Reviews by Maddie – Page 26 – Heart Full of Books

Review: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg with Siobhan Curham

Published on December 20, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Penguin
Pages: 352
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Girl Online’ and the ghost writing scandal surrounding ‘Zoella’ has been one of the biggest things buzzing around the internet over the last couple of days. I’m not going to write about the ghostwriting in this review, simply the story and what I thought of the delivery, even though the fact Zoe Sugg didn’t write the book ‘entirely by herself’ is an important factor to how I received it.

Instead of giving my rating at the end of the review, I feel the need to preface my opinions. I only gave ‘Girl Online’ 1 star. There have been a lot of mixed reviews about this one, from one star to five stars, but there aren’t very many reasons why these ratings were given. Here are mine.

Firstly, the plot was not what I was expecting. Sugg seems to have followed the idea of ‘write what you know’, creating a fictional persona, rather than a character because of the vast similarities between herself and Penny. However, seeing as Sugg has over 6 million subscribers, I was surprised that this part of her life wasn’t utilised in the novel. It’s called ‘Girl Online’ because it’s meant to be about a girl who blogs anonymously online, but this only acted as a mere subplot. I was expecting Penny’s status as a blogger to play a much bigger role in the storyline, rather than to just be something quirky she did. Also, the panic attacks element to Penny’s character was not explained well, which left me feeling very confused whenever they occurred.

Secondly, the romance was ridiculous. Noah, her love interest, is introduced on the first day Penny is in New York and within about six hours, they’ve fallen in love. They’re sharing secrets they’ve never told anyone else, they’re sharing family traditions with each other, though they’re practically strangers. Noah was 18 and Penny was only 15, yet her parents were more than happy for her to run about a foreign city with a guy she just met. Hmm.

Along with the insta-love romance, everything just seemed a bit too convenient. Of course this rich American couple are going to pay for her family to have Christmas in New York to plan a wedding. Of course Penny’s allowed to bring her best friend with her. It’s so realistic that the Porter family got to stay in the states for another week, so Penny could spend more time with Noah(!).

This book was definitely split into distinct parts. The first part, which lasted for about 30% of the novel, was the most banal reading experience ever. Penny told, and didn’t show, the reader about her life, family and friends. Some horrific video was posted of her stumbling on stage onto the Internet, so she jetted off to New York to escape it all. New York took up the next 50%, which was probably the best bit, which isn’t saying much. Although the romance was so instant and made me roll my eyes too many times, it was still sweet. It had a ‘Just One Day’ feel to it. As soon as Penny returned home from NYC, the last 20% of the novel was devoted to revealing the promised ‘big secret’ of the blurb that Noah was hiding. This was interesting, as I’m sure Sugg has experienced online hate, so you could tell Penny’s feelings about it were genuine.

I did find it incredibly ironic that once the ghostwriting thing was revealed to the world, Sugg did exactly what Penny did and hid from the online world. Although, it seems Penny had more guts than she did, and overtly, with no shame, told the world her side of the story.

As I said, this book received 1 star. The inserted blog posts from ‘Girl Online’ were mediocre, the plot was average and predictable. What I thought would be delivered was not. This was generally a ‘young adult’ novel that only stood out because of the author, not because of the content (and even then, she didn’t write it all herself.) For me, this novel faded into the background and was a disappointing read.

Review: Lola Carlyle’s 12-Step Romance by Danielle Younge-Ullman

Published on December 14, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Lola Carlyle’s 12 Step Romance by Danielle Young-Ullman
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Entangled: Teen
Pages: 304
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Lola Carlyle…’ sounded like a very quirky read. Unlike other novels, I couldn’t think of another book that compared to it, and this is definitely a good thing. The main premise is a girl, Lola, tries to trick her way into rehab in order to spend the summer with a guy she likes, relishing in the spa treatments and tanning opportunities.

Unfortunately, she forgot about therapy.

It turns out that rehab is not just about becoming one with nature and relaxing away the pain. I didn’t know much about rehab myself, so it was nice to get an inside look at what some people actually went through, or ‘broke through’ and the kind of exercises completed by addicts.

Something I really liked about Lola was the amount of character growth. Although it was almost imperceptible to begin with, you could tell by the end she’d really learned something about herself and the severity of her situation.

