Review: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Publication date: May 2nd 2014
My rating: 3 stars 

VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer. MONSTER Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

The Forever Song was one of my highly anticipated reads this year, with the way things had ended in The Eternity Cure with my heart in my throat, I was anticipating more of the same in The Forever Song and whereas I did enjoy The Forever Song, for me this was the weakest book in the series. 

One of the biggest let downs for me was the characters, the characters that we got to know and love in the previous two books really had changed dramatically. Allison was a much more defeated character, yes I understand that she had every right to be, but she was at times totally reckless, with Jackal and Kanin continually having to rein her in. And the progress she had made in not believing she was a monster anymore really had been lost; she’d receded back to a person that I really didn’t like. I wanted the feisty Allison back, the one who could keep her hunger in check, but also kickass when necessary. In contrast, Jackal and Kanin totally made this book for me, Jackal was once again the wind up merchant we knew and because of his constant grating comments, he did at times bring out Allison from the constant dwelling she found herself in. I adored the banter Allison and Jackal shared on their journey; they really did come along way, actually at times behaving like brother and sister. Jackal also surprised me in many ways, he really was a character who changed dramatically from the character we were introduced to in The Immortal Rules, and I truly did hate his guts then. But I don’t know if it was spending time around Kanin and Allison, but he really did show a whole another side to him at times, one I really didn’t expect to see (highlight to view spoiler)  going back to save Allison, saving members of Eden, when his own life was in jeopardy. 

Kanin once again was the enigmatic character that we have become to know, we never really knew what he was thinking or feeling, with this shroud of mystery always around him. But this just made me want to know him that little bit more. I liked watching the family dynamics between him, Allison and Jackal and how he had to step in between the bickering vampires, but I also liked how wise he was. On their journey despite Sarren’s numerous attempts to set them off their way or get caught up in his traps, Kanin would always find a way out, or be suspicious about what was going on. Yes they did sometimes find themselves in a sticky situation, but that was mainly because Sarren was just so messed up and always ahead in the game. But honestly Kanin is one of the best vampires that I ever come across, if I was ever turned into a vampire, I wouldn’t want anyone but Kanin to be my sire and teach me the way of the world. 

The chase of Sarren and attempting to stop him from reigning chaos was one I enjoyed, like I said Sarren was really clever in out witting Jackal, Allison, and even Kanin. His numerous obstacles that he threw their way did have me thinking at times that he would succeed in his end goal, and he did go to such extreme lengths to actually hurt these vampires individually. Despite me enjoying this chase, I did feel at times that it went on for so long (highlight to view spoiler)  we didn’t actually get to see Sarren, until nearly at the very end, I was hoping that there would be a lot more encounters with him along the way, instead of giving us this huge battle at the end  Also things were wrapped up way too primly for my liking, and things at times were resolved too quickly, (highlight to view spoiler)Allison was able to bring Zeke back from Sarren’s control way too quickly, I know this shouldn’t really be a complaint, but I really wanted some more fight back from Zeke, come on Sarren’s meant to be this all clever vampire whose been one step ahead for so long and just one thing brings Zeke back so quickly?. 

I didn’t want my review to come across as a rant, as it really isn’t, as I mentioned there were parts which I really loved (highlight to view spoiler)  Zeke and Allison finally actually being together, the banter between Allison and Jackal along the way and the ever considerate Kanin. But I think I just needed more breath taking scenes, more emotion from me as a reader, I really didn’t find myself as emotionally invested as I was with The Eternity Cure. Despite me giving this book a 3 star rating, this series will remain one of my favourite post-apocalyptic series for a long time to come.

Mini-review: World After by Susan Ee

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: November 21st 2013
My rating: 4 stars 

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken. Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go. Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

World After was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year, luckily for me, I only got around to picking up Angelfall a few months ago and so I didn’t have to wait too long before going back to this fantastic world that Ee created once again.

