Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Title: Half a King
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published Date: July 3rd 2014
My Rating: 5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

“I swore an oath to be avenged on the killers of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath”

Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea itself. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

The deceived will become the deceiver

Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.

The betrayed will become the betrayer

Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.

Will the usurped become the usurper?

But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi’s path may end as it began – in twists, and traps and tragedy...
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Having been stuck in a reading slump for over 2 weeks I was starting to get really frustrated, constantly picking up and putting down books, none of which enticing me back into the world of reading. Then this beauty appeared on my doorstep (courtesy of my amazing friend Kat! you are the best <3) and everything changed. I couldn't decide between 4.5 and 5 stars so I just went with the higher one because really it deserves it. Let me try and explain why without giving away any spoilers.

The world created by Abercrombie in this book is of the low fantasy variety I would say, in that there is no magic and there are no dragons or supernatural beings and the world itself is relatively straight forward. Put that way, this book is more adventure than fantasy but the Kings and Gods etc mean it’s classed as a fantasy. It might seem simple, but one thing I can really really appreciate is simple done well. Sure, it wasn't a high epic fantasy, but it was so addictive, so captivating that I couldn't bring myself to put it down. There are a couple of different countries and lands but it’s all relatively easy to understand and remember, and the map at the beginning helps a lot. This makes me feel that this book would be the perfect place for people to start with fantasy, because it’s amazing but not confusing in the slightest. A total beginners dream!

The plot of this book was one I found myself deeply invested in. When Yarvi hears of his father and brother's murder, he vows to have his vengeance and make those responsible pay. It seems a ridiculous vow to make in the beginning and an impossible one for our MC, but the road this story takes makes you really route for him, and as we follow him to the various corners of this world and we meet new characters and face new threats, you can't help but really want to see him succeed! There were all sorts of twists you didn't see coming and the action is excellent. Not to mention the gore!

The writing in this book is quite possibly my favourite thing. The writing flows so well, and is so poetical it's practically entrancing. The tone and speed weren't jarring and really submerged you into the story, and the way it comes full circle with the same sentence and a different meaning is just beautiful. I am genuinely in love with Abercrombie's writing and I'm adding his other series to my TBR just for that reason. I can't get enough of that writing!

Finally I want to talk about the characters. Yarvi himself is such an interesting, unique main character. Having a half deformed hand he is shunned and denied by his father who finds him an embarrassment (much like Tyrion Lannister!). This makes him hate himself in the beginning, and the levels of self pity could drown me but thankfully he grows with the story. In fact, having finished, I can now appreciate his lowest level of self esteem at the beginning and admire him more for his growth. For someone who wanted nothing to do with monarchy politics and just wanted to study and be a minister, he was remarkable in his adventure, and yet true to his little academic heart. During Yarvi's travel and search for vengeance, we meet a variety of characters, some more vital than others. And even though the seemingly less important characters only stay with us briefly, they're written so well that you don't forget about them. There are 5 main characters that Yarvi meets on his adventure and they are without a doubt my favourite characters. They are each so unique and different from one another, and yet they're all equally brilliant and memorable. I loved reading about each and every one of them. I won't tell you any more about them because I feel it would be best you learnt about them yourself. Yarvi’s mother is also a very interesting character and just reminds me of Cersei Lannister, all be it a slightly less insane/evil version.

All in all, this book was pretty amazing and I absolutely can't wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out. February feels so far away! Far enough that you have no excuse not to pick this up and read it before then, because trust me when I say you want to be with this series from the beginning.

Where Have I Been?!

Hey Friends!

As you may have realized I've been away for a while. Life kind of just happened and I couldn't find the time to review books properly. I was barely finding the time to read them! Thankfully life is much calmer now though and I am back on this blogging band wagon! I have missed it more than I realized I would. Look out for more posts to come! And thanks to those of yo who've stuck around :D

Your friend,
Sara Book Lover x

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published Date: September 25th 2014
My Rating: 5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow-- and Reds like him-- are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity' s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society' s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
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Before I start gushing about all the positives this book has to offer, let me start by explaining what it's about in as simple a way as I can;

Kick ass guy + shit circumstances + an awesome chance = amazing action + death + deceit + and... you get the picture already.

