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blog tour

Blog Tour & Review: One Small Thing by Erin Watt

Title: One Small Thing

Author: Erin Watt
Published: June 28th, 2018
Publisher: HQ Young Adult
Rating: ★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.



Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems a small thing, just for her.
Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…
Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.
Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again. 


 

First Thoughts…

Ah, YA Contemporary Romance. My constant and ever-loving genre. It’s no surprise as soon as I was offered to be on Erin’s tour and read the lovely One Small Thing, I was SOLD. I’ve heard of Erin’s books a lot in the blogger world and I think this is one of few she has in this contemporary setting. The blurb was enough to sell me in so many ways. I’m a sucker for stories that can make me feel something and I could already feel attached to this story before getting past the first page.

My Review…

Beth’s life has been so different, but losing your sister can do that to a person. Her Parents have kept her sheltered now, trying to be over protective and keep her safe. Letting her hair down is a thing of the past, until one night, she sneaks out to a party. When she meets Chase, a new guy in town, he lights up a part of her world that had become darkened by being kept away. He’s her secret friend, somehow despite the small insignificance of it all, it’s enough to keep her going. But what she doesn’t anticipate is that Chase’s secrets are about to out-do hers. 
Chase is fresh out of juvie. But even though he wants to start over and move on, he can’t, because he has actions that need facing up to – his part in Beth’s sister’s death. And when Beth finds out Chase’s secrets – and the ways that she shouldn’t want to be anywhere near him – it shocks them both when she decides to give him a second chance, out of the blue. It starts as a friendship, but what blooms from that is a forbidden and dangerous romance that neither of them planned, threatening their reputations, the rules Beth lives by and staying faithful to her Sister’s memory.
Overall, One Small Thing was one small thing that made my day a whole lot brighter. Not only was Beth’s despair and grief oh-so-believable, but the romance, despite myself not understanding some of her actions sometimes and picking Chase of all people, was easy and flowed so naturally for them both through the words on the pages. But it’s more than just about grief, but forgiveness and acceptance, and learning how to be happy again, despite things that pull you into the darkness, a perfect sum that Erin captures blissfully in her writing. There’s something so much bigger than just a fluffy YA book about One Small Thing – it holds more weight, in meaningfulness and the after-effects of loss and recovery. Four very large (not one small!) stars.

Erin Watt is the brainchild of two bestselling authors linked together through their love of great books and an addiction to writing. They share one creative imagination. Their greatest love (after their families and pets, of course)? Coming up with fun-and sometimes crazy-ideas. Their greatest fear? Breaking up.

Have you read any of Erin Watt’s books?


What makes you pick up a book – the cover or the blurb?


Thank you so much for stopping by my day on Erin’s tour!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Review: Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez

Title: Jiddy Vardy
Author: Ruth Estevez
Published: June 21st, 2018
Publisher: Zuntold
Rating: ★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

1779. On tumultuous waters a girl is born as pirates board the ship . . .
Jiddy Vardy is a survivor.
Rescued at birth, she grows up in Robin Hood’s Bay, a community which harbours a dangerous secret, one that could get you killed.
Always the outsider, with her dark skin and hair, at sixteen Jiddy is clever, brave and headstrong, soon risking her life and freedom to play her part in the Bay’s clandestine activities.
Then, just as romance blossoms and Jiddy finally feels like she belongs, figures from the past threaten to tear her world apart, and she has to decide where her loyalties truly lie.
A thrilling tale of one girl’s search for identity and love, set against a backdrop of wild seas, smuggling and violence. 

First Thoughts…

The synopsis of Jiddy Vardy reeled me in from the start. Not only did words like Robin Hood’s Bay and romance stand out, but this slice of YA is intertwined with pirates and set in 1779! I’ve never quite picked up a book like this, so I was eager to start! 

My Review…

There’s something so enticing about Jiddy Vardy from the very beginning. We’re pulled into this deeply surprising, cut-throat story with Jiddy at the forefront. We soon learn that the stature of the plot rests on Jiddy and the role that she plays among pirates involved in a sort of smuggling opperation. It’s never shy of action, even during the slower parts of Jiddy’s story, and it’s hard to crawl out once the plot anchors it’s hook into your mind. 
I was surprised at the love-triangle, because I really had my sights on Jiddy and Jonas being the only ones for each other, because of their bond already established and it seemed unlike Jiddy’s character. But we have to remember her age and that the torn-love-interests echo her passionate thought of idealistic choices. But nevertheless, Ruth blends the romance, search of Jiddy’s identity and the action, perfectly, still. Jiddy is extremely wise for her age, and has one of the smartest heads on her shoulders. It’s because of this that we can understand her more and the reasons she does things, or the way that she can be so loving but never turn her back, too wise and loyal to underestimate. 
Overall, Jiddy Vardy has knocked me off my feet. It’s so clear that this is more than a search for identity, violence and love, but an epic YA adventure that was phenomenal from mighty start to heroic end. There’s so much emotion, character and in-depth detail in Ruth’s writing style and Jiddy’s tale never failed to keep me entertained throughout. I never thought I’d love a story with Pirates in as much as I absolutely loved Jiddy Vardy. Thank you, Ruth, for writing one of the best books I’ve read in a long while! Amazing four-stars! 

by Ruth Estevez
I don’t play music when I’m writing, so I’ve made a playlist of music from when I was between 17 – early 20s with a few extras thrown in.
They are chosen because ….the singer is passionate and I believe them. I like the tune. They are from a time in my life where they meant something. I love guitars and drums. Some just make me happy. Some may be a bit cheesy but cheese can be good. I love Ella Fitzgerald, and gutsy singing. And some of these just make me laugh!
 Songs:

Have you read Jiddy Vardy? It’s out TODAY!


