Book Review: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm a huge Ilona Andrews fan, anything they write.. I generally enjoy.
I'm happy to say the statement above applies to this wonderful book as well. While I wouldn't rate it a solid 5 on an Ilona Andrews scale, its a 5 when compared to a book written by any other author.

What I Liked
*Nevada and Rogan aren't forgotten, they're still there and their absence is explained as well as why Catalina and not Nevada is head of the house.

* Pace of the novel

* Strong female protagonist

* Easy to like male protagonist

* Interesting and well thought out plot


What I Didn't
I had a slight issue with the insta-love/relationship between Catalina and Alessandro.They're not together, don't worry I'm not spoiling the plot, this point addresses what happened before the book and how it justifies Catalina's attraction to him. I would have preferred if her attraction to Alessandro wasn't so instant or encouraged by everyone around her.

Cannot wait for the sequel!


View all my reviews

Book Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FIRST REACTION: This book had heart. So much heart and it was so cute. I'm missing out on sleep because of it but I have no regrets

Full Review
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book just after I finished The Kiss Quotient. I devoured this book and enjoyed it much more than its predecessor. The book has a lot of elements that I enjoy and I will list them out in detail below:

The arranged marriage trope

I'm a sucker for the arranged marriage trope as it generally leads to hilarious situations. This book took it up a notch and made the trope super fun yet did not take the attention away from the heart of the book, its characters.

Characters

I loved both the protagonists of this novel. As it is told from a duel point of view, the reader gets insight into the minds of both the unique characters. Unlike Stella (from The Kiss Quotient), Khai's voice seemed more natural and his autism more unpretentious. His raw emotions jump off the screen, despite his belief that he has none. Esme is a breath of fresh air. She is a feminist at heart despite being a victim of her circumstances. She isn't money hungry or an opportunist willing to do whatever it takes for a green card. She is a genuine female with wants and needs who is loyal to a fault. It was a pleasure reading this book because of the well etched out and humane characters, belonging to diverse backgrounds.

Vietnamese Culture

I loved reading To All The Boys I loved... because it introduced me to Korean culture. Similarly, this book focuses more on Vietnamese culture and heritage. While it doesn't take centre stage, I loved this tiny insight into the Vietnamese culture.

Overall, this book is cotton candy with substance. As it combines all the elements of a beautiful HEA romance and gives it a unique twist. I would highly recommend it to romance lovers as well as individuals who occasionally read romance.


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Review: Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1)

by 

Ilona Andrews

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work. 

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast. 

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify. 

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies? 

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.” 

Hugh and Elara may do both. 

Note: This book is not suitable for younger readers and is classified as Adult. 

Source: Netgalley (Thank you for providing me a copy for review!)

My Thoughts:

Let me start off by stating this book has not been on my TBR pile or even close to the top of my TBR pile because I am not a Hugh fan. Personally, when this book was announced I felt it was an unnecessary spin off.

The only reason I decided to give this book a shot is because I've been dying to read Kate 1o a.k.a Magic Triumphs and because Ilona Andrews was kind enough to give me a review copy via Netgalley.

I am so glad that I gave this book a shot because I.NEED.MORE.HUGH.AND.ELARA.AND IRON DOGS in my life.

THIS BOOK

Guys THIS BOOK.

Why Kate Daniels Fans should pick up this book 
I'd recommend every Kate Daniels(KD) fan pick it up because a lot of important shit happens which will definitely be used in Kate 10. Many questions also come up about Hugh, Roland, Kate and their relationship in general which I hadn't really focused on before.

I felt I understood Roland and Hugh better after reading this book. I also realised how similar Hugh and Kate were in their upbringing. I love how much depth this book adds to the KD world.

As I want to avoid spoilers I will just say that I squealed with joy whenever there were any references to the KD world and there were MANY.

Why readers in general should pick it up 

Now some readers who venture into this book without any background or any information regarding Kate Daniels might be a little lost especially in the beginning. There are a lot of links to the KD world but Ilona Andrews introduces various new characters that would help orient the new reader. I also felt that while there were many references to the KD world , this book has it's own protagonists and villains.
i.e.
It links to the overarching story of Roland & Kate (KD world characters) but also focuses on a character(Hugh) that is detached from the protagonists in the KD world(Kate and Curran).

I'll try to get my fan girl self under control and give a proper review


Main Book Review 

Character Development: The reason why this book was enjoyable and why I would be re-reading it again is because of the stellar character development. Ilona Andrews books always focus on character development and this book does not disappoint. Hugh and Elara are characters I want to read more about.

Mythology & World Building: We're introduced to a completely new species/clan(?) and their politics. I really enjoy the fact that the characters have to use their brain to deal with situations in a fantastical world different but very much like our own.

Dialogues and Wit : Ilona Andrews books are witty and this book is no exception. The dialogues and the way the characters manage to make death and murder fun is commendable.

This book has murder, magic,blood magic, betrayal, magical beasts, fanatics , weird occultist stuff, werewolves, assassins, vampires and so much more..

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and cannot wait for the sequel. I'd suggest you grab this one as soon as it becomes available.

YRAH Bday: Interview with Rachel Vincent+ GIVEAWAY

YOUNG READER blog is now 2 years old!

And 

THAT

calls for a celebration!

Don't forget to check out the previous posts

Character Interview of Frigid by Jennifer Armentrout

Interview with Kimberly Ann , author of Triangles

Ok I know it's been a LONG time since I posted anything interesting or related to this event but it's because I suddenly have absolutely NO free time!

Also, I'm not exactly the most organised person so I forgot to schedule this...

Anyway without further delay I present to you ,one of my favorite authors Rachel Vincent.

(I can't get over the fact that this is happening ! She's an author that I've been wanting to interview for AGES)

 Rachel do you have any advice for budding authors?

I have only the advice every writer seems to give out. Write a lot to refine your voice and hone your craft. Read a lot to see how that is done.

If there was a zombie apocalypse would you still pursue a career in writing?Also what do you think you would be incharge of?

By definition, if there were an apocalypse, no one would have a career in anything except staying alive, right? After the apocalypse, maybe I would return to writing. But I'm not sure how much value that particular skill would have in a world so devastated.

Can we expect any YA or New Adult novel from you in the coming year? (Preferably next year *gives puppy dog eyes*)

I announced a new YA sale last week. ANATHEMA and PANDEMONIA have sold to Wendy Loggia, at Random House/Delacorte. But the first one won't be out until 2015, so the only YA I'll have in 2014 is the Soul Screamers Volume 4 omnibus, which will contain one original story.

Books you would recommend to adults & children.

I typically recommend Holly Black, Stephen King, Courtney Summers, Scott Westerfeld, Simone Elkeles, etc... 

I don't want to read the last soul screamer novel, how did it feel to actually end such an amazing series?

Draining, but exciting. Bittersweet. It's strange and kind of scary to say goodbye to characters who've been in my life for so long. But I'm pleased to have been able to give them a good ending.

How would you explain what the soul screamers series is about to a person who hasn't read it?

I'd probably direct them to online descriptions of the books, then add that the books are full of complicated family- and friendship dynamics, an array of supernatural beings (some I made up entirely), high stakes, lots of romance, and humor.

All your books in the soul screamers series are based on a certain theme can you tell us about the themes in order?

Each of the seven Soul Screamers books has as its theme one of the seven deadly sins. (Not the plot, but the theme.) In order, they are:

Vanity (MSTTake)

Greed (MSTSave)

Gluttony-as addiction (MSTKeep)

Envy (MSTSteal)

Lust (If I Die)

Sloth-as depression (Before I Wake)

Wrath (With All My Soul)

Rapid Fire(what it the first thing that comes to your mind when I say....)

Twilight

-dawn 

Black

-white 

Harry Potter

-book 

Hot

-cold 

Wings

-fly 

Coffee

yum 

T.V.

-screen 

Tod

-death

ABOUT THE SOUL SCREAMERS SERIES 

Source(couldn't find the original page so linking to image source )

The series consists of 7 books and has been completed. The books in order are:

My Soul To Take     *Goodreads* My Review* 

My Soul To Save      *Goodreads* My Review*

My Soul To Keep      *Goodreads*My Review*

My Soul To Steal       *Goodreads*My Review*

If I Die                        *Goodreads*My Review*

Before I Wake          *Goodreads*My Review*

With All My Soul       *Goodreads*My Review*

GIVEAWAY

I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent.

This giveaway is 

INDIA only 

If you're international and will  pay for shipping you can enter the giveaway as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer + Special Surprises

I'm a review stop on the blog tour for Spirit organised by Midnight Garden.

Check out the official TOUR PAGE (There's a pretty awesome GIVEAWAY there as well ) 

Thank You Midnight Garden for organizing this tour.

Spirit (Elemental #3)

by Brigid Kemmerer 

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

 Links: Goodreads,Amazon,Flipkart

Source: Netgalley (Thanks KTeen for the review copy!)

My Thoughts:

I'm a HUGE fan of this series . I jumped up and down in excitement when I saw that this book was on Netgalley

That's me ^

SOURCE

I have waited almost a YEAR for this book and I'm telling you that this book is worth the wait!

Now let me just state that if you haven't started this series you should because this series is great fun and is different. Even though I didn't like Book #2 in the series as much as Book #1 I was still dying to get my hands on this book and I think that shows how great this series is!

This book is told from the point of view of Hunter and Kate. If you remember what happened in book #2 then you might have mixed feelings towards Hunter and Kate is introduced to us in this book.

The story picks up where it was left off and what a story it is! It's filled with twists and turns and manages to keep you hooked till the end. Brigid Kemmerer doesn't disappoint and leaves you begging for more without the help of the handy cliffhanger.

Hunter is a very complex character. I have very mixed feelings towards him. Throughout this novel I wasn't sure if I loved him/hated him/felt sorry for him or wanted to hit him.

I think it's safe to say that I'm not a huge fan of Hunter but I did feel for him and connected with him despite my mixed feelings towards him.He's been through a lot plus he lacked parental guidance throughout his teenage years so I it was simple to empathize and sympathize with him even when he made stupid decisions.

Kate was a character that helped us to understand the elemental world better. She gave insight into the whole system in a unique way. I love the fact that Brigid's female characters are always so strong mentally and Kate is strong both mentally and physically.I enjoyed the small fist fight between Hunter and her because that showed that she could kick A$$ .

I can't tell you much about the story or plot in this book without giving away spoilers but I think it's safe to say this book is the most action packed and emotionally draining book in the series so far.At the end of the book it's safe to say I resembled this guy >>>

Overall this is one book that you should not miss out on.This book has action,romance,paranormal elements,FIVE hot guys,strong female characters .......NEED I GO ON?

If you need me I'll be in a corner begging the author to release the next book already...

My Rating:

5/5

Read it!

SPECIAL SURPRISES

You can get Elemental ( Book #0.5) in the series for FREE

Go to this website and the promo code is VCARD and it is active till May 31st

Everyone don't forget to vote for your favorite Elemental guy in the poll below! The one with the most votes will be featured in a short story written by Brigid

You can also download and read the first chapter of Spirit

If you have a problem downloading it go here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2IrCRmFgWI_Y2hQTFBSRVVKY00/edit?usp=sharing

Right at the top there's an option to download the chapter or press CTRL +S

ELEMENTAL READALONG 

Check out this website for further details