Antigoddess - Review

Anitgoddess by Kendare Blake

Goddess war book one

Available now

bookswithbite.co.uk 

What's it about?

He was Apollo, the sun, and he'd burn down anything that tried to hurt her... Cassandra and Aidan are just your average high-school couple. Or so Cassandra believes. Blissfully unaware that she was once a powerful prophetess, Cassandra doesn't even know thats god exist... Until now.

Because the gods are dying - and Cassandra could hold the answer to their survival. But Aidan has a secret of his own. He is really Apollo, god of the sun, and he will do anything to protect the girl he loves from the danger that's coming for her. Even if it means war against his immortal family...

Sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; relentless action and suspense - ANTIGODDESS is the YA novel you've been waiting for.

My review

While my review for Antigoddess is positive it does come with a but. The book is well written, exciting, with interesting characters (Athena kicked butt.) BUT I was so disappointed by the end when nothing about the main plot gets explained.

The Gods are dying but they don't know why, they''re all fighting each other to stay alive but how do they know that will work when they don't know what's happening and how do they know if they're on the 'right' side. No effort is put in to finding a reason why, which I found incredibly frustrating.

Other than this though, the rest of the book was really good, there's a lot of action and plenty of references to Greek mythology stories, though it mainly focuses on the battle of Troy there are subtle references to other tales and each characters origin. As a lover of Greek mythology I was happy to see how well researched that side of the book had been and it was woven in well to the main story.

The book follows two perspectives in alternate chapters, firstly Athena and Hermes in a quest to find Cassandra and then Cassandra herself and her friends. I much preferred the chapters with Athena and Hermes over Cassandra, they had more action to them and I just preferred the characters, they were more complex and interesting. Cassandra and co just didn't have the same spark for me and I found myself rooting for Athena even though she does some questionable things.

The writing was pretty spot on too, I immediately felt engaged in the story and characters and was wrapped up in the world fairly quickly and despite feeling disappointed by the end that I had raced to get to, I know I'll be reading book two looking for more of the same and hoping for some answers.

Find the author

Blog

Twitter

Goodreads

The 100 society - Review

The 100 society by Carla Spradbery

Available now

www.bookswithbite.co.uk 

What's it about?

For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession.

Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag. 

As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust. 

With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...

My review

The 100 society was is a difficult one to review for me because I both liked it and didn't. There's a good bit of mystery and some exciting twists but there also parts that didn't make any sense. Like the whole fact of the 100 society for instance, I mean I know its a secret society so there should be some mystery to it but we aren't given any clues as to who they are, how they work or what it means to join.
And it doesn't make sense how you join, okay tagging 100 locations is simple enough but since Grace and her friends keep it secret and try to keep it out of the media, how are the society supposed to know its her and how come she's never approached by anyone? And I can't see why she's so determined to join anyway, her only reason is that they can get her into a good college, no promise of riches, future job security or even a prominent place in society, just something she could do herself by working hard in school instead of risking her life on graffiti.
To me it just didn't make enough sense but I enjoyed the rest. Trying to figure out who the bad guy was and wondering what they might do next helped save this book but some of the timing was off, without giving too much away, at the end Grace leaves someone behind locked in a room, yet when she races off somewhere, they're there before her and there were other times when people managed to get somewhere or do something quicker than the time that seems to pass, it took away part of the believability of the story as a whole.
However I did make it to the final page so that says something about the book too because if it had been terrible I wouldn't have made if far through before giving up and reading something else.

So I'd say read it if your looking for a quick mystery where you don't have to think too much or if the finer details are not something that bother you.

Find the author
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Black ice - Review

Black ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Available October 7th 2014

kids.simonandschuster.co.uk 

What's it about?

Britt Pfeiffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trekking trip with her. But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, where they find two knights in shining armour. Or so they think.

Britt quickly realises that the girls need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, she is forced to guide the boys down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to escape with her life is to pretend she is on their side. But is gorgeous, sexy Mason an enemy or an ally? Tension mounts, and it's only a matter of time before things turn deadly . . .

My review

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about reading Black ice, the little I'd heard about it was particularly positive and while I have read Becca's Hush, hush series, its not one of my favourites. That being said, I am SO glad I picked up Black ice because I absolutely loved it! I was hooked pretty early on, even though Korbie got on my nerves pretty badly I was still intrigued and when she was gone I couldn't stop reading, I had to know how it ended.

It's one of those books where you can't guess the end but once you get there, you realise just how many little clues were laid out for you along the way making it a very clever book.

Black ice is filled with twists and turns that will surprise you and keep you guessing and flying through the pages until you find out exactly what the hell is going on.

I found the story to be believable, including the ending and even the romance was done well. Going into the book all I could think was how can anyone fall for their captor? No matter the circumstances, how can you see someone who has kidnapped you, for what ever reason in a romantic way? But it was all handled really well and at a good pace so we weren't rushed into an unbelievable insta-love which would have ruined it completely.

I'm not usually one for thrillers but Black ice is definitely an exception for me, one that I will be recommending to others looking for a thriller within the YA genre and I hope Becca writes more more books like it as I will be first in the queue for my copy when that happens.

Find the author
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads