GoodRead - Half Truths

If you have been reading my blog since the beginning of this year, you know that I went through a bit of a blitz where I read Sally Green (the end of February and beginning of March, to be truthful) and, because of this, kinda fell into a reading slump (I say kinda, because I pulled myself out of it, but still!).

So yes, earlier this year, I became a little obsessed with this series. I admit it (Reactions to Half Bad, Half Wild and the eNovella prequel, Half Lies, are on each title.), so when the news was revealed that there was going to be another eNovella, I preordered it without hesitation. I needed more from Sally Green.

Half Truths takes place just after Half Lies (so yes, this is another prequel) where we follow Gabriel from when he arrives in Switzerland, looking for help from the powerful Black Witch Mercury to when he meets Nathan in Half Bad (so it overlaps in a way).

Between Half Lies and Half Truths, I think I prefer Half Truths.

I'm not sure why. I don't think this novella really added anything to the series (but you never know - there was a character who I sense might pop up in Half Lost), expect it gives us an insight in what Gabriel was doing before he met Nathan and it shows that he had a life before Nathan. He met people and nearly fell in love with people before Nathan. It's nice to known stuff about Gabriel that Nathan doesn't know.

Half Truths didn't really add anything to the series, I think, but it's was a nice fast read that will tie me over till Half Lost...

4 Weeks of Summer - Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book - The Mowgli Stories

I don't know why, but lately, I seem to be having a bit of bad luck when it comes to audiobooks. I'm not sure why. I have a blogpost about this coming up in the next 7 days or so - keep eyes peeled for that.

So, when Felicity from Midas PR asked if I wanted to listen to this, an full cast dramatisation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book - The Mowgli Stories, I decided just to go for it. With the stars involved in this - Bill Bailey, Richard E Grant, Celia Imrie, Colin Salmon, Martin Shaw, Bernald Cribbin and Meera Syal to name by a few. Plus, this was created to raise funds for the Zoological Society of London to raise awareness that animals that inspired The Jungle Book are under threat from extinction.

When the wolves discover a tiny man-cub, they take him in to save him from the man hating tiger, Shere Khan. As the man-cub, Mowgli, grows and is taught by Baloo, the bear, and hunts with Bagheera, the panther, he learns the ways of the jungle. But Shere Khan is cunning and will buy his time...

I have to admit this, I thoroughly enjoyed myself listening to this. I had my doubts when I started listening (it took me a while to get use the Martin Shaw and Richard E Grant doing the voices of Shere Khan and Kaa), but once I found my stride, I sped through this. It only took me three days to listen to it from start to finish. And there were a few times I relistened to sections, just because...

The production was this was very good and though, while there were times the background effects and the noise of the large group of man felt odd to me, it wasn't that much of a distraction from the story. If anything, it helped to show that Mowgli has grown up in the jungle and knows little about the world of man.

What I found surprising was how different this was to Disney's The Jungle Book. While we had the same characters, the story was completely different and the character's interaction was completely different as well. In Disney's Jungle Book, Kaa was, up to a point, an villain and helped (up to a point) Shere Khan. And yet, in this version, Kaa had no interaction with Shere Khan. He taught Mowgli in the same way Bagheera and Baloo did. It was a very interesting learning curve.

But I think people will like this version of The Jungle Book. I can't wait to see what's next for Audible London...

4 Weeks of Summer - Monster

I got a copy of this book back in March at the UKYA Blogger Awards. I know, it's been a while, but compared to some other books I have on my TBR pile, this hasn't been in my TBR pile for long.

After rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and not ready to reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just yet as part of my Harry Potter 2015 Reread Challenge, I looked through some of my books and, unsure what to read next, made my other half pick my next read out of handful of books, based on the first sentence and, when down the last 3, read the last line and chose this.

Nash thinks fighting to become Head Girl at boarding school Bathory would be the biggest battle of her life. But that was before her brother vanishes. That's before she's left trapped in the school with some other students - a mix of misfits. That's before the snow storms hit, leaving them trapped. That was before the only adult looking after them vanishes without a trace. That's before fear of The Beast of Bathory begins to grip them...

Something dark is outside the school, wanting to come in. Or is the thing the girls fear already within the walls of the school...

Ok, am going to be honest with you. I am very torn over it. I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped, but there are good points to this book.

Let's deal with the good points first. When we were first told about this book, it was sold using the tapeline "Malory Towers meets I Know What You Did Last Summer". And this does work. If you are a fan of Lois Duncan's I Know What You Did Last Summer or James Dawson's Cruel Summer, this would work for you. It has a gentle hints of boarding school drama and mythology but as the story moves forward, it slowly turns darker and tense. And I really liked the writing style. The writing is one of the weird reasons I read this story.

However, I have problems that I am wondering if am about to fall into a reading slump and wondering if I am being harsh with this. But... ok... here's the thing... it never grabbed me. I liked the writing, yes, but there are other factions to making a story work. I don't know why, but I thought this was very slow - if you're going to say the Marton goes missing on the back, it should happen quite quickly, right? Nope. It happens around the halfway point. And when there were plot twists, it felt like there was no clues to lead us to this point. Or, if there was, it was so subtle, you missed it (and if this is the case, CJ works this brilliantly).

I think my main problem is that I never cared. I never cared that this characters were in danger, nor did I feel that these characters were in mortal peril. I never cared for any of the characters so I never worried about them. I need to care for characters in whatever situation they find themselves in, whether it's a love situation, a family situation or a life-or-death situation.

While I think some of you guys will like it and find it the perfect Winter chiller, it just wasn't for me, I'm afraid.

4 Weeks of Summer - The Lost and the Found

This was last month's Bookish Brits Book Club Book of the Month (you might have seen my review clips on the channel), but here I am, writing it up to the best of my abilities, so bear with me while I get all my thoughts and feels into this post.

Faith's whole life has been dominated by her older sister, Laurel's, disappearance. Faith was four and Laurel was six, and Faith has known no difference. The media storm around her family and herself as she grew up, saw her parents split up and trying to deal with so called friends.

Thirteen years ago, Laurel was snatched. And now... now, she has come back.

The happy ever after everyone hoped for and wanted. But what happens next? And why is Faith suddenly feeling isolated and paranoid?

Now, I have read all bar one of Cat Clarke's books and I have really enjoyed reading them. I love Cat's writing style, where she makes you sped through the book while writing from a character who you might not be so thrilled to spend time with. And this book is no different to her others. Fast pace and you will speed through the pages. I read this with 5 days (four, technically as I had a day off playing with Bagheera and spending time with my other half!) so the pacing is good and strong.

However - yes, there is a however. And it's a big however from me. As someone who reads quite a bit of crime thrillers (and watches a heck of a lot of crime TV dramas), I felt that this book was very predictable. I knew where the story was going to go almost from the word go. And it annoyed me that I guessed correctly where the story was going. It made me like the book less.

But saying that though, the last few pages redeemed the book for me. It became, in a sense, the most important part of the book, the last 3 or so pages.

While it might have been my fave Cat Clarke, it was a fast addictive read.

4 Weeks of Summer - Rebecca

When I asked if I wanted to be involved in this Daphne du Maurier blog tour, to celebrate the release of Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek and Jamaica Inn in the YA edition, I jumped at the chance. I've been curious to read Daphne du Maurier as she's one of those authors I've always been intrigued over. So when Poppy from Little, Brown sent me a copy of Rebecca, I was a mix of excited and a bit fearful. Nearly everyone I know who has read this seems to love this book.

Our unnamed narrator meets and falls in love with widower, Maxim de Winters. But when they marry and return to his Cornish home, Manderley, a change comes over him, and our narrator is filled with an uneasy dread. In this isolated house, she realises that she is friendless, barely knows the man she has married and, wherever she goes in that house, she is faced with the ghost of his first wife, Rebecca. And how is she met to compete with a phantom?

I must admit this from the off: this isn't my typical type of book. I realised this very early on and powered on, willing to try something new and different. Sometimes, this is a good thing to do.

This book is going to spilt you guys. You are going to either really like this tale or are going to hate it.

I can see people really like this book because of the pacing and writing, the tension that slowly builds and the psychologic elements that creep on our unnamed heroines and her doubts/fears that she is never going to meet up to Rebecca's standards (mainly through the actions of people around her, such as Maxim and Mrs Danvers). This is one of the original psychologic thrillers that I have read that tackles jealously, obsession, self doubt and self worth.

However, all those points can have the opposite effect on some of you. You might find it very slow in pacing and it lacks substance. It could been seen as quite a frustrating read.

For me, I did find it frustrating. I really enjoyed the writing and the style, but there were several moments I did want to throw the book across the room as I wanted the book to get to the story. But this was written in a different time, where setting up the mood and tone was more important than the story.

I'm glad I did read this, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. But it might be yours, so if you want to try it out, go for it.

GoodRead - The Art of Being Normal

Ok, this book has been in my TBR pile since the beginning of the year. And before that, I was excitedly await this book's release. It got so much online buzz and I wanted to read it. Took me a while, but my local Waterstones finally got them and I bought the last copy they had.

And then, for some reason, I didn't read it. No idea why. I just... well, didn't. Then Bookish Brits made it this month's Book Club group. And, for once, I actually had this book to hand. And I wanted to read it! BONUS!!!

David has secret. People see his as an outsider, a gay guy still hiding in the closet, a freak. Only his best friends know the truth: David wants to be a girl.

On his first day at a new school, all Leo wants to be is invisible. Bit hard when the most beautiful girl in Year 11 sees him. Plus, when Leo stands up for David in a fight, a unlikely friendship between the two begins, which is definitely not part of the plan.

But Leo also has a secret. And the thing about real life is... secrets come out. Both secrets are going to come out... one way or the other...

Now, before I go any further, I want to say that this is an important book. This is the first real book I have read that tackles the issue of transgender, and this has become an important issue in the past few months. So to have a book in easy access that tackles this subject matter and tackles it with care and respect is very important!

The story itself is an interesting one. In other books, this would be a book about "teens who go on a journey of self-discovery". And while this is true here, I have a horrid feeling that some people will go "This is a book about transgender." There will see that one word and won't see the rest of - about first love, friendship, discovering who you are and respecting yourself.

This story was told in dual narrative - David and Leo. Now, with one female author writing two points of view and both male, this is going to be the big thing. But I thought Lisa got it. She got the voices to sound different enough to make the story flow.

Information was a thing that worried me. When some authors write a book and have it tackle a subject matter like this, you are judging it from the word go. You don't want it to be scandalised. You want it to be done right. With care and respect. Lisa did that, I feel. She had worked, in the past, at the Gender Identity Development Service, a specialist NHS service for young people who are struggling with their gender identity. So I felt that she knew this stuff and she was going to get it right.

I had two tiny faults. But these are me things and one of them, I get way Lisa did this.

The first was Leo. For the first 80 or so pages (till Leo stood up for David, actually), I found Leo hard work. I really disliked him. And I get why Lisa did this. Because of Leo's secret and events linked to it, Leo has put walls up. But as the book goes on, we see his walls slowly coming down. Character growth!

The second was language. Again, because of the subject matter, there were use of terms in the this book that aren't pleasant. But, they seemed on the mild side. It wasn't as dark as I thought this book was going to be. But, I get this also. Yes, words like that are used in real life, BUT this is a hopeful and positive books. We saw a character use one of these words and another character, or several, would jump in and go "No. No, that isn't on." and this is great.

While there are a few things that didn't sit well with me, I read this over the course of a long weekend. I devoured this important book and I hope this book helps someone out there. Either to better understand or to make them feel less alone.

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 - Arsenic For Tea

I haven't read the first book in the Wells and Wong series, Murder Most Unladylike. Before you say anything, I know... I know. I am a bad UKYA blogger. This is one of those books that everyone in the blogsphere LOVES and I do have a signed copy (thank you, Foyles!) on my TBR shelf, but when I saw Arsenic for Tea, I wanted to read it. Plus, I wanted to know if I could read Arsenic for Tea without reading Murder Most Unladylike...

Best friends Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong solved one murder. But can they solve other? When they go to Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the Easter break, they should be celebrating Daisy's birthday. Expect that's not the case - so Daisy is naturally annoyed. A mystery man has appeared and his arrival upsets the balance of the household.

And when he suddenly becomes ill and then dies, everyone close to Daisy is a suspect. And when the clues point to one person in particular, the Detective Society have to discover who the killer is - no matter the consequence...

As you guys know, I do like a good murder mystery and this was delicious reading. It was as if someone had dared Agatha Christie to write an Enid Blyton story and this was the end result. A story that was fun and addictive read, strong leads (I like Hazel a lot, but Daisy is a tad spoilt for my taste but I think she's meant to be!) and a mystery that leaves you guessing till the very end.

What is interesting about this book is, because of the time this series is set - the 1930s - we see things that I think people who like to brush over. There is hints of casual racism aimed at Hazel - racism from people who are "nice" - and we see that this upsets Hazel, but it's still unnerving to see this and go "People used to think this was accepted". Am very happy that Robin Stevens tackles this and doesn't shy away from Hazel's reaction and her feeling alone.

It was a fun read, though I do think you should read Murder Most Unladylike before as the events of book 1 were mentioned.

I do think some of you guys will think this is a bit young - it could be classed as a middle grade book rather than a YA read - but it was fun! A fun read and a good crime read (which is bad as I want to attack all the Kathy Reichs I own!), but I can't wait to read Murder Most Unladylike as soon as I find time so I am up to date when book 3 in this series, First Class Murder, comes out at the end of July of this year...

GoodRead - Liberty's Fire

A few weeks ago, I was at the Hot Key Books Bloggers Brunch (not read about it? Here's the link!) and I was given, very kindly, some books. One of the books I got (and was very excited to get my hands on) was Liberty's Fire by Lydia Syson. Lydia was at the event and talked about the book, and there was something about it that caught my attention that made me want to read this book as soon as I could.

It is Paris, 1871. Life since the war has been tough for everyone. Life should be getting settled now. But it's not. Rumours of another revolution are cycling. But Zephyrine's life is beginning to spiral out of control. But two things save her: The City's new leadership and young violinist, Anatole. Anatole opens her eyes to a new world. And she is swept away by her passionate beliefs and the two fall in love.

