Queen of Hearts Saga #1 Queen of Hearts

 Presenting Queen of Hearts Saga #1 Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes.

Here is the summary of the book:

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath.

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Review ==

Another twisted re-telling of Alice in Wonderland. There has been many done before in books, tv series, movies and games (namely Alice Madness) but Colleen Oakes' Queen of Hearts offers something different, something new. It offers us a Wonderland without Alice, a much darker place it is too and puts the Queen of Hearts or rather Princess of Hearts, Dinah (the future Queen) as the protagonist. And succeeds in making us feel sorry for her.

This is not your fluffy, whimsical Wonderland but a darker and much twisted image. There is palace politics, cruel and murderous kings, unknown magic and secrets that have their ways of shaking us to our cores. Princess Dinah is a spoilt, insolent and intelligent girl. Hated by her own father and the whole palace. She is afraid that would never amount to everyone's expectations. Always looking to impress her father, the King of Hearts. It all goes crashing when her father takes in this delicate slip of a waif, Victoirre, proclaimed her his bastard and a Duchess of Wonderland.

Her new sister is everything she is not. Delicate, glowing and graceful, everyone seems to like her already and Dinah fears what is to happen to her. Things are changing for Dinah and the future doesn't seem good. Of course the unforeseen happens. Tragedy knocks on the doors and she must run, run for her life ....

Colleen Oakes' terrific, vivid imagery produces a vibrant Wonderland with its own brand of mysteries and dark magic. Cheshire Cat is no longer a cat but the devious adviser to the King, you just never know on whose side he really is. White Rabbit is Dinah's tutor and the Mad Hatter is her younger brother. The romance also felt non-existent and dry, Dinah clearly had it bad but her person of interest may not feel the same.

Too bad for her but the biggest downfall, there doesn't seem to be much happening in the plot. While I appreciate the amount of time the author takes to visualize her vision of Wonderland, the progression of the plot felt negligible at best. Although this is the first book of the series, so I definitely want to see what happens next because too many questions are left unanswered and unexplored and the book feels incomplete ..... Will I recommend it? Maybe wait for the series to finish to read the books would be my answer.

"Vivid imagery and twisted new look to Wonderland"

Genre :     Young Adult, Fairytale re-imaging, Fantasy, Mystery

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 3rd May, 2016

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Hunter #1 Hunter

Presenting Hunter #1 Hunter by Mercedes Lackey.

Here is the summary of the book:

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

Monsters.

Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.

To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.

Joy soon realizes that the city’s powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they’re in—to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.

When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them…

Fantasy, Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic and sci-fi, Hunter by Mercedes Lackey is a mash-up of everything mentioned.... I really really wanted this book to work for me too.The cover is eye-catching. This is also my first time reading Lackey and the plot sounded really good... Ultimately this just didn't work for me. Too much info-dumping on every other paragraph. The style of presentation is rather clumped together, I prefer cleaner shorter paragraphs.

The protagonist Joy was also your already seen before special snowflake. Your typical case of a simple girl with too much powers. I definitely liked the battles with the creatures and the way the major city works. Apparently Hunters are celebrities there with their own channels that posts a live updates of said Hunter's daily activities.

But everything just felt so dry. Its got a rich plot and an epic genre mash-up but somehow the balance isn't there. The story seems so lifeless and dragging that you start to lose interest after a while I also expected to see a sort of a bestiary of all the creatures, we encountered. The disarray and the breakthrough opened the Earth to invasion by the beasts from well known mythology and lore. So I expected illustrations because really this is a dry plot and in livening it up a bit.

"Good epic fantasy mashup that fails in its delivery."

Genre :     Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopia

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 1st September, 2015

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:             2/5 (It was Ok)

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2 P.S. I Still Love You

Presenting To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2 P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han.

Here is the summary of the book:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Like the first blush of spring and the warmth of summer, Lara Jean Song Covey and Peter Kavinsky were. Their endearing tale rose on a calm and us gullible readers couldn't help but be swept away by the innocence and sweetness of their shenanigans in 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'.

Just like Lara Jean didn't plan on falling for Peter K, so were we not looking towards loving them both .... but it seems inevitable that just like we fell for these two, Lara Jean also fell for Peter K ... Of course we weren't going to be satisfied with a 'Dear Peter' ending to their beginning so the sequel 'P.S. I Still Love You' is both the finale we want and the finale we needed.

Playing pretend and doing it for real are hugely different things. now Lara Jean and Peter are together for real. And she is not sure what the perimeters of their relationship are. Peter still talks to Genevieve and she (Genevieve) still relies on him. So while they are definitely not together, it still scares Lara Jean because she was his ex. When that ex is a class 'A' manipulative bitch, you tend to feel insecure in your other half.... Can't blame Lara Jean for that, it happens to everyone.