My heart was truly left broken after the way things had ended in Angelfall, I didn’t want Penryn and Raffe’s incredible journey to come to an end, but especially not the way things had gone down. It seemed totally impossible to get things back on track for both characters. I enjoyed how with World After we were able to get to know Penryn that little bit more, yes we got the chance to be in her head in Angelfall, but with Raffe introduced to us so early in the story, I was easily distracted by his character. But this was not the case yes I did have an incredible longing to see my two favourite characters reunited (highlight to view spoiler).once more let me tell you it did feel at times a really long wait. But this allowed the opportunity for Penryn to come out on her own once more and actually see what she was capable of. I’m glad to say Penryn was once again a fantastically strong character. Despite having her sister and mum with her, things were definitely not the same, she really was all alone. But I admired her courage to once again put herself in dangerous situations.

The World we find ourselves in World After is a more perilous one, angels are hell bent on taking control, and there are only a few humans willing to take the risk. But once again Ee has managed to create an addictive book in World After. With the danger lurking around the corner, you want to close your eyes and not read anymore, but you need to know what happens, you need to know who will triumph and Penryn and Raffe are just characters you don’t want to let go.

World After was a mesmerising follow up to Angelfall, (my only complaint was that I wanted more of Raffe) but other than that I think that this series will definitely be up there as one of my favourite angel book series yet. 

 

Apocalypse Blog Hop: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Hi everyone! Today as part of the Apocalypse Blog Hop hosted by Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings, Christy @ Love of Books and Maja @ The Nocturnal Library Rachel and I get to share our love with you guys of one of our favourite post-apocalyptic reads: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. This book has been only out for two months and it is already causing up a storm and honestly it has every right to. Rachel and I normally don't read a lot of post-apocalyptic books, but when we had to decide which book we were going to spotlight for this hop we had no problem in deciding which book it would be. Rachel shared her enthusiastic review with you guys a few months back on the blog, you can read her review here and today I will be sharing my review with you!

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
Publisher: Penguin Books (UK)
Publication date: May 7th 2013
My rating: 5 stars 

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

I’m always a little wary about picking up a book which has been receiving incredible reviews and ratings (an average of 4.5 from my Goodreads friends.) in the last few weeks. But especially more so when it’s for a book I wouldn’t typically read. But I admit when I heard the word aliens I was intrigued. I had my fingers crossed that I would love The 5th Wave as much as everyone else too. I’m pleased to say The 5th Wave did not in any way disappoint. The concept of billions of people being wiped away from the world because of an alien invasion was a brilliant idea and Yancey managed to pull it off incredibly. So far there had been four Waves in total which had demolished everything. If you were one of the last surviving individuals you were either taken away (depending on your age) to camp or left on your own. The latter situation is how our protagonist Cassie finds herself, she’s lost everything except her brother whose been taken away, but she’d promised she would come back for. It’s become a dark and dangerous world out there with you not knowing who you can trust (is the person you’re talking to even human?). So just watching Cassie at just 17 years old toughing it was just incredible. 

The story was given to us through multiple narratives, usually this can be really confusing, but Yancey managed to make it work well together. With the narratives I enjoyed getting into the heads of the different characters and learning about what led them to where they were in the first place. Ben and Evan were definitely two characters I enjoyed being around, one was always straight forward so you knew what you were getting from him, where as the other was such a tangled web, but I still ended up falling for him more. I had my doubts about this character throughout the story, but didn’t want my doubts to be confirmed either, but by the end this sweet guy just crumbled my heart. I think as I was drawn to his enigmatic character so much, all I wanted to do was get his story. Like I said I really enjoyed reading from the different narratives, but once I came to the end of Cassie’s I was tempted to skip ahead just so that I could go back to their story again. Parts of their story were scary as I didn’t know what to expect, but then the sweeter scenes definitely topped it and won me over. 

The solid characters and their character development over the course of the book definitely made The 5th Wave a wonderful read for me. Evan, Ben and Cassie were such strong characters, but there was also a bunch of extremely memorable secondary characters too. Books which have characters which weave their way to your heart that they easily become favourites, this is exactly what Yancey was able to do. I found myself fully invested in each and every character until the very end. 

