megsbookishtwins's reviews
1177 reviews

I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley

Release date - September 4th

'The roe women murmur to me their worries, their plans, their hopes. My ears fill with advices and wishes and histories, and my muscles burn as they cling to me, climb onto my shoulders to see with my eyes and hear with my eyes the world they've only imagined. And whispers- always, always I hear the whispers. Love will lead to ruin. Death is a comfort. You can't kill a Roe witch.'

Avery Roe comes from a long line of female witches on Prince Island. The islanders and sailors come to the roe witch for charms to keep them safe at sea and many other things. Avery was dragged away from her grandmother by her mother, no longer able to become the witch she always wanted to be. Her mother has placed a curse on her so she cannot see her grandmother. But Avery has a dream which makes her desperate enough to try anything to get a message to her grandmother and to find her magic. A tattooed harpoon boys has something which may help Avery get what she wants, in return she has to interpret his dreams to find vengeance.

I was so excited when I could request this on NetGalley. I sat jumping up and down in my chair shouting incoherently with excitement. Therefore I had massively high expectations of this, and I really did not want it to disappoint. I must be honest, the start of The Witches of Salt and Storm didn’t grab my attention straight away. I was a little disappointed that we had another YA book set in America with an American protagonist, but it didn’t stop my enjoyment of the book. I felt like the start was a little slow, and I didn’t really fully compel me to read on. But at about 20% I was fully engrossed and it turned out to be a suspenseful, compelling and heartbreaking read. There were some good plot twists which did leave you guessing and I liked how the story was woven together and I thought it was done exceptionally well. I liked the concept of the witches. There was a lot of originality to The Witches of Salt and Storm which was one of the main reason why I kept reading. I liked the history of the witches and the history of whaling and how the story had a large amount of information which felt well researched and it was integrated into the story really well.

Avery was a favourite of mine. I loved her from the very first page. She was so passionate about magic and so angry that she was being kept from it, but she was also scared of her future. She was such a complex character that it was hard not to admire and love her. She was very strong, brave and loyal when it came to protecting those she loved and it was a very good quality. She was definitely a favourite. I liked Tane, but I felt he wasn’t as complex, or have as much depth to him as Avery did. It was still there, but less so. He was also very passionate about getting revenge on those who hurt his family. I was also very interesting in the magic and culture from his country. It was a shame we didn’t get to know more about it.

The romance was nice, and even though it was very important to the book, it also didn’t seem like it was at the forefront of the story. I felt like Avery’s development had more emphasis and that was a positive. I liked the chemistry between the two and I did shed a tear or two at the end as it was very emotional, unexpected and heartbreaking.

This is definitely a book you don’t want to miss out on and I do highly recommend you pick this one up.

A unique and riveting read that I highly recommend.

I received a copy free from the publishers via NetGalley

Lily Atwood is the daughter of the man running for Presidency in D.C after a war devastated most of the USA. The Reveal is deemed to be the new enemy after the war. The Revealed are said to take teenagers before their eighteenth birthday and nobody knows why. They have powers, they can control the elements and no one had managed to stop them. Lily is next on their list to be taken.

This was a OK dystopia. I was expecting a really great dystopia, but I was sadly disappointed. I always find it a little more difficult to write a review if I only find a book OK. At places I found The Revealed a little boring and I found myself skim-reading some parts of it, especially in the middle.

For a dystopia, world building is vital but I felt like that was something that was lacking. The war that destroyed the country is mentioned over and over, but we actually know very little about it. Why did it start? Who was it against? Why did it finish? Who won? We get very little information about it except that it happened and a lot of people died. We saw very little of the society they currently live in. We saw Lily's house, a club, a field and an underwater base. That is about it. We know little of the society and how it's run before the election. It just felt we knew little about this dystopia society.

The character were also just OK, nothing special and I didn't find myself caring for them at all. There were a good plot twist with one of the characters, but the rest were just OK. The romance as well was just OK. It did seem to come from no where, but they did have some good chemistry. But other than that it was just OK. I liked the friendship between Rory and Lily and I wish we could have seen more of that.

Overall, it was an OK dystopia and if you want to read it for yourself to see how you like it then go ahead.

I received this copy free from the publishers via NetGalley

DNF 32%

The Dare is about Brynna after she dared her best friend Erica to jump of the pier, but she died. Bryn has to deal with the guilt of that night and she spiralled out of control. Bryn thought she had moved past it but someone doesn't want her to forget.

I really do not like reviewing books that I have not finished. I feel like I can't give a good judgement on the book. I was just so bored with this. The first chapter was OK, but I really did quickly lose interest. I felt for Bryn, I really did, but she didn't manage to save me from boredom. I didn't really like her friends.

Overall, the book just wasn't for me, but you may enjoy it, so if you feel like reading it go ahead!

3.5
I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley

Myla Lewis is now the Great Scala, and her job is to move souls out of purgatory to either Heaven or Hell. However, they are missing Lucifer's Orb which means Myla can only move souls to Hell, and she doesn't want to do that to innocent souls. So Myla decides not to move any souls at all. But they are running out of space, and Adair keeps getting in Myla's way, and tries to take everything she holds dear away from her.

This was way too short for what I wanted, and the main reason why I only rated this 3.5. I just felt like it was a little too rushed, and a little too resolved. Adair annoyed the hell out of me. Really frustrating how she just wouldn't go away. Myla, of course, was her usual bad-ass snarky self and I loved every minute of her. She is by far the best character in this book and she does keep you well entertained. Lucian is also a favourite. He is so genuine and kind and he stands by Myla all the time.

This book had some great action scenes, as well as politics, intrigue and mystery. I liked the story of this book, but as I stated before, I felt it was a little bit too rushed.

I would have really liked to see more of the other realms, but hopefully she might do more of that in the other books.

One problem with the book being so short is I missed some of the other characters who weren't in it much, such as Walker and Cissy.

However, if you are looking for a strong and independent heroine then this is a series that I would definitely recommend.

4,5 Stars
I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley

Release Date - 8th October (I think, Amazon says 8th Oct, but Book Depository says November 5th?)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

The two most important things I took with me when I left Amble: Ella’s periwinkle bird and a mountain of guilt. I took the same two things with me when I came back.

Claire Graham is sent to New York after an attack on her sister Ella when walking home at night. Claire blames herself, as do the town Amble. Claire can’t escape the wolves. The wolves she believes attacked her sister and the wolves she believes are still watching her in New York city. He psychiatrist calls them ‘delusions’, but Claire believes that they are more than that. When her sister goes missing, she goes back to Amble to search for her. When there she is haunted by more than just memories. She has to deal with the wolves, the town and her family.

I’ve not read many books this year which I can call a favourite, but this is one of them. Of Scars and Stardust caught my attention from the very first page, and did not let it go. I did not rate it 5 stars but don’t ask me why because I can’t answer it. For some reason I couldn’t actually make myself rate it 5 stars. Well, let’s get on with the review.

I’ll start with the plot. Contemporary books are always an issue with me. I always find it hard to find a contemporary that isn’t just all the same recycled material over and over and that doesn’t have cliché romance. I am so glad I requested this on NetGalley because I did thoroughly enjoy it and I would highly recommend you pick this up if you are fan of mystery contemporaries. It will be pretty hard to write this review without spoiling anything. We spend most of the book wondering if the wolves that Claire sees are real or are in fact delusions. I liked that it kept you guessing and turning the pages. The mystery of the book was really good. I spent the whole book with a suspect in mind, but I kept second guessing myself, but it turned out I was right. There was a good twist about the attacks and it was something which I have not read before and it was very refreshing. There’s not really much more I can say without giving too much away so I will leave it there.

