Review - The Darkness of Shadows by Chris Little

Blurb from Goodreads:

Natalie’s parents weren't the nurturing type—and she has the physical and emotional wounds to prove it. For sixteen years she’s hidden behind a wall of sarcasm and decadent desserts, but now her father is back, and she has only one thought: to kill him before he can hurt the family that took her in.

But there’s more to his darkness than even his own daughter can understand, and a gun is no defense against magic that can raise the dead.

It turns out those scars he left on Natalie’s back were more than just a sadistic hobby. Now her father demands that she finish a ritual so ancient, so terrifying, that even the vampires and werewolves are nervous.

Can anyone protect her?

Goodreads


 

My review:

2/5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Rogue Gargoyle Books and Chris Little*

Natalie spent her childhood being physically abused by her parents.
Now years later her father is back and Natalie is planning to kill him.

There were parts of this book that I liked and parts that I didn't.
Parts that I liked - the fantasy element, Val who was likeable and Mrs G.
Parts that I didn't like - I couldn't connect to Natalie. Some of the things she thought annoyed me. I found it quite hard work to start with. Also this book is classed as sci-fi/fantasy but it reminded me more of a Dan Brown novel.

Overall this was an okay read but not what I was expecting.



Giveaway!

To celebrate Girl Meets Underworld being published for 6 months I'm giving away 3 e-copies on my Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jess-Watkins-Author/501916809855138?ref=hl

All you have to do is comment on the post pinned to the top of my page. Winners will be chosen on Saturday!

Good luck!

J x

Books Read While Away

I'm back from France now and I read a lot of books while I was away!

But first I thought you guys might like to see some pics of where I went in the Dordogne...



Now for the books!

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

3.5/5 stars.

The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns

5/5 stars!

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House Children's Publishers UK and Helen Hiorns*

The name on your wrist is set in England in a future where the name of your soul mate is tattooed on your wrist.

I liked Corin the main character despite her aggressive personality. She was flawed and self-destructive, a result of her father's death.

The characters and setting were all very well developed and believable. The storyline was never dull and there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming.

This is a fantastic book that everyone should read.

Faster We Burn (Fall and Rise #2) by Chelsea M. Cameron

3.5/5 stars.

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

3/5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Lemon Sherbet Press and Kelly Hourihan*

This book is about Jane who has a dead mother and an alcoholic father. Jane is an internet addict and as a coping mechanism she has created several online personalities. The story is told through emails, blog posts and online messages.

I liked Jane and felt for her. Nora and Gary were my favourite characters though. This was an interesting book and I enjoyed seeing how Jane changed throughout it.

Star Trek Into Darkness (Star Trek Novelisations #2) by Alan Dean Foster

3/5 stars.

Flight (The Cresent Chronicles #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

3.5/5 stars.

A unique, intriguing and fast-paced novel with a likeable protagonist and a dreamy love interest.

A Moment (Moment Series #1) by Marie Hall

3/5 stars.

Currently Reading:

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

Book covers from Goodreads.

My holiday went so quickly and unfortunately it's back to work now!

Hope you guys are having a good month so far!

J x

Off on Holiday!

 

I'm off on holiday for 10 days and I'm not sure how often I'll have access to the internet so there won't be any posts for a while.

Anyway have a good few weeks and I will catch you up on what's been going on after the 9th August!

 

J x

Review - To the Fifth Power (The Powers Trilogy #1) by Shirin Dubbin

Blurb from Goodreads:

Three years ago, Zola Noite's nemesis killed her sidekick and forced her to watch. The guilt drove her to hang up her cape. Zola knows one thing for certain. She will never be a superhero again.

Psychologist Dr. Arturo "Fort" Forte specializes in super-powered mental health. He’s the only reason Zola can once again call herself sane—although, truth be told, the heat between them is slowly driving her back to mad.

When three mega-villains escape the prison Fort oversees, all Zola's best laid plans go up in flames. Fort asks her for help, and she can't turn down the man she's secretly come to love. As battles ensue and clues add up, the one thing Zola trusts is called into question: Fort's true agenda and which side he’s on.

Goodreads

Amazon UK



My review:

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Entangled Publishing and Shirin Dubbin*


 2.5/5 stars

I love superheroes so I was really excited to receive a copy of this book to review. It's an 85 page long book about Zola, a retired superhero, whose sidekick was brutally murdered in front of her. The story takes place three years later when Zola is forced to return to her superhero ways when three villains escape from an asylum and come after her.

I don't know whether it was the writing style or the characters but I didn't really connect to this story. I liked Zola who was broken after what had happened. I also liked the other superheroes that featured in the book. I didn't really like Fort the love interest. Some of the things that happened were a bit confusing and weren't explained that well. So overall I found this book to be a bit disappointing.



My Week in Books 22nd-28th July

Read:

Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise #1) by Chelsea M. Cameron

5/5 stars.

Review can be found in an earlier post.

Losing Lila (Lila #2) by Sarah Alderson

4/5 stars.

Double Clutch (Brenna Blixen #1) by Liz Reinhardt

3.5/5 stars.

Review can be seen in an earlier post.

Borrowed:

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare

Star Trek Into Darkness (Star Trek: Movie Novelisations #2) by Alan Dean Foster

Bought:

Nowhere by Jon Robinson (paperback copy)

Splintered (Splintered #1) by A.G. Howard (paperback copy)

Been wanting to read this for ages!

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter (paperback copy)

What's Left of Me (The Hybrid Chronicles, #1) by Kat Zhang (paperback copy)

Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows #1) by Yelena Black (Kindle copy, £0.99)

Love this cover.

My Favourite Mistake (My Favourite Mistake #1) by Chelsea M. Cameron (Kindle copy, £0.99)

Invisible by Cecily Anne Paterson (Kindle freebie)

Lost (Lost and Found #1) by Nadia Simonenko (Kindle freebie)

Currently Reading:

To the Fifth Power (Powers #1) by Shirin Dubbin

Pics taken from Goodreads.

So I had a busy week book wise!

I've been editing Would You Like Brains With That? and had two more story ideas (which I have no lack of at the moment).

I saw The World's End earlier but can't decide if I enjoyed it or not.

Hope you all had a good week!

J x



Review - Double Clutch (Brenna Blixen #1) by Liz Reinhardt

Blurb from Goodreads:

Who to choose . . .?

Thrust back into school life after a year in Denmark, Brenna Blixen is soon making new friends and catching the eye of two boys with bad reputations. There’s the dark and mysterious Saxon, and the gorgeous and sexy Jake.

They’re both totally hot and totally into Brenna.

But Saxon and Jake have unresolved history and Brenna’s caught in the middle.

It’s time to make some tough choices, fast.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US



My review:

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House Children's Publishers UK and Liz Reinhardt*

3.5/5 stars.

Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read.
Brenna, the protagonist, was relatable and direct.
One thing that did concern me was that she was only fifteen (but that could be because my sister recently turned fifteen).
I felt for Brenna as she struggled to control her feelings for both Jake, who was sweet and caring, and Saxon who was sexy and a complete jerk.
I was proud of Brenna when she told Jake about her encounters with Saxon and when she told her mum, who was against her having a boyfriend, about Jake.
Even though this book didn't wow me I would still recommend it and I liked it enough to want to read the sequels.