So much has already been said about the incredible world that Yancey has created in The 5th Wave; it’s dangerous, dark and scary but most of all it appeared so realistic. I could totally imagine this happening to our world and us humans having no clue of how to react and who to trust. The self-doubt that Yancey was easily able to create amongst these characters was unbelievable. One minute you could be fine, and the next you were doing Dorothy. I was utterly surprised by some of the outcomes of this story, I just loved how through it’s entirely it kept me on the edge of my seat.

It’s already been endlessly said but honestly guys The 5th Wave is not one book to be missed this year. It’s gritty, so realistic and has a great story of individuals set on their own paths, but being ultimately connected in some way in the end.

And if that review wasn't enough to convince you to give this book a try, here are a few fun reasons why we love this book so much!

Favourite character: 
Rachel: That’s easy! Cassie, of course. She is a survivor and yet she feels like just a normal girl. She makes you feel a regular girl could survive these horrific events intact. 

Jasprit: I have to agree with Rachel, Cassie was a wonderful character, she’s strong with everything crumbling around her and actually risks putting her trust in other people when it’s such a difficult time to do so. I extremely looked forward to Cassie’s pov in this book. And of course there was another character who I won’t be mentioning here, but he certainly stole my heart in this book!

Which wave would do you think you could survive up to?

Rachel: Oh, I’d love to say all of them, but with my luck I’d be gone with the first Wave coming down with the plague like most others! 

Jasprit: I like to think that I’m a strong person, but I don’t know if I’d have it in me to do the things necessary in order to survive. I think with my sister alongside me, we could be a solid team, but on my own I’d probably go down with the first wave.

Favourite quote?

Rachel: I don’t have a copy anymore because I gave it away on the blog, but I was looking back on Goodreads where I often post quotes for my status updates and I remember having a laugh over this:  “In case you're an alien and you're reading this: BITE ME.” It was Cassie writing in her journal if I remember correctly. I also had this swoony bit (you know I had to include one!): “Holding my hand against his chest, his other hand sliding across my neck, his touch feathery soft, sending a shiver that travels down my spine into my legs, which are having a hard time keeping me upright.”

Jasprit: “What are you doing? Oh, that’s right. Following me, lurking in doorways. One of these days maybe you’ll work up the courage to step over the threshold”

Why do you recommend everyone should read this book?
Rachel: It’s a thrill of a ride with twists and turns, aliens AND a slow-build romance!

 

Jasprit: The 5^th Wave is a book I would never have considered if it hadn’t been for the recommendations from my blogging friends. And I’m so grateful to them because otherwise I would have missed out on one of the most gripping reads this year. Seriously this book will have you hooked it has everything! All I can say is pick this book up!

Also you still have the chance to enter our giveaway to win a copy of The 5th Wave! The giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository ships to you! 

Review & DVD Giveaway: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Publisher: Atria
Publication date: April 26th 2011
My rating:  4 stars

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world...

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between.

I read Warm Bodies not long after it released back in 2011, so it’s been quite some time ago. When I heard there was going to be a movie I was really excited because I enjoyed it so much. I watched the movie just a few days ago.  So I thought this would be a perfect time to do a mini review mash up of both the book and the movie. 

The movie as far as book adaptations was surprisingly good.  I’m always waiting to be disappointed by movie adaptations, but this was not the case here.  There were some omissions in the movie, like R having his zombie wife and kids, but to be honest I didn’t care for that part of the story anyhow, so I was good with that.

When the story opens up we’re introduced to R and the story is told through his eyes, as a zombie barely remembering anything of his past when he was living. We’re not sure what exactly brought about this post apocalyptic world because R can’t remember, and we only get what comes through his perspective, which at first is pretty limited being a zombie and all!  His “life” is basically monotonous and he’s finding it harder and harder to form coherent thoughts. This all changes when on R’s on a hunt for “food” (yes, unfortunately we’re talking about brains) and he comes in contact with Julie, a human trying to survive.  Julie and her group are looking for provisions when R’s group attacks.  As soon as R sees Julie something wakes up in him that causes him to save her.  The more he’s around her the more his mind clears and the more he falls for her.

