bullet-point review: mask of shadows by linsey miller

Title: Mask of Shadows

Author: Linsey Miller

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Release Date: August 29th 2017

Pages: 352

Rating:

 

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+ ASSASSINS! Buzzword like heck from me! I love assassin stories, and stories where people are competing to become assassins? Yep, sold. You got me!

+ The worldbuilding was interesting. It’s set in the aftermath of a magical war essentially, and people in the stories survived and are directly affected by events that happened back then. It kept the losses that happened very in the forefront of the story, keeping the tensions and the worry that the characters had very immediate.

+ Sal very openly states that they want to be referred by she/he/they depending on how they’re presenting themselves that day, and the characters just accept this and move on. I haven’t read many fantasy books where the main character is genderfluid and was so pleased by it.

+ QUEERNESS! Sal has a very cute relationship with a girl in the story. It’s told in the most adorable way possible. The issues that arise within the relationship have zero to do with queerness. Again, I didn’t know this book was queer and it just made me so happy to read!

+ I really liked Sal’s voice throughout the story. Miller’s writing was engaging and fast-paced and really fit this person who has quite a complicated history and view of the world that is being challenged during the book.

+ Plot twist that I really didn’t see coming!!

– Names. Lots of names. Those we are competing are given numbers and there are a lot of numbers. There’s not a lot of distinction between each character and I kept getting two of the numbers confused, which threw me out of the story a little during one of the peak moments.

– Conflict. Sal has conflict within her personal views and, of course, the whole competition is conflict but the stakes didn’t feel super high in moments where I thought they would. It also meant that Sal’s character development seemed quite weak.

– The plot twist that I may not have seen coming because it wasn’t hinted at all

Mask of Shadows was an unsuspected gem. I really enjoyed reading it, really enjoyed the romance and the magic system and the world that these characters exist in. It does have flaws, mostly in execution than in the actual story, but they weren’t enough to make me dislike the story or want to put it down. I read this book so quickly, I was so invested in Sal and her pursuit for the more that I literally couldn’t put the book down.

I found out this was a duology and you bet your butts that I am going to be getting my hands on that book because I really want to see how this ends!

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Have you read Mask of Shadows? What did you think? If you haven’t read it, do you think you will pick it up? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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review: we are blood and thunder by kesia lupo

Title: We Are Blood and Thunder

Author: Kesia Lupo

Release Date: April 4th 2019

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Pages: 400

Rating:

 

 

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

We are Blood and Thunder follows two point of view characters: Lena, a societal outcast from an isolated dukedom on the run for the crime of being a mage, and Constance, a woman who has returned to her childhood home to search for a cure for the mysterious storm cloud that has brought nothing but trouble.

I found both characters’ stories had enough intrigue to keep you interested, both weaving together to tell one complete and simple story. Lena, learning about the new parts of the world alongside the reader and Constance, who already knows the world and instead is digging below the surface to uncover its secrets. They were both driven characters, although in unique ways which kept the character voices from blending together.

With Lena learning to embrace who she is and Constance struggling to face the person she used to be in comparison to who she is now, there are a lot of interpersonal conflicts that add to the drama of the whole thing.

I liked a lot of the side characters, all of which had their place and purpose. In particular, Emris stole the show for me – his backstory is definitely something I want to know more about. He legit could carry a fantastic story with just a prequel.

My favourite part was definitely the world building of this land. I loved the magic system and the gods and how the religion interconnects with how magic is viewed in the world. There was the way that more steampunk-y technology is weaved into this world – mechanical devices infused with magic – which really stood out to me as something different in the fantasy world.

The whole mystery around the storm cloud definitely kept my interested peaked. Lupo did a decent job at revealing little bits in both point of view characters and bringing them together. And the plot twist really caught me by surprise!

There were some aspects of the plot I wanted more from – for example, the non-magical conflict in the dukedom was something I would have loved to read in detail. All the political intrigue I feel would have helped build this world even further than it already is. These shortened sections did help keep the pacing at a quick speed but to have them unravel in a slower manner would have helped with some of the trickier character and plot developments.

Some of the characters were also quite forgiving of what both Lena and Constance had chosen to do throughout the story, and that took away some of the stakes when it came to their relationships with other people. These characters also felt one dimensional at times, their personality made up of one particular trait. However, as a lot of these characters are shown basically only in one character’s POV, I am willing to believe that this could just be how she reviews them.

We Are Blood and Thunder is a unique debut with an awesome world and some engaging characters. Lupo’s writing is detailed and easy to read. There are some beautiful descriptions of the world, and the way that magic is shown within the book is done incredibly well. There is so much potential here and I look forward to find out what Lupo writes next!

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Have you read We Are Blood and Thunder? If you haven’t, has this review made you want to pick the book up or not? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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review: crown of feathers by nicki pau preto

Title: Crown of Feathers

Author: Nicki Pau Preto

Release Date: February 12th 2019 (US)/April 25th 2019 (UK)

Publisher: Simon Pulse/Ink Road

Pages: 496

Rating:

 

 

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Crown of Feathers follows the point of view of three characters in the aftermath of a large bloody civil war that had people with the ability to communicate with animals (animages) villianised and the powerful warriors, Phoenix Riders, to be completely wiped out.

Or so it was thought.

Nicki Pau Preto’s writing is easy to read and wraps you completely in this new world of her creation. The pacing of the plot and the character development was well done, each character seeing the story from completely different parts of life and each twining together to create this detailed story.

The three main characters are Veronkya, a girl who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider; Tristan, part of the resistance, and Sev, a solider for the Empire who has much more to his story than it seems. I adored each of them. Sev was complicated with conflicting thoughts surrounding his current duty and his place in the world. Veronyka is someone who has always been at odds with her much colder twin sister, Val, and her story is one of finding her own footing and deciding on her own future. Tristain is weighed down with expectations and his own ambitions and fear, and over the course of the story, he fights to overcome them.

I loved reading each of their stories and when they overlapped and weaved together when you understood how connected they were, it just made it so much more enjoyable to read.

While this book focuses on current events and how they affect these characters, the importance of the past and how it affects everyone is obvious. The civil war, known as the Blood War in the book, the one of battling sisters sixteen years before and the tragic events that lead to the ending, is incredibly important and influences every event and every character that you meet.

The importance of this is shown at the end of each chapter, where an extract from a book about Phoenix Riders and the history of the world, or a letter from one sister to another, is placed to just enrich this world all the more. It’s such a good way to get worldbuilding and other important information across, without slowing down the pace of the book.

And as for the big reveal at the end of the book? Goddamn, I am excited for the second book in this duology.

I don’t think I had any complaints about this book. There were aspects of the story that had more tell than show, particularly in the characters’ thought processes, but honestly, that didn’t take away anything for me.

Crown of Feathers is a book with a rich world, engaging characters, and fantastic writing. I really enjoyed my time reading this book and I can’t wait to finish reading the story of the Phoenix Riders whenever the second book is released.

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Have you read Crown of Feathers? If you haven’t, has this review made you want to pick the book up or not? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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top 5 tuesday: books I need to read in 2019

Top Five Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm where bookworms get to chat about their top five books based on different topics.

A new feature for the new year! This week’s topic is ‘books I need to read in 2019’.

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Renegades by Marissa Meyers

I’ve never read a Marissa Meyer’s book but I’ve heard great things about this series! I got this as a Christmas gift so I have no excuse not to pick it up!

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Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Okay so this has been on my TBR for a very long time and yet I haven’t picked it up (don’t judge me pls). Last year, I got my hands on the pretty hardcover reprint along with the matching Vengeful (which was signed !!!!) so it’s a goal this year to read both.

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Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I wanted to read this before the movie came out, and then I forgot. I wanted to read it when the movie came out and I forgot. I got this for Christmas and I will not forget to read it this year!!!

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Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I have been meaning to read Brandon Sanderson since forever but I’ve always been stupidly intimidated by them. Not this year!!!

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On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

I adored The Hate U Give, was my favourite book of 2017 hands down, and now I find out that Angie Thomas is writing another book ????? You got me.

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Phew….it was a lot harder to narrow the list down to five than I originally thought. It turns out I have a lot of things I’m looking forward to reading in 2019.

What’s on your must-read in 2019 list? Do we share any? Have you read any of the books above and want to urge me to read them ASAP? Leave me a message in the comments!

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review: nothing but the truth by dick lehr

Title: Nothing But The Truth

Author: Dick Lehr

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: January 3rd 2019

Pages: 336

Rating:

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing But The Truth follows fourteen-year-old Van Trell Taylor on her quest to clear her father’s name after he was tried and imprisoned for the murder of a young girl when Trell was a baby. This is based off a true story and a true crime that Dick Lehr helped to bring to the public attention when he worked for the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team.

Dick Lehr’s experience is clear in the details of the story. Both the specifics of reporting and the legality of trying to get someone’s sentence overturned is shown clearly from the beginning of the book. It was something I enjoyed quite a bit whilst reading this book.

Lehr’s writing style is easy to read and therefore quick – I read about 100 pages in one sitting when I first started reading and then finished the rest in another. Interest in seeing how the story will develop added to this ease and keeps you reading.

I enjoyed the characters in Nothing But The Truth. Whether they were main or side characters, they each have their own story, own perspectives of one event and Lehr does successfully manage to tell each one throughout the course of this book. Trell reacts to each one – they help build her understanding and perspective of her life now and of the crime itself.

Trell herself was an engaging character – she was sympathetic to read about and empathetic to those she encountered in the story. She is single-minded in her determination to free her father and I found that helped carry me through the story – I wanted her to succeed and for her to finally get her dad home. I also enjoyed her relationship with Clemons, the reporter, and how they interacted in an almost father-daughter way as they investigated and uncovered evidence for their big story. Nora, the hardass young lawyer, was an awesome character, although I do wish there was more said about her across the book.

I had some issues with Trell’s voice. She is a fourteen-year-old girl but doesn’t sound like one. Most of the time she read as any other main character in a YA novel, but there were points where she sounded so much older (when she referred to her enjoyment of running as a “work out”) and others a lot younger (when she called an informer a “tattletale”). It isn’t a major thing, it didn’t stop me from completing or being entertained by how the story unfolds but when it did occur, it did draw me from the overall narrative.

Although I am aware that this is Dick Lehr’s first young adult book and he is not a fourteen-year-old girl, so I can’t hold it against him.

The only other issue I found was how lenient Trell’s mother was about letting her run around with a reporter in places that the story says are dangerous, with gang violence and shootings and drug misuse. I feel like the story would have benefited if Trell was a little older and if she was doing this with a lot more conflict with her parents, as they don’t want anything to happen to her.

Overall though, I did enjoy Nothing But The Truth. It was difficult to put down because I wanted to know how the story ended and was a very easy read despite the topic. It is an important book that raises questions about the American legal systems view of finality and the concept of guilt, as well as showing the effect that can ripple through the lives of many people. It also raised my awareness of horrible crime, another person who was wrongly convicted and a little girl who sadly died.

It is a book about injustice from a different perspective, aimed towards a younger audience that tells an important story. I would like to read Dick Lehr’s next young adult book and see how he develops his writing in this genre!

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Have you read Nothing But The Truth? What did you think? If you haven’t, has this review made you want to pick the book up or not? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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naughty or nice book tag // ’tis the season to be joy fa-lalala

Christmas is only two days away which seems completely ridiculous – almost as ridiculous as the fact it is two days before Christmas and I haven’t done a holiday book tag at all yet! That changes today!

I’ve been seeing this book tag everywhere and I just couldn’t resist giving it ago! I have this strange feeling I’m going to be on the naughty list this year…..

The original tag was created by the fantastic Jenn @ Jenniely and you all should definitely go and give her some love if you’re not already! Also a big thank you to Beth @ Reading Every Night and Kelly @ Just Another Book In The Wall whose own posts for this book tag inspired me to do my own!

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Received an ARC and not reviewed it? ✔

Um, yeah. I’ve tried my hardest to read and review every ARC I request or receive but I have terrible time management and read by mood, which means I suck terribly at this.

Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley? ✔

Another yes. See above for the reason why. Whoops.

Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did)?

Actually, no. I only review books on goodreads if I’ve written a full review on my blog. I feel like I need to have all my ideas written out and decided upon before I start rating how I feel about a book.

Folded down the page of a book?

I would never deface a book like this (anymore)!

Accidentally spilled on a book?

I haven’t as of yet but the year isn’t over yet and I am incredibly clumsy so….

DNF a book this year?

Nope! I’ve actually had a good run with reading this year (when I wasn’t in a slump).

Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it? ✔

Only once. I have a special edition of Peter Pan and its beautiful with loads of things to touch and interact with but I will never touch it in case I break something.

Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework)? ✔

All the time. I am the worst procrastinator.

Skim read a book? ✔

Yeah, usually when I’m trying to get to the end of my page before the train pulls in at my stop.

Completely missed your Goodreads goal? ✔

Unfortunately yes.

Borrowed a book and not returned it?

I would never! If someone did that to me, I would be heartbroken.

Broke a book buying ban? ✔

Every single time.

Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about? ✔

…Let’s just say in a few days, you’ll be reading the result of this.

Wrote in a book you were reading? ✔

For school, yes, but never for leisure reading.

Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads?

Nah. I might add it late, but I’ll add it at some point.

Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend?

Same thing as before, I would be so sad if someone did this to me so no.

Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book? ✔

Probably. Usually, children at work asking. I trust them but not that much.

Broke the spine of someone else’s book?

Never! I try my hardest not to break the spine of any book.

Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged?

Nope! I have however spend a day trying to protect a book from damage and then rip the jacket on the journey home from work. It was quite distressing.

Sat on a book accidentally? ✔

Yeah. I don’t always look where I’m sitting.

And the final score is *drum roll* …..

10/20

 

So I am on the naughty list – I called that one! It was very close though, I’ll have to do better next year! How many of you ended up on the book lover naughty list?

If you want to do this, I am tagging you! Drop me a comment when you’ve made your post so I can check it out!

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