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Dealing with the Devil - Review and Giveaway

6/22/2017

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Title: Dealing with the Devil

Author: Jennifer Siddoway

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publication Date: March 6, 2017

Format: E-Book


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Fight. Like. HELL. 

Wynnona Hendricks has some shocking surprises in store. Struggling to figure out her comatose mother’s secret, Wynn gets more than she bargained for, and ends up caught between the realms of Heaven, Hell, and Earth, fighting for her life. 

Family and friends are stunned by her bizarre behavior; the only one who believes in her is Caleb, an angel who chose to spare her life . But by saving her, he may have started a war between the factions, throwing the Mortal Realm into mayhem. Wynn discovers new allies, new enemies—including her own human weakness—and new powers as she fights to protect her family from being ripped apart. 

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Crave the Mark by Veronica Roth

3/9/2017

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​Title: Carve the Mark

​Author: Veronica Roth

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: YA Dystopian, Science Fiction

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Publication Date: January 17, 2017

How did I get this book: ARC from the publisher

Format: ARC Paperback

Why Did I Read This Book: Curiosity

Review Written By: Lisa Golding | City of YA Books

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Alienated, Invaded and United by Melissa Landers

2/16/2017

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Title: Alienated, Invaded and United 
Author: Melissa Landers
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Publisher: Ever After
Publication Date: 2013-2016
How Did I Get This Book: bought
Format: Hardback
Why Did I Read This Book: Because the first book looked interesting and different
Review Written By:Lisa Golding | City of YA Books

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This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

11/17/2016

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Title: This Savage Song
Author: Victoria Schwab
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Publication: Date:  July 5, 2016
How Did I Get This Book: Bought
Format: Paperback
Why Did I Read This Book: I got to work and film with Victoria earlier this year, and she was such an amazing person, so I decided to bump her books to the top of my TBR list (Which meant it took me 3 months to get to it…)
Review Written By:Lisa Golding | City of YA Books






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The Call by Peadar O'Guilin

11/12/2016

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Title: The Call
Author:  Peadar O'guilin
Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: YA Thriller/Fanatsy/Horror
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
How Did I Get This Book: Library
Format: Hardcover
Why Did I Read This Book: It was one of the books that got votes in the YA Booktube Awards
Review Written By: Elizabeth

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Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

11/5/2016

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Title: Gemina
Author:  Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Books
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
How Did I Get This Book: Won in a giveaway
Format: Paperback ARC
Why Did I Read This Book: Illuminea was fantastic and I had to read the rest of the series!

Review Written By: Elizabeth

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Snow Like Ashes by Sarah Raasch

9/24/2016

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Title: Snow Like Ashes
Author:  Sara Raasch
Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher:  Balzer and Bray
Publication Date: October 14, 2014
How Did I Get This Book: Bought
Format: Hardcover
Why Did I Read This Book: I initially read the first two chapters months ago and I was not impressed but since I had this book on my shelf for two years I wanted to read it and get it off my TBR! Of course I had high hopes because it is a YA Fantasy and featured a unique magic system!
Review Written By
: Elizabeth @ The Owlery

Synopsis

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.
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“That's why literature is so fascinating. It's always up for interpretation, and could be a hundred different things to a hundred different people. It's never the same thing twice.” 

“One flake falls, twisting down through the empty sky. One frozen speck of snow. Then another, and another, and before I know it the roads will be covered in dozens of distinct flakes. All these little pieces combining to create one giant, volatile snowstorm, something beautiful and dangerous and epic” ​

Review

I urge you to give Snow Like Ashes at least 150 pages before you give up on it! The first 150 pages just do not grab you which is really unfortunate but after that first 150 pages you will be hooked!! It took me a week to get through the first portion of the book but only a couple hours to get through the rest of the book! 

The unique magic system was very enjoyable! Each of the season kingdoms (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) have a conduit that is connected to their current monarch and this conduit strengthens their magic. Each monarch can push their magic to make the strengths of their kingdom even stronger, for example Winter strengthened their mining before Spring took them over 16 years ago! 

I was pretty sure I knew the ending early on and while Raasch had me going back and forth I did end up being correct, so I wish this was not as predictable. Another complaint is that there are no diverse characters in the entire book and that would have been nice to see.

The love triangle in this story was very well written! It was not thrown in your face and it was not full of teen angst! The three characters involved all had more important responsibilities and did not let their love problems get in the way! The world building and writing skill show by Raasch is superb! She was able to leak out information as it was needed and the reader never feels overwhelmed!

Final Thoughts

While I would have liked to see more diverse characters this fantasy is exciting, well written, and enthralling! 
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The Casquette Girls Review

9/15/2016

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​​Title: The Casquette Girls 
Author:  Alys Arden
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher:  Skyscape
Publication Date: November 17th 2015
How Did I Get This Book: Ordered off of amazon.co.uk
Format: Paperback
Why Did I Read This Book: It came highly recommenced from a booktube friend!
Review Written By: Lisa Golding // City of YA Books

Synopsis 

​Seven girls tied by time.
Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.


After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition.

As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal.

Review

This book is simply awesome, it came to me highly recommended by a fellow booktuber and I'm so glad I decided to buy it. For the longest time I have been obsessed with New Orleans, though I didn't know why. Any TV show or film that was set in New Orleans I devoured (The Originals, happens to be one of my all time favorite TV shows!) So, the setting of this book was wonderful. Dark and beautifully cultivated. 

This book starts with our protagonist Adele returning to New Orleans after 'The Storm' which was basically Katrina. Arden does a wonderful job in setting a Hurricane ruined New Orleans, I've even spoke with a close friend of mine who lives in a parish close to New Orleans, who was there for Katrina and the more recent floods as well and she's mentioned that the setting was pretty realistic. The book then loosely follows the Casket Girls legend (Which was also mentioned on The Originals!)

The plot is wonderful, It took me several days to read this book because I was genuinely enjoying it... and maybe because I kept making photo sets because I was a bit obsessed...  

There are creatures of the night and some magical happenings in this book, but I dare not spoil you! Well written, suspenseful, dark and sinister! I got a fair few creepy horror vibes!

Final Thoughts 

Dark, suspenseful Paranormal YA that is well worth the read! 
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Bright Smoke, Cold Fire Review

9/11/2016

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​​Title: Bright Smoke, Cold Fire  
Author:  Rosamund Hodge
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher:  Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 27th 2016
How Did I Get This Book: ARC from a swap with another blogger
Format: ARC Paperback
Why Did I Read This Book: Romeo and Juliette retelling with a magical twist?
I became obsessed when I first heard of this book months ago!
Review Written By: Lisa Golding // City of YA Books

Synopsis 

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting.

Review

When I discovered this book was happing a few months ago, I may have become somewhat obsessed. Now being a UK book person, grabbing and ARC proved to be difficult. Some awesome ARCs just don’t come out in the UK, so I had to resort to extreme measures. Luckily I found a blogger across the pond who was willing to do some ARC trade! Safe to say I was a VERY happy human.
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Now onto the book! This is a Romeo and Juliette retelling so I’m not going to barrage you with plot details, I’m pretty sure the plot details are public knowledge at this point. What I will say is that this book is similar yet plot points happen in a jumbled kind of way via flashbacks ect, and it works super well!

This book is brilliant, the fantasy world is rich and well created. Juliette is an all-powerful being who sees criminals and deals justice (I really don’t think I’m justifying this). There is Necromancers, mystery, and the familiarity of a timeless love story. Yet, the plot doesn’t revolve entirely around the romance.

Overall this book is compelling and it drew me right in. If you like YA fantasy or Romeo and Juliette you will like this book! I was drawn right in and adored it. 

Final Thoughts

Romeo and Juliette in a magical setting with necromancers? Count me in!
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My 5 book, 24 hour, Colleen Hoover Marathon...

9/2/2016

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Earlier this week I managed to read five whole Colleen Hoover books in the span of twenty-four hours. Let me tell you, I was an emotional wreck at the end of it! So, instead of giving you a single review I'm going to give you a quick review on all 5 of them! Because picking a favorite is like picking my favorite child... I'm kidding. It Ends With Us totally won and destroyed my emotional state. 
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My first Colleen book of this epic twenty-four hour saga was It Ends With Us. Beautifully written, this book makes you fall in love with an abuser and takes a harsh look on domestic violence and how it's not always easy to leave an abuser. I started this at just gone midnight, and by three am I was waking up my other half with the sounds of my morbid tears... 
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This book resonated with me so deeply witch character I loved. It made me hope for a happy ending with an abuser, at which point I had to take a step back to look at my own thought process here. I would highly recommend this book! 4.5 stars. 
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The morning following reading It Ends With Us I was itching for some more, and a quick tweet told me that lots of people enjoyed Maybe Someday, which I quickly put on my kindle and devoured! 

This book is about a girl who finds herself homeless after discovering her long term boyfriend has been sleeping with her room mate. She ends up across the street with the boy who she usually watches play guitar on the balcony. He's taken, but he's got a spare room and is offering her somewhere to stay. 

Naturally feelings occur, but for reasons we later discover he won't leave his girlfriend. This book hit me right in the emotional feels again, tears happened. By this point I was widely impressed by Colleen Hoovers ability to make painful situations!
​Would highly reccomend - 4.5 stars
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I didn't wait to dive into another book, I maybe spent five minutes pondering the awesome that was Maybe Someday before I dived into Confess. 

This one is about an artist who paints these amazing paintings based off of peoples anonymous confessions. Girl meets Boy and drama happens, and their lives have been intertwined all along.

This book deals with a young mother who was taken advantage of, an artist who's struggling with the demons of his family and it all works together so well! I devoured this dead quick and moved straight on to my next Colleen Hoover book!

Would highly recommend! 4 stars!
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Possibly the weakest of the bunch Hopeless is obviously one of Colleen's earlier books before she got into the swing of just how awesome she can be. 

Hopeless follows a girl who is kept away from most tech because of her anti tech adoptive mother. She meets the neighborhood bad boy and things go pretty much as you would expect for the first half of the book. Then things take a really awesome yet odd turn. Why does Colleen hoover make us love people who are abusive and/or do things downright illegal? 

This was an okay book, not as awesome as the newest books, but I would still recommend it if you're a fan of Colleen Hoover. 3 Stars.
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Ahhh now I move onto my second favorite Colleen Hoover book - November 9. Two people have a chance interaction when a guy pretends to be this girls boyfriend while shes at dinner with her dad. It is super cute, but she's moving to New York the next day, so they agree to meet every November 9 for the following 5 years!

It's just as cute as it sounds, this book grabbed me and while the execution could have been better the plot just enthralled me and I loved it! Naturally, as with all Colleen Hoover books there is more than meets the eye, but I shall save you from the spoilers!

Would HIGHLY recommend! 4.5 stars!
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