The Union Of Shadows
- Written by Emma Bradley
I sometimes speak to Emma on social media and when she was looking for reviewers I jumped at the chance to read this book.
Unfortunately I am yet to read her debut fantasy series: ‘Arcanium’ where we get to meet the characters in this book. But this didn’t stop me from getting to know these characters really quickly.
As Lord of the Court of Illusions, Kainen Hemlock is determined to redeem himself after the War of Queens. But having to dodge an arranged marriage wasn’t part of the plan. Reyan Roseglade is determined to keep her head down until she can buy her freedom from service at Kainen’s court. But pretending to be his future bride so he doesn’t have to marry someone else wasn’t what she had in mind. Then the Holly Queen asks for their help. Reyan agrees to use her shadow-merging gift to investigate a disturbance in the fabric of Faerie, but soon Kainen has his own plans for her future.
I loved diving into the world of Faerie, its courts and politics, and seeing how things work out there.
This is a beautiful world which I was sad to leave,
With the story told through a dual narrative, we get to know their individual personal conflicts and emotions. This is especially fascinating with Kainen, as I thought he was a really good character. I loved the relationship between him and Reyan and at times they came across as an old married couple.
I am looking forward to seeing where the series goes next.
Channel Fear
- Written by Lisa Richardson
- Published by Chicken House
I’m a massive fan of YA books, and I like to read as many as possible.
And I like to discover as many new authors as I can. I also find them really modern and relatable.
So I couldn’t wait to jump into this one.
YouTube ghost hunting stars, Zach and Lucas, disappeared at an undisclosed location several months ago. Iris – who heads up her own unsuccessful channel with co-hosts Byron and his girlfriend Molly – is obsessed with the duo, and has been searching for the location ever since. Then, she stumbles across the long-abandoned Thornhanger House. The trio set aside their toxic love triangle when they find Zach and Lucas’s abandoned equipment inside … complete with their last day of filming. As they watch the footage, a horrifying truth whatever came for Zach and Lucas is coming for them too …
We have 3 sets of characters.
The original missing ghost hunting duo of Zach and Lucas who we meet through their found footage.
Iris, Molly and Byron who we follow on their hunt for the duo, and finally the house, its grounds and its inhabitants. (who might be former or current, it’s really up to you to decide.)
I’ll hold my hands up here and say I didn’t really like any of the characters, but this did make me read on to see what fate awaited them. They made some questionable choices throughout the book, and for me there were a lot of unanswered questions left at the end which has me hoping for a sequel.
Teenagers will be able to relate to these characters and relate to influencers and vloggers, and of course the use of social media, and you tube plays a massive part of the story.
This was a great storyline.
These Infinite Threads
- Written by Tahereh Mafi
I absolutely love YA and Fantasy so when I discovered this book I knew I was just going to love it.
This is the second book in the Woven Kingdom series.
But if you have missed the first book then don’t worry because chapter one gives you a summary of what has previously happened.
And to be honest this could be read as a standalone book.
With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.
Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.
Kamran’s grandfather lay dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighbouring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.
Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfilment of her own destiny tantalisingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.
Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.
This is everything I want in A YA book. There’s magic, danger and adventure.
The word building in this book was amazing and you could really believe that you were there.
The three main characters are amazing and completely different.
You have Alizeh ,she is strong, resilient, kind, helpful and stubborn. I didn’t like Kamran in this book, he was naive, dumb and very rude. I would suppose you would call him’ The Goodie’ and then you would have’ The Baddie’. I liked Cyrus, he was charming, mysterious, funny, and handsome. I enjoyed learning about Cyrus’ past, I really like the banter between Alizeh and Cyrus. I really like Alizeh and Cyrus’ enemies-to-lovers romance. Is it wrong for a reader to be rooting for ‘The Baddie’? Because I want Cyrus to come out on top, to become King and win the girl.
The dialogue was brilliant throughout the book.
This is such an amazing read and I was so disappointed when I came to the end of the book.
I think there is a really long wait for book 3.This book was shortlisted for the Goodreads for the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2023)
Catch Your Death
- Written by Ravena Guron
I adore a good mystery and a YA book so when both of them are combined I know it’s going to be an amazing experience
Trapped in a mansion with a murderer and a family of liars – how would you survive?
When three girls are stranded at the grand Bramble Estate in the middle of a snowstorm, they stumble into a murder plot. Someone has poisoned wealthy Emily Vanforte in the middle of a family dinner – which means Devi, Lizzie and Jayne are trapped in the house with a killer and a mystery to solve. With knives under floorboards, vanishing guns and secret passages in the walls, no one is safe and everyone is a suspect. But in a house of liars and corruption, will the girls save themselves…or learn to fit in?
What a book…I struggled to put this book down and I found myself being shouted out by my children because I was so engrossed in this book that I was actually ignoring them.
Told from the POV of three protagonists (Devi, Lizzie and Jayne) who all find themselves stranded at the grand Bramble Estate during a snowstorm and inadvertently end up at the heart of a sophisticated murder plot. Some of the POV comes from police interviews.
I loved our protagonists Devi, Lizzie and Jayne (who ranged from fabulously sharp witted and impulsive to socially awkward and endearingly compassionate) and found them all really intriguing. Their complexity, depth and meticulously crafted backstories were phenomenally compelling and really helped to keep the narrative flowing.
But then I liked all the other characters and it took me a while to work out what had happened. This book shows how different the social classes work. I adored the manor house setting.
I really enjoyed how everything tied up in the end especially with that plot twist.There was so much tension and suspense in this book that you could cut right through it with a knife.
There are promises of more murder mysteries from this author and I can’t wait. This is definitely for the older YA audience.
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