Claire Stevens's Blog, page 37

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

“You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.”  
 
I was really worried about reading An Ember in the Ashes, because I’ve come pretty late to the party and so many people have adored it and there’s been a crazy amount of hype that I worried that my expectations would be too high and it would fall flat.
 
Well, I needn’t have worried!  This is a great book!
 
Told from dual viewpoints, An Ember in the Ashes is the story of Laia, a slave, and Elias, a soldier, both of whom are shackled to the empire they live in.  Laia lives with her grandparents and brother, carefully living under the radar of the brutal Martial Empire, until their home is raided one evening by soldiers and her brother is dragged off to prison.  Desperate, Laia makes a deal with resistance fighters: she’ll sell herself as a slave to the Martials for the chance to spy on them and in exchange for her information the resistance will break her brother out of prison.
 
Meanwhile, Elias is training to become a Mask, one of the empire’s elite soldiers.  Disillusioned with the empire, he is planning to desert until he is drawn into a contest from which there’s no escape.  He and Laia meet and their fates become entwined.
 
The empire in An Ember in the Ashes is similar to the Roman Empire and the Scholar race is similar to the Ancient Greeks, who the Romans enslaved.  Hang on, I thought.  Haven’t I just read something like this?  And yes, I have.  The setting is pretty much identical to The Winner’s Curse.  I did wonder how much I’d enjoy this book, bearing in mind I’ve literally just finished a book with practically the same setting where a slave falls in love with a martial, but the books are so wildly different that it wasn’t a problem at all.
 
The writing style is incredibly sensational (I lost count of the number of times rape was used as a threat), but because there’s so much plot going on it actually fits quite well.  The pacing was exactly right for me, in that it was incredibly fast, with plenty going on, especially towards the end where everything goes to hell (that’s not a spoiler - you just know it’s all going to go horribly wrong!)
 
I thought the dual POV worked okay - the two voices were very separate and I really connected with both Laia and Elias.  And as someone who is generally Not A Fan of love triangles, the dual love triangle (yeah, there are two - does that make it a love square?) in this worked well.  I guess it was because they were included as yet another trial in an already-packed plot, rather than just as tension to perk up a dull plot.
 
I have to say, though, that I didn’t find Elias as swoony as other people have.  I like him plenty as a character, and I did ship him and Laia, but he didn’t really float my boat.
 
When I was reading this I was under the impression that this was a standalone.  Imagine my horror, therefore, when I got to the end of the book and the action just suddenly stops.  I was convinced that my book was missing like the last six chapters or something.  I have since learnt that Sabaa Tahir is now writing a sequel, which makes a lot of sense.
 
I would definitely recommend this book - although it has massive amounts of hype surrounding it, in this case the fangirling is totally justified.  A truly cracking read.
 
4.5 stars

Cover Reveal - Rising Tides by Katy Haye

Katy Haye has today revealed the cover for her upcoming release, Rising Tides, and here it is! And here's the blurb:

When everything you know is washed away, who can you trust?
 
Life is precarious on City, the last civilised place left on a drowned Earth. Some might think Libby Marchmont's safe life there is boring, but she likes it – until her father is murdered and her certainties are swept away.
 
Stranded in the middle of the sea with someone she's always considered an enemy, can Libby learn to trust Cosimo? And can they both survive long enough to share the truth her father was killed for: the seas are rising again and City lies on the brink of destruction.
 
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About the Author
Katy Haye spends most of her time in imaginary worlds - her own or someone else's. She has a fearsome green tea habit, a partiality for dark chocolate brazils and a fascination with the science of storytelling.
 
Author Links:
Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads
 
Cover Reveal Organized by:
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Love and Other Man-Made Disasters

I thought this was quite a sweet book about a girl who worries a bit too much than is good for her and is forced to go on a dangerous skiing holiday with her mum and stepdad.

Firstly, I want to say that I did actually enjoy this book, but unfortunately I think it suffered a little because of my own expectations. When I heard that Juno was a compulsive worrier, I kind of assumed that the story would be an investigation into what life is like living with generalised anxiety disorder, or something similar. Instead, Juno is just a bit vaguely worried about nuclear war/zombie apocalypse/environmental disaster etc. Her worries don't rule her world, she's just a bit, you know, concerned.

Her various worries are looked at at the beginning of the story, but then they're kind of skated over until the end. They certainly don't stop her from sleeping or functioning or having a pretty awesome skiing holiday!  I would have found this book a lot more gripping if it had been a bit tenser, maybe showed how irrational worries can affect people's lives or delved into mental illness a bit.

As it was, this was a fairly lightweight book, but perfectly enjoyable. Juno was pretty cool and had some amusing adventures. Boy was okay (although we never got to hear the origin of his odd name!) but because he and Juno only knew each other for a few days, I never really got a full sense of who he was. The rest of the chalet girls were fine as a background cast and I have to say that I really want to go skiing now. I'd never been keen before, but it sounds great!

I'd say this is worth a read and probably good as a holiday book.

3 stars

Waiting On Wednesday - Love and Other Man-Made Disasters by Nicola Doherty

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine and it's a chance for us all to highlight the upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.  This week, my Waiting On Wednesday pick is Love and Other Man-Made Disasters by Nicola Doherty.  Here's the blurb:

A contemporary teen romance by Irish author, Nicola Doherty, about facing your fears and falling in love. A story with humour and heart, this book is perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Holly Smale and Stephanie Perkins.

Juno is scared of a lot of things. Climate change, urban foxes, zombies - the usual. So when she goes on a skiing holiday with her mum's adrenaline-mad new husband and his tearaway twins, she doesn't hold much hope of surviving. Then she meets Boy. Gruff, hairy and thrill-seeking, he's everything Juno doesn't like. Or is he? Juno's about to discover there's nothing more scary than falling in love.
​
That sounds pretty cool!  It's definite;y going on my TBR list.  What about you?  What's your Waiting On Wednesday pick?

Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski

About a year ago I completely hit the randomizer button and picked up Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski.  I don’t think anyone recommended it to me; I just spotted it on Amazon and bought it.  And I was so glad I did!  It was a really fun read about a group of high school sophomores who develop extra sensory perception from a mutated batch of flu vaccinations. 
 
Imagine how excited I was, therefore, when I found out she’d written a sequel! 
 
Think Twice picks up a couple of years after Don’t Even Think About It leaves off.  The Espies are now seniors and still in possession of their superpowers.  They’ve got used to constantly hearing each others’ thoughts as well as having their own thoughts heard and have even come to enjoy it.  Their post-high school plans all involve the use of their powers, so when one by one they start losing their powers, they panic and try to save their telepathy before it’s too late.
 
I thought this was a great sequel and turned the original story around nicely.  In the first book, the Espies don’t want the powers they’ve acquired, and now they don’t want to give them back.  It was character-driven rather than plot-driven and although I generally prefer plotty books, this was such fun that I actually didn’t mind at all.  Plus, there are like twenty Espies, so there are a lot of characters and viewpoints to choose from.  And jokes about everyone secretly thinking about sex every second of the day don’t get old.  Made me feel like less of a pervert, anyway.
 
I don’t know that I particularly rooted for any one character.  The narrative is told from a collective point of view (‘we did this’, ‘we thought that’) and although you see a kind of third person picture of what people are doing, you don’t end up connecting with any one character more than any other.  And for a book with twenty protagonists, Mlynowski has done a good job of fleshing them all out equally and giving them their own balance of good and bad characteristics.
 
The plot focuses around the Espies losing their powers one by one and trying to halt or reverse the process, but like i said before, this book is more about the characters than the plot - what they think about losing their powers and the lengths they go to in order to preserve them and how it impacts their relationships with the other Espies and their non-Espie friends and family.
 
This was a really decent sequel and well worth a read if you’ve enjoyed any of Mlynowski’s other work.
 
I received a copy of Think Twice in exchange for an honest review.  Many thanks to Orchard Books, Sarah Mlynowski and Netgalley.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

“The winner’s curse is when you come out on top of the bid, but only after paying a steep price.”  

I was really surprised at how much I liked this book!  I picked it up on Amazon a little while ago in one of those flash 99p sales you sometimes see when the final part of a trilogy is being released and the publisher wants to tempt everyone in.  I bought it because I’d heard good things about it, but I literally left it until I had nothing else to read because I wasn’t really sure if it would be my kind of thing.  The reason?  The cover.

Yes, I judge books by their cover. 

The cover of this book is rubbish.  Seriously, look to the left ... see?  Really rubbish.  It looks like a perfume advert and it is in no way representative of what happens in the story and the reason I put off reading it for so long was because the dopey-looking girl in the dress on the front cover made me think this was going to be like The Selection *twitches*.  It’s nothing like The Selection.  For one thing, the characters actually have a little bit of depth about them. 

Seriously though, this would have piqued my interest a lot earlier if it had had some kind of Swords-and-Sandals type cover, because that’s what this book is really about.  It’s about what happens when one civilisation conquers another.  And it’s about romance, too, a bit, but mostly it’s about conquering and impossible choices and trying to please your parents.

