Review - In Fallen Woods by R N Merle

In Fallen Woods by R N Merle

Independently published on 19th April 2018

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge - 6/50

I was gifted a kindle copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Long ago in England, and far away to the west…

In the dark heart of Fallen Woods, Darklin, a sixteen year old witch and her mother Gressyl, live hidden among the tangled trees. They are bound to a secret coven practicing dark and cruel magic. Darklin is taught to be merciless and to despise humanity, to believe that beauty is treacherous, and that love and kindness do not truly exist.

But when Darklin has a fateful encounter with a beautiful and kind hearted young man, powerful feelings are unleashed. As urges of attraction and destruction war inside Darklin’s heart, which urge will she give way to, and where will it lead her?

My Thoughts

I was kindly gifted a copy of this one from the author in exchange for an honest review. The description sounded like something I would love, despite the romance, and I'm glad I gave it a go as I quite enjoyed the experience. 

I would describe this story as an original and unique fairy tale although, it definitely takes some inspiration from familiar tales. It reads just like a fairy tale too with a very lyrical and whimsical writing style that draws you in and keeps you captivated throughout the entire story. We focus on one main character, Darklin, and follow her story as she navigates the world and learns all about the people around her. Darklin has been brought up by a witch, Gressyl and has been taught nothing but bad things about the people of the village next to the woods in which they live. Darklin's character is very complex. At first she seems quite dis-likeable however, as the story progresses you realise just how naive she really is and doesn't really know any better. The development of her relationship with the Somerbornes, especially John, was very slow going and really explored the characteristics and traits of the human race. 

This story also draws upon some historical aspects of the time surrounding the capture and treatment of woman accused of witch craft. This made for an interesting side plot however, this novel is definitely very character focused. The main point of this story is the development of Darklin as a person, her becoming to understand and change her views of society as well as the development of her relationship with John which was very slow and gentle. There were times within the story where I was waiting for one of the family to betray Darklin as that is a common theme in these types of stories but that wasn't what this one was about. 

Due to this being quite a character focused novel there were a couple of issues with the plot. There were some aspects that could of been expended on and there were times when you were left wondering what had happened, such as how Gressyl didn't notice Darklin's disappearances. However, overall I quite enjoyed this story and I look forward to seeing what this author releases in the future. 

Overall Rating (3.5*)

Top 5 Wednesday - Independent Ladies

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme where you discuss your 'top 5' in a variety of different topics on, guess what, a Wednesday. Full list of topics and more information can be found here on the Goodreads group.

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday topic is your top 5 independent leading ladies who aren't distracted by their love interest. This is such an interesting topic and I'm excited to share my picks with you. 

Annabeth Chase from The Percy Jackson Series

I love Annabeth. I love how smart, knowledgeable and independent she is. She focuses on her quest and doesn't let anybody get in her way, not even Percy. 

Jude from The Cruel Prince/The Wicked King by Holly Black

Jude is definitely an independent lady that doesn't let anything or anyone get in the way of her goal. She's determined to find her place in the world without the help of anyone although, she does find Carden to be an unlikely ally in more ways than one. 

Felicity from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Felicity doesn't want to settle down and worry about boys like she should be doing at this time in history. All she cares about is learning and finding opportunities to study. I haven't read her story yet in The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy but I'm sure she grows into even more of an independent woman in this one. 

Harper from A Curse so Dark and Lonely 

Although Harper did gradually develop feelings for Rhen this didn't stop her from fighting for what she wanted. She wanted to go home and nothing was going to stop her. 

Kady from Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The last one on this list is a little bit different as Kady's boyfriend Ezra is one of her main motivators in this story however, she does not let her feelings for him get in the way of what needs to be done. 

I'm sure there are a lot more independent leading ladies that I have read about but these are 5 of my most recent. 

I'd love to hear about your top 5 independent leading ladies. 

Mailbox Monday - Weekly Book Post

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that was started by Marcia of To Be Continued. The aim is simple, for people to share what books they received in their mailbox that week. To check out everyone else's posts head over to the Mailbox Monday blog.

This week I received some really exciting books in the post. I was sent...

