l have a signed copy of this book, one which I bought when I met Kat at a book signing I went to in the UK, it's Sat on my bookshelf since then as I wl have a signed copy of this book, one which I bought when I met Kat at a book signing I went to in the UK, it's Sat on my bookshelf since then as I was so busy with life, I just never had time to read it. life is different now and today I opened it up. ...more
When I found this Kathy Reich's book I was surprised. Having read both her viral series and bones/Tempe Brennan book's.
Although I enjoyed the book, I When I found this Kathy Reich's book I was surprised. Having read both her viral series and bones/Tempe Brennan book's.
Although I enjoyed the book, I didn't find a connection like l normally do to the Bones books. But I did enjoy it, I think if you haven't read many bones books, you would probably get into it quicker.
I would read another book that was about Sunday Night though, she grew on me by the end....more
I found this book in the Murchison NZMCA library yesterday... Wow this has been the fastest book I've read in a long while. The story was fast paced andI found this book in the Murchison NZMCA library yesterday... Wow this has been the fastest book I've read in a long while. The story was fast paced and full of action, I've thoroughly enjoyed this series ending. I've read Max I think but none of the others but I managed to enjoy this book without feeling like I'd missed something. I like an author that has the talent to create a book that can do that....more
Both the stories are interesting and draw you into the lives of the characters, our of the two books I think Alan's and Shelby was my favourite, but IBoth the stories are interesting and draw you into the lives of the characters, our of the two books I think Alan's and Shelby was my favourite, but I loved the setting of Grants book as I love painting, the way Nora described Ginnie painting was very real and brought her to life. I do love Nora Roberts writing, whether contemporary romance, fantasy romance or another book I have read from the author, I've enjoyed every one....more
With the upheaval between the fae and humans creating an incident that has Mercy and Adam and the pack trying to stop a humongous troll, killing and wWith the upheaval between the fae and humans creating an incident that has Mercy and Adam and the pack trying to stop a humongous troll, killing and wrecking cars and the bridge, once again they're in the sights of both the media and law enforcement, they're struggling when Zee and Tad turn up to help, along with a stranger, they find themselves with another refugee, and now they must decide whether to protect them or use them to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae, one who can control fire, who can lose control of that fire...Defying Bran, now Mercy, Adam, and their pack are on there own, but they strike a bargain with the fae and head into Underhill to find an artifact powerful enough to appease the Grey Lord's. This book is an action packed adventure that I was sad to finish. Thank goodness I can get the next book this week....more
This book was one I found while away for the weekend, it captured my attention from the very beginning and I found it hard to put down. I'm on the looThis book was one I found while away for the weekend, it captured my attention from the very beginning and I found it hard to put down. I'm on the lookout for the rest of the series....more
I have spent every moment possible Reading this Book, starting on the beach and then every spare time I got... from the first chapter @therealsjmaas hI have spent every moment possible Reading this Book, starting on the beach and then every spare time I got... from the first chapter @therealsjmaas had me captivated, my heart has ...more
From the moment I started reading, I was hooked - to the final chapter, I really did't want it to end. The story brings one of my favourite series to From the moment I started reading, I was hooked - to the final chapter, I really did't want it to end. The story brings one of my favourite series to a thrilling conclusion. I laughed, Cried, my heart was seriously on a rollercoaster of emotions and I shook my fist at the author a number of times. But in the end I have to say - Bravo! An Exceptional Five Star read. The conclusion to the series meant that every page turned hurt me in the sense that I didn't want this world to end. This series has been one of my favorites and to know that it was ending was something I couldn't deal with to be honest. But in the end I did turn that last page, and was as happy as I could be, considering the books title. War has casualties...and my heart was torn asunder. Did I wish for an alternative ending where all the good guys get their hea...of course. But I applaud Ms Raithby for being true to her characters and the story....more
Well lol probably not the best book to read during #covid-19 but then again it was quite interesting comparing reality to fiction. This storyline kept Well lol probably not the best book to read during #covid-19 but then again it was quite interesting comparing reality to fiction. This storyline kept me gripped to this book, I read as much as I could when I got the chance. (my employment is an essential service) now the one thing that really got me into the story is that the world is based on the same goddesses in the Guardian Trilogy. My first Nora Roberts series I read. This book had me feeling every emotion that you can... I cried, cheered, sighed. I can't wait to read book 2...next on my TBR list....more
