Review: Akarnae

Akarnae by Lynette Noni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Re-read 01/19**

Reading this for a second time was such a fun experience. I was a little cynical the first time around because I'm wary of HP rip-offs, but there's so much sass in this series it's hard for me not to fall in love.

Alex is such a fantastic protagonist. She falls into this world of magic and takes it all in her stride, going along with it, and copping crap from her new BFFs, Jordan and Bear, whenever she starts to take the magic stuff too seriously. This is a book that's not afraid to poke fun at itself.

There aren't really any characters I don't like. They're all a bit different, and unusual, and psychotic. Karter is awesome. Finn ... nope. I would not want to do one of his classes at all, nuh-uh.

Kaiden James .... mmmm. I mean, he didn't properly steal my heart until book 2, so it was fun flirting with him a little in this one. He and Declan were far less intimidating this time around. Funny how that happens.

I really do love this series and I need more people to read it so I can fangirl over these characters more. Okay? Thanks friends!


**Original Review 12/16**

Hmm. A YA Fantasy novel set at a boarding school for 'gifted' kids. Where have I read this plot before??!

Yet there was something about it that really drew me in and this turned out to be a pretty enjoyable novel. It's slightly awkward in its introduction to the world, with blocks of information and some pretty thin explanations, however this does open things up nicely for greater depth in subsequent novels.

Alex's initial journey from her world to Akarnae feels quite out of place, but once it's out of the way the story flows quite naturally, and fast. I rather enjoyed the dynamics between the main trio, as well as the colourful supporting cast, though it was a little frustrating that everyone was 'unnaturally good-looking'. Mostly I enjoyed the humour and the ease of the interactions - and the absence of moodiness. It was light and fun, despite the inevitable dark thread destined to tie the conclusion to the remainder of the series.

It's painfully obvious that the author is a Harry Potter fan, but that hasn't prevented the production of an entertaining introduction to a new fantasy series, likely to be popularised by its own merits. An easy recommendation for YA fantasy lovers, but likely to be particularly enjoyable to HP fans looking for something new to sink their teeth into.

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Review: Rubdown

Rubdown by Leigh Redhead
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm gonna make this brief.

This series is not for me.

It's so freaking kinky. Is 'erotic crime' a genre? Coz that's what this is.

Here's the essential formula:

Kinky stuff -> Drinking and Smoking -> Shower -> kinky stuff in order to get clues -> Drinking and Smoking -> Shower -> Kinky stuff -> REPEAT.

OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND SWEET JEEZUZ I AM OVER IT.

I actually really like the Melbourne setting but even that was a bit overdone - I'm pretty sure people who don't know Melbourne aren't gonna give a crap about all the location name drops. Also, I don't recall Melbourne ever being as seedy as it is in this book. My poor, honest city.

If you like the kinky stuff, ENJOY.

If you like crime, GOOD LUCK.

I have two more books to go in this damn series (won them, so I feel obliged to read them) but for now I'm gonna find some good clean fun to read about. Right after I take a shower.

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Review: The Secret Runners of New York

The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the perfect novel to introduce YA fans into the action-packed world(s) of Matthew Reilly.

It's not a traditionally YA novel, nor is it the fast-paced, explosive thriller that most of Reilly's work is. It blends the two to create something totally unique and for that it's going to attract a wide variety of readers.

Naturally, this is my JAM.

✓Love action.
✓Love YA.
✓Love MR.
✓Love rich kid drama.

This was always going to be a win for me.

It's so strange to read Rich Kid Drama written by the pen of my favourite action author, but the man is talented. His meticulous researching has apparently strayed into the world of rich New York snobs so it's all quite believable and delightfully dramatic. Did I mention that I love Rich Kid Drama? The name calling, the social hierarchy, the minions, the lure and battle-worthy attraction of the opposite sex. The level of pettiness is such addictive trash to me. I am so far removed from that world that it's all delicious fiction - legit would not know what to do if confronted with actual real life scenarios like those that present themselves in Rich Kid Drama stories.

So we have the classic Rich Kid Drama but it's been experimented on by the action-loving, death-dealing MR, who introduces his love of ancient civilisations and crazy theories in the form of time travel. Naturally, he destroys a city to give us plenty to gawk at, not to mention mess with those spoilt rich kids a little. The promo pics are on point.

