacher force them together for online tutoring. But there's more to it than that. Both Taylor's and Sacha's fates are entwined by a curse. A curse that must be lifted before Sacha's next birthday - which is in around eight weeks time.

But first, they have to meet...

Ok, I am going to say this now. I really liked the Night School series. But this is better.

I sense that the legion of Night School fans are marching to my house with pitchforks and lit torches. But hear me out.

I like slow burning thrillers. Night School slowly burned with foreshadowing and twists. The Secret Fire, on the other hand, grabs you by the neck and you have to run with it. There is no time to foreshadowing in this book. And because of this pacing (because of the short timeframe of the curse and the fact this is a duology), you find yourself speeding through the pages. I read a few pages on and off for a few days, before I sat down and read this book for a few hours. I found, within three hours, I had read nearly three quarters of the book. This is rare that I speed through a book, so the fact I did is always a good thing.

I like the fact that we have an English author and a French author writing this series together. While the story is in English, there is a feel that both CJ and Carina know what they are doing and what they are talking about.

If I had to pick one fault, it's the fact I wish we go some more background on some characters, which I sense is going to be quite important in the next book. For example, while I'm not the biggest fan of Louisa, but we got (what I felt was) very little info on her and I think she's going to be huge in book 2.

But I had such a fun addictive time reading this. Can't wait for book 2!

GoodRead - Night School: Endgame

So, we're here. The final book in the Night School series. And if you have followed my blog for a while, you know I am a bit of fan of this series. Not sure how that happened as, when I first read the first book in the series, I was "I like this, but there are far too many loose ends for a standalone" (oh yes. I thought Night School was a standalone book) and now, I was freaking the heck out over how Night School: Resistance ended.

So when I was sent the final book in the series, Endgame, via the publishers, I was happy. At last, we're going to find out how this series was going to end. And, at the same time, I was very uncertain over it. This is the last book in the series and I, like other fans, was a little worried over these characters.

At the end of Resistance, Allie was thrown into the back of a car, shocked beyond words over the events that happened to her. Lucinda is dead. Carter is missing. And Nathaniel has won. Or has he? Allie must recover quickly if there is any hope to end this war. But first, she and Cimmeria Academy have to find Carter before ending this terrible struggle for power. And not everyone will walk away from it unscarred...

Throughout the course of this series, CJ Daugherty has this great writing style where she can write foreboding really well. You get a sense of uneasy throughout the series. But in Endgame, all that is gone. We are thrown in the action and it is all hitting the fan. And CJ can write this just as well. There are moments when I was speeding through the pages, not sure I could put the book down in case it kept speeding forward when I wasn't look.

Plus, CJ gave us character development. Now, if you are aware, in my previous posts on this series, I have said CJ can write slow burning thrillers. And it's only now I have realised that she has done the same with character development. Allie in Endgame isn't the same girl she was when we first met her in Night School. It's the same with the other characters and, because of this, their relationships with each other - friends, enemies, lovers.

There was one relationship that I suspected in Resistance, maybe even earlier in Fracture, and I was excited when I saw I was right about it and I was thrilled over how CJ handled it. No drama. And that is how it should be.

This series, at times, reminds me of The Hunger Games. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but it does. Yes, Night School is completely different to Hunger Games (one is modern day conspiracy theories while the other is dystopian), but both have the same vibe to it. And, unlike how The Hunger Games forced itself into three books, CJ was allowed to take her time to explore the themes.

Speaking of Mockingjay, I have a horrible feeling that some readers will not be happy with how CJ ended the series. Some readers might feel that it was like Mockingjay and both ended with more of a whimper rather than the bang it deserves.

But with the secret conspiracy world that these books are set, the ending does feel right somehow. Maybe that's a me thing.

I really liked this series (maybe I need to do a reread soon) and I am both excited and intrigued over CJ's next project, The Secret Fire, which is out later this year.

GoodRead - Mistress of Souls

I'm not sure what made me return to the world of Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters. I think there has been some news linked to her son (which I have read and am totally on Michelle's side over. What to know more, go to her website and read the story up), and I thought "Sod that! I want to support her" and I did consider writing a blog post about this thorny topic. But I thought "Actually, if I reviewed her writing, that will work also... will it?"

Ok, it might not, but I went to my kindle and blitzed this, the second in the Prophecy of the Sisters enovella spin off, we follow Alice after the events of Prophecy of the Sisters (this eNovellas takes place between the first and second books in the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy). Alice is alone in Birchwood, New York. She barely eats. She spends most of her time in the Otherworlds where the Souls welcome her and the demon Samael gives her companionship. But something unexpected happens. Something that surprises even herself. Her sister's fiancee, James, and her feelings towards him.

I forgot how much I enjoyed Michelle's writing. It's easy to read and yet, it has this Gothic quality to it that fits this Victorian setting. And she made me get excited for this series again - a series I never finished (reading slump in 2012 really threw me and I haven't got books 2 or 3 in this trilogy. I know, I suck).

It was also interesting to read from Alice's point of view. While Lia was our heroine and who was meek yet strong of will, Alice was loud, headstrong and yet the "bad girl" in this situation (till the end of Prophecy of the Sisters, when she did something unforgivable). But here, we see a different side of Alice. A more fragile, lonely girl who is just trying to find herself and to find acceptable from the people around her. But she's not exactly doing the right way...

While this doesn't redeem her, I found I understood her a little better, and I feel believe enough to go back to this series and try again. If not, read the third and final eNovella in this spinoff series, Rise of the Souls that takes place after the trilogy's end (which I have on my kindle). But yes, I liked this and I will be returning to Michelle's writing soon...

GoodRead - Night School: Resistance

If you have been following my blog for a while, you might have noticed my feelings toward the Night School series has changed from "I like it, but not enough" to "Are you kidding me?! You expect me to wait HOW LONG!?". So I have been prowling around for a copy of Resistance (as I am now calling it - saves typing) and I found a copy. But why did I go into a tiny state over not finding a copy for a while? Well... I'll tell you later, but I was told on Twitter and I got VERY excited.

Resistance is the fourth and penulimate book in this series (to my knowledge) and after the events of Fracture, Allie is on the run, in hiding. She was hiding with Rachel at Sylvain's French villa and has been moved every few weeks. For once, Allie thinks she's safe. Until Nathaniel's guards find her and start shooting at her.

Realising there is nowhere will be safe, the trio return to Cimmeria Academy. And that's not the same school that Allie was forced to flee. Only a handful of students are left attending the school, tensions are running high, the mole is still not discovered and with every day that passes, Nathaniel is getting one step close to take total control.

Desperate to do something, Allie agrees to Lucinda's late night plan. But in agreeing to this, has Allie put her life and those of her friends's on the line? And with the situation with her feelings towards Carter and Sylvain coming to a head, Allie needs to have her head in the game. Because the winner will take it all if there is one wrong move...

Ok, I think I stated that Fracture was my fave of the series (and this is still true) but CJ must have read the blog post (my Fracture review is here or snooping in my Review Listings tab) because SHE GAVE US ANSWERS! ANSWERS AT LAST! We discovered who the mole was (I kinda guessed, but it was still a shock to the system on who it was and the shortlist of who it could have been...) and Allie finally realises who she's in love with (yes, we don't have to wait till the final pages of book 5 for Allie to realise what most of the fandom was been rooting for!)...

And security - my pet issue with this series was addressed! THE CHARACTERS SPOKE ABOUT THE LACK OF IT IN THE PAST FEW BOOKS! I am very happy when this happened - and it happened on more than one occasion.

Anyway, I got that all out of my system, let me really talk about Resistance. The best way to desrcible my reaction to this book is like this: part of the time, I wanted to hug this book and the rest... well... I wanted to strangled. I like this book and this series - I do, dear reader - but there are times when I get very frustated with it (and I think CJ does this to us on purpose because this world is filled with lies, liars and double-crossing. She likes to unnerve us, I think).

This is a very different book to Fracture. Fracture was a personal book - Allie had to piece herself back together again after the events of book two (Legacy). But in Resistance, Allie was fighting back. She wanted to help, even though she had no idea where to start. She wanted to help Lucinda and Isabelle without thinking about it, but when it comes to matters of the heart...

Typical teenager moments ahead.

And while we had answers, it was nice that CJ tackled issues we all faced. Matters of the heart, coping with grief and friendship struggles. Because of these, CJ places some interesting questions forward: why did Rachel really join Night School, even though it stands against everything she stands for? And why is Nicole suddenly become close buddies with her? (I have a theory - and if it is what I think it is, I will be VERY intrigued on how CJ handles it... ).