The second book was as gripping as the first, this series will be a good choice if you enjoy books like the Divergent, The Maze Runner and Mocking JayThe second book was as gripping as the first, this series will be a good choice if you enjoy books like the Divergent, The Maze Runner and Mocking Jay series, although there is not as much action in the books, the theme of a controlled society and the growing discord with the status quo are similar. The characters are well developed, the ‘love triangle’ is not really a ‘kissy kissy- angst’ type of trope, its rather more on the lines of an arranged marriage versus falling in love with the person you have met. I liked how all three of the characters deal with the multitude of emotions reflected with this situation, the 3 characters have been friends since they were children, so the love of friendship was the backbone for all three of the characters, until Society throws in the matched result. (can’t go into detail as it would spoil any readers who haven’t read book 1) So in finishing – in this book our characters grow, separate and learn their individual strengths and weaknesses, they realise that everything is not black and white, results can lie, data can be manipulated. Real life in a way I guess. The thing about this book is you can see parts of our growing technology in the story and it makes you wonder… what if? It’s a great book to make the reader contemplate morality, data protection and manipulation of data given to the public. A well earned 5 stars ...more
I spotted the covers of this series first; they drew me in, then the blurb hooked me, so I bought the 3 books. So this is my review for the first, I hI spotted the covers of this series first; they drew me in, then the blurb hooked me, so I bought the 3 books. So this is my review for the first, I have just started book 2 so that will be up in a week or two. In Cassia's society ‘officials dictate your perfect partner for life, how many children they have, where they work, and even when they die, and it seems that the inhabitants are happy with this status quo…or are they, as you read the cracks start to appear, and when its Cassia’s turn to be matched things start to unravel for her and her family. I really enjoyed this book, I like how in one way it shows that after a long time of citizens being dictated to about everything, that there is still a spark of rebellion in each of the characters introduced. The book reminded me of another YA dystopian book series, Flawed by Celia Ahearn. This story really begins to develop with Cassia’s Matching Ceremony, where she will be shown her match. Who turns out to be a childhood friend, Xander, but when she is given her ‘card’ with information on him, it’s not his face that appears on the screen… Its Ky’s another friend she grew up with. In the book all the characters are perfectly fine living their life's being controlled by Society, and the 3 teenagers live in a suburb called Maple tree Borough in the futuristic Oria Province (at least until the Officials tear down the maple trees and rename it Garden Borough – agh that bit made me sad – oops mini spoiler I guess!) OK we have the typical YA love triangle between Ky, Cassia, and Xander. So we have the dilemma of ‘who should she pick’ but even with the ‘Officials’ hurried explanation to the error, it is enough of a seed for her to start to question the process, this along with the scheduled ‘death date’ for her beloved Grandfather, Cassia begins to see the anomalies in the way the ‘Officials’ dictate everything in their lives. I was pleasantly surprised that although there is a ‘Love Triangle’ its more about the morality and the outcome of Cassia’s choice’s, but in the end, the heart wants what the heart wants, and Cassia tries to be open and as honest with both boys as she can. Trying to be a good friend to both, its about honesty and also the dilemma of keeping secrets and who you trust with them. Xander I guess has been too close for her, Ky is a mystery, and there is always something more intriguing about the unknown. By the end of Book 1 the ‘Officials’ have once again taken choice out of our characters hands, and the more sinister sides of Society are revealed to the characters and of course the reader… And I can’t wait to see what will happen to Cassia, Ky and Xander in book 2. The book reminds me of 2 favourite old films, Logan's Run, and Soylent Green in some aspects, so if you enjoy this type of dystopian theme (Divergent, Hunger Games), this book is for you. ...more
I read this book a month ago, and I have a review somewhere so when I find it I will update this with the original review I bought this book straight aI read this book a month ago, and I have a review somewhere so when I find it I will update this with the original review I bought this book straight after reading Magonia, and I did enjoy reading it (The Cover is gorgeous) but in some ways, I was slightly disappointed. I wish there had been more to the book, more world building, more spent exploring the wonderful imagination Ms Headley has, this world fascinated me, and maybe because it was so pulled in by the wonderful imagination of the first book, that my expectations were too high. but overall I did enjoy it.
