The Diviners by Libba Bray

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Pages: 578pgs

The Story

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City - and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition  and the Occult - also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help her catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first. 

The Review

A big thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book!

I borrowed this book from the library and funny enough, before even finishing it, I had also received a review copy from the Allen & Unwin publisher with the Australian cover of this book, so thank you very much for that! As for the newly released title THE DIVINERS, since having read most of Libba Bray's books I've been really looking forward to starting this particular book of hers, mostly because I'm so obsessed with the era of the 1920's and the feel of the mysteries lurking on the streets of New York City, it was nonetheless an exciting-sounding book. While the glowing reviews are well deserved for this book alone and while it may not have been as creepy as I hoped it would be, the author, Libba Bray, has definitely done a splendid job in captivating her readers and making them want to read more of her new series!

As interesting as this book was, but for me it way too long-winded in certain chapters and at times it seemed to have too many descriptions rather than the book just getting on with the story. But apart from those two elements that were the really the only two downers for me, I actually thought this was one of my favourite books coming from Libba Bray and it was definitely a nice change up compared to her last released book, Beauty Queens, which didn't impress me at all. Now even with an engaging storyline, I think what made this book really fun and exciting was the colourful cast of characters - some that were more memorable than others.

Out of everyone I met, my favourite character would have to be Evie as she was the main character after all and the only one that was the most interesting to me. She was just one of those characters that hooked you straightaway with her bubbly personality and clever wit, and even when she's a little bit . . . well let's just say a little too outgoing for her own good, but Evie is a really funny little thing and you will definitely without a doubt love her sass because she totally owns it and reminds me of Nancy Drew in some respects.

Overall, THE DIVINERS is something that may take a while to get used to, but once you get the hang of the storyline and begin to understand exactly what is happening and how all of the pieces fit together, then I'm sure many readers will have plenty of fun in solving this intriguing mystery - bit by bit. But take note that this book isn't for the fainthearted . . . it's pretty darn long!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 384pgs

The Story

When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

The Review

A big thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

As much as I love unique concepts, different character perspectives, and the dystopian genre within itself, but unfortunately for Sarah Crossan's debut book BREATHE, the first installment of  a YA series, it was not the story I was hoping for nor was it one I particularly enjoyed as much as the other readers who have previously reviewed prior to me reading it (Goodreads definitely had some great reviews on it). So even with the book having some interesting moments here and there, and even when I - at times - had liked some of the characters we were quickly introduced to, but like I said . . . it was NOT what I was expecting in the end and I guess it just wasn't the right book for me as sad as it is to say.

For me the only redeeming factor of this book was the world Sarah Crossan had manage to create. Even though some may question the believability of how all of these people managed to survive on so little oxygen in this particular (good god knows how!) but I still thought it was an interesting premise and one I can see many readers enjoying for a quick, little read. Think Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky book meets Bethany Griffin's Masque of the Red Death. If you like something like those two titles, you may enjoy this one as well!

Overall, BREATHE, unfortunately, was a great struggle for me and I only just managed to finish it. While I won't be continuing with this series unless the sequel offers up something interesting to me, do not simply go by my own opinion because many other readers have liked this book and maybe you will be one of the lucky ones!

The Rating

2 1/2 / 5 stars

Covet by Melissa Darnell

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarlequinTeen AU

Pages: 473pgs

The Story

Savannah Colbert knows she broke up Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart that . . .

Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honour it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them in directions neither could have foreseen, prepared for . . . or possibly withstand.

A reckoning is coming . . . and not everyone will survive.

The Review

A big thanks to HarlequinTeen Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Melissa Darnell's most anticipated sequel to Crave is finally here! COVET returns with even more shocking twists, more hidden dangers, more forbidden romances, and most of all it contains even more awesome witch and vampire action which needless to say is all you can really ask for in a great YA paranormal trilogy!

From last year I had thoroughly enjoyed - no wait, LOVED - Crave and I was seriously DYING to get my hands on the sequel just because after everything that happened in the first book . . . I just needed to KNOW what was going to happen next. While this sequel was not my favourite of the series by far, but I'm still very impressed by the sequel and what occurred within it. Now for the majority of COVET it's all about the main character, Savannah, and how she's continuing to find herself, while also resisting against her own powerful abilities and her true hidden vampiric nature. But when she is also trying to push away her feelings and love for a mortal human boy (and someone whom happens to be her witchy ex-boyfriend) Tristan, she needs to decide whether to allow herself to give into her true nature or do something of the unforgivable . . . turning Tristan into what she is in order to keep them together forever . . .  even if it means going up against both of their families beliefs.

For a couple who has gone through so much to be together, I still fell back in love with the dual perspective told by two of our main characters, Savannah and Tristan. While they were currently 'broken-up' for the majority of this sequel, but I still managed to hold some faith for them both and I'm glad I did because I really love these two kids as main characters and the heritage that they share separately in their own little worlds of witches and vampires . . . it's so very interesting and unique with that part. Now unlike in the first book, I felt in this sequel Sav's and Tristan's relationship had much more strength in it and it gained some ground in making us readers believe in their love and what they were actually fighting for (you know to be together), which was really great to see in this sequel and I hope those who may not have liked the first book have their minds changed when it comes to this sequel because this book was pretty awesome!

Overall and without giving away spoilers, COVET is great follow up to the Clann series and considering the part-predictable and part-shocking cliffhanger we receive at the very end, I'm now really, really looking forward to reading the third and final installment of the series. I'm sure it will be a very interesting and an exciting installment!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 352pgs

The Story

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate always dreamed of leaving the stifling Southern town of Gatlin.

But he never dreamt that finding love with Lena Duchannes would drive him away. Lena is a Caster girl whose supernatural powers unveiled a secretive and cursed side of Gatlin, so powerful it forced him to make a terrible sacrifice.

Now Ethan must find a way to return to Lena - and Gatlin - as she vows to do whatever it takes to get him back. Even if it means trusting old enemies or risking their loved ones' lives.

Can Ethan and Lena rewrite their fate and their spellbinding love story in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series?

The Review

Having been with the Beautiful Creatures series from the very beginning, like with all beloved book series it's sad to see yet another one come to an end. But moving past that sad matter, I was still so excited to read the final installment of this series, especially since what happened in the previous book, Beautiful Chaos, and to Ethan Wate himself. While I will admit the second and third installments didn't quite charm me as much as the first book did in a second, but with that said, BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION still manages to deliver a great ending to the series and was the kind of book you just HAD to keep reading in order to find out more about some of your favourite characters!

Split into three major sections, BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION is mostly told through Ethan's point of view but the most exciting part of the second section of the book was finally getting to see inside Lena's head - that's right folks, we finally get to read the world through Lena's eyes! Yes! Even when I was a little surprised by Lena's perspective being added (okay I was really surprised) and while I was a little worried about it as well since I was so immersed with Ethan's character alone that I couldn't possibly read from another's persons head, but I had actually loved Lena's perspective and it made this book stronger in a way, especially when you consider that she used to be my favourite girl character in the series (sorry Lena, the favourite character Liv kind of stole your place in that department), so it was pretty awesome to read about. But all in all, Ethan and Lena were great as main characters and continued to be those great characters throughout this book.

The only negatives I could honestly say about this last installment was three things: the confusing moments in the book, the pacing and the lack of appearances from some of my favourite characters in the series. With the confusing moments I had experienced in BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION it mostly had to do with certain events that happened in the book, ones that made me re-readings certain sections to understand what exactly just happened. But in that case, I got over that pretty quickly so it wasn't the biggest problem for me. But the major things were the pacing side of things and while I do understand that a final book needs to lead up to something huge and eventually come to the ultimate ending climax, but it just was so . . . incredibility slow. It dragged so many times, especially in the first section of Ethan's perspective, so it was quite a struggle to get through the book but it did improve here and there, and it did manage to pick up the pace . . . eventually.

And finally, as for the lack of character appearances which a total letdown for me, it was the supporting characters where I was most disappointed with. While we do see plenty of Link, Ethan's best friend, and some other smaller appearances from others characters like Amma and Macon, but it's really sad when you hardly get to see some of your favourites who have a much little role to play in the storyline, in particular with my favourite characters John Breed and Olivia (Liv). Now I adore John and Liv together - completely - as they are now an official couple and as awful as it is to say it but . . . all I cared about was THEM! I know I'm terrible to say it. Haha. I just LOVED those two and they were so compelling and yet they hardly had any appearances in this book - especially Liv! *Le sigh* Ah well . . . guess that's how it was meant to be as Ethan and Lena were the story not the supporting characters.

Overall, BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION certainly made up for my lack of connection with the other two previous installments before it and while we lose a few characters here and there (not too many anyway), the final book delivers a very satisfying conclusion for all and ties up the book very nicely indeed!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Envy by Elizabeth Miles

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

Spring is here, and the ice is slowly melting in Ascension . . .

revealing the secrets buried beneath.

The Furies are back, and Emily Winters is about to discover that their roots in Ascension are deeper than she ever imagined. With the help of her new friend Drea, she vows to take them down. But it's hard to focus when she's desperate the make up with JD, and to figure out why Crow, a mysterious Ascension High dropout, seems to be shadowing her.

Meanwhile, new girl Skylar McVoy is determined to leave her own dark past behind. So she's thrilled when not only does popular Gabby takes her under her wing, but the stunning and sophisticated Meg offers to give her a major makeover. But everyone knows what happens to the vainest girl of all . . .

It's tempting to be naughty. But beware: the Furies are always watching, and their power grows stronger by the day.

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

I am quite jolly to write this book review today for you today because I was absolutely dreading - or rather I was really worried and quite anxious - about reading this sequel since I was one of those few people who 'didn't mind' the first book, Fury, but I also didn't necessarily love it wholeheartedly either. But the minute I got this book in the mail via the awesome publishers and was reunited back with many familiar and unfamiliar faces, I'm currently thanking my lucky stars here because I can safely say that I'm back to loving this series and appreciating the devil-ish twists ENVY has offered up to me! It was really, REALLY good! 

ENVY, the second installment of the Fury trilogy, begins shortly after the events of the first book. With our main heroine, Em, making a deal with the vengeful furies to save her more-than-just-a-friend JD, she's now trying to salvage and place back her trust into what's left in her relationships with others before the furies return and create havoc once more. But with another perspective being introduced into mix, Skylar, a new girl who wants nothing more than to reinvent herself in Ascension - to be popular and leave her awful past far behind, little does she know that her dark past will soon be catching up with her . . . sooner than she ever anticipated. So when three unearthly beautiful cousins befriend this girl, Skylar, and start taking an unnatural interest in her and offering advice to her as well, Skylar's story then begins to entwine with Em's and it's mostly up to Em alone to figure out what the Furies want with their next target, Skylar, and what she can do to possibly stop them once and for all . . . but with what cost?

I think the main reason why ENVY was such a vast improvement compared to the first book, Fury, was because the storyline was already established in this sequel and we didn't needed to get too much into it either since we already know what the Furies actually are and why they are haunting our characters for their specific reasons. In this sequel, it just merely went further into its already built world-building and the characters (thank those lucky stars of mine) who were in a much better environment this time round and were actually - to my own surprise - far more likable which made this a much more enjoyable read for me.

Our main heroine, Em, was one of those characters that finally redeemed themselves. Now I wasn't a fan of Em in the very beginning of this series because she was quite a messy character with many, many flaws which made it even harder for me to like her. However, like with what I'd experienced in this sequel and also having liked or even perhaps loving this sequel, her character had finally got a lot of love out of me too. Moving on from her cheating with her best friend's now-ex-boyfriend and after facing the Furies, Em has learned quite a lot about herself along the way and she truly wants to make amends with the people she's lost and hurt the most, even if it takes her a long time doing so. The major thing that changed my opinion of Em was her honesty in this sequel. She was being herself for a change. Deep down I think she's a good person and I loved watching her grow in continuing to be that good person. Sure she's made plenty of mistakes at the beginning of this series but she's slowly getting there and I love her for her mere determination . . . she was real treat to read about.

But it was more than Em's character - it was her relationship with JD, the boy we met from Fury and the one she saved the last time we saw them together. Out of everything I read in ENVY my favourite aspect of the book would be the tension between Em's feelings for JD and even her confusing feelings for Crow, another boy we will soon meet in this sequel. Sympathizing with her, I too struggled with how much she wanted to make-up with JD even with him always pulling away from her. Those two, despite their own complications, are just perfect together and I want a happy ending for them both . . . so please Elizabeth Miles . . . you're killing me here with those two characters! And by the way . . . don't get me talking about the cliffhanger . . . it was just . . . gah! I totally saw it coming too! Gah!

After reflecting on everything that happened in this book, I think the main reason why I gave this book 4 stars instead of the 4.5 - 5 stars it clearly deserved was because I had one problem with the book. Only one problem out of everything. It was the book being told from two different perspectives, Em's and the newly introduced character Skylar. While I love Em's perspective (clearly) but really Skylar didn't do anything for me. Like at all. She was probably the only thing I didn't like about this book and while I may have liked the part she played in this story and how her problems entwine with our main character's ones but yeah . .  . she was annoying and I just couldn't tolerate her. Honestly I just wanted more of Em's character really. And more of JD too.

