Review: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

To say I have mildly conflicting feelings about Only a Monster would be an understatement. I possibly should have waited a while to let those feelings settle before writing this review, but I just have to get them out there now. This book took a little while to hook me in but hoooo boy, when it got me it got me! I was absolutely absorbed and when I had to pause reading for a little while because of Christmas festivities I was just itching to get it back open.

I think for me, the power of this book is in the ending. The start was a slow burn for me, and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to push through. The middle does a lot of set-up and worldbuilding and starts building a lot more on the characters and the lore and the powers in the book. The ending was just fantastic though. Gripping, powerful, romantic, poignant and almost perfectly wrapped up aside from a lot of questions which have me soooo ready for the sequel. Like this book could probably work as a standalone, but I am not upset that there's going to be more. I was just starting to get my head around some things and then woosh more questions and more drama and... gah!

To start with, I didn't really love Joan but she grew on me. Aaron was an immediate winner (I love the rich boy with a secret soft spot trope and Aaron is just a perfect for it). Ruth was rough and ready and a great support. Tom was a fantastic side character and I am so glad that he got extra dimensions and became a big part of the story. I'm conflicted about Nick, which I think I'm meant to be. Vanessa Len manages to build this love triangle that I am already invested in between Joan, Nick and Aaron without it being overbearing. In fact until the last 20% of the book, the romance is very much barely there, but I love the set up for the sequel so I am so onboard with it. I am so hoping the triangle skews in the direction I am supporting but the set up towards the end makes me think I may be a little disappointed on that front.

I can't say this book is the best I've read because there were definite flaws. Obviously the fact that I struggled to get into it at the start is one of them, and I think it's just because while the story and the characters and the world was standout, I didn't feel the same way about Len's writing. It wasn't bad, but at times I found the dialogue a little... unnatural? I also felt that there was a habit of repeating previous character's quotes to push the story forward and remind us of previous conversations and sometimes it just didn't fit for me.

That being said, Only a Monster is definitely a standout book, and one of the best urban fantasy titles that I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. I love the darker undertones and the world building and I can't wait to dive a lot deeper into that with the two remaining titles in this series. 

Book released february 22nd 2022 by HarperTeen

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist

 With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it’s a gift. But to Lexi it’s a curse—one that keeps her friendless and alone. All that changes when Lexi foresees the violent death of a young woman, Jane, outside a club. But Jane doesn’t go to the afterlife quietly. Her ghost remains behind, determined to hunt down her murderer, and she needs Lexi’s help. In life, Jane was everything Lexi is not—outgoing, happy, popular. But in death, all Jane wants is revenge. Lexi will do anything to help Jane, to make up for the fact that she didn’t—couldn’t—save Jane’s life, and to keep this beautiful ghost of a girl by her side for as long as possible.

Recently I have had this huge craving to reread the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, it was the first book that got me into the YA Paranormal genre in the first place. The issue is that I have such a huge TBR pile that I put that thought to the back of my mind and decided to pick a randomly selected book from my TBR list and read it.

That book was Missing, Presumed Dead. Whilst it isn't really on the level of The Mediator, it definitely filled a void and left me feeling pretty contect.

Firstly, let me say how much I loved the Film Noir vibe that this book had going on. From Lexi's spiky exterior and the menance behind the scenes and the almost crime familia kind of thing that Urie has going on, it was amazing. 

There's also some amazing characters as well. As much as Lex herself wasn't entirely likeable, she had her reasons for pushing people away so it's forgivable. She's also compelling to read, and I loved those around her. Deda is an amzing character and even though he wasn't in on the action he was a steadfast support. Ilia... Oh how I loved Ilia... I expected Ilia to be the main love interest to be honest and I am so glad he was not. It's such an amazing representation of how a male can be a protector and that can be completely platonic.

Now let's get onto the less alive characters. Trevor... oh get me a Trevor. he was funny and cute and witty and such a companion to Lex. Jane was also just amazing, so real to life and such an instigator for Lexi's change and arc. I supported the two of them all the way through even though I find dead/alive romance as a trope entirely cringeworthy.

The plot of this book was pretty simple, but the origianlity came from the underground network of magic and powers that exists in a modern day LA. I loved that the descriptions were vague enough to not be infodump but also not entirely complicated so it didn't feel like poor world building.

Overall, Missing, Presumed Dead is one of the better books that I have read recently. It's only because I compare all Urban Paranormal books to the ones that set me on this blogging course that this book won't get 5/5.

Book released 21st May 2019 by Greenwillow Books

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Extraordinary October by Diana Wagman

October is an ordinary girl. From her plain looks to her average grades, there seems to be nothing special about her. Then, three days before her eighteenth birthday, she develops a strange itch that won’t go away, and her life is turned upside down. Suddenly, she can hear dogs talk, make crows fly, and two new and very handsome boys at school are vying for her affections. After she starts “transplanting” herself through solid rock, October learns that she is not ordinary at all, but the daughter of a troll princess and a fairy prince, and a pawn in a deadly war between the trolls and the fairies. Now October will have to use all of her growing powers to save her family, and stop a mysterious evil that threatens to destroy the fairy world.

In the fantastical vein of authors such as Julie Kagawa and Holly Black, Extraordinary October takes us on a magical journey from the streets of Los Angeles to the beautiful and mythical underground fairy kingdom.

Why is this book not getting more publicity, it is literally a fun amalgamation of all of the fantasy books that have been 'big'. Think The Iron Fey series, meets the Wicked Lovely series, throw in a little of Trylle series and a Disney style evil queen and you get something like Extraordinary October - this was a really fun and quick read that I enjoyed.

At the start I didn't think this book would work for me - the writing seemed a little clunky and the protagonist spent the first few chapters talking about how plain and ordinary she was, how nobody really notices her and her life is nothing special. I hate that kind of stuff and it was seriously overload in this book at times, but the writing started to work and when we got to the plot this book really picked up and October came into her own.

I loved the whole interspecies chosen one thing, and I loved the individual traits that the fairies (who like birds and have addictive personalities) and the trolls (mushroom digging) had - I also really enjoyed reading about how they came together to defeat the bad guy, it was a fun romp.

I mean, this book isn't breaking any records - I'm not sure it's going to be on the best books I have read this year list, but it's pure escapism and brings back a genre which seems to have fizzled a bit in the last few years.

If you liked any faerie series (Tithe, Wicked Lovely, The Replacement, Trylle) then I would recommend you give this book a go, it was an enjoyable fun read. 

Book released October 11th 2016 by Ig Publishing

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: City of Fae by Pippa DaCosta

From the moment Alina touches London's hottest fae superstar, breaking one of the laws founded to protect all of her kind, her fate – and the fae – close in.

Below ground, the fae High Queen plots to claim the city as her own and places her pawns, ready for the battle to come. A battle she cannot lose, but for one small problem – Alina. There are four ancient keepers powerful enough to keep the queen in her prison. Three are dead. One remains … And to fight back, Alina risks sacrificing everything she has come to love.

I've never really been into the whole New Adult thing, but the idea of City of Fae was just too good for me to deny. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would, it was actually a really absorbing storyline even if the pace was slow at times and some of the story was difficult to keep up with - especially after the big reveal when things got a little confusing and convoluted. Despite this, City of Fae still managed to keep me absorbed.

I think that what really sets this book apart from other faerie books is the way that the fae exist in this modern day world - people are aware of their existence and our main guy, Reign, is a famous rockstar fae. It meant that our main character, Alina, is learning new things but their existence isn't a big surprise for her.

I really loved Alina, she develops so much throughout this book from headstrong but a little nervous and shy to this kick-ass heroine. She has an understandable existential crisis later in the book but deals with it. Yes, she makes some bad moves as the plot develops but she is still pretty likeable. Our pretty boy bad boy Reign is also pretty awesome -I've heard him descried as a Fae Christian Grey but I totally disagree with that - Reign is actually pretty heroic and caring - and I definitely enjoyed their developing relationship.

The plot itself wasn't anything brand new in the realms of fae books, but I still found myself absorbed and loving it, so it wasn't too bad The end, as mentioned before, did get a bit rushed and confusing, but this wasn't too big a deal. Maybe it could have done with being paced out a bit better but I still was hooked.

Overall, City of Fae was an absorbing read with a plot which wasn't massively original but did have me hooked. I loved the characters and would still recommend it to fans of paranormal books.

Book released 7th May by Bloomsbury Sparks

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . .

Oh gosh, what a surprise this book was. It's exactly what I have been waiting for after a run of pretty bad to average books. I have never read anything by Jennifer Estep before though I have heard great things about her other series and I have to say that Cold Burn of Magic did not let me down. From the first page I was invested in Lila's story and from then to the very end I was so gripped in the story.

Lila was such a strong character. She was witty, she admits when she makes mistakes and she was absolutely just a likable yet bristly tough gal. Sure, this did mean that I was sort of upset when she fell head over for heels with Devon without really having much to do with him. That being said, I liked Devon enough that I totally got it - he was swoonworthy - actually, I think that Devon is the first love interest in such a long time where I really understood why the main girl fell for him. He was lovely! Sure, Devon could sometimes be a bit cold but he was just a nice guy most of the time. The love was a little bit too fast, buuuuut there was no love triangle which I loved because it seemed like there was going to be one.

One thing that pretty much blew me away was the worldbuilding. The setting was a typical American tourist town, except the tourism is because the place is the most magical place in America. The world was so amazing, the magic was the forefront - this happy, bustling town - in the background is the magic gangs.

I really can't wait for the next book in the series, Lila is so far one of my favourite heroines in YA in 2015 and I am so excited to find out where her story goes from here.

Book released 28th April 2015 by Kensington

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott

When fifteen year old Mio Yamato furtively sneaks the katana - an ancestral Japanese sword - out of its hiding place in her parent's attic to help liven up her Christmas party costume, she has no idea of the darkness she is about to unleash on modern day London, or the family secrets that she is going to uncover.

The paralysing paranoia that descends on her before she gets to her friend's party is her first clue. The vivid and terrifying visions that nearly get her killed are a pretty good warning too.

The giant nine-tailed cat demon that comes after the sword and tries to rip her throat out? Overkill.

Seconds away from becoming kitty-food, Mio is saved by Shinobu, a mysterious warrior boy. But it's already too late. Mio has ruptured the veil between the mortal realm and the Underworld, and now the gods and monsters of ancient Japan stalk the streets of London, searching for her and the sword. 

With the help of her best friend Jack, a fox spirit named Hikaru - and the devoted protection of the betwitchingly familiar Shinobu - Mio attempts to discover the true nature of the sword and its connection to the Yamato family. Because if she doesn't learn how to control the katana's incredible powers, she's in danger of being overwhelmed by them. And if she can't keep the sword safe from the terrible creatures who want it for their own, she'll lose not only her own life... but the love of a lifetime.

Zoe Marriott is a goddess, and I am just a humble servant.

Okay, wait, maybe that was a weird way to start this review but, honestly, there's just no other way to put it. I have forever worshipped this woman's writing and she has not failed me yet. I've loved all of her previous books (all fantasy), with Daughter of the Flames being one of my all time favorite reads ever. That being said, I adored Shadows on the Moon and I loved how Marriott weaved in the traditional Japanese intricacies with such ease so I should have been confident about The Night Itself.

Still, somehow I wasn't. Marriott has forever impressed with her fantasy titles but urban fantasy is a whole new ball game. I was hoping that Marriott would not dissapoint and sure enough she didn't. This book is thrilling from the get go, with the action happening pretty fast in. I did have some issues with it but they were, for the most part, rebutted by the awesomeness that is Zoe Marriott's action writing.

There's something about Japanese mythology which has always gripped me, maybe it's my childhood with anime and manga or maybe it's something else, and I loved how these things were written from a British born Japanese girl's point of view. The action was amazingly written - especially the final action scene - and Mio was kick-ass (if sometimes rather annoying). I was gripped from start to finish.

However, as I said above, Mio was pretty annoying to me sometimes. To start with I never got why she took the katana. Forget about her Grandpa's severe warnings and her somewhat confusingly broken memories, what teenager takes a sharp scary sword to a party anyway?! That's just screaming stupid to me. Sure, it completed her costume, but what's up with a plastic katana from eBay?  

Also, as much as I myself swooned over Shinobu, I did have some issues with the love story. I felt that it developed way too quickly (oh why the insta-love, YA authors?!) and it lacked chemistry. Like, I didn't hate it. I shipped it pretty hard by the end, but I would have preferred a few more moments rather than 'ohmygodthisjapaneseguycameoutofmyswordandheshotomg'. I expected better from The-Goddess-That-Is-Zoe-Marriott and this was a tiny letdown.

However any issues that I had with the main cast was easily fixed by the supporting cast. Hikaru and Jack are characters that I adore and I cannot wait to see how all of that plays out. I'll be reading the others even if only for them.

Overall, The Night Itself was not without it's flaws. It was, however, gripping and funny and a really pleasant read.

Book released July 4th 2013 by Walker Books

Book purchased by myself.

Review: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Long

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction 

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

How do I feel about The Treachery of Beautiful Things. I enjoyed it, that's for sure, but it didn't completely hit the mark for me/ I feel as though this book felt twice as long as it's 384 pages and I had to read it in spurts with more gripping books in the middle to keep me reading. It was an okay read but it isn't particularly memorable or exciting.

The beginning of this book really excited me. I was gripped by the start, by Tom getting taken away and Jenny's fear of the trees and of what she saw. When Jenny enters the otherworld things are still good, the pace kept up extremely well until about half-way through the book when suddenly it dropped and I became extremely bored. The rest of the book has it's good points (the fight with Titania/Mab and the ending) but I wasn't as gripped in the second half as I was in the beginning.

Despite the bad pace, I really did enjoy the storyline. Whilst the world and the characters are similar to other fae characters I loved the addition of the May Queen and the kobolds. Long also has a very beautiful narrative, this story was told so beautifully and enchantingly and I was extremely blown away for the tone and vibe of this book.

I had some problems with the characters; Jenny annoyed me since she does stupid things which are supposed to show how 'gentle' she is but really just put her in distress in order to paint Jack as her saviour and hero. Jack was underdeveloped, though I did like him and I did eventually root for the relationship I didn't feel like the two of them really worked that well, since there is a little bit of insta-luv. I liked Puck, but compared to the Puck we see in other fairy books he lacked charisma and development.

Overall, The Treachery of Beautiful things was an alright read, but I didn't feel gripped since the pace was very slow in the second half of the book. I liked the storyline and I loved Long's beautiful narrative voice. The characters needed more development in order to stand up against other YA fae titles (The Iron King/Tithe/Wicked Lovely).

Overall Rating: C

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Book released August 16th 2012 by Dial
Book received as an eBook for review (via NetGalley)

Review: Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi

Would you move heaven and earth for the one you love? ANGEL DUST is a powerful, gritty and utterly modern tragic love story with a twist. When Serafina, the brightest and most beloved of all God's angels, is sent to collect Marcus Montague - the original badman - and take him to Hell, she finds herself powerfully drawn to him and makes a decision that places her in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell. Can Serafina fall in love without falling from grace? Can Marcus's soul be saved? And just who is the mysterious and ever-so-helpful stranger Harry?

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Angel Dust delivers exactly what the cover shows - a gritty and urban angel story, far darker than most of the other angel books out there. I don't think that it delivers much more than that, I don't think that the romance was fantastic and I'll get into that later, but I do love the ideas it puts across about humanity and about growing up.


I didn't enjoy the romance in this book. Marcus just did not grow on me, he was too rough I didn't like the way he spoke and though I like a unique love interest, Marcus didn't seem to even care about Serafina, it was like he was awed by her because she was an angel but then he doesn't really care about her for her personality and then it goes from arguing to making out with little to no development. I liked Serafina, but she seemed to fall in love so quickly, and to be honest I don't really get why... What was so special about Marcus that she'd fall in love at first sight. I also thought that Serafina was inconsistent, so was naive at some points and then could completely understand Marcus' ghetto jargo on the next page.


Though I didn't like how gritty Marcus was as a character, I love the whole setting of the book. This is pure urban fantasy- it takes place in a very urban setting. I love the gang culture and how well it seems to be described, I don't know how authentic it was since I have never witnessed real life gang culture but it seemed very real. I also love the ideas that Mussi puts across using this gang culture, she uses it as a metaphor for how very corrupt humanity is and the whole setting and grittiness of it was very unique. It wasn't dark in a spooky, horror, supernatural kind of way. It was dark in a 'the darkest places of humanity' way.


The story isn't amazingly gripping until the end. The twists which were supposed to be shocking were pretty predictable, I knew who Larry was from as soon as we meet him, and I had guessed the truth about Sera's archangel friend. It was original to have a main character as an angel and a mortal love interest and it meant we could get descriptions of heaven, which were so quirky! Angels having parties and going to angel school and having choirs was so quirky and funny, I loved that.


Overall, I enjoyed Angel Dust but never felt particularly invested in the story. I liked the morals and the grittiness and the setting, and I also liked the originality of having an angel MC, however the characters and the twists could have been stronger, to make me gripped and emotionally attached to the characters.


Overall Rating: C-

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Book released August 2nd by Hot Key Books
Book received in exchange for an honest review

Review: Where Thy Dark Eye Glances by Chani Lynn Feener

Three hundred years ago Lily Bryg was someone else. Now, she's dealing with demons from the past in the form of ghosts, fairies, and even a dream stalker bent on convincing her they belong together. As a witch, Lily has an advantage. But that all changes when she's summoned back to the third realm she used to live. And where she died. 


