Cress by Marissa Meyer - non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

I'm continuing to play catch-up with my bookreviews of the Lunar Chronicles. This time I'll be reviewing Cress.

Beware, this may contain spoilers for both Cinder and Scarlet. (Click on the names of the books to read my non-spoiler reviews.)

Title: Cress

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fairy-tale retelling

Format: paperback

*Story:

In this book we are introduced to the character of Cress. This is a Rapunzel retelling. Cress - a shell - is thaumaturge Sybil's 'protégé' and personal hacker who lives in her own satellite. Contrary to her 'assignment', she actually helps Cinder to stay off the radar. We got a 'glimpse' of her in the first book, when she warned Cinder about Levana's plans to assassinate Kai once she becomes empress. With the introduction of Cress' character we get a whole new storyline that intertwines perfectly with the excisting storylines.

The plot remains fast-paced and action-packed.

*Characters:

-Cress: At first I thought she was a bit of a naïve girl, but once you get to know her, you realise her behaviour is actually quite normal. Imagine being locked up and isolated from the rest of your planet for so many years. That also explains her infatuation with Thorne. It turns out that even though she is a bit socially impaired, she still has a very important role to play in the story.

-Dr. Erland: In this story we get to know a lot more about him and his backstory.

SPOILER:

Maybe it was a bit predictable that Cress is Dr. Erland's daughter, but this is also a nice example of how well Meyer can weave storylines together.

Also, the way she potrayed how Wolf felt after Scarlet was taken by Sybil was very well excecuted.

*Overall rating:

I like how we get to see earth from Cress' POV. Just like we look at the moon and are mesmerized by it, Cress is fascinated by earth.

We also get to meet Winter, a very intriguing character and the protagonist of the final book. We only catch a glimpse of her, but from her interactions with Scarlet we find out there's more to her than meets the eye.

Have you read Cress? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

My Bookish Crate #4 (February 2017) Unboxing.

Hi booklovers

This is my unboxing for the February MyBookishCrate box. Unfortunately, this will be the last box I'll be getting since they are no longer in business and I was unable to get their final box.

The info card was stunning - the theme was parallel worlds

Meraki Candle - Kell (A Darker Shade of Magic)

Jace and Clary (The Mortal Instruments) magnetic bookmarks

Alice in Wonderland notebooks

Funko Mystery Mini - Harry Potter (Hermione Granger)

Two buttons inspired by A Darker Shade of Magic

Gilded Cage by Vic James

I hadn't heard of this book but it sounds intriguing.

Even though I've never read - and never will read - A Darker Shade of Magic I was very pleased with the items in this box. I'm very sad that they're no longer in business, but at least I was able to get 4 of their boxes.

Do you have any booksubscription boxes? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - non-spoiler review.

Hi booklovers

This is my review of book two of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Scarlet. (Again, I've read this book in 2015, but never got around to posting my review :-$)

Beware this may contain spoilers for Cinder. I also have a review for Cinder here.

Title: Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fairy-tale retelling

Format: paperback

*Story:

Scarlet is a red riding hood retelling. Scarlet is a French girl looking for her grandmother who went missing. Scarlet, however, is convinced her grandmother was kidnapped. On her search she crosses paths with Wolf, a 'professional fighter' with wolflike features, incredibly strong and fast. In this story we also meet Carswell Thorne, a 'captain' who was imprisoned for stealing a ship. He escapes jail together with Cinder.

*Characters:

-Scarlet: She is a sassy, readhaired girl who is used to being independent while still very much caring for her grandmother. I like how she doesn't believe her grandmother went missing. She instinctively knows something is wrong.

-Wolf: He's a very silent, brooding character. We as readers only get to know him gradually, which makes him all the more intriguing. At first he's not the most likeable character, but he grows on you, just because he is so mysterious.

-Thorne: He is such a cocky, arrogant, funny and charming character. At times you want to smack him on the head because he is so infuriating and at times he is the sweetest.

*Plot/Worldbuilding/Overall rating:

This story is very fast-paced and action packed. At first, you don't really know why Scarlet and Wolf are introduced to the story, but it was really nice to see the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

We get to know more about New Bejing, but also about other places in this 'new' world. We also find out more about Lunar and Cinder's backstory.

SPOILER:

I like how the romance between Scarlet and Wolf is sort of slow burning. I know some of the events take place over the course of a day and that there is a sort of instant attraction, but still...

I like how we get to know what Michelle Benoit had to do with Princess Selene and what Levana is trying to do with her canine army.

I also like how we still get glimpses of Kai and how he still thinks about Cinder a lot while struggling to 'stand up' to Levana.

Have you read Scarlet? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

Graphic novels - mini-reviews (non-spoiler).

Hi booklovers

A while ago a colleague let me borrow some graphic novels that he really enjoyed. The only graphic novel I had read so far were Fables, Locke & Key and Saga, so I thought it would be nice to discover some new ones.
 

These were the graphic novels he lent me:
 

-Y, The Last Man: Unmanned.
-Transmetropolitan: Back on the Street.
-The Boys: The Name of The Game.
-Scalped: Indian Country.

The only one of these I had ever heard about was 'Y, the Last Man', so I was immediately intrigued by that one - although it still took me a couple of months to finally pick it up :-$

These last couple of weeks, I finally felt like reading them and I even read them back to back and now I'll do a mini-review for each one.

The order in which I'm reviewing them is the order in which I read them:

*Y, The Last Man

I found the concept of all the male species - save two - dropping dead for no apparent reason really 'refreshing'. Throughout this first volume we don't really get an answer as to why Yorick & Ampersand - his male monkey companion - survived, but I'm guessing that will be explained in later volumes. Some of the women in this graphic novel are very weird - yes, Amazones, I'm talking about you - but I'm curious to see if they'll succeed in their plan to get rid of the last two males on earth.
I found this to be a very cool concept and I really liked the drawings. I'll definitely be continuing with the series. I might even start collecting them.

*Transmetropolitan

My colleague 'warned' me that the other three graphic novels were more 'guy-orientated' and this one is definitely a lot more 'graphic'. The drawings in this one were completely different, much more ellaborate and bombastic. The colours were a lot more vibrant, so it took me some time to adjust to that. The story was all kinds of weird. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it was unlike anything I had ever read before. That being said, the ending of the first volume left me really curious and I'll also be continuing with the series.

*The Boys:

 

The drawings in this one reminded me very much of the drawings in Locke & Key and I really like those, so I didn't have any problems getting into this one. Again, the story is all kinds of weird with all these superheroes that have gone wild, but there is also a lot of humour in it. I was only on page 6 when I started laughing out loud, which is very weird when you're on a train. The different characters have their own unique personalities and they 'complement' each other very well. Oh and I love Terror the dog :-) Also, be warned that this one is very 'graphic' as well. Out of the four I liked this one the best and I'll definitely be continuing with the series and probably start collecting them. 

*Scalped

I couldn't - for the life of me - get into this one, mainly because of the drawings. I don't know what it was, but they felt off to me. I started it twice and both times I gave up after a page and a half, even though my colleague said the story was very good. I won't be rating this since I never finished it. Needless to say I won't be continuing with the series.

All in all, I think this was a successfull introduction to some new graphic novels.
 

Have you read any of these or other graphic novels. Which ones would you recommend?
 

Bye for now
 

Annelies

Fairyloot #1 - January 2017

Hi booklovers

This is my unboxing of my very first Fairyloot box. This was the January box.

 

The info card for this box was stunning 

There was a Harry Potter Funko Mystery Mini.

I was very happy to see that I got Harry.

An exclusive Night Circus pillow case.

I haven't read this book, but I would like to someday

This is my second Meraki Candle and this one was named by the author of the book

 

This actually isn't the main book, but it was very cool that they included a second hardcover book 

 An exclusive rose shaped necklace

 A very beautiful Alice in Wonderland bookmark

 

 A Passenger / Wayfarer little notebook

 Some swag

An now for the book:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

 

 

 

 

 

Are you subscribed to any bookboxes? Did you get the January Fairyloot box? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

Last Stand by Rachel E. Carter - non-spoiler review

Hi booklovers

This is my spoiler-free review of Last Stand, book four - the final book - in the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter. This book was kindly sent to me by the author - I'm a part of her review team - in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

This will contain spoilers for First Year, Apprentice and Candidate. Just click on the title to read my reviews. I read this book for the Of Wonderland Book Club on Goodreads. February's theme was 'badass females'.

Title: Last Stand

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story:
Darren has become the Black Mage and he's married to Ryiah. What he doesn't know is that Ryiah is going to betray him because she wants to reveal what a villain Blayne really is. We get to see the whole process of Ryiah trying to get to the point where she can reveal who Blayne really is whilst still playing the 'happily' married girl, up until she has to convince Darren she's telling the truth.

*Characters:
-Ryiah: I really loved Ryiah in this story. She has grown so much throughout this series, she has really come into her own. You know bad things are going to happen to her, but still she carries on, despite knowing she'll probably lose everything. Sure, she almost changes her mind a couple of times, but who wouldn't hesitate to carry on in her situation?! Her story is so heartbreaking in this book, I actually cried a couple of times.
 

-Darren: Wow, we really got to see two different sides of him. One is the loving, understanding husband - Ryiah keeps her distance when they are first married - and the other is this coldhearted, blinded-by-the-love-for-his-brother kind of guy. Even though this switch is very sudden it was written in such a good way that it was still believable.
SPOILER:
When he finally does believe Ryiah it goes over maybe a bit too easy, but that's something I'm willing to overlook.
 

