Stormblaze By Kate Bonham {Spoiler Free}

Rate: ⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: United States 2116.  Hadyn wakes up in a strange room with no recollection of the night before or how he got there.  On his way back home a young woman named Edana is being attacked by those called the Destitute.  She turns out to be a thorn in his side but still the very best thing that could have ever happened to him.

So I belong to this FB group called Blind Date with a Book.  Its super awesome.  How many of you will pick a book based on the cover?  I’m guilty of this too but that’s why this group is so great.  It allows you to literally not judge a book by its cover.  Who doesn’t love that?  So here’s how it works  you fill out a form and there are 4 or 5 different taglines from different books.  You pick a tagline and they send you the book.  You have a month to read it and then you write a review.  I really think it’s an awesome concept.  So if you have a facebook page go on over to the group and send a request you will not regret it.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The main character Hadyn is your typical brooding hero type but he is a little different in that he is a dragon.  Unfortunately he has not been able to control his changing.  The book opens with him in an unfamiliar apartment naked not remembering how he got there.  Once he finds some clothes he heads out to go home and sees some men attacking a young woman.  He runs them off and even though it doesn’t say it in the book its clear it was love at first sight.  The girl Edana immediately follows him home and starts asking him questions.  Hadyn is shocked that she isn’t bothered by the fact that he is a dragon.  The strike up and friendship immediately but neither one of them are very forthcoming about their pasts.  But being on the run together eventually brings them closer then just friends.  There are slayers that are out to kill Hadyn just for being who he is.  One in particular named Halvar has it out for him they have a bad history between the two of them.  Halvar isn’t going to stop until he’s rid of Hadyn once and for all.

The story as a whole was really good.  The ending was kind of wide open.  I’m not sure if this is going to be a series or not.  But I would definitely read it if it was.  I’m giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.  Mostly because there wasn’t much back story on the characters or the world they were currently living in.  There were some small plot holes but nothing to bad that I didn’t want to finish the book.  I recommend this book for any one.  However, not for young readers there are some sexy scenes and language that aren’t appropriate for young readers.  But if you love fantasy this is definitely a good book to check out.

Nikki 🐛

Brainwalker By: Robyn Mundell & Stephan Lacast {Spoiler Free}

Rate: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis:  Bernard is a fourteen-year old who has just recently lost his mother in a tragic accident.  His father is an extremely rational physicist who has zero tolerance for his antics at home and at school.  Bernard has an issue at school and in his frustration ends up mooning his class.  He is suspended and he ends up at work with his dad.  His father heads out to a meeting and Bernard decides to wander into a particle accelerator and gets sent through a wormhole!!!! And that is only the beginning.

I received this book from Brainwalkerfans on twitter when they asked me if I would be interested in reviewing this book.  And I’m so glad I did.  This book was really fun to read.  Its not a very long book I finished it in about a day and a half.  Bernard is an interesting teenager he was a little bratty and lets be honest what 14 year old isn’t?  But the adventure that he goes on inside his dad’s head…yes I said inside his head in his brain to be exact.  One side of his dads brain is dying.  His creative juices just aren’t flowing anymore and its because the logical side of his head has decided to keep all that energy for itself.  Bernard has to be a hero and figure out how to save his dad even though logical thinking isn’t really his strong point.  I don’t want to give away they ending but i will say that Bernard is able to bring himself though an adventure and be a better person because of it.  This story has a little bit of everything.  Its got action, drama, somewhat of a love story and even a dictator.

All in all I believe if you have a huge imagination you will absolutely love this story.  I’m going to give it 4 stars out 5.  I hope you guys enjoy this book just as much as I did.

 

Nikki 🐛

 

 

Queen of Hearts By: Colleen Oakes {Spoilers}

Rate: ⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: Dinah is the dark-haired, dark-eyed princess of Wonderland.  She is months  away from her coronation and in love with a boy she may never be able to have.  Her father, the King treats her terribly and all she wants is his approval.  This is not the Wonderland of previous stories there is no Alice yet.  But in order to figure out what secrets Wonderland holds Dinah has to stay one step ahead of her enemies and they are much closer than she ever could have prepared for.

I picked this book to read as part of the Bout of Books read a thon.  I didn’t know what to expect I’m a fan of most Wonderland books just because each author brings  a little something different each time to that wonderful place.  This book started off pretty slow.  I’m guessing it’s because its going to be a trilogy.  The book wasn’t long enough for it to start that slow in my opinion. It only had 14 chapters and things didn’t start happening until almost the 8th.

So Dinah is the princess of Wonderland and she is scheduled to become Queen and rule beside her father when she turns 16.  Once she decides on a husband he would become King and they will rule Wonderland as a couple.  Her father, however absolutely hates her for some reason that isn’t shown to the reader right away.  Her very presence causes him to get mean and hateful.  Considering the things that are  Right in the beginning of the book her father calls for her to come to the throne room and when she does she is introduced to her half-sister named Vittore.  Who is the complete opposite of Dinah.  Where Dinah is dark Vittore is light.  Dinah hates her half sister and everything she stands for.  She finds some solace in her best friend since childhood Wardley.  Even though if she could have her way they would be more than friends.  And there is her little brother Charles, who is a mad but she loves him dearly. Tragedy strikes and Dinah has to figure out who she can trust.  And that takes us straight into book 2 of the trilogy.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story.  But if you are a fan of Wonderland you will like this book.  There is a possible budding love story, intrigue and plenty of betrayal.  I will be checking out the sequel as soon as it comes out. I’m giving this book 3.5 stars out of 5.  And that’s mostly because of the slow opening.  I just think a lot more of the story could have been done even if there is a sequel.  Happy Reading you guys!

 

Nikki 🐛

 

Bout of Books 18

I’ve decided to sign up for my first Read A Thon.  I got the information from Misty over at Misty’s book space .  Its a week long book reading marathon that last from today at 12:01 am thru to Sunday January 8 in your respective time zones.  There are challenges, giveaways and prizes but its all very much optional. For information on Bout of Books 18 please visit here.

I work 11 hour days so I know I will not be able to read as much as I would like so I’m going to aim pretty low with only two books.  They are each about 300+ pages a piece so I should be good by Sunday and I will do a post about them later in the week.

Queen of Hearts By Colleen Oakes
Stalking Jack the Ripper By Kerri Maniscalco

I think I’m going to read Queen of Hearts first so that review will come most likely within the next couple of days and Stalking Jack the Ripper will be right behind.  If I get these two done in enough time I may add another before the week is out.  Just depends on how work does me this week!!!  I’m so excited to try this you guys!!

Nikki 🐛

Update Day 2

I had to work today so I was only able to read 4 chapters. I’m on chapter 8 and there are 14 chapters so I think if I read a couple more before bed I can be done with this book tomorrow. It started a little slow which was a bummer but it’s starting to pick up. Can’t wait to let you guys know how it is.

Update Day 3

I finished Queen of Hearts today.  It really started picking up towards the end.  I’m going to do a separate blog about either tomorrow or friday.  I haven’t started my second book but I’m going to read atleast the first few chapters before bed tonight.  I’m really looking forward to reading this one.  Hope you guys are making progress!  Happy reading.

Update Day 4

My work day was super busy so I didn’t get to sneak off during lunch and read my second book today.  But I plan on reading some chapters tonight before bed.  School starts back up for me next Tuesday so this will be the last non school book I’ll be reading for awhile.  But I’m sure I will be done by Saturday at the latest.  Hope you guys are having better luck than I am getting your reading done.

Update Day 5

I live in VA and we are preparing for a huge snowstorm so I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted too today.  But considering the storm is supposed to hit tonight I’ll have nothing to do but read so hopefully I”ll be finishing this book tomorrow.  Happy Reading!!

Carry On By: Rainbow Rowell {Spoilers}

Rate: ⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: Simon Snow is the chosen one.  He was prophesied to be the one to save the world of magic.  The problem is Simon is a terrible chosen one.  More often than not he can’t make his wand work, and he has the tendency to blow things up.  His roommate Baz is his nemesis, possibly a vampire and didn’t even bother showing up for school.  And to top it off there is a magic eating monster with Simon’s face running around England.

A few years ago I read Fangirl and of course the obsession of the main character was the world of Simon Snow and the fan fiction that she wrote.  Even then it struck me as very Harry Potter like and I’m a huge Potterhead so I thought how cool is it to have a storyline where Harry and Draco get together.  I’ve read quite a few reviews about this book and they are pretty split down the middle.  And I am going to add to that down the middle thing.

The book wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t that good either.  It seemed like it took a little too much from Harry Potter.  I thought that was a bit over the top.  Obviously its a world of magic so none of it is really supposed to make sense.  But her spells just seemed stupid to me.  The story was pretty strong which is why I said I was down the middle.  I liked the characters and their story line…well except for Agatha she was just a waste all the way around.

There are ghosts in this story, betrayal and lots of crazy.  And of course a love story.  Carry on was presented as the final book in the Simon Snow series and he is beginning his 8th and final year of school.  The problem with starting the book like this is the author had to play catch up with her readers and explain what had happened in the years prior and sometimes she fell a little short in the explanation department.

Simon and Baz are roommates at the Watford school of magic it would seem that they absolutely hate each other.  Simon is an orphan who was found by the Mage and brought to the Watford school when he was 11 after he had “went off” for the first time.  He has a clear obsession with Baz because he has apparently tried to kill him several times throughout the years.  Simon’s best friend Penelope or Penny is extremely smart and one of the top people in their year.  Unlike Simon she channels her magic through a ring instead of a wand.  Simon’s ex girlfriend Agatha is gorgeous but when it comes to magic she is pretty ordinary.   Baz doesn’t actually appear until book 2 and as soon as we hear from him he talks about how he has been in love with Simon since he first laid eyes on him.  He also admits to trying to kill him previously if only to get him out of his hair.

Each chapter is told from a different characters point of view and that is how they are titled.  There are side characters that I will not get into too much detail but they serve their purpose in rounding out the story.  I am a fan of Rainbow Rowell but I wasn’t a huge fan of this book.  I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars because I think that the story is great but it just felt a little to Potterish and it could have been a little better if she tried to be a little more original.

 

Nikki 🐛