Book Review: The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon
Release Date: 20th August 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 452
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army."

Review:

For the past couple of days, I've struggled to write this review, because I'm not entirely sure what my feelings for The Bone Season are. On the one hand, the storyline is brilliant, the detail of this new world is amazing, and I loved our main characters. But on the other hand, there's just something that feels a bit off, and I think it comes down to the fact that I didn't feel immersed in this world - I felt like an outsider looking it.

But isn't that what we do with every book? Well, yes, but this is different. With most stories, I feel like I'm there with the protagonists. I'm invested in the storyline, I care about our protagonists futures. A book may be set in a completely new and foreign world to me, but I believe it and I'm there with the characters - I'm completely immersed in the story. But with this, I didn't get that. It wasn't until well into the second half of the novel or so that I finally began to feel invested in these people and this new world. Up until that point though, I felt like an outsider looking in, and overall, it made me struggle to get into the book.

That being said, this is an amazing read. The storyline is so new and interesting, the new world established is so messed up, and the Rephaim are a real treat to read about. There's just enough mystery to keep you intrigued, enough action to keep you on edge, and plenty of romance. I don't know what it was that wasn't allowing me to get invested in the beginning, because I was well invested in the end, and will undoubtedly be continuing on with this series. I would definitely check this one out for a new twist on the supernatural and dystopian genres. 

2014 Challenge #2: Seriously Series Reading Challenge

For my second reading challenge for 2014 I'm signing up for the Seriously Series Reading Challenge, hosted by Reading the Paranormal. There are three different categories for this one - Series started before 2014, Series started in 2014, and Series rereads. Since I don't reread books, I'll just have a go with the former categories, and I'll just be attempting to read the books in a series I currently own/are released in 2014. So, without further ado...

Series Started Before 2014
Goal: Semi Serious, 1-6 series COMPLETE

1. Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot

Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3) {review}

2. Splintered by A.G Howard

Unhinged (Splintered #2) {review}

3. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) {review}

4. Tempest by Julie Cross

Vortex (Tempest #2) {review}

5. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) {review}

6. The Flappers by Jillian Larkin

Diva (The Flappers #3) {review}

7. The Precious Stones Trilogy by Kerstin Gier 

Sapphire Blue (The Precious Stones Trilogy #2) {review coming soon}

Series Started in 2014
Goal: Seriously Serious, 7-12 series

1. Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) {review}

2. Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1) {review}

3. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) {review}

4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) {review}

5. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) {review}

6. Eve by Anna Carey

Eve (Eve #1) {review coming soon}

7. Reboot by Amy Tintera

Reboot (Reboot #1) {review coming soon}

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Wishlist Wednesday (28)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Summary from Goodreads:

"Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love."

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I love anything and everything to do with retellings. So when I saw this, a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast, I simply had to add it to my wishlist. And the reviews I've seen around the blogosphere haven't been bad either, so I really want to read this in the not-too-distant future. 

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

2014 Challenge #1: Rewind Challenge

It's that time of year again - time for me to finally sign up for the reading challenges I plan to participate in next year. So first off, we've got the 2014 Rewind Challenge hosted by Coffee Bean Bookshelf. This is a new one for me, and I'm excited! There aren't many rules to this challenge (which you can see here), and there aren't even any levels - you decide your own reading goal, which is actually tricky in itself. In 2013, I read 30 book as part of the Off the Shelf Reading Challenge, and I'd love to be able to aim for 30 again. But, with my 3rd year of uni just around the corner, and the possibility that I may need to get a job in the not-too-distant future, I'm not entirely sure that's achievable. So, my official goal will be 20 books, but since there are so many books on my TBR pile that I want to read, I'm listing 32 books that I just can't wait to read any longer - so the aim is to read 20 of the 32 books listed below - although I do hope I can surpass that!

1. Vortex by Julie Cross {review}
2. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
3. Awaken by Meg Cabot {review}
4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell {review} 
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green {review coming soon}
6. Diva by Jillian Larkin {review}
7. Eve by Anna Carey {review coming soon}
8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
9. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare {review}
10. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
11. Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
12. Pivot Point by Kasie West {review}
13. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
14. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
15. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 
16. All Our Yesterdays by Christin Terrill
17. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
18. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 
19. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline {review}
20. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken {review}
21. World After by Susan Ee
22. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier {review coming soon}
23. Icons by Margaret Stohl
24. Pawn by Aimee Carter
25. Feed by Mira Grant
26. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
27. The Maze Runner by James Dashner {review}
28. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
29. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead {review}
30. The Program by Suzanne Young
31. Reboot by Amy Tintera {review coming soon} 
32. Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs 

Book Review: The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things #3) by Anna Godbersen

The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things #3) by Anna Godbersen
Release Date: 27th November 2012

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 373
Rating: 3.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"In 1929, the Bright Young Things escape Manhattan's heat for the lush lawns and sparkling bays of White Cove, looking for leisure, love, and luck.

New York City's latest It Girl, Cordelia Grey, is flying high with celebrity pilot Max Darby. But Max is a private person with a reputation to uphold—and a secret to hide. A public romance with a bootlegger's daughter could cost him more than just his good name. . . .

Aspiring triple threat Letty Larkspur has finally gotten her big break, but will her talent—and special bond with the married silver-screen star Valentine O'Dell—make her a target in the cutthroat world of Hollywood? Perhaps the ingenue knows how to play the leading lady after all.

Newly married to her longtime sweetheart, socialite Astrid Donal finds herself spending more time with one of her husband's henchmen than with him. With so many secrets between man and wife, is the honeymoon already coming to an end?As summer reaches its hottest peak, these sun-kissed girls will find out if their luck can last . . . or if dark surprises are on the horizon."

Review:

I began this book remembering very few details of each girls storyline, and as a result, I at times found this book interesting, and at other times, I just didn't know what was going on. Partly that's my fault for not  skimming the previous book or looking up the main plot points in the preceding novels before I began reading, but I also think its a reflection on how I found this series overall - not really that enthralling.

For example, this series has featured three narrators who we change between quite frequently - Cordelia, Astrid and Letty. I could remember Cordelia's story, because it was by far the most interesting, so I always knew what was going on with her. With Astrid, I couldn't remember everything at the beginning, but it did come back to me as I read. And with Letty, I honestly couldn't remember anything about her storyline...not one thing. As a result I didn't enjoy Letty's story so much because I just couldn't remember its beginning. 

Whilst I didn't necessarily find the plot and characters all that interesting, I can't help but love the setting. Set in the 1920's, with the prohibition and the illegal speakeasy's, the glamorous lifestyle and the gansters - I can't help but enjoy the frivolous lifestyle, with that hint of danger ever so present. Overall, a fair ending to a series that I wasn't really that enthralled with. Should you read it? I probably wouldn't - if you'd like to read something by this author, I'd go with The Luxe series instead, it's much, much better. 

Wishlist Wednesday (27)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...


Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

Summary from Goodreads:

"It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. 

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake. 
A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?"

Why I'm Wishing for It:
Do I even need to explain why I want this one. I never cease to hear good things about this one. It seems like every couple of weeks this pops up somehow - I see someone raving about it at least once a month. This is just something I need to get my hands on post-Christmas. 

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

DHB Returns

So, you may or may not have noticed that its been radio silent here for the past month. First there were exams, then I went on holiday for a week, and then I just needed some time to myself when I got back. Now that I've had some time to de-stress and relax, it's finally time to return to the blog! Starting tomorrow I'll be back to regular posting.