Review: And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1) by Kristen White

Welcome a new breed of YA heroine

Title: And I Darken
Series: The Conquerors Saga
Author: Kristen White
Publisher: Penguin Random House, UK
My ratings: 5 out of 5 stars
Released: 7th July, 2016
A And I Darken, is one of those rare breed of YA stories that makes you sit up and pay attention. Set in Eastern Europe in a time where not many books are set, it is more of a re-imagining of historical events than actual fantasy.

Imagine if Vlad the Impaler was not a man but a woman. How would the events unfold. We have Lada who is brutal, hard and vicious. And a delightful main character. I love this trend of dark heroines which brings a new flavour of heroines who are not just kick ass but are harsh and not afraid of embracing the darker side of life.

However, this story is not simply about Lada, but also follows her younger brother, Radu who is everything that Lada is not. Their relationship between them is convoluted and complex. Their love hate relationship had me on tenterhooks. Bring in Mehmed. Another complexity to these three peoples relationship and it is a recipe for the most festering, gritty and tortuous relationship I have ever read.

The story was a car crash I could not stop reading. The fierce wild Rada opposite the delicate, sly Radu set in an ever changing world of new religion and kingdoms, their abandonment shaped them as children and love and hatred kept changing them as adults.

This book explored so many aspects of life in the 500 years ago. What it means to be a woman? Is being physically strong the only way you can be powerful? Can you fight battles from court rooms? And what does it even mean to be an emperor? We had Rada hating her gender and trying her best to remove any form of feminity and loved that she discovers that sometimes being a women is how you fight your battles. While Radu was struggling with his own identity, his faith and his loyalties.

I hated the self-righteous Mehmed and I cannot explain the details without giving spoilers. What I can say is that this is one of the must read YA releases this summer, pushing the boundaries of YA story telling which will have you transfixed to the pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House, UK

Audiobook Review: Gameboards of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Futuristic, bad ass and ambitious

Title: Gameboard of the Gods
Series: Age of X
Author: Richelle Mead
My ratings: 4 out of 5 stars
Released: 4th June, 2013
Anything that Richelle Mead writes has always been enjoyable to me. However, mixed reviews for this series made me hesitate. I shouldn't have, as she reinstilled my faith in her. Gameboard Of the Gods is Mead's new adult series which I think has been her most ambitious yet.

While I have enjoyed her YA Vampire Academy series, I have always preferred her adult series. Georgina Kincaid series was my introduction into the world of urban fantasy and I never looked back. That series will always hold a dear place in my heart.

Gameboard of the Gods has an elaborate plot, world building and quite convoluted relationships and I wouldn't expect anything else from her. Without going too much into plot, the story is set in a futuristic version of North America where our main protagonists are Mae, a implant enhanced future super soldier and Justin, an exiled officer with questionable morals.

I admit it took me a little while to really get into the story but once I did I was wholly invested in it. Mead has a talent for writing in small clues throughout the story which beautifully comes together towards the end. But the best thing about Gameboard of the Gods was Mae. and Justin's relationship and both their personalities. Both of them are not exactly what you call good people. Selfish, rude and with eschewed morals (especially Justin) they make for an interesting pair. Their chemistry was off the charts and the whole forbidden attraction was played really well, which I may add this author is an expert in.

I had one complaint and this is about the narration. Emily Shaffer, the narrator did a great job of encompassing each character's personality but I wish she did male voices a little more huskier. While she managed to make Justin sound suitably flippant and cocky, his voice didn't sound any different from the female voice of Mae.

Overall, I'll recommend this book to all fantasy fans but will ask them to go in with an open mind and let the story take you. I seem to be in the minority who loved this book but I have a feeling if you go in not expecting Richelle Mead's usual style, you'll most certainly enjoy it.

Audio Tour: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

I cannot say how excited I am about kick starting the blog tour of this amazing debut by Dawn Kurtagich’s called The Dead House. I’m not someone who reaches for a horror book as my usual genre and I started this book with some trepidation. However, I can assure you tis book was amazing. More of this will be coming later in the review but now I must proceed and squeal how delighted I am to host this blog stop. Plus I was got a surprise for you at the end. Yes a Giveaway too.

Before we go any further, let’s remind ourselves about what The Dead House is about.

Title: The Dead House
Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Publisher: Indigo Books, UK
Released: 1st August, 2015
Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading.
 
For, this audio blog tour, Dawn has prepared these fantastic audio teasers. I’ve been lucky enough to snag the teaser where the one of the main characters, Kaitlyn introduces herself. Listen on and I promise you will be screaming for more.


Creeped out yet? Believe me when I say I jumped a few times while reading this book and yes, it was in bright daylight. I loved the format of this book, which is written in a unique format which I’ve never come across before, It was fascinating and I was hooked. Apart for my min review above, I have a copy of the final copy of The Dean House to giveaway. It is UK/IRE only and I’m not responsible for any items lost in the post. All you have to do is enter via the rafflecoptor widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Shooting Scars (The Artist's Trilogy #2)

Unique and edgy

Title: Shooting Scars
Series: The Artist's Trilogy
Author: Karina Halle
Publisher: Headline Eternal, UK
My ratings: 4 out of 5 stars
Released: 20th August, 2014
To some Karina Halle may be a new author on the block, but for me she was a delightful discovery I made nearly 4 years ago when I stumbled upon her Experiment in Terror series. I have followed that series after tens of books I am so pleased that she has been published under Hodder and Stoughton. The Artist's Trilogy was highly acclaimed when it came out and it also shot her to fame, which got bought in the US and UK soon after. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to pick this series by her which arguably has been her best-selling series so far. .


Shooting Scars is the second book in the Artist's Trilogy which follows the life of a con artist on the run with a string of drug lords and dangerous men behind her. Scarred and out for revenge, she meets her childhood friends, Camden, who brings back memories. Now after so long, the friendship develops into something else when the past catches up with Ellie and she had to leave Camden and go back to the bat shit crazy ex-boyfriend who also is a drug lord hell bent in seeking revenge. .

This series has a unusual story line and its appeal lies in the morally ambiguous characters. The story is narrated in a first person narrative with alternating POVs which helps us keep in track of the events unfolding in both sides of the fence. This series and its characters are not in any way black or white. In fact the readers have to choose which character to root for by judging on the various degrees of darkness. .

On one hand Ellie, who is smack dab in the middle, thinks Camden is a wonderful human being where a Camden thinks that the cheating con artist is has a beautiful heart. The darkest of them all and undoubtedly my favourite of the trio, Javier.  Some readers may enjoy the nerdy sexy tattoo artist with his piercings and his gentle way and even ship him with Ellie, my firm favourite remains Javier. He is everything I despise in a human being because he is a drug lord, and a murderer. He is a criminal master mind and people like him should be in theory locked up but they make for riveting reading. He sees Ellie the way I see her, broken and dark and I feel they are intrinsically connected. Which means my ship is certainly going to sink. .

I enjoyed the breathless pace this book sets and how the character development is not ignored in this high octane ride fuelled with lust, revenge, murder and lust. The relationships between the characters are well fleshed out and I enjoyed how much growth we see in Camden on this journey to the dark side. .

Shooting Scars lives upto its expectations after its predecessor left a hard to follow act. This series is fast paced, with the right amount of darkness, revenge, murder, romance and smexy times mixed to give the reader an experience that will leave them asking for more. .

A unique and edgy romantic thriller which will leave you asking for more. .

Review: Consequences (Consequences #1) by Aleatha Roming

Manipulation and mind screwing taken to another level

Title: Consequences
Series: Consequences
Author: Aleatha Roming
Publisher: Self Published
My ratings: 4 out of 5 stars
Released: August,2011
Consequences is a clever book. It made me think twice, no, make that thrice at events taking place over the course of the story. What starts as a harmless date turns sinister, as Claire is kidnapped and kept captive by Anthony Rawlings, self-made millionaire. Through all the atrocities Claire has to endure she slowly learns to survive. She learns to live. She follows the rules and pleases Anthony.

Consequences is not a book for everyone. It introduces the reader to a scenario which can happen to anyone anywhere. The way Claire is trapped and kept captive broke my heart for her. It was a gilded cage where she was tortured every single day. Through sheer will force she learns to survive and through the strength of her mind learns to endure. The evilness in Anthony made me want to hurl the book at someone. The way he manipulated circumstances where Claire had to beg for little privileges was heart wrenching. The complete power he held over Claire made me want to torture Anthony to no end. Regardless over time, even he is unable to resist Claire and the power she has within her and slowly even he starts to fall for Claire. Or does he?

This book was a total mind –f**k. It starts of well but moves at a snail’s pace in the middle 75 percent of the book. It was essential to demonstrate Claire’s growth and her psychological state of mind but I can only take so much shopping and spa visiting. I believe this little issue can be addressed by some editing and fine tuning.

I really don’t know what to say to convey my feelings about the story. It gave me the creeps. I was sad and angry though out the book. The book wasn’t that long but it surely felt like it.

I was so completely enamoured by Claire’s ordeal and strength of character that I kept reading with a morbid fascination. We get glimpses at the justification of Anthony’s behaviour but even though it is likely in the future books, I believe he is beyond redemption.

This story is something that should be experienced by the reader themselves and make the decision to keep reading as it may not be to everybody’s taste. The middle bit requires editing but my curiosity to find out more kept me going. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoy dark literature to give it a go, as it is something which may intrigue or repulse you. As for me, I was so exhausted with the mind games by the end of Consequences that I’m not sure I have the energy or the right state of mind for more mind –f**k. Maybe in the future, as I’m assured that the series gets better.