Review: Sentinel by Joshua Winning

So, I got offered an e-copy of this book by the author in exchange for a review, and I'm glad I accepted because it was such an intriguing plot!

Here it is:

"What is a Sentinel? A guard. A detective. A killer..."

They are the world's best-kept secret - an underground society whose eternal cause is to protect the world against the dark creatures and evil forces that inhabit the night.

Now Sentinels are being targeted, murdered and turned as the fury of an ancient evil is unleashed once more. And when 15-year-old Nicholas Hallow's parents are killed in a train crash, the teenager is drawn into a desperate struggle against malevolent powers.

Sentinel is the first book in the Sentinel Trilogy - a world of unconventional heroes, monsters, murder and magic.

When a blurb mentions 'heroes, monsters, murder and magic' of course I'm going to accept when I'm asked if I want to review it - it's right up my alley! Plus, if you add in a secret society then that just makes it all the more intriguing - and I love a bit of intrigue!

This is one book that didn't suck me in straight away, but not in a bad way - instead I was 'lulled' into the plot I could say. One moment I was just slowly picking up on things that made me slightly more curious, and then bam! I was in the book and stuck there wanting to know what happens (a weird way of putting it but I hope someone understands what I mean by that!).

One of my favourite things about this book was Hallow House - I love the idea of it. A house with so many mysterious secrets and weird rooms, I loved it because I want a house just like it.

I also can't wait to see where the plot goes in the next book - I want to see what was being kept secret from Nicholas, and I really want to see what's going to happen with his powers! Luckily, I was also given a copy of the second book to read too, so you'll be seeing a review of that up soon too.

I can't not mention my favourite character - or favourite baddy I should say - Malika. She is an amazing character, beautiful but deadly - and someone you wouldn't want to meet on the street. She was written beautifully and I can't wait to read more about her in the series.

All I can say really is that if you love mystery and fantasy mixed together this is a book for you. After all whats not to like - there's a talking cat (I love a good talking cat in a book), a mysterious house, and a mysterious raven man (nice cover link there), and I hope there will be even more mystery to come!

I give this book 4 cats!

Have you read this book before? Or the series? What did you think of it? Comment below!

Review: Show Stopper by Hayley Barker

I won a copy of this book in a competition by the Author (Hayley) and so after a couple months I decided to read it, because I had heard of it a few months before but not had the chance to buy it.

Can you guess what attracted me to this book? The cover. I can never resist a shiny cover with gold foil like this.

Here it is:

Sabotaged high wires.

Ravenous lions.

A demonic Ring Master.

A circus without a safety net.

Ben, the teenage son of a powerful government minister, attends on opening night and falls under the spell of Hoshiko, the tightrope walker and star attraction.

But as he steps beyond the dazzle and spectacle of the arena, to reveal the horrors that lurk beneath, can he find the courage to resist, to rebel, to help end the cruelty and the carnage?

Step right up for this heartbreaking and heart-racing story - the darker the danger, the louder you'll scream...

So, I admit, this wasn't what I expected from this book. I thought that it would be a Fantasy book that filled with magic in carnival form (as are most that I've read), but I was wrong. It is far from that. Instead I found a Dystopian book of the near future that tackles the issue of racism, where there are Pures (those born in Britain) and Dregs (those that are immigrants and not born English). It did remind me slightly of the Hunger Games, so if you like that, you may like this too.

This meant that it was much more dark than I expected, but I did love it. This book goes between two characters POV's and they were Hoshiko - a Dreg tightrope walker, and Ben - the Pure son of a government minister that wants to get rid of all Dregs.

One thing I would have liked to see more of in this book is world-building - or the history of the UK, as we didn't see much in this book, but I'm hoping that we hear a bit more on the rebellion that started the distinction of people into 'Dregs' and 'Pures' in the next books.

It's such a dark take on the circus - deadly acts that could easily kill the Dregs that participate in them, and regularly do actually kill them. I've not read a dark circus book before, so it definitely interested me. I must also say that the ending of this book made me want more - I can't wait to see where Hoshiko and Ben can go after what happened, but I know I'll be joining them on that journey if book 2 comes out (hopefully soon).

I give this book - 4.5 cats (Just because I would have loved a bit more of the history to this world)

Have you read this book before? What did you think? Comment below!