There was a lot of dramatic irony throughout this book. Obviously, after reading the blurb, we could tell Lola wasn’t an addict. But of course, if she tried to tell anyone that, she was in denial. It was comedic, but tasteful. I don’t think Lola dealt with some of the patients very well, especially Jade – she was slightly unsympathetic, but once she learned everyone’s stories, then she was more likely to be friendly. Just shows you can’t judge a book by its cover, or the addict by the drug.

Now, you can tell from the title that romance was a big theme. I didn’t really understand the ’12 Step’ thing, but I did like the romance. Wade Miller, the TV star, was kind of like a red herring for Adam, her rehab mentor. Everything was very overt and, I don’t know, lust-y.

But, if you think this book’s just going to be a fluffy contemporary romance which just happens to be set in a rehab centre, then think again. There’s so much going on under the surface. Family trauma. Abusive relationships. Therapy. Heart-to-hearts. Drug abuse. Publicity. I definitely saw the last half of this book take a more serious turn, where Lola had to come to terms with the fact that she may not be an alcoholic, but she did have problems.

I can’t say how accurate a portrayal of rehab this was, or the actually type of people in rehab, however, I think the methods used and the character’s backstories were all very believable and realistic.

It’s safe to say what I got wasn’t what I was expecting – in a good way! Lola was funny, fabulous and made for an excellent reading experience. Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 stars, because it was different and unexpected.

Review: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Published on December 13, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Scholastic
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This was another library book that I picked up without knowing anything about it before. It’s so invigorating to just read something you know nothing of, I don’t know, there’s just more excitement. ‘Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer’ intrigued me because of the string of murders (hence the ‘serial killer’ bit) by a ghost. It all happens in Paris, France on a school trip. Yippee!

I’d say this book was a very quick read. The writing style was simple to understand and the main plot point of the story was explored immediately without any faff. Although the main character annoyed me at times, as all good main characters do, I thought she really evolved through the events of the book. She grew more of a backbone and realised what was more important to her: true friends over popularity.

The romance was sweet, and short, as it would be if the school trip was only for a week. It all just felt very…French. I’ve only been to Paris three times, once in real life, once in ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ and once in ‘You’re the One that I Want’, so I had a pretty good grasp of the setting and the main tourist attractions.

I loved the slightly historical element of the book, telling the reader about Marie Antoinette and her life, and death as it goes. I didn’t know much about the French revolution, so it was nice to get those snippets of context. I think this also aided my enjoyment of the book, since it had a ‘Ruby Red’ feel to it. Just keep in mind there’s a ‘historical note’ at the back, saying that the characters are obviously fictional, all but Marie herself.

The murders were written tastefully, with very little or no graphic detail. All very PG. I loved the suspense that they built and the sense of dread I had towards the main character, Colette’s safety.

I didn’t so much like Colette’s ‘friends’, both of whom were vapid and conceited. I much preferred Audrey and Brynn, and in the end, so did Colette.

Overall, I’d give this book 2.5 stars. Despite enjoying it as a whole, the beginning of the book was slow and the fact I didn’t like some of the main characters detracted from my enjoyment. I thought the mystery of the killings was too easily solved and resolved, though I did like the Lara Croft-esque bit towards the end. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in a short and fun read, who isn’t too interested in lots of plot depth. Generally, a good library find!

Review: Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines by Katy Cannon

Published on December 11, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines by Katy Cannon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Stripes Publishing
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

When the chance arose to read the next book in Katy Cannon’s new YA series, I couldn’t contain my excitement. After loving the first book immensively (5 stars), I couldn’t wait to read about the same characters for a second time.

This book follows the perspective of Grace, probably the least prominent member of Bake Club during ‘Love, Lies and Lemon Pies’. She came off as a bit sour and pouty during the course of Lottie and Mac’s relationship, and because of this, I didn’t like her very much. However, after reading a book devoted to exposing what she’s really like, Grace really redeemed herself.

Instead of a baking competition, the plot revolved around the latest school play, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, my favourite Shakespeare comedy. Unfortunately, Grace didn’t receive the star role and she was lumped with a job backstage making and organising the costumes, which of course meant the existence of another after-school club, ‘Sewing Club’.

