Wednesday 24 October 2012

Temptation - Karen Ann Hopkins

Hi!

My review for Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

TemptationShort description
Your heart misleads you.
That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah.
And he loves me.

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms.

It should be

ROSE &NOAH 

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.

And I'm not.

My opinion


Forget about Romeo and Julia, now it’s Noah and Rose. Seriously I’m curious how their relationship will work out. Before I read Temptation I didn’t know much about Amish people and thanks to this book I learned quite a lot about it. And it’s definitely something I want to know more about, so if somebody knows a good book about the Amish let me know.
But I also have to say that this book frustrated me sometimes. Rose could be very immature sometimes, but mainly it was Noah who frustrated me. Mostly he annoyed me by the way he was acting towards Rose. And then I reminded me that he was Amish, so that his behavior was actually normal. So I can’t really complaint about that aspect of the book I think.
It was still a great book and I definitely want to read the next book in the series.


Stars
Temptation: ****

Extra
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Belonging (Temptation #2): April 30th 2013

See you later xx
El


Wednesday 17 October 2012

Ironskin - Tina Connolly

Hi!

I'm sorry that it took me so long to post again. But here's my review for the Ironskin by Tina Connolly.

Short description 
Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.
Ironskin (Ironskin, #1)It's the only way to contain the fey curs that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain - the ironsking.
When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation" - a child born during the Great War - Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.
Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn't expect to fall for the girl's father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of woman. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio... and come out as beautiful as the fey.
Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life - and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

My opinion 

I’m not so sure what to think about this book. On the one hand it set the fey in a whole new light and I liked that. Also the “gifts” or “curses” they got by their weapons are fascinating. So on that point I definitely want to read the next book. But there were also some major things that really annoyed me. When I was reading the book I got the feeling that the author was trying too hard to follow the storyline of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. And that spoiled the story for me. Because I think that the book would have been better if she hadn’t tried that hard. There were moments in the book that she didn’t follow the plot of Jane Eyre and then I really enjoyed the book, but then she would turn the story in such a weird way to match the plot of Jane Eyre again. And it certainly didn’t help that I was comparing the two the whole time, but if you try to retell a story like Jane Eyre please do it properly. But the book was still worth reading and I’m definitely going to read the next one. And I hope that it will become better know that she can’t rely on Jane Eyre anymore.  

Cover
This cover is really perfect. It suites the story very well. You can see Jane with her ironmask on, while she's standing in front of Edward's castle. 

Stars
Ironskin: ***

Extra
Author: Tina Connolly
The next book will come out in 2013

See you later xx
El 

Sunday 7 October 2012

The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa

Hi!

Here is my review for The Lost Prince like I promised. If you haven't read the Iron Fey yet I have to warn you that this review might contain spoilers.

Short discription
The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs - including his reputation - begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world - the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from danger long, long forgotten.

My opinion

The Lost Prince was completely different than the Iron Fey but in a good way. I loved this book, when I read the Iron Fey it took me a while to really enjoy the story. But this book got me hooked within the first pages.
There are some differences with the Iron Fey, first of all Ethan is now the narrator and not his sister Meghan. Most of the times I don’t enjoy reading a book that is written through the eyes of  a boy, but Ethan was such a lovely, funny character that I really enjoyed it. Another difference was that the story took place in the mortal world most of the time and not in the Nevernever.
Like I said before Ethan is a great character, he’s funny, he cares for people (even when he don’t want to admit it), he’s smart, he’s strong, he’s cute,… . We already knew him from The Iron Fey, but since then he has changed a lot.
And then you have Kenzie. Kenzie is a nosey girl who wants to know as much as she can and that’s why she won’t leave Ethan alone even when he’s a dork to her. So when she ends up with him in the Nevernever with Ethan she doesn’t freak out, but she’s curious. Of course Ethan doesn’t understand her, because the Nevernever freaks him out.
But even when he wants to get away from  as far as possible to protect her, he can’t leave her behind. They are attract to each other even if they don’t want it and they need each other to survive.  Through whole the story Ethan has the feeling that Kenzie has a secret that she won’t tell. And when she finally told him the secret I was a bit shocked. I have no idea how the story will develop for them and how their relationship is going to end. So this is one of the reasons why I definitely want to read the rest of the books when they come out.
The books wouldn’t by complete without the fey, so this it’s time to introduce some of them.  Keirran is an iron fey, but he doesn’t look like one. He almost looks human, except for his pointed ears and he can wield summer, winter and iron magic. The ones who have read The Iron’s prophecy may already know who he is and others might have an idea who he’s. Keirran is an energetic 16 year old boy (at least he looks like 16) and he’s a bit bored so he seeks adventure. But at the end of the story he has changed and I’m waiting for the next book to see what he’s going to do next.
And what is a book without a forbidden romance? Kagawa has put one in the books, it’s not a main story but I love it! Keirran fancy’s Annwyl an exile summer fey. So what are the courts going to do about that?
And of course some old characters pop up now and then like Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin (I love him!).
But now that the Iron Fey are no longer a problem, there must be something else going on. And the weird thing is that even after reading a whole book, I still don’t know what exactly is going on. There is a new kind of fey (again), but they are completely different and it’s impossible to  know what they are going to do next.
So in general I liked this book a lot, it has adventure, romance, mystery and lovely characters. And the book is written well, so I’m definitely looking forward to the next one.