UPDATE... OK I found where I wrote my review!!! ...its a long one LOL:
So I finally found where I wrote my Review… on paper in a notepad! How Retro of me. So these were my thoughts whilst reading the first half of the book: The book starts off with Aza and Jason being on constant alert for something to happen after the ending of Magonia, what exactly will happen is unclear, there are various scenarios to choose from. A year to the day of Aza’s Death (return to Magonia) in Book 1, it happens and the reader is transported into a whirlwind of situations that separate Jason and Aza, secrets are revealed, hearts are crushed and the reader is left wondering how the characters are going to move forward now…. After half Way… I thought I would be writing a 5 star review when I first dived into Aerie, but although I literally hopped online and bought this book after finishing Magonia, which I loved. The review I am writing is difficult – I loved it BUT… I feel slightly let down, its hard to pinpoint why, I gess it was mainly because there was a lack of depth to any of the sequence of events that happened… Sorry I don’t do spoilers, so I can’t go into specific details, but Jason… he went from being the nerd with the answers, to a stalkerish control freak who betrays the love of his life in the pretence of keeping her safe, and I just thought that this was out of character from book 1. Don’t get me wrong, I could understand how he was coursed into do doing it, but I would have thought he would have had a backup plan where he then could counteract the coercion, because he had an answer for everything in book 1. Maybe if there had been more context put into the story to why this happened - but it was added as a footnote explanation. I guess this is the main thing I found frustrating with the book, Ms Headley had the ideas and bones of a fantastic fantasy tale, I guess it reminds me of The Golden Compass (I must get that trilogy and read it – the film was so intriguing, I bet the books awesome – I mean books are always better than the films – 99% of the time – I found the Narnia films better than the books!!!!!!!!!! Oops I am getting off topic) Anyway back to the worldbuilding of this book… It never delved deep enough for me… new creatures are introduced, but no background given, and I wanted more about the characters already introduced in book one, but everything is just skimmed over, and I was left imagining what a fantastic imagination the author has, but that for some reason she has not made these characters whole to the reader… maybe for word count or who knows, but I am disappointed (even a month from finishing) Zal (Aza’s mother) well she was as evil as usual, bent on destroying earth (or the inhabitants of the land) but not much is given about her incarceration or the enhancements that she has now (sorry for being vague – non spoiler remember) Dai (the other part of the love triangle – ugh I hate YA love triangles!) I disliked him from the start in book 1, and still do, he is a cardboard cut-out character, nothing about him in either books made me like him one bit. The Flock, well I think I would have liked more details on this particular part of the story… I would have liked more time learning about ‘The Flock’ than all the angst that’s clutters the story, The part that we are given is interesting, but again its skimmed over with introduction, explanation instead of allowing the reader to get settled into learning about this with Aza… it still remains to me a fill in and an ends to a means to resolve and tie off ends at the conclusion of the book. And in conclusion… the book ended too soon, I had too many questions unanswered and the last two chapters, the first was 6 pages of Jason’s POV and the Last Aza’s POV was just 4.5 pages was jus WAY TOO SHORT, and NO EPILOGUE…there should have been a dam epilogue at least since this is a Dualogy and not a trilogy! There were hints of plans for a future in the last chapter (I guess this may be the novella that is mentioned in Q&A sections) who knows but if this is it… then to be honest it ended up leaving me with a bag full of ‘What was…’ ‘What happened to the …’ etc. About the only thing I didn’t need explaining was the ‘Agency on Earth’s Arrogance, as this was so true to form of Human governments. And this is why finally I gave the book a Solid 3.5 stars because the book makes you think about what we are doing to our world… The series gives a good message for Teens: 1) we are destroying the planet that we need to survive on, with plastics, factory farming, polluting our waters and the air we breathe. 2) We are intolerant of the species that we share this planet with (I could have said Races of humans, but we take animals for granted too, and this is an eco-system! We are not the be-all and end-all of this planet, we need the rest of the eco system to survive, and I don’t mean just for food!) In conclusion I want to end with that I LOVE THE AUTHORS IMAGINATION, I am just feeling bereft that I couldn’t explore it more, but in the end I know that the people who work for the Publishers also have a say in the book, so I take this into account and I don’t want to be too critical just because I as a reader wanted much, much more. I would recommend this book if you love fantasy that’s full of amazing creatures and gives the reader a message that we need to become more tolerant and ecologically caring as a species.
