Book Review: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Author: Virginia Boecker
Series: The Witch Hunter #1
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: June 4th 2015
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this novel from Netgalley and Orchard Books in exchange for an honest review.


I loved this book so much! I want to thank Meredith from Pandora's Books for recommending it to me.

I usually have a hard time reading about witches, probably because of my love for one very famous wizard and his friends. But I am so, so happy I was told to give this book a try. It was a very interesting story, but what I loved even more than the story were the characters.

I loved Elizabeth. She was fun to read about. There's a moment in the book where she's being completely honest with herself about why she chose to be a witch hunter and I loved that moment. I also liked the fact that she admitted to herself what was right and wrong, that she had the ability to say  "yes, this is bad". I also felt sorry for her at some point, especially when I found out her backstory. She was obviously in search of a family and I'm so happy that eventually she finds it.

Caleb pissed me off. I can't say I liked him all that much in the beginning of the book, but by the end of it I wanted to physically hurt him. How could he be so blind to what was going on with Elizabeth and how she was feeling? UGH! A lot of other things made me angry at him, but they're too spoilery for me to talk about. I'll just say this: he needed to be in a lot of pain.

I adored some of the secondary characters that Elizabeth met at Nicholas' house. Some of them were so, so hilarious. I can't wait for the next book, to read more about them. Peter was hilarious. I'm just sorry there weren't more scenes with him.

The story was good. I enjoyed the descriptions a lot. And some of the scenes, especially with the punishments handed out to those accused of witchcraft were so well written. I also enjoyed some of the descriptions. So vivid, so colorful. At some point, some events were predictable. It was obvious that some of those things were going to happen, but either way, I enjoyed the way they were put together and how they were told. Some things that happened, however, were unexpected to me. I thought for sure the villain was a different character. It makes sense that it's who it turned out to be, but for me it was shocking.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out and see how the story ends. Or how it continues, in case there are going to be more books besides the second one.

Obsessed With Covers #21: Into the Dim, Burning Glass & Reign of Shadows

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

 I discovered this book during last night's Fledgling Authors Twitter chat. I can't help but love this cover! The first thing that I noticed is the snow! *excited monkey* I love snow! And thunders. There's are thunders. And the girl. Am I the only one who sees Bonnie Wright in this photo? Doesn't she look EXACTLY like her?

I also love the infinity symbol used in the title. Oh, and let's not forget about her cape. I love that color! Dark green. It looks almost like emeralds. I love emeralds. Basically I love this cover and it needs to be in my shelf.




Into The Dim - Janet B. Taylor

Is that an amethyst I see? *heart eyes* There's something hauntingly beautiful about this cover. Aside from the amethyst. It's the ashes beneath the jewel, the dust coming out of the necklace. The sparks behind it, that somehow look like fiery stars. And nothing else. It's the fact that in the picture the only thing visible is the lone piece of jewelry that I like most.

Burning Glass - Kathryn Purdie

I don't think I'll ever get tired of covers such as this one. The font used for the title is gorgeous. And the covers are so beautiful. However colorful the cover might be, it gives me the impression of a scary story. Or a scary scene. I look at this and I can imagine one of those panic-inducing instrumental songs movies use to increase the feeling of danger. I really want to see the cover in real life.








Reign of Shadows - Sophie Jordan

Book Review: Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Author: Kody Keplinger
Series: The DUFF Companion
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: April 28th 2015
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Kody Keplinger returns to the world of The DUFF in this brand-new companion novel!

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with— secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand—a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Hodder's Children Books in exchange for an honest review.

I was ecstatic when I found out that Kody Keplinger was going to write another book set in the world of The DUFF. I absolutely loved that book and I wanted nothing more than spend more time with those characters.

What I like about Keplinger's books is that they always deal with important issues, no matter the age of the characters. Lying Out Loud, in my opinion, was about real friendships and lies. As Sonny found out, lies are so easy to tell. Sometimes they get discovered soon, sometimes they don't. But they are awfully easy to tell. And they ruin relationships. And it was also about true friendship, the one you can have with very few people in your life, the kind that will make the other person feel like a sibling. And how easy it is to lose it.

It was easy for me to relate with Sonny, mainly because I could see through her lies and figure out that they were about her trying to protect herself. Against what, I didn't know. However, at some point, I started wishing she'd get better at telling the truth. The lies eventually started to bother me a little.

I loved Amy. I really want a book from her POV, because she's a great character. I liked that she found it in herself to have a real talk with Sonny and tell her everything that was bothering her. Basically, she stood up for herself. I kept wondering, however, if she didn't have a crush on Ryder. I don't know why that seemed like what she was going through. Of course, she later explains in a conversation with Sonny why she was acting the way she did and I realized she was just scared of losing her best friend.

Ryder was such a hard character to like. He had no in-between, he was either hating something or someone, or loving them. That bothered me a little. Also, he could be a bit of a jerk. He hated everything small town for no good reason and he kept having that "I'm better than you" air about him. Maybe that too was a defense mechanism. Because I only got to meet him through Sonny's eyes, I can't be certain about that. But who knows, maybe there were other things that made him act the way he did.

What I loved was that every character from previous books make an appearance in this one. And I love it when seemingly unrelated books share some common link.

I keep hoping that Amy will get her own book, because she needs to be braver than she is right now. I thought she did a good job of defending herself and demanding the respect she deserved, but she still needs more. She needs to have that same courage with strangers in my opinion.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed this new book from Keplinger and I can't wait to read more books from this author.

Cover Reveal: And Then Forever by Shirley Jump

And Then Forever by Shirley Jump

Coming July 28th!

