Tag: Bookreview

• Book Review – Dance of Despair: The Ilvannian Chronicles Book 2

  Posted at 11:21 am by Jodie, on March 14, 2020

  

  I was extremely lucky to be a beta reader for Dance of Despair and I feel privileged to have been a part of it’s development as it is an amazing read. And no, I’m not exaggerating.

  Last year I read the first book in The Ilvannian Chronicles, Crown of Conspiracy, and I ate it up. I asked in my review at the time, ‘Why hasn’t this Indie author got a book deal?’. My view hasn’t changed. In fact, Kara S. Weaver is a writing genius. Traditional publishers are seriously missing out by not having her on their books.

  Crown of Conspiracy set the tone for the series perfectly with the tale of a reluctant princess, filled with action from the first page to the last. Untold secrets, betrayals and theories galore, I really didn’t want it to end, but end it did, and with a huge cliff hanger.

  Dance of Despair picks up where we left the action, and here’s my review, without the spoilers.

  Unlike the first book, this is told from the perspective of two characters. One remains in Ilvanna, in the familiar setting of snow and mountains, but it is anything but comforting. The other finds themselves in exotic and vibrant surroundings, struggling to find their place while also hiding their identity.

  Kara has such an easy and natural way of bringing in details of the world around the characters that you are instantly transported into the cold stone halls of the palace, or searing heat of the desert.

  

  All of the characters are well detailed and real! There is no hopeless princess or macho man coming to save her. No, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, which are consistent throughout.

  What I love about Dance of Despair is the side characters, who are anything but! From the palace healer, to the Araîtiste (tattoo-artist), to the Gemsha (I’ll leave you to find that one out), and even Gods, everyone has their moment in the spotlight. Every one has a purpose. Every one adds a little nugget of information, driving the plot forward and filling in the gaps left by the passage of time.

  Some characters you will love, believe me I have many, and others… not so much. What I can guarantee is an emotional roller coaster as you become submerged in the story and walk in the characters footsteps. You will laugh (Kara still owes me a coffee after I spat my cortado over the train!), cry and shout in frustration in equal measure, but one thing you won’t be is disappointed.

  Shalitha and Talnovar went through hell in Crown of Conspiracy. In Dance of Despair they are doing just that. Both are dancing on a tight rope of despair trying desperately to reach the other side. I’m not going to give anything away, but it’s certainly not a smooth crossing. Both are vulnerable, both are damaged, but can they be healed? All I will say is, expect the unexpected.

  You would be crazy not to give this series a read. If fantasy isn’t your thing read it anyway, because the story is told in such a subtle way that you don’t even realise that it is fantasy. You will be drawn in from the very first page, so deeply in fact that you will likely read through them in a day or two. You’ve been warned. Make sure you clear your diary as, once you find yourself tangled in the conspiracy, you’ll have a hard time walking away. I really can’t wait for the next instalment!

  For your copy of Crown of Conspiracy and Dance of Despair, head to Amazon.

  Speak soon, Jodie xxx

  Posted in Book Reviews | 0 Comments | Tagged #amazon, #blog, #crownofconspiracy, #danceofdespair, #karas.weaver, #march2020, #review, #theilvannianchronicles, #worldindiewarriors, Bookreview

• Book Review – The Sentinels 1: Saving Her

  Posted at 9:30 am by Jodie, on January 18, 2020

  

  Back in October I began reading the first book in The Sentinels series, Saving Her, by Cassidy Reyne. Unfortunately, due to NaNoWriMo, our family’s birthday season and then Christmas, I’ve only recently finished and I’m still dealing with the hangover.

  Here’s my review, without the spoilers.

  We learn pretty quickly that Nikolas is a well liked, hard working, demigod. You know the type, swoon worthy hot, but he’s not showy or vain with it. To him, it’s just the way he was built, it’s in his DNA. He is a Sentinel.

  ‘What is a Sentinel?’ I hear you cry. Well, for the answer you will have to read the book, but it does give Nik some abilities. We’re not talking Superman here, but they definitely come in handy during the course of the story.

  Nik has been unlucky in love in recent years and has thrown himself into his work, that is until Anya slips into the seat next to him on a plane bound for New York. For reasons I won’t go into now, they become close very quickly, and gradually their harrowing pasts come to light. Unfortunately, a happy ever after isn’t on the cards… yet.

  

  Kidnappings, explosions, deadly viruses -it really does have it all.

  Cassidy has a great voice across the pages, going straight for the details and the heart strings. I joke in my writing group that I have a steel heart when it comes to books, very few have made me shed a tear, but Cassidy really goes for the feels. You’ll find yourself laughing, crying, and shouting in frustration at the characters and their decisions and reactions.

  Cassidy has created an amazing world of extraordinarily talented people. With that being said, this isn’t a fantasy or a sci-fi. No, it’s a gritty romantic suspense that is heavy on the romance.

  If you are looking for hearts and flowers, you will get them in bucket loads, but don’t be fooled. With them comes the tale of two individuals who have gone through hell to find each other, but they never got the memo that their troubles were only just beginning.

  I would highly recommend giving this a read, you will be entertained from start to finish, and I give you warning that you will struggle to put it down. I can’t wait to read The Sentinels 2: Saving Him. It’s sat in my tbr pile taunting me, but I have another book to read first. For your copy of The Sentinels:Saving Her, head to Amazon.

