Review - Gilded (Gilded, #1) by Marissa Meyer

 

 

Title: Gilded (Gilded, #1)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Pages: 435

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Release Date: 2nd November 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 All magic comes at a price, but love was never part of the bargain . . .

The look he was giving her. Serilda had never been looked at like that before . . . The intensity.
The heat. The raw astonishment. He was going to kiss her.

Cursed by the god of lies, a miller's daughter has developed a talent for storytelling - but are all of her tales as false as they appear?

When one of Serilda's stories draws the attention of the devastating Erlking, she finds herself swept away into a world of enchantment, where ghouls prowl the earth, and ravens track her every move. The king locks Serilda in a castle dungeon and orders her to spin straw into gold, or be killed for lying. In despair, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious young man to her aid. And he agrees to help her, for a price. But love wasn't meant to be part of the bargain.

A compulsive read, and as bewitchingly good as you'd expect from a YA bestselling author. You will stay up all night reading this.

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My Review:

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

Serilda is a miller's daughter and lives in a small town where her unusual eyes have always marked her as something other, something to be wary of.

When Serilda crosses paths with the ruthless Erlking, she is drawn into a dangerous world of ghosts and dark creatures.

The Erlking orders Serilda to spin straw into gold - an ability she told the Erlking she has, but lied about. If Serilda fails, she will die. Luckily, a young man appears, able to help, but he needs something from Serilda in return.

Can Serilda escape from the Erlking?

As a fan of the author's previous novels, and being intrigued by the Rumpelstiltskin-retelling aspect of this book, I was intrigued to read it.

Serilda was a likeable and relatable protagonist. As someone who was treated like a curse because of her eyes, Serilda didn't really have any friends, and I felt sorry for her. I liked her relationship with the school children she told stories to.

Gild and the Erlking were were both interesting characters.

The setting and lore in the book were interesting and I liked finding out more about them.

The plot was enjoyable to begin with, and the author did a good job of setting the story up, but after a while the plot became a bit repetitive and dragged for me. I felt that the book could have been a lot

shorter, and because I did lose interest and was not very invested in what happened, I was not shocked by certain events that happened.

At the moment, I am not planning to read the sequel, and am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

Review - The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

 

 

Title: The Dead Romantics

Author: Ashley Poston

Pages: 365

Publisher: HQ

Release Date: 28th June 2022

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

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My Review:

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

Florence Day ghostwrites for one of the most popular romance authors in existence, but Florence is stuck on her latest novel as she no longer believes in love after a bad break-up.

When Florence's new editor refuses to give her more time to finish the book, she doesn't know what to do, but then tragedy strikes when Florence's father dies.

Florence travels back home, a place she hasn't been in ten years, a place that Florence escaped from because of her ability to see ghosts.

When Florence's editor turns up at her family's funeral parlour as a ghost, they will have to work together to figure out what unfinished business is keeping him there, all while Florence is grieving for her father.

Adult romances are not my go-to genre, but I've been wanting to try and read books that I wouldn't usually pick up, and this one sounded like a fun read.

Florence was a very likeable and relatable protagonist. She had been treated badly by her ex-boyfriend and had some bad memories from her hometown, but was fun and the kind of person I would like to be friends with.

I really liked Florence's best friend, Rose, and it was interesting to read Florence's interactions with her family, who I also liked.

The concept of Florence being able to see ghosts was interesting, and it was sad to find out how it led to her leaving home.

The plot was enjoyable and held my attention. It did surprise me a little, and it was quite a cute read, but I liked the family aspects as well as the romance.

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

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.

 

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 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? 

 

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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 . . .

 

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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 . . .

 

 

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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?

 

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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.