July Round-Up and Book of the Month!

July's Book of the Month is Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

So this month's book of the month was a close call between Crown of Midnight and Angelfall - I was so torn between the two of them! But in the end I decided to go with Crown of Midnight simply because it's a sequel so I've had more time to get to know the world and characters and so at this point favour them a tiny bit more. Also because Crown of Midnight completely upped its game and was, in my opinion, even better than Throne of Glass! You can check out my review here for more of my thoughts and a review for the incredible Angelfall will be on the blog next week.

*** Me trying to choose a book of the month! *** 

Read in July 
60.) The Sound by Sarah Alderson (3*)
61.) A Cottage by the Sea by Carole Matthews (4*)
62.) The Archived by Victoria Schwab (4.5*)
63.) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (4.5*)
64.) Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements (3.5*)
65.) Angelfall by Susan Ee (5*)
66.) Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines (2.5*)
67.) Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (5*)
68.) Killer Queens by Rebecca Chance (4*)

July Book Awards
Best Plot: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Best Writing: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Best Cover: Angelfall by Susan Ee
Best Characters: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Best Ending: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Best Romance: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Most un-put-down-able: Angelfall by Susan Ee
Most Memorable: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Best Moral: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Top 3 Most Recommended Books: In case you hadn't already guessed from the book awards it'd have to be Crown of Midnight, Angelfall and Eleanor and Park.

Books I’m Looking Forward to Reading/Being Released in August
Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly
Deception by C. J. Redwine
Cruel Summer by James Dawson
It's Raining Men by Milly Johnson
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

 How was your month in reading? Did you read any of the books I read? What are you looking forward to reading in August?

Review for Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Warning 
This is a review for the second book in the Throne of Glass series and there may be spoilers about the first book in this review.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: 15th August 2013
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Goodreads Summary: 

"Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her."

Review 
I’d read Throne of Glass last year when I was poorly and when I picked up Crown of Midnight I found that I couldn’t remember much from the first book (which didn’t surprise me as I was having really bad headaches at the time.) Turns out it didn’t really matter how much I remembered as Crown of Midnight is very much a new and separate story and there is clever and discreet re-capping when needed to jog the memory which made it easy to slip back into this world.

Crown of Midnight felt like quite a different read from Throne of Glass and I think those differences made it even stronger than the first book. Crown of Midnight is more mystery driven, don’t get me wrong, there is still a *lot* of fighting, although perhaps not as much as there was in Throne of Glass. Instead there are secrets, politics and conspiracy, murder, ancient magic and intrigue. With surprises and plot twists throughout, this book is expertly paced. I lost count of how many times my jaw physically dropped open in shock! Crown of Midnight showcases what a masterful storyteller Sarah J. Maas is. A good writer can write an action scene with lots of gore, blood and brutality for thrills but it takes a masterful writer indeed to weave a twisty turny mystery full of subtle hints and surprises around every corner.

The plot once again follows our beloved characters: Celaena, Chaol and Dorian, who have their own subplots and secrets that come together as the book goes on. We get to learn more about Celaena’s life before the tournament as she goes back to her roots as an assassin only this time tasked to kill for the King now that she is his champion. She also uncovers secrets in the castle about the King and his plans along the way. Meanwhile Chaol is struggling to balance his loyalty to the King with his ever growing feelings for Celaena and his need to keep her safe. And Dorian is hiding a powerful secret of his own that could cost him his life. I loved following each character and their stories individually and together, there was so much going on with each of them! The character development was wonderful and I felt like each character grew in this novel and that I got to know them all a bit better.

I’ve been on the Chaol and Celaena ship since day one and I loved watching their flirty banter from Throne of Glass build into a consuming romance in Crown of Midnight. Their relationship is fiery, passionate and emotionally compelling – it was well worth waiting for! Unfortunately the couples love story isn’t a smooth one and my heart would break for both characters at times. Celaena and Chaol’s romance struck me as an epic, end game, all time love and no matter what happens I will be pushing for them to end up together throughout the rest of this series!

Sarah J. Maas has completely upped her game with this stunning sequel. The world, the characters, and the plot everything is more vivid and polished compared to the first book. Crown of Midnight felt darker, more romantic and was entirely unpredictable. The quote from the cover “Before she was deadly. Now she is unstoppable” is completely true for Celaena’s character development as we see a darker more deadly side to her awaken in this book. Crown of Midnight is without doubt one of the strongest sequels I’ve ever read and is a favourite of mine for 2013. After that huge game changer of an ending I can’t wait to see what Sarah J. Maas has in store for us in book three!

Review for The Sound by Sarah Alderson

The Sound by Sarah Alderson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 1st August 2013
Genre: Young Adult, UKYA, Thriller, Contemporary, Murder Mystery, Romance
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review




Goodreads Summary:

"When aspiring music journalist Ren Kingston takes a job nannying for a wealthy family on the exclusive island of Nantucket, playground for Boston's elite, she's hoping for a low-key summer reading books and blogging about bands. Boys are firmly off the agenda.

What she doesn't count on is falling in with a bunch of party-loving private school kids who are hiding some dark secrets, falling (possibly) in love with the local bad boy, and falling out with a dangerous serial killer..."

Review 
I’m a big fan of Sarah Alderson’s Lila series so The Sound was a book I was eagerly anticipating. I loved the synopsis, the gorgeous cover, and the promise of a contemporary thriller set against a beachy, summer backdrop. The Sound sounded like a book that I’d love but in reality it was a bit hit and miss for me, I’m afraid.

Like the Lila books I enjoyed the English girl in America storyline as Ren is nannying in Nantucket for the summer. I loved the setting and as always Sarah Alderson’s writing was on the money and quickly pulled me into the story. But after the first fifty or so pages I started to wonder when we were going to get to the good stuff and when we’d get to the thriller aspect of the book that I was waiting for. I know that Sarah Alderson is more than capable of writing thrilling, none stop action scenes having read the Lila series but unfortunately it was lacking in this book. The Sound read more like a summer contemporary than a thriller until the very end. The pacing for the thriller/murder mystery aspect wasn’t the best. Although I enjoyed the contemporary side to this story I was expecting more action and was constantly waiting for something to happen.

I had mixed feelings on Ren as a heroine. On the one hand I loved that she was bookish and a blogger and I could relate to that side of her personality. On the other hand she’d constantly go on about not wanting to be a “Bella” but would then go ahead and make dumb choices of her own. I’m sorry, but if there was a serial killer targeting young, foreign nannies in the area and I was a young, foreign nanny I would haul ass out of there! Hot guy or no hot guy!

Ren’s love interest Jesse on the other hand *takes a moment to fan self* he gets an A+. I’ve got to hand it to Sarah Alderson she knows how to write really hot guys and I came to love Jesse just as much as Alex from the Lila series. Jesse is a misunderstood and brooding character who is loyal to his family, a Nantucket misfit, plays in a band and reads books. It took some time to figure out if I could trust Jesse but as we get to know him I loved him more and more and he was without a doubt my favourite thing about this book.

The ending was pretty intense but I was sad to discover that I’d sussed out most of the twists along the way and the big who done it reveal which is always disappointing when it comes to a thriller because you want to be shocked and surprised. However, I was gripped regardless and loved the danger and action that was finally delivered. I just wish that it wasn’t all saved until the end and was paced throughout the novel.

Overall The Sound was a book that I wanted to love but ended up being a bit hit and miss for me. However, despite wishing there was more action and feeling like it took too long to get going I’d recommend reading this book for Jesse alone. He was a brilliant distraction from the things that I didn’t enjoy about this book.

Book Trailer: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

So my blogger friend Casey makes these incredible book trailers on her Youtube channel The Bitter Productions and I wanted to share with you guys her most recent for one of Bloomsbury's big summer titles All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill! Rave reviews for this book have already been flooding in and watching this trailer has me even more excited to check this book out! In case you haven't heard about All Our Yesterdays yet here is the synopsis:

"Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet. Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future."

 The Trailer

   

 All Our Yesterdays will be out August 1st 2013 and you can pre-order your copy here! Give Casey @DarkReaders and Hooked on Books @hooked_books a tweet and let them know what you think of the trailer! I know they'd love to hear from you guys!

Spy Society Blog Tour: Robin Benway's Dream Cast!

I’m all fangirly and excited today because I have one of my favourite authors Robin Benway guest posting on the blog for the UK blog tour celebrating her new novel Spy Society! Here’s a little more about the book…

"Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover."

And now I’d like to welcome the awesome Robin Benway to Jess Hearts Books where she will be discussing her dream cast! Over to you Robin!

Robin Benway's Dream Cast

I have to say, SPY SOCIETY is the first book where I actually have a dream cast! Usually my characters don't look like anyone famous in my mind and I can't imagine what they'd look like onscreen, but that's not a problem this time:

MAGGIE: Okay, despite that disclaimer, Maggie's the one that's still a bit difficult for me to cast. In my head, she just looks like an average girl. Maybe it's an actress who hasn't been discovered yet. Any suggestions, readers?

ROUX: Someone once suggested Rebel Wilson (left), which I think would be amazing! I also recently saw Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" and I thought maybe Claire Julien (right) would be good in that role. Just someone who can be funny, tough and vulnerable, all at the same time. No easy feat!



JESSE: To me, he looks like Tyler Posey (left) from "Teen Wolf." Or maybe the actor who played Freddie on "Skins," Luke Pasqualino (right). I think either of them would be perfect.



ANGELO: Angelo will always be Ian McKellan to me.

MAGGIE'S PARENTS: Hands down, every time, Amy Poehler and Louis CK. They would be such perfect spy parents! My absolute dream casting, to be sure.

 

Thank you so much for being on the blog today, Robin! Over to you readers! Who would play your dream Maggie? And who would you choose as Roux and Jesse? Is there someone else you have in mind entirely? I'd love to know!