BOOK HAUL 1

Hi so this is my first Book Haul!

Recently I've been buying quite a lot of books, more so than usual just because I've been seeing them fairly cheap.

Books from the top to the bottom...

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
I downloaded this for free on the Kindle's classic list. I've been putting off reading it for ages now but so far I'm really enjoying it.

2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I bought this the other day from Tesco's. It was book of the week and offer for £2.95.A bargain me thinks :)
Although I'm not entirely over the moon that its got the movie tie-in cover, simply because I'm OCD in the fact I like my books to have book covers I'm pretty excited to read it. I've been hearing mixed reviews but I think I'll give it a go.

3. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K Rowling. RE-READ.
I have to re-read the entire Harry Potter series for my English assignment which is based on the language used in Harry Potter, so that's currently on my bookshelf.

4. The Element Encyclopedia  of Secret Societies by John Michael Greer
I bought this for £3.99 at The Works in Manchester. I'm really into these types of books mainly because I think they're really useful for writing and inspiration.

5. The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols: The Ultimate A-Z Guide from Alchemy to Zodiac by Adele Nozedar.
Again bought from The Works for £3.99 in Manchester for the same reason as the other book. This one also has some really cool stuff on the history of symbolisms as well.

6. The Percy Jackson Book Series by Rick Riordan!!
Okay so I finally bought it after so many recommendations for me to read them on both Goodreads and via message and stuff. I bought them off Play.com for £14.40 *squeals with glee* and haven't yet started them but there will deffo be a review to come. But seriously just look at them - they are a thing of beauty ;D

Thanks for reading and don't forget to comment on what books you've bought recently or you're thoughts on what I should read next! :)

Quick review of Drip Drop Teardrop by Samantha Young

Pages: 151
Publisher: Released by Samantha Young
Released: 2011

Plot: Even Death Can Fall in Love...
Avery hasn't had it easy. 
When she was ten years old her parents died in a car crash. Now nine years later her Aunt Caroline is the only family she has left. And Caroline is dying. 
So when Death comes knocking (quite literally) in the form of the damaged and dangerous, Brennus, Avery makes a deal with the reaper in order to save Caroline.
Brennus is an Ankou.
One of the many, once mortal men and women, who were given the choice to become an immortal in exchange for ferrying the dead over into their afterlife. 
Nine years ago Brennus took Avery’s parents and tried to take Avery, but she fought him and won. Amazed by her strength Brennus followed Avery and has watched over her. 
Now he knows Avery is the one to offer him freedom from his obligation to the dead. 
And he’ll stop at nothing to have her.

Thoughts: Okay so I quite enjoyed this book. Though it isn't my favourite by Samantha Young I still really loved the overall story. The characters were developed well although I'm still not exactly set on the idea of Brennus keeping watch over her, to me that just sounds a bit creepy, but still... each to his own I guess.

Much like all of Samantha Young's books she has this great nack of drawing elements from history to create the basis of her species and each world she creates in a way that makes it appear fresh and cool to the reader. Even down to the back stories to each of the characters that are later revealed help build you're overall opinion of them and also the individual story of each of the characters. 

I have to admit I would have liked the book to be longer, and yes I am aware that it is a short story but still, I feel like Oliver asking for 'More please' with that sad expression Puss in Boots from Shrek does oh so well. 

Looking back on my other reviews of Samantha Young's books I've probably written the same line over and over again- 'Go buy them', but I genuinely do mean it and I honestly cannot understand how someone hasn't snatched her Young Adult fiction up already so its published in stores!

On a final note this book is recommended for older readers of the YA genre due to some scenes. 

Review of Blood Will Tell by Samantha Young

Pages: 273
Publisher: Published by Samantha Young
Released: July 2011

Plot: What would you do if you were born to be a predator? Would you fight your natural instincts or give in to your nature? 
Eden is a soul eater closing in on her awakening. Her family has convinced her that soon she will have to take a life in order to save her own. It’s a decision Eden doesn’t want to deal with even as her hunger for souls grows stronger every day.

To complicate her impossible position, new guy in school Noah Valois’ determination to befriend her puts Eden in touch with a humanity she’s never known. Addicted to his company, his friendship and affection, she becomes more and more terrified that giving into her hunger will mean losing him forever…
… But when she discovers that Noah is not what he seems, his betrayal forces her to face two choices. One will offer her revenge and the destruction of a boy she loved. The other may offer her a life of eternal redemption…

Good Points: I first found this author over a year ago now, just after the time I bought my Kindle. The book was Slumber by Samantha Young, it was about 77p and one of the first self-published books I ever read. Since that day I have been hooked, seriously hooked by her writing and almost read all of her books and not been disappointed by a single one of them.

The warriors of Ankh series does not fail to break this fold. Man, I loved this book. I think it has just about everything you could want in a YA book. It has mystery, a great bunch of characters that you feel a range of emotions for and an original plot that not only is filled with adventure, a splash of potential romance and action but also the possibility that you will never be able to put this book down.

As I have already said I really liked the main character Eden, although I wasn't overly enthusiastic about her name I liked how she wasn't like most YA protagonists where she was this unknowing participant pulled into a world she knew nothing about. Eden knows about Soul eaters and she knows about some of the history of how they came to be. Her family is horrible and when I mean horrible I don't just mean 'oh they don't talk to her and treat her bad' they are literally the worst parents ever- keeping prisoners in the basement to torture and rape them? Oh yeah this book has it and it gets a lot worse as the story unravels.
One of the major things that I loved about Blood Will Tell was that the characters aren't all easily distinguished into the good and bad categories and you see Eden go through this challenge of categorising herself within the book.

Small things within the book really helped build the story as well like Eden's brothers nickname for her 'paradise' which as cheesy as that name is helped build and identify their close relationship immediately to the reader.

 Also Noah, Oh Noah... (yes, I know another biblical name- what's with that?) but honestly he clicked immediately with me and not just because of his uber great sense of music but because of his overall character. Definitely looking forward to what will happen in the future concerning him :)

Bad Points: There was one point in the book where Eden is being told about the history of the warriors which got me a little confused just because of how much information was put into that chapter and how quick it was given out.

To Sum Up... Loved this book and I would seriously recommend you go out and read it. Although Slumber will always (probably :P) be my favourite Samantha Young novel I have to admit this has trumped Tales of Lunamorte so far and replaced it as firm second. Go read it!

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment :)

Quick Review of Challenging Zed by Joss Stirling

Pages: 32

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Released: 14th February 2012

The Book: A special Valentine's release from the author of Finding Sky, Stealing Phoenix and Seeking Crystal a.k.a the Benedict Brothers series' by Joss Stirling. Written in the perspective of Zed, the book accounts his meeting before and when he meets Sky.

Thoughts: Man, I wish it was longer... Really interesting addition to the Benedict Brothers series that allows the reader to not only get a feel for what Zed was thinking in Finding Sky but also an insight into the Benedict brothers when they were younger.

If you don't have it already, go download it on Amazon for FREE!  

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Pages: 359
Publisher: Harelquin Teen
Released: 2010

(The Iron Fey Book 2)

Plot: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—iron bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Good Points: I liked how the book pretty much continued from where we left off and how Kagawa (whose name by the way is seriously fun to say Kag-a-waaaa :P ) summarised the events of the previous book nicely in the first couple of pages.
 Meghan's character see's a lot more drama and such in this sequel, especially, as predicted in my last review, her growing relationship with both Puck and Ash and also the Faery world in which she has become a part of. There was a roller-coaster of action and the development of the characters kept me interested and invested with each of them.
The plot I think at times was a little slow, especially when they were just hanging around Leanansidhe's but then again I think it gave time to develop the reader-character relationship by exploring Meghan's feelings about Puck and Ash and also the lead up to the likelihood of war. It also has to be said that the last 50 pages or so were pretty EPIC in terms of coolness though as a whole the book was also thoroughly enjoyable.

Bad Points: (Kind-of-spoiler-but-not-major) There was one point in the book which I got a little confused over, when King Oberon goes to the Unseelie for the exchange and Meghan cannot be returned because she made a deal with Ash to return with him in the first book. Now I', not being picky, well maybe I am but there was nothing made in that deal that said she had to stay in the Unseelie court, only that she had to go with Ash there. I don't know... I just thought maybe it was a little weird that she didn't pick up on this especially seeing as though it was the one major loop hole that would have let her leave right there and then instead of later on in the book.

To Sum Up... I liked it. Still on the fence whether or not it was better than the first book but overall I am fast becoming a fan of Julie Kagawa as an author.  Looking forward to reading Iron Queen...
Until next time!
Thanks for reading :)

Book Snobbery

So basically I have been getting really agitated lately over the attitude some people have towards YA fiction and I thought I'd let out a little steam on here.

Now I would probably say that a large proportion of the books I read are labelled and aimed at a YA or Young Adult audience. I'm 18, so typically fitting within the age group of this genre however it seems that this still doesn't prevent people from commenting or 'snubbing' this genre as a whole whatever their age.

Hopefully you know what I'm talking about...
 You know, those moments when someone comes along and you're busy reading a Cassandra Clare or a Suzanne Collins novel and someone asks you what you're reading. You smile and tell them immediately with a cheerful grin what it is, only to be met with their horrified expression that you would dare to spend you're time reading a YA book... and in public! Oh, the horror!



But seriously, why is it that some people jump to conclusions about a YA genre based book before they've even read it? I did a little research into this, and by research I mean I typed YA fiction into Google, and came up with the Wikipedia page which referred to the YA genre as 'Juvenile'. 

Now I don't know about other people but I find that a little insulting. As though the books and worlds that I've read, enjoyed and invested time into should somehow be deemed lesser simply because of their label. The idea that a book can be judged solely on this and come away with the view that it is immature and lesser is wrong. 

Now I'm not saying that YA books don't conform to certain stereotypical themes such as love triangles and brooding males because that would be lying, but to say that every YA book follows that description is false. There are so many books which explore a range of themes and are relatable to teenagers and even adults. Young adult books are supposedly bought more by people outside of their targeted reading age, read into that what you will, but shouldn't people be congratulating a person on reading a book no matter what genre its in? Surely, the goal is for more people to be reading.



There's nothing to say that people can't read into a wide range of genre's, I still love the Harry Potter series and am a huge fan of Roald Dahl, both of which are aimed primarily at children. That doesn't mean I will stop reading them though and I'm not ashamed to say that I still do, far from it I love those books! It doesn't make a person better or less 'juvenile' by reading the classics or 'adult' fiction, though it will broaden you're love of reading more. It's the stories that matter and the plots and characters that fill them.   

I have often been asked when do I think I will get bored or grow out of reading YA fiction and to be honest I don't think I ever will. I'm sort of proud of that fact because why should I? Why should labels dictate who can and can't read a book and whether or not its 'juvenile'? Surely a book is a book and a story is a story and as long as those stories keep me captivated and enjoying what I am reading then I can without a doubt say that I will always love YA fiction, no matter what.
Rant over.

Thanks for reading, Please comment!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa Review

Pages: 363
Publisher: Harelquin Teen
Released: 2010


Plot: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny-one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared when she was six. She has never quite fitted in at school...or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her little brother is taken, Meghan senses that everything she knows is about to change.
She could never have guessed the truth. Meghan is the daughter of a faery King and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will have to choose between a normal life and her magical destiny- and between her best friend and a darkly dangerous prince.
Its time for Meghan to enter the faery world...

Good Points: I don't know why but I am pleasantly surprised with this book. For some reason I've been putting off reading them for a while now (I think it might have been down to the fairytale-ish covers that put me off a little). But damn was I wrong. Well okay a little bit, the books do include fey, but they are NOT what I expected. They're not all sweet and cute but instead pretty damn terrifying.
 The book is filled with action and weird creepy creatures that are always lurking within the Nevernever; a place which is by far one of the coolest worlds I have ever read, and the characters are all in their own way likeable.
Not only is the main protagonist to the story determined but she also stands by what she says and as you learn throughout reading the book this is a big must as any help or gift that she is given is tainted with a deal. I think this was one of the main traits that I loved about Meghan's character and although she wasn't my favourite of the bunch she was by no means the books least notable character.
I thought the world-building was completed extremely well, revealing little bits of information every now and then in between the non-stop action. I especially liked the small detail about the fey only existing if they were remembered and the introduction of 'Puck' as one of the main characters.
Although it seems that there will be some tension romantically between Meghan, Ash and Puck in the future of the series,I think Kagawa should be noted for not introducing this heavily in the first book and instead focusing more on the history of  Prince Ash and Puck. I'm not 100% a fan of love triangles but I think because the fist book to the series has focused on building a history and you're relationship towards the characters first, I think I'll be more open to the idea of this supporting story line in the future.

Bad Points: Okay I have to admit I'm all for action in a book to add pace but I kind of think the author went a little O.T.T here. BUT and this is a big but now, I do think that it did make the story a lot more exciting and drew you into the whole adventure genre that the book has going for it. Maybe its just me but I would have liked a little moment somewhere in there to just stop and take everything in.
Also Meghan does seem to fall helplessly into Ash's arms quite a lot but hey what can you do, he is a prince.

To Sum Up... This book is really good and if you're like me and was too quick to judge it, then slap you're self on the wrist and Go Straight Down To The Book Shop And Buy It!
Honestly I think I need to eat my own words up after snuffing this book as some princess-disney-fairy story because its not. Its got great characters, a great plot and a world that will have you tearing down book shops to find its sequel.
Basically I loved it, so go read it :

By the way this is not the first Julie Kagawa book that I have reviewed. I did pick up an Arc copy of The Lost Prince which the review can be seen by clicking on its title.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a comment on your thoughts on The Iron King!