Month: September 2018

The Girl Who Fell: #LoveOzYA Review

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36985967The Girl Who Fell (The Chess Raven Chronicles #1) by Violet Grace
Publication: September 3rd 2018
Publisher: Nero (an imprint of Black Inc.)
Source: Review copy from Publisher
– Thank you Nero
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


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The first book in a thrilling fantasy series about a girl who learns to embrace her inner power.

Chess Raven is a hacker who has grown up with nothing and no one. Her parents died when she was three and her foster care situation turned out badly – very badly. But on her sixteenth birthday, her life is turned upside down.

Chess learns her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father was a brilliant physicist. The unique blend of her mother’s fairy blood and her father’s humanity gives Chess – and Chess alone – the ability to unlock a mysterious vessel that will unleash unimagined powers – with devastating consequences. Thrown into a new world where nothing is at it seems, Chess must work out who to trust as vying forces race to control her. Or kill her.

Reunited with her childhood friend Tom Williams, an enigmatic shape-shifting unicorn, Chess discovers love for the first time and is prepared to risk her life for it. But first she must learn to overcome a fear of her own power and stop waiting for other people to save her. She is the one she’s been waiting for.

Chess is an orphan with no real knowledge of her parents. She spends her childhood a victim of a set of foul foster parents. The daughter of a brilliant human physicist and a rebellious Fae queen, Chess grows up not knowing of the royal Fae blood hiding in her veins or her ability to tap into it.

On Chess’s sixteen birthday she is attacked by what I can only describe as Zombie Fairies and that is when the story really begins. What comes next is a whirlwind adventure of Chess finding out about who she is, who she can and can’t trust, learning to harness her Fae abilities and getting to know a spunky unicorn shifter.

The world building is detailed and really had that whole Urban Fantasy thing going for it.

I got a mutant marvel x-man meets disney princess vibe from Chess (which i liked) and I did find myself connecting with, and liking her chararter.

For the most part this book feels like it’s aimed at the younger side of the YA market, but that in no way means that older readers won’t enjoy it.

Conclusion: It is a simple, fast and fun read. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the second book, in which the blurb intrigues me even more than the first.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Fae, Parallel Realms, Rags to Riches fairy tales and Unicorn soldiers.

Violet GraceAbout the author

Violet Grace is the pen name of wife-and-husband writing team Kasey Edwards and Christopher Scanlon. Kasey is an author and columnist and Christopher is an academic and social commentator. They live in Melbourne with their two daughters.

Chess Raven Links: Nero | Instagram | Website | Goodreads |

Thanks for visiting The Adventures of SacaKat.
Until next time, enjoy your shelves :-).
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Bookish Babble: Quotes Collection Part Eight

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I laughed out loud the first time I read the above two sentences. I’d never really thought about it. What does happen after they ride of into the sunset?

I read Steph Bowe’s Night Swimming back in May 2017. It is an LGBT friendly, adorable #LoveOzYA feel good romp about growing up, first love, true friendship, finding your inner strength and place in the world and finding the courage to move forward. It’s well worth a look.

33128455Night Swimming by Steph Bowe

Published April 3rd 2017
by Text Publishing

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Imagine being the only two seventeen-year-olds in a small town. That’s life for Kirby Arrow—named after the most dissenting judge in Australia’s history—and her best friend Clancy Lee, would-be musical star.

Clancy wants nothing more than to leave town and head for the big smoke, but Kirby is worried: her family has a history of leaving. She hasn’t heard from her father since he left when she was a baby. Shouldn’t she stay to help her mother with the goat’s-milk soap-making business, look after her grandfather who suffers from dementia, be an apprentice carpenter to old Mr Pool? And how could she leave her pet goat, Stanley, her dog Maude, and her cat Marianne?

But two things happen that change everything for Kirby. She finds an article in the newspaper about her father, and Iris arrives in town. Iris is beautiful, wears crazy clothes, plays the mandolin, and seems perfect, really, thinks Kirby. Clancy has his heart set on winning over Iris. Trouble is Kirby is also falling in love with Iris…

We Three Heroes: #LoveOzYA Review

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We Three Heroes (The Medoran Chronicles, #4.5) by Lynette Noni
Genre: Fantasy, LoveOzYA
Publication: September 1st 2018
Publisher: Pantera Press
Source: Review copy from Publisher – Thank you Pantera

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“We all have to do our part if we’re to survive the coming storm.”

Alexandra Jennings might be the hero of The Medoran Chronicles, but she would be lost without her three closest friends. They are her heroes, and like all heroes, they each have their own story.

Meet the real D.C. in Crowns and Curses and discover how she becomes the princess Alex once despised but now adores.

Follow Jordan on his healing journey in Scars and Silence as he struggles in the wake of being rescued from his living nightmare.

Walk beside Bear in Hearts and Headstones as he faces an unspeakable trauma while helping his world prepare for the coming war.

D.C., Jordan and Bear are the heroes of their own stories.

It is time for their stories to be told.

I read Akarnae and Raelia back-to-back and was blown away. I devoured Draekora and Graevale as soon as I could. So you know I was super excited when Pantera and Lynette Noni announced We Three Heroes. Stories told from the POV of Alex’s besties while I’m waiting for Vardaesia to be released, hell yeah!

