Review - Her Hidden Life by V.S. Alexander

Title: Her Hidden Life

Author: V.S. Alexander

Pages: 400

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: 3rd May 2018

Blurb:

It’s 1943 and Hitler’s Germany is a terrifying place to be.
But Magda Ritter’s duty is the most dangerous of all…

Assigned to The Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat, she must serve the Reich by becoming the Führer’s ‘Taster’ – a woman who checks his food for poison. Magda can see no way out of this hellish existence until she meets Karl, an SS officer who has formed an underground resistance group within Hitler’s inner circle.

As their forbidden love grows, Magda and Karl see an opportunity to stop the atrocities of the madman leading their country. But in doing so, they risk their lives, their families and, above all, a love unlike either of them have ever known…

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My Review:

 *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley*

 Magda Ritter is a young woman living in a Germany that is at war. Magda's parents send her to live with her aunt and uncle, away from the Allied bombings in Berlin. Magda soon finds herself with a job on Hitler's staff, working as a taster at Hitler's mountain retreat, the Berghof.

Life at the Berghof is a hidden escape from the horrors of the war. At first. But Magda becomes tangled with assassination attempts, romance with a SS officer and hidden horrors of the war.

With a job that literally means Magda must put her life on the line every day, any moment could be her last.

How far will Magda go to survive?

The premise of Her Hidden Life really intrigued me.

I have mixed feelings about Magda. She had lots of horrible things happen to her but I found some of her reactions and thoughts questionable.

The plot was interesting, mainly because of the period that the book is set in.

I wasn't a big fan of the romance. They didn't know each other that well and I would have preferred it to be a slow burner.

The writing style wasn't one of my favourites but it suited the story. However, there were parts where it could have flowed better and there were times where I lost interest.

There were a few places where details were repeated which I thought was unnecessary as I remembered them from the first time they were mentioned.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall this was an okay read.

 

Review - Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy, #1) by Laura Sebastian

Title: Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy, #1)

Author: Laura Sebastian

Pages: 448

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Release Date: 14th June 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Queen of Flame and Fury, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser and his court as the ridiculed Ash Princess.

When the Kaiser forces her to execute her last hope of rescue, Theo can't ignore her feelings and memories any longer. She vows revenge, throwing  herself into a plot to seduce and murder the Kaiser's warrior son with the help of a group of magically gifted and volatile rebels. But Theo doesn't expect to develop feelings for the Prinz. 

Forced to make impossible choices and unable to trust even those who are on her side, Theo will have to decide how far she's willing to go to save her people and how much of herself she's willing to sacrifice to become Queen.

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My Review:

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley*
 

When Theodosia was six, her country was invaded and her mother, the queen, was murdered was murdered in front of her.

For the past ten years, Theodosia has been Thora the Ash Princess. As Thora, she has learned to survive despite the near-constant abuse she receives from the Kaiser. Thora is placid and does not fight back. 

However, when the Kaiser forces Thora to execute the man she thought would rescue her, Theo is done being Thora. Now she wants revenge. With a group of rebels, Theo plans to seduce and murder the Kaiser's son, the Prinz.

Will Theo get her revenge?

Will she escape the Kaiser?


The blurb for Ash Princess really intrigued me. It sounded like something that would grip me and keep me guessing. However, I was left disappointed.
I liked Theo and felt sorry for her - she had gone through a lot and I thought she was very strong.
None of the characters stood out that much for me, although Cress was quite interesting.
The plot was okay. Nothing that happened shocked or surprised me. For a book that's over 400 pages I found it quite slow and I didn't think that very much happened plot-wise. 
I didn't mind the writing style but it didn't hold my attention - I lost interest towards the end and I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.
I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall this was an okay read.

Review - All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Title: All of This Is True

Author: Lygia Day Peñaflor

Pages: 432

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Release Date: 31st May 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

MIRI loves the novel Undertow like it's a living being. So when she and her friends get the chance to meet the author, Fatima Ro, they plot a way to get closer to her. As for what happened with Jonah … Well, obviously none of that was Fatima's fault.

SOLEIL wants to be a writer herself one day. She can't believe it when Fatima asks them to hang out with her – and having Jonah there makes it even better.

PENNY is more than the party girl everyone thinks she is, and she's willing to share her darkest secrets with Fatima to prove it. But what will happen when Fatima finds out about Jonah?

All of This Is True is a story of obsession and revenge, betrayal and forgiveness, and the devastating result of a secret that didn't stay buried.

 

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley*

The lives of Miri, Soleil, Penny and Jonah change when they become friends with Fatima Ro, the author of the girls' favourite book.

The four teens grow close to Fatima, who wants to know everything about them.

Jonah is hiding a secret. What will happen when it is unearthed?

Is there more to Fatima than meets the eye?

All of This Is True is told by interviews and journal excerpts which was a different and refreshing way to tell the story. However, for me, it seemed that this took away from the thriller aspect of the plot.

The characters were a mixed bag for me. I wasn't keen on Miri or Fatima, but I liked and felt sorry for Soleil and Penny. Jonah too.

The plot was interesting most of the time, but I did find it a bit predictable.

I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

I feel that this didn't quite reach its potential for me - I wasn't gripped or on the edge of my seat.

Overall this was a mostly enjoyable read.

Review - The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

 

Title: The Beast's Heart

Author: Leife Shallcross

Pages: 304

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: 3rd May 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

I am neither monster nor man—yet I am both.

I am the Beast.

The day I was cursed to this wretched existence was the day I was saved—although it did not feel so at the time.

My redemption sprung from contemptible roots; I am not proud of what I did the day her father happened upon my crumbling, isolated chateau. But if loneliness breeds desperation then I was desperate indeed, and I did what I felt I must. My shameful behaviour was unjustly rewarded.

My Isabeau. She opened my eyes, my mind and my heart; she taught me how to be human again.

And now I might lose her forever.

 

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 My Review:

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*

The Beast was once a man but after being cursed by the Fairy he is now monstrous.

Having lived alone for numerous years, the Beast's loneliness makes him desperate for company. Desperate enough that when a man stumbles across the Beasts's domain, he comes up with a way to meet the man's daughter, Isabeau.

Will Isabeau agree to stay with the Beast for a year?

Could Isabeau be happy living with the Beast?

Will her family cope without her?

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale, so I leaped at the chance to read The Beast's Heart. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

The Beast's Heart is told from the Beast's point of view, which I found interesting. It is also more closely based on the original fairytale (from what I can remember) in that Isabeau is the youngest sister and asked her father to bring her back a rose from his travels.

The Beast was an interesting character and I liked Isabeau. I also liked her sisters and enjoyed reading the parts about them.

The plot wasn't particularly surprising and not that much really happened.

I struggled to get into the writing style at the beginning, and while I did ease into it somewhat, I still found it a bit off-putting at times.

I have to admit to being slightly disappointed with The Beast's Heart, and I'm left with mixed feelings.

Overall this was a mostly enjoyable read.

Review - Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

Title: Love, Hate & Other Filters

Author: Samira Ahmed

Pages: 288

Publisher: 16th January 2018

Release Date: Hot Key Books

Blurb from Goodreads: 

First love, first heartbreak, first brush with prejudice . . . 
A romantic, searing and relevant debut about Islamophobia and how it affects the normal life of a teenage girl.

"I don't want something . . . expected. I want to go to film school and be the first Indian American to win an Oscar, and then I can meet the One and fall in big, heart-bursting love, and we'll travel the world, my camera ready to capture our adventures." My cheeks flush; I know I'm blushing, but I can't bring myself to shut up. "Oh, my God. I want my future life to be a cheesy romantic comedy."
He shakes his head. "No," he says. "You want it to be an epic."

Maya Aziz dreams of being a film maker in New York. Her family have other ideas. They want her to be a dutiful daughter who wears gold jewellery and high heels and trains to be a doctor. But jewellery and heels are so uncomfortable...

She's also caught between the guy she SHOULD like and the guy she DOES like. But she doesn't want to let Kareem down and things with Phil would never work out anyway. Would they?

Then a suicide bomber who shares her last name strikes in a city hundreds of miles away and everything changes . . .

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 My Review:

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley*

Maya Aziz loves making films and dreams of studying film in New York.

She struggles to be the daughter her parents want her to be - they want her to be a lawyer or a doctor, and to marry a nice Muslim boy.

Maya has a crush on Phil, a guy at her school, but nothing can happen between them. Can it?

Then a suicide bomber with the same surname as Maya attacks a city, and Maya finds herself and her family in danger.

Can Maya have the future she wants?

I had heard lots of good things about Love, Hate & Other Filters, so I was excited to read it. However, apart from having a Muslim protagonist, this felt just like every other book to me.

What I liked -

The cultural representation, and the fact that there was a Muslim main character and that Islamophobia is shown.

What I didn't like -

Maya was very rude to her parents at times. While I could understand her frustrations, she didn't have to act the way she did.

Her mum was the stereotypical Indian mum who wants her daughter to marry a Muslim boy, and for her to be a lawyer or a doctor. It would have been refreshing if Maya's mum hadn't been like that.

I didn't like the romance. I just couldn't feel the connection between Maya and Phil.

While there was cultural representation, Maya didn't really discuss her faith that much.

The plot was okay but I lost interest a couple of times.

The writing style could have flowed better in places.

I was expecting more from this after all the hype.

Overall this was a disappointing read.