-Blayne: I hated him with such a passion. He is actually an even bigger monster than his father! (A very well-written monster, mind you!)
 

-Priscilla: Finally, she showed her true colours and I have some new-found respect for her. She becomes a totally different person, but again, it's written in such a good way that it's believable.
 

*Plot/worldbuilding/overall rating:
As far as the worldbuilding goes, not many new places were introduced, but that's okay, we already know the setting.
I thought the previous book was an emotional rollercoaster, but oh my, that was nothing compared to this book. This one ripped my heart out, broke it into a million pieces and put it back together again.
After I finished reading it, I literally stared at the last page for ten minutes. There were so many feelings I had to process, it was rough.
I'm very glad that Rachel ended up deciding to write an epilogue, because it wrapped things up nicely. Otherwise, I might have been a little annoyed!

I adored this series and I can definitely see it ending up in my top 10 books of 2017.

I want to thank Rachel for giving me the chance to read, review and fall in love with the books.

I give this series an overall rating of 4.5 stars and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to read about kick-ass female characters and a unique magic system.
 

Have you read this book or any of the other books in the series?
 

Bye for now
 

Annelies

Candidate - Rachel E. Carter - non-spoiler review

Hi booklovers

This is my non-spoiler review of Candidate, book three in the Black Mage series by Rachel E. Carter. This book was kindly sent to my by the author - I'm a part of her review team - in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

This will contain spoilers for First Year and Apprentice. Just click on the title to read my reviews. I read this book for the Of Wonderland Book Club on Goodreads. February's theme was 'badass females'.

Title: Candidate

Author: Rachel E. Carter

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format: e-book (provided by the author)

*Story: 
This story takes place after Darren announced that both his and Blayne's engagements were off and that he wanted to marry Ryiah instead. It goes without saying that the road to their marriage isn't without obstacles. This book also deals with the upcoming Candidacy, in which the three new coloured Robes will be chosen. Of course, both Ryiah and Darren want the Black Robe, but only one can win and the competion is very brutal. Meanwhile, the rebels also gain strength. During the year leading up to their marriage, Ryiah discovers that not everything is what it seems.

*Characters: 
-Ryiah: After the previous book I had almost given up on liking Ryiah, just because she was so fickle in that story. In this book, however, she totally redeems herself. She again goes through so many changes and emotions it's a miracle she doesn't (completely) crumble.
SPOILER:
Two events made me really feel sorry for her, the first one being when Derrick dies at the hand of Mira. The second one was when she discovered who the real villain is, i.e. Blayne.

-Darren: I really liked how he finally stood up for himself and his love for Ryiah. But true to his nature, he still did things I wanted to strangle him for; like being a very stubborn mule!
 

-Derrick: He really plays a very important part in this story, but I was surprised to see where the storyline eventually took him. We also get to see a totally different side of him during the events of the Candidacy and it wasn't a pretty one.

SPOILER:

What the hell was wrong with him, reacting like that towards Ryiah during the trials. It wasn't her fault what happened to Alex.

-Alex & Ella: We don't get to see all that much of them, but when we do get their story it's packed with - sometimes very raw - emotions.
 
*Plot/Worldbuilding/Overall rating:
This book was so fast-paced and action-packed. Especially the last chapters left my head spinning. I like that we got to see some new places. I also enjoyed that Ryiah gets the chance to be the Combat Mage that she's always wanted to be before she has to stay at the king's palace and her marriage to Darren. Otherwise, it would have seemed like all her training was in vain.
The book ended on such a cliffhanger that I was really happy that book 4 has already been released, otherwise I would have gone mad having to wait to continue reading.

Have you read this book or any of the other books in the series?

Bye for now

Annelies

January & February 2017 - haul

Hi booklovers

This is my January and February 2017 book haul. 

After posting my TBR list I decided to cut back on my bookbuying, so in January I didn't buy any books except for the one I got in my very first FairyLoot box: Caraval.

I had heard about this book, but I don't think I would've picked it up, but I am glad I got it in the box. I'm looking forward to reading this.

In February I got the MyBookishCrate box and the book for February was Gilded Cage by Vic James.

I'd never heard of this book, but the premise sound really cool.

At the end of February I went shopping with my cousin and at Fnac I bought three books:

The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins. This is inspired by the Grimm Brothers' 'The Singing Bone'. I'm curious to see how this will be, I've never read anything by Wendy Higgins before.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I've heard a lot about this book and I was intrigued by the premise.

The Novice by Taran Matharu. I've had my eye on this book for a while now, simply because of the cover. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint.

What books did you get in the first two months of this year? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies