Review: Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

Title: Reap the Wind
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer Series, #7
Format: Paperback, bought
My rating: 2 / 5

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You’d think that being Chief Seer for the supernatural world would come with a few perks. But as Cassie Palmer has learned, being Pythia doesn’t mean you don’t have to do things the hard way. That’s why she finds herself on a rescue mission skipping through time—even though she doesn't entirely understand her dimension-bending new power.

Rescuing her friend John Pritkin should have been an in and out kind of deal, but with the near-immortal mage’s soul lost in time, Cassie has to hunt for it through the ages—with Pritkin’s demon dad in tow. He’s the only one who can reverse Pritkin’s curse, but with the guardians of the time-line dead set on stopping anyone from mucking about, Cassie will have to figure out how to get her friend back without ruffling too many feathers—or causing a world-ending paradox or two...

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

The Cassandra Palmer series is one of the few Urban Fantasy series I’ve kept up-to-date with from my pre-blogging days. It was one of the first UF series I read, and it still remains a firm favourite to this day. This is going slightly off-topic, but I find wait times between books in a series can be painful at the best of times, but when it’s a favourite series, that wait can become excruciating. Add in the fact that the sixth book in this series, Tempt the Stars, ended on yet another cliff-hanger, it was extra frustrating when I found out that Reap the Wind was set to be pushed back by an entire year. When the book finally arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago, I began reading straight away and my expectations were through the roof!

I don’t know what went wrong, exactly, but frustration was the main emotion I was left with after I finished reading. While I was reading, I kept thinking ‘was I satisfied with the things that were happening?’, and ‘was it worth the extra wait time?’ If I have to answer those questions, my answer would be no. This isn’t a small book by any stretch of the imagination, – 514 pages – yet I felt it turned into a giant recap of the previous six books in the series. It has been a long time since I read the previous books, so yes, this recap was appreciated. But, to be perfectly honest, getting a recap of the series wasn’t the reason why I wanted to read this book in the first place! Maybe if I wasn’t waiting for several dozen Cassie and Pritkin situations to be resolved, maybe this wouldn’t have bothered me so much. I hate to say this, but a part of me feels a little cheated. I expect what’s mentioned in a books synopsis to be solved – that’s its selling point, so I expect at least what’s mentioned in the synopsis to be addressed and resolved within that book. I don’t want to say any more, but I wasn’t satisfied with how little progress was actually made.

Here’s the thing: Cassie and Pritkin have been bickering and bugging the hell out of each other since the beginning of the series, and their dynamic together is AWESOME. It’s the main reason why I’ve stuck around for so long! I love it. In this book, however, there was a huge Pritkin shaped void. It was tolerable for a while, but by the half way mark, I was starting to get a bit angry with his continued absence. Also, I was starting to get tired of more and more unresolved stuff being piled on top of even more unresolved stuff . It became too much, and in honesty, and there are so many things going on I can’t keep it straight in my head anymore. What makes me really sad, though, is I’ve started not to care, and this breaks my heart. I LOVE Cassie and Pritkin, I really do, and I don’t want to be feeling this way after reading the latest instalment in the series.

Before I wrap up, I have to mention Mircea. I liked him in the first book, but by the second book I had jumped on the Pritkin bandwagon and haven’t looked back since. While I like Mircea’s character in general, I (surprisingly) found him extremely creepy in this book. There are some sexy time scenes with him, and honestly, I felt they were more unsettling rather than hot. I’m really glad Cassie FINALLY grew a pair and stood up to him – it only took seven books, but hey, better late than never, right?! Let’s hope she continues on this way in the future… but I’m not holding my breath.

I have to say, I think I went into this book expecting far too much. Reap the Wind isn’t really a bad book; it just didn’t live up to what I was expecting on any level. I guess my final thoughts come down to whether I want to continue with the series… well, erm, surprisingly yes. Yes I do! Seven books worth of investment isn’t something I’ll sacrifice on a whim, and Cassie and Pritkin mean too much to me abandon them just yet… but my patience will only last for so long. I’ll give the series one last chance, and I really, really, really hope Ride the Storm will deliver on all its promises. If it doesn’t, I’m gone.

February 2016 Wrap-Up and Stacking the Shelves

I’m linking up to both Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post memes this weekend.

What I Read in February

I read 7 books in February, and I hope to finish one of my current reads over the next few days. It was a really good reading month overall, despite having a rough start when I abandoned The 5th Wave. I might give it another chance in the future, but for some reason it wasn’t working for me right now.

Partials by Dan Wells – 1 Star – My annotation experiment failed. But I did succeed in recording precisely why I disliked the book… so, erm, yay?? I’ve learned my lesson. Stay away from pencils. They can cause all kinds of rage. Who knew?!

Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter – 4 Stars – If you like the Shadow Falls and the Shadow Falls: After Dark series, then you’ll love this one!

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins – 4 Stars – I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to complete some series, and the Hex Hall trilogy was one of those I listed. So… check!

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance – 2.5 Stars – Not what I was expecting. It sucks, as this is one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series, and I was fairly certain I’d love Reap the Wind.

Dreamfever by Kit Alloway – 4.5 Stars – This was an almost-5-star read. If you like the concept of being able to dream walk, then give this series a go. It’s awesome!

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski – 5+ Stars – This was one of the most satisfying conclusions to a series I’ve ever read. That’s all I’m gonna say! Promise!

Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine – 4 Stars – I liked this one a lot more than the previous two, but I’m unsure if I want to continue the series. Myrnin is the only character I have any sympathy toward, but I’m not sure investing the time in reading another nine books is really worth it for one character…

Currently Reading

Red Rising by Pierce Brown – I’ve only read a couple of chapters, but so far, I really like it. I'm trying to keep my expectations in check even though I have seen LOTS of praise for the trilogy, so I'm expecting good things. Hopefully I'll love it!

Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor – I started this book a few weeks ago… and haven’t gone back to it since. Erm… oops?

What I Bought This Month

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

Received For Review

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury UK and St. Martin’s Griffin for these!

The New Pottermore

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen lots of talk on both Twitter and Youtube about the updated Pottermore and people being sorted into different houses since the update. That kind of freaked me out! The old sorting quiz sorted me into Gryffindor, and not gonna lie, I like being a Gryffindor! It didn’t make a lot of sense to me initially, what with the bravery thing and all, but the more I learned about the houses the more I’ve come to agree with it. See, here’s the thing, the only other house I have any affinity toward is Slytherin. It was the house I instantly thought I’d have the least leanings toward, but actually… *cough* it sounds a bit like me!

So, this past Monday I finally plucked up the courage and redid the Pottermore quiz. Annnd… It's official. I’m a Gryffindor again! (YEEEESSSSSS!) Buuuut, I was curious. I did find a full sorting house quiz you can take with all the new Pottermore questions included, and it’s meant to be a bit more accurate overall. So, I took the quiz. (Shocking, I know!) And… these were my results:

77% Gryffindor and 69% Slytherin, humm? Ha! Can’t say I’m that surprised. Best face up to it: I’m a Gryffindor with a healthy dose of Slytherin. Best of both worlds, then, eh? *waggles eyebrows*

My March 2016 TBR Pick

All Our Yesterday’s by Cristin Terrill

I'm still behind on my TBR picks, but I did make a little progress by completing both my November and December picks. I didn't get along very well with Partials by Dan Wells, but Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine was a lot better. I had originally intended chipping away at the Morganville Vampire series until I had completed it… but right now, I’m unsure if I want to continue. I’m satisfied with how this book ended, and there’s a little nagging voice at the back of my head insisting that this would be a good spot to step away. I’m conflicted :/ If you’ve read the entire series, any advice would be appreciated! Should I give the seventh book a shot? I don’t want to regret continuing on if I end up being disappointed further down the road.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fab weekend, and Happy Reading!

March 2016 New Book Releases

My Most Anticipated Releases

There are quite a few books set to be released this month that I can’t wait to read, but there is only one that I’m practically DYING to get my hands on a physical copy, and that’s The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski.

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski is set to be released on March 29th 2016

I was very lucky to get an eARC of the book recently from Bloomsbury UK, and… let me just say that if you haven’t started this series yet, DO IT! I know it’s early in the year, but I’m going to call it: The Winner’s Kiss will be in my Top 5 books of 2016 come December.

Other Books to Look Out For

All release dates are expected publication dates, and are subject to change. All links are to Goodreads.

March 1st

The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker // Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
In Real Life by Jessica Love

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro // Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

March 8th

The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller // Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier

The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters // Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Shades of Darkness by A.R. Kahler

March 22nd

This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang // Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule

March 29th

Stone Field by Christy Lenzi // Half Lost by Sally Green

WoW #79: The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

This week, I'm waiting on...

The May Queen Murders

by Sarah Jude

Expected publication: May 3rd 2016

Genres: Mystery; Thriller; Young Adult

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Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night.

Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

I love the sound of this! A missing person, secrets, deceit and creepy woods that hopefully a lot of terrifying things will happen in?? Count me in! Also, isn’t the cover beautiful?! Fantasy will always remain my most beloved genre, but my mood seems to be shifting toward mystery/thrillers lately, and the change of pace can only be a good thing. I really hope this one lives up to the synopsis, and to the hints of lots of twists to come.

Have you read any awesome mystery/thrillers lately? The last one I completely adored was Sanctuary Bay, and I think it’s responsible for my shift in mood!
Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading!

* Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *

Review: Dreamfever by Kit Alloway

Title: Dreamfever
Author: Kit Alloway
Series: The Dream Walker Trilogy, #2
Format: eARC, kindly provided by
the publishers via NetGalley for
review. (Thank you!!)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 23rd February 2016
My rating: 4.5 / 5

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Finding out that she is the True Dream Walker hasn't gone at all the Joshlyn Weaver would have expected it to. The only special gift she seems to have is an ability to create archways, which really isn't that special. In addition to her inability to connect with the Dream, she has also started having nightmares that are so terrible she can't tell anyone about them. Not even Will.

Just when Josh thought her life couldn't get any more complicated, the lost dream walker princess returns to claim her parents' right to the throne, right as the Lodestone party threatens to take control of the government during the upcoming Accordance Conclave.

With the clock running down, Josh must rely on not only her friends, but also her enemies, to stop the radicals from taking power and controlling the Dream. But how can she expect to save everyone else when she's struggling to pick up the pieces of her own shattered life?

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

*I received an eARC from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.*

Dreamfever was everything I hoped the sequel to Dreamfire would be, and oh so much more! After the events that occurred at the end of the last book, the characters are struggling to come to terms with how their lives have changed, and are apprehensive of what the future holds. The book begins four months after Dreamfire, with Josh and Will exploring the Dream. They stumble across a girl, who they assume to be a fellow Dream Walker, lost in the Dream. First impressions are deceiving, and they soon find out she will have a bigger role to play as the story moves forward than they first realised.

The pacing was perfect throughout, and I loved the tension that was steadily created. There was a constant ebb and flow, and I was expecting something huge to be revealed around every corner. All the little hints and hooks that were littered throughout the story were so addictive to find, and they kept me wanting to come back and continue reading the minute I had to walk away. The focus has slightly shifted away from the intricate world-building in Dreamfire, and concentrates on developing the characters and their bonds with each other. I got to say, I thought the amount of character development right across the board was brilliant! This time, we have three points of view: Will and Josh, who we already know, but we also get to follow a new character, Mirren.

Josh has easily become one of my favourite characters in the series (my other favourites being Haley and Deloise). She’s been through some really crazy things in the last book, and she’s still suffering their affects here. I just wanted to reach out and hug her so badly! She’s always been the person people look to for Dream Walker advice, and as a result, she has very few people she can turn to when she needs help herself. Yes, Josh can be a bit power hungry, but in a way, she’s even more human and relatable because of this. She has weaknesses and flaws, and she’s very easy to empathise with. Also, I absolutely love how upfront she can be. She says things as she sees it, and it can be so entertaining to see how the other characters react to her blunt and tactless honestly.

