INTENSE and BLOODY // Umta by Matthew Cody (ReMade Season 1 Episode 5)

Title: Umta (ReMade Season 1 Episode 5)
Author:  Matthew Cody
Publication Date: October 12th 2016
Publisher: Serial Box Publishing
Part of a Series?: Yes, Episode 5/15 of ReMade Season 1
I Got A Copy Through: The Publisher (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Episodes are available in text and audio and can be enjoyed through the Serial Box App, at SerialBox.com, or wherever eBooks are sold.

Blurb Description:You live. You love. You die. Now RUN.
Every minute, 108 people die. On October 14th, 2016, from 9:31-9:32 p.m. EDT, 23 of those deaths will be teenagers. Now they are humanity’s last hope for survival. Awakened in a world they barely recognize and hunted by mechanical horrors, these teens search for answers amidst the ruins of civilization. Fate, love, and loyalty face off in this adrenaline -pumping YA adventure.    Team-written by some of today’s most popular YA authors, ReMade is brought to you by Matthew Cody (Super), Andrea Phillips (Revision), Kiersten White (And I Darken), Gwenda Bond (Girl on a Wire), Carrie Harris (Bad Taste in Boys), and E. C. Myers (The Silence of Six).

Even in a group of misfits, Umta sticks out. An adult with more history than any of the youths around her can possibly imagine, she knows about survival – and suffering. Brought back and remade seemingly to take care of the helpless children around her, she plays the mysterious guide and hunter with skill…but despite her knowledge, she is just as vulnerable as all the rest when the caretakers make their long-dreaded return.

This episode written by Matthew Cody. 

 Season One will unfold across 15 episodes beginning September 14^th, with a new installment dropping every Wednesday until the season finale on December 21^st. Jump into this digital serial, available in both text and audio, and find out what the future of fiction holds.

Before you start this review, you should download you FREE copy of Book One in this AWESOME season here.

Or, you can read my review of Episode 1, Shadows and Dreams, written by Matthew Cody here,  Episode two, Hungry by Andrea Philips here, Episode Three, Home, Perilious Home here and Episode 4, The Most Dangerous Game here.

After finishing book one, I skimmed through the graphic below to check out the rest of the episodes when my eyes stopped at this very one. Umta. And I freaked. Because if there was anyone who had answers, insight or even just a little more knowledge of what was happening, it was the lady who brought everyone down in the space shuttle; the one who is providing them with food; the most experienced of them all. 

While there weren't any answers except for when Umta came from and How She Died, and who she used to be before she was ReMade, Umta still formed the BEST and most action filled episode in this season so far!  

This episode had a sense of foreboding to it, like there was a disaster waiting to happen and we were just the audience in a very well planned movie, and I every minute of it!

And that ENDING. AAAH.

I'm not spoiling anything, but this series is so much better than I thought it would be. It's intense, detailed, told seamlessly from multiple view points and now, became VERY VERY REAL (and not to mention bloody)

If you liked The Maze Runner, you will LOVE this.

GO READ IT. NOW.
*slinks off to read Episode 6*

 ReMade is a serial presented episodically in 15 parts by Serial Box Publishing.

In one moment the lives of twenty-three teenagers are forever changed, and it’s not just because they all happen to die.  Remade in a world they barely recognize – one with robots, space elevators, and unchecked jungle – they must work together to solve the mystery and stay alive. They came from different places, backgrounds, and families, and now they are our only hope. Lost meets The Maze Runner in this thrilling serial that combines contemporary YA with classic Science Fiction to fling you headfirst into adventure.

Matthew Cody hails from St. Louis and holds a Master’s Degree in Theater from the University of Alabama with a focus on Shakespeare. He is a graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop and currently resides New York City with his family. His published works include the award-winning Powerless and The Supers of Noble's Green series, the Robin Hood re-imaging Will in Scarlet, and his current series The Secrets of the Pied Piper. MatthewCody.com. @Matthew_Cody.

Serial Box produces and publishes fiction serials, blending story production and distribution practices from television, book publishing and narrative podcasting. These team-written original serials span a range of genres including sci fi / fantasy, espionage, contemporary and historical drama, post-apocalyptic, etc. Serial Box delivers episodes to fans’ digital devices every Wednesday over the course of 13-16 week seasons. Each episode is available in ebook and audio and takes about 40 minutes to enjoy. Learn more at Serial Box.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and our blog. 