I remember when I first heard Warm Bodies was a zombie love story I was skeptical because, I mean gross, right?  Who wants to think of kissing a corpse?  But trust me, this works. It’s a wonderful build of romance, filled with longing and sweetness.

As with any zombie tale there were some frightening scenes and those were provided by the zombies but mostly from the creatures called the Boney’s; zombies that have descended far past humanity. Horrifying, fast, and intent on one thing: eating flesh!  These were excellently portrayed in the movie and provided exciting suspense filled scenes. 

All in all, I felt the film adaptation of Warm Bodies was satisfying and pretty true to the book.  

Today we’re giving away a DVD copy of Warm Bodies.  Entries open to US residents only.  Just fill in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting The Readers Den.

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: May 23rd 2013
My rating: 5 stars

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Wow just Wow. I can’t believe I waited this long to read Angelfall. I remember two years ago when there was so much hype surrounding this little book, and I just brushed it away (I blame my wariness surrounding paranormal genes at the time). But Angelfall goes to show just how angel themed books should be written. I only have a few angel book favourites that I could probably name all on one hand, that’s how much it takes to hold a book like this in high regard. And Angelfall couldn’t have come at a much better time. I was going through a reading phase where I was just reading for the sake of reading. So in typical fashion I decided to start a few chapters of Angelfall on my day off and before you know it I’m almost near the end and I’ve found myself enamoured by every single page.

Angelfall is set in the world where angels call the shots. San Francisco is in utter chaos, with riots and robberies occurring, no one is able to control the humans and then you have angels loping about picking at their prey as they want. Penryn finds herself in a tough situation, her sister Paige and her mum have just left their safety of their house, when they find an angel being attacked by a mob of angels. Penryn and her family hide, but are quickly spotted and before she can even think what’s going on, Penryn finds herself helping the injured angel. But there ends up being a cost, as soon as the mob decides to back track, one of them grabs Paige and flies off with her. Penryn is distraught, her mother has run off and the only option left is to continue to help the injured angel, he will be the only one that will know how to get Paige back, even though he’s not in the best of shape as he’s just lost his wings.

With this injured angel I didn’t know what to think, could Penryn even trust him? He must have not been your typical angel if he was being set upon by another group of angels. But my earlier fear was easily pacified as the better I got to know our injured angel Raffe. He was surly, moody, and had a fantastic sense of humour (just how I like them). It often takes a lot for a character to win me over, but I think with Raffe’s first few lines I was quickly part of the Raffe adoration club. He was quick to bring a smile to my face with his no nonsense humour. Raffe and Penryn made a fine pair; they couldn’t be more different (a human and angel getting along who would have thought it?). But I could feel the connection between them. Before there was mistrust between them, but as they progressed with their journey to achieve their own means they became a solid team.

I adored Penryn’s character. She perfectly depicted my ideal MC; she was sassy, intelligent, and super tough. She had her fair share of hurdles to deal with, but even with Raffe by her side was able to deal with a lot of them on her own. I adored her will and determination and also how she always didn’t listen to Raffe when he thought he knew best.

Angelfall was set in a brutal world, with people doing anything as a means to survive. But the journey that we go through with Penryn and Raffe through the atrocities is a beautiful one. I was actually stamping my feet at times as Raffe could be so closed off, the small emotional glimpses that we got of his character I absolutely adored, I just wished there were enough pages in this book to get some more. And don’t get me started on the ending, it certainly wasn’t how I was expecting thing to end, but I did admit it did leave me feeling a little bereft and teary.

Angelfall is a truly brilliant first book in what I believe will be a mind blowing series. October seriously cannot come soon enough. Also next time if any of you recommend a book to me please make sure I start it straight away and not two years later. Shake me if necessary!