Blog Tour - Review: The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton

Huge thanks to Gollancz for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Publication date: March 7th 2019
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 352

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia's Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans.

To celebrate the release of the sequel to the hugely popular 2018 book "The Belles", Gollancz have organised a blog tour of reviews. Don't forget to look out for the other reviews this week! I really loved "The Belles" so I jumped at the chance to take part, and was incredibly excited to find out what happens next to Camille, Edel, and Remy.

This was a good follow up novel - Clayton takes the world and characters she introduced us to in the first, and builds on that foundation to provide an exciting conclusion. Camille particularly becomes a more interesting protagonist, fueled by her anger from the events of the first book. However, I would have liked to see her grapple with more inner conflict. Yes she was fighting for what was right, but she never really has any inner turmoil to overcome, which at times can be slightly frustrating, as you're only ever given her own thoughts and feelings to experience.

The first half of the story takes its time, which slows the pacing down hugely. After the cataclysm of events at the end of the first book, I really wanted to drive straight back in, not hold back for as long as the story does. This lack of urgency, and a general feeling of the characters succeeding at all they attempt, means that there are points where the emotional resonance I'd hope for is missing, and I found myself coasting through some parts, rather than being fully engaged.
That said, you get an exciting (albeit slightly rushed) ending that really pays off a lot of the build up. I had a few minor gripes about how some things ended, but those are for a more spoiler filled review at a later date.

I'm really hoping that Clayton is going to give us a spin off book about the Iron Ladies, because I didn't feel like we got nearly enough time with them and I'd love to know more about them.

This is a solid conclusion to the story, one that offers some more insights into this curious world, and leaves you feeling pretty satisfied with the final act. I was a little disappointed with some elements, but this duology is still definitely one I'd recommend. If you've yet to read The Belles, pick up a copy as soon as you can! And if you read and enjoyed it last year, this conclusion is worth the wait.

Review: The Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli

Huge thanks to Gollancz for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Publication date: 25th September 2018
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 400 pages

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished—until the day a terrible accident took Essie’s life and trapped her soul in this world.
Dax—the heir to Firgaard’s throne—was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa’s people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she’d give him the army he needed if he made her queen.
Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax’s promises go unfulfilled. Roa’s people continue to suffer.
Then a chance to right every wrong arises—an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Reliquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.
All she has to do is kill the king.

Today I have the hugely exciting pleasure of being a review stop on "The Caged Queen" blog tour. Please do go and check out the other stops (full list below) for a range of excerpts and reviews, and then go and pick up a copy of the book!

I adored "The Last Namsara" so when I heard that a companion/sequel novel was coming this year, it went straight onto my auto-buy list and did not disappoint. Ciccarelli has expanded on the intricate and beautiful world she created with the first book, and created a truly beautiful follow up.

What I love about companion novels is the ability to expand on the world in new and exciting directions that would otherwise remain unknown (see Fire by Kristin Cashore as a truly excellent example of this) and Ciccarelli has offered us precisely that. A look at the events that follow "The Last Namsara", whilst filling in some patches of what happened whilst the events in the first book were unfolding, and offering us new facets on characters that were introduced in the first book.

That's possibly the element that I enjoyed the most about this book, that we got to see more insights for some of these characters that Asha couldn't provide. It offered a more complex view of these people, that only served to make the story feel more vibrant and real.
This is enhanced by the wonderful world building and snippets of lore that we're given between some chapters. I loved these inclusions in the first book and was thrilled to see them back again now. Ciccarelli has created a really fascinating world, and each insight and peak into the past and the lore that developed these people only serves to highlight that.

If you enjoyed the first book then this is a definite must read. Roa is a wonderful protagonist and I loved seeing more of her in this story as we explored more of the Scrublanders lives and evolution, and how the after effects of the revolution in book one play out.

Ciccarelli has cemented herself as a writer to watch, and I cannot wait to see where she goes from here. If you liked "The Wrath and the Dawn", "The Winner's Curse", "Seraphina" or "The Seven Kingdoms" trilogy, then these books are a definite must read.

Review: A Wicked Old Woman by Ravinder Randhawa

Today I’m the latest stop on the ‘A Wicked Old Woman’ Blog tour – don’t forget to check out all the other stops to find out more about the book!