Good cliffhanger-ish ending.  Won’t say any more, but it’s made me want to pick up the next book (which, I suppose, is the point).

I really liked Kestrel and felt bad for her that she was faced with two futures that looked equally unappealing.  I also liked that she was a bit of a failure in Valorian eyes (i.e. crap at fighting).   Mary Sues are not my thing.  The romance between Kestrel and Arin was nice and slow-burning, not too rushed, and I really bought into it.  It didn’t overwhelm the rest of the plot either.

The plot itself is pretty good.  It meanders a bit, especially in the first half, which is a little bit too heavy on the dresses, gossip and social engagements for my liking, but the second half is literally explosive and a lot more gripping.  Loads of fighting.  Awesome. 

The premise is that ten years ago, the Valorian Empire (who I think are supposed to be the Romans), conquered the Herrani (the Greeks) and enslaved them.  As soon as the Herrani slaves are mentioned on like page three, I immediately went, ‘Right.  Let me guess.  She falls in love with a Herrani slave and leads a revolution.’  I was mostly right, but the predictability didn’t alter my enjoyment.

So, in summary:  good book, let down by its cover.

4 stars

Cover Reveal - If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin

Brittany Goodwin has today revealed the cover for her upcoming release, If You're Gone, and here it is! And here's the blurb:

If You’re Gone traces a trying summer for rising high school senior Lillian White as she struggles to cope with the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend, Brad Lee - reported missing the morning after his graduation ceremony. When law enforcement dismisses the case and classifies Brad as voluntarily missing, Lillian becomes desperate to prove that he couldn’t have just walked away. Not from his friends. Not from his family. Not from her.
 
Launching her own investigation into the darker side of her small North Carolina town, Lillian begins to uncover secrets from Brad’s past that force her to question everything she thought she knew about him and their relationship.
 
"Soul-stirring... Truly one of the most innovative voices to come along in a while. Goodwin has weaved an engaging web of deceit and intrigue that embodies not only her storytelling prowess but highlights her visionary filmmaking abilities in novel form." (Justin Price, creator of 'Future' SVOD channel)
 
If You're Gone will be available June 20th, 2016 from Edge of 22 Publishing.
 
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Pre-order Link:
Edge of 22 Publishing
 
About the Author
 
Brittany Goodwin is an author, screenwriter and director, best known for the internationally distributed faith-based feature films, Secrets in the Snow and Secrets in the Fall, which have both been awarded the highest honor of five Doves from the Dove Foundation.
 
Brittany lives outside Nashville, TN with her husband and every growing number of rescue pets. She enjoys traveling with her husband and dogs, DIY projects, quoting John Hughes films, playing (and winning!) movie trivia games, and binge-watching Investigation Discovery Channel. A self-proclaimed armchair detective, Brittany is an active member of many Missing Persons blogs and Facebook pages, which inspired the topic of her debut YA novel, If You're Gone.
Film Site: http://www.everynewdaypictures.com/
Author Links:
Website│Twitter
 
Cover Reveal Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Waiting On Wednesday - Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine and it's a chance for us all to highlight the upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.  This week, my Waiting On Wednesday pick is Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski.  Here's the blurb:

The Espies are back in the smart and funny follow-up to Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski.

What's worse than having telepathy in high school?

Having telepathy in high school, and then losing it.

When class 10B got their flu shots and developed the unexpected side effect of telepathy, it seemed like the worse thing ever. But two years later, they've got used to their powers. They've even come to like them. And as they prepare to leave school, they're all making exciting plans - plans that involve them being Espies.

​So when one by one they suddenly begin to lose their powers, they know they can't let it happen. Can they save their telepathy before it's too late? Or will they have to learn how to survive without them once again?

I read Don't Even Think About It last year and it was hilarious, so I'm really looking forward to the sequel!  What about you?  What's your Waiting On Wednesday pick?

Cover Reveal - Summer of Irreverence by Cathrine Goldstein

Cathrine Goldstein has today revealed the cover for her upcoming release, Summer Of Irreverence, and here it is! Looks good, doesn't it?  Here's the blurb:

Straight-laced, veterinary surgeon, Summer Wynters is ready to break the rules. And who better to break them with than the most irreverent of all men, mega rock star Malcolm Angel? With one last summer free from work obligations, Summer moves to New York City, and at the coaxing of her friend, pretends to be a model so she can spend one wild night with Malcolm. 

Rock star, Malcolm Angel, tortured by a dark past, may be the poet laureate of romance, but he, like science-minded Summer, has never believed in romantic love. How could he? With his history, he doesn’t deserve to be loved.

