Showing posts with label allen and unwin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allen and unwin. Show all posts

Sunday, 11 March 2018

The End of the Trilogy (review)

March 11, 2018 0 Comments
SPOILER FREE BOOK REVIEW

*This is the third in a trilogy so if you haven't read the first two books and intend to, there will be slight spoilers in the synopsis however, you won't get spoiled from my review itself.

Title: Hero at the Fall
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 21 February 2018
RRP: $16.99 AUD

Synopsis:
When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew or rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

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I was slightly hesitant to devour this like I wanted to deep down; it is the end of a trilogy and essentially an era in my opinion. After seriously loving Rebel of the Sands and definitely enjoying Traitor to the Throne; Hero at the Fall is where some new things may start but it will all come to an end. And I just have to say this, but the cover is so beautiful and they couldn't have done it better.

The storyline throughout this entire trilogy is so interesting and exciting, and I was very curious as to how it was going to play out in this final book. It definitely did not disappoint and I would have to say, this is my favourite out of the series. I mean, when you get super invested in the characters lives and find yourself imitating their emotions, well... you must love it, right?


The book starts off with short descriptions of the characters that have popped up throughout the first two books, and having read book two (Traitor to the Throne) a year earlier, I found it to be a great way to remind myself of what had previously happened in the stories without the repetition. Another plus and the new story hadn't even begun.

The story picks up immediately and you'll be transported straight back to the world of Amani and her crew. The author's writing, in my opinion, is better than ever and found myself breezing through the pages, eager to know more. You're constantly thrown into emotional battles and while some parts I adored, some just broke my heart. In book two, I felt that the Demdji powers were not really present however, they much more prominent in this novel which makes me VERY happy.

Throughout this series, I've found that some readers have a bit of love-hate feelings toward our main character, Amani. While I can see how they do, I adore her. I feel like she is strong when she needs to be strong but still has that soft side that she's working on and I love her for it. And if you're not always keen on her, she definitely has some great character development that I think everyone will appreciate.


The other characters are, to put it simply, amazing. I love the dynamics of this rebel crew and wish I could see them together for all of eternity. You'll meet a couple of new characters but there is one that really stands out for me, don't worry, I won't give it away but I got a little bit obsessed (some people won't be surprised at who it is haha).
And of course, Jin; oh Jin, what did we ever do to deserve you? I felt like his presence was lacking throughout a lot of the book. He's still around but I wanted more Jin, perhaps I'm a little selfish? But there is a point where you'll get your fix, don't you worry. I was talking to my friend Bek (@bexnbooks) about Hero at the Fall and how we would not mind, in fact, we would encourage a novel told in Jin's perspective - yes please!

There was only one part of the book that I was disappointed with and it was to do with the Sultan, or lack thereof - but it did not deter me in the way of rating the book (as you'll see below!)

As you can probably tell, I adored this book and this series as a whole. Hero at the Fall was definitely my favourite of the three and I think most people will really enjoy these books. A great, diverse read!

My rating: 5/5 stars

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*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin Australia in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Sunday, 3 September 2017

Spoiler free review: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

September 03, 2017 0 Comments
Title: Genuine Fraud
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 6 September 2017
RRP: $19.99

Synopsis:
Imogen is an heiress, a runaway, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a chameleon, and a liar.
Imogen is done pretending to be perfect, and Jule refuses to go back to the person she was. Somewhere between the mansions of Martha's Vineyard and the shores of Cabo San Lucas, their intense friendship takes a dark turn.
Genuine Fraud is a masterful new psychological suspense novel - the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge. How far would you go to be someone else?


When I saw E Lockhart had a new book coming out, I almost requested it without even reading the synopsis - though, of course I did, ha. Lockhart's previous novel, We Were Liars was so surprisingly good that I've been waiting for her next book to come out. As you may see from the synopsis above, Genuine Fraud somewhat of a suspenseful story. Literally within the first chapter you'll be wanting more, and you'll be trying to formulate what's happening immediately.

The story itself I found to be incredibly thrilling and it was hard to put down because I just wanted to know everything. It's set out so that the chapters go back in time and you find out what Jule and Imogen have been up to and what has led them to the present. The story gets quite dark (in young adult terms anyway), and when I found out everything that unfolds, I had a little jaw-dropped moment - actually there was a few of those.


It's told in the point of view of Jule and you are constantly questioning her words and actions. This is how you're easily able to continue reading without stopping, you need to know the WHY for everything she says and does. Even though she's kind of crazy, I quite like how Jule's character is written. I like reading about characters that are very different from what I'm used to reading, and further how the author keeps that character going.

Overall, Genuine Fraud is an exciting story that I highly recommend if you're interested in a fast-paced story that kind of resembles a thriller - I wouldn't exclusively call it a thriller compared to what I've read before but it is thriller enough for me, and definitely enjoyable. If you enjoyed Lockhart's previous novel We Were Liars, then I think you'll like this. If you don't usually read these kinds of novels and find yourself in a bit of a slump I think this would be a great book for you to pick up.

If you have read it/end up reading it I would love to know your thoughts. Until then, take care and see you soon!

4.5/5


*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Friday, 16 June 2017

SPOILER FREE REVIEW: SPELLSLINGER

June 16, 2017 0 Comments

Title: Spellslinger
Author: Sebastian De Castell
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication Date: 26 April 2017
RRP: $19.99

Synopsis:
How do you survive a mage's duel without magic? Kellen's about to risk everything: his family, his home, even his own life...
When you're a Jan'Tep initiate approaching your sixteenth birthday, you'd better be ready to prove your worth as a mage. Either that or have a miracle on the way. And Kellen isn't counting on either. He knows he'll need a few tricks up his sleeve to avoid disgracing his family and becoming a Sha'Tep servant. So when a sassy, straight-talking traveller arrives in town, Kellen is all ears.
Ferius Parfax is jaded but world, an exile who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. Ferius can't teach him to spark his bands and access the seven magics, but with the hand that Kellen's been dealt, he knows he needs all the help he can get...


The premise for this novel had me so curious; essentially Kellen has no magic and needs to con his way through his mage trials to avoid becoming a servant. The first few chapters had me interested enough to keep going but eventually I had to put it down as I just couldn't get through it. Then one of my highly anticipated releases came out and I read that instead. I didn't want to pick up Spellslinger immediately after as I was too afraid of comparing it with the previous book, so I read a few contemporaries before picking this back up again.

The story started off fairly strong however, for me it just started dropping. I found that Kellen was a very passive character (purposely written I think) and it annoyed me so much that I wasn't as keen to read this anymore - though I kept trooping on. I also wasn't immediately on board with Serious' character, if we'd been given a bit more of an insight to her character in the beginning rather than just what seemed like a facade, she would've kept the story going for me.
I found a little more hope when they introduced the 'squirrel cat' character, though the first meeting was only brief and I had to wait a little while longer for said squirrel cat to come back. That being said, this arrogant and feisty squirrel cat was my favourite character of the lot.


The first half of the story felt quite slow, though just over halfway it developed a lot better and started to become a lot more interesting. Kellen becomes much more assertive and interesting (success!), even if some bad shit had to go down because of it. We got a little more history which was what I was really hoping for. This book opened up a few things to explore which gives it a lot of potential - I am very eager to know more about the Shadowblack and really wish there was a teeny bit more about it in the book.

Overall, I think the author has a really nice writing style however there were many aspects and events that I really didn't like. In saying that, the story definitely improved which actually makes me interested in book two. I would say this book is aimed at a younger audience and I think said audience would really enjoy it. Like I said earlier, I feel this book has a lot of potential and hope to see that played out in book two.

2.75/5

PS - This book has a stunning cover! Also, if you've read this I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below :)


*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.




WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Friday, 14 April 2017

Spoiler Free Review: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

April 14, 2017 0 Comments
Book title: Defy the Stars
Author: Claudia Gray
Publication date: 29 March 2017 (different for US)
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $19.99

Synopsis: 
Noemi is a young and fearless soldier of Genesis, a colony plant of a dying Earth. But the citizens of Genesis are rising up - they know that Earth's settlers will only destroy this planet the way they destroyed their own. And so a terrible war has begun. 
When Noemi meets Abel, one of Earth's robotic mech warriors, she realises that Abel himself may provide the key to Genesis' salvation. Abel is bound by his programming to obey her - even though her plan could result in his destruction. But Abel is no ordinary mech. He's a unique prototype, one with greater intelligence, skill and strength than any other. More than that, he has begun to develop emotions, a personality and even dreams. Noemi begins to realise that if Abel is less than human, he is more than a machine. Is she destroys him, is it murder? And can a cold-blooded murder be redeemed by the protection of a world?
Stranded together in space, they go on a whirlwind adventure through Earth's various colony worlds, alongside the countless Vagabonds who have given up planetary life altogether and sail forever between the stars. Each step brings them closer - both to each other and to the terrible decision Noemi will have to make about her world's fate, and Abel's. 




I've read a lot of Claudia Grays' books and always find myself really enjoying her easy and enjoyable writing, so when the opportunity came up to review this one, I absolutely had to. Firstly, how stunning is this cover? The almost silhouettes surrounded by the beautiful colours is so pleasing to the eye and also to my bookshelf. I made sure that when I read it in public, I had it up for everyone to see.

PLOT

I've really been enjoying sci-fi novels as of late, so that gave me more reason to want to read this book. I love the way the story starts off, it eased into the plot nicely and it definitely did not take long to feel completely onboard with the story. Many books take far too long to get into the real story and it almost puts me off the author, however, not to worry with this one. This novel actually reminds me A LOT of Illuminae because Abel is in a way, artificial intelligence and is interacting with Noemi, a human trying to save her planet. As you get more into the story though, I started to forget about that thought and I really fell in love with the story.

WRITING

As previously mentioned, I really enjoy Claudia Gray's writing style and as I've got older, I feel like it has matured for me in the perfect way. It is incredibly easy to read despite the intricate details that really make for an intense and exciting story. It flows really nicely and I was never going back and forth trying to figure what was happening in the present time. She wrote both Abel and Noemi perfectly - I wouldn't change anything about them and I'm honestly itching to know what happens next.

WORLD BUILDING

I thought the world building in Defy the Stars was phenomenal; being a story largely taking place in space, it can either go wrong or right and I definitely think it went right. As Abel and Noemi further their adventure to save Genesis, we visit different planets (do I call them planets??) that are so interesting to read about - I honestly want to read in-depth descriptions about each planet, it amazes me to no end. I actually wanted to know more about Earth too, though I have a feeling we'll no doubt see a bit more of it in book two.



CHARACTERS

In Defy the Stars, the story is told from the point of views by both our main characters, Abel and Noemi. I'm incredibly thankful for this since Abel is a mech/robot thing and his perspective is obviously going to be incredible different from Noemi's. They're enemies, technically, though Noemi takes command as Abel is required to obey her, so this gives you better insight to what he is thinking.
I absolutely loved both our main characters, especially Abel. He is smart and funny - I was literally laughing out loud at some of things he said. I loved Noemi because she too, was also smart and did not make stupid decisions - always a plus when you don't give the reader anxiety haha. She's also pretty badass and I would love to be friends with her. 

I really wanted to know more about Riko; even though I'm sure she'll be in book two a lot more, I would've appreciated a little more insight to her life and reasoning because right now, she is not a likeable character.

I loved the addition of the characters that you meet in/on Cray. We really only got to know one (Virginia), but she really added to the story and made the serious scenes a little more light hearted and interesting. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of her in book two.