D.C.’s Story – Crowns and Curses. In this short we get to experience what made D.C. the sassy ice queen supreme we first meet in Akarnae. We then follow her healing journey and see her become the loyal and loving friend we know from books 2-4. Themes: bullying and friendship.

Jordan’s Story – Scars and Silence. At a first glance Jordan appears to be just an adorable cheeky ruffian with cool disappearing powers, but through this short we get to dive deeper into the boy and recover with him as he deals with the blows he received from Aven in books 2-3. Themes: suicide, family expectations, loss of loved one.

Bear’s Story – Hearts and Headstones. I knew from Graevale what was coming but living the battle again through Bear’s eyes still made me tear up. Unlike the previous two stories I didn’t feel I learnt anything new about Bear, but we did get to learn more about Declan’s past. Themes: loss of loved one, strengthening friendships, war.

I really enjoyed this book. It allows us to get to know the side charters better and I think getting a deeper understanding for them will make the final instalment all that more epic! Bring on VARDAESIA!

I still haven’t forgiven Noni for chapter 33 in Graevale, and my forgiveness hinges on three things I hope go down in Vardaesia regarding Bear and Declan, Alex and Kaiden, and a certain MIA winged Draekorian.

Noni’s The Medoran Chronicles are top notch. If you are a fantasy fan of any age or a #LoveOzYa supporter, then they are a MUST READ! The series has it all; action, adventure, a kick ass heroine, fantastic side characters, friendship, humour, romance, deeply built parallel worlds, humans with fantastical abilities and immortal beings.

I’m running off talking about the series aren’t I – oops – and this is supposed to be a review of We Three Heroes. In my defence it is an amazing series and the stories in this book weave through the timelines of the first four books.

Who would enjoy this book: fans of Noni’s Medoran Chronicles. This novella compendium is a MUST for fans of the series, but unless you’ve read the first four books and loved them, it’s not for you – too many spoilers and too many things you need to already know for the stories to flow.

Lynette Noni’s Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pantera | Goodreads

Booktopia | Bookdepository | Amazon AU | Amazon US

Thanks for visiting The Adventures of SacaKat.
Until next time, enjoy your shelves :-).

How to Hang a Witch: YA Review

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How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Genre: Paranormal YA
Publication: 1st January 2018
Publisher: Walker Books
Source: Review copy from publisher (Thank You)
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Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

After Sam’s father is hospitalised, she has to move from New York to Salem with her stepmother, Vivian. Unfortunately, Sam is related to Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for the Salem Witch Trials, and to say she feels unwelcome in Salem is an understatement… She is particularly unnerved by The Descendants, a mysterious and tight-knit group of girls related to those persecuted in the Trials. At the same time, she must deal with Elijah, the handsome but angry ghost who has appeared in her house, and her new neighbour Jaxon only complicates things further.

“I am utterly addicted to Adriana Mather’s electric debut. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, twisting and turning with ghosts, witches, an ancient curse, and – sigh – romance.” Jennifer Niven

“They really love their witches here,” I say, ignoring Vivian’s last question.
“This is one of the most important historical towns in America. Your relatives played a major role in that history.”
“My relatives hanged witches in the sixteen hundreds. Not exactly something to be proud of.”
But in truth, I’m super curious about this place, with its cobblestone alleys and eerie black houses. We pass a police car with a witch logo on the side. As a kid, I tried every tactic to get my dad to take me here, but he wouldn’t hear of it.
He’d say that nothing good ever happens in Salem and the conversation would end.

 

The story opens with the protagonist Sam’s dad in a coma. Sam and her step-mother Vivian have sold their New-York apartment to cover his rising medical bills and as such need to move back to Sam’s dads’ ancestral home in Salem.

I found Sam (Samantha Mather) to be easy to connect with right from the start. But I found the character of Elijah the most compelling and ended up by far my favourite.

There is an anti-bullying undercurrent to this whole story which I was completely on board with.

The plot was interesting and well executed. The pacing was good. And there were light and dark moments balanced the whole way through.

The only negative I found with the book, that dropped it from a five-star to a four-star read for me (so still an awesome book) was the romance. It felt forced at times and the story already had enough suspense and drama on its own. I just don’t think it was needed. Maybe the reason I couldn’t get on-board with the romance was because I didn’t connect with the Jaxon character? No, I think if they’d just been friends it would have worked fantastically! I did prefer the romance with Elijah, even though it was never going to work, and even if at times it didn’t sit right with me, at least the characters connection felt more built out. Meh, still an awesome book and one I’d happily read again.

How I felt reading this book: intrigued, entertained, occasionally annoyed at some of the characters and angry at bully behaviour (but for the most part just the first two).

I loved the mix of history and fiction and I loved how much the author put herself into the character*.

Who would enjoy this book: anyone with a fascination of Salem and the witch trials, anyone who likes young adult and paranormal fiction.

*At the back of the book there is an author’s note where Adriana talks about her connection to the infamous Salem witch trials, which is fascinating, and which I read before starting the story. I think reading it first gave me some sense of who the author was, her strong connection to the story and some of her hopes for the message behind the book. I think it made for a more connected read – so if you are going to read this book, I suggest you read the author’s note first.

Adriana’s Links: Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Thanks for visiting The Adventures of SacaKat.
Until next time, enjoy your shelves :-).