What do you think of the book’s theme?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! Be sure to check out the rest of the tour dates above on the banner!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Review: Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

I’ve been dying to read Amanda’s Ace of Shades ever since I heard of her debut novel, Daughter of the Burning City. Getting to be on a Blog Tour for a book that I (spoiler) LOVED, is such a pleasure. So, welcome to the ACE OF SHADES Blog Tour Day One, read a little and let me know if you’re as big of a fan as I am now…

Title: Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1)
Author: Amanda Foody
Published: May 17th, 2018
Publisher: HQ Young Adult
Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱
Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


ADD TO GOODREADS

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.
Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. 
Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…
And she’ll need to play.

First Thoughts…

Ace of Shades was all over my Instagram, my Twitter…my everything for so long, that I was painfully anticipating getting to hold it in my hands for myself. I thought I’d have to wait until release day with the huge following of Amanda’s books, but when HQ YA offered a Blog Tour slot, I jumped, of course. It was never even a question! I started reading this as an eBook and then finished off with the Paperback after it arrived following the Bank Holiday mail delay (can we just have mail every day?!).

My Review…

I haven’t read a book quite like this in a very long time, so getting into the Fantasy landscape, introductions to the characters and rules of this new world, took some time. But in that time, I had been pulled into the pages and absorbed by the intricate plot that Amanda had woven ahead of me. Enne, our main character, is what I’d call a proper character, aka totally fancy. She’s straight-laced, knows what she’s doing, is more or less a lady in all senses. So she shouldn’t be in New Reynes, right? It’s the City of Sin, so no lady would be there just for the heck of it. But she’s on a mission. Her mother has gone missing, and after the allotted time of her anticipated return passes by, Enne knows she has to find her, one way or another. 
But her journey leads her to Levi Glaisyer, a street lord and all-round con man, far from the people she’s used to surrounding herself with. Still, they find that they’re each other’s only hope, sort of. Levi is in a pickle himself, as well, and helping Enne could reimburse him to solve his own problem. But the journey of delving into Enne’s mother’s disappearance is far from easy, and it’s rocky at best. Glamour masqueraded casinos, still cut-throat and on the verge of enemies, their search leads them to an incredible secret that shocks Enne’s world to the core, unveiling a piece of herself she didn’t know existed. Levi still can’t stay out of trouble, though, and it’s up to Enne to sacrifice herself and her values to save him and regain the upper hand in the City of Sin.
Overall, Ace of Shades is a rule-breaking, fast-paced read with killer instincts and lively characters, set against a backdrop I could picture and sense from the get-go. Amanda has written such a detailed, gripping YA novel that I just know is going to be loved by every reader it makes a home with. Huge, huge love for this novel. Consider me a newfound fan and anticipating the next installment with an edge-of-my-seat awaiting move. Five stars! What else would I give it?!
You can buy ACE OF SHADES:
Amazon | Waterstones | Book Depository 

Have you read Ace of Shades? Are you looking forward to it?


Check out the other tour dates today and let me know in the comments!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Guest Post: The Girl In The Broken Mirror by Savita Kalhan (No Spoilers)

Hello, book lovers! I am so honored to bring you The Girl In The Broken Mirror today. I devoured this book entirely and there’s no doubt in my mind you’re going to feel the same way. Today on Savita’s blog tour, I’ll be reviewing the book and sharing a playlist!

Title: The Girl In The Broken Mirror

Author: Savita Kalhan

Published: March 29th, 2018

Publisher: Troika

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Jay’s creative writing exercise is to write a fairy tale, to end with they lived happily ever after.
But the way her life is panning out she’s not sure it will ever reach that stage. She and her mother are moving in with distant relatives, and they have super strict rules for girls. Jay is expected to have only Indian friends, if she has any at all. How can she see her school friends, Chloe and Matt? But this is only the beginning of a nightmare for Jay.
When her life implodes, how can she hide the shame and how will she find a way to keep going?

First Thoughts…

When Savita reached out to me with her book, I just couldn’t take my eyes off it. I saw the words Harrowing and Touching on the cover, and that just makes me FEEL like I’m in the book. These certain keywords lure me into the book, because who doesn’t love a book that makes your heart feel it?

My Review…



Spoiler free. Just a few pages in, and I’m hooked. No. I mean it! I sat down to read The Girl In The Broken Mirror a little after it arrived on my doorstep and opened the cover for a little while and the rest is history. Jay’s perspective is so clear-cut, so vivid and open, I felt like she was talking to me. The book deals with some heavy topics, including Rape, and I think that Savita dealt with these topics about shame, finding a place in this world and trusting others, with such grace and delicate consideration.
Jay, our main character, gets a creative writing assignment to write a fairytale, you know, with the whole happy-ever-after and etc. But the thing is, Jay can’t imagine it. Her life isn’t what she wants it to be, feeling overshadowed by what her Mother thinks her life should be. When they move in with distant relatives, it’s worse. They’re strict, especially when it comes to girls. She’s not supposed to have any friends that aren’t Indian, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to be with her school friends, Matt and Chloe. Her life starts to spiral after events that halt her existence, and she’s forced to watch her life implode, while trying to gather the courage to move forward.
Overall, The Girl In The Broken Mirror was a breathtaking YA novel with so. much. emotion. I found myself tearing up for Jay, her story tugging at my heartstrings. I’m actually at such a loss for words. I’ve recommended this book to three of my friends so far, and I don’t just hand out recommendations like it’s nothing. If I say it’s good, I mean it, it’s that good. Savita has quickly climbed a list of Authors to Watch for me, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Huge five-star novel.