Cover
I'm not a big fan of this cover, it just shows to much. The covers of the Iron Fey were much prettier. 

Stars
The Lost Prince: *****

Extra
Author: Julie Kagawa
Prequel: The Iron Fey

See you later xx

The Iron Fey - Julie Kagawa

Hi!

Here's my review for the Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa.

Short discription

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

My opinion

When I read the first book it didn’t convince me. It went to slow for me, certainly the first half of the book. But I saw potential and I liked the way it was written so I decided to read the next one. And I’m glad I did, because the books only became better and better.
Why did I like the books? First of all I like mythology and fey are mythology. In some points the books followed the mythology. There were still two kinds of fey, the Unseelie en Seelie court. Also some typical fey characters like Robin Goodfellow and Oberon appeared in the books. But of course the book wouldn’t be refreshing if everything stayed the same. So this is where the iron fey and Meghan come in.
Meghan always thought she was a normal teenage girl. That was till her little brother was kidnapped and she’s determined to bring him back no matter how high the price.
Like I said before the book began rather slow, but with a good joke from Puck and ice boy  Ash the book was bearable. As the first book continued there came some action and romance in it, which I liked.  And after I finished the fourth and the last one, I was in love with the books. Julie Kagawa definitely improved her writing during the series.
So this series is definitely one you have to read.

Cover
Some people dislike faces on a cover, but I like it most of the time. And on this one the faces are just perfect for the books. I also like the colors of the covers. So this covers are definitely a succes for me.

Stars
The Iron King: ***
Winter's Passage (#1.5): ****
The Iron Daughter: ****
The Iron Queen: *****
Summer's Crossing (#3.5): ****
The Iron Knight: *****
Iron's Prophecy (#4.5): ****

Extra
Author: Julie Kagawa
Sequel: The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten

See you later xx
El

Saturday 6 October 2012

Releases in October

Hi!

This month is a good book month, so here are some ideas.

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) - Julie Kagawa
October 23rd

I've already read this book and I LOVED it! It was definitely better than the first Iron Fey books. Normally my review will be ready by tomorrow.






Finale (Hush, Hush, #4)

Finale (Hush, Hush #4) - Becca Fitzpatrick
 October 23rd

This books are so good! I really like to read them. I still have to read the third one, but I'm sure they won't disappoint me.  Patch is so... I don't know how to describe him, I just liked him from the moment I met him.




The Shadow Society

The Shadow Society - Marie Rutkoski
October 16th

The short description looks promising, two worlds that exist apart from each other but also within each other. It's hard to tell with what the book is dealing, but it looks interesting. 





Ironskin (Ironskin, #1)Ironskin (Ironskin #1) - Tina Connolly
October 2nd

Another book that I've already read. When I read this book I didn't have a wow-feeling, but I might have been comparing it to much with Jane Eyre (my favorite book). But still it's definitely worth a shot.






See you later xx

El




Tuesday 2 October 2012

Read in September

Hi!

I know that I still have to post my reviews but last week my internet didn't work and now I got the flu. 
But here are the books that I've read last month:

Touch of Power (Healer #1) - Marie V. Snyder
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) - Sarah J. Maas
Shirley - Charlotte Brontë
Obsidian (Lux #1) - Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) - Julie Kagawa
Iron's Prophecy (The Iron Fey #4.5) - Julie Kagawa
Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) - Magie Stiefvater

See you later xx
El