I loved this from the get-go, even though it wasn't what I was expecting. It was The Tournament all over again, with an intro that had me wondering where all the military personnel were. No soldiers? No guns? No helicopters? No explosions?? But once you get used to the vastly different setting, it's quite clearly a MR novel. There's still plenty going on, and plenty to keep the mind turning. Time travel always does my head in but the way it was presented here held me captivated. Completely unsurprised that I read another MR book in less than a day.

This feels like a YA story but it has more depth, and there's still the classic Reilly breed of action. It's going to appeal to YA fans as well as MR fans, although the Scarecrow fans may chafe at the change of direction. But no matter the genre or themes, Reilly's books always hook me fast and don't let go until it's all over. That hasn't changed.

I'd definitely recommend MR fans get a copy, but this will also be a hit with YA fans who, like me, enjoy their Rich Kid Drama. There's a great story here with fun characters, and while some of it may be predictable, it's still highly enjoyable and delivered in such a way that you'll still encounter surprises along the way.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for my uncorrected proof copy

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Review: The Gilded Wolves

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an exciting story with fun characters, and I get the comparison, I really do, but PLEASE. This book is not in the same league as Six of Crows. Sorry. It's good, but it's not SoC good.

I did like it, though!

I'm actually overwhelmed by my thoughts on this one so let's go bullet points.

✓ Diverse characters
-Great variety with different backgrounds and temperaments
-Mixture of nice and sass
-Fun dynamics between them

Severin
As the leader of the pack, he was a little underwhelming. Kinda selfish. Never really created the cohesive team I was hoping for. Also, I kinda have no idea what he looks like? Descriptions were pretty scarce in this book.

Tristan
Again, a little too vague for me to really get attached to. He's a bit naive and pathetic and super childish. I did admire his dedication to Goliath, though. Even if I don't approve. *shudder*

Enrique
Fun fact: I have a friend named Enrique so it was really hard for me to not imagine my friend instead of this Enrique. Any one else get that when reading familiar names? Anyhoo. I liked this Enrique a lot, but I couldn't figure out his age at all. I thought he was young, then I thought he was old, then I thought he was middle-aged ... I really enjoy the way his mind works, though.

Leila
Ah, the seductress of the gang. She was such a mixed bag. One minute she's seducing everyone, next she's bringing them tea and cookies and hugs. It was really hard for me to pair the two. She seemed cool, though. Like she's actually the glue that holds them all together.

Zofia
My fave, and probably the best fleshed out. She's adorably awkward and small and totally underestimates herself. I like that she just says whatever she's thinking and I feel sad whenever she questions herself or feels embarrassed for not conforming to societal norms. Again, no clue what she looks like, other than 'white-blonde' 'candlelight' hair. Whatever colour that is.

Hypnos
Classic eccentric billionaire with no friends. He wants in on this little band of friendship, so he kinda just inserts himself in their business. Severin was kinda harsh towards him, but I like that he won the others over. Took me a minute to realise he wasn't a villain, though.

Character Conclusion: Characters were diverse and fun but not explained nearly well enough. I can't really picture any of them, and I was never particularly attached because there was nothing to draw me in quite as irrevocably as I'd hoped. Also not nearly as much sass as I needed. Sev and Leila got close, but not enough.

✓French Setting
I'm obsessed with everything French so this was fun! It didn't go into too much detail but there's a few French phrases here and there so that made me happy.

✓Ancient Artifacts
This was fun but a little confusing. It's set in France, but we're dealing with biblical artifacts, Egyptian artifacts and random mathematical theories? I was très confus. I think more research was necessary in this department.

✓Criminal Hijinks
Lots of B&E, destruction of property, theft, impersonating authority figures etc which made me happy. The action was a bit scattered but as long as there's mayhem and chases and things blowing up I am happy. Maybe this is why I liked Zofia so much. We are kindred spirits.

Overall Feelings:
There's a lot here to like but it just felt messy and unexplained. Nothing is really described, so it's quite hard to let the story come to life in your head because you can't really see the setting or what the characters look like, other than hair colour. I really feel like I need to re-read it and find out whether I just missed a lot or if it was never there in the first place. It was really hard for me to let myself go with this one, which is a shame because the characters have so much potential.

The whole forging thing was a bit confusing and kinda convenient with very few rules? I feel like there would be a few holes if people wanted to look closely.

The storyline was interesting but just a bit hard to follow when nothing was ever really explained. There were no real shock moments because I was still traipsing behind trying to work out how we got where we were.

Conclusion:
A fun enough story, but a few too many holes in it to get emotionally attached.

