Review - Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights, #2) by Chloe Gong

 

 

Title: Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights, #2)

Author: Chloe Gong

Pages: 513

Publisher: Hodderscape

Release Date: 16th November 2021

Blurb from Goodreads:

The heartstopping follow up to These Violent Delights, an imaginative, alluring retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai.

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

 My Review:

 -Contains spoilers for book one, These Violent Delights-

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*

Roma and Juliette haven't seen each other since saving Shanghai from the monster and its madness. Roma saw Juliette murder Marshall, his friend, and wants revenge. He doesn't know that Marshall is actually alive and well, and that Juliette orchestrated the scene to save Roma being killed himself.

Juliette's position as heir of the Scarlet Gang is still precarious, with her cousin Tyler ready and eager to take over the moment Juliette makes a wrong move.

When a new monster appears in the city, Roma and Juliette will need to work together to save their home from the risk of further madness as well as the Nationalist threat inching closer - that is, if they don't kill each other first.

Having enjoyed the first book, I was intrigued to see what would happen next, especially given that it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Juliette was a complex protagonist - she was relatable and wanted to protect her friends, family and home, but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I did feel sorry for her given that she'd had to sacrifice her relationship with Roma, and that she constantly had the threat of Tyler waiting for her to mess up so he could take over as heir.

While I did like Roma, I didn't feel that I connected with him. I liked a lot of the side characters, including Kathleen, Alisa, Marshall and Benedikt. Tyler was an interesting character who, while I didn't like him, I understood his motivation. I would have liked to have seen Dimitri fleshed out more, as he felt very two dimensional to me.

The politics were interesting, as was the setting of 1920s Shanghai.

The plot was mostly enjoyable, but the pacing was off for me and around 70% through I did start to lose interest, which meant that I became less invested in what happened, and I wasn't as emotionally impacted by certain scenes as I should have been. There were several things that I didn't see coming, but because I wasn't gripped, I wasn't very shocked by them. I felt that the book could have been at least 100 pages shorter as there was some two-ing and fro-ing that seemed unnecessary.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall this was a mixed read.

 

 

Review - Green Rising by Lauren James

 

 

 

 Title: Green Rising

Author: Lauren James

Pages: 432

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 2nd September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Set in a near-future world on the brink of ecological catastrophe, Lauren James’ novel is a gripping, witty and romantic call to arms.

Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet.

On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join Gabrielle and legions of other teenagers around the world in developing the strange new “Greenfingers” power, it becomes clear that to use their ability for good, they’ll need to learn to work together. But in a time of widespread corruption and greed, there are plenty of profit-hungry organizations who want to use the Greenfingers for their own ends. And not everyone would like to see the Earth saved…

As they navigate first love and family expectations, can the three teenagers pull off the ultimate heist and bring about a green rising? 

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review:

 *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley*

The world changes forever when some teenagers develop the ability to grow plants. They become known as Greenfingers, but not everyone will use their new powers to help others or the planet.

Gabrielle, the first teen to exhibit the ability, is a climate-change activist, and is willing to do anything to get the governments of the world to take climate-change seriously.

Hester is the daughter of the CEO of one of the biggest oil companies in the world and tries to use the new Greenfingers phenomenon to help the company.

Theo comes from a fishing family and will do everything he can to help his parents with their money troubles.

Gabrielle, Hester and Theo are all very different, but can they work together to save the planet?

Having been a fan of the author for a long time, I was interested to read their latest release. However, having not enjoyed their last few books as much as earlier ones, I was also a bit unsure how much I would like this.

Gabrielle, Hester and Theo were all likeable and relatable protagonists. I admired Gabrielle's determination, Hester's drive and Theo's love for his parents. Hester was my favourite of the three and I enjoyed reading as she grew as a character. None of the side characters particularly stood out to me, apart from Theo's parents.

One of my favourite parts of the book was the diversity.

The science in the book and concept of the Greenfingers were really interesting. The author thought of consequences and ideas that I hadn't or wouldn't have.

The plot was interesting overall, but I wasn't gripped or shocked by anything that happened. I don't feel that I was overly invested in what happened to the characters.

The writing style was easy to follow and I found the book quite fast to read.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I hoped I would, I enjoyed it overall and thought the messages in it were very important and relevant.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

 

Review - Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

 

 

 Title: Certain Dark Things

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pages: 274

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

Release Date: 7th September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood-drinkers, is smart and beautiful - and very dangerous. Domingo is mesmerised.

Atl needs to escape the city quickly, to get far away from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, she finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Atl and Domingo stand little chance at all of making it out alive before the city devours them all - but they are determined to try . . .

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Storygraph

 

 

 

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley*

Domingo lives in Mexico City, collecting garbage to get by.

