I'll be honest and say this is the first Patrick Ness book I've ever owned and read. I had no idea what style of writing to expect, but I knew it had to be good based off reviews from his other books. I've put myself on a book buying ban right now because I have way too many books to read but I can't wait to get stuck in more Ness!

Release by Patrick Ness (ARC copy)
2017
Pages: 287
Source: Competition

Synopsis

Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.

The Short

Adam Thorn's day couldn't get any worse or any better. So much happens within the span of the day in which this book is set and it's a whirlwind adventure. This novel flicks between Adam's story and the story of the ghost who emerges from the lake. It's a mix between contemporary and fantasy but somehow it works seamlessly. It took me a few chapters to get used to the mix of genres but I quite enjoyed it towards the end. Ness provided a story which delves into trying to find yourself in a world where getting lost is so easy. There's a really great moral behind it too... once you 'release' all the negative you can move on to the bigger and better things waiting for you. 

The Long

This book is one of the few contemporary novels I've read - I'm really trying to fix this though! For this reason, I went in not really knowing what to expect and was expecting a full on contemporary setting. How I was proved wrong! Ness has seamlessly collided two genres - contemporary and fantasy - to create a story which blends together so well. I will honestly say that it took me two or three chapters to get used to the significant shift between the two plot points but I quickly grasped what was happening and went with the flow.

Each chapter flicks between Adam and the ghost who has emerged from the lake. Both characters have their own storyline which is loosely linked to an occurrence at the start of the novel. Adam's story is full of angst, love, loss and the unknown. He isn't sure what to expect from his day but there is a sense of dread hanging over him throughout the novel. Things seem to get worse and worse for him as event after event takes place and when all seems to be good as gone, Adam finds peace with his feelings and is able to start accepting what is happening around him.

The ghost's storyline is semi-similar but with a major fantasy twist. The ghost emerges from the lake having been woken by something that Adam does. Thus starts the ghosts journey to accepting what has happened to it - why is it dead and who killed it? The ghost is also followed by a Faun who is a somewhat protector but is sadly unseen by the ghost throughout the novel. It isn't until we find out who the ghost is inhabiting that the reason behind the Faun's urgency, worry, fear, love and devotion is made clear.

I went into this novel completely unaware of what to expect. I'm not sure if the rest of Ness' books are similar to this mash of genres but I will definitely be picking more up in the future. The moral of the story, the way the plot is set out, the characters and the setting are all built so craftily that Ness has made an amazing book which I will gladly pick up again.

Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist                                                              A Darkness at Sethanon by             Released: 7 May 1985                                                                                        Raymond E. Feist
Pages: 432                                                                                                            Released: 7 February 1986
Source: Gift                                                                                                          Pages: 466
                                                                                                                               Source: Gift


Synopsis: 

Silverthorn: With the Kingdom of the Isles at peace, Prince Arutha can at last look forward to marrying the Princess Anita in the city of Krondor. But the capital in the west harbours many shadows. When Jimmy the Hand, a young thief in the Guild of Mockers, upsets an assassination attempt on Arutha, a sinister plot is uncovered...

A Darkness at Sethanon: Here is the final dramatic confrontation between Arutha and Murmandamus - and the perilous quest of Pug the magician and Tomas the warrior for Macros the Black. Will Arutha, Pug and their companions win the fight?


The Short

I've joined this two books into one post as they are companion novels - the story continues between them without any pause. There was so much action packed into this two novels and I loved being able to delve deeper into the world of Midkemia. At first I was upset that we weren't following Pug's story line as much but the more I read the more I feel in love with Arutha's side of the story. As noted with the first novel - Magician - there are heavy undertones of Tolkien so lovers of Lord of the Rings, you will love this series!


The Long

This was a huge series both page wise and action wise. Following on from book one you are instantly sucked back into the world of Midkemia and though time has passed you are instantly caught up with all the characters once again. When I started Silverthorn I was slightly worried that I wouldn't enjoy it. As Magician focused mainly on Pug I feel in love with the character and was sad to leave him in Silverthorn. Fortunately though, after reading a few chapters, I found Arutha's storyline so intriguing and full of twists and turns.

Although Pug isn't the primary character throughout these two books he does play a heavy role. I really liked how Feist alternated POV between characters too. It enabled for easy access to what they were doing and where they were as many characters are spread between time and space in these two novels.

I really liked the fast paced, action packed A Darkness at Sethanon but one thing that did annoy me was the occasional lack of explanation. Some characters and beings were quickly introduced and described in a way that they were there all along even though we hadn't been introduced to them before. As a reader it left me wondering if I had somehow missed these introductions in previous chapters and books.

The ending of this series was great and it left me feeling so happy and wanting more. Although some characters died and some lost love ones, Feist left the reader with a sense of happiness and hope for the future of these characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series and I'm so glad I got the set as a gift from my family. As I said in my review of Magician - it wasn't what I expected but I loved it nonetheless.

I'm sure this list is going to grow and expand but I thought I would let you all know which books I'm looking forward to reading this year.

I'm a lover of fantasy and fiction so my list may be mostly that genre but some other genre's may sneak in! So keep posted!




A Court of Wings and Ruin

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

Out May 2nd




Wintersong

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Out now!


Flame in the Mist

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

Out May 16



Caraval

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever

Out now!



Gilded Cage

Our world belongs to the Equals — aristocrats with magical gifts — and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate lies a power that could break the world. 

A girl thirsts for love and knowledge.

Abi is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will her heart pay the price? 

A boy dreams of revolution.

Abi's brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution. 

And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts.

He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

Out now!



The Girl Before

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.

Out now!





Until next time, Emily xoxo

Synopsis: At Crydee, a frontier outpost in the tranquil Kingdom of the Isles, an orphan boy, Pug, is apprenticed to a master magician - and the destinies of two worlds are changed forever. Suddenly the peace of the Kingdom is destroyed as mysterious alien invaders swarm through the land. Pug is swept up into conflict but for him and his warrior friend, Tomas, an Odyssey into the unknown has only just begun. Pug's destiny is to lead him through a rift in the fabric of space and time to the mastery of the unimaginable powers of a strange new magic.

The Short
Magician is full of magic, intrigue and epic battles. The fast paced story telling kept me hooked while the intertwining storylines kept me wanting more! Characters will make you laugh, cry and huff in frustration, but you'll fall in love with them all the same. The writing style and epic adventure I similar to Tolkien but Feist has easily created a world of his own.

The Long
Magician was a hefty book but don't let that put you off. From the first page you are completely sucked into the world of Midkemia and the lives of all the characters. There are an array of different characters, all from different backgrounds, which really helps with building and explaining the world in which this novel takes place. Each character also has their own personal traits which flow effortlessly off the page and really make it feel like the story is taking place right in front of you.

This edition places Book 1 and Book 2 together but Feist has still made it clear when one book ends and the next begins. Book 1 - Magician: Apprentice - had a slow start and I questioned a few times whether I should keep reading. I'm so glad I persisted! Another thing that put me off at first was the length of the chapters, many are over 30 pages long and being someone who must finish a chapter before putting the book down became somewhat of a challenge. There were many times where I had to leave a chapter half way through but Feist has written this book in a way that is easy to put down and pick back up - multiple paragraph breaks throughout chapters.

Book 2 - Magician: Master - was epic. Characters were developing, war was raging, love was brewing and magic was growing. I read Book 2 in a matter of days and the lengthy chapters soon didn't seem long enough. I loved that Feist has written these books spanning over nine years. You would think things would be missed out, and although there were sections I would have liked to be fleshed out more, the writing and explanations Feist provided made for easy time-travel reading.

One thing that has intrigued me throughout these two books is the character of Macros. I won't give too much away! Macros is such an intriguing character and I made so many similarities between him and another key character that I was almost hoping they were one and the same. As the story evolved Macros turned from character to a somewhat narrator and although he wasn't great with explanations, you couldn't help but trust him.

For those that enjoy romance in their fantasies, do not stray! This book has plenty of heart racing and heart wrenching romances. Although the romances were skimmed over and didn't have too much detail, you could still see them evolve throughout the two books. Plus, you could watch as the characters grow from awkward teens suffering from infatuation to adults understanding the difference between love of family, friends and lovers.

The ending of these two books was so satisfying. Although some beloved characters died, many of my favourites are ready for the next adventure. You could probably leave the series with this edition and be happy, however there are still two more books in the series! I've just started Book 3 and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Magician. It certainly wasn't what I expected, but I loved how exciting and fun this book was. If only I could be a Great One...