The new boy, Connor, enhances her love life, though they may seem like chalk and cheese to begin with, they are the perfect pair. Every good relationship starts with some ‘love-hate’, right? Shakespeare backs me up on this with Beatrice and Benedick.

What I thought was really original about this story line was that Grace actually changed. She wasn’t the drama queen or the queen of Drama and she certainly wasn’t the most popular. She wanted to become a more wholesome person and recognise her passion for working as a team instead of working in the spotlight. She didn’t revert back to her old ways, which was refreshing, and all her new friends accepted her for who she became, not who she once was.

Connor and Grace’s relationship held the same circular structure as Lottie and Mac’s, however, nothing terrible happened to them as a couple because they communicated with each other. Communication is something that Lottie and Mac lacked, so it was nice to see an author focus on this important aspect of a healthy relationship.

Of course, there was some family drama for Grace, along with friendship drama between Jasper, Ella and newly introduced Izzy, yet the play was the centre of the story.

I loved that Lottie and Mac were still a part of the group, but they played cameo roles compared to Grace, Jasper and Yasmin. In fact, I was really pleased to find out more about Yasmin and for her to become a more prominent character – perhaps the next book by Katy Cannon will be from her point of view?

All in all, Katy Cannon knows how to write a perfect contemporary novel, with an excellent mixture of romance, friendship and drama. I can’t help but give this novel 5 out of 5 stars as well, which is unusual, as sequels normally never parallel the debut. I look forward to everyone getting to experience this novel and hopefully enjoying it as much as I did!

Review: Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

Published on December 9, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Stripes Publishing
Pages: 329
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I haven’t found a book that I’ve been completely in love with in a while. This is that book. I LOVED everything ‘Love, Lies and Lemon Pies’ had to offer!

First of all, the setting. It all took place within a secondary school and the majority of characters were in Year 11, so not too distant from my own year group and age. I really liked how natural everything was, and the personalities of the teachers, as well as the students were so believable.

This book reminded me of books written by Cathy Cassidy, because the main character, Lottie, was dealing with something difficult at home – her dad had died and her mum had taken to hoarding junk. I feel that in a lot of young adult books now, the focus is on the character’s romantic relationship, rather than any other relationship and parents are almost non-existent. LLLP had the perfect mixture of the two.

The romance between Lottie and Mac was endearing. I loved how we got to experience them as friends before we saw them as a couple – the romantic gestures of Mac were the most adorable things ever. Although their relationship could be quite circular, as neither participant was telling the truth about their home life or reputation, everything was resolved in a way that didn’t make me want to bash my head against a wall.

The minor characters, especially Jasper and Ella, were all significant, and it turns out that Grace stars in her own novel, ‘Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines’, the next book in this school club series. I’m excited to get to know more about her, as she was one of the less prominent members of the Bake Club. They all had their own stories to tell, after all, and I’m glad they all got exposure.

Which brings me on to the Bake Club in general. Over the last two years, I have been completely obsessed with The Great British Bake Off, so this was the perfect book to satisfy my love of watching people bake. It was so quirky that this book also included the recipes for everything the characters made, which I hope to try out sometime soon!

There’s nothing more exciting than a competition, especially if it involves baking, cakes and romance. Yay!

Gosh, I don’t know how I could give this book any less than 5 stars. It made me feel so warm and sparkly, with its cute couples and underlying messages of truth telling and supporting your friends. This novel delivered on all levels, and I can’t wait to see what Katy Cannon writes next! – Stay tuned for a review of ‘Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines’ soon!

Review: The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott

Published on December 6, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

The Night Itself by Zoe Marriott
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Contemporary
Published By: Walker Books
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This was a spontaneous read from my school library. I saw it displayed on the little plastic holders that just scream: ‘I’m new!’ and thought ‘Yep, I’ll read that’. As this was a completely unplanned read, I knew little about the plot or the author.

‘The Night Itself’ is about a girl called Mio who inherits this ancient sword. When she touches the sword, or katana to give it its proper name, she is drawn to it and finds that she can’t put it down. Some crazy stuff then happens because the sword has been unveiled, involving murder, kidnap and travelling into a different dimension. Great stuff!

The novel was really action packed – there was never a dull movement. I really enjoyed the relationship between Mio and her best friend, Jack, who was a girl and homosexual and that was not a big deal (it was lovely for this to be dealt with subtly.) When Shinobu arrived, an invisible boy who was trapped in the sword, romance is suddenly on the cards for Mio. This did feel quite rushed, but the author notes this herself, saying that Mio and Shinobu fell in love within 24 hours. Not completely unbelievable.

Basically, there were a lot of things I liked about this book. I thought that the Japanese mythology was woven in well, without alienating the audience with a lot of jargon. Things were explained in a way that was easy to understand. Excellent.

I thought that the ending was fairly rushed – I kind of lost my way a little bit, but I was speed reading, so this could have contributed to the struggle. I do love a good action scene, and I’m more than used to fight scenes because of my beloved Percy Jackson. In the end, though, I knew what was going on, which is the main thing.

I don’t know how many times I can say I enjoyed this book. One fault, however, was the borderline racist description of the main character’s eyes. Obviously, she and Shinobu were of Japanese descent but that was obvious because of their names. On the other hand, on GoodReads, the author did apologise for the description, and I’m sure has worked hard to correct herself in the sequel that came out in June this year.

Something different about this book was the female protagonist. After reading a lot of Rick Riordan, it was nice to see a girl take the lead role as a mythological descendant. I’d recommend this to anyone that does enjoy Rick’s writing, but is looking for a plot that is a lot less hard core.

Overall, I’d give ‘The Night Itself’ 3 stars. I was impressed, but it didn’t wow me. Compared to my favourite books that received 5 star reviews, this novel was exciting and kept me gripped but didn’t leave me wanting more after the final page. Perhaps if the library gets the second book in the series, I will continue to enjoy Mio’s world!

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Published on December 4, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Harper Teen
Pages: 447
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I’ve had this book on the shelf for ages. AGES. Somehow, the cover just really put me off from reading this book. (I wonder why! Heh heh!) I didn’t know if I would like the concept, or the writing style, especially since the slogan was ’embrace the forbidden’. Not really something to live by.

It turns out that I was right. This book wasn’t my cup of tea.

I think I’m going to find it really hard to describe, just because this is a 450-ish page book and I think only two significant things happened:
1.) A road trip across country with Anna, the protagonist who’s a super religious half-angel, half-demon, and a boy, Kaiden, who’s a demon womaniser. Usually the rule is if you add a road trip to something, it can only get better. Take ‘Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour’ or ‘Paper Towns’ as examples. However, this was not the case. I didn’t really understand the mission of the trip (that was never even fulfilled) and how quickly Anna was willing to get close to her father whom she hadn’t seen in sixteen years. The pacing was really rubbish throughout this whole book. Days would pass in paragraphs, and between chapters, months would go by. It meant that the time periods that were written about seemed rushed, because the relationship between these two characters blossomed (and died) very quickly.
2.) Some sort of demon training. Anna is the daughter of the demon who had to entice humans to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and/or take illegal drugs. Yippee. I felt very uncomfortable reading these scenes, especially when Anna is dancing on top of a bar, trying to please a married man twice her age. It all just seemed very wrong.

I didn’t like Anna and I didn’t like Kaiden on principle. I hate the ‘you shouldn’t be friends with me’ storyline, Stephanie Meyer already wrote that to death. If I wanted to read about a relationship that occurred regardless of the couple’s safety, I would just read ‘Twilight’.

I didn’t like that Kopano (odd name) was introduced as a point in a love triangle. It made NO SENSE. Since when did Anna harbour feelings for this other demon spawn? Why was there tension between Kaiden and Kope? I think authors need to realise a book can be good without a love triangle present. Actually, it would be refreshing!

I know that this series is a trilogy, and I’ve heard that it just gets better as it progresses. This is odd to hear about a trilogy, especially considering the outcome of ‘Allegiant’ or ‘Mockingjay’. Still, these books are cheaper on Kindle, so I may or may not complete the series. ‘Sweet Evil’ really hasn’t done much to motivate me to continue.

I’d give this book 2 stars. It wasn’t horrific enough to only get one, but there was nothing I especially liked about it to move it up the star rating scale.