Have you heard of Serial Box Publishing? What do you think of Episode Books, and would you read them? 

What do you think of ReMade? 

I think this is all SO COOL, and I'm dying for more!

BEST. SERIES. EVER // Reviews: Arcana Rising and Day Zero by Kresley Cole

Title: Arcana Rising (The Arcana Chronicles #4)
Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: August 15th 2016
Publisher: Valkyrie Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 4/5 of The Arcana Chronicles
I Got A Copy Through: Sullivan and Partners (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Amazon UK || The Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || Wordery

Blurb Description: Losses mount and deadly new threats converge in this next action-packed tale of the Arcana Chronicles by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole. 
When the battle is done . . . The Emperor unleashes hell and annihilates an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind--but Circe strikes back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies.
And all hope is lost . . . With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other her worst nightmare.
Vengeance becomes everything.To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future--and her chilling past--will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before? 

Read my review of book one, Poison Princess here
And then, book two, Endless Knight here, followed by book three - Dead of Winter here.

I knew this day would come, but I had no idea it would be here so soon. I have pretty much binged this entire series in a couple of weeks, and at the beginning, I had no idea that I would be here, and in love.

The Arcana Chronicles is based on a game with life and death stakes. Every few centuries, a chosen twenty two reincarnated souls battle it out to be the winner, and claim immortality as their own. These twenty two Major Arcana have been gifted special powers by the old gods and are based on Tarot Cards.

How do you win? Well, you need to kill everyone else.

In this game, an alliance has been formed. One that vows not to kill, but to live their lives out as mortals not immortals. But in a game based on killing, and trust severed to almost nothing over the millennia, can the Arcana stay in the light?

After the unique storyline, I completely fell for the characters. There’s so much about these people that you can love, and so much of them to be exasperated about in a post-apocalyptic world, but most of all they feel SO REAL, you cannot help but fall and root for them to JUST BE HAPPY.

Evangeline Greene is the Empress – she can make and grow plants and also poison using them. In a world with no food or plants, her skills are invaluable. After surviving the start of the apocalypse with her mother, who then passed away, she continues from her home with Jackson Deveaux to get to her grandmother, who is a Tarasova, or a chronicler of the game. On the way she meets other Arcana and learns about the game.

There’s Selena Lua (The Moon), Lark (Fauna), Matthew (The Fool), Finn (The Magician), Aric (Death), Gruthie (The Heirophant), Vincent and Violet (The Lovers) and others with THE COOLEST (and scariest) POWERS EVER.

I can’t explain why I love this series in words – but IT IS AWESOME.

This will make you love characters you swore never to love, it will make your ships sink and then fly, it will make your heart break and then fix it together again.

Set in a brutal background, The Arcana Chronicles is a masterful work of art.

I am broken, I am past tears, but somehow I’m also ridiculously happy – is this what love feels like? – and I am so SO ready for book five.

~~***~~

Title: Day Zero (The Arcana Chronicles #3.5)
Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: August 1st 2016
Publisher: Valkyrie Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3.5/5 of The Arcana Chronicles
I Got A Copy Through: Sullivan and Partners (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Amazon UK || The Book Depository || Barnes and Noble || Wordery

Blurb Description: Arcana means secrets, and these Arcana Chronicles short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole are filled with them. Experience firsthand the beginning of the end and behold the apocalypse through the eyes of characters you onlythought you knew. 
Ashes to ashes . . .Evie Greene’s story of the Flash is just one of many. All over the world, those connected in some way to the lethal Arcana game—like Death, Jack, and Fortune—must first survive a horrifying night of blood and screams. 
We all fall down.Some will have to grapple with new powers; all will be damned to a hellish new existence of plague, brutality, desolation, and cannibalism. Find out who they lost, why they endure, and what they sacrificed in order to live past Day Zero. . . . 

Day Zero is an account of all the Major Arcana Tarot Cards on the day The Flash hit and destroyed the world as we know it. (Day Zero. The day the world ended. GET IT?)

It gives you:

1)      Backstories

2)      Arcana Calls

3)      Nicknames

4)      Powers

5)      Icon and Tarot Card

6)      Weapons

7)      Special Skills

Of all the characters you know, and all of those that you’ve yet to meet.