The characters were really fantastic. I really do love unreliable narratives. You spend the whole book wondering if what Claire is seeing is real. Has she contributed to any of the attacks? This thing with Grant at the end, do we ever find out who did it or was it her? Was it really the wolves? My mind was just reeling over what was happening. Claire was a really great characters that really captured my heart. Ella was another great character, despite her not being there for the majority of a book. That really says something about a writer if they can make you love an absent character. Grant was another favourite. He was so kind and helpful and he really did believe in Claire. The romance was also very refreshing. Despite them falling for each other pretty fast (they did know each other quite well in the past), it still felt very real and I really did feel the chemistry between the two.

Of Scars and Stardust was a fantastic, beautiful read with terrific, complex characters and an amazing romance. It was a suspenseful and riveting book that I high suggest you pick up!

I received this free from the author in exchange for an honest review

I don't make a sound. I don't flinch. I wander quietly, quietly, deeper into the dark forest, guided by the pure light of a full moon and the sparkly glow of lantern bugs

Actual Rating - 3.5 stars

Tessa Goode is a witch and part of the Snow Valley Coven. She is gifted with the Sight, but the sight failed her when it came to a murder of a member of the older coven. Tessa also dreams about a boy, in a dark forest. She sees only his grey eyes and his silver veins. William is an immortal witch hunter. He sketches the face of a girl he doesn't know. Until he goes to Snow Valley.

The first half of the story seemed really promising. But the second half lost its mojo and let me down a little bit. I still did enjoy it but if the second half held my attention the same as the first I probably would have rated this about 4.5.

I will start with the characters. I liked Tessa, but I felt when it came to William she got blubbery and weepy real fast. When she found out who William was she reacted how I would expect some one to react which was good. She wasn't one of those girls who believed his every word straight away, she actually ran like hell and tried to crush him with trees. William was an ok character for me. He was a little creepy with the stalking, (she also seemed freaked out by that so that's a plus), but other than that he was just an average character for me. Their relationship was also just average, I didn't feel much of the chemistry, so it felt a little flat to me. I would have really loved for some more internal dialogue so I could have maybe connected with the characters a bit more easily. I really did love all her friends - Morgan etc. They all held their own personalities and weren't just cardboard cut-outs so that was a positive.

The story itself was quite riveting and it really did keep me interested and turning the pages. I was a little confused at the end,

Spoiler

I'm assuming she thought that William was dead so kissed him, getting poisoned and is dying when William wakes up.

. I felt the villains were not very complex and a bit predictable with the shut up you stupid little witch comments - but then again they didn't have much motivation apart from the fact that they were witch hunters, so I guess it was not really needed for the story.

Overall, it was a pretty good read, fairly short, so if you are looking for a good YA paranormal romance then I do highly suggest that you check this one out.

I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley

Birdie Anders is a thief and a con artist. Birdie Anders is about to lose her crown and she is determined a takedown before that happens.

It was an ok book. It was a quick read as it is only about 94 pages. Birdie is a fun character, she is a total bitch but she knows it. The other characters were a bit flat, and boring. The book would have probably have been better if it was longer. The romance was cute but a bit rushed and could have done with a little bit more development. It was a very unrealistic book, but it was enjoyable nevertheless.

Overall, it you are looking for a quick romance then I do suggest you have a look at this.

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”

Celaena Sardothien is lost and she is guilt ridden over the loss of her friend. She out for revenge, and the keep the promise she made. Celaena has made her way to Wendlyn in search for answers to destroy the King of Adarlan.

If you loved Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight then you will love this. While is was slow in places and the middle on occasion dragged a bit, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. In the chapters that dragged, I never once disliked it. I liked finding out more about the Fae and the world. I thought the world building was fantastic, and better than the previous books. Sarah J. Maas' writing also improved tremendously, and she seemed to put more focus on the characters and their development and I really liked that.

There were some characters that were added who I truly loved. Such as Sorcha, Aedion, Rowan and Manon. Sometimes I thought Manon's story wasn't really needed at all, and her story did sometimes bore me, I loved her character, and her story did get a little bit of my attention, but I much preferred the other characters chapters. I'm assuming Manon is going to have more relevance in the future books, so I persevered through her chapters.

I loved Aedion and Rowan. Our two new male characters. Sorcha was also a great addition.

Overall, a fantastic sequel and this is definitely one of my favourite series!

I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley

Dragons have learnt to live among humans in human form. They have learnt to infiltrate society to protect themselves from the Order of St. George who hunted them to near extinction. Ember and Dante Hill are brother and sister, the first of their kind. They have left school and have been placed in human society. They are being constantly watched and tested to see how they will do. Ember just wants to live a normal teenage life, and she feels suffocated by the strict rules and when a rogue dragon enters her life, she starts to break those rules.

When I first heard about this and saw the words dragons, I was super anxious to get my hands on it, unfortunately it was not the exciting book I was expecting, but nevertheless, it was still enjoyable. For me, there were a lot of cliches and overused tropes. Ember and Dante were dragons in human forms and they are just about perfect at everything they did - such as physical activities and sports, and they are beautiful and intelligent. Everything that humans find attractive, which seemed to me to be a bit overused. I would have liked to have seen some vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the dragon and not just be... perfect.

There was a hint at a love triangle between Ember, our dragon, Garret, a solider of the Order of St. George sent to find the dragon and kill her, and Riley, the dangerous Rogue dragon who tests Ember. While there was not much focus on the love triangle itself there was a lot of focus on the romance between Ember and Garret, which I did enjoy but I would have liked it to have been in the background, especially during the first half where it was practically just romance. This was a shame because I felt like there was so much more potential for this story.

Talon is told in numerous perspectives, which I was not really fond of. There was Ember, Garret, and at about the half way mark Riley joined in. There were differences between the narratives, but I still felt like they were not as developed as they could have been and were not very complex or dimensional. This made it a little hard for me to connect with these characters on a emotional level, which lessened my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, an okay read which focuses heavily on romance, and if that is something you are looking for, then I'd recommend you give this a go.

I received this copy free from the publishers via NetGalley

Sabine lives two lives. Every night at midnight, she shifts into her other life, living the same day twice but in a difference place, with a different family and different people. One day she discovers something different. Where one time any physical injuries or sickness went with her into the other life, one day her broken wrist does not go into her other life. Things are changing.

Between the Lives started out pretty slow and didn’t fully grasp my attention till about 25% in. It was a very strange book. It also didn’t focus too much on the paranormal aspect of the book, which was overall good, but I would have liked more depth into her trying to discover why she shifted, and why she lived two separate lives. Was it that everyone lived numerous lives, but for some unknown reason, she remembered. I would have liked more closure on the issue, but overall I liked the fact that character development and growth was at the forefront of the book. Sabine was finally learning how to accept herself and her shift, and accept that she was important in both lives and she needs to do what was best for her.

The plot and pacing of Between the Lives was fairly slow, but I didn’t really find myself getting that bored. The characters were realistic and relatable, each one unique. I would have liked to have seen more depth to some of the characters rather than just Sabine and Ethan, but I still liked them nonetheless. Sabine was a great character and I really don’t know which of her lives I preferred reading. I liked her friendships in both lives and her relationships, except Dex of course, I had a bad feeling about him to start with. Ethan really grew on me. I wasn’t sure about him at the start, but I did like him. The ending did leave me crying as it was so unexpected. There were barely any hints about it and it took me a while to accept it.

The romance was a definite positive of Between the Lives. It wasn’t too rushed, there was a great amount of chemistry between the two. They seemed completely compatible. The romance was heart-warming, yet heart-breaking at the same time. I must admit, they are one of my favourite couples in a book I have read this year. Brilliant.

Overall, Between the Lives was a great book and the characters stay with you. You learn to admire them for their flaws and everything. If you are looking for a just a paranormal or fantasy, then this might let you down in that department considering we were left with many unanswered questions, but in terms of romance and character growth and development, then I do suggest you check this one out.