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Book Review: Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Title: Zenith (The Androma Saga #1)

Author: Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Published: January 11th, 2018

Publisher: HQ

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱

Find the Author: Goodreads and Goodreads

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


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From #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings comes the first book in The Androma Saga, full of action, fantastical intrigue and steamy star-crossed romance. 

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she’s just Andi, their friend and fearless leader. But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder‘s all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation—and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi’s past.  

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship—or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

First Thoughts…When I first heard of Zenith, it was from the sneak-peek and I just KNEW I wanted to read it. Lindsay is highly regarded as an incredible author (I own around 2 of her books from The Murder Complex series, but haven’t read them yet) and Sasha is a famous booktuber. They both have this cool connection where they’ve wrote this book together and you can definitely see that they’ve bounced ideas off each other for this extremely interesting novel series. I actually asked for an advance copy of Zenith because of my connections to HQ (you’re all amazing!!) and that I was metaphorically dying to read it. Luckily, I was lucky to read it late last year!

My Review…I went into Zenith with the hopes that it might be a The 100 type of book, but it’s actually pretty hardcore. The main-main (you’ll get what I mean soon) character is Andi, a.k.a. Androma, and she’s also known as the Bloody Baroness. She doesn’t spare anyone (as her name tells) and her mercenary skill reeks terror throughout the Mirabel Galaxy. But there’s another side to Andi. She’s not always serious and brooding, but part of the Marauder starship as their leader. But then disaster strikes, and they find themselves thrown into the wave of chaos and at the hands of a familiar face to Andi – a bounty hunter from her illusive past. 
But that’s not even where the excitement ends. Among the Galaxy, there are other planets with cruel, merciless leaders that we get the chance to delve into the minds of, hell-bent on retribution. The characters – a skillful, at times underdeveloped (some of the characters I didn’t care much for, but there are others I loved) and tightly-knitted bunch, are what drives Zenith to a glorious and intergalactic adventure. 
I had heard mixed reviews on Goodreads about Zenith, but you know, like I always say: always give a book a chance. I’ve got to say, I really liked Zenith! And I love these authors! They have a certain something when they write together and I can see this becoming a huge hit with YA Science Fiction readers. It has a definite Star Wars outline and pacing, so fans of the movies will most likely love reading Zenith, for it’s suspense and action. 
Overall, Zenith is an imaginative novel to start the Saga and I’d definitely pick up the next in the series! It’s ingenious and well-paced and if you’re a fan of Lindsay’s other books, you’ll be picking this up as soon as it’s out in stores. 4 stars!


Have you had the chance to read Zenith?

Let me know what you thought on Twitter, Facebook, or by commenting below!

happy reading!

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Book Review: “Take Me On” by Katie McGarry

Title: Take Me On

Author: Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 6th, 2014
Published by: Mira Ink


I received this from Mira Ink in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 



Acclaimed author Katie McGarry (Pushing The Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You) returns with a new story about love, loss and what winning really means…

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she’d never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can’t stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she’d stay away from. Yet he won’t last five seconds in the ring without her help.
West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping him fighting for her is a shot at redemption. Especially since it’ s his fault her family is falling apart. He can’t change the past, but maybe he can change Haley’s future.
Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they’ll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

 Having been a HUGE Katie McGarry fan since Pushing The Limits, I was over-the-moon happy to get to read Take Me On (thank you, Mira Ink!). I was looking forward to seeing how West was introduced into the story being Rachel’s brother from the last in the series; Crash Into You – a.k.a. the most amazing book ever. And Haley sounded like a tough girl, but I could see there was going to a soft side to her. 