Welcome to Fortune’s Island, where the only rule is to follow your heart.

Love is an extravagance Darcy Williams can’t afford. She prefers the simple life, which includes waitressing at The Love Shack and avoiding temptation. But when a forbidden part of her past steps off the ferry, her safe, guarded existence is turned upside down.

Kincaid Foster has never gotten over his first love. When he sees the wild, beautiful blonde again, dancing her way around The Love Shack, the memories of Darcy’s soft skin, gentle touch, and heated kisses come rushing back. As the privileged son of a wealthy family, Kincaid was too young to stand up to his overbearing father when he and Darcy were together. Now, he’s back on the island—free of the family shackles—and the chiseled, big-time lawyer wants a second chance.

But, Darcy made a promise to keep a secret from Kincaid—a secret that is now a six-year-old girl who looks just like her daddy. If Kincaid finds out about their daughter, Darcy could lose everything. But, she can’t resist the man who stole her heart all those years ago. And it doesn’t take long before both of them realize that anything can happen on a hot summer night.

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Book Review: The Memory Hit by Carla Spradbery

Author: Carla Spradbery
Series: N/A
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Release Date: June 4th 2015
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

On New Year's Eve, Jess's life is unrecognizable: her best friend is in the hospital, her boyfriend is a cheater. A drug-dealing cheater it would seem, after finding a stash of Nostalgex in his bag.

Nostalgex: a drug that stimulates memory. In small doses, a person can remember the order of a deck of cards, or an entire revision guide read the day before an exam. In larger doses it allows the user detailed access to their past, almost like watching a DVD with the ability to pause a moment in time, to focus on previously unnoticed details and to see everything they've ever experienced with fresh eyes. As Leon, the local dealer, says 'it's like life, only better.' What he fails to mention is that most memories are clouded by emotions. Even the most vivid memories can look very different when visited.

Across town Sam Cooper is in trouble. Again. This time, gagged and bound in the boot of a car. Getting on the wrong side of a drug dealer is never a good idea, but if he doesn't make enough money to feed and clothe his sister, who will?

On New Year's Day, Jess and Cooper's worlds collide. They must put behind their differences and work together to look into their pasts to uncover a series of events that will lead them to know what really happened on that fateful New Year's Eve. But what they find is that everything they had once believed to be true, turns out to be a lie ...

*Disclaimer: I received this e-galley from Netgalley and Hodder Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

If there's something I love is being taken by surprise when I'm reading a book. Not because it's scary or because there's one detail that I didn't see coming, but because the story does not go where I think it will. This is what happened to me with The Memory Hit. Halfway through the book I was so sure I had it all figured out and then BAM! That ending!

The book is told from multiple POVs and the way they are put together is so interesting. At first it was a bit confusing, because I didn't quite understand how exactly some of these characters were related to each other. As you move forward however, obviously it all makes sense. But the change of perspective really shows that the one you thought was the villain might not be "the big bad". Also, if you're hoping for romance, you won't find it here. Which, honestly, was refreshing. I feel like there's always romance in YA, so for this book to not have any was actually a good change.

I have to be honest and say that I liked Cooper much more than I liked Jess. Jess wasn't unlikable, she just had certain moments where I did not understand why she was doing something or why was she acting a certain way. At times she'd seem a bit self-involved. But then I'd get to a scene where a bit of her back-story is explained and I start to understand her a little bit more, maybe even accept her. Cooper however, because of his family, was completely understandable. His actions made sense to me. He was just a lost guy, trying to keep his head above water. And he was trying to be the best brother he could.

There were some really scary scenes, with someone setting things on fire. That person seemed like a total sociopath. I had ideas of who it might be, but boy was I wrong! I did not see that one coming.

The book deals with drug addiction and how sometimes these drugs might give the idea of providing comfort. There were a few scenes that talked about that perceived comfort. There's a question here that I feel I should ask myself: would I want to relieve memories? To remember every detail of my past? Not really, no. But there's a good scene, in which Luke explains how he used the drugs and why.

I did think the ending was a bit too rushed. I didn't mind the ending, in the sense that I loved being that surprised, but it just seemed a bit too easy for the solution to be found in the way it was. Overall it was an interesting book, with a very unique ending.

Obsessed With Covers #21: Sweet & Until We Meet Again

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week - the seaside edition.

 It appears I have a thing for photographs in which the perspective is off. Which is why I love this cover. It's simple. And sweet (HA! See what I did there?) However, simple doesn't mean without a certain something. The water is calm, that's true. And the sky is clear, with only white, fluffy clouds. However that quote at the beginning of the cover is chillingly scary! So maybe not so sweet, huh? And is that blood on top of the "T"? Or a ribbon? The lover of all things scary in me wants to think it's blood.

The colors are gorgeous and they make me miss the sea. I also want to know more about this cruise...



Sweet - Emmy Laybourne

I love this cover so much. The swirly design before and after the title are great and the font used for the title is pretty as well. However the sea at night is just....dreamy! I love the sea and she (I always thing the sea is a she) has a deceiving calmness at night or right at sunset. I love that the sky colors are somewhat reflected in the water. And I love the rays of light on top of the landscape. It makes me wonder if the image is taken from behind a screen or maybe it's a magical, unseen screen? And the perspective is just awesome. I am hoping that the picture is continued on the spine and on the back of the cover, and maybe hint at the person who's looking at the girl. That would be awesome! Based on this cover, I'm adding this book on my TBR, because I need such gorgeousness on my shelves.

Until We Meet Again - Renee Collins