With the help of a Shade, a tattoo artist, and her three best friends, Lily tries to escape the faeries out to get her, and the evil king who wants to make her his consort. Ronan will stop at nothing to have her back, and she'll stop at nothing to keep that from happening. Too bad her life isn't the only one on the line, and returning to Bevain might be the only way to save herself, and the world.

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When the author approached me with this one I knew that I had to read it - Reincarnation? Witches? Yes please! To top it off, it's a prequel novella meaning that it was relatively short so a quick read, which I really like to read between longer books. I can't say I had massively high expectations because I haven't read anything from the author before or seen much about the book and I didn't love it but I still enjoyed this book.


This book was a great introduction to the characters and their powers and I really liked the fantasy side of things as it put some unique touches on the urban fantasy genre, this was the part that was the best for me to read. I also liked the real world aspects of the book, but at times some of the things just seemed pointless and I just wanted to get back to the fantasy and the action.
When the action did come it was pretty well written, I was impressed by the fighting scenes that Feener created and I was so whisked into that battle, especially the duel near the end, now that was so well written I was properly faring for Lily's life.


I had problems with the characters though, Lily was an okay character to follow but I don't think I got enough characterisation and I think i will actually read the rest of this series because I'd like to see more from her. The others, Caer, Brid and Ruarc were just... there, I didn't think they were developed at all and I was always getting mixed up with who was who. The bad guys were very stereotypical bad guys and once again, I think it's something I'd need to read the real books for - to get the whole story and maybe be able to fear the baddies a bit more.


There were quite a few grammatical errors, which put me off when I was really getting into a scene, I'm not really a person to hold it against an author unless these errors are all over the book, which there aren't, but the few that there were did disrupt the flow and pace a little.


Overall, a fun novella that I didn't absolutely love but I still liked and I think that I will give the rest of a series a try if I get time. The grammatical errors and lack of character development brought this one down for me, but I did actually enjoy the fantasy elements and the storyline.


Overall Rating: C+

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Book received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Die for Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. 

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

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Why I Read It: It was bought for me by my boyfriend after a lot of begging. The cover is gorgeous and there are so many fantastic reviews for it.

Review: I was pulled into this book very quickly, Kate's grief grabbed me in and I immediatly felt that this book was going to be deep and emotional rather than just a typical paranormal romance. 

Which, unfortunately, is exactly what I got.

I did really enjoy this book, it wasn't amazing, but it was good and I got through it pretty quickly. I think what really pulled this book down was the romance, which follows pretty much every single paranormal romance cliche. The main character is a plain, introverted girl that likes to read a lot, her love interest is a stunningly gorgeous immortal that she doesn't feel like she deserves. While I enjoyed the characters alone, the structure of the romance is very cliche and predictable. There was also a possible love triangle coming up... grrrr!

Now that that is out of the way, I'll talk about the story. While Die for Me doesn't really offer much originality the narration is lovely and the setting really adds a touch of something unique! Setting the story in a little quaint part of Paris really made this book perfect escapism, and pretty gorgeous. I liked the idea of the revenants, but did feel like some of the 'powers' and 'skills' weren't developed well enough and left some plot holes that I'd like to see dealt with in the sequel.

I liked the relationship between Kate and her sister, it seemed very realistic as they had a lot of arguments but still had a very caring relationship. I liked that they were in mourning, it gave a reason for Kate to be the way she is and added a deeper, more relatable dynamic to the story. I was very confused about the way their grandparents acted though - they didn't seem to care that their grand kids, who were recently bereaved were going round and about alone, at night, and coming in late. 

I liked Vincent's 'family', the dynamics were great and though it took me a while to get their seperate personalities into my head, I came to like them all. The family set-up reminded me very much of a *cough* much better known group of undead that I hate *cough* but the characters themselves added comic relief.

Overall, Die For Me wasn't the amazing read I was expecting, but it wasn't difficult to get through and despite the lack of originality, the unique setting and characters pulled thus story along. A definite recommend for fans of the typical paranormal romance, but I'd advise everyone to give it a go.

Overall Rating: B

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Stand Alone/Series: First in the Revenants series.

UK Release: 11th May 2011

UK Publisher: ATOM

Book received as a gift from my boyfriemd

Review: Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil?

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I have never read anything by Nancy Werlin before, but the idea behind this book is amazing, so I though, hey, I think I'll give it a try. I actually got this book a few months ago but have been putting it back in fear that it would disappoint me. It didn't.

I will admit that this book had a very shaky start. I was put off by the contemporary setting and the lack of fantasy at the beginning - this doesn't really come into play until about halfway through the book. Until around fifty pages in I was having to force myself through, then it just all clicked into place. The bad guy comes onto the scene, the main character starts to get issues and the romance gets a kick-start, after that I was totally addicted.

What I totally loved about Impossible was the amazing main character who manages to be great without becoming a total Mary Sue. Lucy is intelligent, but not too intelligent, pretty but not too pretty and while she makes some bad mistakes and gives in easily, she gets there in the end. I also totally loved that she wasn't totally kick-ass, she does the tasks herself, but all with help and support from her family and friends.

Ah yes, her friends and family, I loved the warm personalities of Soledad and Leo, but I totally adored Zach, her love interest and later husband. I loved that the relationship didn't seem to happen too fast (but the marriage happened too fast for me, my only issue). The bad guy, Padraig, is a little flat for me, he was just a bad guy, with no personality or originality, so I didn't love him.

This book is based of the old folk song, Scarborough Fair, which makes it totally awesome. I loved how Werlin integrated the song lyrics into the story, the song itself is totally haunting, and that is the tone of this book. Werlin's writing is so compelling, I totally adored her lyrical prose and would read anything by her again.

Overall, Impossible is one of those books that you get so deep into that when you finish, you have to sit back with a sigh and take a moment to re-enter the real world. Haunting and provocative, Impossible is a book that I would recommend to anyone but especially fans of fantasy, contemporary or fairytale retellings - you see, fantastic wide audience!

Overall rating: A

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Stand alone/series: Stand Alone
Release date: September 18th 2008 (US)
Book received from a swap

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Featuring necklaces made of wishes; an underground shop dealing in teeth; magical tattoos; a wishbone on a cord, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a thrilling story about Karou and her secret life as an apprentice to a wishmonger. Karou manages to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she is a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to an inhuman creature who deals in wishes and is the closest thing she has to family. Her life is surrounded by mysteries she is desperate to unveil

"Once upon a time an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well". This is the introduction to the book, easy to ignore if you just skip straight to chapter one, but I noticed it and was struck by two things. One, oh no, I thought this was going to be something original, not another battle between heaven and hell and two, wow, I can tell that the writing in this book is going to be superb.

  

I was right about one of those things, you know which? Number two, Laini Taylor's writing is extraordinary and totally took me into this whole new world, yes I was wrong about the heaven/hell angel/demon concepts, the storyline and most of all the execution was absolutely fantastic. The story is totally original and took me into this world that she'd created that was Prague on one side and demon world on another. I totally loved the character of Karou from page one, not only is she independent and strong but she shows a vulnerable side which I totally loved to see. Akiva was a character that I wasn't keen on at the start (an angel seeks vengeance and is show the error of his ways when he falls in love with a human), but I started to like him a lot more the more I read and the last hundred pages totally had me understanding him.

The romance aspect doesn't overwhelm the whole story but is also there as a massive part of it and I was so supportive of the relationship. Despite feeling that at the beginning I was reading yet another love-at-first-sight YA cringy romances, the reasons behind Karou and Akiva's connection are given later in the book and totally understandable.

One thing that I wasn't keen on was the last hundred pages. While the flashbacks to the past do give us the answers we want and show us this chimera world, I felt like I was reading a completely different book and this did feel very disconcerting for me. I liked the story in these pages itself but I wish there were more of the present day mixed in, with Karou and Akiva's reactions to the memories, maybe? I guess that's just me though.

The writing as spectacular. Taylor manages to weave this fantastic tale and the book doesn't just feel like it's written in third person, it's as though the narrator is an observer of the events and is commenting on everything that happens, almost in a fairytale like way. I found myself being drawn in by this narration and never felt a second of boredom because I was so captivated by the tale being told.

All in all, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book that I expect will totally fly off the shelves in September and for good reason. The fantastic storytelling, amazing world building and original story is bound to captivate readers and have them begging for more, just like it did me. Picture this, in September I will brag to my friends about getting and ARC and they will set up their own blogs just for the chance to receive ARCs of books as amazing as this. Thats how great it is... stop gushing Jade!

Overall rating: A+

Stand alone/series: First in a series

UK Release: September 29th 2011

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Book obtained via: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (THANKS SO MUCH!)