ARC Review: The Power by Jennifer L Armentrout

Book: The Power, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Titan series #2

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: February 23^rd, 2016

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat.

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

Review: Rising Shadows by Ashley Townsend

Book: Rising Shadows, Ashley Townsend

Series: Rising Shadow series #1

Publisher: Kirkdale Press

Release Date: June 16^th, 2012

Sarah Matthews is nearing the end of another eventless summer in the small town of Bethany, Oklahoma, bringing her closer to the start of her freshman year of college. Disheartened over the reality that yet another unexciting season is coming to an end, Sarah wishes for an unforgettable adventure. When mysterious circumstances transport Sarah and her younger sister back in time, she gets more of an adventure than she could have ever imagined. The two sisters find themselves trapped in the twelfth century in a place shrouded with mystery and deception. Assassination plots, kidnappings, and tumultuous adventures force Sarah to rely on the Shadow, a masked hero who comes to her aid numerous times. In order to uncover a conspiracy and save those closest to her, Sarah requests help from the Shadow and also from Will, the handsome and equally intriguing blacksmith she befriends. Sarah is strangely drawn to the excitement that seems to follow the town hero and begins to look forward to their secret encounters. She also finds herself caught in a romance with Will, despite the fact that their equally fiery personalities have a tendency to clash as they attempt to work together. But Will’s past is filled with secrets and pains, and Sarah finds it difficult to break through the walls he has built around him. Can the faith and love of God that Sarah exhibits in her own life cause his hardened facade to fall away as he discovers that forgiveness and mercy are never too far from reach?

Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Iron Knight, Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey #4

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: October 26^th, 2011

My name - my True Name - is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Let's Talk Shadowhunters: A TV Show review

I saw that Mackenzie over at Oh, For The Love of Books (which I think is a great blog title!) did a TV review of the Shadowhunters TV show and thought it was a great idea so I wanted to show my two cents about it too. And maybe I'll be able to help any of you who are torn about watching this show to finally make up your mind and watch it.

Now if you don't know, Shadowhunters is the TV show based on Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. It was given a reboot after that (disastrous) movie fiasco back in 2013. 

I really enjoyed the series and was super-hyped over the TV show, watching the promo videos and watching vloggers on Youtube fangirl excitedly over developments, such as casting, dates, etc.

Were my hopes high? No. I knew not to expect a masterpiece. All these actors were relatively new, plus it was a fantasy show with a lot of characters, species, rules, etc, and it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. 

In a Nutshell:

It was not perfect. However, I did enjoy myself and despite its flaws, I will still sit down devotedly each week to watch it. I believe the show has potential and the fact that it has 13 episodes (according to IMDb, anyway) to develop the characters and story means I'm not giving up so easily.

Cracking that Nutshell:

If you're a devoted fan to the show and can't bare the thought of even minor changes from book to TV show adaptation, then don't bother watching this. There are quite a few changes the producers made to the show, some of which I understood, some I didn't think were necessary. However I know it did bother some people who were like "Why??? Why would you do this????"

DISCLAIMER: Spoilers for both TV show and books ahead; if you want to stay spoiler free, turn back now!

What They've Changed:

1. Instead of owning a bookstore, Luke is a cop instead. I don't mind too much though, as he looks mighty fine doing so. *drool*
2. Clary is 18 instead of 15. I don't mind this change either, though, as I think this means they'll be able to make her more mature.
3. The Institute is totally changed. Instead of just having the Lightwoods, Jace and Hodge living there, there are all these strangers there too! And I'm just sitting here like, who ARE these people? It doesn't feel as homey as I imagine the Institute to be in the books.
4. Maureen (remember that crazy vampire chick who are crazy in love with Simon?) is older here and the band Simon's in is just him and Maureen. I guess Eric and crew were too minor to be cast. Aw.

I understand some of these changes, I mean we can't expect the TV show to be exactly as the book, right? ... Okay I do have a problem with the Institute, I found that really peculiar! But I kinda get why they made Clary older. However, I think they brought the world together well and it was interesting. Here's the big one though: What was the acting like?