About The Author:

Savita Kalhan was born in India, but now lives in the UK and studied at the University of Wales. She has travelled extensively, and lived in the Middle East for several years, where she taught English. She is keen on tennis, boxing and running. She is an avid allotmenteer and somehow manages to fit in some writing, reading and blogging too! She now lives in North London with her husband, her son, and her lion of a cat, Marley.

Her new YA book – The Girl in the Broken Mirror will be published on May 1st by Troika Books



Soundtrack to The Girl in the Broken Mirror

Hi Becca, thank you for inviting me on your blog today! It’s so exciting to be here, to have a book out there in the world, in readers’ hands! And to top it – I got to compile the soundtrack for it, too. So here it is – the soundtrack to The Girl in the Broken Mirror. It’s a mix of songs that feature in the book, and songs that Jay loves, her parents used to play, and the music played at her uncle’s party.
Have a listen and then when you get to the end, you’ll see I’ve set a little challenge for you all. . . I’ll give you a clue: it’s about Matt, Jay’s best friend in the book.

I Wish I Knew How it Feels to be Free by Nina Simone
Jay loves Nina Simone because it reminds her of her dad, who died almost three years ago. She plays I Wish I Would Know How it Feels to be Free when she’s trying to do her English homework – a creative writing essay with the title – ‘Once Upon a Time…’

Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Jay loves Adele. If she was allowed to go to a concert, she would go and see Adele sing live in a heartbeat. She blasts this song out loud on top volume after her mum has given her the terrible news that they are moving in with her uncle and aunty in 42 Primrose Avenue. Jay knows her life is about to change forever – and not in a good way. Her aunty is super-strict and very traditional, which for Jay spells bad news. She’s about to lose all her freedom.

1942 A Love Story. This song is considered to be one of the most romantic love songs in Bollywood. It was Jay’s parents’ song. Jay’s mum Neela doesn’t play it after her husband’s death because it brings back too many memories of her husband, of the time when she was the happiest.

The Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, from the soundtrack of Rocky. Deven plays this song when he is working out in the gym. It’s a favourite amongst some Asian men. It’s not mine! In fact I don’t like it all.


Jai Ho by A R Rahman. Since the release of Slumdog Millionaire, this song has become iconic. It’s played at most parties and weddings, and has everyone on their feet.


Apna Punjab Hove by Gurdas Maan. This is classic Punjabi Bhangra music.


Thori Thori by PBN and Raj Bains – the boys always hit the dance floor when this is played!


Someone Like You by Adele. The ultimate break-up song. If Jay was playing music when she saw Matt and Chloe together, this is the song she would have played.

Anywhere by Rita Ora. Sitting in the basement room of No.42 Primrose Avenue, this is the song that Jay thinks of as her and Matt’s song as she dreams of a living far away, living a different life.


Here’s the challenge to all your readers – what would Matt’s top five songs be? If you’ve read the book then you’ll know what Matt’s like, but basically, he’s pretty cool!

I’d love to hear of any other songs that your readers think would fit in with the book?

Please write them in the comments section below – or tweet me @savitakalhan with the hashtag #thegirlinthebrokenmirror #mattssongs.

Becca, thank you so much for having me here – it’s been so much fun! I hope you all love the book!



It’s been amazing! Have you read The Girl In The Broken Mirror? 


Let me know in the comments, or join in the conversation on Twitter!

          happy reading!     
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Blog Tour & Review: The Leavers by Lisa Ko

Title: The Leavers

Author: Lisa Ko

Published: April 26th, 2018

Publisher: Dialogue Books

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Add To Goodreads

Winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction.
One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, goes to her job at a nail salon – and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her. With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left mystified and bereft. Eventually adopted by a pair of well-meaning white professors, Deming is moved from the Bronx to a small town upstate and renamed Daniel Wilkinson. But far from all he’s ever known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his adoptive parents’ desire that he assimilate with his memories of his mother and the community he left behind.Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid examination of borders and belonging. It’s a moving story of how a boy comes into his own when everything he loves is taken away, and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of the past.

First Thoughts…

I don’t typically read books in the same genre as The Leavers, but lately I’ve been loving testing out different genres within the Adult and YA world and getting to have a fresh perspective on a new favourite or maybe, stumble upon something I wouldn’t have read in the first place. When I was offered the chance to be on the tour, I jumped at the chance. I love getting to celebrate an authors hard work and spread the word when I’ve loved a book. And did I love The Leavers? Read below to find out… (hint: it’s good news)

My Review…

One morning, when Deming Guo’s mother, who is a Chinese immigrant and also happens to be undocumented, goes to work, she never returns and can’t be found anywhere. He feels lost in a world where his Mother isn’t in it. She’s the only person he’s been that close to, and without her, the pang of loneliness kicks in from the get-go. He doesn’t understand why she’s left, so he tries to change himself, hoping she’ll return…but she never does. In her absence when the people that Deming and Polly, his mother, lived with, can’t look after him anymore, he is renamed Daniel Wilkinson and adopted by two white-American professors, moving from the Bronx to a town upstate. He’s only human, but he understands the world around him far better than his Mother, Polly. She was alone when she came to America with her son, and in a world where he understands it more than her, she’s lost as well. Deming thrives in a way that she struggles to in a new country, and the two stories that The Leavers weaves for us couldn’t be more different and alike at the same time.
I was stunned by just how fast I turned the pages of The Leavers. I didn’t think I’d connect with the characters because of our vast differences in age and upbringing, but somehow, I felt a part of myself resonate with them so clearly through the pages. The pain of not fitting in, of having to sacrifice a part of yourself and the sense of trying to find a place you belong in a big world…I nodded so many times and felt myself feel for the characters.
Overall, The Leavers is more than a novel. It’s a gem. It’s a story of loss, love, belonging, loneliness, family and borders. There’s so much beneath the surface of pain and love, from the backstory of Polly to the current day of Daniel. Lisa has written a rare find that I absolutely loved. This will tug at your heartstrings all day long. Huge four stars!