Overall, I'm literally jumping up and down with joy right now and I'm glad to find this sequel was so much BETTER than Fury ever was and it only goes to show a series can improve as time goes on, so we shouldn't be too quick to judge based on one book alone in a series. So whether you liked the first book or not, I would seriously recommend giving this book one more shot because ENVY - with its faults and all - was so tense, well-written, and shocking for the majority of all things, and it's something that will surprise you beyond your own expectations. It certainly did it with mine!

The Rating

4/5 stars

Wolf Pact by Melissa de la Cruz

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: ATOM

Pages: 304pgs

The Story

Lawson and his brother escaped from the underworld and now lead desperate, dangerous lives. They're pursued by the Hounds of Hell from one town to the next, never calling any place home. But when the hounds finally catch up with them and capture the girl Lawson loves, the hunters become the hunted. Lawson will stop at nothing to track down the hounds, even if the chances of saving Tala are slim . . .

The only hope he has lies in Bliss Llewellyn. Bliss, too, has lost someone to the beasts and will do anything to get them back - even if it means joining forces with the insolent, dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf's soul.

The Review

A big thanks to Hachette for sending me a review copy of this book!

WOLF PACT is the first installment in this new YA werewolf series and is a crossover with another Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series. In the darkness of the Underworld, all werewolves are destined to become hounds of Hell on the 18th moon, however for Lawson and his other pack mates, they soon decide to escape their suppose 'fate' before it's all too late which then leads them into all sorts of trouble. So while escaping to the earth's surface these pack of wolves try to evade the hounds as much as they can but when Lawson begins falls in love . . . everything is hanging in the balance and life or death must be determined in the end.

At first I did feel nervous about reading this book, not because I don't have enough trust in the author (really I adore Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series and it's one of the best vampire series out there), but it had more to do with the events of this actual book - the length of it and its characters. With so many things happening in this particular book, there is quite a lot to take in and if you haven't already read the Blue Bloods series then you will probably not understand this tale too much even if it could stand on its own, so I do highly recommend reading the Blue Bloods series that this series is also based on. In saying that, another thing was the characters. They were 'good' in some way but I still wasn't immersed nor moved by their presence. Whether this had something to do with the length of the book or the fact that the story was a bit confusing . . . I really don't know . . . I just hope the sequel will bring something back for me to savor . . . something fiery and interesting.

Overall, even though WOLF PACT didn't impress me (not like I hoped it would), but for such a short read and for a new young adult series, Melissa de la Cruz still manages to get the story moving along and enables her readers to get to know each one of the characters as much as possible.

The Rating

2 1/2 / 5 stars

Foretold: 14 Stories of Prophecy & Prediction by Various Authors

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Pages: 368pgs

The Story

Richelle Mead, Lisa McMann, Michael Grant, Meg Cabot, Laini Taylor, and nine more of the hottest YA authors to hit the shelves explore the concepts of prophecy and prediction in this story collection edited by NYT bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan.

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate? It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written - or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

The Review

From the reviews I've read online lately I know I won't be the first reader to admit this . . . but I mostly read this book of short stories (well I mostly took more notice of one particular short story over the rest of them and I know it's sad but I don't care) because of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy short story featuring the one and only favourite heroine, Rose Hathaway, and her sexy russian mentor-now-turned "lover", Dimitri Belikov, and trust me here folks . . . it was well worth the excruciating, EXCRUCIATING wait!

In the short story of HOMECOMING we are reunited with Rose and Dimitri, where they decide to go back to Dimitri's home country in Russia to visit his family. Now for all those who have actually read the Vampire Academy series, you would already know that Dimitri's family haven't seen him in AGES not since he was turned Strigoi, and even with Rose . . . his own family haven't seen her for a while either, not since the events of the fourth VA book, Blood Promise, so for all of those eager fans out there, we do finally get to see Dimitri proving to his family that he's back to his original self and boy was it beautiful to witness. Cutting down to the chase here (I don't want to ruin this precious little gem for you), I can say quickly that Rose was pretty awesome in this short story and it was really great to see her again. Dimitri, on the other hand, now he was such a super hunk in this story as well and he was completely adorable all the way through it, and even though it was a very SHORT the story but . . . having Dimitri's grandmother crack a few jokes here and there about the future . . . yeah . . . it was definitely a great short story and I have a lot of love for it too!

Overall, when all of you Vampire Academy fans (I know you're out there somewhere in the world) finish this short story you'll be raising your fists in the air with pride because really . . . who doesn't want more of Rose and Dimitri in their lives? I mean, come on people . . . we will always want more of them whether it is in a full length book form or not. And, as for the other short stories, while they were all well and good and interesting in their own ways, but this Rose and Dimitri short story beats them all out!

The Rating

4/5 stars