But their friends - Jules and Marie - aren't convinced. And the future is slowly turning dark for them all, and Paris itself. As a bloody week's approaching, will all of them survive and at what cost?

Ok, am going to admit it here; I am not much of a historical reader. I liked studying History when I was younger, but I never took it up for GCSEs. But with historical fiction, I always seem to pick up books where I feel overwhelmed by the facts and this takes away the fun of the book.

But this book never felt like that. It was balanced in a way that when Lydia put in a fact, it felt important to the story. I never felt that Lydia put facts in for the sake of putting it in and showing off all the research she done.

The story itself surprised me. I got caught up with it very quickly and I found it gripping, even though at times, not much happened. I got swept away with the characters and the situations they were all in: unrequited love, family, dreaming of a better life. Also, the book took its time. It slowly built up the character and the situation, before it suddenly goes dark and you speeding through, trying not to panic over how it will end and hoping that the characters you care about will be ok.

Of course, there was one or two things I didn't like. The ending, mainly. I get why it had to be the way it was - you can't rewrite history, folks - but there was something about the ending that bothers me. I'm not sure why, though. Maybe it could have been a page or two longer...

But I really enjoyed reading this. It was gripping (which was surprising as someone who doesn't read historical fiction often). I do have another Lydia Syson book in my TBR pile - A World Between Us - and I am making plans to read that soon!

GoodRead - A Robot In The Garden

I was very kindly sent this for review from Ben at Random House after I watched a review of this book from Sarah Churchill. It's a bit grown up for me, but it sounded cool so was excited to read it.

Set in the near future, Ben Chamber is told by his wife that there's a robot in his garden. So when he goes to investigate, he finds a small robot with a broken tube inside. Instead of throwing the lost and rusty thing away, Ben takes him home. After that, events happen. His wife, Amy, leaves him and, before he thinks about, Ben decides to find the robot's - Tang's - creator.And with that, they go travelling round the world...

Now, this is an interesting read as I am very torn over it. I do like this book, but there are faults.

This book is set in the near future with robots and androids, but I liked that these weren't the driving force. The robot - Tang - acts at times like a toddler or a young child and, at times, you had to actively remind yourself that Tang was a robot, not a child.

Also, while this is set in the future, this was a very human story. The story dealt with a marriage breaking down and the fall out. It touched on a few issues, but it was a light read. It has an Alexander McCall Smith feel.

However, I have issues. Well, one issue really. And that was the adults in this book. Most of them are not nice people. It was the way they acted to our main character, Ben, a man who it took a while for me to warm up. Later in the book, Ben admits that he wasn't the easiest person in the world, but I found it hard to believe that he was ok with how his sister and his wife treated him. They apologise for their actions, but for some reason, I found most of the characters actions (barring Tang and 2/3 adults that should have their own book! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!!!) a bit hard to accept.

This was a light read for me. While I didn't love it, I did like it and I kinda want a Tang. Plus, this would make a wonderful uplifting movie.

GoodRead - The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Ok, you will have to forgive me if this seems a tad rush, but I read this book within 3 days (would have read it in 4 but the postman couldn't put this through my letterbox so I had to go to he Post Office to collect it on Saturday morning).

And because this book isn't out till the end of August (yes, am writing an early review and I don't care!), am writing to write this as spoiler free as possible.

But yes, The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Where should I begin?

Most books focus on "The Chosen One". The one person that has been picked to save the day. But what if you're not the Chosen One? What if you're someone...well... normal? What if all you worry about is finishing school and getting as far away from the small little town you live in? Away from your parents? Away from the stresses? Away from the fear that another alien invasion/soul-sucking ghosts/vampires or goodness knows what comes next and usually ending up with you school getting blown up?

What if your problems are bigger than that and, somehow, you have to find extraordinary in the ordinary?

Like I said before, I read this in 3 days. And that is RARE for me to read a book that quick! Patrick Ness owes me 3 days of my life back, please and thank you.

But I loved this book. I know some of you guys won't, and that's ok, but I really loved this book. I just flew through it. I loved the idea, I loved the characters (some were instant, others took time - one or two took a VERY long time, but there are reasons. You have to stick with it), and I love how some subject matters is handle.

And this is one of the reasons I like it. This books tackles mental health. And he writes it in a way that, while shocking, feel very real. Patrick must have done quite a bit of research on what he tackled. He knows that these are awful diseases and tackles them, tell us that they are awful and yet, they is still hope. There will always be hope.

Another thing that was cool was the whole subplot of the world ending by the "bad guys" (let's just say that and be done with it). It was interesting as it felt very important as it reflected on our lives. With our main characters, stuff is happening to them - their own lives - but not the whole end of the world stuff. It's like most of us when we watch the news and we see war. Most of us aren't effect by it but we know it's happening. There is a line from another review - Darran from ShinraAlpha - that sums up this up much better than me. "It's a clever way of reflecting our own lives, too, because of course we live our own little stories against a backdrop of dramatic awful events that we're unable to influence." 