When Summer’s honesty, kindness, and exuberance for life changes his perspective, the two discover they are in deeper than either dreamed possible. But when Malcolm discovers Summer’s been perpetuating a lie, will he forgive her? Even if forgiveness is possible, can a man immune to love teach someone else to believe in it?
 
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Excerpt
 
“How did you go through life with that name…?” Malcolm’s eyes flashed with happiness. “I mean, if I wrote it, people would crucify me. What were your parents thinking?”
 
Summer froze. Suddenly the walls began closing in on her.
 
“I mean, do they love you at all?” Malcolm chuckled.
 
Summer’s feet refused to move, and her arms lay limp at her side.
 
“Summer?” Malcolm’s smile faded. “Sum?”
 
The sound of her nickname spoken by Malcolm did her in. She desperately fought the mounting tears.
 
Malcolm stared at her. “It’s not your name you’re upset about, is it?”
 
Summer clenched her jaw and shook her head.
 
“I’m sorry.” His voice was low and modulated.
 
She nodded, looking at Malcolm, and wanting, for the first time ever, to have someone make it all okay. To have him make it all okay.
 
Malcolm grew quiet. They stood there for whole minutes.
 
“I’m sorry if I touched on a sore subject. Really.”
 
Summer stared at him—this man who had everything except the answer she needed. How could he be so closed off? How could he care so little about the pain of another living creature?
 
He stepped forward then, as if reading her mind. He took her hand gently, and leaned over, speaking quietly into her ear. “It’s not that I don’t care.”
 
Those few words found a place deep in Summer’s soul.
 
Malcolm stood up tall, and Summer’s eyes followed him. He reached out and stroked her cheek as he spoke. “But I’ve got nothing more to give than today.”
 
About the Author 

I am a bestselling author, and a NYC girl at heart. I write “gritty romance,” in the genres of YA, NA; women’s fiction; and romance. I’m also the author of The Letting and The Coupling, books 1 and 2 of The Letting series. I began my career as an award-winning playwright, and I am a proud member of RWA, PAN. I have my BA in English and my MA in Theatre. 

I am a fan of Luna Bars, decaf coffee, yoga, Hemingway, and Bukowski—and the loves of my life are my husband and my two young girls.

To find out more about me; Summer of Irreverence, the first book in The New York Artists Series—standalone novels about strong, artistic men, and the smart, unexpected women they fall for; The Letting series; and what’s coming soon, please visit:www.CathrineGoldstein.com
 
Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook
 
Cover Reveal Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

I thought the premise of the book was really unique and interesting.  The idea is that two different girls - one a convicted murderer and the other a ballet dancer headed for Juilliard - are linked by one girl - Orianna - and gradually they narrate their stories and see how they are interlinked.  It’s a story about guilt and innocence, truth and justice, and how the lines that separate them are not always clear-cut.
 
This is a very descriptive, atmospheric book, and if you like acres of description then you’re in for a right treat.  The writing is very stylized and I didn’t really hear a whole lot of difference in the voices of the two narrators, despite their differing backgrounds.  I really got the sense of the different relationships between people in a young offenders’ institute, though!  The parts of the book set in the prison were very moving and the fact that Amber describes such a terrible situation with such a deadpan narrative makes it all the more effective.
 
The problem I had with The Walls Around Us was that I didn’t really get what was going on half the time.  Am I thick?  I think I might be thick, because so many people have really raved about this book, but I constantly found myself having to re-read passages to try and work out what was going on. 
 
Right from the very beginning, in the scene where the prison doors come undone, I was struggling to pick the story points out of the narrative and work out why things were happening.  I had to read the ending three times and even then it wasn’t until I read someone else’s review that I realized what had happened.  I just didn’t get it and it seemed like a ‘And they woke up and it was all a dream’ ending, or like in Dallas when the Who Shot JR? storyline was just a figment of Pam Ewing’s imagination. 
 
There were quite a few questions that felt like they were left unanswered.  Had Amber always been able to see into the future?  Or was it the lightening that triggered it?  Did Miles know all along what was going to happen in the end?  It seemed like he did, but we never found out.  And Orianna still remained a complete enigma.  I had literally no idea why she stayed silent about the truth all through her trial and sentencing.
 
I guess if I had to put a label on the style, I would call it magic realism.  It was kind of dreamy and stream-of-consciousness and the plot didn’t have a clear structure - it kind of meandered around.  I don’t mind a meandering plot, but there needs to be some character development or something happening.  At times, reading this book was like trying to see through frosted glass.
 
I can see why so many people loved this book.  I really can.  The author is obviously very talented and if you like this style of book, I would say that this would be right up your alley and the idea behind it is brilliant.  The style just wasn’t my kind of thing.

3 stars