Book Review: A Bond of Venom and Magic - Karen Tomlinson

Title:  A Bond of Venom and Magic
Author: Karen Tomlinson
Publication Date: October 14th 2016 
Publisher:  Smashwords Edition
Pages: 324
Link to Goodreads: Here

Part of a Series: Book 1 of The Goddess and The Guardians

Plot: The Wraith Lord is hunting; his prize, the key to unleashing darkness and Chaos upon the eight Kingdoms.

For Diamond Gillon the war raging in the south seems a remote danger until her home is brutally attacked. Having lost everything she holds dear, Diamond is catapulted into a terrifying new world in which legendary beasts arise, magic is condemned and half blood fae, like her, have no rights. Despite her growing feelings for her saviour, Commander Hugo Casimir, he remains a paradox – not only is he a heartless killer, he is owned by the cruel immortal fae queen; a queen who will murder her own people for magic.

As Diamond’s circumstances become ever more perilous she is drawn deeper into Hugo’s world and discovers the lengths to which he will go to save what he holds dear. Will Hugo become her friend, her protector, or – an enemy not worthy of her trust?

A Bond of Venom and Magic is a tale of two people bound by magic and secrets, but trapped in the complexities of love and betrayal. It is the beginning of an epic journey, one that will test Diamond’s resolve and determination to battle an evil that threatens not only her world but that of Eternity, the land of The Goddess and The Guardians.

Reading period:  November 18, 2016 - December 08, 2016

Book Review: Ashfall - Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall
Author: Mike Mullin
Publication Date: October 11th 2011
Publisher:  Tanglewood Press
Pages: 476
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Ashfall

Plot: Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

Reading Period: April 08, 2016 - April 16, 2016

Book Review: Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

Title: Glass Sword
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication Date: February 9th 2016
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Pages: 444
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 2 of Red Queen

Plot: If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul. 

Reading Period: March 04, 2016 - March 24, 2016

Book Review: Morning Star - Pierce Brown

Title: Morning Star
Author: Pierce Brown
Publication Date: February 9th 2016
Publisher:  Del Rey
Pages: 524
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 3 of  Red Rising

Plot: Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society's mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied - and too glorious to surrender.

Reading Period: March 24, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Book Review: Forget Tomorrow - Pintip Dunn

Title: Forget Tomorrow
Author: Pintip Dunn
Publication Date: November 3rd 2 015
Publisher:  Entangled: Teen
Pages: 400
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of Forget Tomorrow

Plot: Imagine a world where your destiny has already been decided…by your future self.

It’s Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she’s eagerly awaiting her vision―a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they’re meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist.

Or in Callie’s case, a criminal.

In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo―a prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes the hellish prison.

But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all.

Callie herself

Reading Period: February 24, 2016 - March 03, 2016

Book Review: Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publication Date: February 8th 2005 
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Pages: 425
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Uglies

Plot: Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world-- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever...

Reading Period: February 14, 2016 - February 25, 2016

Book Review: The 100 - Kass Morgan

Title: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Publication Date:  September 3rd 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 323
Link to Goodreads: Here
Part of a Series: Book 1 of the Hundred Series

Plot: No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope. 

Reading Period: February 1, 2016 - February 2, 2016