I could go on. I could gush over this book. I could. But I won't. I feel that most Patrick Ness fans will love this and for those of you wanting to try Patrick Ness, I feel this might be a good place to start (though I haven't read The Knife of Never Letting Go... DON'T JUDGE ME!). But yes, I just love this book and wish more books made me read them as fast as I did with The Rest of Us Just Live Here.

Farewell Terry Pratchett - Reaper Man

Hello and welcome to my spot in the Terry Pratchett Blog Tour! Today, I will doing a small-ish review of the twelfth novel in the Discworld series, Reaper Man.

Death is gone. Just gone. Presumed... er... missing. And what would happen to the Discworld now a important public service is withdrawn? Chaos, that's what. If Death doesn't come for you, then what do you do in the mean time? And what happens to all the life force that's floating about...? And where did all those snow globes come from?

Meanwhile, on a farm far away, a very tall and very thin man who is excellent with a scythe has come to gather a harvest...

Ok, am going to admit this. I have only just got into reading Terry Pratchett. Before last year, I only read one of his books and for the life of me, I can't tell you what book it is. It just went straight over my head. But in the summer of last year, I audiobooked A Slip on the Keyboard and after putting it off for quite some time, I read Mort back in February. So, I am still new to his world.

But Reaper Man has always been one of his books that has intrigued. Not sure why. Maybe it's the old cover of Death sitting in a field. Maybe it was the idea of Death just going...

But I finally read it. And I loved it! I didn't think I would enjoy myself as much as I thought I would. I just galloped through it, reading it very late into the night (using my phone as a light as I don't have a bedside lamp at the moment!) and trying to squeeze five minutes worth of reading before I go to work.

And Death is such a wonderful character. How he saw the Discworld and the ideals of life and death were interesting and, at the same time, funny. He might be my fave character in the series - and I only really remember 2 Discworld books well!

I know you guys were expecting a review with pros and cons (the only con I could think of is the ending - I liked the ending but there was something about it. Maybe because I was rushing it at half past midnight!), but I enjoyed myself reading this. I loved this book and I have plans to read more Discworld. So much so, I have been snooping on kindle and have downloaded far too many samplers to figure out my next Discworld book - Wyrd Sisters, Hogfather, Thief of Time, Maskerade...

Where should I start? I shall be following the Terry Pratchett Blog Tour with interest and, if you are a fan of Terry's work (Discworld or any others), leave me a comment and tell me what I should read next!

GoodRead - The Fisherman's Net

I had fallen into a bit of a reading slump in the past few weeks. I have picked up several books and then always put them down again. I just can't seem to click with anything. So, out of sheer "what the heck", I looked for something short to read. Something that could kick start my reading again.

And this is what I picked.

In this, The Fisherman's Net is a fable set in the world of Laura Lam's Pantomime. In this fable, a fisherman buys a trinket in the market. It is only several days later that he realises its true wealth and soon, he becomes a wealth fisherman. One day, he catches something that shouldn't exist. Something that begs to be released. Something he's not sure he can let go...

Ok, I love Laura Lam's Pantomime and I have every intention to read Shadowplay (which is sitting angrily on my kindle) so reading the second short within the Vestigial Tales, I knew, was more for world building.

And this was world building short. It is a fable parents tell their children. Even though, at the start of the story, it warns us that every person that reads it comes away with a different morale, which I found huge intriguing. If anyone else read this, could you let me know what you thought the story's morale was. I would love to compare.

It is short, which is ok. It is a fable (notice that this word is being repeated a lot in the post) so they should be short. But for some reason, I wish it was a tad longer (yet I have seen reviews that say it was the perfect length). I think it's because quite close to the end, it introduces a character that intrigues me greatly. Maybe if I ask nicely, Laura might write something about this character/creature on her blog...

While this isn't necessary story to read with the Micah Gray series, it's was a nice addition, which you guys could probably read within 10 minutes (I took longer - reading slump). I think this has got me a little more excited over reading Shadowplay and the Vestigial Tale that is on my kindle, The Card Sharp (don't own the third story, The Tarot Reader, as this has a character that is introduced within Shadowplay and I don't want to read that till after Shadowplay).

PS - sorry if this review isn't as helpful compared to my others, my reading slump has kinda knocked my reading/reviewing out of me. Which sucks. But I will get back into the swing of things. Just you watch me...!

GoodRead - Half Wild

I finished this yesterday evening, and I had to sit and let it sink in before I dare consider writing this review.

After the events of Half Bad (not read my review or seen my 60 second review video for Bookish Brits? You know the drill), where Nathan meets his father so briefly, Nathan is a now a full adult witch. And still on the run from the White Witches.