Review: You’re the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher

Published on December 2, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

You’re the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘You’re the One that I Want’ was only my second New Adult book. I found it under the ‘Chick Lit’ section of the bookshop, however, due to the age of the characters moving from nine years old to twenty seven, its safe to say that the majority of the novel happens when the three main characters are in their teens.

I love Gi. I found her when she first started making videos on her channel, ‘Giovanna’s World’ and like to catch up with her blog posts for Hello! Magazine. She’s so bubbly and fun, and her personality really diffused into this novel.

There was nothing difficult about the writing style. I didn’t feel like I needed to be twenty seven to enjoy it. It was written exactly how a teenager, and how I imagine a university grad, would write and feel. It really just made for a quick and fun read that didn’t have me questioning the origins of the universe.

The novel focuses on Maddy, a bride to be, and Ben, her best friend but not her groom. These are the two perspectives of the novel, however we also get to experience the groom’s speech, written by Robert, the final point in our love triangle (or self-proclaimed love tripod.)

Main problem: will Ben pipe up at the altar and claim Maddy for himself?

After the first scene of the wedding, when Maddy is contemplating her romantic decisions, we are rocketed back to the past, when all three characters are nine years old. Until they are twenty one, we get to see the relationship develop between Maddy and Robert (who become a couple at sixteen) and Ben and Maddy (a relationship that never quite got off the ground.) I loved how Gi waited until they were twenty-one to get serious, because teenage relationships are meant to just be fun. It felt completely natural that Maddy and Robert would stay together if they didn’t have a reason to separate.

Only they did. Cue Robert doing something stupid. This led to the relationship between Ben and Maddy intensifying.

The one thing with this love triangle was that the novel knew that’s all it was focused on. I wasn’t annoyed by the backwards and forwards of will she love me or won’t she because I knew what I was getting, unlike in YA novels, when a love triangle is thrown at you for no reason. Also unlike with YA novels, I never knew which guy I preferred. They both did questionable things to Maddy, but both seemed to really care for her.

When they grew up some more, however, I thought that the relationship between Robert and Maddy was a compromise for their true feelings. It felt like they were staying together because they didn’t know how to be with anyone else. Of course, when their relationship went back to normal, I went back to shipping them, but a little piece of my heart would always tug towards Ben and how he drew the romantic short straw.

I really loved the ending of this novel. It wasn’t a cliched ‘speak now’ wedding, with lots of gasps and treachery. It was real. The epilogue gave me a good sense of closure for the three characters, and recognised that your first love doesn’t have to be your only love (even though it was super cute that that was how it worked out for Gi and Tom, the most adorable couple ever.)

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Like I said, I knew what I was getting, and was ready for it. It captured me for the entire time I was reading it and had me immersed in the lives of Maddy, Ben and Robert. I look forward to reading Gi’s debut novel, ‘Billy and Me’ in the near future!

Review: Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

Published on December 1, 2014January 2, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

We were given an ARC copy of ‘Rite of Rejection’ by Sarah Negovetich, curtesy of the author, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book and we hope it does well!

Rite Of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published by: Self Published
Pages: 320
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Rite of Rejection’ sounded to me like a mixture of ‘Matched’ by Ally Condie (and I’ve only read about 40 pages of that, so perhaps I’m not qualified to make that comparison) and ‘Branded’ by Abi Ketner and Missi Kalicicki. Nothing can describe it better than the blurb:

“Before you stands the future.”
Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can’t wait for her Acceptance. A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she’s shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.
A life behind barbed-wire fences with the world’s most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she’s almost certain she can learn to love.
But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence, Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

It’s safe to say that we both really enjoyed this book. As a reader, you were thrown straight into the world, and I really liked it that we were just submerged, without any convenient history lessons about the dystopian society. It meant that I could focus on the characters and their emotions, rather than trying to get the facts straight. This novel is very character driven – Rebecca is strong as protagonists go with a good moral code and a persistent dedication to her friends. Unfortunately, she’s also a hazard to society.

She is thrown in the PIT by the evil overlord of the realm, the Cardinal (which was a surprisingly religious title, but I guess that ‘Governor’, ‘President’ and ‘General’ have been done a thousand times before.) However, Rebecca adjusts fairly quickly, finding friends and a home in a matter of days.

