Review - Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2) by Alwyn Hamilton

Title: Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, #2)

Author: Alwyn Hamilton

Pages: 528

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Release date: 31st January 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

 

This is not about blood or love. This is about treason.
 
Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruelest manner possible. 

Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley*

Months after the battle at Fahali, the Rebellion is growing. As is Amani's reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit.

Then Amani is kidnapped and finds herself at the palace in the hands of the Sultan and without her powers. The palace is a dangerous place full of power-hungry people, none deadlier than the Sultan who can never find out that Amani is the Blue-Eyed Bandit.

Can Amani spy for the Rebellion without getting caught?

Can she survive at the palace?

Wow! Most sequels fail to live up to the first book, but not Traitor to the Throne!

From the beginning, the book was full of action, betrayal and plot twists.

I enjoyed finding more out about the Djinni and seeing more of Miraji.

I love Amani as a character - she's not perfect and is stubborn.

I adore any scene with Amani and Jin, and like how well they fit together. The romance is sweet and you can feel the connection between them.

I enjoyed the writing style and was gripped from the start.

I found myself thinking about the book when I was at work and couldn't wait to get home to read more - it's not often that a book gets under my skin like that!

I would definitely recommend this series.

I can't wait for the next book!

Overall this was a very enjoyable read and a perfect continuation to the series.

 

Review - Rebel Wing (Rebel Wing, #1) by Tracy Banghart

Title: Rebel Wing (Rebel Wing, #1)

Author: Tracy Banghart

Pages: 372

Publisher: Alloy Entertainment

Release date: 29th July 2014

Blurb from Goodreads:

The Dominion of Atalanta is at war. But for eighteen-year-old Aris, the fighting is nothing more than a distant nightmare, something she watches on news vids from the safety of her idyllic seaside town. Then her boyfriend, Calix, is drafted into the Military, and the nightmare becomes a dangerous reality.

Left behind, Aris has nothing to fill her days. Even flying her wingjet—the thing she loves most, aside from Calix—feels meaningless without him by her side. So when she’s recruited to be a pilot for an elite search-and-rescue unit, she leaps at the chance, hoping she’ll be stationed near Calix. But there’s a catch: She must disguise herself as a man named Aristos. There are no women in the Atalantan Military, and there never will be.

Aris gives up everything to find Calix: her home. Her family. Even her identity. But as the war rages on, Aris discovers she’s fighting for much more than her relationship. With each injured person she rescues and each violent battle she survives, Aris is becoming a true soldier—and the best flyer in the Atalantan Military. She’s determined to save her Dominion . . . or die trying.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Alloy Entertainment and NetGalley*

4.5/5 stars

Aris is a talented pilot who plans to spend her future with Calix, the boy she loves. Everything changes when Calix is drafted into the military. Calix refuses to Promise with Aris wanting to wait until they can be together again.

Lost without Calix, Aris accepts an offer to be a pilot in a search and rescue team. But women aren't allowed in the military in Atalanta so Aris becomes Aristos thanks to a veil that makes her features more masculine.

As the war rages on, Aris becomes stronger and her feelings change.

What will Calix say when he sees how Aris has changed?

Can Aris keep the truth from her family?

Will Atalanta fall?

I first read this when Banghart self published it as 'Shattered Veil' and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much the second time around, I still found this to be an electric, thrilling read that left me wanting more.

Aris is a relatable protagonist and I loved reading as she grew stronger. It was interesting to read as her feelings for Calix changed, as she outgrew him.

The plot has twists and turns and held my attention, my thumb every ready to switch to the next page. The writing style is easy to follow and enjoyable.

This is a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

Review - The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) by Samantha Shannon

Title: The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 528

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release date: 27th January 2015

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

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

4.5/5 stars

Paige has escaped Sheol-I and is back in London but Nashira, the blood-heir of the Rephaim, will do everything in her power to get Paige back in her clutches, including making her the most wanted person in London.

Paige is determined to stop Nashira and her plans to create more penal colonies like Sheol-I in other countries, but how can she get the mime-lords and mime-queens to work together?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Mime Order.

The pacing was better than The Bone Season and there were a lot of twists and turns, many that I didn't see coming (especially that ending!).

Paige has got to be one of my favourite protagonists ever - she's strong and determined but she's not perfect (who is?). It was interesting to see how she coped in the various situations she was thrown into and I enjoyed reading as she grew as a person and learned more about her powers.

One of my favourite things about this series is that the romance isn't thrust into the forefront - Paige doesn't try to examine her feelings for Warden all the time and I like how it's written quite subtly. It's a sweet, quiet romance and I really like seeing Paige and Warden interact.

I loved getting to see Paige as her role as mollisher to her mime-lord Jaxon Hall and reading as she worked with the other Seven Seals.

The Scion London that Samantha Shannon has created is very well thought out and I loved finding out more about the other cohorts.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

Review - Shattered Veil (The Diatous Wars, #1) by Tracy E. Banghart

Title: Shattered Veil (The Diatous Wars, #1)

Author: Tracy E. Banghart

Pages: 372

Release date: 24th February 2014

Blurb from Goodreads:

When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?
~
For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face—and the one promise she swore she’d never break.
In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.
As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion.

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Amazon US 

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. Thanks to Patchwork Press and Tracy E. Banghart*

4.5/5 stars

When Calix, the boy that Aris intended to be Promised to, is Selected for the military her life is turned upside down. Determined to be with him, Aris joins a programme that conceals women using diatous veils in order for them to look like men so that they can join the military. Aris becomes Aristos, using her talent for flying wingjets in search-and-rescues.

  

This gif pretty much sums up my feelings for this book:

I loved everything about this book - the characters, the plot, the twists and turns that I didn't see coming. 

I enjoyed reading as Aris grew into a stronger person.

I would definitely recommend that everyone read this beautifully written book.

Review - All Our Yesterdays (Cassandra Chronicles #1) by Cristin Terrill

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.

Goodreads link:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17451105-all-our-yesterdays

Amazon UK link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Our-Yesterdays-Cristin-Terrill/dp/1408835193/ref=cm_rdp_product_img

My Review:

4.5/5 stars.

I adore anything to do with time travel so I couldn't wait to read this book and I was not disappointed!

The story alternates from Marina and Em's viewpoints. Em is Marina's future self and she will do anything to save the girl she used to be even if it means killing her first love. But can she kill him even knowing that doing so will save hundreds or even thousands of lives?

I really enjoyed this book. I felt for both Marina and Em and it was easy to connect with them. My favourite character, however, was Finn because he always managed to make Marina/Em laugh. The future that Terrill created is (unfortunately) very believable as were the dilemmas that the characters were faced with. I couldn't put this book down and I'm still not sure that I fully understand the ending but I cannot wait for the sequel. I feel like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster and am still on a come-down.

Overall this is fantastic book and a must read.