Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Released: May 23rd 2013
My Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back... (from Goodreads)

Well. The journey has been long, my friends. I have read my fair share of angel books. Hush, Hush, Halo, Fallen...they all disappointed me. Then Unearthly and Angel came along, which I raced through, and I was finally starting to believe that perhaps angel books weren’t all bad after all. Recently, there was Hidden, which had so much potential but was a bit of a letdown. I was losing faith again. However, fear not, fellow book-lovers. Angelfall has blown all other angel books out of the water. I might even like it more than Unearthly, and I really liked Unearthly. And to think, had I not been sent this book for review, I probably never would have read it. I hadn’t heard much about it before a few months ago, and the thought pains me! All YA fans need to read this book. If you, like I, have had trouble with angel books before, then Angelfall is the perfect thing to restore your faith in them.

The first thing you need to know about Angelfall is that the angels in this book were not cutesy little feathery friends, or do-gooders sent to give humanity a helping hand. They were the source of mass death and destruction – they killed and destroyed and some even performed horrific experiments, seemingly just for the sake of it (though I’m betting we’ll get more explanation in the future books). They used humans like they were toys and didn’t give a damn about their lives. They weren’t just evil though. Much like humans, there was more to it than that. Half of them were carrying out orders, but they didn’t know why they were even on Earth in the first place. There seemed to be a divide in loyalties. Disagreements about what was going on. To be honest, the angel world was left a little bit of a mystery. But this being the first of five (or maybe even more) books, I’m not surprised. The angels were so intriguing because although they were much stronger and lighter and faster than humans, they weren’t completely separated, otherworldly, celestial beings either. They weren’t so different from us in some ways, as much as they would hate to admit it. I really want to find out more about them and where they come from (and who gives the orders, because I’m feeling there might be some kind of conspiracy – but then I tend to get carried away with things...I always think there’s a conspiracy...), but I guess I’ll have to wait for future books!

Penryn was just...awesome. I loved her. I really did. She had adapted to this new and dangerous environment so quickly because she knew she had to in order to keep her family safe. She loved her little sister so much that she was willing to do anything to save her, and in this book I had faith that Penryn really could save her, because she was actually really clever and had good instincts. She already knew how best to survive, even though she used to lead a normal teenager’s life. She also had a sense of loyalty to the people she cared about, which I admired. She stood up for herself – there was one scene with a despicable sexist horrible disgusting oh-my-God-I-hated-him-so-much man called Boden, and he really was a piece of work that had no trouble attacking people for practically no reason. I was so glad that Penryn was able to fight back and teach this guy a lesson – thank God she could. What scared me most was that there were plenty of people in that compound who weren’t as strong as Penryn and who had to live with that terrible man on a day to day basis. I felt so bad for them. Though I have to admit, it was satisfying to see all the shocked faces when Penryn won her fight – everyone thought she would lose. She earned their respect after that, but really, it shouldn’t have taken a fight to get people to respect her. It was sad in a way. However, Penryn’s sense of humour throughout the book helped make the gloomy scenes a bit more bearable, and her interactions with Raffe were just so funny at times!

Raffe was...ah. Can words describe him really? He was mostly a mystery, there was a lot about him left unrevealed. But he was essentially an angel who fought to destroy the dangerous offspring of humans and angels. Humans were really nothing to him at first, he tried to stay away from them as much as possible. But then he fell out of favour with some other angels and had his wings cut off. Enter Penryn and the start of their rocky relationship. I just loved the way their relationship developed. They started off really not giving a crap about what happened to the other. Penryn just wanted to find her sister, and Raffe just wanted his wings back. They argued and fought but eventually had to come to a reluctant alliance and work together. And as they got to spend more time together...well. It was complicated. Really complicated. After years of despising human-angel relationships, Raffe couldn’t exactly give in now. And Penryn was too preoccupied with saving her sister than to worry about weird feelings. Except there was this undeniable THING between them both and it was just...ah. I loved it. I loved how this relationship was written. No insta-love. No “love will make everything okay”. And the ending. The ENDING. It was... Brilliant. I mean, I loved the plot in general, the way things were unravelled, how the ominous and sinister lives the angels led were explored, how the humans were treated as mere toys for entertainment – it was disturbing and horrific – but then the ENDING. Oh my God. I don’t even know. I don’t know why. I NEED the next book I tell you, I NEED IT!

