The first month of winter has almost come to a close and for the last couple of days it has truly felt like winter thanks to the rain. I am in two minds when it comes to rain, on one hand I love listening to it at night and cuddling up with a book and on the other hand it makes me feel very monotone with all the grey. It's a good thing I have a number of books to keep me company.
The Reaction - Helena Coggan*
For the first time in her life, fifteen-year-old Rose Elmsworth is alone. Her father has been imprisoned and disgraced, a death sentence almost certain. She has been rejected by the Department, the amoral law-enforcement agency in which she grew up. Most dangerous is the secret she and her father have been keeping all her life which has the power to destroy her.
It's been a while since I've read this but I remember it taking a while for me to get into it. It's the second book in a series, I haven't read the first one so I was missing information to give me the complete picture of the context. While reading gaps were filled and I started to really enjoy it, especially the character of Rose. I often forgot she was fifteen going on sixteen, she is very mature and lives in a dangerous world especially if everyone finds out her secret. I had no preconception of where the story was going so every chapter was a surprise. 3 Stars
The Obsession - Nora Roberts*
Naomi Carson is a survivor. As a child, her family was torn apart by a shocking crime. It could have destroyed her but Naomi has grown up strong and has decided to put down roots. But as Naomi plans for the future, her past is catching up with her. Someone in town knows her terrifying secret-and won't let her forget it.
The book is kind of separated into three parts. It begins at the crime that changed her entire life as a child then moves into her settling down and ends when her past catches up to her. As the book is called 'The Obsession' you would expect that plot to be in the majority of the book, however it just starts to come in at the last third of the story which allows the reader to really get to know Naomi. The identity of her stalker wasn't who I was expecting which was good, overall I enjoyed it. 3 Stars
The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court. Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World.
This was the most recent book for The Booklanders, a Auckland book club which I joined through Goodreads. I was excited to read this book, Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy and Bloodline series are my favourite books so I had high expectations. The story was enjoyable but I didn't stand up to Mead's previous series. The character of 'Adelaide' was kind of annoying, she ran away from her arranged marriage to a scenario where she was trained to get herself a husband. I understand she felt her life was restricting but still. I found the other characters, Tamsin and Mira especially, more interesting so am looking forward to reading their perspective. 3.5 Stars
Yellow Brick War - Danielle Paige*
The Land of Oz is now a dark and menacing place. My name is Amy Gumm. Tornadoes must have a thing about girls from Kansas, because I got swept away on one, too. To landed in Oz, where Good is Wicked, Wicked is Good, and the Wicked Witches cluded me in to my true calling: Assassin. The way to stop Dorothy from destroying Oz is to kill her, and I'm the only one who can do it.
This is the third book in the Dorothy Must Die series so once again I was out of the loop. I didn't feel like I was at a massive disadvantage and I found the book really easy to read. I was fascinated with The Wizard of Oz movie when I was younger and I love how Danielle Page and brought a different twist to it. I liked Amy, she was just an ordinary girl who was thrown into a fantastical situation and managed to adapt and also grow. I'm really excited for the next instalment and also want to got back and read the first two books. 4 Stars
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Ashley xx
*Review copies sent from Hachette NZ & HarperCollins NZ. This post contains affiliate links.
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