Review- Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Touch of Power
Series: Healer 
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Published: December 20th 2011
Book 1 
(Sent by Harlequin Publishers) 
In the enthralling yet mystical tale of Avry, Healers were a hated race of people. They were believed to be the cause of the Plague that took the lives of a large part of the population in the world. They were hunted and treated like animals if they weren't already killed upon sight. Avry is a Healer, she has been running for several years, stopping from town to town and forest to forest. In one of the several towns she has visited, Avry offers to babysit a small child who is extremely sick. In the dead of night, Avry healed the child, absorbing the sickness into herself. Avry became weak with sickness and slept through until the remnants of the illness was out of her system. Her healing abilities allowed her to heal faster than any normal person and by morning, she was in perfect health. Instead of being grateful for the health of their daughter, the parents called soldiers upon Avry because they had a suspicion that she had healed their daughter. The soldiers rained upon Avry, capturing her and putting her in a prison cell while she awaited her execution. During the night of her capture, four men came and visited Avry, requesting her help to heal an important friend of theirs and in return, they would save her from her execution. Avry agreed and accompanied them on their journey to save the life of their friend. Throughout the journey, friendships were made, hardships were faced, battles were fought and betrayals were committed. 

I am going to begin by speaking about the characters. The protagonist, Avry, is extraordinarily created with the sheer talent, imagination and creativity of the author. Along with the protagonist, Maria V. Snyder has also created a talented group of characters that each are unique with different qualities. Aside from the characters, a number of exotic plants and animals have been newly introduced to the readers. Death and Peace Lilies play significant roles in parts of this novel as their properties are, on various occasions, used for different purposes. Towards the end of the novel, there are zombies introduced which gives this novel the extra genre of Paranormal and it makes it all the better. Maria V. Snyder has provided us all with another novel that we must add to our To be Read list.

The only minor thing that I didn't like was the fact that the novel was very slow-paced in various moments. Especially when the group was travelling, the plot of the story became repetitive at rare times but then it improved not long after. Despite these minor drawbacks, the novel was a complete success written by a talented author. 

Overall, I give this novel 5/5 outstanding stars as the plot of the novel was unlike any other that I have read and it was one of my favourites. Maria V. Snyder is an extremely talented author who is obviously passionate about her work and puts a lot of effort into producing an excellent novel.

Rating: 5/5

Review- Tredan's Bane by Lita Burke

Title: Tredan's Bane
Series: Tredan's Bane
Author: Lita Burke
Published: June 30th 2012
Book 1 
(Sent by the Author)
Lanith is the wife of a former enchanter who is lost throughout the midst of a war between Church Magicians and fellow Enchanters. Lanith is on a quest to seek her missing husband after discovering their store and overhead apartment emblazoned in flames. There is nothing left of her possessions and she had specific instructions from her husband to find the Enchanters if anything happened to him. Taking him up on his word, Lanith seeks to find an Enchanter who will help her find her husband and stumbles upon Enchanter Nyle. A friendly relationship develops between them as they embark for their quest to save Tredan. Along the way, Tredan's journal is found and it contains dark magic on ways to torture and Enchanter, remove his/her powers and other horrific ways to cause any Enchanter harm. Questions without answers are left flowing throughout Lanith's mind and she begins to wonder if her husband is the man that he claimed to be.

The first thing that I loved about this novel is the pure originality of the plot. It leaves you in awe and makes you wonder how the author came up with such an amazing tale. The way she descibes how the characters feel or react to certain situations is expressed in a way that I have rarely ever seen before. I also loved how some characters have their own murky pasts that always ends up catching up to them in the future. The characters are unique, have great personalities and there are twists, betrayals and more.

I mean no offense to the author, but I disliked the cover of this novel very much. It does not show any excitement or talent that is portrayed in the content. The cover does not do justice to the novel and it doesn't show any symbolism of the actual plot except for the picture frame with Tredan's Journal. It is really bland and should show a little more colour and the main image should be more symbolic. I did however love the amount of magic in the book. It just overflows off the pages and it is a perfect example of the originality in the book. The only thing wrong with the new magic introduced is that it is not all explained. I am left guessing what the properties of the types of magic actually do.

Overall, I absolutely loved the content of the book and will be eagerly awaiting its sequel. I recommend it to all the "magic-lovers" out there. All that I think could be improved is the cover of the book and the explanations of the magic. The positives of the book however, rule out most of the negatives and I am rating this novel:

Rating: 4/5

Review- The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset
Series: Steampunk Chronicles 
Author: Kady Cross
Published: May 24th 2011
Book 1 
(Sent by Harlequin Publishers) 

In this binding world of Finley Jayne set out in 1897 England, she discovers that she has a darker side that likes to come out at the most inconvenient of times. At one stage, she was working for a famous young man in England who was the son of a Duke, and who was known to be a drunk that was extremely violent until Finley put a stop to that, the next she found herself crashing into the lives of an odd group that is trying to defeat the man that is trying to destroy the world; The Machinist. Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne accepts Finley as one of "them" as he knows that there is something different about her, something that could either make or break his team/friends. Finley has the extraordinary power of strength and acute senses. She can throw a man across a room and even crush metal without putting in much effort. That is however, when her darker side takes over and she cannot control the squirming beast within her-- yet. This causes the team to drift apart even further than they already were and they will need to re-unite to save the world in time.

What I especially loved about this novel was the fact that there were several twists coming in from all directions and it caused me just to keep on reading. This was by far one of the most addicting novels I have ever read. The characters are described extremely well in each situation and the scene is also described perfectly which sent a clear image of what is being played out to me. The characters each have their own abilities, flaws and personalities but the one thing that they all have in common is the protective instinct for one another. This is the permanent theme of loyalty that stays between them no matter what the consequences.

I also absolutely loved the cover of this remarkable novel. It is vibrant and is inviting to readers. One of the reasons I wanted to read this was because of the cover. The cover captures the central image of the protagonist who is hiding half her face which indicates that she has a dark side as well as her normal side. I also loved the plot of this novel as it was extremely well planned and unique. I have not read a Steampunk/Historical Fiction novel as good as this in a very long time and it now sets the bar VERY high for others to follow. 

The one minor issue that I had with this novel is that there were small parts of it that dragged on and when the action parts arrived I felt relieved but also a little disappointed because the sections leading up to the action was not causing much excitement. 

Overall, I absolutely loved this novel, despite the minor faults. It really was a great pleasure to read and get to know the characters and their environment. This truly was a great beginning to what I am sure will be a much anticipated book series.

Rating 4/5

Review- The Flight of the Griffin by C.M Gray

Title: The Flight of the Griffin
Series: The Flight of the Griffin
Author: C.M Gray
Published: April 16th 2012
Book 1 
(Sent by the Author)
In a world of excitement, danger and fantasy, four crew members of a boat called "The Griffin" begin a journey to find the three crystal skulls that intend to save the world. The four crew members are Pardigan; the thief, Tarent; the priest, Quint; the fighter and leader and Loras; the magician. Accompanied by the shapeshifter, Mahra, the crew of The Griffin begin the journey by inheriting gifts from "The Book of Challenges". Each gift is unique to that person and they use their gifts to help them on the thrilling quest. Faced by hardships such as demons and riddles, the crew and Mahra intend to save the world whether or not it means sacrificing themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel as it was something very original and unique. I absolutely loved how Gray described each and every scene of the novel in extraordinary detail, especially the parts where they are battling. Each character is described comprehensively and each emotion is displayed upon the hardships and excitement found throughout the quest. In a series of unexpected parts in the novel, the crew are allied with the people chasing after them against one common enemy; Belial, the "King of demons". An exciting yet terrifying battle between Order and Chaos unfolds the mysteries behind the riddles of The Book of Challenges. 

 I also liked how the book shifts perspectives for not only the protagonist, but the antagonist as well. In many other books, only the perspective of the protagonist is shown, therefore not revealing how they feel. This is one of the many qualities that I loved in this book. There are parts of the novel that have a little added humor which I thought was extremely clever and it lead me to liking it even more. I was extremely glad when C.M Gray sent this to me as it was truly an exciting tale filled with mystical creatures, magic, the chance for adventure and everything else you can think of. There are absolutely no flaws in this novel and I am proud to say that it is an enticing read. 

The cover of this novel really shows the adventure encountered throughout the novel. The Griffin (in bird form) that was standing on The Book of Challenges was puzzling to me at first but that was before I was half way through the novel. It was a really clever idea and I won't say anymore until you read this. The scarlet red droplets of blood I'm guessing symbolize the hardships faced throughout the novel and the compass is showing the direction of where this enchanted quest has lead the crew.

Overall, I believe that this book should be in the top five of everyone's TBR pile no matter how old you are, as it truly is a great journey to experience with the crew of The Griffin.

For more information on the novel or if you want to buy it, visit the following:

Amazon(dot)com- http://www.amazon.com/The-Flight-Griffin-ebook/dp/B007TKUD7Y

Amazon uk -http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Flight-Griffin-ebook/dp/B007TKUD7Y

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/151395

Lulu for paperback - http://www.lulu.com/shop/cm-gray/the-flight-of-the-griffin/paperback/product-20223161.html

Twitter - @cgray129

Blog - flightofthegriffin.blogspot.com

Rating: 5/5

My Second Blog Award!

Versatile Blogger Award

Firstly, I would like to thank Atmika from Books are my Best Friend.

You definitely need to visit her blog and follow!

~THE RULES~

• Each person who is nominated must nominate another 15 people to accept this award
• Remember to let the people know that they have been tagged
• Tell us 7 facts about yourself
• Remember to let them know that they have been tagged
• Thank the blogger who has nominated you
• Add the Award picture to the post
• You CANNOT tag people back!

~7 FACTS ABOUT ME~

• I love to write short stories and narratives 
• I like to play the game League of Legends on the computer (its a Fantasy Game)
• I love chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream OR nutella ontop
• The first book I ever read was Harry Potter
• I love chocolate coated strawberries
• Blue is my favourite colour
• I love to sleep in on a rainy day and when I wake up I like to read in front of the heater

~15 Bloggers I have Nominated~
(I only did 10 but you still need to visit these) 

Bookmark Reviews
Book-A-Holic
Ensconced in YA
Far Past Midnight
Forever Lost in Books

 Frenetic Reader
Glamour Works
Gotta Have YA
Hot Coffee Books and Choco Bar
Ivy Book Bindings

Review- The Weeping Empress by Sadie S. Forsythe

Title: The Weeping Empress
Series: The Weeping Empress
Author: Sadie S. Forsythe
Published: December 14th 2011
Book 1 
(Sent by the Author)
An intricate world of bloodshed, slaughter and demise brings forth a young woman named Chiyo Alglaeca. Waking up in an unfamiliar part of the world, Chiyo finds herself enclosed in a battle with unknown forces. She does not know who the hero or the villain is, she does not know where her family is and she does not know where to go. 

The battle results in two energetic yet serene men with triumph and Chiyo, deciding that she has nowhere else to go, follows along. Chiyo has evolved throughout the novel by travelling with the two men overtime that are like brothers to her and transformed into a bloodthirsty warrior that shows no remorse to her victims. As Chiyo strengthens in terms of her form and skill, she becomes a companion to the two men who love to cause mayhem for the deceitful emperor.

The first part of this remarkable novel that I absolutely adored was how Sadie S. Forsythe describes each situation in extraordinary detail. The way the characters feel, appear and interpret situations is just one of many factors that highlight the theme of revenge. Forsythe has an obvious passion and talent for writing as she explores the life and experiences of her characters. They develop into confident and unstoppable beings that have a purpose in their world. I was constantly entranced into the world of Chiyo and did not want to put the book down for any reason whatsoever. The end of each chapter left me keen to continue and discover what happens in the next impeccable section.

There was a slight part of this novel that I didn’t find very appealing. It was the fact that whenever there were words in another language, I had to keep flicking back to the glossary to see what it meant. It occurred very rarely in the novel and was not enough to lose a star. The cover of the novel was also a little bit bland and does not give readers a reason to pick up the book. This was also not enough to lose a star because the content of the novel was outstanding and impressive.

Overall, the novel was a breathtaking debut and it left me eager for the sequel to come out (even though that will take a while). With the superb content that it has, The Weeping Empress is a novel that should be read by all people between the ages of 14+. Sadie S. Forsythe is an amazing author that should be renowned for the time and effort she put into The Weeping Empress.