Publication Date: October 24^th 2015 (this edition)
Publisher: Matador
Length: 242 pages

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Drama. Masquerade. Mischief.
A sharply observed, witty and confident novel. Linguistically playful, entertaining and provoking.
In a bustling British city, Kulwant mischievously masquerades as a much older woman, using her walking stick like a Greek chorus, ‘…stick-leg-shuffle-leg-shuffle…’ encountering new adventures and getting bruised by the jagged edges of her life. There’s the glamorous rebel who rescues her after a carefully calculated fall; Caroline, her gregarious friend from school days, who watched over her dizzy romance with ‘Michael the Archangel’, and Rani/Rosalind, who’s just killed a man…
Vividly bringing to life a bit of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

That blurb had me thoroughly intrigued from the outset, and whilst this is an intriguing novel it is a very different beast to the one I was expecting when I started reading.

The novel is a jumbled collection of characters and situations, story threads and backstory that takes a while to untangle so you can see the pattern clearly, and whilst I think this may put some people off, once you get through to that point it is well worth the effort.

The writing is lyrical, in places overly verbose, an exercise in linguistic gymnastics as Ravinder plays with language, thoughts and feelings to create an almost poetical writing style that paints Kulwant’s life in vivid colours.

This can become confusing and frustrating as you try to unravel the meanings and thoughts hidden in sometimes overly complex language. However in places it can be brilliant in its execution.
It can also provide some confusion as the characters are predominantly female and the author has a tendency to refer to characters by pronoun rather than name. That can lead to confusion and frustration as you have to then not only untangle the writing, but also try to work out who is speaking and to whom.

However despite these drawbacks and frustrations I thoroughly enjoyed working my way through this novel. It’s unique, fascinating and complex. I loved watching the characters grow, come into their own and embrace the world around them. I loved the culture, Kulwant’s experiences being Asian in England, the community and the vibrant characters that populate the novel.

It’s beautiful in places, filled with clever turns of phrase and lyrical prose, an interesting novel that is unlike anything else you will read this year.

If my review has piqued your interest don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!

You can find Ravinder across the interwebs

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Welcome to this stop on the Mira Ink 'New Girl' blog tour!
Huge thanks to Becky at Mira for sending me a copy to review.

A contemporary young-adult retelling inspired by the classic 1938 romantic suspense bestseller Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

While the novel has an intriguing premise, by the end I was left feeling a little cold – and not from chills from the atmosphere. It was a ultimately a bit of a marmite book for me, there were quite a few things I really disliked about it, but at the same time it was dark, oddly compelling and I found I wasn’t really able to put it down.

It was an interesting exploration into a truly psychological tale with very clear comparisons to ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier. Whilst it has been described by some as ‘gossip girl at boarding school’ I wouldn’t really have made that comparison. Yes it does feature the idea of rumours and lies and gossip and how they can snowball and ruin people, but that was where the comparison ended.

The pacing was fantastic, as I said, once I started and got into the story even though there were sections that I really disliked and wanted to put the book down after reading, I found I couldn’t. I was compelled to read it to the end, to find out what happened to all the characters and how the problems were resolved.

I loved how throughout the novel we are never given the narrator’s name, she is permanentely living in Becca’s shadow, until the end when she emerges triumphant to the dawn of a new chapter of her life and is finally named. It’s an intriguing twist, one that I found both frustrating at moments and also was highly impressed by. It’s a hard thing to go through an entire novel without actually naming a character to the reader, so to keep it drawn out right until the last page was something impressive.

The New Girl herself was a really good heroine – yes she had moments where I wanted to shake her but for the most part she was strong, clear headed and sure of herself. And the more she learned about who Becca was, the harder she worked to distinguish herself from her and become her own person. As a character arc I thought that was fantastic, and her story and development was definitely a highlight for me. I loved that we were given a story not of epic saving the world or falling madly in love, but of a girl dealing with the problems of social groups, peers and the viciousness of gossip and rumours when set going in a confined space – similar to how you can see them develop in ‘The Crucible. The only thing I disliked about her was her insistence on going back to Max repeatedly, despite standing up to him and not letting him dictate everything, he really didn’t strike me as the sort of guy who she would want to hand around waiting for him to notice her again, and it frustrated me and I felt weakened her character that she did.

However, the initial premise behind getting ‘New Girl’ to Manderley was terrible. It seemed completely implausible that parents would uproot their daughter in her final year of school for no reason other than she wanted to go when she was thirteen. There were so many other scenarios that would have gotten New Girl to school without that massive hole that got the story off to a bit of a jarring start.