Have you read The Leavers?

 What did you think?

 Let me know in the comments or on twitter using the hashtag #TheLeaversTour! 

 happy reading!

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Blog Tour: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (+Giveaway)

Hello, book lovers! Welcome to a new week with a spectacular read to start it with! Unfortunately I couldn’t read the book because it was an eBook and my eReader is broken, so today I’m hosting an Excerpt instead! I can’t wait to read this in physical form when I can.



Title: The Poet X

Author:  Elizabeth Acevedo

Published: March 6th, 2018

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Add To Goodreads


A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Excerpts

Stoop-Sitting
The summer is made for stoop-sitting
and since it’s the last week before school starts,
Harlem is opening its eyes to September.
I scope out this block I’ve always called home.
Watch the old church ladies, chancletas flapping against the pavement,
their mouths letting loose a train of island Spanish as they spread he said, she said.
Peep Papote from down the block as he opens the fire hydrant
so the little kids have a sprinkler to run through.
Listen to honking gypsy cabs with bachata blaring from their open windows
compete with basketballs echoing from the Little Park.
Laugh at the viejos—my father not included—
finishing their dominoes tournament with hard slaps and yells of “Capicu!”
Shake my head as even the drug dealers posted up near the building
smile more in the summer, their hard scowls softening
into glue-eyed stares in the direction of the girls in summer dresses and short shorts:
“Ayo, Xiomara, you need to start wearing dresses like that!”
“Shit, you’d be wifed up before going back to school.”
“Especially knowing you church girls are all freaks.”
But I ignore their taunts, enjoy this last bit of freedom,
and wait for the long shadows to tell me
when Mami is almost home from work,
when it’s time to sneak upstairs.


Unhide-able
I am unhide-able.
Taller than even my father, with what Mami has always said
was “a little too much body for such a young girl.”
I am the baby fat that settled into D-cups and swinging hips
so that the boys who called me a whale in middle school
now ask me to send them pictures of myself in a thong.
The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast.
When your body takes up more room than your voice
you are always the target of well-aimed rumors,
which is why I let my knuckles talk for me.
Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced by insults.
I’ve forced my skin just as thick as I am.


Mira, Muchacha
Is Mami’s favorite way to start a sentence
and I know I’ve already done something wrong
when she hits me with that beginning: “Look, girl…”
This time it’s “Mira, muchacha, Marina from across the street
told me you were on the stoop again talking to los vendedores.”
Like usual, I bite my tongue and don’t correct her,
because I hadn’t been talking to the drug dealers,
they’d been talking to me. But she says she doesn’t
want any conversation between me and those boys,
and she better not hear about me hanging out
like a wet shirt on a clothesline just waiting to be worn
or she would go ahead and be the one to wring my neck.
“Oíste?” she asks, but walks away before I can answer.
Sometimes I want to tell her, the only person in this house
who isn’t heard is me.

Giveaway

To win a copy of The Poet X, open Internationally, click here!

Author Bio
ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the youngest child and only daughter of Dominican immigrants. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. With over fourteen years of performance poetry experience, Acevedo is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cave Canem Fellow, CantoMundo Fellow, and participant of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop. She has two collections of poetry, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths (YesYes Books, 2016) and winner of the 2016 Berkshire Prize, Medusa Reads La Negra’s Palm (Tupelo Press, forthcoming). The Poet X is her debut novel. She lives with her partner in Washington, DC.

Purchase Links
Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble

Have you heard of The Poet X?

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs using the tag #ThePoetXBlogTour 

happy reading!
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Blog Tour & Review | Force Of Nature by Jane Harper


 I am thrilled and very honored to be a part of Jane’s second book, following the major success of The Dry! I absolutely loved the first book and I couldn’t wait for the second! Thank you to Little Brown for letting me be a part of this bookish journey! You can read my review for THE DRY here.

Title: Force Of Nature

Author:  Jane Harper

Published: February 1st, 2018

Publisher: Little, Brown

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this ARC from the Publisher in exchange for a review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Add To Goodreads

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 Giralang Ranges 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 – in just a matter of days she was to provide the documents that will bring down the company she works for.
Falk discovers that far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. But does it include murder?

First Thoughts…

The Dry definitely left me wanting more from the Aaron Falk books. Jane has this certain way of writing that just leaves me wanting more, despite being a huge YA fan. I’d definitely class her as an Author to-watch and one of my new favourites!


My Review…

I have always had a certain thing for thrillers. Whether it was the underlying tone of a book, the hook of a movie or the darker things in life (anyone else obsessed with night time and the moon/stars?!). So when books like Force Of Nature come along, I can’t say no. We’re thrust back into the mystery of The Dry, in a small town, the thickly unnerving atmosphere so real it could reach out of the book and pull you in. Aaron Falk is back, only this time he’s looking into a different mystery – surrounding five women who got lost in the Forest, and only four make it back – but what’s shocking is that the secrets of The Dry are not over and done with. Aaron is bewildered to find that Alice, his informant on a case, is the missing woman. Suddenly he’s thrown back into the ever-weaving mystery that surrounds the dark case, delving into unknown territory to uncover the truth. 
Since The Dry left off, Aaron’s character development has soared into Force Of Nature. Piece by piece, as a reader I can put together this image of him and the person that he was and has become. Jane’s thrilling and poignant story-telling is magnificent once again, the descriptive passage of the heat in The Dry, into the deep dark forest in Force Of Nature, are forces to be reckoned with. Told in these two distinctive points of views; one in the moment, and another that sends chills up my spine (yes, it’s that good), it was a match made in heaven. I was intrigued by Carmen, Aaron’s new work partner, and how their relationship seemed to build and change with the plot effortlessly. 
Overall, Force Of Nature is definitely a very fitting name – it swept into my hands and didn’t leave until the last page was turned. I was turning and turning and turning, so captivated by the characters, the description, the everything. Jane is quickly becoming one of the best Authors I’ve had the pleasure of reading books from and it’s insane how fast you will become addicted to these stories. I can’t recommend them enough! Five stars completely.



You can buy Force Of Nature here:

Amazon UK | Book Depository

Have you read The Dry / Force Of Nature?

Let me know in the comments, on Twitter using the tag #ForceOfNature or on Facebook!

happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Review: Shell by Paula Rawsthorne (+ Playlist!)

Hello, book lovers! Welcome to a brand new week and a brand new sparkly book in the form of SHELL. This was such a highly anticipated book for me as a retelling of the famous Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Thank you to Olivia at Scholastic for the amazing opportunity to read this!

Title: Shell

Author:  Paula Rawsthorne

Published: January 4th, 2018

Publisher: Scholastic

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review by the publisher. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


Add To Goodreads

What if you thought you had died, only to wake up to find that your brain and eyes had been transplanted into someone else’s body? 

When Lucy, a teen diagnosed with terminal cancer wakes up cancer-free, it should be a dream come true. But faced with a life she didn’t choose and trapped in a new body, Lucy must face the biggest question of all… 
How far would you go to save the one you love?


First Thoughts… Right from the start, I knew Shell was something I was going to LOVE. I am a huge fan of retellings and especially the type that are done with subtle plot changes that weave into a complete mystery. And YES, I did read this THREE times! (People have been asking since seeing my tweets, and it’s so, so true.)

My Review… Shell panned out so different than I thought (in a quite brilliant and perfect way) and that was just the start of the incredible story that awaits. Lucy has been sick for a really long time with Cancer. She’s giving up, nothing working anymore and feeling truly tired and sick. She misses the life that she used to have when she was well, and stuck in a hospital bed feels like the last place she will ever see. But then, she has a bad moment in hospital and thinks she’s died. Surely she has. But then she wakes up, being asked tons of curious questions and feeling different. Then she’s told her cancer is gone. First, she thinks it’s some kind of miracle. But then she sees the reflection of someone. . .and it’s her. But it’s not Lucy’s face that she sees staring back at her. She sees someone else – and she is stuck in their body. 

Forced to pretend to be Renee and say goodbye to Lucy forever to avoid questions from the risky and illegal procedure, Lucy is only herself in secret with her Parents. She can’t tell her best friend, or Grandmother, despite being shunned by them as her new self. School is different as someone else now, newly taken in by the popular girls that wanted nothing to do with her when she was Lucy, and thrown into a life quite different from her own. But she can’t let go of the fact that she doesn’t know whose body she is in, or the strangeness that surrounds her because of it. When darker things start to unravel, Lucy is forced to question what she would do to survive. 

So. Many. Wow. Moments. This book! I can’t get over just how complex, smart and truly gripping Shell was. Paula’s writing is truthful and Lucy’s voice is wise and so real. This whole story is ethereal and ingenious. It had so many twists that I didn’t see coming at all, and I’m usually so good at seeing the plot twist before it happens. I can’t give this book enough love. I hardly reread books when I have such a tight reviewing schedule and that should show you just how amazing I thought Shell was. Huge five stars!

About The Author:
Paula Rawsthorne is the award-winning author of Blood Tracks and The Truth about Celia Frost. She first found success when she won the BBC National ‘Get Writing’ competition with her prize-winning story read on Radio 4. She has also been a winner of SCBWI’s ‘Undiscovered Voices. She is passionate about enthusing teenagers to get reading and is a writer in residence in a secondary school for the national literacy charity ‘First Story’. SHELL is her third novel for young adults. You can buy SHELL here.

 

SHELL Playlist


For my Blog Tour date, I really wanted to create a SHELL themed playlist! I love making them (as many of my readers will know!) and this was no exception. I made it on Spotify, so if you’re interested in listening to any of these while reading your copy of Shell, the link is below!

Playlist breakdown:

Rescue My Heart is the song I had playing in my head throughout Shell so I had to add it in there. Farewell is definitely the song for Lucy and her best friend Makayla. Heartbeats has the lyrics that instantly made me think of Lucy when she first woke up and realized who she was now. Killing Me To Love You is all about Lucy trying to prove that she is comfortable being Renee and loving her new body despite having issues with it. Only You gets me every time and it fits so many of the scenes throughout Shell. Is There Somewhere is melodic and fitted those kind of moments when Lucy was lost. Monsters is another one of those songs I had in my head – it’s like Lucy felt she was a monster. Strong is like Lucy’s song. She felt caught in the middle of being alive, but not wanting to live as someone else. Angels is the song I knew would fit during the first few chapters of Shell and you’ll know why when you read those beginning parts. Empty is how Lucy felt as Renee, through and through, along with I Can’t Breathe. Finally, In My Dreams is the kind of song that melts into the moments when Lucy was having dreams/nightmares about her new body (although it doesn’t quite fit). 

Have you read Shell?

What did you think?

Let me know on Twitter, Facebook or in the Comments! Don’t forget to stop by the Blog Tour stops for SHELL!

happy reading!