The one thing I noticed when reading this whole novel was how difficult it was to pinpoint how long it had been since the last action scene. Rebecca and co. seem to spend the majority of the first half of the book eating or walking around outside. The monotony of the scenes reflected the life of the PIT Rejects, but also disorientated me when they were trying to escape.

Everything happened so fast. There was so much going on. As soon as one master plan was ‘complete’, another was devised.

The relationship between the characters were interesting. There are a few plot twists relating to these characters, which we won’t spoil, but it really added depth to the novel. I didn’t quite understand where the love triangle came from, but it all became clear as the plot progressed.

The ending was abrupt. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and apparently, I won’t get to know. Perhaps there will be a sequel that explained what happened after ‘The End’, because I need to know!

Overall, I’d give this book around 3.5 stars. Because I got a little confused towards the end, I deducted a star, and the ending left me feeling unfulfilled. Where’s the closure? I repeat: I need it! However, this did not hinder my enjoyment of this novel. It was a brilliant debut, and I look forward to seeing what Sarah writes next!

Enter to Win! A #RiteOfRejection Giveaway!

Prize description:
Chapter 17 tissues (because that’s when you’ll need them), a jumbo sized chocolate bar (a hot commodity inside the PIT), an orange scented candle (courtesy of Rebecca’s fondest memory from home, a dandelion pen (as featured on the cover), handcrafted Molly bag (named after the character responsible for sewing them in the book, these are the bags used extensively by the main characters), and a $10 Amazon gift card

Link to Giveaway, hosted on Rafflecopter:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NDJiNzM3Y2E1YzRlMDgzY2E2ZDg0Y2E3YWFjOTM4OjI=/

Author Information:

Sarah Negovetich knows you don’t know how to pronounce her name and she’s okay with that.
Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.
Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.
You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com.

Review: The Illusionists by Laure Eve

Published on November 23, 2014January 26, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

The Illusionists by Laure Eve
Genre: Techno-Fantasy
Published By: Hot Key Books
Pages: 412
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Fearsome Dreamer (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I was so excited for the sequel to Fearsome Dreamer but somehow I managed to put off reading this book for months due to other reading endeavours. But I was so glad I waited to read this majesty of a book.

‘The Illusionists’ fulfilled my expectations of how this series was going to end. Of course, I had no idea how the series was going to end, Laure Eve has a wonderful way of keeping you guessing. I didn’t see any of the twists coming, which I was thankful for, otherwise I would have been heart broken.

I really think that both books in this duology have really branched out into a new genre. I’ve never really read ‘technofantasy’ before and now I’m desperate to get my hands on more, hence my newly found love for the ‘Under the Never Sky’ series. Rue is such a strong main character, the world building is excellent and you really know what Laure Eve was trying to create with this book.

I can’t talk that much about ‘The Illusionists’ without giving away HUGE spoilers, which I don’t want to do. If you’re interested in finding out what happens to these marvellous characters then you’ll have to read it for yourselves! However, I think that the cliffhanger that was tacked on the end of ‘Fearsome Dreamer’ perfectly prefaced this book. The monsters in the Castle and the threat to mankind was thrilling and really underpinned the whole plot.

The relationship between Rue and White reached its peak and I’m so glad that the two of them found happiness. They were the cutest things ever and just…meant to be! Everything I type must sound really subjective because I just love this series so much. Good just doesn’t begin to describe it.

For the first time in ages, I read a book in under three sittings. I swear, I read about two hundred pages way past when I should have gone to bed because I just couldn’t put it down. The action and the drama has you hooked throughout and the changing perspectives help to freshen up the setting and the pace of the book.

The only bad thing about this series is that it only consisted of two books. I would have loved for Frith and Oaker’s relationship to be explained more. I’d love to know more about the primordial gods that Rue and Angle Tar believe in. What happened with the technophobes? Some of the surrounding plot points seemed to have been forgotten as Rue, White and Wren tried to close the Castle and dispel the threats it was creating. I just need MORE! Thank goodness for fan fiction.

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I didn’t love it as much as the first book, but I did love the addition of actual romance, the emotional torment and the small amount of Cho’s perspective we were given. The epilogue (and Fernie) just threw me for a loop, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole thing for days after I read it. Definitely would recommend.