Rating 5/5

My First Blog Award!

Joyce from Into the Pages 87 has nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!

I am extremely greatful and excited because this is my first blog award!

~THE RULES~

• Each person must post 11 facts about themselves
• Answer the 11 questions the person who nominated you has provided and then make 11 new and unique questions for the following people that you tag
• Choose another 11 people who you want to give this award to and tag them in this post
• Remember to let them know that they have been tagged
• They must have 200 followers or less
• You CANNOT tag people back!

~11 FACTS ABOUT ME~

• I love to write short stories and narratives 
• I am trying to write my own novel but haven't gotten very far (shh don't tell anyone)
• I absolutely love watching TV. Whether it may be a good movie or a show
• I have an Xbox 360 and my games are usually fantasy, car or shooting based
• My dog's name is Shep and he barks at passing by airplanes and police sirens (CRAZY!!!)
• In summer, my favourite reading spot is outside, baking in the sun. In winter, its at home in front of the heater :)
• When a book that I want to read is not available, I usually get it on my Ipad straight away... Don't have patience for waiting until the books are ready
• My favourite food is a chicken burger and chips (Don't ask why)
• I like playing tennis
• I like drawing (when its successful)
• My absolute favourite TV show is Merlin (full of magic)

~11 QUESTIONS FROM JOYCE THAT I NEED TO ANSWER~  

1. What is your favourite book and why? My favourite book is Harry Potter by J.K Rowling because that is the first book I read and it got me into the world of books
2. What is your favourite drink? My favourite drink is Vanilla Coke but most of the time I just drink water
3. What is your favourite quote of all time? My favourite quote is from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:  “We fight, we dare, we end our hunger for justice.” 
4. Do you have any weird skills? The weirdest thing I can do, (I wouldn't really call it a skill), is that I can make unusual noises
5. Who is your favourite Disney character and why? My favourite Disney character is Lilo and Stitch because it was funny and unique. It was also the first TV show I watched (so I was told).
6. Do you love anime and which one is your favourite? I absolutely love anime! My favourite is Avatar the Last Airbender and the sequel: Avatar the Legend of Korra
7. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I would love to travel all around the world but the first place I would go to is Italy because I have heard lots of great things
8. Would you ever go to comic con? If yes, what would you dress up as? I don't exactly know what a comic con is, but I am assuming it is a place where you dress up as characters from comic books... I wouldn't go because I am not as interested in comics as I am in normal novels
9. Do you like the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter"? I have never heard of it but if it is a fantasy film then I guarantee you that I will like it.
10. Three things you cannot live without? Technology, books and family
11. Who is your favourite author? My favourite author is J.K Rowling because of the reasons in question 1

~THE PEOPLE I TAGGED TO WIN THE LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD~

(You need to check them out)

Addicted to Novels

Read into Hiding

Readers Confession

Teeny Reader

The Rise of a Novelist

~QUESTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE I TAGGED~

1. What is you favourite genre for books?
2. What is your favourite book/author and why?
3. In regards to books that have been made into movies, do you prefer reading the book or watching the movie first?
4. Which format do you read books in? E.g. Paperback, E book...
5. Where do you like to read?
6. What do you do in your free time?
7. What is your favourite movie/TV show?
8. What is unique about yourself?
9. What are your 3 most prized possessions?
10. What is the average amount of books that you can read in a month?
11. What are three of your goals in life?

Review- The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Title: The Red Pyramid
Series: Kane Chronicle's 
Author: Rick Riordan
Published: May 4th 2010
Book 1 

The Red Pyramid is a novel which also consists of God's like the Percy Jackson Series (another series by Riordan), however, the God's are of Egyptian origins rather than Greek. The novel revolves around siblings Sadie and Carter Kane and begins when their father accidently releases five major God's and Goddesses from their "prisons" when he only intended to release one. Releasing the God's are illegal and punishable by death from the organisation called The House of Life (you'll understand more once you read it). The God's are blamed for plunging the world into chaos at one stage and were imprisoned because they were considered unstable and drunk with their own power. 

