Band of the Month May: Foxes

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I love going to music concerts and to music festivals. My iPod is next to my ereader my best friend. I never go anywhere without my music. So I figured that it was about time that I introduced some music in my blog. From now on I will feature one of my favorite bands each month. Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ll like them, maybe you’ll hate them. But anyway I think that this is going to be lots of fun!

Foxes, or Louisa Rose Allen, is an English singer-songwriter. She grew up in Southampton but is currently living in London. Foxes makes electronic pop/dance music and she might be best known for her collaboration with Zed. She even won a Grammy Award with the track Clarity in 2013. I like her as an artist because her voice is quiet unique and she addresses different topics in a catchy way. If you do not know her yet than you should definitely check her out.

Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Her Grammy Award winning song: 

One of my favorites of her: 

My absolute favorite: 

El

Review: Hooked by Christine Manzari

Title: Hooked
Author: Christine Manzari
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult
Publication date: January 28th 2015
Pages: 308 (ebook)
Source: received from author (thank you!)







If you ask the confident ans snarky skater girl, and she's in the mood to share, she'll tell you her name is Cat. She might even tell you that she's hooked on graffiti, 80s movies, and having fun - the riskier the better. Cat will share a good time with you, but she won't ever trust you enough to share her heart. It's protected by secrets and she'd like to keep it that way.

Cat knows one thing for certain: Love isn't really her thing.

If you ask the confident and rich pretty boy, he might tell you his name is Huck. He might even tell you he loves a challenge and is used to getting his way. He won't tell you that his life is a mess because he risked his heart by trusting the wrong girl. Huck is ready for a change, he just wasn't ready to get hooked on someone like Cat.

Huck knows one thing for certain: Love hasn't done him any favors, but Cat just might be worth the risk.

Cat and Huck think a one-night stand seems harmless, but when all the little secrets they didn't share turn out to be toxic truths, they realize how easily a one-night stand (or a few) could ruin everything.

The thing is, you can be ruined in more than one way. Once you're HOOKED, what wouldn't you risk for the chance at more?

Goodreads

Hooked is really the right title fort his book because from the very first page I was hooked. Once I started reading there was no way that I could put it down. Hooked is a fun read and overall it was light but it also touches on a heavier topic. And once I finished it I was left wanting more of Huck and Cat.

Cat was a great female lead. She was strong and independent. And she was not the typical beautiful girl. Yes she was beautiful but also kind off a tomboy, she loves skateboarding and hanging out with the guys. She will never pretend to be someone else in order to get a guy, what you see is what you get. All Cat want is to have a good time and I loved her spunk. But cat also has her problems she does not let anyone get close enough to her to protect herself. If no one gets close to her than she cannot get hurt. The only ones who really now her are her best friend Jay and her mother. That is until she meets Huck.
Huck was another great character. He is starting a new life for himself in California after his last relationship ended horribly. So the last thing he expected to find is Cat. Huck is a funny guy there were multiple times in this book that I cracked up. He is also very determined once he sees something that he wants he goes after it and he will not give up no matter how hard it is. His determination certainly helped him with Cat. But at the same time he also knows when he has to give someone the space that they need. So he was a really amazing guy.

The book may sound predictable but it was that heartbreaking element that the author put into the book that gave it that little extra. Cat is going through a hard time and it was not easy to see her suffer through it all alone. Since she is such a strong character you know that she will be fine in the end, especially with the help of her friends and Huck, but it was still heartbreaking.

Overall I quiet enjoyed Hooked. The characters were well developed and they worked well together. The book read easy and I kept turning page after page. The story contained heartbreak but all the funny scenes made sure that the book did not become too depressing. I cannot wait to read more books by this author. 

El

Waiting on Wednesday #95: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:


Kissing in America
by Margo Rabb

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels - 118 of them, to be exact - to dull the pain of her loss that's still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva's grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness - and, perhaps, her shot at real love - Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love.

Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait

I love books about road trips and this one sounds really interesting and a lot of fun. 

Publication date: May 26th 2015

El 

Top Ten Tuesday #62: Top Ten Authors I Would Want To Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is Top Ten Authors I Would Want To Meet

1. Richelle Mead
2. J.K. Rowling
3. Katie McGarry
4. Maria V. Snyder
5. John Green
6. Kasie West
7. Miranda Kenneally
8. Jennifer Snow
9. Gayle Forman
10. Philippa Gregory

El

Review: Flintlock (Cutlass #2) by Ashley Nixon

Title: Flintlock
Author: Ashley Nixon
Series: Cutlass
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: StarSeed Press
Source: received from author (Thank you!!!)







Barren Reed hopes to protect the Orient from his tyrant uncle, but his plans to make the King's life a living hell aren't supported by the Elders of the pirate community. As it stands, Barren has earned the Elder's disdain for his carelessness, and they threaten him into exile if he makes one more mistake.

Barren's not the only one feeling the Elder's wrath - they don't trust Larkin either. Wors, Barren can't comprehend Larkin's wish to have a relationship with her father, and the secrets she's forced to keep create a tension that may pull them apart forever.

When the Pirates of Silver Crest begin to die, bullets laced with dark magic are to blame. With more and more of these weapons infiltrating the Underground, discovering who's behind the dissemination is no easy feat. As fear and tension mount among the people of the Orient, Barren and his crew find themselves in a race against time to stop the spread of dark magic before the world of Mariana spirals into collapse. 