As for Will, well, I certainly wasn’t expecting what happened to happen! There is a noticeable coolness between Will and Josh right from the beginning, and it didn’t fully fade at any stage. I absolutely LOVE how complex both characters are. They’ve developed so much since the first book, and it’s awesome that I feel completely different about each of them now, compared to my feelings before reading Dreamfever. THIS is how you get your audience to change their opinions on characters! It was perfectly done. What happened was within character, felt completely believable, and I don’t feel like I was being forced into changing my opinion just for the hell of it. I can’t class this as anything other than pure skill, and oh my goodness, it was fabulous! I really wish I could go into more specific details, but I really want to avoid hinting at anything too specific. I’m sorry!

I’m not too sure how I feel about Mirren, in honesty. I really liked how her perspective was written, and it was nice to see the dynamics of the existing characters from an ‘outsiders’ perspective, so to speak. But, I don’t know, I just didn’t take to her! Sometimes she seemed a bit too nice and a bit too perfect to be believable as trustworthy, and also with her connecting to a certain favourite character of mine (I’m not naming names), she got filed into the suspicious section of my bad book very early on! I think it was the way she swept into the story and almost took over that made me instantly distrustful of her, and I couldn’t shake off that suspicion even as the story wore on. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the real Mirren yet, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how her character develops in the next book.

I do have one little complaint, though: With three perspectives battling for dominance, I felt Josh was pushed aside a bit too much, particularly in the first half of the book. Josh is the narrator I’ve bonded with the most, so naturally I was hoping to see much more from her perspective. Both Mirren and Will’s perspectives are really well done and entertaining… but they just weren’t Josh!

I love the direction the story has taken, overall, and the ending was shocking, explosive and completely unexpected! I LOVED it! But, oh whoa, that epilogue, though!? But particularly that last sentence in the epilogue, oh my lordy lord, HOLD ME! *Sobs* What the heck is going to happen?! I can’t handle not knowing! *Sobs even harder* I’m usually not a fan of epilogues, but this one was kinda painful, yet kinda perfect in a stressful sort of way!

I loved Dreamfire, and I was wondering how the sequel would match up to it, but personally, I thought Dreamfever was so much better overall. The character development was phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see what direction the story will take. I’m not even going to begin guessing how everything will be rectified, but I’m dying to find out what’ll happen next!

Mini-Review: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, #3
Format: Paperback, bought
My rating: 4.5 / 5

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To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Going into this book, I was fairly certain I wouldn’t like it as much as the majority of readers. I thought the first book was just alright, and the second slightly better and I had pretty much resigned myself that the series might not be for me. I did make a promise that I’d read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series before I made up my mind whether to continue on or not. I had seen a lot of people mentioning that the third book was the best in the series, and I have to completely agree! I loved City of Glass. Completely loved it! It is easily my favourite so far, and it’s given me a lot of hope that I might like the rest of the series.

For me, the change of setting was a huge reason why I enjoyed the book so much. The descriptions of Alicante were awesome and so easy to picture clearly. Honestly, if the rest of the series was set there, I wouldn’t complain at all! For the most part, I really liked all the characters. We’re introduced to a few new ones, and it seems like they’re going to have a bigger role to play in the next few books. Jace did lack some of his humour, which was a little disappointing, but he’s still my favourite character overall. But the biggest surprise was SIMON! I really liked him here, and I’m so glad he’s developed beyond being the awkward third wheel. Oh, and Malec! Let’s not forget the awesomeness that is Malec! The only character I feel I’m not really connecting with properly is Clary. She was better in this book that the previous one, but honestly, she can be just too whiny. Letting off steam now and again, fine, whatever, we all do it, but sometimes it just drags on for far too long.

Also, I’m glad a certain… thing… has been finally sorted out. It was obviously a lie from the very beginning of the series, and I’m really glad that awkwardness is behind us. The ending was awesome, and the book was wrapped up quite nicely, so it’ll be interesting to find out what direction the series takes next. I’m really glad I decided to stick with the series… but I’m still a little apprehensive about the next book. Hopefully, I’ll love it!

Review: Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Title: Almost Midnight
Author: C.C. Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark, #3.5
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: eARC, kindly provided
by the publishers for review.
(Thank you!!)
My rating: 3.5 / 5

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Novella Collection

Nestled deep in the woods, Shadow Falls is a secret camp where teens with supernatural powers learn to harness their abilities and live in the normal world.