OVERALL

Defy the Stars was an almost perfect 5. I'm hoping it slows down only very slightly in book two so we can get to know... well everything and everyone better. For part of this book, I made myself read more because I wanted to get through it before I went overseas; I'm not sure if I did that because of the book or because I was really busy and didn't have a whole lot of time to read (or both?) Either way, once I got into it, I really didn't want to put it down.
This is a great read for both sci-fi lovers and those interested in reading a little more sci-fi and I highly recommend.

If you will read or have read this, I'd love to know your thoughts, so leave a comment below or message me on Instagram (@erenareads).

4.5/5


*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.




WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:

Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Thursday, 2 March 2017

Spoiler Free Review: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

March 02, 2017 0 Comments


Book title: Traitor to the Throne
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publication date: 25 January 2017
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $16.99 AUD

Synopsis:
This is not about blood or love. This is about treason.
Nearly a year has passed since the events in Rebel of the Sands. Amani has come into both her powers and reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruellest manner possible.
Stripped of her powers and her identity, and told from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the hare is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.

*Please note this review will not have any spoilers for Traitor to the Throne but may contain spoilers for Rebel of the Sands (book one).


If you can recall, I read Rebel of the Sands (book one) in December last year and flew through it; it was an incredible, fast paced read that I wanted more of so I was highly anticipating the release of Traitor to the Throne. In the very beginning of the book, the author has given us a rundown of the characters which I actually really enjoyed going through; it then goes into the first chapter from the perspective of The Foreign Prince, aka Jin which I may have squealed about. I really hope we get more chapters from him in the future (hint hint Alwyn Hamilton).

WRITING

In Rebel of the Sands, I fell in love with the author's writing and the love kept coming whilst reading Traitor to the Throne. The flow of the book was great and there's something about the way Alwyn describes everything that makes my little bookish heart warm. I absolutely love the mix of magic and what seems to be mythology? You wouldn't think to have those two in a book together but it works and I'm happy about it.

PLOT

In Traitor to the Throne we delved into the story a lot more than book one. I felt like some parts were skimmed over a bit more than I wanted to, but there was also a lot going on this book that partly made up for it. In Rebel of the Sands, there was rarely time for rest and that's what made it so fast paced. In Traitor to the Throne, it slows right down however, there is still so much going on that keeps your interest. To some this may be a good thing, to others... not so much?

There was definitely a lot of magical power and gun action that I felt was missing, we still get some of it but not as much as I'd have liked. I think this is what makes the book a bit slower. We still have our suspenseful and exciting situations but it missed what I loved most about book one. It's very obvious though that the author wanted to get deeper into the story and is setting us up for what I can only imagine as an intense finale.

CHARACTERS

The character development is this novel was amazing. We got to know the characters a bit more, I wanted more but I know that's probably asking too much. I think I'm just nosy and want to know everyones back story. I felt that Amani really grew into a likeable leader, I thought she was interesting already in Rebel of the Sands, but I really loved her character development in this book.

I'm really surprised at how much I liked it when the Sultan was involved/mentioned and I honestly think I'm not the only one. He was so interesting every time he spoke and I would really love to know more about how he thinks.

There were a few new characters introduced to our story. I absolutely loved Sam, he made for a lighter yet still serious time and I loved it when he was around. We get to meet a few of Jin and Ahmed's other siblings which really added to the Rebel Prince's story and I can't wait for it to delve more into that particular part.

There was a huge lack of Jin which I was disappointed in. I understand it's hard when it's told in Amani's perspective but he was such a huge part of the previous book, I felt that he should have some of his own chapters even if it was only a couple.


OVERALL

Overall, the book was exciting and written so beautifully, the world building is phenomenal and the character development is spot on. Traitor to the Throne got deeper into our rebellion story and sets us up for book three with an intense and emotional ending.

I would highly recommend picking up Rebel of the Sands if you haven't already; pick up Traitor to the Throne while you're at it because you're gonna need it right away! I would love to know your thoughts on Traitor to the Throne (or Rebel), leave a comment below or message me on Instagram if they contain spoilers.

Rating: 4/5

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See you soon.

x

*This book was sent to me by Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:
Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads

Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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