He needs to find his friend, Gabriel, then try to save Annalise from the powerful Black Witch, Mercury. All the while, trying to control his Gift and watching as Soul O'Brien has taken control of the council of White Witches. War is coming as Soul is planning to take more control and is expanding his war against Black Witches into Europe.

War is coming. The question is, what will Nathan lose?

Right, I have to say this before I go any further. I loved Half Bad.  I LOVED IT SO MUCH! So much so that, within a very short space of time, I read the eNovella prequel and the sequel. THIS IS SUPER RARE FOR ME! I usually get excited and then have to wait a year for the next book, which gives me time to calm down and get my expectations to a nice level so I can enjoy and love the book.

Not this time. And because I LOVED Half Bad, I guessed that, while I'll love Half Wild, I won't love it as much... So I braced myself.

This is a very different book. It feels more brutal and bloody compared to Half Bad. If Half Bad was Harry Potter on acid, then I think Half Wild is Mockingjay on acid as well.

Both books have a feel that war is coming and the planning that goes behind war. But, unlike Mockingjay, which only took one book to look into the war, Half Wild throws us into war in the latter part of book 2 of her trilogy, leaving one more book to make all the heck hit the fan (not going to swear here!).

If you disagree with me, read the last 10 or so percent of this book and get back to me. This left me in a book coma all yesterday and today. And I start a new book amost immediately! DAMN YOU SALLY!!!

The writing in this is still very unique. It feels very Sally Green and I can't fault her in it. It's one the book's strongest points! And the way Sally is tackling the love triangle is interesting - it's there but it isn't the main focus. It's gently simmering in the background and I love that!

I still have a few tiny problems. One of them was Annalise. I can't help it with her. I keep thinking of her as Viola Davis in How To Get Away With Murder (love that show!) so I have to keep them serpeate. But I don't buy the relationship between her and Nathan (yes, this book converted me to the Nathan/Gabriel). I think it's because I was going "Nathan, are you really in love with Annalise? Do you love her because you love her? Or is it because, outside your family, she's the first White Witch who treated your like a human being rather than a experiment?"

But a worthy sequel. I can not wait for how Sally wraps this up (and we have to wait till next year. NEXT YEAR?! HOW AM I MEANT TO WAIT THAT LONG?!). Can I preorder it now or should I start begging Sally for book 3 now?

GoodRead - Mort

A few years ago, I did a readalong with Stevie of SableCaught fame of Murder of the Orient Express by Agatha Christie on Twitter. We planned to do a video on her channel and talk about our reactions to the book, so we met up, did the video (which has NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY because of the audio. And hopefully, because of this, we will NEVER SEE IT! EVER!) and chatted about Discworld as I was curious on the series and wondered where I would start. Stevie said this was the book to start, even though it's the fourth book in the series.

Death comes for us all. But when Death came for Mort, he offered Mort a job. What could possibly go on? A lot, is the answer. A lot.

Ok, I am going to start with this point before I go any further. I HATE THIS COVER! HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!! I know why this is the cover and I get why you lovely people love it but, in my opinion, it's awful. I trying to understand why Keli is wearing very very little - so much so that her boobs are going to pop out any second. I don't like how Mort is drawn. What is up with his neck. And with up with Ysabell? Where is Ysabell's body and isn't both Mort and Cutwell meant to be in their late teens/early twenties? And don't get me started on Death!

*exhales loudly* Sorry. I had to get that rant out of my system! I really dislike the cover, in case you didn't guess...

Ok, my reactions to the book. I am a tad mixed on this book.

My main reason, I think, is because I had such high expectation over this series - I mean, it's one of those series that everyone who reads adult fantasy read and love. So, the bar was always going to be high and, of course, the book was never going to reach my expectations.

But it's an interesting read. And an odd book.

For me, this is a good book to start with the Discworld series as the first half of the book touches on the weirdness of Discworld and, once the world is explained and the story gets on its feet (around 100 pages or so), I liked it. It wasn't what I was expecting.

Death is a character I love. As weird as that makes me sound, he intrigues me. He's a walking contradiction. He shouldn't meddle in human lives, and yet he finds us fascinating. He likes cats and has a horse called Binky. Oh, and he has an adopted daughter.

Yeah, this is the Grim Reaper as we know him.

I think tht's one of the reasons I liked this book. This book - ok, this series from my chats with "real" Discworld readers - takes fantasy very seriously. And yet, because it does, it knows where the humour lies. Its tongue is firmly in its cheek without making the world seem ridiculous or unreal, even though the Discworld is unreal and ridiculous.

But, like I said earlier on, I had high expectations over this book and it's my own fault that I didn't like it as much as I hoped. BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP! I won a beautiful hardback edition of Reaper Man and I have plans to read that and maybe one or two more Discworld books. When I feel brave enough to tackle them...