His life changes when he meets Atl, a vampire descended from a line dating back to the Aztecs.

Atl's on the run from a rival vampire clan who want her dead, and Domingo quickly agrees to help her.

Atl reluctantly accepts Domingo's aid, and they will have to work together to get Atl out of the anti-vampire city, avoiding enemy vampires and humans along the way.

The premise for this book really intrigued me, and as a fan of the author's other work, I was excited to read this.

Domingo and Atl were both likeable and interesting characters who I enjoyed finding out more about. I felt sorry for them both for different reasons.

The concept of the different vampire subspecies was really interesting, and I liked how unique/different they were to anything I had read before.

The plot was interesting and held my attention throughout, but I wasn't gripped and didn't feel as invested as I perhaps could have been. Some things did happen that I wasn't expecting, but nothing particularly shocked me.

The writing style was easy to follow and I like how versatile the author is.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Review - The Great Troll War (The Last Dragonslayer, #4) by Jasper Fforde

 

 

 Title: The Great Troll War (The Last Dragonslayer, #4)

Author: Jasper Fforde

Pages: 368

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: 9th September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads: 

The final instalment of the Last Dragonslayer Chronicles, demonstrating that with a small band of committed followers, a large tin of resolve and steely determination, almost anything can be achieved . . .

Sixteen-year-old Jennifer Strange and her sidekick and fellow Orphan Tiger Prawns have been driven to the tip of the UnUnited Kingdoms - Cornwall - by the invasion of the Trolls. Their one defence is a six-foot-wide trench full of buttons, something which the Trolls find unaccountably terrifying (it's their clickiness).

Worse than being eaten by Trolls is the prospect of the Mighty Shandar requisitioning the Quarkbeast and using him to achieve supreme power and domination - an ambition that has been four hundred years in the planning and which will ultimately leave the Earth a cold cinder, devoid of all life.

Nothing has ever looked so bleak, but Jennifer, assisted by a renegade vegan Troll, a bunch of misfit sorcerers, the Princess (or is she now the ruler?) of the UnUnited (or are they now United?) Kingdoms, and Tiger, must find a way to vanquish the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, and along the way discover the truth about her parents, herself, and what is in the locked glovebox of her VW Beetle . . .

 

 

 Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*

The UnUnited Kingdom has been invaded by Trolls, and Jennifer Strange finds herself in Cornwall with only a trench filled with buttons (Trolls can't stand them) preventing her and her friends from being eaten.

But the Trolls aren't the only problem - the Mighty Shandar, the most powerful sorcerer ever to exist, has a sinister plan that only Jennifer can foil.

Can Jennifer stop the Trolls from completing their invasion as well as the Mighty Shandar from enacting his plan?

Will she finally discover the truth about her parents?

Having very much enjoyed the previous book in the series, I was looking forward to seeing how the series would end.

I really liked Jennifer as a protagonist. Even though she was only sixteen-years-old, she had been through a lot and had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Jennifer had a strong moral compass and cared a lot about other people.

As well as Jennifer, Tiger was one of my favourite characters. He was witty and sarcastic and was always ready to help Jennifer.

The Princess was an interesting character whose development over the series I really liked.

The plot was enjoyable overall, but there were scenes that felt rushed, and so they didn't have as much impact as they perhaps should have. Some of the plot also felt a bit random - even for a Jasper Fforde book - and out of place, so this instalment almost felt like it didn't belong in the series.

However, as I have come to expect from the author's books, it was witty and fun (even if it did feel a little forced at times).

I have to admit that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and that it was a bit of a disappointing end to the series, but the author is still one of my favourites.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

 

Review - Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

 

 Title: Vespertine

Author: Margaret Rogerson

Pages: 368

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's UK

Release Date: 5th October 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens comes a thrilling new YA fantasy about a teen girl with mythic abilities who must defend her world against restless spirits of the dead.

The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as twisted spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She’d rather deal with the dead than the living, who point and whisper about the odd girl who was once possessed by a violent spirit.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia fights back by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a high saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being now whispering in her head. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her in body and soul. But death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has a chance of stopping it. Yet the age of vespertines has passed, their knowledge and training lost with time.

As Artemisia investigates a mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, an ancient evil is stirring. Can an untrained girl, tormented by the burden of containing the revenant’s devouring power, have any hope of defeating it?

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Review:

 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Children's UK and NetGalley*

Artemisia lives in a convent in the land of Loraille, where the bodies of the deceased must be cleansed to prevent their spirits from rising and causing destruction.

Artemisia is happy to train to be a Gray Sister and work with the dead, especially as the other girls at the convent treat Artemisia differently because she was possessed by a horrible spirit as a child.