Haley – fierce yet loyal – was just trying to live her life, although going through hell, still trying not to draw attention to herself. After quitting being a champion kickboxer, she didn’t look back once. Not until she met West, that is. He’s everything she swore she would never get involved in again, but she felt like she owed him something after standing up for her from her idiot ex-boyfriend in a fight that starts off a ricochet of events that would change both of their lives forever. 
Violent fights and standoffs lead to West getting challenged to a fight – and Haley gets wrapped into training him. He’s all-talk and she had her work cut out for her, but the more they melt into each other’s lives and secrets, the closer they become and the harder it becomes to ignore their strong connection. After swearing not to step in the ring again, Haley finds it hard at first, but once she does, she feels the adrenaline that she used to feel and how doing what she loved made her feel. But with her ex-boyfriend stepping out from every shadow and West creeping into her thoughts, Haley’s life is far from perfect, not to mention how her family is falling apart with every passing day. 
West’s life is far from perfect, also. His sister; Rachel, was in an accident that he knows he had a fault in. The guilt weighs heavy on him and a dark shadow appears over his life like a rain cloud. But when Haley comes into his life and starts to change him for the better, he starts to realize that she helped not only his fighting but the ways of everything, with every new unveiling of his life leading to a shock unveiling in his family secrets. 
Take Me On challenges Crash Into You for having two of my favourite characters. If you loved Rachel and Isaiah, then you’ll fall for Haley and West over and over. They were each unique in the way Katie wrote their back-story and the pain and heartbreak behind every secret kept from each other. I turned pages as fast as I could, sinking into the story with every new chapter. Katie McGarry writes what we all want in a YA novel; a bittersweet story, a complex relationship and addictive characters. 
Overall, Take Me On is a five-star addition to the Pushing The Limits series that no fan will want to miss. A seriously compelling story with characters to pull on your heartstrings. I’m SO excited for Noah and Echo to return for their second story…and I’m dying to read a story about Abby! Bring on that book and I’ll be first in line. 


I’m all for chance meetings and a story that evolves equally as amazingly, so Take Me On obviously had countless favourite parts for me.


YA Contemporary and Romance fans, and New Adult fans will find Katie McGarry’s books are perfect also. 

Have you read Take Me On?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!

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Book Blitz (Week 2): “Let’s Get Lost” by Adi Alsaid (Featuring Guest Post of Adi’s First Trip Alone)

*Celebrating the Launch of Let’s Get Lost!* 


 Let’s Get Lost
by Adi Alsaid
Release Date: 07/29/14
Harlequin Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There’s HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila’s own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you’re looking for is to get lost along the way.

BUY NOW:

 Amazon* Barnes& Noble * IndieBound * Harlequin.com

Early Praise:
“Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper
Towns and road trip novels that feature a teen paving the way to
adulthood, Alsaid’s debut is a gem among contemporary YA novels.” – School
Library Journal

“Five love stories, beautifully woven
together by a special girl in search of adventure, hope, and full
appreciation of life’s simple pleasures. A do-not-miss.  ” – Justine Magazine

“Moving and poignant.”  – Glitter Magazine

“An entertaining and romantic road-trip
debut.” – Kirkus

“Leila’s quest to find the Northern
Lights takes readers on a captivating cross-country journey, where four
strangers’ adventures collide into one riveting tale of finding yourself.” ―YABooksCentral.com
“This will likely be a popular summer
hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of
self-discovery.” –Booklist

 On Pretty Little Memoirs:
“Let’s Get Lost is an absorbing, beautiful novel we all need in our lives. Phenomenal!” – Pretty Little Memoirs


Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and
continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it’s no surprise that
after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his
apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a
writer. He’s now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and
elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats
or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he’s lived in Tel Aviv,
Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him
more places will eventually be added to the list. Let’s Get Lost is his YA
debut.  



Author Links:
photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png
July 30: Adi’s
First Trip Alone

My
sister likes to say that before I came back from my trip to Israel, she’d never
heard me speak. That’s probably an exaggeration, but not an extreme one. When I
boarded the plane to Israel on the eve of my eighteenth birthday, I was a shy
kid, reserved, talkative only with my closest friends.
My
brother puts it a different way: “Before, you couldn’t decide if you cared or
not. Then you decided you didn’t.” He said this when we shared an apartment in
college, when I was doing things like taking spontaneous road trips to Baker,
California just to have lunch, or founding a student organization at UNLV
called Students for the Advancement of Silliness. I brought my first girlfriend
to the top floor of a library and rained down thirty notecards with book
quotations on them. I wrote editorials in the school newspaper about choosing
to be happier.
Let
me be clear about this: I didn’t notice it happening. In Israel, I read a lot.
I walked around a lot. Though fluent in Hebrew, I didn’t speak a lot, because
outside of my grandmother and some cousins, I didn’t know anyone. I could have
made friends on the basketball courts where I played, or the bar full of
American expats and travelers from all over the world, but I didn’t. By the end
I was having more and more conversations with people there, because I’d learned
that if I didn’t I could go days without saying a word. But that didn’t feel
like growth; it just felt like loneliness, which wasn’t anything new. I had fun
in Israel, and though I’d imagined something life-changing (I brought a
notebook, thinking that maybe I’d write a book while there), I left thinking it
hadn’t happened. The first day I returned to Mexico and had coffee with a
friend, within twenty minutes, she said, “You’ve changed.”
It’s
not like I went to Israel and came back a new person. I was simply more myself.
The layer of shyness that usually hid parts of me from the world was washed
away by the Mediterranean, or burned away from my skin from the suntan I gained
on the beaches of Tel Aviv. I broke out of my proverbial shell, deciding, as my
brother pointed out, that I no longer cared to reside within it.

Here’s
what I’m trying to get at, and why Leila’s travels in Let’s Get Lost
serve as the perfect backdrop to five coming-of-age stories: Travel leads to
self-discovery. You grow, even if you don’t notice it happening. Especially if
you do it at the age I did, the age the characters in the book are, the world
seeps into your cracks and pulls you further out.

1 signed hardcover copy of Let’s Get Lost
1 Let’s Get Lost
luggage tag
1 Harlequin TEEN
notebook
1 Let’s Get Lost
sachel
1 Harlequin TEEN
tote bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

You ALL know I loved Let’s Get Lost back in May, so now it’s your turn to get reading! You can’t miss this one AND it’s available to buy now!

happy reading!
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Waiting on Wednesday: “Diamonds in the Rough” by Michelle Madow


“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking The Spine, that shines a spotlight on upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.


Title: Diamonds in the Rough (The Secret Diamond Sisters #2)
Release Date: October 28th, 2014
Published by: Harlequin TEEN
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary 

TWITTER | AUTHOR GOODREADS

                                       

All-access doesn’t mean no problems.


The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves. Savannah’s YouTube stardom turns into a Sweet Sixteen reality show extravaganza with complimentary enemies on the side. 

Dangerous flirtations don’t keep Peyton from a gamble that will risk far more than she planned to bet. And when Courtney and the sisters’ archenemy, Madison, uncover two explosive secrets, it will rock even this town of glittering illusion and turn their lives upside down all over again.

I absolutely LOVED The Secret Diamond Sisters. When I found out there was more in the series, I was literally SO excited to read more about the sisters! The way Michelle wrote about Las Vegas made me want to hop on a plane and see it myself. October can’t come sooner! 

What are you waiting on?


Don’t forget to tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on Twitter!

happy reading!

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Book Review: “The Secret Diamond Sisters” by Michelle Madow

Title: The Secret Diamond Sisters (The Secret Diamond Sisters #1)

Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary 
Release Date: February 25th, 2014 (US) March 7th, 2014 (UK)
Also by the Author: Remembrance 
Published by: Mira Ink / Harlequin TEEN
Purchase at: Amazon, Book Depository 


With thanks to Mira Ink/Harlequin TEEN for the review copy of this novel! As always, my reviews are non-bias and fair.





Savannah. Courtney. Peyton. 


 The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. 
Suddenly the Strip’s most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

Las Vegas, Sisters and an amazing synopsis and I was hooked. I mean, look at that gorgeous cover and I dare you not to want just a peak inside the pages, especially after reading that synopsis. I was so happy to get to read a copy thanks to Harlequin Teen and Mira Ink – I always seem to fall in love with all the books they publish so I was dying to read The Secret Diamond Sisters.

 I have never read a book set in Las Vegas for the majority of the plot, but that’s all about to change with The Secret Diamond Sisters, because I’ll be returning happily with every new addition to this welcomed new series. I was hoping right from the start that there would be just more than one book because I just couldn’t stop reading page after page with every exciting new turn.

 This is definitely a glamorous modern fairytale, where three sisters who had a rough start in life with their mother who a drinking problem, who get their lives turned around when she goes to rehab and they are shipped off to live with their father who they haven’t the slightest idea who he is. But another bend in the roller-coaster sees him announced as Adrian Diamond – the billionaire hotel franchise owner. But not all fairy tales get a happy ending and they aren’t all simple, and so things only get more interesting and additive from here for the fifteen, sixteen and seventeen year old sisters.

Savannah, the youngest of the three sisters, was probably the most welcoming of the new lavish lifestyle. She was happy to have more money to spend on all the things she couldn’t afford before, in her true free spirited way. She was a little naive in places in the new lifestyle in the Vegas lights, but nevertheless the most fun and charismatic sister. 
Courtney was the middle sister, but I was startled to find that she wasn’t the oldest. She totally took control and was the peacemaker in the situations where responsibility was required. She was a bookworm, like me, and sensible, not to mention very driven and humble. I liked her the best out of the three sisters by far, possibly because I could connect with her in similar ways. 
Peyton is the oldest of the Diamond sisters and the one with the rebellious attitude to pretty much everything, although entertaining in that very same way. She really didn’t like her father and pretty much rejected everything like the credit cards that he gave the sisters, which she prompted to throw in the trash. But I understood her hostility, because being the oldest, she had been through more than the other sisters and that way, I could see why she had an attitude to most things.
I’m not sure how I felt about Adrian Diamond, because I was influenced by so many different ways of thinking of him by each sister, so I guess I’m pretty much torn in each direction. Then there’s Rebecca (name twin!), who is Adrian’s fiancee, Madison, Damien, Brett…and so many other characters with mixed feelings about. They all had less frequent roles compared to the sisters so it’s hard to pinpoint how I felt about each one, but again, each was engrossing in their own ways, whether fueled by hate or love for them. 

Compelling, magnetic and enchanting, The Secret Diamond Sisters is a story I’ll never forget. It could be compared to the likes of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, but it’s in a total world of it’s own – unlike anything before it. I’m hugely anticipating the next in the series and I can’t wait to read more of the alluring and dazzling writing styles of Michelle Madow. 

Have you read The Secret Diamond Sisters?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “Anything to Have You” by Paige Harbison


Title: Anything To Have You

Author: Paige Harbison
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary 
Release Date: January 28th 2014, 2014 (US) Feburary 7th, 2014 (UK)
Other Books by Author: Here Lies Bridget, New Girl
Published by: HarlequinTEEN, Mira Ink 
Purchase at: Amazon, B&N, Waterstones

With thanks to Mira Ink/Harlequin Teen for the copy of this novel! As always, my reviews are non-bias and fair.





Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys. 
Natalie and Brooke have had each other’s backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be. Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can’t remember and Brooke’s boyfriend, Aiden, can’t forget. Suddenly there’s a question mark in Natalie and Brooke’s friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.

 As a huge fan of Paige’s previous books, I was thrilled to be able to read Anything To Have You. I could tell it was *exactly* what I was looking for right now, a Contemporary novel that is kind of half romance / half friendship, where it’s kind of in the balance between. I had seen some conflicting reviews on Goodreads, but having read both New Girl and Here Lies Bridget, and seeing that they weren’t alike either, I wasn’t setting out to compare Anything to Have You, to them, and consider it in it’s own league instead of comparison. 

The book started out in Natalie’s POV, which sets a very high standard to when we move onto Brooke in the later stages. I found that Natalie was the best person to start off the book, because she was a step back from the action and I found her to be a more reliable narrator as a whole. That being said, Brooke wasn’t a bad narrator, but she had a very strong voice and personality, and played the “party girl” who kind of has everything but still wants more, and was always in the center of it all. 

I’m always interested in seeing the dynamics of a friendship, because unlike a relationship, friendships have roots and are bound a lot closer than relationships. Natalie and Brooke were very different personalities and they clashed in a lot of ways being opposites, but their friendship is still very strong, though evolves to be on unsteady ground. Aiden, Brooke’s long-time boyfriend, comes between them quite a bit at first, even without Brooke quite realizing it. There seems to be that unresolved energy between him and Natalie, and it’s clear that as the book goes on, he cares for them both, although he remains with Brooke regardless of having alternate feelings for Natalie in the beginning. As the book goes on and the event of the novel takes place, the balance shifts completely. 
There was a lot of swearing in the dialogue, mainly on Brooke’s part (though Natalie does too), and I know that some other bloggers had found that excessive, but with the book being in the narrative of two teenagers and a lot of them in the real world using language like that on a regular occasion, it seemed more realistic to me, rather than unnecessary. Just like the drinking, it was something that made the story just feel that little bit more real to me. But of course, that’s my opinion and others may feel objective to that. 