I suppose my biggest problem with the book was the characterization of Becca. The reader is given to understand immediately that she is incapable of thinking of anyone but herself, has no problems with hurting others to get what she wants and demands that the entire world revolves around her. We’re told that her parents dislike her because of something (or several things) she’s done, but we never really fully discover any backstory to that, we never fill in the blanks that could make her into a more three dimensional character. She doesn’t really develop relationships with anyone and uses any feelings anyone else has for her to give her an advantage in her power plays – in other words, she’s a complete sociopath and completely unlikeable. There is no flaw, no chink where the reader might be able to get a grasp on her character, might be able to understand why she acts how she does or find any kind of empathy or sympathy for her. But instead of this realization occurring to the reader as the book progresses, it is a case of being told not shown, right from the first page. It made her character incredibly flat – there was no complexity or development or drive. And yet in some scenes later in the book she appears in a horribly contrived moment to try and repent for all the bad things she’s done. It was mind boggling in its frustration levels.

I also found Max’s attitude towards Becca incredibly forced. At no point does the reader get the feeling that he cares about her in any substantial way. There’s no real chemistry between them, and no sense of the ‘dark fascination’ that Becca holds over virtually every character in the book. There is no real sense of why Max doesn’t just say to everyone that Becca is lying, that these things she keeps saying and doing are all made up, and when she begs him for just one more time, he just complies. As a result he never really developed for me. He stays as this flat character that is quite happy to be steamrollered by an attractive girl for no real reason.

I have quite a large problem with books randomly throwing in backstory for girls that are troubled where they were raped. If it is important to the story, developed and handled well then subject matter like that can really further a book and be incredibly powerful, but when it’s thrown in almost like an after thought and not really explored or resolved or anything then I find it incredibly difficult to read. It feels like it was just a tag on to give the characters a reason to act out and be difficult, not another layer in the emotional build of a character.

So yes, quite a few things that really didn’t work for me personally. However, as I said earlier there was also a lot that did work. Pacing, setting, atmosphere, and New Girl herself, all really fantastic elements that drive the book and keep the weaker moments from floundering. It makes for a very compelling read, but does fall rather heavily into the marmite category – you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it, but either way you’ll find yourself racing to the end to find out how it all resolves.

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Welcome to Day 10 of The Immortal Rules Blog Tour. Don’t forget to check out all the other stops on the tour – listed on the banner to the left!

Huge thanks to Becky at Mira for sending me a copy to review!

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

I was really excited to see what Julie did next following the monumental success of her Iron Fey series, and sticking the with supernatural but making the leap to Vampires seemed like an interesting idea. I liked the slight twist on all of the vampire fiction we’ve been getting recently – having them not as something desirable and fantastic, but as a menacing overlord who have enslaved humanity. Much more my cup of tea given my current mood!

The book took a while to get going. In part this was because of the characters. All of the introductory characters within the first hundred pages or so really didn’t do it for me. None of them had any likeable traits or personalities and I found myself not really rooting for any of their survivals – not a great start particularly as one of these was the heroine. I just found her to be too cold, too calculating, and yes that was needed to survive in a world like this one, but at the same time the reader does need something to latch on to, to identify with and want to go on this journey with the character and see them through to the end, and I didn’t find that with Allison for quite some time.

The other thing that slowed me down was the prose. It’s very wordy, a vast amount of description – which is needed to set up this crumbling world, but at the same time it slows the story down at the beginning. Despite the ever present tension and looming menace I didn’t really feel that there was anything truly driving the story for the first part, and I like to have a drive established pretty early on – and by drive I mean something more than survival when I haven’t taken to the main character yet.

However, the slightly faulty start was soon forgotten as we emerged into the epic scope of the bulk of the novel. Kagawa has proven herself a master at supernatural, at world building and plots and at creating involving and terrifying stories. And this is by no means an exception.

Fans of hers will love this new series with a strong and determined (once we got to know her a little better!) heroine at its heart and an interesting new premise for this series. And those who haven’t yet discovered her writing? I think this is potentially her best novel yet, and is most definitely a great one to welcome you to her writing.

The novel is dark and terrifying, and as I’ve said, a fantastic chance to see vampires as the more feared and terrifying versions of themselves. Kagawa truly excels at world building, offering up enough information without going overboard and slotting it into the novel so that gradually the world starts to piece together as we learn along with Allie. Once I got past my initial hang ups with Allie and learned more about her character she turned into a truly fantastic heroine. Strong, brave and desperate to help others and put them before herself despite her survival instincts trying to save herself first, she really was a fantastic heroine to journey through this novel with. It’s a brilliant book, not just supernatural with a coming of age story at its heart, but also takes a look at acceptance and growth and I loved watching Allie come to terms with her new life and grow into a strong and fearless warrior. It was also great to have a romance that didn’t overtake the rest of the story, to have a slow burn that didn’t eclipse everything else and leaves plenty of room for development in the next book.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where Kagawa goes from here, which of the characters we get to see more of and where Allie’s journey takes her next.
A fantastic book full of brilliant writing, dark suspense and a compellingly real heroine at its heart, I highly recommend this book.

