Review - Tarnished City (Dark Gifts, #2) by Vic James

Title: Tarnished City (Dark Gifts, #2)

Author: Vic James

Pages: 416

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release Date: 7th September 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

A corrupted city. A dark dream of power.

Luke is a prisoner, condemned for a murder he didn’t commit. Abi is a fugitive, desperate to free him before magic breaks his mind. But as the Jardines tighten their grip on a turbulent Britain, brother and sister face a fight greater than their own.

New alliances and old feuds will remake the nation, leaving Abi and Luke questioning everything – and everyone – they know. And as Silyen Jardine hungers for the forgotten Skill of the legendary Wonder King, the country’s darkest hour approaches. Freedom and knowledge both come at a cost. So who will pay the price?

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My Review:

 

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

After the events of Gilded Cage, Luke is now a prisoner and Abi is determined to set him free.

Silyen Jardine is curious to learn more about Skill while his father will do everything he can to keep power in his grasp.

Tarnished City follows straight on from Gilded Cage which I enjoyed. I was excited to see what the author had in store for the characters in this sequel.

I liked the characters and I was enjoying the plot for a while but then I found myself losing interest and I didn't really care what happened next. I think the problem was that the story dragged in places and some things that happened didn't shock me like they were supposed to - instead of being surprised I just thought oh, okay then.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more. I might try and read it again another time.

Overall this was an okay read.

 

Review - The Extinction Trials (The Extinction Trials, #1) by S.M. Wilson

Title: The Extinction Trials (The Extinction Trials, #1)

Author: S.M. Wilson

Pages: 384

Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

Release Date: 1st January 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Betrayal. Sacrifice. Survival.
Welcome to the Extinction Trials.

In Stormchaser and Lincoln's ruined world, the only way to survive is to risk everything. To face a contest more dangerous than anyone can imagine. And they will do anything to win.

But in a land full of monsters - human and reptilian - they can't afford to trust anyone. Perhaps not even each other...

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My Review:

*I won an ARC of this book. Thanks to Usborne Publishing*

-Contains spoilers!-

Stormchaser and Lincoln live on the continent of Earthasia where space is running out and there is barely enough food to go around. Healthcare is a luxury given to only a select few, but despite this the population is still growing faster than Earthasia can cope with.

Enter the Trials. Every year people enter to become Finalists who are sent to the dinosaur continent of Piloria. Some aim to become Finalists for the extra food, others have different reasons. However, all are given a task to complete in Piloria that the Stipulators hope will aid in the survival of the humans and their aim to colonise Piloria. Last year the Finalists went for food. This year they need to get the eggs of three of the most dangerous dinosaurs.

Will Stormchaser and Lincoln survive their time on Piloria?

Can Storm cope with the guilt she feels about what they are doing?

I usually try not to compare books to each other if I can help it, but this really was the Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park.

I liked Storm and Lincoln as characters. They were relatable and it was interesting to read as Storm struggled with the ethics of what they were doing. The reason behind Storm's scars wasn't as interesting as I was expecting, but I liked her bond with Milo the Plesiosaur.

The plot was mostly good, but there were some things that bothered me. For example, resources were so low that at the end only one of the Finalists that got an egg could have extra food and healthcare, yet during the Trials and the boat journey to Piloria, the competitors/Finalists were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. That didn't really make sense to me.

I enjoyed reading the scenes with the dinosaurs and I was glad that there wasn't much romance - I think it would have taken away from the story if there had been more.

While I am slightly disappointed that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, I am intrigued to see what happens in the next book.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

 

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn't Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!)

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week the topic is:

 Ten Books I Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn't Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!)

 Here are my picks (some of which I have been meaning to read for years. Ooops)...

1) Pivot Point (Pivot Point, #1) by Kasie West

2) Uglies (Uglies, #1) by Scott Westerfeld

3) Incarnate (Newsoul, #1) by Jodi Meadows

 

4) Easy (Contours of the Heart, #1) by Tammara Webber

5) Rebel Belle (Rebel Belle, #1) by Rachel Hawkins

6) Clariel (Abhorsen, #4) by Garth Nix 

 

 7) Splintered (Splintered, #1) by A.G. Howard

8) Obsidian (Lux, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

9) The Eye of Zoltar (Last Dragonslayer, #3) by Jasper Fforde

10) Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4) by Christopher Paolini

What books are on your list?

Review - A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

Title: A Beautiful Poison

Author: Lydia Kang

Pages: 350

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Release Date: 1st August 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US









My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley*

America is at war and Spanish Influenza terrorises the city, but the lives of Allene, Jasper and Birdy are changed when a young woman dies at Allene's engagement party. Florence's death appears to be an accident, but the trio think she has been murdered.

Then more people connected to Allene, Jasper and Birdy start to die in strange circumstances.

Who is the murderer?

Will Allene, Jasper and Birdy be next?

I was REALLY looking forward to reading A Beautiful Poison - a historical murder mystery novel with a gorgeous cover? Yes please! But I am so disappointed!

Where to begin...

From the very start I found parts of the writing stilted and as they didn't flow easily it made it hard to get into the story.

I didn't like any of the main characters. Some of their reactions and some of the things they said were odd. I also didn't think that any of them were particularly nice, but of course them not being perfect does make them realistic characters. Lucy and Ernie were likeable and I felt sorry for them.

The plot was okay but I guessed something at the beginning that ended up being right.

I lost interest a few times and nearly DNF'd at one point.

I liked that Allene was really into chemistry (as a former chemistry university student it was interesting to see it in a book).

Overall this was an okay but disappointing read.

Release Week Blitz - Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy

presented by Entangled Teen!

Grab your copy today!

Congratulations Monica!

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead. 

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed. 

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she's next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she's never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her. 

There's something he isn't telling her. But there's something she's not telling him, either. 

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy
Publication Date:  January 2, 2018
Publisher:  Entangled Teen

 

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Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide.

She is a traditionally published author with Bantam/Random House and Harper Collins/Avon, as well as an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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