Natalie was my favourite narrator and character, probably. She was a quite a bit naive and spent a lot of time inside rather than going out with Brooke to parties and other events. I don’t condone cheating or lying to your friends about doing so, but I did much more prefer Natalie with Aiden instead of him with Brooke. I think that Brooke took Aiden for granted because he was always so sweet to her, and she did on several occasions suggest cheating on him, and she was always in demand for attention 100% of the time. 
But that being said, she did live up to the name of being the bad, party-girl who always drank and swore in general. I do think that Natalie treasured Aiden more and even though the cheating and mystery of that night does end in her favor, I could tell it killed her that she had hurt her best friend, even if she didn’t remember it. 
The girls friendship is put through some hard times in the book, and I think that their opposite interests and personalities did make them seem unsteady in parts, but you can tell that they were really good friends, even if Brooke was a little selfish and Natalie was a hermit at times. I would’ve really liked to delve more into Natalie’s character, (because the POV’s changed a few times, and we never see her full potential as a character) and I did actually love that ending with Brooke. It was bittersweet to see how the roles reverse and how things changed as the book ended for each character. 


A seriously amazing book, Anything to Have You doesn’t disappoint in giving Gossip Girl’s antics a run for it’s money. With strong main characters and a killer storyline, it just knocked Here Lies Bridget off it’s title as my favourite Paige Harbison book. Definitely five star worthy in my opinion. That epilogue was worth five on it’s own. 




Have you read Anything To Have You?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!
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Review: “The Iron Traitor {Call of the Forgotten #2}” by Julie Kagawa

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Title: The Iron Traitor  {Call of the Forgotten #2}
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: November 1st 2013
Published by: Harlequin Teen / Mira Ink


Many
thanks to Mira Ink for the copy
of this novel! My opinions are all non-bias and I received this from
the publishers in exchange for an honest review.


 
 
 
 
 
 

 IN THE REAL WORLD, WHEN YOU VANISH INTO THIN AIR FOR A WEEK, PEOPLE TEND TO NOTICE

After
his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just
wants to get back to normal. Well, as “normal” as you can be when you
see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the
bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind
that he’s forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is
Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the
Nevernever, “normal” simply isn’t to be. For Ethan’s nephew, Keirran, is
missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the
name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and
faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the
Forgotten. As Ethan’s and Keirran’s fates entwine and Keirran slips
further into darkness, Ethan’s next choice may decide the fate of them
all.

 
 

 I will literally read anything Julie Kagawa writes. I have ALL the Iron Fey series and the Immortal Rules, and can never get enough of the perfect picture of a storyworld that Julie paints in all our minds. When I received this ARC from Mira Ink, I was so happy that I got to read the latest copy earlier than I thought! *Happy Dance* Of course I knew it was going to be amazing…
 
 After finishing The Lost Prince (Call of the Forgotten, book one) it left off with such a huge cliffhanger that left me speechless! I wanted to know what happened so badly, but at the same time, it was the surprise of what awaited in The Iron Traitor that kept me hanging onto the words. 
This blew The Lost Prince out of the water! It was a thousand times more addictive (if that was possible?!) and I was fixated on the pages for hours, something that hasn’t happened since I read Divergent a few weeks back, so this definitely gave me my next dose of bookish addiction! Ethan really came into his own, I thought, in this book. He was such a good character already from previous, but in this one he gave me an image of how unique and interesting his narrative was. He had a really amazing storyline and even though he’s that bad-boy image, I definitely saw a different side to him in moments. 
 Speaking of seeing a different side to characters, I saw a huge difference in Kenzie. Before, she was one of those characters that I wasn’t sure where her loyalty and personality led, but she also was so great in The Iron Traitor. Her narrative was a lot more mature and lingeringly interesting, too. Kieirran was already such a complex and unique character, and in this book Julie gave him more depth to his character and storyline. He was the most interesting character, but my favourite was definitely Kenzie in this one! Her and Ethan were also so incredible to read about with their relationship. He’s just trying to be normal and there’s this whole other thrilling side to their world–one I didn’t want to leave.
There is so much I could praise about Julie Kagawa’s writing style and perfection that she weaved into The Iron Traitor, but that would go on for days. If I wasn’t a fan already, this would make me one forever, possibly even a number one fan. The cliffhanger was heart-stoppingly epic! I can’t wait to dive back into the world that Julie created, because it’s a place you’ll never tire of reading about, and I certainly won’t. Bring on more books, Julie!
Five star worthy all around!
 