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

I had an eARC of this one from NetGalley but the formatting wasn't great so I was lucky enough to be gifted a physical proof of this one from the publisher. Which was a good job too because I was really enjoying the eARC. 

The Glovemaker by Ann Weisgarber

I was gifted this one by the publisher ready for the blog tour I'm taking part in towards the end of this month. It sounds quite different to what I've been reading at the moment but I'm looking forward to it. 

Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Another one I was lucky to be gifted by the publisher. A King Arthur retelling in space, Yes please!

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so I just had to pick it up as soon as it came out. 

So like I said, I managed to acquire some really great sounding books this week. Are there any here that you're looking forward to reading?

What books did you receive this week?

Children's Book Spotlight - Spy Danger by Justin Davis

Spy Danger by Justin Davis 

Published 20th November 2018 by Blue Falcon Publishing

I was gifted a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from publishers website)

Spy Danger, the second book in the Baker Family Series.

Pacing the dark, deserted rooms of Castle Arden, the scarred man checks his plan for the hundredth time.
The plan he has worked on for months.
The plan he is about to put into action!

The Baker children can’t believe their luck when they find out they are staying at a castle for the weekend.
But when they uncover a plot to steal forgotten treasures, Millie, Jamie, Zach and their dog Harvey know they have to act.
Are they smart enough to outwit the thieves?
Can they decode the clues in time?
Or has their spying put them in too much danger?

My Thoughts

This was a really cute chapter book ideal for young readers aged 6-9 years old. The characters were delightful, the children had a lovely, fun nature and were always up for an adventure. I liked that the parents played a role in this story too as often they can be missing from children's books. There was even an adorable dog included in the line up. 

The story and writing were quite simple which makes it an ideal read for the above age group. However, if you find yourself reading it with a child then there's enough there to keep an adult entertained too. I found that I enjoyed reading on to find out what happened next. The plot was fun, the mystery aspect offered a lot of opportunities for discussion and, thinking as a teacher, I think this would a good book to promote reading comprehension. It does say that this is the second in a series but I think the story holds its own enough to be read on its own. 

Overall I found this to a really lovely adventure story suitable for young readers. A great one to read together or for them to read on their own. I'll be keeping hold of this one for my sons bookshelf. 

Review - Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Published 20th October 2016 by Rock the Boat

Star Rating - ****.5

Goodreads Challenge - 4/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Hanna Donnelly is the station captain’s pampered daughter and Nik Malikov is the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Together they struggle with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, blissfully unaware that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall with news of the Kerenza invasion.

Picking up about five minutes after Illuminae ends, Gemina is the electrifying sequel to the hottest YA novel of 2015.

My Thoughts

I loved this one nearly as much as Illuminae, although Illuminae will always hold a special place in my heart. This one picked up right from where Illuminae left off and I mean that literally, the events that happen in Gemina happen, pretty much straight after the events from Illuminae although Gemina has a different main setting and follows different characters. 

I was a little bit wary of jumping into a different setting with different characters as I loved Illuminae so much but I wasn't disappointed. Hannah, Niklas and Ella were a great cast of protagonists and worked so well together. I loved their interactions and dialogue, it was full of witty banter that was so fun to read. At the beginning of the novel Hannah came off as a spoilt rich kid and I'm glad this wasn't the way her character went. There was so much more to her and she turned out to be such a bad ass. Niklas was fantastic too, he acted like a bad boy but there was more to him too, he was super fun and genuinely cared about Hannah and his cousin Ella. The villains in this book were great too. As much as I love AIDIN in the last book, having villains as real people was a nice change. They were ruthless and focused on nothing but their end goal. 

The story itself was thrilling and fast paced although, I have knocked off half a star as the main storyline of this one was very similar to Illuminae in regards to two characters running around trying to save the ship from the bad guys. However, I loved Illuminae so much that I didn't really mind this. The story really turned on its head in the last quarter though and was full of twists and turns. There were times at this point in the book when you began questioning motives and you didn't know who to trust. It really was a wild ride! 