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Blog Tour / Review: “Otherworld” by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller





Title: Otherworld

Author: Jason Segel, Kirsten Miller

Published: October 31st, 2017

Publisher: Rock The Boat

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review as part of a Blog Tour. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

For fans of Black Mirror and HBO’s Westworld, and readers of James Dashner and Veronica Roth, Otherworld is the first book in New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller’s new YA sci-fi-thriller series. The future is now. And the future is terrifying.
There are no screens. There are no controls. You don’t just see and hear it–you taste, smell, and touch it too. In this new reality, there are no laws to break or rules to obey. You can live your best life. Indulge every desire.
It’s a game so addictive you’ll never want it to end. Until you realize that you’re the one being played.
Welcome to Otherworld, where reality is dead. Step into the future. Leave your body behind.
The frightening future that Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller have imagined is not far away. Otherworld asks the question we’ll all soon be asking: if technology can deliver everything we want, how much are we willing to pay?

Exclusive Extract from Otherworld:

Where our
backyard ends, the woods begin. When I was a kid, the wilderness seemed
endless; now most of it’s gone. I look for the path that leads through what’s
left of the forest. The trail’s grown over, but I could still walk it in my
sleep. It leads straight to one of the few old houses around here that was
never torn down. The land it sits on is swampy, and until recently the building
had been slowly sinking for ninety-odd years. That’s where Kat lives. I’d be
there right now if she’d just let me talk to her. But these days my best friend
bolts whenever I get near her. It cost me a few grand and a near-death experience
with my father, but I got to see her in Otherworld. Unfortunately, in
Brockenhurst she wants nothing to do with me.
Kat and I met
ten years ago, when we were eight years old. My father had just made senior
partner at his law firm, and he’d built this McMansion as his trophy. Thousands
of trees were sacrificed to ravenous wood chippers, and our house rose near the
edge of what would become the town’s swankiest gated community. We moved in on
the first day of summer. Mrs. Kozmatka, the nanny my mother had hired, told me
to stay on the grass in the backyard when I played outside. I wasn’t allowed to
set foot in the woods, which my mother believed to be teeming with snakes,
ticks and poison ivy.
In her defense,
Mrs. Kozmatka was new. She knew nothing of my history. And for the first couple
of hours, I gave her no cause for concern. I sat exactly where I am right now
and stared at the trees. Everything seemed so much more alive in the forest. As
I was watching, I heard branches snapping and leaves rustling. And then someone
stepped out from the other side.
I’d been playing
a lot of Harry Potter games that summer, and I was convinced it was some kind
of mythical creature. It was pretty clear that it wasn’t a centaur, but I
figured it could be a faun or a sprite. Even if the creature had spoken to me
on that first encounter, I wouldn’t have believed she was human. I’d never seen
another kid so dirty. She was covered in dried mud from head to toe. It was
camouflage, Kat later informed me. And it worked like a charm. That day, when
the nanny came outside, Kat took a step backward and vanished so completely
into the woods that it was almost as if she’d been swallowed whole.
My tender young
mind was totally blown. My family had just moved from Manhattan. The first
eight years of my life had been filled with fancy private schools and playdates
with kids named Arlo and Phineas. It was an ideal life, which was why my
therapists had so much trouble identifying the cause of my behavioral issues.
(Arlo and Phineas got their asses kicked on a regular basis.)
In hindsight, it
all seems perfectly clear to me. I’d been kept in a cage my entire life. I
wasn’t a kid. I was veal. And then this portal opened up in suburban New
Jersey and I was offered a glimpse of an untamed universe. I didn’t tell the
nanny about the creature I’d seen. Instead I spent the next few hours eagerly
waiting for it to return. I was sure it was spying on me, but it didn’t set
foot on my grass again. And by lunchtime I just couldn’t wait any longer. When
the nanny went inside to make tuna sandwiches, I slipped into the woods to go
find it. 

Review

I am a huge fan. I can say that now, after Otherworld landed on my doorstep and I darted to start it. From the get-go, it’s seriously unputdownable and I was immersed by the world in an instant. It’s truly modern meets futuristic, reeling in my attention. Simon is our main character. He’s got a striking point of view from the start, telling us the story of his beginning and of Otherworld. His Parents are wealthy, so when he sees that a new Virtual Reality game has been created called Otherworld, he darts at the chance to get it, even if it isn’t exactly gifted to him. Suddenly he’s been chosen to test it as a Beta gamer for Otherworld. Inside the game, people can live their best lives and get to do whatever they would love out of life. But that’s not the reason Simon wants to play the game. He wants to reconnect with his estranged best friend Kat, who used to play games with him. But soon he finds out that Otherworld isn’t what it seems and it’s hiding deep, thorny secrets within the false reality. They are the actual ones getting played.

I was on the edge of my seat from around the middle of the book when the action really heated up and became page-turning and fascinating. The entire Otherworld universe is immersive and brilliant, dark and had a highly addictive plot. Simon and Kat were poignant, fierce characters and I loved the dynamic between them and their individual personalities as a whole, even more. 

Overall, Otherworld is compulsive and swift, with a magnificent plot. Jason and Kirsten have created one of the best books I’ve read all year (and maybe longer). The amount of illustrious detail that has gone into the Otherworld world is absolutely fantastic. This can’t get a higher rating from me – five stars completely. I can’t think of anyone who I wouldn’t recommend this to. You will be missing out if this isn’t on your shelf this year!


Rating & Recs

For fans of Young Adult Science Fiction! Perfect for younger readers and older.


Be sure to check out the OTHERWORLD tour dates before and after my own to get in on the excitement! 


You can buy OTHERWORLD here and here. Keep up to date with all things Otherworld here!


Have you read Otherworld?


What did you think?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs! 


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Review: The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington

Title: The Red Ribbon

Author: Lucy Adlington

Published: September 21st, 2017

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

Rose, Ella, Marta and Carla. In another life we might have all been friends together. But this was Birchwood. 
As fourteen-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz. 
Every dress she makes could be the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival. 
Ella seeks refuge from this reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics. She is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive. 
Is her love of clothes and creativity nothing more than collaboration wth her captors, or is it a means of staying alive?
Will she fight for herself alone, or will she trust the importance of an ever-deepening friendship with Rose?
One thing weaves through the colours of couture gowns and camp mud – a red ribbon, given to Ella as a symbol of hope.