It’s basically a quick character guide, introducing you to all the Arcana you’ve never met before and ALSO giving you a Death AND a Jack point of view (WHICH IS SO COOL I MIGHT DIE)

I don’t know if you need it to read Arcana Rising, (ACK.) but I’m sure some information from here will be pretty important!

Five stars, I guess AND HELLO ARCANA RISING!

HAVE YOU STARTED THIS SERIES YET? What do you think of Tarot Cards? What do you think of a post-apocalyptic immortality game with POWERS based on Tarot Cards?

I can't WAIT to hear your thoughts my lovelies!

EMOTIONAL TORTURE (The BEST kind) // Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole

Title: Dead Of Winter (The Arcana Chronicles #3)
Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: January 6th 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Part of A Series?: Yes Book 3/5 of the Arcana Chronicles
I Got A Copy Through: Sullivan and Partners (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository

Blurb Description: Can Evie convince her rival loves to work together? Their survival depends on it in this third book of #1 New York Timesbestselling author Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles, a nonstop action tale of rescue, redemption, and a revenge most wicked.
Heartbreaking decisions Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her—until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, the Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death’s uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts…and stolen glances from a former love.
Uncertain victory Despite leaving a part of her heart behind with Death, Evie sets out into a perilous post-apocalyptic wasteland to meet up with her allies and launch an attack on the Lovers. Such formidable enemies require a battle plan, and the only way to kill them may mean Evie, Jack, and Death allying. Evie doesn’t know what will prove more impossible: surviving slavers, plague, Bagmen and other Arcana—or convincing Jack and Death to work together.
Two heroes returned There’s a thin line between love and hate, and Evie just doesn’t know where she stands with either Jack or Death. Will this unlikely trio be able to defeat The Lovers without killing one another first...? 

ENDINGS LIKE THAT NEED TO BE OUTLAWED.

BECAUSE I’M DYING AND YET, THE HOPE OF MORE OF THIS MIGHT BE THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME ALIVE.

Actually, scratch that. I’m most definitely DEAD inside because this book – this series – is EVERYTHING and it just killed me.

The Arcana Chronicles is about a game. (OF MURDERING EVERYTHING IN ME. I’m kidding.) A game where twenty two teenagers handpicked by the Gods and gifted with supernatural abilities depicted on Tarot Cards play for immortality. The winner doesn’t age in the centuries between games, but only at the price at killing all the other Arcana.

Of course, each game has to have obstacles apart from the actual ‘bad guys’ themselves and this one consists of bagmen – zombies that eat blood and whose touch turns you into one of them – and slavers and armies and the plague.

In the middle of a post-apocalyptic world, is Evangeline Greene. The Empress, the Poison Princess, the Red Witch has formed an alliance for everyone to step out of the game – to not kill but to take control of their own fates and live their lives out.

Except in a centuries long killing game for immortality in a post-apocalyptic world, can you really just stop killing?

I LOVE THIS STORY OH MY GOD.

I’m a sucker for bad boys (see: Rhysand from ACOTAR) so, if you throw TWO BAD BOYS IN THE PICTURE, and one of them DEATH himself, I will be in love, before I ever started reading. ALSO, THEY’RE BOTH AWESOME. AND SLIGHTLY MESSED UP. AND GORGEOUS. AND WONDERFUL FIGHTERS. AND POWERFUL. (I could go on.)  

While I loved the boys, however, Evie and the boys and the fact that they were basically in a pissing/ marking their territory contest and the fact that she didn’t say anything was UGH. Like STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. You’re not property to be owned, just because you married someone in a past life doesn’t mean you’re married now. MEH.

Another cool thing I did love was the different Arcana and their powers. I MEAN HOW COOL IS TIME TRAVEL AND ELECTRICITY AND POISON AND WINGS AND A KILLING TOUCH AND MIND CONTROL? Powers have ALWAYS fascinated me and I love everyone’s powers, even if there really was only one scene where we saw a lot of them use it.

I’m craving more action, less romance in book four.

I want Evie to UNLEASH the Red Witch.

I want more of this series, I want more from this series, - I JUST WANT EVERYTHING, OKAY?

Yes, I make no sense.

But you should go DEFINITELY read this. NOW.  

Have you ever used Tarot Cards? 

Do you believe in Tarot Cards? 

If you could have ONE superpower, what would it be?

HAVE YOU READ THIS SERIES, BECAUSE I NEED TO RANT AND SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME.

Brutally Fantastic // Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1) by Kresley Cole

Title: Poison Princess

Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: August 19th 2014
Publisher: Simon And Schuster Books For Young Readers
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 of 5 of the Arcana Chronicles
I Got A Copy Through: Sullivan and Partners (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes&Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository 

Blurb Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards, and breathtaking romance.
She could save the world-or destroy it.Sixteen year old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future-and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Derveaux.
But she can't do either alone.With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side...

I’ve taken a couple of days to sit down, pause, process and then write this review.

If you asked me my opinions on Friday, when I finished this book, there were: “AJIOFSJIPFA, WHAT EVEN HAPPENED?”

And now, three days later, despite my attempts at rational thought, they still are: “AJIOFSJIPFA, WHAT EVEN HAPPENED?”

Poison Princess, the first book in the Arcana Chronicles, BLEW MY MIND. It was brutal, swoon-worthy, filled with questions that made me go slightly insane, an amazing plot and had the best line-up of characters ever. 

Things I LOVED about this book:

1. EVERYTHING COMPLICATED // THE AMAZING PLOT: This plot line was GORGEOUS, okay? I don’t usually read post-apocalyptic dystopian novels, but Poison Princess was just BEAUTIFUL. I loved the sheer detail of the plot line, setting it up for the next few books and answering a few questions while leaving SO MANY left for book two.

2. Jackson Derveaux: I CANNOT RESIST THE BAD BOYS, OKAY? Especially ones that are secretly soft on the inside but on the outside are gruff and non-caring and I LOVED HIM, OKAY? Through the book, he stayed who he was but he changed and totally won my heart! He was EVERYTHING.

3. The Tarot Cards: I THINK THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL IDEA, OKAY? I’ve never really been into Tarot Cards, and the most I’ve seen of them is in the Just My Luck movie, BUT THIS HAS ME SO INTERESTED OMFG.

4. The Ending: Before that final scene, I was seriously considering pulling all of my hair out because of THE QUESTIONS and the UNCERTAINITY but that ending was WONDERFUL, and I am so happy the second book has already been published and *grabby hands*

5. The Parent Factor: Know how the parents are mysteriously ALWAYS gone in these novels, conveniently killed off before you get to know them? Well, for about half of this book, IT WAS NOT THE CASE! I loved that Evie and her mum stuck together, and after her mother was always a source of inspiration for her.

6. The Other Tarot Cards: Since everyone in the book – or rather the game - signifies a tarot card, the characters that Evie meets along the way – Matthew (The Fool), Selena (The Moon), Finneas (The Magician) – were all AMAZING and equally frustrating and I can’t wait to read more with them!

ALL IN ALL, A book you should DEFINITELY read for its brilliant characters and brutal plot lines! 5 stars!

Any Post-Apocalyptic Novels I should be reading? Have you read this series? What did you think of it?

I can't WAIT to talk to all of you lovely bookdragons!

Review: The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

Title: The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)

Author: Jodi Meadows
Publication Date: March 10th 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book One of Two
I Got A Copy Through: I bought it!
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Barnes & Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery 

Blurb Description: Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.
She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.
She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.
She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.
Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world. 

AAAAAHH.

This is my The Orphan Queen re-read which was initially done to serve two purposes:

1)      Prepare myself for the GIANT BEAUTIFUL THING that is The Mirror King

2)      To Write a Comprehensive Review for it BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME.

At this point it seems like I’ve also succeeded in breaking my heart yet again. I’m halfway through my FIRST read of The Mirror King (57% according to Goodreads. WHAT.) AND. UM. WELL. I’m just reading and reading and reading and not at all processing because that’s what I do with good books and wait for everything bad to hit me after.

YOU, HOWEVER, ARE HERE FOR The Orphan Queen, SO WELCOME.

What is The Orphan Queen?

Oh, it is only the book that will get you SO BLOODY ADDICTED you’ll need to have The Mirror King to open and devour right away.

Wilhelmina is a spy in the palace in the Indigo Kingdom. She’s the long lost princess of the Aecor Kingdom that stole her homeland and slaughtered her parents. Wilhelmina HAS MAGIC (which is illegal, just so you know).

And now, almost ten years later, IT IS TIME TO EXACT REVENGE AND SAVE HER HOMELAND.

Except in politics, sly games and vigilantism NOTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE. Especially a young queen’s feelings, and her magic.