What CJ Daugherty does great (like I have said in every review for her books) is that she knows how to write slow burning thrillers. You always have a sense of uneasy with the Night School series and it takes its time revealing information to you. No info dumping the reader, and when she does, CJ does it quite subtly.

I do have a few issues (don't I with EVERY book in existence!?). The first is, of course, security. Yes, I know I said this was address but there is a few times where I was going "You are kidding me?! Why... WHERE THE **** IS THE SECURITY GUARDS?!". There was one moment where I got so angry with this, I had to put the book down for a moment and make a tea before I could continue (and it was a good part as well!).

My second issue is a stupid thing. It's a me thing. While reading this, I keep noticing the use of one swear word quite a lot (it's not what you think!) and, for some reason, I found it quite grating. I don't consider myself a prude but would that word really be used in that situation? Again, this is me thing. This is nothing to do with the author.

My third issue and, again, this is a me thing - but there were times I guessed or I knew what was going to happen next. I think it's because I read quite a lot of thriller-type reads so I am probably always reading going "Ok, tis is what's going to happen next..."

It is going to be very interesting to see how CJ ties all of this us... And I shall be waiting...

GoodRead - The Diviners

I am going to admit this here and now: I tried to read The Diviners once before. It was when the book was first released in hardback a few years back. Atom kindly sent me a copy and I started to read it. I got about 200 pages in and I just stopped. I couldn't bear the main character, the story was too slow for my tastes and I just couldn't face continuing onwards (which is rare for me but life, I have now decided, is too short to read crap books).

Fast forward two years and Midas PR, a company who is doing PR for Audible.co.uk, asked if I fancied doing a review of one of Audible's new releases. At the time, I picked James Patterson's Unlucky 13 (review here, by the way) and, on impulse, I asked if they had any details on The Diviners audiobook. And they kindly said that I could have a copy of this as well. So, THANK YOU MIDAS!

Evie O'Neil has been exiled to New York to lived to her uncle, and Evie is going to enjoy it. It's New York, it's 1926, perfect for a modern girl like her! Only snag is that her Uncle Will runs a museum of the occult and she has a secret gift that he must never find out about. But Will is asked by the Police is help them on a mysterious murder, Evie realises that her gift might be key to solving this murder. But with the body count slowly rising, Evie, her uncle Will and his assistant, Jericho, must work quickly.

But New York is one large city and there is always more than one story to tell. Evie's friend, Mabel, is sweet on Jericho (who barely knows she exists) and is sick of being in everyone's shadow. Jericho has a secret that no one must ever find out about. Pick pocket Sam Lloyd has his own secret and is looking for someone. Street runner Memphis is mourning not only is parents but his special gift. Theta smiles the brightest smile but is running scared. Henry, Theta's "brother" is hiding not only his gift but his sexuality as well.

And all the while, in the city that never sleeps, a terrible evil has risen. Be afraid, New York... Naughty John is on the prowl...

Ok, let's talk about the audiobook narrator, January LaVoy. I LOVED HER! She was a joy to listen to. I never felt rushed with her nor did I feel that January was just reading the book. It felt like she was living the book. This is a huge deal for me. So, for her, I can't fault her!

The story itself. Ok, I am going to split this into 2 parts. The first half and the second half. The first half was hardwork. It was just hardwork. This was that main reason I stopped reading the book. It was just HARD WORK. And it was VERY slow paced. We had the prologue - which I was hooked - and then getting to the story and start following Evie, and I begin to lose my interest.

I think the problem I have with part one is that Libba Bray is getting us use to the characters, their flaws and the world around them. Which is fine. This is the first book in a series. I get that. However, I wish the plot was a bit more pace-y within the first half of the book. Why couldn't we learn all this stuff but have the pace that this book kinda deserves? (When I was listening to the first half of the audiobook, I honestly thought there was paragraphs and chapters that could SO EASILY be removed).

However, part two of the audiobook. Once we got to the chapter "The Hotsy-Totsy" (or was it the chapter prior, "The House On The Hill"?), things suddenly went up a gear and I sped through. The pacing was fast, things fell into place much quicker, characters met and my opinion on certain characters changed (mainly Evie - when we first meet her, she is spoilt, selfish and, at time, thinks of no one's feelings but her own. After "The Hotsy-Totsy", she begins to realises that her actions affect others [but this only happens when her best friend, Mabel, explodes at her in an argument]).

