Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is a meme created by Tynga's Reviews. It is "all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks". If you would like to find out more about this meme click here. 

So I think the book buying ban went pretty well, with only the minor slip-up here and there. I am now, however, well and truly sick of it and I am lifting the ban! I have quite a few books here, mostly books that were kindly given to me by the O' Brien Press as I am currently undertaking work experience there (blog post on this to follow). I also picked up a couple of books in WH Smith and one book in a random bargain bookshop.

All of the images below will have clickable links to their Goodreads profile  (while some of the O' Brien Press books without a profile will link you to the O' Brien Press page).


Firstly we will start off with: THE O' BRIEN PRESS BOOKS

There is a great mix of contemporary, fantasy and historical fiction in this group. I have already started The Million Dollar Gift and I am loving it so far. If you like X-Men you will love this book.

Next up we have: BOOKS THAT I BOUGHT

Yes, sadly it has taken me this long to finally pick up the Percy Jackson book. I have been itching to read the Heroes of Olympus series but I know I must read the Percy Jackson series first and for some reason that has really put me off it (possibly because I have seen the terrible films!). I have had Falling Kingdoms on my TBR list since it first came out and I finally saw it in WH Smith so I had to get it. The last book I picked up was Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. If you don't know I absolutely fell in love with Sanderson after reading the Final Empire (review here). Elantris is an international bestseller and I do believe it is Sanderson's most popular book. I love his writing style and I love his incredibly unique magic systems which I have heard also features in this book, so it was a no-brainer when I saw it in WH Smith.

If you have read any of these books, let me know what you thought of them or if you yourself have taken part in this meme please feel free to leave a link in the comments

WWW Wednesday (February 12th)

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3. What do you think you will read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past. But we are still here. And there are more of us every day. Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight. After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings. Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it. But we have chosen a different road. And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose. We are even free to choose the wrong thing. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.(Goodreads Synopsis)

I absolutely loved Delirium and Pandemonium (find out why HERE.) so of course I had to pick up Requiem. This series does have a love triangle, which would normally make me hate the book, but I am so Team Alex that it makes it OK. Due to my love of Alex I am incredibly worried with where this story is going to go, I am not too optimistic so far but then again I am only a couple of pages in.

2. What did you recently finish?

Splintered by A.G. Howard

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.(Goodreads Synopsis)

This book featured in my previous WWW Wednesday; I was really excited to start reading this, but unfortunately this was a big let down for me. Alice in Wonderland is completely cookie and crazy and this just takes it too far and is too weird. It also featured the most painful romance that made me want to tear my hair out and, in fact, made me hate the two protagonists. It hurt me to finish this book.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (Goodreads Synopsis)

On a happier note I also recently finished Cinder, which I loved, and you can find out why HERE.

3. What do you think you will read next?

I have absolutely no idea what book I want to read next, but I think it will be between these three. I would love to know which of these books you would recommend so leave a comment down below.

If you have also taken part in this meme, leave a link below and I will be sure to check it out.

Book Review: Cinder by Melissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: January 3rd 2012
Pages: 387

Goodreads Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

If you haven't guessed already I am a huge fan of re-tellings. This stems from my University days when I studied Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber", which is basically a re-telling of fairytales and legends such as Little Red Riding Hood, Puss-in-Boots, Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast. It is more suited towards adults as it is quite dark and violent. Cinder is one of those books that you hear about EVERYWHERE, and when I heard it was a re-telling of Cinderella with cyborgs I was incredibly intrigued. I was looking for something that was different and not your everyday YA book and Cinder did not disappoint me there.

Lately, I have been disliking the female protagonists in the books I have been reading. They are usually far too reliant on male characters or are spoilt/pathetic/shallow etc. Thankfully Cinder was none of these things. I really liked the character of Cinder as she was strong and independent. She wasn't the usual YA protagonist that swoons every time she sees her crush. When she first meets him, she is shocked and clearly really excited (not only is he her crush but he also happens to be famous, well a Prince). Cinder sticks to her guns and her motivations are not selfish. Her actions do not revolve around Prince Kai but more so what she knows is the right thing to do. She makes level headed decisions and doesn't lose her mind because of her crush on the Prince.

This brings me on to the romance. Being a YA book and a re-telling of Cinder there is obviously going to be a romance, however, this one thankfully did not overshadow the plot line of the story. THANKFULLY. Now, the romance was a little rushed but it was not the be all and end all and, in fact, even though the feelings Cinder and Kai had for each other progressed very quickly, the romance itself didn't. Hallelujah, extra points for that.

Now, while I really enjoyed the character of Cinder I was not too fond of Prince Kai. Now don't get me wrong he seems like a nice guy but I guess that is the problem, he seemed too nice. A Prince who has no notions of grandeur, thinks only of his people, etc. seems too good to be true. He was a little too boring for my liking. I loved the character of Iko. She was quirky and fun and basically the perfect sidekick for Cinder, who is far too serious. The Lunars were also incredibly interesting characters with the Queen of the Lunars playing the perfect antagonist. 

One tiny little aspect I had a problem with was the setting. This story was set in New Beijing, which I was excited for as not many books are set in such locations. Unfortunately, this book, literally, could have been anywhere. To be honest I kept imagining the place like an American city (why American? Probably because most of the books I read and tv series I watch are set in America). It was only when the words New Beijing were mentioned would I remember that this was actually meant to be an Asian city - so quite different to what I was imagining. There was only the odd reference to Asian like buildings. I would have liked this book to have been more firmly rooted in Asian culture, so Asian clothing, buildings, streets, customs etc. However, this wasn't really a major problem for me, but if you are looking for an Asian setting, this book will probably not be for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line and found it so refreshing from what I usually read. This is my first cyborg read and I would definitely pick up more after reading this. This was a really enjoyable read for me and so I give it:

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Cry

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry. This topic is a difficult one for me this week as I don't really read books that make me cry, and in fact, I am not really someone who cries very much. I didn't make ten for this one no matter how much I tried to think of books that made me cry and I happen to feature FOUR Harry Potter books...J.K. Rowling just gets me!

All the pictures have clickable links which will take you to their Goodreads page in case you have not read them yet. I have tried not to spoil any books (except Harry Potter because seriously has anyone not read them? If you have not read HP do not continue as you will be spoiled).

So without further ado, here are the top seven books that had me bawling my eyes out like a baby:


The Book Thief

I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the end of this book had me absolutely hysterically crying; it wasn't pretty. This book is one of my all time favourites, in fact, if a book makes me cry over the characters, then that just shows how emotionally invested I am in the story.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Do I even need to explain this one? (Do not continue reading this if you don't want to be spoiled). I think Fred dying was the worst for me, FRED!A TWIN??How could J.K. Rowling do that? Oh and how about Tonks and Lupin? New parents! Oh gosh this book was amazing but totally awful. I really appreciate when an author can kill off popular characters. Let's face it, there were bound to be some casualties and it is far more realistic when some of the main characters have to be sacrificed. I nearly forgot Dobby, how!?...up there with Fred dying, possibly worse.


Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Ok, so Cedric Diggory wasn't a main character and I really didn't even like him all that much but for some reason I cried! Now, I only shed a tear, it wasn't the same as the last two books but just shows how much I love Harry Potter that such a minor character dying would upset me.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Dumbledore dies....Do I need to say more? Ugh, again, another Harry Potter book that had me bawling. Now that I think about it, J.K. Rowling killed a lot of my favourite characters...



Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix


Oh, look, it's another Harry Potter book. This was the first death in Harry Potter that really had me bawling. I absolutely loved Sirius Black. OK, so he had his flaws, but it was the opportunity of a new life/family for Harry and then, boom, DEAD! I blame Harry for it too, all his fault.

A Child Called "It"

This happens to be the only book on this list that I cried over not because of a death. This book is a true life story of Dave Pelzer whose Mother physically abused him for several years. What made it even more sad was the fact that the three other children and the father were treated normally, while Dave was beaten in so many horrific and imaginative ways. This book was truly horrifying, and while I am glad I read it, it still makes me feel so angry and upset just thinking about it, even though I read this about ten years ago. This book is not for the faint hearted.


Mockingjay

This is another book that had me crying (not too much) over certain characters deaths which I will not name. My favourite male character of the series dies...that was depressing. Then another, slightly major character dies too...which was totally unexpected and incredibly sad. I didn't have as many feels for the characters in this book as the others but I am pretty sure I shed a tear so I had to add it to my list.






If you participated in this weeks Top Ten Tuesday leave a link in the comments. Or, if you have not participated leave your list below :)

Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenille
Published: Febuary 7th 2012
Pages: 330

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave. Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

Yet again, this is another book I have chosen because of it's popularity in the booksphere. I was particularly excited for this one, not only because I had been wanting to read a witch book for awhile, but also because of the time period it is set in. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book is an alternate history story. This story is set in the late 1800s, nearing the start of the early twentieth century. Putting it in context with our real history this book would be set in a time soon after the Salem witch trials as Cate states that in her grandmother's time witches were burned at the stake. As I had wanted to read a book about witches and magic for so long I had high expectations for this one, which were unfortunately not met.

The aspect that disappointed me the most in this story was, in fact, the magic, or should I say the lack of magic. For a story about witches this book has very little actual magic in it, apart from a scene near the end of the book. I would even describe the magic as quite boring - the most interesting thing to happen being a garden blooming to life or Cate moving an object through the air with difficulty. There is also very little explanation behind the magic and it appears that only women have these gifts.

So, the magic wasn't the main attribute focused on in this story, what was?...The romance (I know right, shocking!). When I picked up this book I wanted to read a book full of witchy goodness not a book about a love triangle, which happened to be the most boring "love story" I had ever read. I was not particularly enamoured with either of the love interests, one of them was purposefully made out to be a little bit sketchy and just plain boring, while the other was made out to be the nicest guy you have ever read about but again, boring.

The plot was incredibly predictable which isn't the worst thing when reading YA fiction. However, the lack of originality was the problem for me. It followed the usual plot of YA stories: female protagonist must fight against the oppressive system in order to save those she cares about. Parents are MIA, mother is dead and father is always away. The main character is involved in a love triangle, and ultimately cannot be with the one she loves because of the oppressive society she lives in and so we wait to find out what happens in the next two books to resolve this. OK, I loved Delirium and it followed a similar plot line to this, along with several other books I have enjoyed but there has always been some saving grace, such as the characters or the world-building, that has redeemed the book in my eyes. The characters in this book did not do that for me.

The three sisters are each stereotyped into one role that they play throughout the novel, leaving absolutely no room for character growth which is something I love to read about. Tess, the youngest, is the genius of the family, who is good at, literally, everything. Not only is she the most intelligent, musically gifted and the best at magic, she is also able to read people and understand their true intentions. Then we have the middle sister Maura, and being the middle sister she, of course, is the rebellious one. She is a character who is impossible to like because she causes most of the problems in the story and she is a complete and utter spoiled brat. Finally, we have Cate, the eldest, so naturally she plays the protective older sister role. She is your typical YA female protagonist who does not understand how beautiful/talented she really is. She puts everyone else in front of herself, and is the martyr of the story.

Now, before I bash this story altogether (which was not my intention but I tend to go off on rants), there was one aspect to this book that I did enjoy and that was the issue that was tackled. I love when a book, especially in YA because I feel it is quite rare, tackles serious issues. This book deals with the issues of inequality between men and women. This story is set in a time where (in real history) women lived in a patriarchal society; the women were completely controlled by men and their place was seen to be in the home. At the time the main objective of a woman was to find a husband and to be a good wife and mother. These are all aspects that feature in this story. Cate's impending intention ceremony is one such example. Cate must either have a marriage proposal or chose the Sisterhood (basically similar to the nuns) before her seventeenth birthday or the Brotherhood will chose a husband for her. Women are not allowed to run businesses and are looked upon unfavorably if they do, e.g. Finn's mother. The fear men had of women is excellently portrayed in the book. Not only were the Brotherhood afraid of the real witches they also feared women who didn't rely on men, such as women who had relationships with other women, women who ran their own business' and woman who acted too mush like men "aping" their clothing and what not. Women who "refused to submit to man's authority" were punished (quote from Maura on p.38, line 20-23). Another interesting aspect was how Spotswood refers to the Arab women as the free women of society, allowed to run businesses and wear trousers, a clear role reversal as strict Muslim women do not run business nor wear trousers and must cover up from head to toe.

While I did not love the story, and found the plot and characters unoriginal I loved the discussion on the role of women in this story and that is why I give this book a rating of:

WWW Wednesday (January 29th)

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What did you recently finish reading?

3. What do you think you will read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

Splintered by A.G. Howard

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own. (Goodreads Synopsis)

I am a huge fan of re-tellings and so, of course, when I saw an Alice in Wonderland re-telling, I just had to have it. Alice in Wonderland was on of my favourite VIDEOS (no DVDs back in my day!) even though it scared the bejesus out of me. I am only around ten pages into the book so I can't tell you if I am liking it or not yet but just look at that beautiful cover *drools*...AND the one for the second book, Unhinged, is even prettier *gasp*. Oh.Ya. I will have a review of this on my blog once I have it read so you can check that out to see what I thought.

2. What did you recently finish?

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (Goodreads Synopsis)

I actually really enjoyed this book and gave it a four stars. I didn't completely love it but it was quite a fun read and I absolutely loved the concept behind so I pushed it from 3.5 to 4 stars. I will have a full review up of this one shortly (work is ruining my review schedule!).

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish. (Goodreads Synopsis)

There seems to be a pattern again this week. I appear to be reading all re-tellings...did I mention that I love them? I want to read this one so I can do a compare and contrast post between this book and Splintered, so I can choose my favourite Alice in Wonderland re-telling. Another upcoming post, which I will hopefully have up in the near future.

If you have taken part in this weeks WWW Wednesday leave a link in the comments below and I will be sure to check it out.

Top Ten Tuesday: Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In/Characters I'd NEVER Want To Trade Places With

So this week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday by the Broke and the Bookish is: Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In OR (since some of you might not read stuff with different worlds) Top Ten Characters I'd NEVER Want To Trade Places With. So how I decided to do this weeks TTT is to do my Top Five Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In AND my Top Five Characters I'd Never Want To Trade Places with. Now while some of those would probably overlap I decided to not mention the same book twice. They are in order my least favourite world to live in/character to be being number 1. All the pictures have clickable links which will take you to their Goodreads page in case you have not read them yet. I have tried not to spoil any books just in case they are new to you guys. So here we go:

TOP FIVE WORLDS I WOULD NEVER WANT TO LIVE IN:

1. Wither by Lauren Destefano: In this dystopian world women die at the age of 20 while men die at the age of 25. Do I need to say more. If I lived in this world I would have died three years ago...AND just to make things worse young girls are kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides in order to bear children as the population is dwindling fast. Ya, not pleasant.
2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I don't think I even need to explain this one. Yet another dystopian world, one where you might just be picked to take part in the hunger games with 23 other teenagers, you must, literally, fight to the death. If, you manage to escape the Hunger Games and live in the poorer districts, you will be forced to do back breaking work in the orchards/mines etc and have very little food/possibly no electricity/hot water etc. All in all not a great place to live and so it is a well deserved second worst world to live in.
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver: Dystopian world number three: Delirium, where everyone over the age of 18 is cured of the disease deliria a.k.a love. The cureds are zombie like people with basically no feelings and go about their life in a regimented uncaring way. The uncureds are completely seperated from the opposite sex, homosexuals are considered unnaturals and touching or any sign of affection is strictly forbidden. Your husband is chosen for you once you become of age and it is your duty to procreate (without love of course). Oh and did I mention that the cure could go wrong and make you crazy?...Not the most ideal world to live in.
4. Legend by Marie Lu: Another dystopian, another big bad government controlling its people. Reasons I wouldn't like to live in this world: ten year olds are murdered if they fail a test of strength and intelligence, the government spreads a plague through its poorest districts and there is a major war going on between the colonies and the Republic of America. Poorer people are treated terribly and food is scarce...but let's go back to the PLAGUE...I would be the one to get it no doubt and that just does not sound appealing to me as it cause death and blindness etc.
5. Slated by Teri Terry: In this (yes, another one) dystopian world, those people under the age of 16, who "commit crimes" are slated, their memories erased and a whole new life created. They do not remember anything including their families and are actually placed with a new family. They wear a levo on their arms which makes them collapse and even die if they get too sad or angry. The main reason I would not like to live in this world is because most of the children who are slated are not in fact criminals. I don't think I would like all my memories to be erased and to be completely removed from my home to live with complete strangers.

TOP FIVE CHARACTERS I WOULD NEVER WANT TO TRADE PLACES WITH:

1. Ruby Daly from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken:  Ruby spends six years living in a labour camp, terrified of the abilities she possesses. If her specific power was known to those in the camp she would have been killed. She lives in constant fear, not only of those controlling her but even of herself. I would love to have one of the abilities in this story and that's why it didn't make the above list.
2. Juliette Ferrars from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette drains power from people when she touches them and as a result can kill people merely by touching them. While this would be a great defense mechanism, it is not exactly ideal for everyday. Everyone thinks she is a freak and she winds up in an insane asylum. No, thanks.
3. Harry Potter from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Ok, ok...yes, I would love, love, LOVE to live in HP world but, in all fairness, Harry is hunted by the scariest and most powerful wizard of ALL TIME. His parents have been killed by said wizard and several other important people in his life are murdered. Again, not ideal.
4. Jem from The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare: Jem's parents have been killed by a demon and this same demon has caused Jem to rely on a dangerous drug to keep him alive even though it is actually slowly killing him. I would not like to be dying and so I am afraid I would not like to swap places with Jem.
5. Cinder from Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Cinder has suffered severe injuries which has left her a cyborg, with 36% of her body basically robotic. Now some of her abilities are pretty awesome such as her ability to tell when someone is lying but I don't think I would like to be 36% metal. Not only this but she is reviled by her family and society and is forced to work hard all day and her stepmother gets all the money. Poor Cinder has a tough life.

Who would you least like to swap places with and what world would not like to live in? Do let me know in the comments below and if you yourself have taken part in this weeks TTT please feel free to leave a link below :)

Review: Poison Dance A Novella by Livia Blackburne

POISON DANCE BY LIVIA BLACKBURNE

Goodreads Synopsis:

James is skilled, efficient, and deadly, a hired blade navigating the shifting alliances of a deteriorating Assassin’s Guild. Then he meets Thalia, an alluring but troubled dancing girl who offers him a way out—if he’ll help her kill a powerful nobleman. With the Guild falling apart, it just might be worth the risk. But when you live, breathe, and love in a world that’s forever flirting with death, the slightest misstep can be poison. Poison dance is approximately 14,000 words, or 54 printed pages.

Poison Dance is the prequel novella to Livia Blackburne's debut novel Midnight Thief. I added this book to my To Read shelf on Goodreads and was contacted by the author who offered to send me the ebook in exchange for an honest review. I am incredibly grateful as I have been eagerly awaiting the release of MT which unfortunately won't be until July. I am a huge fan of anything and everything medieval, in fact, I was, for a time, a tour guide of a reconstructed medieval street in a museum! So, when I saw the Goodreads synopsis of Midnight Thief, I just had to have it. You can find my Waiting on Wednesday post here, where I have this week featured Midnight Thief.

So, before I actually go into the story and my review I would firstly like to tell you the background to the novella. It features the assassin James, who is actually the leader of the Assassin's Guild in Midnight Thief. Here is quote from Livia herself explaining why she wrote this novella:

"I originally conceived of James as a supporting character in my novel Midnight Thief, and I quickly fell in love with him. As the enigmatic leader of the Assassins Guild, James was cool, competent and intriguing. He was the type of character who invited questions. How had he come to power at such a young age? What was behind his hatred of the nobility? Had he loved before? Was he even capable of love? I wanted to tell his story, and here's the result."

While Livia would class Midnight Thief as mid-YA she explained to me that Poison Dance was closer to Upper YA and New Adult - heavier on the romance and much darker. Now the novella being classed as New Adult got me really excited because I have been looking for a story like this which is New Adult, rather than Young Adult. I love YA stories but being 23 I find that sometimes they are a tad bit too childish, there is not enough violence and definitely not enough of mature relationships. However, when I read that it was heavier on the romance I was a little bit wary as I am not a huge fan of romance in stories. So, with that in mind I went into the story a bit apprehensive, thinking that this would merely be a love story but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found instead.

This story was very short coming in at 54 pages long and so I am incredibly surprised at how much of an insight I got into the world. We are introduced to the Assassin's Guild and some of it's key members in particular the new leader, Gerred and the assassin James.The Assassin's Guild was once an incredibly successful venture, with members who had been both influential and feared, in the time of the story, however, this reputation has been destroyed and the assassin's are merely seen as thugs. The politics of this world is well developed. We are introduced to the noblemen who are known as wallhuggers due to their close proximity to the palace walls. They are clearly corrupt and untrustworthy men, who even have dealings with the assassins. Then there are the guards of the city who rule with an iron fist, The Red Shields, they kill and hurt without thought for others. The city is clearly not a place of freedom. This information has set up a great backdrop for Midnight Thief and I can't wait to find out more about this world.

What I found to be most interesting in this novella was the treatment of women. Thalia, the main female character in the story is a dancer in the Scorned Maiden. She dances for the pleasure of men. She, like all the other women at that time, is meant to be seen and not be heard. The men in the story speak of women as if they are objects to be taken and the women are only too willing to obey - "You bed her yet?" Asked Bacchus. "If you're not interested, I want a try". This makes me excited for Midnight Thief as it tells the story of a young girl Kyra who joins the assassin's guild. I love to read stories where women are empowered in a setting that suppresses them, it makes them much more impressive. I have a feeling I am going to like Kyra.

Another aspect that added to the atmosphere of this world was the dialogue. The author knew she had very little time to give a sense of the time period and setting in this short, 54 page novella, and she cleverly uses dialogue to gives us this sense of medieval times. I have often read books that were set in different time periods that used words and phrasings of the modern world. Livia completely immerses the reader in her medieval setting with dialogue such as this:

“I would retain your services.” Her tone was serious. She believed
herself earnest, at least.
He gave a low chuckle. “Many think they would. But few have the coin,
and even fewer truly have the stomach for it.”
“I have enough coin.”
“And how does a dancing lass come across so much money?” He dropped
his eyes to her shapeless dress. “Unless your trade is not purely
dancing.”
She flushed now, her nervousness replaced with anger. “My business is my own.
Will you take my coin or not?”

Overall, I found this was an enjoyable novella. It did take me awhile to get into the story but once I did I couldn't stop reading it. I loved the ending but it may not be to everyone's taste, however, I feel it added to the darker theme Livia was portraying. There was plenty of action in it and the romance didn't overpower the plot but added to it nicely. My only problem was the length, I wanted more so I could get a better grip of the world, but then again, wanting more of a story is hardly a bad thing.

RATING: 

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick for this week is Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

MIDNIGHT THIEF BY LIVIA BLACKBURNE

Goodreads Synopsis:

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs. But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

In her arresting debut novel, Livia Blackburne creates a captivating world where intrigue prowls around every corner—and danger is a way of life.

I recently received the prequel novella Poison Dance to review which you can find here. It gives a great background to the story and world of Midnight Thief, providing the reader with an insight into the Assassin's Guild's leader James. I also had the opportunity to read the first chapter of Midnight Thief along with the novella and let's just say, it has made me even more excited about this book. Publication is set for July.

What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick? Leave a link below in the comments and I will be sure to check it out!