Goodreads

Cutlass was one of my favorite reads of 2014. Ever since reading it I have been anxiously awaiting the sequel, Flintlock. So when the Ashley Nixon approached me to ask if I wanted an early review copy of it I did not have to think twice.

Again I was swept away to the wonderful world of the Cutlass series. The book picked up a few weeks or months after the events in Cutlass. Barren finds himself once again in trouble but as usual his crew and Larkin have his back. It is easy to say that he is still the same reckless character from the first book. Barren always first acts before he thinks. In some ways Larkin is the same but there are other moments were she overthinks everything.  Larkin is a great heroin, she is total kick ass; I would not want to mess with her. And she has grown a lot since the first book; she is strong both physically and mentally. But at the same time she is still struggling to get fully accepted in the new life she has chosen for herself. I really love seeing Barren and Larkin together, they keep each other on their toes and they bring up the best in each other. And that is exactly what I am looking for in a couple. I loved that Ashley also showed that every relationship has its ups and downs. Not everything is rainbows and unicorns in Barren’s and Larkin’s relationship but that is what makes them stronger in the end.
The secondary characters were also well-developed. We got to see a lot more of Cover and I have to say that I really like his character. I believe that he has grown into one of my favorite characters of this book. Besides the old characters, and I loved seeing them all again, a lot of new characters were introduced. Some were created to despise or even hate but others were loveable like Sarah. I have a feeling that she can grow into something really amazing in the next book and I hope that I am right.

The world building of this book is wonderful. I cannot get enough of the world that Barren and his crew live in. If it was possible I would want to sail the sea of the Octent and the Orient myself. Ashley describes all the details really vividly. One of my favorite scenes was the one of the Autumn ball, she described all the different dresses and mask in such a detail that it took my breath away.

I enjoyed Flintlock immensely. Everything Ashley wrote fitted perfectly together, the characters, the world… Everything was just perfect. To top it all of Ashley her writing style is really addictive and I found it impossible to put this book down. She wrote an amazing sequel to a great first novel and I cannot wait until the next book comes out. I would highly recommend this book and it’s prequel to everyone. Especially if you are a fan of Young Adult fantasy than this is a series that you have to read. 

El

Sunday Post #21 & Stacking The Shelves #60

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Another week that went by really quick. On Monday I was free since it was a bank holiday. Nothing really special happened this week. But I did buy two books, I went to Poundland so they were each £1, I  could not not buy them! Next week I have two friends from home over for a couple of days so I'm really looking forward to this next week!

Last week on the blog: 

• Monday: Review: Fighting for Keeps (A Brookhollow Story #5) by Jennifer Snow
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #61: Ten Books I Will Probably Never Read
• Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday #94: It's Just a Jump to the Left by Libba Bray
• Thursday: Review: On the Fence by Kasie West
• Friday: Cover Reveal: Surviving Ice (Burying Water #4) by K.A. Tucker
• Saturday: Review: Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) by Rachel Hartman

Next week on the blog:

• Monday: Review: Flintlock (Cutlass Series #2) by Ashley Nixon 
• Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday #62: Ten Authors I Really Want To Meet
• Wednesday: Waiting On Wednesday #95
• Thursday: Review: Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) by Tammara Webber
• Friday: Band of the Month May

Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

Bought

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

Origin (Corpus #1) by Jessica Khoury

El

Review: Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) by Rachel Hartman

Title: Shadow Scale
Author: Rachel Hartman
Series: Seraphina
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Random  House Children's Books
Publication date: March 10th 2015
Pages: 608 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley





The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself - for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people's minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she's held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

Goodreads

After reading Seraphina earlier this year, I was really excited to read Shadow Scale. I really liked Seraphina so my expectations for the sequel were pretty high. And in most departments Shadow Scale fulfilled my expectations.

Shadow Scale picks up a couple of months after the final events of Seraphina. The country is on the brink of a civil war. And Seraphina is sent on a mission to find all the other half-dragons by her prince and queen. The first half of the book mainly focusses on this aspect. Seraphina travels the kingdom in her search to find all of her kin not only so that they can stop this war but also because she wants to give them a home. Rachel Hartman has a true talent when it comes to world-building. She described all the different landscapes and regions so vividly. I could imagine myself traveling in those regions; I could clearly see what everything would look like.

Each half-dragon was unique in its own way. They all had a different experience being one; some were outcasts of the society while others were perceived as gods. I really loved meeting all of them. But because I loved most of them I also found it a shame that we didn’t spend a lot of time with them. Before we could really get to know them we moved on to some new place and new character. I especially missed the characters from the first book: Lars, Viridius, Dame Okra… They were still a part of this book but we didn’t get to see them enough.  But the character I missed the most was Kiggs. I loved him in the first book, certainly when he was around Seraphina. Together they are like a master mind. And in this book I had to miss him way too much. So the romance was also pushed to the background and I kind of missed it.

The first half of this novel was rather slow. There was a lot of travelling and meeting a lot of new characters.  But it didn’t bother me like it normally does. And this build-up was necessary for the later parts in the book. As with the first book I couldn’t have predicted the plot twists that were revealed later on in the book. I believe that this series would have been better as a trilogy. The whole last part of the book could have been a book on itself. At times I felt like it was all a bit rushed at the end. But the biggest disappointment for me was the ending. I felt so sorry for Seraphina, it looked like she was the only one that had to make sacrifices. She lost everything, while others still had everything. It just seemed a bit unfair to me.

Overall I really liked this book. If not for a couple of things I would have given this book five stars. But now it still gets a solid four stars. If you haven’t read this series yet I would highly recommend that you do because it’s an amazing duology. 

El