Ash & Bramble #2 Rose & Thorn

Presenting Ash & Bramble #2 Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas.

Here is the summary of the book:

A spindle. A beautiful girl. A century-long slumber.

There is a story that longs to be told. It searches for its heroine, its prince, and the magic it needs to come alive. It will stop at nothing for its happily ever after.

One girl in search of answers. Two powerful forces at war. Three curses braided together.

After the spell protecting her is destroyed, Rose seeks safety in the world outside the valley she has called home. She has been kept hidden all her life to delay the three curses she was born with, curses that will put her into her own fairy tale and have drastic consequences if they take effect. Accompanied by Griff, the handsome and mysterious Watcher, and Quirk, his witty and warmhearted partner, Rose tries to escape from the ties that bind her to her story. But will the path they take lead them to that freedom, or will it bring them straight to the destiny they are trying to avoid?

REVIEW ==

'Story' wants to be told. 'Story' needs to be told. And 'Story' is devious enough to gain what it wants the most, no matter the consequences. Pen and Shoe may have dealt a big blow to 'Story's' reign in Ash & Bramble.... But it's not over yet. 'Story' always finds a way, even if it has to wait for its turn. 

And so it begins. Years later in 'Rose and Thorn'. With new players for 'Story' to play with - Rose and Griff. And a new Godmother to do its bidding. This time it is the story of 'Sleeping Beauty' that gets played and author Sarah Prineas does a fabulous job of seamlessly integration of an age old classic, in her own way. What felt missing with 'Ash & Bramble' can be seen in 'Rose & Thorn'.

Rose is the 'Beauty' of the tale. Cursed by 'Story' when she was a wee babe. She was stolen way by the then older Pen and raised by Shoe, away from prying eyes. Having never been to the outside world, Rose grows to be a kind, playful and gentle girl if not slightly naive. Thus, when circumstances force her to leave the safety bubble. She sees that stories and reality are too different and she must find that inner strength for what is coming for her.

Griff on the other is different. Raised in an atmosphere where even the word Story gets you punished. Griff had for most parts followed a strict rule adherent life. A loveless life. A gray life. Where his routine duties are much more important than anything else. Of course all else changes when Rose comes barreling into his life. He knows she has been cursed and must be cleansed but he also knows that she didn't ask for any of this. So strives to help her with all he can. It also doesn't hurt that he is attracted to her. 

Griff on the whole was the best. Strong and silent. He can definitely be moody. But he had the heart of gold. 'Rose & Thorn' on the whole felt much more darker than 'Ash & Bramble' was and I definitely appreciate it all the more for that. There is a darkness to this plot achieved perfectly because of the elements at play and the characters, the well timed twist & turns fabulously do that. The gorgeous cover is of course an incentive enough to warrant us reading it. I will of course want to read the next book when it releases.

"An enticing tale that will have you salivating for more"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-telling, Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 18th September, 2016

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         #1 Ash & Bramble

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Fear Street Relaunch #5 The Dead Boyfriend

Presenting Fear Street Relaunch #5 The Dead Boyfriend by R.L. Stine.

Here is the summary of the book:

R.L. Stine's Fear Street series is back, and in The Dead Boyfriend, he tells the frightening tale of teenage love - and how it can go terribly, murderously wrong.

Caitlin has never had a real boyfriend before. When she starts seeing Colin, she throws herself into the relationship with fervor. She ignores her friends who warn her that Colin may be a phony and that she is taking the whole thing too seriously. Caitlin is smitten. She doesn't care if she loses her friends. All she wants is Colin. When Caitlin approaches Colin with another girl, she completely loses it. She snaps. Everything goes red. When she comes back to her senses, she realizes that Colin is dead - and she has killed him.

But if Colin is dead, how is he staring at her across a crowded party?

Terrifying from the first page to the last, The Dead Boyfriend is a heart-racing young adult novel from the master of teen screams himself.

REVIEW ==

Creepy, definitely but amazing? Definitely Not!

Why do I do this to myself? R.L. Stine's books would have appealed more to me if I was younger. Fear Street strikes again and The Dead Boyfriend may just be the most cliche of all the cheesy teen thrillers I ever saw.

Again the story was too predictable and I started to get a bit annoyed because the characters and the situation felt ridiculous. Also they make this mistake in the synopsis again.... maybe i noticed because i read the review copy but the boyfriend is not Colin ..... but Blade. Although I will say this though .... that surprising twist and reveal at the end was a nice touch and maybe in a sense destroyed what the plot builds up to ..... but nice touch there.

But truly, this series will appeal more to a younger generation.

"Fear Street and deadly shenanigans"

Genre :     Young Adult, Horror, Paranormal

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: 27th September, 2016

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             2/5 (It was Ok)

Other Books in the Series:

            Review Links 

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

Disruption #1 Disruption

Presenting Disruption #1 Disruption by Jessica Shirvington.

Here is the summary of the book:

The heart-stopping first chapter in bestselling author Jessica Shirvington's Disruption series.

What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?

What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?

Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation's M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loved most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it. Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer - heir to the M-Corp empire - has become key to Maggie's plan.

But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin's involvement destroy everything she's fought for?

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.

REVIEW ==

Somehow this book just didn't work for me..... There now you all must be thinking that something's wrong with me because how could I not like a Jessica Shirvington book but hold your horses people.... I meant it was OK ..... just nothing spectacular ...... as I was expecting it to be. Of course it was action packed and fast paced ..... but it just didn't wow me with its subject matter like I would from a Dystopia. 

Because lets face it. This subject matter had been done before, most notably is the one I remember recently reading Free to Fall by Lauren Miller (which was just amazing). A new technology in a future era that simplifies your life and dictates how you interact with people at a pheromone level ..... okay this last part might be new but other than that it just didn't draw me in. The world building also felt lacking. It just tells us of the Phera-tech and their specs and expect us to understand the initial info-dump. It also never explains how Maggie performs her impossible raids but just the help from Gus. The storyline is about a brutal future so you would expect to read about some of the shady things Maggie had to do to get her needs but it never touches on those aspects at all.

Also Maggie and Quentin as protagonists just didn't click. I love a flawed character just like any other bibliophile out there. So she had a hard life and did a lot of bad things to people to find out what happened to her father. But her attitude and how she started to feel burdened with guilt..... well human beings aren't perfect but this one just annoyed me with her monologues. She may have targeted Quentin at first to use him to get her father out of M-corp but no surprises there .... starts to like him. 

Quentin was your cliche boy-toy but he was different somehow ..... going to great lengths to find out the truth about his family and in the process re-define who he wants to be. I also expected a little bit more out of him when the eventual betrayal was revealed but he sadly didn't deliver on that aspect as well. Of course the good thing is that .... no triangles ..... but the romance again didn't feel genuine. Maggie and Quentin just didn't seem to connect well in my opinion. The friend-enemy Gus had a better chemistry with Maggie and that's saying something.

But I will also say this ..... that ending twist was definitely unexpected and I also appreciated how Shirvington maintains the element of thrill and fast paced action. At the end, though Disruption is by far not my favorite book by any means but I am interested enough to know what happens next. Corruption hopefully will be up to task (its the title of the sequel for those who don't know).

"A story of second chance, heartbreaks and dangerous future technology"

Genre :      Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Thriller

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: 4th October, 2016

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:              3/5 (Liked It)

Other Books from Author (review links):
            The Violet Eden Chapters #1

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository