Red Queen (Red Queen #1) - Victoria Aveyard

Description:  

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? 

Review: 

BEST BOOK EVER....For now!!
Kinda predictable... But oh so good!!
There were signs everywhere pointing to what would happen, but hoped it wouldn't happen. While reading there was always that nagging feeling things were not right but always hoped it wasn't going where you know it was going. (Did that even make sense? Lol)
When does the next book come out? Argh can't wait!!

Neverland - Shari Arnold

It’s been four months since seventeen-year-old Livy Cloud lost her younger sister, but she isn’t quite ready to move on with her life — not even close. She’d rather spend her time at the Seattle Children’s hospital, reading to the patients and holding onto memories of the sister who was everything to her and more.But when she meets the mysterious and illusive Meyer she is drawn into a world of adventure, a world where questions abound. Is she ready to live life without her sister? Or more importantly, is she brave enough to love again? In this modern reimagining of Peter Pan, will Livy lose herself to Neverland or will she find what she’s been searching for?

My thoughts...

Neverland took me on a journey through the aftermath of a devestating experience in one families life - their grief and, eventually, their acceptance.  With poignant emotion, honesty and child-like innocence, the author has written a story of loss and how, sometimes, it's the ones who have been left behind who must choose to live.

Forsworn (The Oracle Series) - Emily Wibberley

Description

Clio can see the future, but what she doesn’t know about her past could destroy her.

It’s been a year since Clio made her sacrifice to the Deities and embraced her destiny as the Oracle to save her people. The only family she has left is a brother who wants her dead. The prince, her oldest friend, is a king with his own agenda. And the man who once loved her, now hates her.

All she can do is try to forget about Riece, the enemy commander whose heart she broke to save his life, as she serves the Deities. Her days are filled with Visions and bloodshed in a never-ending war against the Untouched. To add to her problems, she must pose as King Derik’s mistress to conceal her forbidden powers from the Emperor’s spies.

When Riece unexpectedly returns to Sheehan with a new and beautiful ally, Clio knows she must put him out of her mind once and for all, but first, they are thrust together into battle against a mysterious Untouched warrior with otherworldly power. To reclaim her city, she must team up with the man she hurt, the man she still loves but can never be with, and finally confront the questions about her origin—questions with answers that Clio may not be prepared to face.

Review

This book began with a bang.  We were placed in the midst of a war and the Oracle had done some growing up in the meantime.  Now 16 years old, with vessels of her own, Clio’s birthright is hidden from all but her closest confidants.  Her sole purpose is the defense of her king and her people.  The man who stole her heart marching back into her life with an army - and a beautiful princess, to boot! - is the last thing Clio wants or needs.  But her family’s past and its secrets are placing the people she loves in danger and Clio is not the type to back down from a fight.

The constant back and forth, angst and passion, and self- sacrifice on the part of the characters in this book - why can’t people ever be selfish?!!  But it kept me on the edge of my seat.  I found myself rooting for love to triumph, all the while knowing that, if it did, it could mean the end of them all.

Emily has done it again!!! With Forsworn, I was taken on an emotional roller-coaster and I did not want to get off.  This book was food for my angsty, romantic, book-loving soul.

Dear Emily, please do not wait too long for the next book.  I am impatiently waiting!!

Buy Now:

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Book Depository

Buy Forsworn between July 21^st-July 28^th to receive an exclusive short story: The Commander, by Emily Wibberley, which gives you a peek at Riece’s feelings when he first met Clio in Sacrificed.

Email your receipt to thelastoracleseries(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize.

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Forsworn Blog Tour:

July 21, 2015- Tour Kick Off: http://sassyanddangerous.blogspot.mx/?m=1

                           Forsworn Playlist Part 1: http://never-anyone-else.blogspot.com/

                         
July 22, 2015- Forsworn Review: http://bookishrandomz.blogspot.com

                            Forsworn Excerpt: http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com

                            Q&A with Emily: https://readbycarolllina.wordpress.com/

July 23, 2015- Forsworn Review: https://thebookettte.wordpress.com  

                            Forsworn Playlist Part 2: www.readwithroyella.weebly.com

                            Forsworn Review: http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unwritten.blogspot.com.au

July 24, 2015- Forsworn Review: http://eatandsleepandread.blogspot.com  

                            Forsworn Dream Cast Part 1: http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unwritten.blogspot.com.au

                           Forsworn & Sacrificed Review: http://ponderingtheprose.blogspot.mx/

                           Forsworn Excerpt: https://bookgatherer.wordpress.com/

                           Forsworn Playlist Part 1&2: http://www.booksablog.com/

July 25, 2015- Forsworn Review: http://lydialeighslibrary.blogspot.com

July 26, 2015- Q&A with Emily: https://motherofbookdragons.wordpress.com

                           Forsworn Excerpt: http://blackteaandmilk.co.uk/

July 27, 2015- Forsworn Review: http://bookblitzer.blogspot.com/?m=1

                           Forsworn Dream Cast Part 2: http://lovelyparanormalbooks.blogspot.co.nz

July 28, 2015- Forsworn Review: http://thereadingtaco.blogspot.com
                           Forsworn Review: http://cyberbookwall.blogspot.com

About the Author

Emily grew up in the South Bay where she spent her formative years battling zombies on her Xbox, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and voraciously reading everything from The Hunger Games to Jane Austen, where her love for feisty young heroines was born.

After graduating from Princeton University Magna Cum Laude in 2014, she began writing. Her debut novel, Sacrificed, was named a finalist in the Young Adult category of the 2015 International Book Awards, the Young Adult category of the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards, and in the Young Author category of the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Since its release, Sacrificed has spent more than four months as a Kindle Top Ten Teen and Young Adult Bestseller.

When she isn’t reading the latest YA book, Emily enjoys watching kick-butt action movies with her two rescue German Shepherds, Hudson and Bishop, named after characters from James Cameron’s Aliens.

Sign up for her mailing list to hear about exclusive giveaways and news about the upcoming release of The Last Oracle III as well as other young adult books she’s writing.

Connect with Emily

        

Sacrificed (The Last Oracle) - Emily Wibberley

Description

Knowing the future can save her city – but not her heart.

Born to serve the merciless Oracle, Clio wants nothing more than to break free. But when her entire family is murdered by Mannix, the king’s adviser, Clio inherits the Oracle’s power, a power she never wanted and doesn’t understand.

Hunted by Mannix, Clio is forced to flee her home in Sheehan and seek refuge in a foreign city where oracles are forbidden. If she’s found out, she will be sacrificed atop its great pyramid.

Clio has no choice but to win the trust of Riece, an enemy warrior. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Clio knows that if he finds out who she really is, he won’t hesitate to execute her.

Clio tries to hide her budding powers, but the Visions she keeps having of Mannix and his barbarian army slaughtering her people torture her conscience. She alone has the strength and foresight to stop him, but only if she can embrace her destiny and sacrifice everything.

Review

I’ve been seeing pictures of this book on social media and loved the cover.  What caught my eye was the blood red cloak and the scar above the lips on a half hidden face.  I’m all for mystery, but I was surprised at how dark the first few chapters were.  As I continued to read, I encountered my new book boyfriend, Riece (who had me swooning and giggling like a lovesick teenager), and a kindred spirit in the young, inexperienced and, yet, incredibly determined Clio.  It was easy to feel sorry for this young girl who had an unwelcome destiny thrust upon her and, when she finally accepted her birthright and purpose, to cheer her on.    

Emily Wibberley is rare find.  The way in which she weaves a tale and totally takes her readers along for the ride is nothing short of magical.  Her characters are believable, her imagery vibrant and the relationships depicted had my heart racing.  I could not get enough!

Buy Now:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

About the Author

Emily grew up in the South Bay where she spent her formative years battling zombies on her Xbox, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and voraciously reading everything from The Hunger Games to Jane Austen, where her love for feisty young heroines was born.

After graduating from Princeton University Magna Cum Laude in 2014, she began writing. Her debut novel, Sacrificed, was named a finalist in the Young Adult category of the 2015 International Book Awards, the Young Adult category of the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Awards, and in the Young Author category of the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Since its release, Sacrificed has spent more than four months as a Kindle Top Ten Teen and Young Adult Bestseller.

When she isn’t reading the latest YA book, Emily enjoys watching kick-butt action movies with her two rescue German Shepherds, Hudson and Bishop, named after characters from James Cameron’s Aliens.

Sign up for her mailing list to hear about exclusive giveaways and news about the upcoming release of The Last Oracle III as well as other young adult books she’s writing.

Connect with Emily:

     

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Description:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Review:  

I read this book a couple of years ago and here is my review from Goodreads in 2013.  

I don't know why it took me so long to pick this book up. I guess I was just tired of the same old YA formula and I thought.."oh no not another Hunger Games type book." (I loved the HG series). And it's also like Matched by Ally Condie, which no offense, but I hated. Instill haven't read the last one. 
But let me say I was pleasantly surprised with Divergent! I would have finished it sooner only the kids kept on interrupting me (how dare they, don't they know that when mommy has a book in her hand that means "do not disturb"!! Haha jk). 
So let me say that I absolutely "LOVE this book thank you very much!" 
So I now need to get the next one.

dEaDINBURGH: Vantage (Din Eidyn Corpus #1) - Mark Wilson

Description:

Edinburgh, 1645:
The bubonic plague rages. In a desperate attempt to quarantine the infected, the city leaders seal the residents of Mary King's Close in their underground homes.

2015:
Mary King's Close is reopened, unleashing a mutated plague upon the city residents.
The UK government seals the entire city. Declaring it a dead zone they seal the survivors inside alongside the infected. dEaDINBURGH is declared a no man's land, its residents left for dead and to the dead.

2050:
Joseph MacLeod, born onto the cobbles of the Royal Mile and stolen from the clutches of the infected is determined to escape the quarantined city. Under the guidance of former marine Padre Jock, he leaves the confines of the city centre and hones his archery and free-running skills.
Alys Shephard, born into an all-women farming community believes a cure lies in the south of the quarantined zone. The finest combatant in the dead city, Alys burns with anger. The anger of an abandoned child.

Something much worse than the infected waits for them in the south, in the form of a religious cult led by a madman named Somna who collects gruesome trophies and worships the dead body of a former celebrity. Added to this the enigmatic Bracha, a supreme survivalist and sadistic former Royal with his own agenda, stalks the teenagers.

A self-contained story, dEaDINBURGH is a character-driven Young Adult/Horror/Dystopian novel exploring the human capacity for good, evil and for survival. 

Review:  

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a fun and easy read. 

I am a huge fan of YA books and a Jonathan Maberry fan as I see Mr. Wilson is as well. 
I'm always in the market for new books and authors and dam very happy to have found this series. 

I do like the main characters and their friendship with each other. I appreciate that they are more down to earth characters that they can admit their weaknesses. 
There are parts of the book where you knew what was going to happen but I was still surprised by it. 
I was so very pleasantly surprised (and abhorred) with the end and how humanity is. I really did not have any expectations of what would happen so I was very surprised. 
I recommend this book and I am looking forward to the next book!! Let me know when it's ready. 
Great book!!