  Speak soon, Jodie xxx

  Posted in Book Reviews | 2 Comments | Tagged #amazon, #blog, #cassidyreyne, #review, #thesentinels, #worldindiewarriors, Bookreview

• The Red Queen Series – Review

  Posted at 10:53 pm by Jodie, on March 14, 2019

  In my last update I promised you a little review of The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard, so here it is!

  At the beginning of the year I had set myself a challenge of reading all of the books in my To Be Read pile, mostly Young Adult fiction. Can you believe I had over 30?

  I was doing pretty well until mid February and I hit one that was quite hard going, The Shadowhunter’s Codex. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love all the Shadowhunter’s books but I’m not a great lover of non fiction. So to be reading a non fiction style book based on a fictional world, lets just say we weren’t compatible

  

  When I finally finished, I wanted something lighthearted and easy to read. I had had a few people say how good The Red Queen Series was and I had all four books on my shelf, so it was an easy decision to make.

  I’m going to try and review each book without giving anything away but beware, these books will take over your life!

  The series is set in a fantasy world which is divided into several kingdoms, one of which is Norta where the bulk of the stories take place. At some point in the past the world was divided by a change in blood, red and silver.

  The Reds became the common folk, used as slave labour and forced to fight in a never ending war with a neighbouring kingdom, whilst the Silvers are the elite. They are the rich, the noble houses, royalty AND to varying degrees they have magical abilities.

  

  Red Queen – This one I finished in 24hrs, I could not put it down!

  Mare Barrow is our main character. She is seventeen, a Red and comes from a poverty stricken town where she has honed her skills as a thief.

  One night she tries to steal from the wrong guy and ends up at the palace. One false move and, much to the annoyance of several characters, Mare discovers she has powers stronger than most Silver’s.

  So as not to cause a panic amongst the nobles, Mare is declared a long-lost Silver Princess and finds herself engaged to a Prince!

  Knowing that it could ultimately cause her own death, Mare begins helping a militant resistance group, the Red Guard, to bring an end to Silver rule

  I fell into the setting of Mare’s world quite easily, even though there are a lot of character’s and house names to get through. Some of the character’s have a big reveal at the end, and you can see it coming from a mile away, but it still doesn’t make it any easier to take. In these sorts of books I love a good love triangle, and this one doesn’t disappoint as you are given a love…pentagon?

  

  Glass Sword – Again, this one was another quick read in 24hrs.

  Mare soon discovers that she is not alone in her ability to wield Silver like powers with Red blood and she sets out on a mission to find others to join the rebellion.

  All the while she is being hunted but Mare finds she has much in common with the vengeful Silver king. Will she become the kind of monster that she is trying to take down?

  I will be honest, out of the four books this one was probably my least favourite. I still enjoyed it and there were some interesting twists, especially the cliff hanger ending. I like the fact that Mare, as the ‘hero’, has flaws, she’s not perfect, but wow can she be a selfish brat at times. Her internal whining could get quite annoying. You’ve been warned!

  

  King’s Cage – This book was a little larger so took around a day and a half to complete.

  Mare is powerless without her lightning ability, trapped in a prison made by the Silver king she once loved.

  Maven continues his obsession with control over Mare and the kingdom but are they his wishes or the work of his dead mother?

  Will the Red Guard be able to continue the fight without their poster girl? No longer able to hide in the shadows they must train, organise and expand if they are to overthrow Silver rule.

  Then there is Cal, the exiled prince, with a claim to the thrown and an accomplice to the Red Guard. He will stop at nothing to bring Mare back but by doing so, it may fracture the Kingdom he loves beyond recognition.

  After the twist at the end of Glass Sword I found King’s Cage a bit slow to get going, I’m not sure if this was intentional due to the situation Mare was in. The second half of the book had much more action and pace and it might make you begin to see people and their reasons for acting they way they do in a new light.

  

  War Storm – This book is mahoosive and took me almost three days to complete.

  Betrayal. It stings and Mare learned the hard way. With her heart still in pieces she is more determined than ever to secure freedom for Reds and Newbloods. To do that she needs to take the crown from Maven which, unfortunately, means teaming up with Cal, the cause of her heartbreak.

  Maven is still driven by his obsession for Mare and is relentless in his attempts to cage her again, even if it means the destruction of everything and everyone standing in his way.

  Whichever direction you turn, war is on the horizon but who will come out on top? Silver, or Red?

  I’m not sure if it took me so long to read because of the length or the fact I didn’t want the series to end so I read it slower! The changing narrators didn’t help much either. Most of them were alright, I especially enjoyed Evangeline’s chapters to the point I have completely changed my view about her and she has become one of my favourite characters. I really couldn’t seem to get on with Iris though and her chapters just seemed to drag.

  I don’t want to give too much away in terms of the ending but, throughout all the books, I had built up a picture of what I wanted the ending to be. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, although it’s halfway there. I’m not sure if it’s the way it finished, or the fact I had been reading non-stop for six days, but I had that strange numb feeling where you don’t really know how you feel, or how you should feel. I didn’t know whether to be happy or cry.

  So, I hope you have enjoyed this little roundup. It would be great if you could tell me your reaction to the ending, who your favourite characters are or even who’s team you are on.

  Over and out!

  Jodie xx

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Bookreview, reading, redqueen

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