GoodRead - Half Lies

Like I said, I devoured Half Bad (review was up yesterday because of my mini-break with family - review is here), and without a rest-bite, I jumped straight into the eNovella prequel, Half Lies.

Gabriel and Michele is in a new and scary world. They understand that they are Black Witches so the world is cruel to them anyway, but with their mother dead and their father drowning himself with booze, the brother and sister are clinging to each other. They have to find their way when they move to Florida and when Michele begins to fall for a boy that could be seen as unsuitable. Soon, loyalty and love will be tested, but will Michele make a deadly mistake...?

Before I go any further, I have to state that even though this is a prequel, I would strongly advise to read this after Half Bad. I asked on Twitter if I should read this before or after Half Bad, and I was told strongly to read this after but I had to read it before Half Wild.

Now with that out of the way, I am going to be honest with you. I didn't love it as much as I loved Half Bad. I liked it, but there was something about this eNovella that I couldn't warm to and I'm not sure why...

Ok, let's say the good - Sally's writing style is excellent again with this. She write this story in Michele's diary with entries (and small notes written between Michele and Gabriel, showing that Gabriel reads his sister's diary and Michele knows it. I like it alot as it shows their connection and I enjoyed reading this side of the story).

But, like I said, there was something about this story that didn't make me fall in love with it. I didn't warm to the whole "Romeo & Juilet" vibe but this wasn' the problem. There was something about this story that I didn't like and I can't put my finger on what the problem is...

But I like it. Just not as much as Half Bad. But I think this has some importance (or some clue) over Gabriel when we meet him again in Half Wild... We shall see...

PS - A few days ago, the lovely Bookish Brits's Twitter asked what we/they should read next and this was the reply and this is an awesome reply and pin-points at an interesting view of the series at a whole...

@BookishBrits @PewterWolf13 Half Lies by @Sa11eGreen ... short story but potent look at society's prejudice and the harm it wreaks.
— Just Me and Myself (@sabriel25) February 15, 2015

GoodRead - Half Bad

I can imagine you all recoiling from me now. I can hear you all shouting "You've only just read Half Bad in the past few days?! YOU CALL YOURSELF A YA BOOK BLOGGER!". And yes, I have only just read and yes, I know I am late to the party but I was scared. The hype/buzz monster scared me and everytime I picked it up to read it, I was always worried over if I would like it and what would happen if I didn't...

Nathan will be seventeen soon. He is living in a cage; beaten, shackled and trapped in a modern London where White Witches and Black Witches are at war with each other. Nathan is a Half Code: White Witch mother and Black Witch father. An abomination. The only way Nathan is going to survive is he has to escape the White Witches, find his father, receive his three gifts and come into his powers. But when he knows that he can't trust anyone, can he keep those he do trust - his family, his friends, the girl he cares deeply for - safe? And if he can't, what then?

Before I go any further, the cover. Doesn't it remind anyone else of Lord Voldermort from the Harry Potter series? Yes, let's get the Harry Potter stuff out of the way first as EVERYONE seems to be comparing the two. Both books have witches and both are set in a world very similar to our own. But that's it. I can't see any other similarities.

Ok, the book. I loved it - it was like read Harry Potter but on acid (ok, last Harry Potter reference. Honest). . I became obsessed with this book when I was reading it. There was a day or two when I had to stop because I was becoming that obsessed with it. I felt scared that Sally Green's twitter feed would be of me going "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"

But yes, I fell for it. I found the writing so unique and unlike anything I have ever read before. She jumped from first person to second person narrative and back again with such ease and I never found it jarring. The only other book I feel that wrote second person narrative brilliantly was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (and I LOVED that book!). So it's rare, but Sally nailed it!

I felt the world was strong and how Nathan saw the world was interesting. He saw it as harsh (hence why he wrote the characters quite flat, unless he cared deeply for them, then he gave them depth) and his need to find his father - the powerful Black Witch who kills without a moment's thought - interesting. He knew he was a bad/evil man and yet, his need to find and please him made Nathan complex.

Also, is it bad I shipped two characters even though THEY HAVE NEVER MET?! I'm sorry but Gabriel and Arran need to meet, fall madly in love, get married and adopted little Witch children. I will ship this, even if this doesn't happen!!!

The only negatives I think most people will have is Sally's writing on characters. Some characters are quite flat - but I think this is because if Nathan doesn't care for them, he sees them as quite flat, not a person to take qreat detail of.

Another small thing is his and Annalise's relationship. At times, I just didn't see it. I didn't feel happy with it and I couldn't put my finger on why. I think it might have been rushed or maybe Sally wants to have Nathan question himself and his sexuality throughout the course of the series (I read Nathan as straight, but if this is the route Sally is going to go down with Half Wild and the third book in the trilogy, I will be intrigued to see how sensitively she tackles this subject matter)...

