Review: Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Title: Black City (Black City  Chronicles book 1)
Author: Elizabeth Richards
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: 13th November 2012
Publishers: Putnam
Available from: Amazon
The Book Depository

Source: Own Purchase 

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

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I've been dying to read Black City for months and was so excited to see it in my local bookstore I pretty much screamed when I saw it. (My inner 16 year old broke free.) I have split feelings about this book and I really enjoyed it but there were a few things that I didn't like, mainly the beginning of Ash and Natalie's relationship, I actually thought I'd missed a page and reread that part twice, but no. I felt she accepted it to easily. To me it should have been drawn out a little longer, but one minute they're talking and the next bam! she's totally into it. It didn't feel realistic. I wanted a little more angst and yearning on their part.   

The story is told from alternating points of view from Ash and Natalie. They live on opposite sides of the same world, Ash's is dark, dirty and drug fueled, while Natalie's is bright and shiny; and it helps when you're the emissary's daughter living in a mansion. Ash is the bad by who deals Haze, a drug that is produced from venom sacks that sit behind his fangs. He needs the money to support him and his father. Natalie is the good girl striving to make her mother proud. I found Natalie a little immature and hard to stomach in the beginning; I just couldn't believe how naive she was in some cases, it was like she was in a sort of bubble. She thought giving her maid/servant a gold bracelet that pretty much amounts to being the equivalent of a dog collar, was a nice thing. She does grow and come to realise the depth of deceit around her, and this when I really started to like Natalie. She pretty much grows a pair and is determined to take on whoever she has to stop what is happening. I think I liked Ash a little more because he was a little more real living in the bad side of town, a little him versus the world thing going on. Because he's a twin blood (half darkling, half human) he never feels like her belongs in either world, but does his best to be human. You can't help but feel for the boy who longs to belong. He acts tough but really has a heart of gold. 

With saying that though I really enjoyed the book on a whole. The dystopian world Richards has created is dark and gritty; a postwar city full of darklings and humans who are trying to rebuild their lives and city. Black City reminded me a lot of Berlin with a wall that separates darklings from humans, add in some serious racial tensions and segregation and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster. This culminates near the end of the book in a fight that divides the city. For me the plot was what kept me flipping pages, their romance playing a small role in the overall book. I hate comparing books, but I feel like I should say that Marie Lu has created the right balance between the dystopian world and the love story of her main characters. This is what kept Black City from reaching book coma status. It's hovering between decent read and book high. 

These two are the catalyst for change and their spirit to fight for equality and freedom from oppression is huge. This is what I love about dystopia's; it only takes one thing to change their lives and make them fight for what they believe in to make their world a better place.  

Now that you've read my muddled feelings over Black City, I really do hope you give it a try. It's dark, gritty and intense and I will definitely pick up Phoenix. I need to know where Richards takes the story line. So I think I will give it 4/5.

(I enjoyed it, honestly.)

  

Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me book 2)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: 5th February 2013
Publishers: Allen & Unwin
Available from: Amazon
The Book Depository

Source: Allen & Unwin 

Our lips touch and I know I'm going to split at the seams. He kisses me softly then strongly like he's lost me and he's found me and I'm slipping away and he's never going to let me go.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. A place for people like her - people with gifts - and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from the Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch. Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

Haunted by her past, terrified of her future, Juliette knows that in her present, she will have to make some life-changing choices.

Choices that may include choosing between her heart - and Adam's life.

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I absolutely adored Shatter Me so I knew I had to request Unravel Me. I sent an email off to Allen & Unwin begging them to let me review it (I think I even offered them my first born child) and was beyond ecstatic that they said yes! (Thank you Lara.)

It's always daunting reading a sequel and wondering whether or not it's going to live up to it's predecessor but Unravel Me blew me away. It definitely surpasses Shatter Me. Everything about this book was amazing. I love Tahereh's writing style; it is so unique and captivating. I fell head first into this book and couldn't surface until I had read it in its entirety. The wait was worth it.

Omega Point and The Reestablishment are on the brink of war, and Juliette is struggling to find her place among them. Unravel Me is more about her journey of self-discovery and acceptance of who she is; by the end of the book she has been reforged into someone stronger and braver than she could have thought possible. Mafi evokes such emotion with her prose, that I was constantly fighting tears (I'm a pansy, I admit it) and being knocked around by Juliette's revelations about herself, Adam, and Warner. I have to say I'm a HUGE Adam fan, but by the end of this book Warner had me in his grip and wasn't letting go. I had so many FEELS I thought I was going to explode with the intensity of it!

Adam and Juliette's relationship takes a turn down a road I was not expecting, the saying 'hitting a rough patch' is an understatement. Juliette has trust issue's piled so high it's amazing the poor girl can still function. I mean, who wouldn't when you could never let your guard down for fear of killing someone you love, and also having the added bonus of being locked up by the people who are supposed to love you the most. An then there's Warner who adds a whole new dynamic to their relationship. I'm not entirely sure if it's a love triangle or not. Even though I said I'm a Warner fan, I'm still not sure on whether or not he's right for Juliette.  

Unravel Me is an intense and compelling read; with danger lurking around every corner and sexy, passion filled pages I dare you to put it down. Your addiction for these characters and the world Mafi has created will grow until in seeps into your bones and you are so far into a book coma you'll wonder how you'll ever get out....although I for one hope I never do.

5/5

Release Day Blitz - Ashes & Ice by Rochelle Maya Callen

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Title: Ashes & Ice

Author: Rochelle Maya Callen          

Release Day: February 4th, 2013

Genre: Young Adult

Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours

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She is desperate to remember.

He is aching to forget.

Together, they are not broken.

But together, one may not survive.

​Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands. 

Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough. 

LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice

Autrhor Bio:

Rochelle grew up dreaming up stories. When she entered high school, she tucked away her creative side and jumped head-first into academics, work, and service projects. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Communication when she was twenty years old. After years away from her writing, Rochelle picked up a pen and started fleshing out a character sketch that she outlined when she was twelve. That sketch was the start of the Ashes and Ice story. Rochelle lives in the DC metro area with her husband and daughter. By day she works as a behavioral therapist. By night, she is a dreamer and is busy tapping out new stories on her keyboard.

Links:

http://www.rochellemayacallen.com/

twitter: rockyiswriting

goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15864513-ashes-and-ice

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rochelle-Maya-Callen-Author/478176392210312

Excerpt

He smiles a bit wider and hands out the pin.

            As, I reach to pluck it from his palm, he snatches my wrist with one hand, my bicep with the other and crushes me against his chest.

            His grip is tight—too tight, it hurts—and the bend of him hovers over me, leaning in. I try to shake him off, but he doesn’t let go. I squirm as I feel his thumb trace circles on the inside of my wrist. The touch sends a skitter of sensation over me. Something tinges the air; a sweet, cool feeling brushes over my skin, making my knees want to buckle. He smells like mint, his breath tickles my face. I pull back, hating the sensations that please my skin and curdle my insides. Bile surges in my throat. I tear myself away from him, glaring.

            “What?” He says coolly as if he hadn’t just bruised my arms with his clutching fingertips.

            “That. Hurt.” I say. I don’t say he smells sweet or his breath is refreshing on my skin or his touch sends chills up my spine, delicious chills. I step away.

            His smile is unnerving. “Don’t worry, Jade.” He winks at me. Damn that wink of his. “One day, you’ll like it.”

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy (Legend book 2)
Author: Marie Lu
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: 30th January 2013
Publishers: Penguin Teen Australia
Available from: Amazon
The Book Depository

Source: Penguin TEEN Aus 

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

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It's not often that you read the second book in a series and have it be better than it's predecessor, but Prodigy is just that. I absolutely loved Legend and was so excited when Penguin Teen sent me Prodigy. It continues on from Legend, with Day and June on a train bound for Los Angeles to find the Patriots. While they are searching for the rebel group, the old Elector Primo dies and his young son Anden takes his place. The Partiots believe Anden to be exactly like his father and recruit Day and June to help assassinate him. 

June's job is to get close to him and inform him of the Patriots plan. Of course she is giving him false information, she has to make him believe that an assassination is planned in one place when it's actually going to occur in another. As June spends more and more time with Anden she begins to question the Patriots plan. She's discovering that he may not be like his father; Anden has big plans to reshape The Republic into something better, but he needs the support of the people and the only way he is going to be able to convince the people that he isn't a tyrant is to have June and more importantly Day, back him. June's loyalty is really put to the test; she discovers more about herself and what she truly believes in. She is loyal to The Republic and it's people but realises there has to be a way to save them from destruction.

Anden is a great addition to the story; you're lead to believe he's just like his father, but throughout the book we are given an insight into his character. I was never sure if how he was portraying himself to June was just a facade  or his actual personality. Lu keeps you guessing and it added a new dimension to the whole story line.

Meanwhile Day is helping The Patriots in anyway he can, and is determined for the Elector Primo to die, so they can pull down the corrupt government of The Republic and rebuild it.The Patriots monitor June all the time and while he is watching a feed from an interaction she has with Anden, he catches a glimpse of a signal they made up. He doesn't understand why she would send him the signal or what it means. Could she have discovered something or was she letting him know that she had returned to The Republic and wouldn't go a head with it? Day is always fighting for what he believes in and it was interesting to see him question whether or not destroying The Republic is what is needed for the people, or if Anden could be what they need to build it into something greater.

I really enjoyed seeing more of June and Day's characters in Legend. Sometimes in books like this, character development is only a small part of a novel with the action and story line taking center stage. Lu manages to combine all these elements to give us one incredible read. Her world building is outstanding, and it's so easy to get swept up into the story and the tale of deception, romance and intrigue. Prodigy is a heart-pounding, adrenaline fueled read. 

5/5 

Disarming Blog Tour - Guest Post by Alexia Purdy

Today I have Alexia Purdy on my blog telling us how she has meshed Vampires and Dystopia to create the epic Reign of Blood series! 

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Meshing the Vampires and Dystopian Genres

Guest Post by Alexia Purdy

When I began writing the Reign of Blood series, I didn't find it too difficult to combine vampires and a dystopian world. My love for both genres goes deep and it felt right for my story. The world I imagined required a catalyst of some sort, a protagonist in a sense. I had a dream that involved the opening scene in book 1 where the feral vampires are staring hungrily down at April and her family as they raced against the setting sun to get out of the city of Las Vegas til dark. If a world was to have such destruction, I needed these vampires to be a big part of the crumbling world. It was an easy fit and the story molded itself around this story structure.

Overall, writing dystopian is one of my favorite genres. It’s always amazing how to see how society will function in a different setting. Most times, like even how it functions presently, it has it’s downfalls in more ways than one. It’s never perfect, but if it was, then it would not be dystopian now would it? We’d be living the Utopian bliss, which I think is kinda boring. It’s always much more fun to mess it all up, no?

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Disarming (Reign of Blood #2)

By Alexia Purdy

Blurb:

The world has changed. One must adapt to survive or hold on to the crumbling shards of humanity.

April continues to hold her fragile world together, but the ties that hold her family together are quickly unraveling. Rumors of a massive human underground settlement draw her to the shadows of the city once more in search of other survivors more like her, even with the hybrid vampires opposing her every move.

The darkness hides secrets along with the continued threat the Feral Vampires create, but a greater evil hides within the city. Something tells April that the humans will be less than welcoming of her, and that's if she can find them before the Vampires do. Joining sides with the enemy might be the only choice she has left.

Links to buy:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Disarming-Reign-Blood-2-ebook/dp/B00ATNB3UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356840887&sr=8-1&keywords=disarming+alexia

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/disarming-alexia-purdy/1114036960?ean=2940016162492

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268874

Disarming (Reign of Blood #2) Teaser #1

Testing out my fingers, I slowly curled them into my palms, making sure it wasn't obvious enough for Miss Dictatorship to notice. If I could gain control of my body before getting thrown into the cell, maybe I’d have a chance against whatever was lurking in there. The sedative was strong and made me question what sort of heaping dose they had given me. I hoped I would get a separate cell and discover they had been joking all along. Come on body, wake up!

“No, not that one! Put her in the cell with him.” The woman’s voice hissed. She sounded upset but I was pretty sure it wasn't completely my fault. “I brought you a little snack.”

This was not going to be pleasant.

Bio:

Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food.

Connect with Alexia Purdy

Alexia Purdy’s Blog

Alexia Purdy’s Website

Twitter

@AlexiaPurdy

Goodreads Author page

Alexia Purdy’s Facebook Fan Page

Ever Shade (A Dark Faerie Tale) Facebook Fan page

Reign of Blood Series Facebook Fan Page

Cover Reveal - Allure by Melissa Andrea

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL COVER! I'm supposed to be saving money but how can I when I see books like this?

Title: Allure

Author: Melissa Andrea

Release Date: March 30th 2013

Genre: Young Adult

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Temptation. Desire. Deception.

Everything about her is enthralling, enticing… until everything about her becomes deadly.

Alluring you into the center of her world, she’ll deprive you of reason, breath… life. And because you can’t help it, you’ll let her, and death never felt so good.

There is only one rule where she is from: Don’t become attached to your Allure, and Ryleigh has already broken that rule.

The decision to stay was easy, but being ready to handle everything that comes with her choice, is more then she bargained for when something unexpected happens. Ryleigh is thrown into a world she knows nothing about, and a past she can’t remember. Time is not Ryleigh’s only enemy, but the lack of it, will be the end of her immortality if she doesn’t remember what she is or the life she needs to take.

When the cost of immortality means consuming the life of someone you love, could you do it?! 

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Melissa Andrea

I find it hard to sum up my life in a paragraph, but I’ll try.

                I am the author of Flutter, The Discover Series! Reading has always been a passion for me, and writing as instinctive as breathing. Every inhale is an idea; every exhale a creation.  The only thing I do better than writing you ask? Making beautiful girls. My daughter’s will always be my greatest accomplishment.

I was born in Denver, Colorado –but I will always think of sunny Arizona as my home. I don’t have a big family, but I’m close with my sister, brother & my mom. My mom is my hero, my inspiration, and I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing person to be raised by.

4 things you should know about me: I’m very girly, but I can get down and dirty with the best of them. I adore the color pink and things that sparkle (including vampires), I am a firm believer that chocolate cures ALL and I like even numbers (hence 4 things about me, not 5) Okay, maybe I cheated a little with my list, shhhh.

Like her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/m.andrea.author

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissa_andreaa

Pin with her on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/melandrea01/

Keep up to date on her blog: http://melissaandrea-justlikethat.blogspot.com/

Cover Reveal: Games of Fire by Airicka Phoenix

Title: Games of Fire

Author: Airicka Phoenix
Release date: February 14, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Action, Suspense, Mystery, Romance

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Sophie has enough problems in her life without Spencer turning her blood to fire, without his eyes freezing and burning her, without his hatred of her. Since his migration into the house next to hers, Sophia Valdez isn’t sure whether she wants to toss him under a bus or kiss that smirking mouth of his. But even as the temperature rises around them; leaping flames of passion, want and desire. Everything either has ever known will be shattered by the lurking shadow hounding their every step, wanting revenge.

Spencer Rowth moves to the sleepy town of River Port with his mother and twelve year old sister Suzy, to escape a deceitful father, an unfaithful girlfriend and a life crumbling much too fast for him to grapple onto, only to be smacked upside the head by the last thing he wanted again. Sophie was everything he refused to want. Her temper, her wit, her laugh, her smile; the way her entire body goes up in flames under his hands are things he would rather slam a lid on and forget. Instead, he finds himself falling for the smart-mouth next door. But how long will he have before the evil chasing them catches up? How long before the very thing he never wanted becomes his only thread to sanity? And who is after them? What do they want and why do they want Spencer and Sophie dead?

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Teaser:

“I hope that’s the last of our unlucky streak.”

Sophie couldn't agree more, but something in the air, a chill, coiled around her, sinking razor sharp talons into her flesh. It trickled venom through her veins, paralyzing all hopes that tomorrow would be better. Truthfully, how could it be when the person responsible was still out there? What if they came back? What if they tried again? What if they did it to someone else?

No. Sophie had no delusions that it would be better tomorrow. She wasn't fooled by the temporary calm. Two incidents simultaneously? Maybe the police didn't spot the link, but she wasn't so lucky nor could she rule out that possibility that Spencer was the center of it all.

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Airicka Phoenix is the author of TOUCHING SMOKE (Touch Book #1), TOUCHING ETERNITY (Touch 1.5), TORRID, a short story as part of the Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and WANTING & INTENTIONS, two stories as part of the Midnight Surrender Anthology. When she's not hammering away at the keyboard, she can be found banishing pirates or crawling through the attic looking for lost treasure with her kids. She loves baking, gardening and reading. She also likes to travel and take pictures of everything she comes across. When asked, Airicka describes herself as a sarcastic basket case that has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, old movies and really bad jokes. She loves to laugh, make friends and write. If she could have one wish granted, it would be to spend one day as a fly-on-the-wall inside Stephen King's mind. If she could have two wishes granted, she would ask for a castle dedicated entirely to her overwhelming collection of books.

Another amazing author, releasing another amazing book with a smashing cover! I love Airicka's style of writing, it's always beautiful and I can't wait to get my hands on this book too.