I much prefer the second half of the story rather than the first. It felt like it had become the story I wanted to read! IT CAME AT LAST!

So, you guys must go "Wait, so you hated part one but you liked part two. What does this mean about the sequel, Lair of Dreams? Will you read/audiobook that?". And I am very torn of this. On the one hand, I wanna keep going. I want to know where Libba is going to take the characters - that last half an hour very nicely set things up for book 2. However, I am very worried about the pacing. I can't go back to the pacing that the first half of The Diviners was.

I know I am very much in the minority when I say I didn't love the book (I like it, but I will never love it). But I won't refuse outright listening to the audiobook of Lair of Dreams if I was offered it. But only on one condition: if January LaVoy is the reader. If it's someone else, then nope. Not gonna happen.

But I think this book is a book that most people will love and enjoy if you invest time into it. I have and it's not exactly my cup of tea. But maybe the sequel will be...

GoodRead - Die For Her

After reading Legend (review here!), I wanted to read something super fast and slightly romantic over the Valentine weekend before I dive head-first into Cress by Marissa Meyer and a few other reads. So it was this or Life Before Legend so I decided, impulsively, to read Die For Her.

Which might have been a bad move but am going to explain why in a tick.

Die For Her follows revenant Jules, best friend to Vincent, throughout the first two books within the Die for Me trilogy, Die for Me and Until I Die. As Vincent slowly falls for Kate, Jules worries for his friend and for his fellow revenants. But as he gets to know Kate, something happens to him that Jules doesn't see coming...

Ok, as I stated in the previous paragraph, this follows Jules through the first two books in twish he series, so if you haven't read the first two books in the series, AVOID! As I read the first and forgot to read books 2 and 3, I should have listened to fellow book bloggers advice a few months/years back when I bought this and NOT READ IT! FOOLISH MORTAL, I AM!

But, saying that, I really enjoyed reading this. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading Amy's writing. It was so easy for me to slip back into this world, even though I read Die For Me YEARS AGO (yes, years! I read Die For Me back in 2011 - so over 2 years ago!!!). And it's Paris - If you remember my review for Die For Me (review here if you haven't), I love Paris. Never been but I REALLY WANT TO GO! It's one of those places I want to go that's on my bucket list (Paris, Rome, New York to name three).

It made me wish I have read the whole series. Maybe I should run back and read the whole series. Or should I wait and scare Amy's new novel, After The End... Decisions, Decisions...

GoodRead - Night School: Fracture

When Midas PR asked if I wanted to be involved in the Night School: Fracture blog tour, I didn't even really think about it. I immediately replied, saying "YES!". I'm not sure why I enjoy reading this series, but I do. I thoroughly enjoy reading these books so it, to me, seemed like a no brainer.

So, Fracture (as I'm going to call this book from now on) is the third book in the Night School series by CJ Daugherty. So, while I do try VERY HARD not to write spoilers, you have been warned that I might let something slip by accident. So... where to start?

After the shocking events at the end of book two (Legacy), Allie has kinda fallen apart. And her safe haven of Cimmeria Academy is no longer safe. For, within the walls of the school, there is a spy. Someone, who is working for the nefarious group, is trying to destroy everything Cimmeria stands for. But soon, paranoia grows...

I am going to admit it here and now. This isn't much of an action book. I wish it was as, while I enjoyed this book, I found myself wanting to throw this across the room, cursing CJ Daugherty in the same fury I do with Steven Moffat. But this book isn't action because it was a character book.

As I have previously stated, after the shocking events at the end of book two, Allie has kinda fallen to pieces. This book is about her rebuilding herself and reclaiming herself and her life back. So, while there was some action near the end of the book, this is a character-building book and, I sense, this might be important to the future two installments.

So, let me chat pros and cons of this book (which is going to be hard as I can't talk spoilers!).

One of the pros (and one of the main reasons I think I enjoy reading this series) is CJ's writing. She knows how to write a slow-burning thrillers. And that fact that this series is set inside an conspiracy theory makes the plot interesting. CJ explains everything in a way that makes perfect sense and makes it plausible, and then, just when you have things set in your own mind, CJ adds a further layer or a question that makes you unsure of the information you've just been given.