Review

While I remember learning about concentration camps at school during History lessons, we never touched base on what it was like for the captors. In particular, these girls of The Red Ribbon, were prisoners held in the camps and forced into dressmaking. Although Ella, our main character, shares a love of clothes with the others, their passion is pushed aside and destroyed while they are commanded to collaborate together making couture gowns amongst the muddy landscape of their prison. 

As Ella, Marta, Rose and Carla become the seamstresses of Auschwitz, I’m truly taken by the element of sheer truth and believe-ability that has gone into the historical backdrop of these distressing times, particularly emotional for me (and I’m sure other readers) at various times. For a moment, I was wondering how such a deeply harrowing time in history could be conveyed as a Young Adult story, but Lucy does this with care, sensitivity and raw emotion that is suitable and readable for any reader from the early tween years. 

Overall, I just can’t stop thinking about The Red Ribbon ever since I closed the last page. I am truly in awe of the effort, truth and pure brilliance that Lucy Adlington has put into this novel, with these fragile and broken, yet strong and kind, characters bound together in a time where they were forced apart. This is a truly mesmerising tale of hope, sacrifice and friendship and I loved it!


Rating & Recs

Perfect for YA and Adult fans alike!

Now, for a special extract from The Red Ribbon!


I’M ELLA. I SEW…

 ‘I’m Ella. I sew…’
Imagine this:  It’s your first day of work. If you don’t do well, you’re out. Once you’re out, you’re dead.  You are literally working to survive.
This is what 14 year old Ella faces in the nightmare world of Birchwood.  Her fictional experiences are based on the real-life stories of young women prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War Two, where a select few were saved from death in order to work as dressmakers for their cruel camp guards and for fashion-loving Nazi officers’ wives.
Ella realises she’ll have to toughen up quickly. She fakes confidence and skills to get a job in the Birchwood sewing workshop.
‘To escape from the nightmare I wrapped myself in a world of silk and stitching…’She’s ambitious. Despite the horrors all around she dreams of escaping from Birchwood and opening her own dress shop one day. She refuses to be treated as just a less-than-human, as just a slave with a number not a name.  Talent and determination keep her going… along with the memory of her beloved grandparents…
‘I pushed material under the new machine’s sewing foot and let the stitches run on and on and on, if only to hear the sound of my childhood once more. As it whirred away I was back in Grandma’s room, a little girl again, picking up pins from the carpet…’One of Ella’s biggest challenges comes as her friendship grows with gentle, heroic Rose. Rose is a dreamer, but without Ella’s fierce streak – a quiet hero who teaches Ella the power of love and hope. She gives Ella a red ribbon as a bond of friendship.  In her quest to get home, Ella has to decide how far she’s prepared to go to survive. Will saving her own life mean sacrificing her values and her friends? 

Lucy Adlington is a writer, actress and costume historian. Her novels for teenagers, written under the name L. J. Adlington, including The Diary of Pelly-D and Burning Mountain, have been nominated and/or shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the Manchester Book Prize,the Leeds Book Prize and the Rotherham Book Award. She also writes non-fiction for adults about the history of clothes, including Great War Fashion and Stitches in Time: The Story of theClothes We Wear. She founded the historical costume events company, History Wardrobe, has appeared on BBC Woman’s Hour discussing the history of underwear and she lives on a working farm in Yorkshire. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about women in the1940s.

Have you read The Red Ribbon?


Let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


ALSO: join in the Blog Tour celebrations by tweeting your thoughts and use the tag #TheRedRibbon!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Review: “The New Mrs Clifton” by Elizabeth Buchan

Title: The New Mrs Clifton

Author: Elizabeth Buchan

Published: August 11th, 2017

Publisher: Penguin 

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I was sent this book for review purposes. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

As the Second World War draws to a close, Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton surprises his sisters at their London home. But an even greater shock is the woman he brings with him, Krista – the German wife whom he has married secretly in Berlin.
Krista is clearly devastated by her experiences at the hands of the British and their allies – all but broken by horrors she cannot share. But Gus’s sisters can only see the enemy their brother has brought under their roof. And their friend Nella, Gus’s beautiful, loyal fiancée, cannot understand what made Gus change his mind about their marriage. What hold does Krista have over their honourable and upright Gus? And how can the three women get her out of their home, their future, their England?
Haunted by passion, betrayal, and misunderstanding these damaged souls are propelled towards a spectacular resolution. Krista has lost her country, her people, her identity, and the ties that bind her to Gus hold more tightly than the sisters can ever understand… 


First Thoughts

I tend to stray toward Young Adult literature, but for a refreshing change every now and again, I’m totally open to other types of reads. So when I was offered the chance to be on Elizabeth’s blog tour for her new novel, I thought it would be the perfect one to seal in the end of Summer and the start of darker reads, twined with mystery. 


Review

I started reading The New Mrs Clifton with an open mind, intrigued by the historical fiction genre. I haven’t read any of them recently, and neither anything from Elizabeth Buchan, so I was going in for a totally blank slate. The storyline opens with a picture painted for us – set shortly after the second World War, everyone’s lives changed by the devastation that’s happened. Gus returns back to home in London with his new wife Krista, but with a twist, that he’s still got a fiancee at home called Nella. His family are distraught, particularly his sisters, by his actions, but Gus and his wife know the truth of why he did it – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the events that would unravel.