Wil is, as I was told, A BADASS HEROINE! What makes her stand out SO MUCH in my head though is that the fact that she’s NOT ALWAYS RIGHT. Or holier than thou. Or anything of the sort. She’s scared, she makes mistakes, she pays for her mistakes and she’s ALSO BRILLIANT. She just seemed an all-around REAL character with her fear and insecurities and everything. I love Wil.

Another aspect I ADORE about TOQ is the Osperys (yes, even controlling Patrick) and the fact that they could just get things done. THERE WAS NO WAITING ABOUT IN THEIR MISSIONS, nothing less than true grief when they lost one of their own for they are family and all understanding all the time about who the other person is.

Also, BLACK KNIFE. AAAH.

I did love that there wasn’t a lot of importance given to court drama and social niceties because well, that happens in EVERY book and it would’ve just dragged this piece of gorgeous literature on.

I think the ONLY thing I didn’t like (in my first read) is the fact that I predicted a certain reveal about a certain character and it was kind of disappointing because I was hoping I wasn’t right.

All in all, A BEAUTIFUL BOOK THAT YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE READING.

If you had a group of fictional rebels, who would you choose to be in that group? Have you read this series? What did YOU think? Should I be reading the novellas?

Audiobook Review: Hidden Huntress (Malediction Trilogy, #2) by Danielle L Jensen

Title: Hidden Huntress
Author: Danielle L Jensen
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: June 2nd 2015
Part of A Series?: Yes, Part Two of a planned trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: I bought it via Audible!

Blurb Description: Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

**MY REVIEW**

There really isn’t much of a difference between reading an e-book and a physical copy, except for the fact that you might not have that gorgeous cover on your shelf. An audiobook, however, is a completely different experience, especially for a speed reader such as myself.

I read an ARC of Stolen Songbird almost a year and a half ago, when it was still being published by Angry Robot’s YA imprint, Strange Chemistry, and it being one of the first Advance Reader Copies that I read, I didn’t quite know what to expect from it. I had hoped that it would be good, but never expected it to be ALL THAT GOOD! (Read my review here)

 And then Strange Chemistry got called back, and I read an email from Danielle Jensen stating that she would be writing, and at the same time looking for a new publisher, and I guess waiting for the news to come to me that the sequel had been published, I lost track of the series and the characters that I’d never expected to fall in love with. *Tristan. Sigh. Swoon. Faint. HopeHeComesToLife*

And then I had to have eye surgery, and I started looking for my first audiobook on my Audible membership, and there, in my recommended listens was Hidden Huntress, back with Angry Robot. And I simply had to get it.

Hidden Huntress picks up a few months after Celine is left in her house, after getting ushered away from Trollus in the dead of the night, in the middle of phase one of the rebellion, is healed and then sent to live out the next part of her life in Triannon with her mother as an Opera Singer, which was the original plan, like everything with the trolls never happened; like all the things that changed her life, and shook her foundations never happened.

But Cecile has different reasons for being there – she is going to find Anuskha, kill her and beak the curse that is keeping her beloved and all her friends stuck Under the Mountain, but doing so will also unleash the King, Tristan’s father, his crazy yet supremely powerful younger brother and the rest of Trollus’s ruthless and powerful aristocracy. Breaking the curse means the end of Tristan’s endless torture, but also unleashing on humanity a war they cannot hope to win.

Hidden Huntress. Sigh. What do I say?

Thinking about the series in general, I could NOT love it more. I love how it actually had me genuinely believing that what happened to Cecile could happen to anyone at all (being abducted in broad daylight by someone you thought you knew, taken to a city under a mountain held up be a magical tree, and being bonded to a prince of a species that you only heard about in the tales meant to scare you.) (Yes, SERIOUSLY.) I love how Cecile and Tristan worked together as a couple so perfectly. I loved LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED Tristan. I cannot even say how much. I just LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED him.

Really looking into Hidden Huntress, however, I find that while I still loved that world, the characters and everything about it, I feel like it could have been better. Cecile, herself, could have been more. I guess she was my biggest disappointment. From being the badass, sarcastic, rebellion planning, magic using human that got a troll prince to fall in love with her she was reduced to the whimpering mess that pretty much every Disney Princess turns into once they’ve found their one true love. Don’t get me wrong, she was still doing things like looking for Anushka, but I didn’t like what being separated from her one true love did to her.

I really don’t have anything to say except I have a serious soft spot for the series, and I’m still in love with everything about it, and I can’t wait for May to come, just so that I get my hands on the conclusion.