But despite its flaws, I loved this book. So much so, I jumped straight into the eNovella prequel, Half Lies, without a moment's thought (and I requested Half Wild on NetGalley so I will be reading this in the next few weeks!). I sense I will become obsessed with this series...

Hobson & Choi - The Girl Who Tweeted Rush Jobs

Hello and welcome to my stop of the Hobson and Choi Blog Tour and I have reviews for you. That and something else that you will have to go to the bottom of this post!

Hobson and Choi starts with The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf, when Angelica Choi starts her work experience with John Hobson's one man detective agency. She only wanted to give a good impression so when she was asked to set up a Twitter account, she jumps on it and tweets "If we get 400 followers, John Hobson will solve that nasty wolf-murder case for free! Fight the thing himself if he has to! #HobsonVsWolf". The follower count shoots up and soon, Hobson and Choi have a mystery to solve... Shame the body count is rising and the campaign keeps getting more and more viral...

Rush Jobs continues with Hobson and Choi. After the events of The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf, they are in demand. But with a kidnapping, playing with fire with corporate crime and drug dealers and deal with the violent backlash from their last case, can the duo solve them all or with Hobson's past come out of the woodwork and cause more harm than good?

Ok, am going to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but both these stories are quite addictive reads. Once I found my footing with The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf (only two or three chapters), I raced through them both.

Both books are very different from each other - like I said up above - The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf focused on one case and getting to know our lead characters - John Hobson who seems to speak before he speaks (and has a mouth of a sailor at times!) and Angelica, a sixteen year old who is having her eyes open to the world of private investigating and dealing with teen life - but Rush Jobs focus on several jobs but we see both Hobson and Choi grow with each other and in themselves.

Plus, the cases all made sense. They were dark but it made sense in the world that Choi (and us) was entering into. It's the dark side of London, but with a nasty edge of humour.

It's not perfect. The Girl Who Tweeted Wolf started life as a serial and there are times you feel like each chapter is reminding you of something and there was one or two phrases characters used that I didn't like and it threw me out of the stories at times (but these are my issues, not the characters).

But these were fast addictive reads. I will be very intrigued to see what happens in book three - oh yes, a book three is in the works. Oh, both the copies I read had short stories in and they were DARK!

Oh, during this tour, there is a contest to win one signed paperback set of the series and three eBook sets of the series as well. So, if you fancy entering...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OH! If you want to backtrack and all at the other blogposts on this tour, you can! here are all the links you need to know!

Monday 19th January

Rain On A Summer’s Afternoon

Tuesday 20th January

Claire Rousseau

Wednesday 21st January

Music, Books and Tea

Thursday 22nd January

Ya Yeah Yeah

Friday 23rd January

A Daydreamer’s Thoughts

Saturday 24th January

Tales of Yesterday

Sunday 25th January

K-Books

Monday 26th January

Nimbus Space

Tuesday 27th January

The Online Novel

Wednesday 28th January

Nyx Book Reviews

Thursday 29th January

Winged Reviews

Friday 30th January

Kirstyes

Saturday 31st January

The Book Moo

Sunday 1st February

Bookish Outsider

Monday 2nd February

Pewter Wolf

GoodRead - The Dagger in the Desk

So, on my way home from the Fire Sermon blogger event, rather than read the book the event was about, I wanted to read something quick and addictive. I had a short train journey and the London Underground today was busy and I didn't want to use my newly signed copy as a weapon. So, to stop this from happening, I read my kindle and I read the eShort of Lockwood and Co. The Dagger In The Desk.

And yes, I haven't read the first book in the series. I KNOW! The great Jim from YA Yeah Yeah gave me a copy and it's sitting on my TBR shelf, waiting. And, as it's about ghosts, I'm trying not to give it eye contact. Otherwise, I am doomed. 

In Dagger In The Desk, London's (ok, not our London but another London) most talented psychic detective agency (and ghost hunters) are called on to investigate a ghost in St Simeon's Academy for Talented Youngsters. A ghost that lurks in the shadows, is angry and carries a very sharp and very real dagger. Will they survive the night...? 

I sped through this and I wished I have read the first book in the series, The Screaming Staircase. This was fun, fast-paced and funny. I can imagine The Screaming Staircase having very scary moments (one of the reasons am quite fearful to read ghost stories - am a bit of a wuss). 

But I flew through this and am very excited to read this series. Fans of the first book, I feel, will love this. It will tie you guys over till book 3 comes out later this year. 

For those of you curious over this series and wondering if this would be good starting point to see if you like the writing, I would say yes. You get a feel for the world (though I think Screaming Staircase will do a better, more in depth job) and with this, you get a tiny galley of the ghosts and an sneak peek of Screaming Staircase so if you like it and want to read more, you can read that and see if you like it.

I chose not to read the sneak peek as I want to be surprised when I read Screaming Staircase, but I had such fun reading Dagger in the Desk that I hope to enter this world again very soon...