From a few chapters in, you could definitely say that I was hooked. The more that I breezed through the chapters, the more that the truth began to tell itself, and the cultural divide of The New Mrs Clifton, Krista, felt in London as a German. The way that Elizabeth described the emotion of the aftermath of the War, raw and heartbreaking, was totally believable and I loved the way that she takes the readers to that very place in time. She didn’t comb over the harsh details and told everything exactly how it is. 

Overall, The New Mrs Clifton was passionate, eye-opening, inviting and truthful. If I only read a few Historical reads in the year in Adult Fiction, I am so very thankful that this was one of them. Although at times I felt the plot dipped off and became less interesting than other parts, the story as a whole was more important and didn’t effect the way that I feel about this book as readable, because it was a major four star page-turner with a certain kind of spark that filled my heart with remembrance and enthralment. Adult fiction readers, you don’t want to miss this one. 


Rating

Have you read The New Mrs Clifton?


Let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!


happy reading!

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Blog Tour & Book Review: “Sleeper” by J.D. Fennell

Title: Sleeper

Author: J.D. Fennell

Published: April 28th, 2017

Publisher: The Dome Press

Find the Author: Goodreads 


I received this book for review on my blog! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

Sixteen-year-old Will Starling is pulled from the sea with no memory of his past. In his blazer is a strange notebook with a bullet lodged inside: a bullet meant for him. As London prepares for the Blitz, Will soon finds himself pursued by vicious agents and a ruthless killer known as the Pastor. All of them want Will’s notebook and will do anything to get it. 

As Will’s memory starts to return, he realises he is no ordinary sixteen-year old. He has skills that make him a match for any assassin. But there is something else. At his core is a deep-rooted rage that he cannot explain. Where is his family and why has no one reported him missing?Fighting for survival with the help of Mi5 agent-in-training, Anna Wilder, Will follows leads across London in a race against time to find the Stones of Fire before the next air raid makes a direct hit and destroys London forever.

First Thoughts

I love a good thriller as much as the next reader, but when it’s a YA Historical/Thriller that sounds like a fast-paced book straight from the movies, Sleeper just got a lot more exciting. I was extremely excited to be asked on the Blog Tour for this awesome book! 

Review 

As soon as I start reading Sleeper, we’re delving right into the action. I was intrigued to read such in-depth meets fast paced compulsive reading from a Historical Thriller from the get-go. First we meet Will Starling, our main character. He’s intelligent and memorable, and has been training since he was in his early tween years as an agent of VIPER, an organisation that not only had multi-worldwide facilities and connections, but more power than anyone could comprehend. 

It’s 1941 when we first meet Will in England. He’s been trained for this day, and knows exactly what he had to do: steal a notebook packed with codes among other things, to give to VIPER, commanded to kill anyone that means to stop his mission. But Will is hiding a deadly secret of his own: he’s never going to give it to them. He’s planning a whole other kind of plan with the information within the pages. But before he can do just that, the chase is on. He ends up battling for his life at sea, only to be rescued with a blank slate of the boy he was. He doesn’t know why people are chasing him, who he really is, or why this notebook seems to be the only thing that will help him now.

Just WOW. This book had more turns and twists than I could keep up with. The action was played out comprehensively and effortlessly and I loved that there was a puzzle and mystery within the story lines. Will was an exceptionally memorable character, alike the kind of Mission Impossible and Andy McNab books with white knights and heroes worthwhile of their screen – or book – time. The pace was perfect for the novel and kept me reading until the early hours of the morning, unputdownable. 

Overall, Sleeper is a thrilling and one-of-a-kind novel with an enthralling edge and mystery-driven plot. It had a certain kind of magic that makes a book just work. Even though at times Will’s character made choices that perplexed me (this isn’t a totally bad thing – surprises are good!) I would still rate this as one of the best books of it’s kind in YA. I’m so honoured to have gotten to read this book that I might not have had the chance to if I wasn’t on the tour. Completely amazing!


Rating

Guest Post

I got the amazing chance to ask J.D. Fennell a subject to write about for my Blog Tour stop! So, I chose: What YA Characters have stayed with you and why?

This was a difficult call, only because there are so many to choose from. Unless they are villains, we want our YA characters to have drive, depth and courage. Those that spring to mind are Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mallek, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Scout Finch – I could go on.
There are two that really stand out for me; two that made me want to keep returning to their world. They are also, controversially, two young adult characters from adult literature.
Aliena – Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Aliena is brought up a lady, the daughter of Earl Bartholomew and sister of Richard, a sulky and lazy boy. When we first meet Aliena, her wit and confidence make her popular with the people of Shiring. On the flipside, these traits alienate her from outsiders, specifically Jack Jackson and the evil William Hamleigh, who consider her rude and spoiled. Aliena is my favourite narrator in a book rich with wonderful characters. She is vocal, confident and brave. Without spoiling the story, life gets pretty awful for Aliena. She goes through hell over and over again, yet she gets back up and carries on every time to protect her brother and fulfil her father’s legacy. A small tear is welling in my eye at the thought of her. She is a 17th century Scarlett O’Hara and what’s not to love about that.
Jon Snow – Game of Thrones
When we first meet Jon Snow in the Game of Thrones novel, he is fourteen years old, the bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Although highborn, Jon’s bastard status excludes him from both sides of Westeros society. Despite being close to his siblings, he grows up an outsider, included, but not included, in the Stark family life. Early on he is perfectly described, by Theon Greyjoy, “the runt of the litter” – a description (which may be from the TV show only) also applied to his direwolf cub, Ghost. I love all of the Thrones characters, however, Jon’s resilience, his grit, courage, his sense of fairplay and his mystery make him intriguing and have me returning to Westeros every now and again to reread one of his POV chapters. 

What do you think of Sleeper?


Will you be adding it to your TBR?


Let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs or #SleeperBlogTour 

happy reading!

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