This book was also laid out in the same way as the last one, though the use of IMs, reports and transcripts. I love the way these books are written. It's such as interesting format and it really helps to make the story a quick and fast paced read. 

Overall, as you can probably tell I loved this one, just like I did the first. The ending of this book was fantastic and I'm glad I already own the last one as I know I need to get to it right away. 

Overall Rating (4.5*)

Review - The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

Published 7th February by Tor UK

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 7/50

I was gifted a copy of this one from the publisher, Tor UK, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

What if you weren't the hero?

Kihrin grew up on tales of long-lost princes and grand quests - despite being raised in a brothel, making money as a musician and street thief. One day he overreaches by targeting an absent noble's mansion, hunting for jewels. There he witnesses a prince performing a terrifying dark-magic ritual. Kihrin flees but he's marked by a demon and his life will never be the same again.

That night also leads to him being claimed as a lost son of that prince's royal house. But far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family's power plays and ambitions. He must also discover why his murderous father finds Kihrin more valuable alive than dead. Soon Kihrin attempts to escape his relative's dangerous schemes, but finds himself in far deeper waters.

He becomes tangled in a plot to kill the Emperor, rob the Imperial Vaults, claim a god-slaying sword and free bound demons to wreak havoc across the land. Kihrin also discovers the old tales lied about many things: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love - and the hero always winning. But maybe Kihrin isn't fated to save the empire. He's destined to destroy it.

The Ruin of Kings is the first book in Jenn Lyons's epic new series.

My Thoughts

I was kindly gifted a copy of this, both an eARC from NetGalley and then a physical proof from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to dive into the eARC of this one as this would be my first foray in adult fantasy and I wasn't disappointed however, the eARC was not formatted great and I did nearly give up. I managed to finish with the physical proof and I was so glad I did as I really enjoyed this one. 

This book starts with our main character, Kihrin and his jailer, Talon getting ready to tell the story of how Kihrin got into his current situation. This is where the book becomes quite different as we follow two parallel storylines telling Kihrin's story from different starting points. Talon tells us Kihrin's story right from the beginning in 3rd person and Kihrin tells us his story starting up about halfway through in the 1st person. Along with these two stories in alternating chapters the book is also interspersed with footnotes from a 3rd character, the one who is supposedly writing down Kihrin's story. Now I know this sounds confusing and at times it could be but the story is not only complex but compelling, I needed to know what happened and therefore had to keep reading. Personally I preferred Kihrin's POV but they both provided us with key aspects of his story. 

Now, there were times when I found the story a little bit difficult to follow, specifically the family trees and timelines as there's an aspect in this book that means people can body swap but I found this didn't necessary hinder me from the main story. I also didn't really understand where the prophecies came into the story but this may be something that becomes clearer as we progress through the series. Going back to the families and the characters, I did find that I struggled to find myself rooting for Kihrin, he was just kind of average to me but I loved a lot of the side characters and all of their witter banter and interactions. A couple of my favourite characters included Teraeth and Tyentso. 

One of the things I do have to mention is the world building. The author did a fantastic job of creating this complex world. She gradually built it up throughout the story, adding on bits of information that were relevant without becoming at all info-dumpy. There were so many interesting aspects of the world that she created and I feel like we've only just touched the surface with so much more left to explore as we continue further in the series. 

Overall I really enjoyed this one. As my first adult fantasy book this really hasn't put me off the genre, in fact it's made me really want to pick up some more. For me, this is one of those books that I think would really benefit from a re-read. It's so complex that I feel like you would pick up a lot more information that you may have missed the first time round and I know that's what I'll be doing before the next one comes out.

Overall Rating

Mailbox Monday - Weekly Book Post

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that was started by Marcia of To Be Continued. The aim is simple, for people to share what books they received in their mailbox that week. To check out everyone else's posts head over to the Mailbox Monday blog.

This week I received...

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

I know what your thinking, I'm sure we saw this one in a library book haul a couple weeks ago. Yes you did but I was offered my own copy as part of a trade so I grabbed it as I think I'm going to like this one. 

That's all for this week. I am waiting on a couple of parcels but I think the snow has held them up so you'll see them soon.

I'd love to hear what you received this week.