Darrow is a Red. The Reds live beneath the surface of Mars, where they work the incredibly tough and dangerous job of mining, for the sake of making Mars' surface habitable for the rest of humanity back on the dying planet of Earth. They do so under the rule of the Golds, who oversee their work and maintain the discipline. Under some terrible circumstances, Darrow discovers that his whole life he has been lied to; that the Golds have already inhabited Mars and live above them in an abundance of wealth and comfort whilst he and his people are essentially exploited for slave labour. Given a crazy opportunity,  Darrow goes under cover and disguises himself as a Gold, and he is hell bent on making them pay.

There are so many amazing positives about this book that I'm not sure where to start.  There is also just one piece of constructive criticism that I'd like to share too. Since the writing was so fundamental in making this book as great as it is, let's talk about that first. If you've looked up Red Rising on goodreads, then chances are you'll have seen plenty of people gushing about the writing, and for good reason. The writing in this book is so beyond the standard YA writing. It is clever, beautiful, and purposeful. There is not a single line that is written without thought and purpose. Each sentence seems to have double meaning, and reading between the lines is par for the course in this book. If you like that kind of writing, the kind that is generally only found in fantasy books (high fantasy specifically) then you will most definitely love this book.

The second brilliant thing I want to talk about is the world building. Whilst most dystopians require some level of world building, they usually take place on Earth where the bare bones of the world are essentially the same. In this case however, we've travelled across the solar system and landed on Mars. This world needs so badly to be built well, and Brown does not disappoint. It may feel a little overwhelming at first, what with all the new terminology, but it doesn't take long for the reader to become accustomed to it, and that is when the world building really shines. There is SO much detail crammed into this tiny book, it just blows my mind. I loved the image Brown paints in the readers mind; the actual planet, what it looks like beneath the surface, on the surface and what the surface looks like for those beneath. The different 'coloured' people and their place in society. The Reds in their slave position actually have red hair and red eyes, the Golds with their gold hair and gold eyes sit atop the social pyramid and look down on the rest of society. I love how even within these colours, there are those who think themselves- or are thought to be- better though than others. I love how this echoes our own society and gives the book a sense of humanity, since it's difficult to think of them as humans at all with what is now achievable in this strange new world.

That brings me on to characters. Looking back on it, there were so many characters that we were introduced that's it's a wonder I remember them all. But remember them all I do, because Brown weaves each and every single one of them into the story seamlessly and in such a way that even the most minor of characters is memorable. There are character to love, characters to hate, characters you hate to love and characters you love to hate. There are your main characters, your secondary characters, and your seemingly insignificant characters who really add more depth and feeling to the book than you realise at the time. Every single one of these characters is important to the story and really adds to the book. The main character Darrow is a pretty average guy to begin with and seemingly not all that impressive. Over the course of the book however he grows exponentially, both in age and character. He becomes a hero, and yet he's vulnerable and insecure about the path he has to take as he worries about what he has to become to achieve the dream. We love him all the more for it.

The only less than shinning (but still positively glowing) thing I have to say about this book is this; it felt to me as if I could split this book into two halves. The first 100-150 pages felt like an almost completely different plot to the rest of the book. Of course it makes sense since it sets up the rest of story but I definitely felt like the second half was better. This is probably because whilst the first half was great and the writing was beautiful, it was solemn and sad without any real uplifting parts to balance out the tone, making it a tad heavy. The second half definitely was better and blew my mind with its amazingness. It was sad, solemn and serious but also passionate, action packed, and heart warming, all whilst being blood curdlingly gory. it was so enjoyable and definitely unputdownable, as cliché as that may sound.