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this book. And I am really, really desperate for the next one (why such a long wait, why!). Recommended to all YA fans (I know a lot of people have said the gruesome scenes may put people off, but guys, I usually hate horror/gore or anything like that, and while some parts in this book were unsettling, I still loved it overall), but especially to those who think the angel genre is a lost cause, because I am positive this book will change your mind.

Waiting on Wednesday #53

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

Vortex (Insignia #2) by S. J. Kincaid
July 2nd 2013
Find it on Goodreads

The impossible was just the beginning. Now in their second year as superhuman government weapons-in-training at the Pentagonal Spire, Tom Raines and his friends are mid-level cadets in the elite combat corps known as the Intrasolar Forces. But as training intensifies and a moment arrives that could make or break his entire career, Tom’s loyalties are again put to the test.

Encouraged to betray his ideals and friendships for the sake of his country, Tom is convinced there must be another way. And the more aware he becomes of the corruption surrounding him, the more determined he becomes to fight it, even if he sabotages his own future in the process.

Drawn into a power struggle more dramatic than he has ever faced before, Tom stays a hyperintelligent step ahead of everyone, like the exceptional gamer he is—or so he believes. But when he learns that he and his friends have unwittingly made the most grievous error imaginable, Tom must find a way to outwit an enemy so nefarious that victory seems hopeless. Will his idealism and bravado cost him everything—and everyone that matters to him?

Filled with action and intelligence, camaraderie and humor, the second book in S.J. Kincaid’s futuristic World War III Insignia trilogy continues to explore fascinating and timely questions about power, politics, technology, loyalty, and friendship. (from Goodreads)

I loved Insignia so much. I haven't posted a review of it (yet) but trust me, it was awesome. And after everything that happened and everything they found out - ugh! I just need the next book now. Plus, the characters. I love them. I need to know what's going to happen to them! There's some complicated stuff going on with them all (I know this is so vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers :P) and I am very curious about how everything will pan out. Definitely recommend this series if you haven't started it yet!

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shepherd
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Released: April 11th 2013
My Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself-working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumours about her father′s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Juliet is accompanied by the doctor′s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father′s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island′s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father′s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father′s genius-and madness-in her own blood. (from Goodreads)

I wanted to read The Madman’s Daughter because it sounded like it would be a creepy and disturbing tale of the search for the truth about Juliet’s father’s terrible experiments and their consequences...and creepy it was. I have not read The Island of Dr Moreau, which the book is a retelling of, but I do know the basic plot, so I was really interested to read a new take on the story. I do think some things let the book down, but overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I’m invested enough to want to find out what happens next in book two.

The beginning drew me in because there was a very ominous and creepy atmosphere that set the tone for the rest of the book. Juliet was working as a maid in the medical labs of a university, and was often watched by Dr Hastings, who was quite frankly a disgusting excuse for a human being and I’m glad Juliet did what she did, even if it meant losing her job. Losing her job however did mean that Juliet had no money and nowhere to go. If she hadn’t found Montgomery, an old assistant of her father, out of chance earlier, she would have been forced to the streets. Finding Montgomery also meant finding out that her disgraced father was still alive. She was determined to go with Montgomery to her father’s island to find out whether the rumours about his horrific experiments were true – she didn’t want to believe they were and she needed to see for herself. This is something that struck me as odd about Juliet. She was clearly an intelligent girl. She knew the rumours were likely true about her father. Her memories of her father never showed him as an especially caring or loving man – he was always consumed by work, and then he later abandoned her and her mother. Yet despite all of this, despite warnings from Montgomery not to go to the island, Juliet wanted to go to anyway. I didn’t understand what she expected – some sort of happy reunion? Despite this not fitting with anything she had heard about her father? It was only later when Juliet discovered the truth about her father that I begun to understand that she may have had another motive too – she was terrified that she would inherit her father’s madness, that the times when she often felt strange and too curious about morbid things were due to her father’s insanity. She was scared she would end up like him.

Juliet was not the most likeable of characters, but I could understand her for the most part. I felt she was often judgmental and slightly hypocritical – but she was raised a lady and was then forced into poverty after her mother died and she was left all alone so her cold and harsh attitude wasn’t surprising. What did annoy me about her was the way she flitted back and forth between Montgomery and Edward, the love interests in yes, the love triangle. Fair enough that she was attracted to and desired both of them. It’s not like she made any promises to either of them. But she kept changing her mind and it was so ugh. She claimed that she loved Montgomery, yet she never really showed it and spent half her time fantasising about Edward who she barely knew. She didn’t treat either of the boys well (though they had secrets of their own which were bad enough) and I was just kind of confused why any of them liked each other, to be honest. But the romance scenes were good (though oddly morbid in some ways...guess that suits the tone of the book), so I’m not too bothered.