There was one or two moments that I didn't completely trust the book. But, saying that, I completely CJ in telling the story. Odd, I know, but I do.

Now, I have two cons with this. And both of these are story related. I think I touched on one of them in my review of Night School: Legacy. The first is security. I'm sorry but I had this issue with Legacy. We are told throughout this book that there is a high level of security at Cimmeria, and yet, things happened that shouldn't have happened! Something happened almost immediately  at the start of this book and there was no one in sight. I know this is probably because CJ wanted the story to move forward (and oh, it did. In a big way!) but still...

My second issue is answers. If you have been reading this series since the first book came out, you have questions that you want to be answered. Some of these questions do get answered and there are others that... well... aren't. I have one huge question that I need an answer to and I still haven't got it. I know CJ will probably reveal this answer in book 4 or 5 but, still, it's frustrates me that I don't know or have a hint of an idea of the answer.

I think, out of the series so far, this is probably my fave. But, I kinda need book four (which has the title of Night School: Resistance [oh, it's might all be hitting the fan now!]) and I am not sure if I can wait till June 2014 (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!). Maybe I should try and kidnap CJ and force her to write where I can see her so, you know, I don't get upset or angry while reading the next book...




PS - what to know what was in the letter? Click the video below to find out...

Night School: Fracture Blog Tour

Why, hello! Today, it's my turn to continue the Night School: Fracture blog tour and here we have part 5 in the short story that CJ Daugherty wrote especially for this tour (and am thrilled I'm taking part in this!). So, if you haven't read the previous installments, please go back to the previous blogs, read and then come back.

This story, in case you aren't aware or are unsure of where this story fits in the Night School series timeline, takes place during the first ball (so the end of book 1) and is told from Carter's point of view. And now, with that out of the way, enjoy.

*

As Allie neared him, though, he didn’t move. He could have slipped away without her ever seeing him. But he stood there.

Despite everything he still felt drawn to her. Something connected them. She was the only person he knew here who was like him – an outsider. The only one who really got him. Even though he was still angry and hurt … He also missed having her in his life.

She was so close now he could almost touch her but she hadn’t noticed him yet. Like a ghost, he watched unseen as she picked up a crab cake, studied it then put it in her mouth cautiously.

Something about the way she did that, the innocence of it, made up his mind.

He moved towards her. He’d almost reached her side when she turned suddenly, running directly into him.

‘I’m sorr …’ they both started to say, then she realised who she’d run into. The words died on his lips as he met her stormy gaze.

‘Allie …’ was all his lips would say then.

He couldn’t seem to talk. To think.

Their eyes locked. Colour flooded her pale cheeks. She looked horrified. For a moment that stretched too long neither of them said anything. Finally, Carter opened his mouth to tell her how lovely she looked. Just as he did she turned away with a jerk, as if she wanted to escape. As if she couldn’t bear even to look at him.

Despair ran like ice water through his veins. How had they managed to ruin everything so completely?

Without another word, he fled, letting the crowd close behind him.

He had to stop fooling himself that anything could be resurrected between them. That they could ever be together again.

He had to let her go.

Weaving through the crowd he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

But when he knocked on Jules’ door seconds later, his hand quivered. He tightened it into a fist.

Jules opened the door immediately. ‘Bad news,’ she said. ‘We can’t stay long. Isabelle wants me downstairs for speeches. We have ten minutes.’

With that, she grabbed his lapel and pulled him into the room.

Carter almost smiled. Jules was so uninhibited. So sure of what she wanted. Maybe this was what he needed now in his life. Something uncomplicated.

Someone uncomplicated.

He closed the door, leaning his back against it as he looked around.

Her room was neat and smelled pleasantly of her perfume. One wall held a framed poster of an old

man with a guitar all painted in dark blue hues. A soft, white rug covered the floor. The bookshelves were stacked with photos, books and knick-knacks. It felt comfortable.

She’d draped a scarf over the bedside lamp, giving it all an ethereal glow. The scarf fluttered in the breeze coming through the open window. The icy air felt good – cooling the perspiration on his skin.

It occurred to him it felt cold enough to snow.

She took a step towards him. Her skin glowed in the light.

*

Wanna know what happens next? Go to Fluttering Butterflies tomorrow and the story will continue there...

Night School: Fracture Tour

That's right, I am taking part in another blog tour... oh, don't groan! It's rare that I take part so I am quite excited. Today, I am announcing that I am one of the blog hosting the Night School: Fracture tour!