If you haven’t read either, then I strongly recommend that you wait for book three and read them as a complete series, because then you won’t have to feel emotional turmoil. Or, you know, since I’m never one to follow my own advice, shout ‘BOOKS’ and dole out a bit more money from your always-getting—lighter wallet and delve into a series that will make you swoon!  

REVIEW: Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Six Of Crows, #1)

Title: Six Of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Indigo Publishing
Publication Date: September 29th 2015
Part of A Series?: Yes - First in a trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: ARC- Guardian Children's Books

Blurb Description: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. 
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. 

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first

**MY REVIEW**

Do you know what it feels like to go back into a fictional world, and be able to call it home- to feel like you’ve finally found a part of you didn’t even know was missing? Well, that is exactly what Six Of Crows is to me. A return to the world of Alina and Mal and Nikolai and The Fold and The Darkling and everybody else that I had no idea I missed that much…

I’d heard about Leigh’s new book, of course, but through all my research (I did that extensively, believe me) there was a lot of anonymity about the book, leaving me little to no storyline expectations from the book- except for the hope of a great new story and the hesitation to get into a new trilogy, for fear of emotional strain. And will the billions of other books releasing this fall, this wasn’t exactly on the top of my to-buy pile- but now, I see how COMPLETELY wrong I was.

If you’re considering this book, let me tell you- it is BRILLIANT, Leigh Bardugo is a genius, and you will be transported in a matter of a few sentences, back to the world of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, except from a completely different point of view. In Six of Crows, the Ravkan Civil War is over, and the Grisha (yes, the GRISHA!) are still reeling from it, but we see it all not from the royalty’s perspective, but from thieves and low-lives and we see the whole world in a completely different perspective.

Kaz Brekker is a criminal prodigy. Kaz Brekker is calculating, cold and ruthless. Kaz Brekker has been offered all the money he could ever hope for, in exchange for a prisoner. Simple, right? The prisoner is a notorious doctor who has created a drug that in the wrong hands, could be deadly. So what, isn’t this normal? Except this drug- Jurda Parem- is designed especially for Grisha. And it makes them unstoppable. It can make Healers convince bend rooms full of people to their will. It can make Heartrenders stop unlimited hearts at whatever distance. If it falls into the wrong hands, the drug can mean the end of Grisha freedom as we know it.

To free the scientist, and ultimately hand him over to the merchant lords of Ketterdam (you know, where Alina and Mal ran off to in the end of Shadow and Bone) Kaz Brekker needs a team- a team as deadly, as cunning and as ruthless as he is. He needs a team of criminals that have nothing to lost and everything to gain, to break into the most impenetrable fortress known to their world. If captured, death will be a blessing to them. If they succeed, they earn their freedom- and money, of course!

I absolutely LOVED Six of Crows. Reading it was like getting sucked into this whirlpool of emotions and that feeling of falling hopelessly in love with a whole new host of characters, however unredeemable they might be- and loving every second of it! It was a perfect novel- as perfect as young adult gets- with Leigh Bargudo producing her best work to date.

If you’re hesitant- like me- or simply haven’t hear of this book- I can only say READ IT! It will blow your mind!   

The Call Me Alexandra Gastone by T.A.Maclagan- Review, Interview & Giveaway

Title: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone

Author: T.A.Maclagan

Publishing Date: May 20th 2015

Part of a Series?- Yes!

I received a copy through: The author via NetGalley

Blurb Description:When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation.

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.

But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity? 

Amazon| Barnes & Nobles| iTunes| Kobo| Goodreads

**INTERVIEW**

1. The Thing you're most afraid of (your most irrational fear): Probably my most irrational fear is flying, which is a pretty big issue for me because I both love to travel and live in New Zealand while all my family lives in the States. New Zealand is far from everywhere but Australia, so almost any plane ride out of the country is a long one. I’ve always been a bit of an anxious flier but I was mostly okay until I had a child. That flicked a switch for me and now I’m a wreck whenever I get on a plane. So far it hasn’t stopped me from going anywhere, but I definitely start to get nervous about flying several months in advance. It’s pretty ridiculous really, but oh so true!

2. Three of the funniest things about you:

 -I always read magazines from back to front.

-I didn’t learn to eat salad until I was in my thirties. Now I can’t get enough.