And if you got to this bit…Thanks for reading all of my review, I know it’s Long! ( the original written review was 1035 words long)...more
If you read my review of book 1 ‘Raziel’, then you know I read this book first. IF you haven’t read book 1 yet, I would encourage you to go read that If you read my review of book 1 ‘Raziel’, then you know I read this book first. IF you haven’t read book 1 yet, I would encourage you to go read that first before reading this book. Now… on with the review Its funny but I have tended to connect with the female characters in these books, The author creates the Fallen so well, in that they are ‘otherworldly’ Above petty human emotions, that I guess I connect better with the ‘human women’ who are destined to be the Fallen’s mates. Now in Demon… our ‘female’ lead, Rachel Fitzpatrick is slightly more than just ‘human’, but I can’t go into that as I don’t do spoiler reviews. But what I can say is what is mentioned in the blurb… Azazel is convinced that Rachel is Lilith (a woman who in rabbinic legend is Adam's first wife, is supplanted by Eve, and becomes an evil spirit) – Seriously I can’t remember reading much about her in Sunday school, but if what is written in this book is what happened in the bible, then OMG the Bible scribes etc were Male Chauvinistic pigs! But then again – the Bibles were written by Men so I guess that’s why women are all lesser in it! (Ok I am heading into the never-ending world of where Women’s rights are always less in the world!) OK so back to how Azazel treated Rachel, he was grieving, having lost his beloved in Book 1, but then then there was the way he treated Rachel, one minute he wanted her gone, the next he was saving her. BUT what he did to her at one point really got to me, it was horrible and I never quite forgave him for it, even if Rachel eventually does. Overall I have enjoyed these books, and I will be checking out the next in the series at some point, but for now I have a ton of paperbacks to read already so its not going to be soon. I think this will be ok though as the books are written in a way that the story is self-contained in each book. I will definately be checking out further books from the Author, in all her genres as I like her writing style....more
I won the first two books of this series in a raffle at the 2015 Readers and Writers Author Signing in the Gold Coast in Australia, and these two bookI won the first two books of this series in a raffle at the 2015 Readers and Writers Author Signing in the Gold Coast in Australia, and these two books have spent more time travelling in shipping containers! AU to UK then UK to NZ, then NZ to UK!!!! So I am about to move again and I was told to cut down my book haul (only Signed and out of print books are allowed… Trade paperbacks were to go – YES THERE WERE TEARS! But when the cost of international shipping is as expensive as it is I have no choice), so I have a TBR of Paperbacks to read and redistribute to other book lovers before I move again! SO I mistakenly read DEMON first OOPS!!! I should have googled the reading order (it’s not made clear in the paperback) but other than knowing the fate of one of the characters in Book 1 it didn’t make much difference to my reading pleasure, but I would recommend you read BOOK 1 Raziel first!) This book is told in dual POV, and its not chapter by chapter, the indication of the switch is with the first few words of the first line in the paragraph being capitalized. This wasn’t a problem for me, and I could tell the switch by the personality of the characters changing too. I really like how the Author has managed to create such dimensional characters as she wrote these stories, The Angels come across so Unemotional, Above human frailties after eons of existence, but that they are also loveable…I mean the Author wants us readers to ‘want’ her characters as our ‘book boyfriends’ afterall. I liked Allie from the start, she was a character I could relate too, and when destiny happens and she meets Raziel, I smiled at her thoughts, actions and general ‘go with the flow’ attitude that she had when her world tipped upside down. Raziel - well he is a bit of a unfeeling Fallen Angel, stubborn as Allie, and he was sure slow at dealing with the reasons of why he rescued Allie from hellfire against Uriel’s orders. I enjoyed being along for the ride as they deal with the realities of their meeting. As they begin to deal with their personal issues there is also the situation that the Fallen are facing from wrath brought by Raziel’s disobedience, and unfortunately the rest of the Fallen blame Allie for the ferocious Nephilim (Ms Douglas has an entirely different vision from mine of what a Nephilim is, they are still a mysterious evil foot soldier for Uriel by the end of Book 2 also) clawing at the kingdom’s shrouded gates. By the end of the book, Allie and Raziel have to deal with both their feelings and the safety of the rest of the Fallen and their wives. As I said, I knew the outcome of this book before I started, but I enjoyed it because I got to know the rest of the characters that are part of the Fallen Angels and I will be searching out Book 3 in my local library when I finally move in August. (Yes, I have a book buying Ban enforced too! – it’s a good job I love my hubby as much as I do!) ...more