This is for the third book in the Night School series, written by CJ Daugherty. And I'm not the only taking part in this special tour. These peeps are too!

That's right. From Thursday 15th to Tuesday 20th, us six blogs (I Want To Read That, Atom [the Night School UK publisher], Planet Print, Serendipity Reviews, yours truly and Fluttering Butterflies) will reveal part of a Night School short story that CJ Daugherty wrote exclusively for the tour! Wanna know what Carter really thought of Allie that fateful night at the end of book 2? Think you know where it all went wrong? Think again.

And, if all goes to plan, my review of Night School: Fracture should be up sometime that week also...

And now, hopefully, under this paragraph, you should see a book trailer for Night School: Fracture!



Well, the ending seems... odd. Almost as if there's more to be revealed... (if you are curious to know what was in that letter, click here to find out!)

GoodRead - Etiquette & Espionage

I had this in my To Read pile for quite some time. And after reading Soulless, the first book in Gail Carriger's adult series, The Parasols Protectorate (review here for you), you would have thought I would have read this sooner. Well, yes and no. I have my reasons. First, I was never ready for it. Not sure why. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into another series. And second, surely I should finish the Parasol Protectorate series. I mean, I have the second book in the series, Changeless, on my kindle.

So why did I pick this up? Well, I had tried to read another book and I just couldn't warm to it. I got around 50 pages in and went, "Nope. Not in the right mindset for this." so put it down and, after picking a few books at random, I read the first chapter of this and just kept reading late into the night.

Set around 25 years prior to the Parasols Protectorate, this new series follows Sophronia who is forced, by her mother, to enroll in Madamoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But this finishing school isn't exactly what Sophronia's mother thinks it is. For this finishing school teaches these young ladies how to finish... well, everything. They learn to curtsy, dance and etiquette. But they also learn diversion, how to use a weapon and espionage. All in the politest way possible, of course.

But something is happening. Something Sophronia might be able to help. That is... if she figure out where exactly the "prototype" is...

This was fun! I like my fun reads at the moment (not sure why. Because Summer is here... kinda...) so this was nice fit for me. And it was steampunk, something I want to read more of, so it felt a perfect fit. And this story had a feel to it that reminded me of the first Harry Potter book, and that's rare! I enjoyed how the mystery of the prototype wasn't the main focal point of the story and I enjoyed slowly slipping into this new world that Sophronia had found herself in. Also, there are tiny nods to the Parasol Protectorate series which fans of Gail Carriger will spot and smile at.

But, this does feel like a first book in the series so there are things when you feel that Gail is setting things up for later books or she was writing this book to make us get use to the setting, characters and situations. And, while I enjoyed the day-to-day life at this school, I know some of you guys will read this and go "There's no plot!". This might be same with fans of the Parasol Protectorate.

But I really enjoyed it, and I will be waiting to see what happens next in the Finishing School series. Or maybe I should just read Changeless...

GoodRead - Night School: Legacy

I managed to nab my hands on a copy of Night School: Legacy when I took part in the Night School Legacy blog tour (did you take part?) so when I have now read it and can be honest with you on my views on the book.

Allie has turned her life around. Before she was forced to join Cimmeria Academy, she was arrested three times and her family was close to a breakdown since her brother's disappearance. But at the Academy, she has got her life back. But after the fire that nearly destroyed the school (and her with it), Allie realises that Cimmeria isn't as safe as she first hoped. The school is at a centre of a conspiracy and outside forces - along with her brother's help - want control of it. And with someone inside the school working as a mole for the enemy, Allie has to be careful who she trusts. But secrets are dangerous things. They can rip the strongest of relationships apart. They can get someone killed.

As you guys are probably away if you go back to my review of Night School (which was last year, I think), I read it thinking it was a standalone and didn't rate it so highly. This time round, I know that Legacy (ok, am shortening it to this, hope that's ok for you guys) was the second book in a series so I knew there would be unanswered questions. I knew things will hit the fan. But when they did...

I really liked it. I walked into this book as if I was greeting an old friend and thoroughly enjoyed it at the beginning. But the end, I wanted to kill a few characters. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. First, let's get into the pros of this book.