-I’m originally from Kansas and really, really dislike The Wizard of Oz. That melting witch FREAKED me out as a child. If someone makes some quip about The Wizard of Oz after hearing I’m from Kansas, I’ll likely shiver or flinch, because my mind immediately goes to the witch. It’s not that I’m scared of her anymore, but …I don’t know…I still have an involuntary negative association that makes me unsettled. Yeah, I’m a total weirdo!

3. This or That:

 --Australia or Europe: Europe because there’s more diversity of culture.

 --Apple or Samsung: Apple.

 --Prom Lover or Prom Hater: Tough one…prom lover…I guess? I had fun at my prom but that was about the only school dance I had fun at.

4. Tell us a little about your masterpiece: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is about a teen sleeper agent living in the United States who gets activated. I got the idea after watching the movie SALT with Angelina Jolie. In it, she’s a Russian sleeper who was placed in the US as a child. That got me thinking about what her life as a teenager might have been like and from there Alexandra Gastone was born. Writing the novel, I loved exploring what notions of identity, loyalty and family would be like for a sleeper. The teen years are so much about finding your own identity, but what if your identity is dictated to you? What if who you are is a lie? I had a ton of fun exploring these questions while writing Alexandra!

5. What does it feel like, to have They Call Me Alexandra Gastone out there for the world to read?

It feels really surreal. Growing up, I never dreamed of being an author. Writing a book seemed like an insurmountable task to me and I was quite grade oriented and not very open to creative pursuits where grades were more subjective. It was while I was writing my anthropology dissertation that I started to feel this need to be creative. I think it was because I was dealing with statistics and rigid scientific analysis protocols. Anyway, that’s when I got it in my head to try and write a book. If I could write a three hundred page dissertation full of mostly coherent scientific jargon, surely I could write a fiction novel!  I laugh now at my naiveté. Writing Alexandra was way harder than the dissertation but also way more fun! I definitely have the writing bug now!

6. Your opinion on negative reviews:

I think everyone has a right to their opinion. I’m very open to constructive criticism and am more than a little thankful for the criticisms my agent and editors shared with me. They helped make Alexandra a book I’m really, really proud of.  I’ll definitely be reading my reviews and taking notes on things I think I can address in future books. I have a pretty thick skin as far as dealing with negative opinions. That said, I personally can’t understand reviewers that out and out bash authors and their books. I can’t stomach when people are really mean to each other so stuff like that just doesn’t sit well with me

**ABOUT THE AUTHOR**

T.A. Maclagan is a Kansas girl by birth but now lives in the bush-clad hills of Wellington, New

Zealand with her Kiwi husband, son and four pampered cats. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Ph.D. in anthropology, she’s studied poison dart frogs in the rainforests of Costa Rica, howler monkeys in Panama and the very exotic and always elusive American farmer. It was as she was writing her ‘just the facts’ dissertation that T.A. felt the call to pursue something more imaginative and discovered a passion for creative writing. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is her first novel.

You can find her online at:

Website: www.tamaclagan.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamaclagan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamaclagan

Tumblr: tamaclagan.tumblr.com/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tamaclagan/ 

**GIVEAWAY**

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**MY REVIEW**

I spy beauty , Eyes spy loss , I spy strength , Eyes spy death , I spy knowledge , Eyes spy danger

I spy potential , Eyes spy distance 

I spy a lie?

And that's what her whole life is. A lie. Everything she does, from her hobbies to the people she talks to, to what kind of person she should be- it's not who she really is. They're lies. A cover up.

Because she's not really Alexandra Gastone, and hasn't been for seven whole years.  She is Milena Rovka an Olissian national- a trained impersonator and killer set to become a spy in the CIA. 

But being a spy is never easy, is it? Especially when the spy in question is finding the lines between who she was and who she's supposed to be blurring until they are almost nonexistent.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED this book!' It had that right amount of suspense, mystery, romance, love, friendship and family that made you believe it, and at the same time, kept you at the edge of your seat, flipping pages, waiting for what came next. I couldn't BELIEVE that shock ending either. All I could think was WOAH- I need to tell people about this.

T. A. Maclagan writing is simple and yet, so complex- just like her characters. Varos, Milena, Albert, Grant, and there's even a political conspiracy and terrible corporations integrated with patriotism and a seventeen year old girl questioning things she thought had always been cemented. I can't tell you much about it, because then boom goes the suspense but...

...READ IT!:)