Everything changes when the convent is attacked and Artemisia ends up sharing her body with a revenant - a highly powerful and dangerous spirit bound to an ancient relic.

Artemisia is able to hear the revenant in her head despite lacking the knowledge of the long dead vespertines - high priestesses with the training to use high relics bound with powerful spirits. Artemisia will need to use all her strength to prevent the revenant from taking control of her body, but even that may not be enough.

A darkness is falling over Loraille. Can Artemisia stop it before it's too late?

Can she control the revenant, and even work together with it to save her land?

Having loved the author's last novel, I was looking forward to reading this new book.

Artemisia was a likeable and relatable protagonist. Her childhood wasn't easy and she struggled in some situations, which was very understandable, but she was determined to help others.

I liked a lot of the supporting characters, and enjoyed reading Artemisia's interactions with them, especially the revenant, who was possibly my favourite character.

The different spirits and the Old Magic were interesting, as was the setting.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped. However, I didn't guess anything that happened and was kept wondering what would happen.

The writing style was easy to follow and I would happily read another book by the author.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

 

Review - Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

 

 

 Title: Under the Whispering Door

Author: T.J. Klune

Pages: 401

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: 21st September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley*

When Wallace dies, he is taken to Charon's Crossing tea shop by a Reaper called Mei.

The tea shop is run by Hugo, who is a Ferryman who helps the dead to pass on.

Wallace isn't ready to move on. But is he ready to look back over his life and to live again?

The premise for this book intrigued me and I was excited to read it.

Wallace was a horrible person when he was alive, and it did take me a while to warm to him. However, I never felt that I fully connected to Wallace and he was not a stand-out character for me.

My favourite characters were Mei, the Reaper, who assisted Hugo in the tea shop, and Nelson, Hugo's grandfather. They were both funny and I enjoyed reading their scenes and interactions with others.

The setting of the tea shop was interesting and I liked the concepts of the Reapers and Ferrymen.

The plot was interesting and I held my attention overall, but not that much really happened (however, this was definitely more of a character-focused book), and I wasn't gripped. I feel that this could have been a bit shorter as it did drag a little in the middle. While I wasn't overly invested in what happened, I did become emotional at certain scenes, but I feel that the intended overall impact of the book passed me by.

My favourite aspect of the book was probably the themes - those of friendship, found family and helping others.

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but it didn't reach its potential for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Review - Defy the Night (Defy the Night, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

 

 

Title: Defy the Night (Defy the Night, #1)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Pages: 454

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Release Date: 14th September 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

A spark of rebellion is all it takes to DEFY THE NIGHT.

In a kingdom where sickness stalks the streets and only the richest can afford a cure, King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick are forced to rule with an iron fist.

Tessa Cade is a masked outlaw marked for death, but she likes it that way. Together with the mysterious, handsome Weston, she robs from the rich to help the poor, distributing food and medicine to those who need it most.

As it becomes clear that the only way to save her people is to assassinate the King, Tessa must face a deadly mission that will take her to the dark heart of the kingdom … and force her to work with the very people she intended to destroy.

From New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer comes a brand-new blockbuster fantasy series about a corrupt kingdom, a star-crossed romance and a girl who will do anything for justice.

 

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Review:

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley*

Tessa Cade is an apothecary apprentice in the kingdom of Kandala.

A sickness is spreading, and not everyone has access to the cure, so Tessa steals the ingredients, helping those in desperate need alongside her friend Wes.

As the sickness spreads, so too does the talk of rebellion. King Harristan took the throne after his parents were assassinated, and has ruled with his brother, Prince Corrick, as the King's Justice. As King's Justice, Corrick delivers brutal punishments to those that defy the crown.

One such punishment leads to Tessa sneaking into the palace, where she will find herself questioning everything.

Can the sickness be stopped?

Will the rebellion be thwarted?

I've been a fan of Brigid Kemmerer's books for a while now, and, even though I haven't been enjoying YA fantasy as much as I used to, I was interested to see what this book would be like.

Tessa was a likeable and relatable protagonist. I liked that she was willing to do what she believed was right even if it meant putting her own life in danger.

I thought both Harristan and Corrick were interesting characters, and I did feel sorry for them given the circumstances of their parents' deaths and how they were surrounded by a lot of people who were more focused on helping themselves rather than those who were suffering.

Quint, the Palace Master, and Rocco, a King's guard, were among my favourite characters, and I would have liked to find out more about them.

The plot was enjoyable, but nothing that happened particularly surprised me and I wasn't gripped.

The author's writing was easy to follow, as usual, and made the book feel shorter than it actually was.

While I did enjoy this book, it doesn't really stand out in any way to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.