Anyway, continuing on, once Sadie and Carter's dad release the God's/Goddesses, they become hosts for them, which means that the God's can use their body. One of the God's, named Set, is the evil one and he took his chance to escape and try to reduce the world to nothingness then rebuild it in the form of his empire. Sadie and Carter learn that they are magicians on the way and that they must use their abilities to stop Set and save the world. It turns out that Sadie is hosting the Goddess Isis and Carter is hosting Horus. Along their quest, they endure many challenging obstacles which all take time, and time is not a luxury that they have.

What I absolutely love about this novel is how unique the magic is expressed throughout the book. Weapons like staffs and wands are used (which you may think is general), however, wax figurines, amulets and a number of other essential items are used to make the plot more interesting and appealing to readers. These items and weapons can be modified to the magicians needs. For e.g. the staffs can transform into animals and attack something or someone or they can just be used to emit the magicians spell. Riordan has great ideas put into this which are mostly new and haven't been used before. 

I also liked Riordan's use of hieroglyphs throughout the story line. The hieroglyphs are also part of the way magic is used and they are also used for writing and so on. I may of also mentioned in another review that in many books the characters are like machines and never run out of energy. In Riordan's book, he expresses how exhausted the characters are feeling once they have used too much magic or if they have over extended themselves physically. 

What I didn't really like in the novel was that the characters weren't described in detail. They were brief descriptions of how the character looked and in times of emotion, one sentence was used to describe the basic feeling. Riordan is more focused to the story line, which is great, but the characters are what makes the story line more interesting and effective on readers. The characters are described extremely well in times of combat when they are using magic, however, in other more important parts, as I said before, the descriptions are quite bland. 

Overall, I gave the book a major “thumbs up” and it had many twists and details that left readers entranced within the world of Sadie and Carter.

Rated: 4/5

Review- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Series: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: October 31st 2008
Book 1

Honestly, I don't know where to begin! The Hunger Games is an amazing novel written by Suzanne Collins that readers can either love or hate. Me, I absolutely loved every minute of it! In some place far in North America, there lies a nation called Panem. The Capitol is like the government to all of Panem. Panem consists of twelve districts that each have a main producer of things like bread, mining and so on. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and they keep the districts in line by hosting the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is an arena where a 12-18 year old boy and a girl from each district fight to the death on live TV which is broadcasting all over Panem. The Capitol said it was a reminder to people of the war that was fought between the districts and Capitol. 

The story begins when sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteered to take her young sister's place in The Hunger Games. She would not see her mother or sister ever again unless she wins the Games. She leaves behind family and her best friend Gale. The boy joining her in the games is called Peeta. He is secretly in love with Katniss which made him upset because one of them would have to kill each other.

The story goes on to describe things happening in the arena which have the theme of love, betrayal and action. Every part of the book is in one of those themes and maybe even a different one. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if The Hunger Games has a new theme to itself.

The novel is action packed and filled with unbelievable suspense which made it almost impossible to stop reading once you pick it up. My favourite thing about the book is how much detail the author packs into the book. With every twist that occurs in the novel, comes a very detailed description. The characters are also unique and described perfectly through the troubles that lie ahead of them and through their emotions that flood within them. The Hunger Games is held in a different arena every year with new creatures, weapons, and conditions that show a different side to the contenders through their fighting skills and how they act towards one another. The writing style was amazing and made you feel as though you were the one fighting for your life in the arena. Every section of the book is suspenseful and makes you read on. At the end of each chapter, I felt compelled to continue reading and it was one of those books that you could finish in 2-3 days because of how good it is.

The novel is in first person, showing everything from the perspective of Katniss. She is a very great character, made by Collins, because she was described perfectly in every way. It was as though we personally knew Katniss. What she was feeling, how she interpreted things. Sometimes I even guessed some of the things Katniss would do in a difficult situation and I got the details wrong because Collins puts so much work into her writing, making it impossible to guess the whole thing, but I did get the main idea. The Hunger Games is a very exciting novel which brings a whole new meaning to its genre. 

Overall, this is a great read that I recommend to all who have a strong stomach because the book does contain all the gory details as well!!! If you haven't read it all ready, then it should definitely be added to your 'to read' list.

Rated: 5/5