 Another incredible addition to a series that any Fantasy YA reader will love, with it’s plot twists and rollercoaster-rides of cliffhangers, prepare to make Julie Kagawa your new favourite author!
 
 

I would love it if you could  Follow on Bloglovin  on bloglovin’! I love getting new followers and I promise there will always be a book here that you love.

 

Happy reading!

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Review: “Dare You To” by Katie McGarry {with thanks to Harlequin Teen}

“Passionate and powerful, a complex love story about how when two world’s collide…you just can’t ignore it, no matter how much it dares you…”
 
 
Oh, wow…I loved this book right down until the last page. Have you ever looked at one of those books you think is going to be amazing, but just totally EXCEEDS your expectations by miles? This was it for me. Katie McGarry is, like, the best author at deep and dark, complex romances; you will love her books, right after you turn the first pages…
 
 
Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. “Dance with me, Beth.”

“No.” I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again….

“I dare you…”

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does….

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….

 
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Let me start by saying a huge thank you to Elise at Harlequin Teen UK for sending me a copy to review. At the point of getting the book, I had only just heard about Katie McGarry’s writing from a few blogger friends who had read “Pushing The Limits” and loved it, so I was hugely anticipating what was ahead of me…
Beth was…wow. What a beautifully, though broken, character. She was quite the lady with words *all the good bad words, haha ;)* and never laid her sword down, always amped up ready to fight her corner–but that was it; she always had something to fight for. Whether it was her Mom, her friends, her whole life…she had every right to be the way she was, with most people around her (with the exception of her amazing friends at the start, *and where can I get caring, amazing friends like that?!*) were always letting her down.
Ryan had a thousand decisions and past memories that were buried, though close to the surface that they would emerge when he least knew. Whether it was trying to reconnect with his brother, or fighting with his father…it was an up-hill battle all the way. The only highlight in his life was being at the centre of it all in the batting cages in the beginning, or his cool, sarcastic and daring friends. I guess you could say the book was centred around one big dare. The first dare between Ryan and Beth.
The one that brought them together. But not at first.
“That must be love: when everything else in the world could implode and you wouldn’t care as long as you had that one person standing beside you.”          
At the start of the book, I kind of disliked Ryan. He seemed a little cocky and all about himself. Little did I know that he was giving the performance of his life; acting as a better image of himself. The more I read about the heartache and turns that bent his life in two, it made more sense that a person under that much strain would try and pretend it’s not there.
Beth, on the other hand, set out to make people hate her. I know a lot of bloggers said that they disliked her in Pushing The Limits, but because I haven’t read the first instalment, this was my first encounter with Beth. She definitely grew on me, and it took about a quarter of the book to really understand her. There was a side of her, that with Isaiah, really came out of her shell. When they had scenes together, I really wished this story was about them and their journey, but after delving more into Beth and Ryan’s toxic-ly, sweet chemistry that simmered away into something beautiful, I realised this story was all them.  
I got swept up in this whirlwind, different-kind of romance. It was bittersweet and rocky, but the destination of the ending was perfectly suited to them. Not everything was plain sailing, but with the Author who writes page-turners, and characters destined for big things, this addictively fiery novel set ablaze a frenzy that turned the pages until it was surely one of my favourite books of the year.
 
A huge five stars for Katie’s *phenomenal* novel…
 
Many thanks to all at Harlequin Teen for the amazing copy of “Dare You To”!
 
happy reading,
xo Becca
 
KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

 
 
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