It's still a slow thriller. We still have that sense of foreboding. Oh, CJ, you know how to make that work for you. And now we have the feeling of being inside a conspiracy theory, it seems more complex and layered. The character development matches the pace of the book and feels real. Like these characters are growing. And with everything that is slowly unravelling and some of the threads being wrapped up and others left annoyingly dangling (WHO'S THE MOLE, CJ?! WHO?!), making reading the next book interesting ...

I have one or two faults. Sorry, I do. I always do, I find recently. First is character development  Yes, I know I said this is a good thing (and it is), but with a character (naming no names), I wondered if they had a personality transplant. Who was this angry, possessive, controlling person, for they weren't in the first book? And I got so angry over this, the author tweeted me to see if I was ok and had calmed down (I did, but I had to stop reading it for the rest of the day).

The second thing was everyone's reaction. Now, I'm sorry, but one of the bad guys was a former student of Cimmeria and he killed people. Let's say that again. Killed. So, while they was extra security (which is fine), the characters were allowed to do midnight patrols of the grounds (when it has been known that he got pass security on several occasions), have a party at castle ruins because of tradition (again, knowing that a killer could get pass security) and hosting a Winter Ball with high profile people in the world of politics (with again, this guy has got pass security and the fact that there's a mole in the school). Sorry, but I found that hard to believe. I found it hard to believe that, if this was real, that this would be the way to go...

Anyway, Legacy. I liked it. It's better than Night School. And I'm intrigued over the next book, but I kept picking holes in it...

Night School Legacy Tour - Character Soundtrack

Hello! Today, it's my turn as part of the Night School: Legacy blog tour! And I get the wonderful topic of music! So, before I hand you over to the author, C J Daugherty, I want to quickly remind you all that if you are following the tour and you are taking part in the Night School Challenge, remember to find the secret word, click it and you're one step closer to winning a change to be an official Night School member and join CJ in a Google Hangout! 

Now, am handing you over to CJ Daugherty. ENJOY! And the trailer for Night School: Legacy will be at the bottom of this post! 

*

When I’m writing the Night School books I can see and hear the characters in my mind. I know exactly what Allie Sheridan sounds like and how she walks, the way her hair is always just a little bit dishevelled.

The same is true of Carter West, Sylvain Cassel and Rachel and all the characters. If I’m completely honest, I feel like I really know them.

I often listen to music when I’m working and there are songs that remind me of each character. When I need inspiration, sometimes I’ll listen to Allie and Carter songs, or soothe my soul with some of Isabelle’s classical music.

Here’s a soundtrack for Night School by character?

What songs make you think of Night School?

Allie Sheridan

"Been Caught Stealing" by Jane’s Addiction

I think this song perfectly captures Allie’s sense of alienation. I’m not sure there’s a better song about adolescent rebellion and thievery.

Carter West

"I Will Dare" by The Replacements

I love this song about taking a chance on someone, and about feeling old while you’re still young. And doubting yourself.

Jo Arringford

"Because I’m Awesome" by the Dollyrots

Come on. This is Jo’s THEME SONG.

Sylvain Cassel

"Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth

This song perfectly captures Sylvain’s coolness. He’s a suave guy – he could be good or bad. To me, the base line in this song is exactly how Sylvain walks.

Rachel Patel

"What’ll I Do" by Lisa Hannigan

I love how this song captures Rachel’s fun side. She’s so smart and focussed but she’s also a funny and adorable 16-year-old girl.

Isabelle La Fanult

"Opus 13" by Dustin O’Halloran

Isabelle loves classical music – it often plays through the speakers in her office. This melancholy song perfectly captures her as I imagine her.

Eloise Derleth

"No Rain" by Blind Melon

Eloise is younger than most of the teachers, and would have been pretty young when this song was out – I imagine her dancing to it as a teenager. Also because I ADORE this video.

Nathaniel

"I’m Not Sorry" by Morrissey

Because he’s really, really not sorry.

Zelazny

"No Fun" by Sex Pistols

Haha – Zelazny and the Sex Pistols! It’s just too perfect! I couldn’t resist. Besides, he’s the right age so it’s entirely possible that he was once a punk. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Here is the trailer for Night School: Legacy. My thanks goes to CJ Daugherty for taking time out to write this blog post and all the others on the Night School: Legacy blog tour, Atom Books for publishing this series and Midas PR for doing the tour. If you want to continue following the tour or take part, go here. And now, here's the trailer...