Montgomery was a character who was hard not to like, despite all the things he had been manipulated into doing by Juliet’s father. He felt guilty about the things he had done, and thought he didn’t deserve someone like Juliet. He looked after those who had been experimented on, and in a way they were the only family he had. He knew what Juliet’s father was doing was wrong and yet he stayed because he did want to leave them behind. And he had been on the island so long, he really didn’t know how else to live life. I don’t know that I would have forgiven him so easily though, for lying to Juliet so many times. His attempts to protect her by shielding her from the truth reeeally didn’t work out so well. I have no idea what he was thinking, agreeing to take Juliet to the island in the first place. It must have been his desire to be with her showing, because I have no clue why else he would think it would be a good idea.

Edward was...okay. He got attached to Juliet too quickly in my opinion and it made me suspicious of him. He has secrets of his own and while he didn’t seem like a terrible person, he wasn’t exactly guilt-free either.

Plot-wise, I found the experiments to be disturbing and I think Juliet’s father’s obsession was depicted well – he refused to give up, refused the evidence in front of him, all so he could bask in the glory of his creations and go on to experiment further to create even “greater” things. He was so detached from the world and anything that didn’t involve his work that he’d lost all sense of how to interact with people and just deluded himself. He was just so heartless and sinister, I don’t know why Juliet put up with him for so long. His experiments weren’t really explained – there was no reason behind how they worked or what he did exactly, but then again, I’m not sure I would want to know. Some things were a bit repetitive at times but it wasn’t too bad. The mystery aspects I found a bit obvious – I guessed most of it, but I am curious to see how it will all be explored in the next book. I also hope we get to see more of Lucy, Juliet’s friend, who we only saw right at the start of the book before Juliet left England.

Overall, while The Madman’s Daughter was not without its flaws, it was engaging and worth reading. Recommended for fans of books with a creepy atmosphere and people who like retellings.

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Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1) by Mindee Arnett
Publisher: Tor Teen
Released: March 5th 2013
My Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target. (from Goodreads)

The Nightmare Affair, though having an attention-grabbing premise (not to mention a wonderful cover) was a pretty average read for me. I did enjoy it, but it was just a standard format YA with nothing really new or exciting to offer. I was really looking forward to a story about a Nightmare who has to feed off of people’s dreams, but while Dusty was a decent character, it did feel like a bit of a letdown because of the somewhat predictable mystery and lacklustre supporting characters.

Dust was an okay heroine, but again, didn’t really standout in any way. There were a lot of cliché things going on in The Nightmare Affair (e.g. typical mean crowd, cliques, losers vs popular kids, popular guy paying attention to unpopular girl, a whoopee cushion [didn’t those die out in the late 90s, seriously?] etc. etc.) and a lot of Dusty’s reactions were just typical response to these cliché events/conversations.  She was fairly funny, but the most interesting thing about her for me was the fact she was a Nightmare, and her strange connection to Ethan because of that side of her. I feel like Nightmares, while they were explained a bit, weren’t really focussed on as much as they could have been. I really would have liked to have found out more about them – especially Dusty’s mother, who seemed to be a horrible person at first (though my opinion of her changed as the book went on).

Ethan was just...blah. I neither liked nor disliked him. My opinion of him was pretty much the same as my opinion on forks, “Oh, they exist. But I don’t really think about them until I use them.”  I didn’t ever think of him until he showed up in the story, and even when he did, it felt like he was just there to carry out some purpose to move the story along, and there was no real fleshing out of his character of development of the relationship between him and Dusty. It wasn’t insta-love, luckily, which I was thankful for, but I just didn’t see anything between those two. This might be developed in later books (I do hope so), but until that happens, my opinion on Ethan will remain “meh”.

