Reviews by Maddie – Page 21 – Heart Full of Books

Review: Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton

Published on April 12, 2015April 9, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 254
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I read this book as part of the #readukya Read-a-thon that was hosted by @LucyTheReader. I was totally in the mood for a cute contemporary, and ‘Jessie Hearts NYC’ definitely delivered (plus it’s super short so could be read in one sitting!) I was a little bit surprised by ‘Jessie’ and how the plot wad advertised as a romance, but almost completely lacking in romance for the two main characters!

Continue reading “Review: Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton” →

Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Published on April 8, 2015April 1, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Contemporary, Mental Health
Published by: Delacorte Books
Pages: 288
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The main selling point for this book is that it’s about a girl with social anxiety. But perhaps, the next main selling point is that it’s a YA book written by the chick-lit author Sophie Kinsella. A lot of people, on Goodreads, were getting exciting about Kinsella moving into the YA genre, and although I haven’t read any of her previous works, I can definitely say I was impressed by ‘Finding Audrey’. Continue reading “Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella” →

Review: Cleo by Lucy Coats

Published on April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Cleo by Lucy Coats
Genre: Mythology, Adventure
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 320
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

I was first interested in reading ‘Cleo’ because of its obviously Egyptian themes. I’ve only read one other book on the subject, ‘The Red Pyramid’ by Rick Riordan, and was interested to see how another author transformed the mythology. To place Cleopatra in a YA setting sounded like an excellent idea, and I was looking forward to being immersed in the land of sand, gods and temples. But, (I know, I know, why does there always have to be a but?) I had a few issues with the execution. Let’s discuss!

Continue reading “Review: Cleo by Lucy Coats” →

Review: Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

Published on April 5, 2015April 1, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: MIRA Ink
Pages: 410
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

We were given a copy of Shadow Study at a blogger event hosted by MIRA Ink, where we also got to meet the author and have the book signed! It’s been quite a while since I read the Study series, but Yelena is one of my all time favourite characters so of course I had to read this new instalment straight away! Shadow Study was packed full of intrigue and mystery, making it the perfect starter to a new series that will appeal to both old and new readers! However, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the Glass Series we suggest you read Opal’s trilogy first!

Continue reading “Review: Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder” →

Review: Shattered by Teri Terry

Published on April 4, 2015April 1, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

Shattered by Teri Terry
Genre: Dystopian
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 402
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Slated (#1), Fractured (#2)
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

As a finale to a trilogy, this book was something incredibly different. It wasn’t ‘Mockingjay’, and it wasn’t ‘Allegiant’. It wasn’t wild, it wasn’t action-packed, but the calm after the storm of ‘Fractured’. I didn’t know what was going to happen to Kyla, and where she was going to go, but I sure was pleased with were she ended up.

Plot and Pacing
As I said, this was the most mellow of the three books. We found out about Kyla’s past life in ‘Fractured’ and now it was just about seeing what she’d do next. The answer? Find her birth mother. Continue reading “Review: Shattered by Teri Terry” →

Review: Fractured by Teri Terry

Published on March 31, 2015March 27, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

$fractured$ Fractured by Teri Terry
Genre: Dystopian
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 420
Format: Paperback
Series: Slated (#1)
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

‘Fractured’ was a totally wild read. Even though I read ‘Slated’ last year, the content was still burning in my memory. It was an excellent start to a series, and definitely one with a lot of scope for a sequel. ‘Fractured’ did not disappoint, neither did it follow the cliche of being worse than the first book! Hurrah!
In this book, we follow Kyla as she searched for answers about her past, present and future, with non stop action and lots of big reveals that made my jaw drop.

Continue reading “Review: Fractured by Teri Terry” →

Review: The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss

Published on March 29, 2015March 26, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

The reason I decided to pick up this book was because my mum recommended it. She’d been listening to the radio and heard it being mentioned, and, nowing how much I (strangely) love to read books about bereavement, thought it would be a good read. Here’s some advice folks: always trust your mother.

Continue reading “Review: The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss” →

Review: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

Published on March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Published by: MIRA Ink
Pages: 441
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5 stars
Series: Poison Study (#1) | Magic Study (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

There is no doubt that this was an epic finale to a trilogy. Yelena really did come in to her own, and harness the power she possessed since ‘Poison Study’. However, I must admit that ‘Fire Study’ was my least favourite of the series, even though it was still excellent and to say ‘least favourite’ makes it sound a lot worse! Continue reading “Review: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder” →

Review: Magic Study by Maria V Snyder

Published on March 25, 2015April 26, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder
Published by: Mira Ink
Pages: 425
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The sequel to the epic ‘Poison Study’ is just as jam-packed with action and adventure, as Yelena continues her quest to harness the magic she possesses, whilst hunting down a criminal rogue who steals souls in the night. I was very surprised to give ‘Magic Study’ 4 stars, as it’s often the case that sequels decrease in quality compared to the debut. However, ‘Magic Study’ completely defies this stereotype and makes this series even more worth reading! Continue reading “Review: Magic Study by Maria V Snyder” →

Review: Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Published on March 21, 2015April 26, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books6 Comments

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder
Published by: Mira Ink
Pages: 409
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★.5
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

If you watch our videos, you probably know that Bee absolutely adores ‘The Chronicles of Ixia’ series and will happily call Yelena from the ‘Poison Study’ quartet her favourite female character. So, I thought it was about time that I saw what all the fuss was about. Boy, was I pleased with the result! ‘Poison Study’ is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Usually, when I’m reading a book, I notice multiple similarities with something else. I think it helps that I haven’t read much of the high fantasy genre, but after this, I’ve very excited to read more of Bee’s favourite books! Continue reading “Review: Poison Study by Maria V Snyder” →