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Review: Hunter

Hunter by Jack Heath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, not as exciting and fast-paced as the first, but definitely more gruesome.

WARNING: This review contains major spoilers for Hangman

Recap: At the end of the first book, Blake had determined that helping the FBI maybe wasn't for him and so was pursuing other business ventures. He'd broken off contact with the love interest, Thistle, because he was too worried about hurting her. Oh yeah. He also had that nasty habit of snacking on human flesh.

Do you know how much it killed me to not mention that in my review for Hangman?! Not even in spoiler tags! Because it is such a massive twist and made the whole story a thousand times more exciting. It hooked me real good, coz I've never read anything like that before.

Sadly, because this is the sequel, I've now read something like that before.

What I mean is, that's the twist that grabs you right away and keeps you hanging on, but to get that same kind of attention in this book we really needed more to sink our teeth into (ha ha) because it's no longer a surprise.

This book opens with Blake working for the bad guys, disposing of bodies in his highly unique manner. Then he stumbles across a body that's not one of his but he takes a bite out of it anyway. This part kind of disturbed me - I mean, wouldn't that kind of be like stumbling over a cheeseburger in the gutter and deciding it looks tasty? Seemed a bit unsanitary to me, to be honest. But how would I know, really. Not like I make a habit of eating people.

Anyway.

So then there's drama because our favourite FBI lady, Agent Thistle, asks for Blake's help on a missing persons case and you'll never guess who they're looking for.

Yep. The cheeseburger.

What follows is a lot of chaos that involves scumbags and dead bodies and violence and gore and one super confusing investigation that just doesn't seem to add up. All the while, Blake has to deal with his feelings towards Thistle, and that niggling bad habit of eating human corpses. Poor guy.

I had a few issues with this book that didn't crop up in the first. In Hangman, Blake is super intelligent, he puts things together really well, and he figures things out logically. In this book, it feels like his IQ has dropped significantly. Maybe he ate too many idiots, I don't know. Whatever the reason, he just doesn't seem to have his head in the game this time around. I won't go into detail as I don't want to reveal anything too interesting before the book drops in March. But he has changed, and it makes me a little sad. There's also some questionable puzzles that really don't make sense when you think about them (More on this post-release).

The Blake/Thistle vibe is also a lot more loved up because obviously they did all the slow stuff in book 1 so now it's all about the feelings. I'm not big on feelings. I was mostly just waiting for her to discover she'd sucked face with a cannibal. Still, there's the drama of him trying to hide it all, so even though the dynamic has changed I enjoyed that aspect of it. You think you have relationship issues. Sheesh.

The crime investigation itself was incredibly messy because there was so much going on, and so many clues that just didn't make sense. It was kinda good because it was unpredictable but then it was also kinda bad because I lost interest a little bit. It jumped around a bit too much for me to follow, and there was a bit more focus on Blake's personal life, I felt.

I did really love The Gore Factor, though. This one got hella messy compared to the first book. Finally we are getting some Silence of the Lambs savagery. I don't know what it says about me that I prefer reading about people getting their faces chewed off more than people talking about feelings but there you have it. Gruesome is way more fun. Maybe it was a little gratuitous here, but I am grateful. Hooray violence! (I'm actually not a psycho in real life, I promise.)

Also.

Look I got a bit frustrated with the riddles this time around because they were hard LOL. So many went unsolved because I wanted to read on instead of wasting actual brain power trying to figure out the hard ones. I'm still keen for that Solutions page.

In general, I liked it, and I'm so glad I got early access to it coz the first book was such a win. This one has to work harder now that the big surprise is out, but I think it maybe tries a little too hard to be impressive so all in all it feels a little jumbled.

I think fans of the first book are still going to enjoy this one, but there'll be mixed reviews depending on what drew you in in Hangman. I'd still recommend it, though!

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my Uncorrected Proof copy.


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Review: Hangman

Hangman by Jack Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THIS IS SO MESSED UP I LOVE IT.

Blake, aka Hangman, is a totally despicable character but he knows it and that made it okay for me to like him. It means pretty brilliant writing that an author can create a character this messed up and still have me rooting for him!

Blake's trying to help the FBI find a missing kid, but he has his own reasons for doing so, and those reasons are so disturbing and so of course that leads to a highly addictive thriller

I LOVED IT.

Every second.

Blake is disturbing, but he's super intelligent and exceptionally good at what he does. He's incredibly flawed, but because he knows it and kinda hates himself for it, I pitied him. He was such a fascinating character to read and it was such a unique take that I found it hard to put this one down. (view spoiler)[The introduction of his 'habit' was so brilliant my jaw dropped, I said, 'oh shit' out loud, and then laughed about it for a good minute or so before I eagerly carried on. (hide spoiler)]

The kidnapping case is curious, and I honestly wasn't able to predict much at all, which was such a blessing! Normally with police procedural-type books you can spot the perp a mile away. This one definitely kept me guessing. (view spoiler)[Admittedly, I did like the music teacher for it from the beginning, so I was mad that such a smart man didn't put that together when Blake saw him while talking to Bobby's gf. But he got there in the end and with that lead dead I had no suspicions. It's always someone you least expect but I still didn't figure this one out. (hide spoiler)]

There's plenty of action to keep you hooked, and there's the drama of Blake's personal life that rules every moment so when he's not out hunting on behalf of the FBI, he's got his own stuff going on. The junkie roommate was an interesting addition, too. All in all, never a dull moment.

There really are some horrible characters, so I kinda feel for Thistle, being the (black) knight among them. She's so badass and honest and pure and I'm sad she's surrounded by corrupt criminals. She's a great character, though. Less interesting for it, but I'm glad she was the ray of light in this dark, despicable tale.

The actual case of the missing boy was a bit strange, and I don't think it ever really came together for me in my mind. But I did really love the puzzles at the start of each chapter! I'm kinda bummed there was no solutions page at the back of the book haha. Now I'll have to Google the few that I couldn't get. (How'd everyone else go with the riddles, out of curiosity? Did you stop and have a think and try to solve them, or just move on?)

This is a really unique, fast-paced thriller with some fascinating characters written brilliantly. There are some moments that might make you a little squeamish, but overall I loved it and I'll be looking to get my hands on the next one ASAP.

Blake, you have earned my loyalty.

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Review: White Stag

White Stag by Kara Barbieri
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Here we have a story that's part fantasy, part recovery-from-trauma, and all around SAVAGE. But also loved up. So ... yay?

I'll admit, it threw me a little. The story kinda starts in the middle which I normally enjoy (usually means more action) but it bothered me that it never went back to properly explain things. This feels like one of those times where the author held this story in her mind for so long that some of it got trapped there and never made it to the actual book. There's plenty happening, but scenes are never properly set and, in a fantasy world, that's pretty problematic. I never really fully connected to the world because it was so sparse on detail.

Even Janneke's past is a little sketchy. We're told about the family she was separated from, and that she endured horrible things at the hand of Lydian, but the details are pretty vague which, again, made it harder to connect. I really felt for Janneke with her struggle to overcome trauma, but it would have packed a much more powerful punch if there was more detail about what she went through. Not necessarily the physical, but just that breakdown of the psyche. Trauma is, sadly, quite a relatable topic, so the feelings and emotions that come with those experiences are so important. At the same time, we get a lot of talk about how Janneke is a fighter and she's pushing on and choosing to live and I really loved that. I loved that she has this broken past but she's still so fierce. Just a shame for me it was tempered with all that lovey dovey business.

You can tell from the very beginning of the book that they're looking towards hooking up. Soren is supposed to be a goblin and he's savage and powerful and all but then when it comes to Janneke he's all goo and, quite honestly, I was pretty disappointed. The goblins were such savage, murderous characters so I was really expecting more of that from our leading man, especially with such a ferocious leading lady. Sadly, it winds up being a lot of talk about feelings.

I enjoyed the support characters, though. Not Lydian - that guy is an A-grade A-hole - but Rekke, and Seppo I really liked. They were fun. Again, pretty tame for goblins, but I'll take it.

The goblins in general started out really well but kinda fell apart at the end. They were so brutal and savage which was BRILLIANT but then it all kinda tapered out to make way for the love story and suddenly it became hard to distinguish the goblins from human characters. Definitely feel like that was a weakness of this book.

I LOVED the fantasy of it all, though. Not so much the (bland) landscape but the creatures were fantastic. There was some great action scenes with monsters and the like and I definitely got more invested when one made an appearance. There's a fabulous imagination here, and I'd be curious to read a different book/series by this author because I think there is some real creativity there that needs to be shared with the world.

To be fair, I'm just not big on romance so that taking up so much of this book meant I didn't love it quite as much as I hoped. But I did really enjoy it, and I think the author has a lot of potential so I'll look forward to reading more of her work. The trauma angle was quite important, and though it wasn't handled badly, per se, it could have used a bit more care and detail rather than patching it all up with vague talk. There needed to be more emotion involved, I think, though I did appreciate that she doesn't just 'get over it' - this is genuinely something she wrestles with throughout the novel. Just needed to be more feel and less tell.