The plot was a little weak for me. I got what the aim was, but I feel like it was poorly executed perhaps. The writing style was slightly juvenile, and while that was good for a teenage voice, it made things easy to see through, characters easy to suspect and the mystery not very mysterious (though there were a few twists which I liked at the end). I also felt like things were resolved a little too quickly at the end, especially since people had actually died beforehand, though obviously it’s not the end of the trouble because there are more books to come! My favourite scene was probably the one at the beginning where Ethan woke up while Dusty was trying to feed on his dreams – very funny and the starting point of Ethan and Dusty’s association with each other. I did really like the fact that Dusty was unusual, even for a Nightmare, because of her ability which arises when with Ethan, and I would like to read more about it in the next book, which I will probably pick up to see if the writing style improves, but also because I am intrigued by what Dusty and co. will do next.

Overall, The Nightmare Affair wasn’t a brilliant masterpiece, but was definitely likeable, and if you’re looking for a fun book to pass the time, then pick this one up.

Review: Hidden by Marianne Curley

Hidden (Avena #1) by Marianne Curley
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Released: March 14th 2013
My Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

Ebony has always known that she is different. Her violet eyes mark her out, and her protective parents have kept her in a gorgeous valley, home-schooled, safe from everything—almost as if she’s being hidden. But she’s changing: glowing, getting more and more beautiful, and stronger than anyone knows. Ebony can’t stay hidden for ever, and when she meets complicated, intense Jordan, something explodes inside her—something that can be seen from the heavens; something that changes everything. Ebony is a stolen angel, concealed on Earth. Now the heavens have found her, they want her back.

Fans of Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush Saga and L.A. Weatherly’s Angel series will adore Hidden. Full of irresistible romance and breath-taking suspense, this is a sensational start to a brilliant new series. Get ready to be swept away by this spellbinding story of eternal love. (from Goodreads)

I’ve got mixed feelings about Hidden. On the one hand, it had a really interesting premise and I’m excited to see where it’s all going. On the other hand, the way the characters acted sometimes was a bit unbelievable for me and I was able to guess something I assume was meant to stay a mystery until the end (unless I’m completely wrong and we were meant to work it out from the start).

Ebony was a character I sort of had a love-hate relationship with. I absolutely loved that she refused to believe she was an angel immediately and that she wouldn’t listen to Thane or Jordan because the whole thing just sounded absolutely absurd. She had been noticing changes in herself, but she still couldn’t bring herself to believe it was due to the fact she was an angel. I thought this was a really nice change to characters you see in YA these days that just accept supernatural statuses almost the second they’re told about them. “Oh, I’m immortal? Okay, that makes sense” or “Oh, you’re a vampire? Hmmm, I did think something was up. It’s cool, love you anyway!” Just no, to all these characters. No. You find out someone is a vampire? You run. Or you stay far away until they explain properly and prove your life is not in danger. But anyway, back to the point. I liked Ebony’s stubbornness on the matter. She was not willing to accept this stuff just because people kept telling her it was true – she needed evidence, to see things with her own eyes. But where her character went downhill for me is when she finally accepted she was an angel...and the insta-love that followed. Oh God. So much insta-love. It was the whole “but fate meant for us to be together!” type of insta-love where they feel that longing to be together, for no reason other than “fate” making it that way. Her “love interest” was Thane, the angel that saved Jordan’s life (Jordan being her ward...because she was apparently a guardian angel) and honestly, these two literally knew nothing about each other, NOTHING. Not even surnames! Yet by the end they were declaring their undying love. Siiigh. But not only that, there was an insta-love TRIANGLE. More on that later.

Jordan was another character I liked yet disliked. I did like his outlook on life, because it was sort of darkly humorous – life sucked for him, and that was it. He could help these angels all he wanted trying to make things better, but in the end, none of it mattered. Yet still he wanted to live, and he agreed to help Thane because he didn’t want to die. I thought it was clever the way he both wanted to live and yet didn’t really enjoy life because it made him seem more human – death scares most people, and when it comes down to it, most would rather live, however painful it is, than willingly walk into the unknown. However, Jordan, much like Ebony, suffered from characteristics that also made him seem like a pretty unbelievable teen. First of all, he said “dude” WAY too much. Way, way, way too much. Almost every other line contained the word “dude”. Teenage boys do not say “dude” this much. It really got on my nerves after a while, I wanted to strangle him. He even said it when addressing the angels...I mean, you think he’d be a bit too shocked by the fact that angels exist to say “dude” so much to them! Jordan also made some veeery stupid decisions at one point, which made me raise my eyebrows and go, “Reaallly? You think that’s a good idea?” But the worst thing for me, and this is where the insta-love triangle comes in, is how quickly Jordan seemed to fall in “love” with Ebony. He went from casually thinking she was attractive and maybe fancying her a bit to “I love her” with no development. Okay, he and Ebony knew each other a tiny bit better than she and Thane did (and Thane struck me as a strange guy – why on Earth was he so devoted to a [much younger, I might add] girl he had never met?), but still, the “I love you”s were coming too quickly, here! He had no reason to love her, he barely knew her. It’s like it all came down to the bond humans had with their guardian angels – once again, we’re playing the “fate” card. How can “fate” intend two different things?! And this weird love triangle came into play – which was complicated further by the fact that Thane and Jordan were actually becoming friends, or at least were friendly towards each other – honestly, their relationship was the one that got the most development.