But their best quality, no matter how much they fight ... they also know to talk it out and resolve to learn from said mistakes. The hot tub scene plays its opportune havoc and the other guy - John Ambrose McClaren makes his entry .... Really we have known the endgame since the start but DAMN, the new guy almost carves a niche for himself when he makes himself a place during Lara Jean's low moments... But really there was never a chance for him.

As far as our power couple are concerned, really they have both come a long way from when they began. They grow to trust each other and rely on each other fully as the story progresses. In any relationship you can't go in by half-measures, you have to contribute your due and Lara Jean and Peter get that ... And they just complement each other so well and loved how Jenny Han makes them work for it.

Some of the best moments of this book, illuminated some very important topics across. Family. The bond of sisters. Relationships and Sex. The connection between Lara Jean and her sisters Margot & Kitty and her Dad always remained in the front of the mind. You don't really see this level of commitment in a family unit in YA these days. That in itself is a marvel to behold.

Of course Lara Jean has always been the dreamer. She wants simple things in life. She sees life in a much different way than those around her do. And when Peter and she start to date, she wonders about sex. She is not ready for that big leap and Peter, sweet, beautiful confident boy ... he gets it ..... Sex is something you shouldn't take lightly and kudos to the author for stressing on it.

I loved this book. I loved everything about this book. Its sugary, its sweet, and all that is nice with the realities of life messed into these pages. I am definitely going to re-read these books a lot because Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky have carved a stronghold in my mind and ..... I'm not ready to say goodbye to them at all. I highly recommend it readers, you need to get this duology ..... 'cause its worth it.

"Subtle, sweet and tantalizing. You won't be able to put it down once you start"

IMPORTANT NOTICE = Not duology anymore .... YAY ...... There is another book coming soon in the series.... SO HAPPY..... MORE LARA JEAN and PETER K ..... According to Goodreads, its titled, "Always and Forever, Lara Jean"  

I wrote the review way before this news was announced so i decided not to change anything up there !!

To all my fans who asked me for one more book about Lara Jean...this one's for you. #AlwaysAndForeverLaraJean #spring17

A photo posted by Jenny Han (@jennyhan) on May 13, 2016 at 1:02pm PDT

Genre :     Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 26th May, 2015

My Copy: bought (hardback)

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

Other Books in the Series(review links):

           #1 To All The Boys I've Loved Before 

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository

The Illuminae Files #1 Illuminae

Presenting The Illuminae Files #1 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff.

Here is the summary of the book:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.


Review:

ASDFGHJKL ....... WOW ..... FREX-ING AMAZING. This book proved to be a supernova of awesomeness and I am just about to state to you all ..... Just why you need this book. Because you really really need this book. - in Pros and Cons .....

Pros:-

• Amie Kaufaman and Jay Kristoff. Those name alone warrant a buy. Kaufman's Starbound series (with Megan Spooner) and Kristoff's Lotus War books are just simply brillaint.

• Its a sci-fi romance.

• The narrative is wholly in Epistolary format - Letters, IMs, emails and official reports and found transcripts.

• The year is 2575

• Its a war between the mega-corporations over a planet.

• Stunning and graphic world building. Like its happening right infront of us and we are a part of it.

• Its a high speed chase across the silent universe and the love story of Kady and Ezra desperately fighting for survival across two different space vessels.

• The style of presentation also scores pints in the pursuit of buying the tome.

• Kady is a genius hacker. She is antisocial. Doesn't work well with groups. Fierce, spunky and a spitfire are some of the points to describe her.

• Ezra was a sweetheart. Cocky, self-confident, athletic and very very goofy he may be but he also carries a big secret that brings him down. But points to him, he is resilient. 

• Even if he and Kady aren't talking at the beginning and they are on two different evacuation ships, he would keep trying to reconnect with her.

• Nothing like world destruction to get your priorities straight and keep your near and dear ones closer.

• Both Kady and Ezra show such tremendous character growth as the page keep turning.

• Life and death. 

• Death defying acts.

• Sentient AI gone crazy. "Am I Not Merciful"

• A killer contaminant turning people into mindless zombies. Ax-ing them off one by one.

• Blood

• Gore

• The ticking countdown of the approaching enemy vessel, Lincoln.

• The military as always trying yo keep a lid on things. In the misguided attempt to keep the peace.

• Heartbreaking and heart-stopping twists and turns that keep us on the edge of our seats. As we sift through the pages at the speed of light.

• The raw data more than enough highlighting their dire circumstances.

• And that perfect ..... perfect finale that sets things in motion for the sequel.

Cons:-

• Its quite big in size. 

Really not much of a con if you think about how the narrative is styled.

Come to think I didn't really find a single things bad about this book.

Closing One-liner:-

"Engrossing. Immersive. Action paced. Heart Pounding"

Genre :     Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-fi, Romance

Publisher: Knof Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 20th October, 2015

My Copy: bought (hardback)

Rate:             5/5 (It was Awesome)

Other Books by the Author(review links):
         Newsoul Starrbound #1 #2
         The Lotus War #1 Stormdancer

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Gris Grimly's Tales from Brothers Grimm

Presenting Gris Grimly's Tales from Brothers Grimm.

Here is the summary of the book:

The Brothers Grimm’s enduring fairy tales are brought to life for a new generation of readers in their original, uncut, uncensored form, in a lavish new edition by the master of the gothic macabre—bestselling illustrator Gris Grimly.

Grimm.

The name alone is enough to call to mind any number of the timeless fairy tales collected by brothers Jacob and Wilhelm in the early nineteenth century. These folktales have been told and retold in many forms for over two centuries, and while the particular mix of fantasy, adventure, and wonder that defined their seven-volume collection has endured, the terror, violence, and darkness of the original stories have often been lost in translation.

Enter Gris Grimly, the modern master of gothic horror, who has faithfully reproduced the original text of a selection of tales—including “Rapunzel,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Little Red-Cap”—and adorned them with his own inimitable artwork. The result is a Grimm collection unlike any other, set in a world that is whimsically sinister, darkly vivid, and completely unforgettable. Gris Grimly’s Tales from the Brothers Grimm is the definitive illustrated compendium of these classic stories for a new generation of readers.

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Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Charles Perrault or Han Christian Andersen (and etc.), these are literary giants where fairytales are considered. You all know of the Frog Prince, Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel and others. You all grew up reading, fantasizing and analyzing these fairytales. Even coming across the tale depicted in various mediums relevant to the time. This here is another such gem.

Accompanied by the gorgeous & darkly whimsical water color illustrations of well known artists Gris Grimly ...... You have something old, in a something new style. The art is definitely the bonus of this edition and I very much loved re-reading all those stories alongside Grimly's marvelous artistry.

"The wonders of fairytales and the eye-catching water colors of Grimly's brush strokes. A well matched combo"

Genre :     Fairytales, Classic

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: 26th July, 2016

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other books by Artist(only those reviewed on blog):
         Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet 

Buy:         Amazon | Book Depository 

Elementals #2 The Blood of Hydra

Presenting Elementals #2 The Blood of Hydra by Michelle Madow.

Here is the summary of the book:

A demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret, even from those trusted most.

Finding out that she was a witch was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. No one can know her secret -- not even Blake, who she's had undeniable chemistry with since first moving to town.

Now Nicole, Blake, and the three others with elemental powers must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. The creatures they face on this journey will be more dangerous than anything they've encountered yet. Will they all survive the quest? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their quest to save the world -- or die trying.

The Mythologies are true. Gods are real. Demigods, monsters and Witches and Magic are just as real. In its first book, The Prophecy of Shadows, Nicole Cassidy finds herself smack in the middle of this much weirder world when she starts at her new school. Thats not all. Apparently the old mythology monsters are breaking out of their prison and Nicole, Blake, Danielle, Kate and Chris must band together to stop the coming doom.

The Blood of Hydra starts sometime after the first book finishes. They have gained the Book of Shadows but much needs done before they can be ready to tackle the problem of Kerberos. They need weapons to perfectly kill the escaping immortal beast and for that they must go on a dangerous journey to gather the ingredients. Along the way opening up to each other, dealing with grief and the realizations of victory.

Where the Prophecy of Shadows focused on the magical aspect of the tale. The Blood of Hydra ups the ante with the appearance pf their Greek heritage. They need three special ingredients for their special weapons and for that they must not only train harder but also face opponents much fiercer than the harpy. Well paced and action packed, the story not only keeps us entertained but also engaged as we anticipate what comes next.

Nicole, Blake, Danielle, Kate and Chris also grew exponentially as the core characters. Nicole being the daughter of Apollo has a rather unfair advantage in her group with the most power but she makes up for it with her kindness, and charm. She is rather attracted to the hot & smoldering *wink* Blake but she is afraid of voicing her feelings would not only sit well with Danielle but also the groups dynamics will be crushed. She is also hesitant of said power of healing that can also kill with a touch.

Just like Nicole, Blake is likewise attracted to her but knows he must give her the space she needs to come to terms with the situation. Of course that sparks a lot of unnecessary drama but I likes how they didn't jump the gun. It gave a lot of substance to their characters.

Danielle surprisingly felt like the best part. She is ready to move on and after her heart to heart with Nicole, she feels a lot more open than the mean girl we were introduced to in the first book. Chris and Kate while didn't do much, definitely had their fun as well. Some new characters were seen, the group's travel to Greece aptly widens the horizon with each step of the journey.

"Solid Greek mythology. An exciting sequel and a breathless action packed page-turner"

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal, Mythology, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: 18th April, 2016

My Copy: publisher & netgalley

Rate:              4/5 (Really Liked It)

Other Books from the author (review links):
                 Transcend Time #1 #1.5 #2 
                The Secret Diamond Sisters #1
                       Elementals #1 The Prophecy of Shadows
           
Buy:           Amazon