I cannot describe just how much I love it any more for fear of spoiling it for you. Seriously, if you haven't already and you consider yourself a dystopian/fantasy/roman history fan, you need to pick this up. If you don't you'll be kicking yourself for years to come when you realise what you missed being a part of. I'm not usually a fan of comparing books by saying it's the next this or the next that, but I will say this; reading Red Rising is like reading a concoction of The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and The Final Empire whilst watching 300, but better.

The wait for Golden Son will be agonising but well worth it. I'm so excited! If you have read this already, then head over to my instagram (@booksareforadasses) and join in our giant, spoilery discussion/ fangirling session!

*this book was kindly offered to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Review/Discussion: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published Date: May 23rd 2013
My Rating: 4 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. 

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. 

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

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This book. Oh, this book. I have heard so many contradictory opinions, and I can see why. It had so many brilliant factors, but it had me rolling my eyes a few times too. It played on my emotions and made a mess of me in the end!

Firstly, let's talk about the writing. I don't particularly care what genre it is I'm reading so long as the writing is good, and Susan Ee certainly has a good writing style. She had me hooked from the very first line if I'm being honest,with the right level of description to add depth but not detract from the plot. The plot itself was great. I liked the setting, the story, the kickass heroine and her determination to save her sister. I liked how we were constantly reminded that this was about Penryn trying to save her sister an not some cheesy romance. 

An agnostic angel. That had me laughing so damn hard. what a joke. This is why I don't take these books seriously but rather with a pinch of salt. When Raffe started looking like a human and dropping his sarcastic one-liners I decided to no longer think of him as an angel but rather a generic other worldly being, otherwise I would drive myself crazy and it would ruin the book for me. Also, technicalities when ignored bother me so damn much. Like th fact that he has super hearing but misses (more than once) the sound of people coming to get him with damn guns. But that aside, this book was completely enthralling and I found myself unable to put it aside for even a minute. 4 awesome stars from me!

Now for the discussion part.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!

Okay I need to whine about that ending. Raffe waits until he thinks she's dead before finally admitting feelings for her? In front of the very people he needs to convince he's not fallen?? AND, (back to the super hearing thing) he can hear everything and he can't hear her breathing? because if she's conscious, even though she's paralysed, surely she's breathing and surely he can hear her?! wow that frustrated me and made me want to scream. This book seriously wreaked havock on my emotions! The aerie was really cool though and my favourite part. I like how (for the most part) the angels who came to cause destruction actually did come across as terrifying to the humans and not just lust-inducing hotties (although there was a little of that but not nearly as poorly done as in other books).

The creepy, gorey parts positively cringed me out, which I loved, and when she finally found her sister I kind of wanted to cry for her. It was seriously disgusting. And her interactions with her schizophrenic mother were kind of sweet in their own weird way. These were the main characters I cared for (as well as Josiah). When Ee writes good characters, theyre btilliant. Obidah , the twins etc were neither here nor there. They didn't particularly feel developed enough for me to create any kind of attachment.

All in all, this book was a pretty great start to what I believe is going to be a 5 part series and I can see that this has the potential to become amazing! Definitely looking forward to reading World After whenever I get my hands on it.

Review: Now You See Me by Emma Haughton

Title: Now You See Me

Author: Emma Haughton

Publisher: Usborne

Release Date: May 1st 2014

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:

Three years ago, thirteen-year-old Danny Geller vanished without trace.

His family and friends are still hanging on to every last shred of hope. Not knowing if he's alive or dead, their world is shrouded in shadows, secrets and suspicions.

This is the story of what happens when hope comes back to haunt you. When your desperation is used against you. When you search for the truth – but are too scared to accept the reality staring you in the face...

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This book is from a genre I haven't read very much of. It's a YA psychological thriller about a 16 year old girl whose best friend disappeared 3 years ago when they were just 13. This is the story of those who have to deal with a missing loved one, and how it affects them all. It's a story of how those who cling to hope can be extremely vulnerable.