Plot-wise, I found the start a little slow, but it got interesting fast, and was one of those books where you’re constantly turning the pages without a break to find out what happens next. Like I said at the start, the premise was very intriguing and I think there’s potential to do a lot with the story in later books (if it doesn’t focus on what happened at the end too much). However, there was one thing (mild spoiler, highlight to view: about Thane’s fiancée) that I guessed right from the start, and I don’t know if I was supposed to because it seemed like a lot of the characters’ assumptions/actions relied on this, so it would have been a bit odd to intend for the reader to know this fact from the start. But then again, I could be wrong – I just feel like there wasn’t as much mystery as there could have been. I did enjoy the story for the most part and the struggle Ebony went through trying to figure out who she was and where she came from. It was definitely great to discover how she really ended up living with a human family. There were a few lines, such as when one of the angels were described as “not having a feminine bone in her body”, that rubbed me the wrong way, but apart from that, I liked the writing style and thought it was coherent and engaging.

Overall, Hidden was a book which I felt had a lot of potential, but fell short because of insta-love and unrealistic characters. It wasn’t my favourite of angel books, but it was definitely better than a lot of the ones out there at the moment. If you’re a fan of angel books, give it a go, if not, maybe read a few more reviews before deciding. 

Review: Rift by Andrea Cremer

Rift (Nightshade Prequel #1) by Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Atom
Released: January 8th 2013
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Find it on Goodreads

Ember has always known that she owed her life to a mysterious order of Knights who saved her as a baby. The same order of Knights who called her best friend to service, leaving her behind to play the dutiful daughter.

But shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Alistair returns. Although he seems altered - shadowed and brooding - Ember places her trust in him, knowing that he's her one chance to escape.

Little does she know what danger lies ahead. For this is a tumultuous time, and Ember will soon be caught up in an age-old struggle between darkness and light. Neither she, nor her heart, can possibly survive unscathed. (from Goodreads)

I have not read the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer, so I went into Rift with no expectations and no idea of what it would be about. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! I had a few minor problems, but overall, Rift was a very enjoyable book and I’m glad I read it.

Ember was, for me, a great protagonist.  In order to repay her father’s debt, she was being sent to a group called Conatus, who were an order of knights. Her family was desperate to stop this happening, but Ember actually wanted to go. She felt restricted by the life she led under her father and the few options available to women of her time; she didn’t want to get married and spend the rest of her years being told what to do and how to dress and how many children to bear. She preferred to fight, and wanted to learn swordsmanship and become a member of the Guard in Conatus, like her childhood friend, Alistair.

One of the reasons I was impressed with Ember was because she actually walked the walk as well as talking the talk. A lot of these supposedly strong, fighter type heroines in YA are actually nothing of the sort (I have also talked about this in my review of Wings of the Wicked here). They talk of wanting to fight and get stronger, but then stand around and do nothing when a difficult situation arises. I hate that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a heroine who is not a fighter, and who isn’t strong. She could be just as awesome in other ways. If I were in some action novel, I’d probably die in the first ten pages because of lack of fighting experience! But the worst thing is having these characters that are portrayed to be all badass and strong when really they’re just useless and arrogant about themselves for no reason. Just have a normal heroine if that’s going to be the case! Ember, luckily, was not this type of character. She actually trained. She used the weapons forged for her. She got injured trying to do her job. She made mistakes, yes, and had to be saved on occasions, but she also did the saving sometimes. She wasn’t perfect and was still in training. But she tried hard, and I liked that about her. She had some flaws – I didn’t think she was the greatest of sisters (she didn’t notice something I found pretty obvious – and noticing is a pretty big part of being a knight!) and she could often be selfish and hypocritical. But, I think a sixteen year old should be allowed to get away with that in small doses, so I’ll let her off. Plus, as I have said many times in my reviews, perfection is boring.

Barrow was a difficult character for me to understand. I liked him, don’t get me wrong. But he was kind of...odd. He was one of the Guard’s strongest members and had no problem hacking off someone’s arm to prove a point, yet he elected to become Ember’s mentor which would use up a lot of his time and energy. He seemed quite ruthless at the start, yet he was clearly capable of feeling and hurting and desiring. He judged Alistair for wanting to be with Ember, but at the end he didn’t act much differently (though he was more tactful – Alistair was just forceful and stupid on that point). I find it difficult to believe that someone like him would not only fall in love with the one he was training, but would then announce that love to her. But then he did say that he thought he was strong but turned out to be as weak as any other man. I’m surprised he didn’t try to hide it from Ember for longer to avoid endangering his position, but I guess I could understand how he was feeling at the time. I think this was one of the reasons the relationship between Ember and Barrow was so engrossing. It happened quite slowly, trusting each other a little bit more each day, feeling more comfortable around each other, starting to enjoy each other’s company... I think I liked their daily banter and the time they spent together just as much as the romancey bits when they finally admitted their feelings. My only concern was age. I don’t think (correct me if I’m wrong) we were told how old Barrow was. And he seemed quite mature and I would guess at least a few years older than Ember. With Ember being only sixteen, I don’t know how I’d feel if it turned out Barrow was in his twenties. Ember was not the most mature of sixteen year olds as she’d lived a sheltered life and was quite naive in some aspects. Not a major issue but just one to think about.

Plot-wise, I found the purpose of Conatus and their whole mission very intriguing, and the way women were forced to hide their presence among the higher ranks was an issue that I think well reflected society back in those days (though women in the Guard seemed to have a lot more freedom). The fact so many people were corrupt as well added to the fact that it was hard to trust anyone and that all people could do was fight their hardest. I was sort of concerned about the love triangle – I have to admit that when I first suspected there would be one, I was kinda dreading it. But it wasn’t that bad. Alistair liked Ember but it was unrequited (though that might change in the next book, who knows) and his character was actually quite important – he was more than just “the other guy”, but was sort of this tragic character that was tempted and willing to do anything to have his love returned. I’m starting to think maybe something might happen between Alistair and Eira, though (Eira being another character the book focussed on), but maybe not considering her age. I could actually see where Eira was coming from at the start, but she went too far and did things the wrong way.

Overall, I really liked Rift and would definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction with paranormal, action and romance.

Jennifer L. Armentrout to be published in the UK by Hodder

Exciting news, UK-ers! Jennifer L. Armentrout, whose work I am a big fan of, is going to be published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton! I'm thrilled because I love her books and can't wait for more people to be able to read them. Plus I haven't read Cursed yet (it sounds awesome) - I was planning to buy the US ebook version, but now I can wait for the UK one!

For more info (that is better phrased and less incoherent than my excited rambling), here is what the press release says:

Hodder & Stoughton Assistant Editor Harriet Bourton has snapped up UK rights to ten titles by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout. There are seven titles in the young adult paranormal Covenant series, a contemporary paranormal standalone, Cursed, plus two mystery thrillers written by the author. The Covenant novels and Cursed will be published first in eBook on 25th April, and the first mystery thriller, Don’t Look Back, will publish in April 2014 in print and digital formats.

The Covenant series is published by Spencer Hill Press in the US and Jennifer is currently their number one bestselling author across the board, writing across multiple genres including paranormal contemporary romance, and makes frequent appearances in the Kindle top 100 chart.

Assistant Editor Harriet Bourton bought UK rights from Kate McLennan at Abner Stein Agency on behalf of Taryn Fagerness for the Covenant series and standalone novel Cursed, and UK rights for Don’t Look Back and one untitled mystery thriller from Molly Kong at Hyperion US.

Bourton said, ‘Jennifer’s writing is so immediately engaging and interesting in whatever form her storytelling takes, be it a mysterious plot about a girl who wakes up on the roadside with no memory of who she is, or paranormal worlds – with brilliantly gutsy, spirited heroines – that are excitingly and convincingly imagined from the first page. I’m so thrilled to be Jennifer’s UK publisher, and she already has a cast of fans here at Hodder. I know there will be many more out there yet!’

What do you guys think? Are you happy about the UK buying rights? Do you think the Lux series will be picked up next? Let me know your thoughts!