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang did not believe in vampires...until she became one. Chase Tallman is the newest member of Shadow Falls, but what made him into the sexy, mysterious vampire he is today? And what led him to Della Tsang? And for Miranda Kane, magic has always been something she's struggled with, but when an opportunity to test her powers takes her to Paris, she'll have to prove that she's a witch to be reckoned with and belongs at Shadow Falls.

Fans won't want to miss these four remarkable stories of love, magic and friendship.

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Almost Midnight is a collection of novellas from both The Shadow Falls series and The Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy. It’s a bind-up of four previously released novellas and one brand new novella, each taking place at a different moment in the overall Shadow Falls world timeline. I find giving an overall rating for novella collections really difficult, so I’ll be rating each novella individually, and my overall rating is a rough average based off of those ratings.

Turned at Dark – Rating: 2.5 Stars

Turned at Dark is a prequel novella, taking place before the original series begins. Essentially, the novella shows how Della Tsang was turned into a vampire, and gives a brief introduction to the supernatural creatures we’ll encounter in the series, and to the Shadow Falls camp itself. I haven’t read the original Shadow Falls series, and I’ve got to say, I wish I’d read this novella before beginning reading the Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy. It is very brief and we don’t get a lot of details, but what is provided helped some of those final puzzle pieces I’d been confused over fall into place. (I.E. Finally, finally, I’ve found out what the patterns on supernatural creatures foreheads look like!) Overall, I liked the novella, but as it’s so short I’m giving it 2.5 stars. If, like me, you haven’t read the original series, but do plan on reading the spin-off series instead, this is a novella I’d definitely recommend reading first.

Saved at Sunrise – Rating: 3 Stars

In comparison to the first novella, I enjoyed this one a lot more. It was more detailed and felt like there was a proper story to share, rather than filling in missing gaps. Della is given an assignment to help investigate some recent human deaths by infiltrating a rogue vampire camp. I’ve got to say, I liked Steve a lot more in this novella than I did in the entire Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy. He really grew on me, and it was nice to see a different side to his personality. Della on the other hand… I came to terms a while ago that’s she’s a character I’ll just never be able to fully empathise with. Despite some of my old issues with Della resurfacing, I did enjoy the story. There might have been a bit too much relationship angst for my liking, but it was balanced out with some really good ass-kicking!

Unbreakable – 4 Stars

Unbreakable is the only novella in the collection that I had previously read, and I enjoyed reading it just as much this time as I did initially. If you’d like to read my original review, click here. In short, though, this is my favourite novella in the entire collection. Okay… and Chase is my favourite character from the Shadow Falls: After Dark series, so maybe I’m a little biased! This novella shows Chase’s last day as a human, and the events that led up to him being turned into a vampire. I loved seeing things from his perspective, and personally, out of all the novellas in the collection, I would recommend reading this one the most.

Spellbinder – Rating: 3.5 Stars

Spellbinder takes place between Eternal and Unspoken in the Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy and it shows the trip to France that was briefly hinted at in Unspoken. Miranda is a witch, and one of Della’s best friends, and it was really nice to see things from a non-vampire characters perspective. Okay, this might sound a little blunt, but after spending so long being frustrated by Della’s thought process, Miranda’s perspective was so refreshing! I found it a lot easier to relate and empathise with her than with Della, and it was a lot easier to get wrapped up in the story. I did have a little issue, though, and that was the love-triangle and romance. It felt forced and not very convincing, and provided too much unnecessary angst and drama for my tastes. I did really enjoy the mystery side of the story, and it’s for that reason alone I have given Spellbinder a 3.5 rating.

Fierce – Rating: 3 Stars

This is the only novella in the collection that hasn’t been previously released, and I’m going to intentionally skip over mentioning what occurs in the story. As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t read the original Shadow Falls series, so I went into Fredericka’s novella without any pre-conceived opinions about her character. I really liked how strong and determined she was, and that it was presented in a believable and likeable way. Right now, I do wish I had read the Shadow Fall series, as I probably would have enjoyed this novella a lot more than I did, and it might have ended up being my favourite. Overall, though, I really enjoyed reading Fierce, despite going into the story not having a clue who Fredericka was! (And yep, that was a really awkward surprise!)