Author Q & A with Melissa Darnell

Welcome to day five of the Crave Blog Tour!


Today marks the UK release of the first book 'Crave' in the fantastic new series 'The Clann'. A fantastic blend of the supernatural - vampires, witches and steamy romance, what more could you want?
To celebrate the lovely Melissa has been wonderful enough to answer some questions about her writing, getting published and what we can look forward to in the future...

"What drew you to writing? Was it something you always wanted to do?"

I've been creating stories in my mind ever since I taught myself how to read at the age of 4 (I was too impatient for kindergarden and my family couldn't afford to send me to preschool).  Later I learned how to write, and I've been writing down stories ever since.  There is nothing more thrilling than flying through a rough draft.  Every story I write begins as a movie inside my head.  By the time I finish plotting it all out and am ready to write the rough draft, I can see that movie so clearly, whether my eyes are open or closed, that writing the rough draft is simply an exercise in trying to describe that movie on paper well enough for others to hopefully experience too.

"How did you make that jump from writing for yourself to published author?"

My husband Tim gets all the credit here.  I started off writing stories as a kid just as a hobby, something to do for fun just for myself.  Tim was the one who encouraged me to finally submit one for publication.  I didn't believe my first adult romance novel would even be accepted, but then I received multiple contract offers for it.  That gave me the confidence to write another novel, and then another and another, and eventually to switch over from adult romances to YA romances.

Crave was my first YA novel, and I only submitted it to one publisher (Harlequin Teen).  When the editor turned it down at first with a long explanation of the many revisions it needed, it was my hubby who gave me the courage to make those revisions and resubmit Crave.  The end result was a 3 book deal, and it's all because of him and his unwavering support.  Tristan might be a pretty hot hero, but he'll never be as awesome as the real deal...my husband Tim!

"Do you have any habits or rituals that come with writing? For example music or times of day that are most productive for you?" 

When I write, I like to have a few key things...

-- I prefer to be in a closed room somewhere (part of the inspiration for Savannah's "supersonic" hearing ability is because I've always had extra sensitive ears and even the pressure changes in the air from room to room can distract me!).  I also need to be alone; otherwise I'm tempted to ask anyone who's there to give me feedback on what I've just written!

-- As a former dancer, I've always been nuts about music and really rely on it to help me mentally stay in the right mood for each scene in the story.  So before I begin to write any story's rough draft, I always start by creating a soundtrack specifically for that story.  This is why you'll always find a playlist on my websites for every story of mine that's published.

-- Since I have two young boys and a hubby who all love to be noisy, I listen to that soundtrack (set to loop for hours if necessary) on headphones to further help me focus.

-- While revisions are always done on a laptop, I prefer to write rough drafts longhand using pens and composition notebooks.  I worked for years as an editor, so when I'm on a computer it's hard for me to turn off my internal editor.  Writing longhand subconsciously tells that internal editor to "zip it for awhile already!" so my creative side can come out to play instead.

-- When both writing and revising, I've also been known to call upon the powers of Nacho Cheese Doritos, Crunch N Munch, and my new love of Snapple Peach Tea when flying through a rough draft.  I swear they're superfuel for the brain!

"What have you found to be the most exciting and the most challenging parts of the process?"

The most challenging used to be the revision stage, but now I'm growing to love this process as well.  Now the most challenging part of the process is waiting for each book's publication.  And of course the most exciting is walking into a store and discovering print copies of my books there on the shelves!

"And finally, what are you working on at the moment?"

I'll be working on the Clann Series through at least 2013, but in addition I'm also currently revising a YA magical realism/sci-fi romance called The Source as well as plotting several contemporary YA romances (all of which can be read about at www.melissadarnell.com andwww.TheClannSeries.com as they are completed and contracted).

Thank you for having me here on your blog!  Please feel free to visit my websites at www.TheClannSeries.com and www.melissadarnell.com for updates on the release of each Clann Series book, as well as to listen to each Clann Series book's playlist online, learn more about the Clann and Savannah's race of vampires, as well as to contact me anytime!


A huge thank you to Melissa for sharing with us. And check back later for my review of 'Crave'!