This was an entertaining novel but it's certainly not a light fantasy. This is dark and brutal and definitely needs a trigger warning for the talk of trauma, assault and rape. But there is a message of hope in its pages, and I think that's the most important part of this story.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you want a fantasy story with a darker kind of realism, this one is worth taking a chance on.

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Review: Archenemies

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I AM SO FRUSTRATED RIGHT NOW.

Nova. Adrian.

GET IT TOGETHER MY DUDES.

I was legit expecting their respective secrets to be OUT by the end of book 1 and here I am, still having to deal with all this angst over secrets and feelings. Thank god for Ruby and Oscar. Also, okay, that couch scene and I WILL SAY NO MORE BECAUSE I AM NOT A SPOILER OKAY SORRY.

So. Wait. I think there's a plot, too. Lemme back it up.

The plot is a bit darker than the last one, and there are definitely a lot more ethical questions raised. I really appreciated all the angles that had to be considered with the introduction of Agent N and how Nova and Adrian are both kinda on the same page but in different corners. This whole series raises a lot of questions about society etc which I really enjoy exploring.

So not keen on how frustrating Nova is, though. She's constantly changing her mind but she never stops and actually thinks things through. Her attitude is very black and white and I'm just not seeing the growth from her that I'd like. Adrian is a little more woke, but he's too hormonal to actually care as much as he probably should.

Looks like I'm doing the whole, 'scattered thoughts' thing again for this review. Sorry guys.

I am a big fan of superheroes so I really enjoy whenever a new character with superpowers is introduced, especially since they're all kinda random. I still want more explosions and epic action scenes, though. I do feel like the superpowers aren't utilised nearly enough - the only one who actually seems to use his powers well is Adrian. (Side note: can we get more Turbo, please? Maybe even a spin-off?)

There are a lot of secrets and mysteries so I have lots of theories but two books in and it doesn't really feel like we're any closer to solving any of them. Book 3 is gonna have to be like 800+ pages just to account for all the BIG REVEALs. Magpie is super suss, and I'm pretty convinced she's actually Nova's sister who is secretly NOT DEAD but this is a random theory that has 0% solid foundation *shrugs*. I'm just over here making up my own secrets and theories to entertain me while Nova and Adrian continue to be the most obtuse superheroes on the planet. Honestly, how have neither of them stopped to put a few pieces together yet?

Once again it was a little bit slower to get into but it did become easier and more entertaining. It just kinda felt like there wasn't a real lot happening. I think it's actually more like, there's so many different parts that none are really, properly explored. It probably doesn't help that there's a thousand different characters.

Overall I probably liked the first one better, but this was still fun and gives me hope for some serious drama in the next (and hopefully final) book. Now we just have to wait for it.

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Review: The Cabin at the End of the World

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't even know what I just read but I LOVED IT.

This is more suspense/thriller than outright horror but it is 100% DISTURBING. I spent the entire novel trying to figure out what was going on and just had to let it all unfold in front of me. No guessing was ever going to help with this story.

I don't want to talk too much about the plot as part of the fun comes from having no clue what's happening, or why, but I did really enjoy the - excuse my language - absolute mindfuck of trying to work out if this was going to shift into a supernatural horror or if everyone was just insane.

Brilliant characters, and the way they were written makes this story so much more disturbing. I will admit, the 'what would I do?' scenarios playing in my head were not at all comforting. 99% certain I'd end up dead. I am not cut out to be a character in a horror story. These guys, though ... very real. I loved that.

The relationship between Andrew and Eric is pretty great, too. I like that it discusses the homophobia etc but also doesn't try to ram down your throat that GAY IS OKAY. It's more about how they relate to one another, and how that impacts their behaviour in this situation. I thought it was written pretty impressively. Even if I never entirely warmed to Andrew. He was a bit too quick to anger for my liking.

I wonder how the devout will receive this book, as there's plenty of biblical implications and it certainly gets the reader contemplating faith. Personally, I really enjoyed the questioning aspect, and how the book kind of allows you to form your own opinions as you go along. Powerful stuff.

Overall, this was unlike any horror/thriller I've read before and I really enjoyed the wild ride it took me on. Devoured it in two days so my hands will be greedily searching for the next Paul Tremblay book I can get my hands on!

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