Blog Tour: The Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Okay so, this is my first blog tour, and I am really excited about it! I was sent this book by Little Brown in exchange for an honest review, which will follow.

As you know, I am mainly a YA blogger, but I had recently decided to branch out, and mystery books were ones that had intrigued me most - because I do love my mystery TV shows, so why wouldn't I like a mystery in book form?

When I was contacted about being part of a blog tour for this book, I jumped right onboard, and I'm glad I did because I absolutely loved it. Here's the book:

 

FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK...

Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice's welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case - and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.

I admit, I was worried about the fact that I hadn't read the first book of Jane Harper's - The Dry - before reading this book. But I was happy to find out that my worry was for nothing as it could easily be read as a stand-alone book in itself, and you will definitely not have to worry about not understanding things about the characters. However, I warn you - if you read this you will want to buy The Dry - I certain want to!

The thing I liked most about this book was the fact that it alternated from the present day (in the POV of Agent Falk) to the past (and the events of the hike that ended in tragedy). I always love it when books jump between times, and it really helped to pull you into the book and the plot line. 

In this book the chapters that represented the events of the hike alternated between the 5 women's POVs and I felt like this was a great idea - as it really kept you guessing as to who might have been responsible for what happened to Alice, and it also gave you an insight into just what Alice was thinking while on the company retreat - Alice's POV was definitely my favourite of the book.

I guess the question you'll most want answered about my read of this book is did I guess what happened to Alice and who the culprit was? The answer is no.

I didn't guess what happened at all, and I definitely didn't guess who the culprit was - which is always great in a mystery book. I adore it when I can't figure out what happened and why. I definitely think this was down to the switching POVs - it had me switching my guesses every chapter!

Overall - I loved this book, and it had so many twists that I felt like I was on my toes trying to guess just what was happening. Definitely one to read - and I'll definitely be reading The Dry in the future.

I give this book: 4.5 Cats!

Thankyou to Little Brown for asking me to be a part of this Blog Tour, and for sending me a copy of this book to review! If you've read this book feel free to comment below!

ARC Review: The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King

I received this e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, which is going to follow:

So, this is a book that I have been so excited for and waiting ages for too. I've reviewed both book one and book two (BOOK ONE - BOOK TWO). So, please be aware that there may be spoilers for both the first books in this review if you read ahead!

I didn't actually realise that this was on Netgalley until this week, so this was a really quick read for me, as I wanted to post this review before the book is out on 13th February!

Here it is:

In the explosive third volume of The Hundredth Queen Series, the queen of fire faces off against a demon of ice.

Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon.

That same demon now disguises itself as Rajah Tarek, Kalinda’s late husband and a man who has never stopped haunting her. Upon taking control of the palace and the army, the demon brands Kalinda and her companions as traitors to the empire. They flee across the sea, seeking haven in the Southern Isles.

In Lestari, Kalinda’s powers are not condemned, as they are in her land. Now free to use them to protect those she loves, Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void.

To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation.

Okay, first off, let me just say this: Wow.

This third book did not disappoint me at all. It was fast-paced, full of action and I never would have guessed where this went if I'd tried. That is the main thing I liked about this book - the fast pace of it. There was so much action, especially in the latter half of the book, that it felt like you were immersed in everything that was happening.

Also, I will comment on the fact that there was a love-triangle in this again: something that I adore in books, and that I have commented on in the second book's review. This time though it was definitely more intense between Kalinda and Ashwin than I expected - as Kalinda found something with Ashwin that helped her with her inner fire after the Voider demon breathed his icy breath into her, and I never would have guessed just why that was (and I won't spoil it for those who want to guess when they read the book).

The chapters go between both Kalinda's and Devens POV - starting out when they were together, and then leading to separate adventures. I found this interesting because you got to see the relationship between them from both of their eyes and also got to see what was going on in the different places they were throughout the chapters.

I loved that you also got to see more of the competitors from the second book - and also saw more about both their worlds, and that they all banded together to help each other as much as possible. As well as that you see the Tarek's wives and courtesans stand together to fight for their lives. So, I think the message of unity in this book is amazing, and it's definitely something I loved to see.

I could talk about this book for ages, especially the ending and the little twist right at the end - but I won't make you read all of my rambling thoughts.

I give this book: 5 cats!

Have you read this series, or this book? Did you love it as much as me? Comment below!