Being one of the few psychological thrillers I've ever read, it was pretty enthralling and reiterated in my mind that I really do need to read more from this genre. Now You See Me switches between the past, present and future, showing us the cause of this sombre story and the consequences. It was really enjoyable, if a little predictable. Some of the twists I saw coming a mile off but there was one or two things that I didn't expect. The main character was very likeable, if a little too comfortable with denial. It was frustrating to see her question things that didn't add up, only to then convince herself she couldn't be right. I was empathetic and could understand why she wouldn't want to face the reality she could see but that didn't make me want to scream at her any less!

The pace of the book worked well, as I wasn't left in the dust, nor was I itching to skip parts (as can sometimes happen!). It was the right pace to accompany the jump in times and kept me reading pretty much nonstop! It was a quick read that I finished fairly quickly in two sittings.

The epilogue was so frustrating for me. I need an extension to that epilogue so badly! The event that comes to pass in the epilogue is what I was most looking forward to the whole time I was reading, so to have it just briefly visited and cut off abruptly was extremely annoying. However having stewed on it for a few days I can understand why she ended it where she did.

Overall I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars, definitely enjoyable and worth the read!

(I won this book in a goodreads firstreads giveaway)

Review: Eversea by Natasha Boyd

Title: Eversea
Author: Natasha Boyd
Publisher: Headline Eternal
Release date: May 1st 2014
My rating: 4 stars

Blurb on Goodreads:
An orphaned, small-town, southern girl, held hostage by responsibility and self-doubt.

A Hollywood A-list mega-star, on the run from his latest scandal and with everything to lose.

A chance encounter that leads to an unlikely arrangement and epic love affair that will change them both for ever.

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This is a book for all you ladies out there who have ever fantasised about running into your celebrity crush in your local town of all places and and living that romantic dream. Funnily enough I'm not the kind of girl who has celebrity crushes or cares about celebrities at all really, but this book kind of made me want to!

Jack Eversea is the movie star that every girl is in love with. He's living it up in LA with his perfect job and the perfect girlfriend and the perfect life. That is until said girlfriend's true colours are shown and she's discovered doing naughty things with someone other than Jack. This isn't Jack's story though. This is the story of Keri Ann Butler, your relatively ordinary woman just trying to keep up with her work and restore the Butler House which is the pride of the town. She's patiently waiting for her brother to finish up his studies and come back to house sit so she can finally start her life, and has sworn off men as well as any other distraction that could risk tying her down to her little old town. The last thing she ever expected was the face of her film and book hero, world famous actor Jack Eversea, to walk into her life and jazz things up.

This book was such an easy, quick read that was just the right amount of emotional turmoil and sappy, and I mean that in the best way. I loved the two main characters and the way in which their story was told. I really enjoyed how controversial Jack's character came across and the way it made me question whether what he was doing was okay or not. I really loved Keri Ann's character and personality. She was fun to read about and was written in a way that everybody would find something about her to relate to. The setting was beautiful and I loved the tidbits of information that were put in, including and especially the turtles. I was surprised to find I genuinely enjoyed and appreciated the writing style that Boyd has. Since NA can be a very hit or miss genre, I tend to find that the writing of the majority is extremely poor.  Here however that isn't the case. It was captivating and emotional far better than I could have expected. 

The pace of the novel was excellent.  It didn't feel like the story was developing too quickly or too slowly and there was no instalove thank goodness. The secondary characters were great in that they were vivid and enjoyable and added to the story of the two main characters, without taking over the novel or being shoved too far in the background.

Overall this was a great romantic read which didn't necessarily give the typical ending and has me itching to pick up where things left off and find out what happens next. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book, Forever Jack. 4 awesome stars!

Review: Tease by Amanda Maciel

Title: Tease

Author: Amanda Maciel

Release date: May 1st 2014

My rating: 5 stars

Blurb on Goodreads: 

Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think when Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. But Sara is sure she hasn't done anything wrong, because Emma brought it on herself. Sara is adamant that she was the victim - not Emma.

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This book has been appearing pretty frequently in my various feeds, and I've been super intrigued to find out just why so many people couldn't even bring themselves to finish it.

As you may already know, this book begins after the death of a high school girl, Emma, who has committed suicide after being bullied and such. We get to see what happens after her death and what effects it has on everyone involved, as well as the sequence of events that led up to her death. However, this isn't told from Emma's perspective, or her family's or friends'. It's told from the perspective of Sara, one of the girls accused of bullying Emma and making her hate her life so much she'd rather end it than carry on living. And the worst part? Sara isn't even sorry. In her mind, Emma is a selfish girl who's ruined her life in taking her own.

This book was so so powerful. It packs a serious punch and makes you feel just a little bit sick inside. I found Sara to be such a complex, troubled character,  and I switched between feeling for her and being disgusted by her throughout the novel. This just shows how brilliant Maciel's writing is, and I truly feel that it's because of her outstanding writing that the book is as powerful as it is.

There is no particular plot development or twists, as it's mostly character driven and the 'plot' so to speak has already occurred.  I love reading these kind of books but only when they are done well because they heavily rely upon the author's writing skills to keep the reader engaged.  In that sense I feel Amanda Maciel has done brilliantly, because despite it not being an 'enjoyable' book per say, it was definitely gripping and I couldn't put it down. She made me desperate to understand why. Why did Sara bully Emma? Why was she so adamant that was not sorry for what had happened? And the more I read, the more I understood.

In my opinion, Sara is just as much a victim in this story as Emma is, albeit in a different kind of way. People seem to allocate the term 'victim' to those who are unable to fight back or tough it out. Just because Sara is a bitch, doesn't mean to say she is not also a victim. She is the victim of an extremely toxic relationship with her one and only friend Brielle.  Brielle has used Sara's friendship and manipulated her in horrible ways, making Sara depend on her as her only friend, messing with her emotions and bringing her into situations that put Sara at risk. It was horrible to read about, and even worse to think that on a subconscious level,  Sara knew what Brielle was doing but felt powerless to stop it. That doesn't mean to say Sara is innocent and not at fault, because she has her own brain and she should use it to make her own choices. However she is still just an impressionable kid at the end of the day. She looked up to her one and only friend, who was her role model in a way when her own parents had stopped being good examples and left her to herself whilst giving her big responsibilities to handle such as her brothers.

I really think that Sara was sorry from the very beginning and regretted what she had done from the moment she found out Emma had killed herself, but didn't allow herself to aknowledge that remorse. She's the kind of girl that toughs these things out, and the only way she could handle all the people out there with their accusing stares was to convince herself they were wrong. I absolutely loved how she developed throughout the book, and was able to finally accept what had happened and what her role in Emma's death had been.

Emma is a girl I will never understand. She was quiet and mysterious and Sara never truly knew her which means we as the reader didn't either. It is sad but true that people often glorify the dead and ignore the bad qualities that that person may have had, and this shows in Amanda's brilliant novel too. Whilst everyone accuses Sara of bullying a sweet innocent girl, Emma was no angel by any means. She never seemed to try and make friends or explain herself to anyone and she did hurtful things to Sara such as taking her boyfriend. It may seem childish and minor, but that had a big impact on Sara. If we think about it, besides Brielle and her brothers, Sara's boyfriend was the only other person she really had, who she felt cared about what happened to her (even though he didn't really and he was as bad as Brielle in my opinion). When Emma took him away, she practically took away 50% of the people Sara had, which undoubtedly hurt. This doesn't justify Sara's bullying, but it makes me understand her a little.

All in all, this novel was amazing; from the way that it was written, to the issues it tackles and the way that it allows the reader to decide who's really guilty of bullying and who can be blamed for what happened. I can see why some people didn't finish it, but character development is a thing people! You have to give it a chance  and remember that no one is truly innocent. There is so much more I could say about this book, but I'll stop gushing now and end by saying that I will most likely be getting myself a physical copy of this book because it's one that really made me think and that I will most likely be revisiting.

*this book was kindly given to me for review via netgalley*