Jace:

I love Dominic Sherwood. He looks like I think Jace would look like. But I'm sorry, he delivered one-liners terribly in the first episode. That initial meeting with Clary was so cringey. However, by the second episode he seemed to be more comfortable with the character and I hope he'll get better. Besides, I guess the writers are partly to blame for writing such cringe-worthy one-liners. 

Clary:

In the promo I wasn't quite sure about Katherine's acting, but after this episode I actually didn't mind her. She was stubborn like book-Clary is, and very quirky (I love that she and Simon are making a graphic novel, that's really awesome). What I remember most from City of Bones is that she was quite mean too. I didn't like her much because of that. But TV-Clary was too nice, I liked her! It's a little bit of a paradox, lol.

Alec:

Alec was just as rude and mean towards Clary as he was in the first book, I loved that. He didn’t get many lines in the first ep, but I can’t wait for scenes with him and Magnus. And there is an episode called Malec, so that will be AMAZING. They’re my OTP of this series.

Isabelle:

The actress for Isabelle is STUNNING. I love her so much. She plays Izzy very well, and makes Izzy seem friendly. I wasn't sure about that at first, but then I found out that in the TV show, Izzy hasn't found out that her father had an affair (which is what made her so bitchy in the first place) so I'm really interested in seeing her character develop after she finds that out. 

Simon:

JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE. How can you not love him? Simon is by far my favourite character and I believe his actor portrays him brilliantly; nerdy, faithful, loving, loyal. Everything Simon is. I'll watch this show just to see more of him!

Overall:

While this show is not perfect, it's still enjoyable and I still love seeing the characters from the books come to life. There's enough explanation in the first episode so that if you haven't read the books, you still have some idea of what's going on. I didn't talk about Magnus or Valentine or Luke here because they weren't in it enough and I wanted to focus on the five main characters. 

I would suggest giving the first episode a shot, but don't have high expectations for it to be completely the same as the books.Whatever about the corny lines, it's definitely entertaining.

Did any of you watch the first episode? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Iron Queen, Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey #3

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: January 25th, 2011

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

COVER REVEAL: The Problem With Forever

You can never have too much of Jennifer L Armentrout, right? She's a goddess among authors, and it's always a happy day when I get to read a new book of hers. Well, she's recently unveiled the cover of her latest YA contemporary read: The Problem With Forever. Wanna take a look?

Ah, isn't it beautiful? The colours, the font... everything stands out to make it amazing. I love the watercolour background! A lot of Jen's books feature an enviously hot couple on the front, but I like the lack of that on this book, I think it's going to look stunning on bookshelves.

Here's the synopsis via Goodreads:

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard. 

Gah, it sounds awesome, I'm so excited! What do you guys think?

This book is being released on May 17, 2016. 
Add it to your Goodreads shelves here and order it via Amazon here. 

Thursday Quotables #15: The Iron Queen

Welcome to Thursday Quotables! This feature is the place where you highlight a great quote, line or passage you've discovered in a book you're currently reading. Whether it's something heart-warming, heart-breaking, funny or inspiring, Thursday Quotables is where my favourite line(s) of the week will be, and I invite you to join in! It's hosted by Lisa at BookShelf Fantasies, so be sure to check her out :)

The book I'm reading this week is The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa. It's the third book in the Iron Fey series, continues the quest of Meghan, a half human and half Faery Princess, as she navigates through the Faery world she's only recently discovered and tries to save a home she never knew she had from the deadly and dastardly Iron King. It also has a great romance with Ash, a Faery Prince as well as other wonderful Faery characters.

My quote this week is on YA's most fond romance option: forbidden love.

"Summer and Winter were supposed to be enemies. We were not supposed to cooperate, we were not supposed to go on quests together and, most important, we were not supposed to fall in love."

There's something about forbidden love that's so exciting, even when I've read so many of them lately. This one is just as exciting and cute as Rose and Dimitri (Vampire Academy), Adrian and Sydney (Bloodlines) and Alex and Aiden (Covenant series).

Have you read this book? What quotes grasped your heartstrings this week? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Iron Daughter, Julie Kagawa 

Series: The Iron Fey #2

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Release Date: August 1st, 2010

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Iron King, Julie Kagawa

Series: The Iron Fey #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: February 1^st, 2010

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.