His Dark Materials Readalong - Announcement

To mark the 20th anniversary of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman myself and five other bloggers will be hosting a read along for the original trilogy and the related spin off novellas.

 

I am very excited to be helping host this read along as this series is absolutely incredible and it is about time I read it again. I shall be leading the discussions for The Subtle Knife which is quite apt as it was the first of these books that I read even though it is the second in the trilogy.

 

We will be starting on March 2nd and spending 1 week on each book. Most discussions will be on twitter under the hashtsag #HDBreadalong - the full schedule including the blogger leading each discussion is below!

 

Starting Monday 2nd March - Northern Lights with @ChelleyToy & @CometBabesBooks

 

 

Starting Monday 9th March - The Subtle Knife with @Loopy_Lu_

 

 

Starting Monday March 16th - The Amber Spyglass with @FictionThirst

 

 

Starting Monday 23rd March - Lyra's Oxford with @DarkRReviews @PewterWolf13

 

 

Starting Monday 30th March - Lyra's Oxford with @DarkRReviews @PewterWolf13

 

 

 These books are fantastic so if you don't have them already I highly recommend borrowing them from a friend, going to your local library or purchasing them so that you can participate in the read along.

 

Northern Lights | Northern Lights UK

The Subtle Knife | The Subtle Knife UK

The Amber Spyglass | The Amber Spyglass UK 

Lyra's Oxford | Lyra's Oxford UK

Once Upon A Time In The North | Once Upon A Time In The North UK

 

Make sure you follow all of the bloggers I mentioned above on twitter so that you can follow with the read along! I will be doing some stuff on Instagram so go and follow me there too :D

 



Stacking The Shelves / Showcase Sunday #58

Today is the last day to vote in the UKYA Book Blogger Awards so if you enjoy reading posts on Bookish Treasures please consider voting for me in the Best Growing Blogger Category :D

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Showcase Sunday is Hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and they both give bloggers the opportunity to share the books they have received in the past week.

 

This week I received quite a few paperbacks and hardbacks that sound incredible and I am really excited to be able to read soon. As usual if you click on the book cover you will be taken to the Amazon page for that book.

I am now regularly using Instagram to share books, cats and a few random bits of life and you can expect giveaways coming up in the future. Come and follow me -

http://instagram.com/lauramaycarter/

Review

Hardcopies

I'm very excited about ALL of these books. Thank you to Corsair, Orion Books and Hodder and Stoughton.

 

 

NetGalley

I love Katy Evans so I am very happy to be able to read a copy of the first in her brand new series early. This one sounds steamy!
 

 

Kindle Unlimited

I started this new series on Kindle Unlimited (it fact it distracted me away from the books I should be reading. Woops!) and I am really enjoying it so far. I have read book 1 and am part way into book 2.

 

 

Bought

 

Ebooks

 

I picked these up this week as Crimson Sin is the latest release by a UF indie author I really enjoy and Just So Stories is a book a read many times as a child that I want to reread as I am doing an assignment at University based on it and I would like the stories to be clearer in my mind.

 

 

What do you think of these books? Are there any you have read or plan to read? Feel free to link to your own Stacking The Shelves or similar posts in the comments.

Review of The Fire Sermon

Synopsis

When Zach and I were born our parents must have counted and recounted: limbs, fingers, toes. We were perfect. They would have been disbelieving: nobody dodged the split between Alpha and Omega.

Nobody.

They were born together and they will die together.

One strong Alpha twin and one mutated Omega; the only thing they share is the moment of their death.

The Omegas live in segregation, cast out by their families as soon as their mutation becomes clear. Forced to live apart, they are ruthlessly oppressed by their Alpha counterparts.

The Alphas are the elite. Once their weaker twin has been cast aside, they're free to live in privilege and safety, their Omega twin far from their thoughts.

Cass and Zach are both perfect on the outside: no missing limbs, no visible Omega mutation. But Cass has a secret: one that Zach will stop at nothing to expose.

The potential to change the world lies in both their hands. One will have to defeat the other to see their vision of the future come to pass, but if they're not careful both will die in the struggle for power.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

Review

The Fire Sermon is a fantastic post apocalyptic / dystopian novel that is very literary in nature making it perfect for fans of authors of literary fantasy such as Brandon Sanderson. From the very start, the writing in The Fire Sermon is utterly fantastic. First lines are crucial in setting the tone of the book and "I always thought they would come for me at night" perfectly conveys the action and mystery that you can expect throughout.

Whilst having a lower class heroine who wants to change the status quo is by no means unique in dystopian and fantasy fiction, the other elements of this book make it a stand out in the currently over saturated market for these kinds of books. My favourite aspect has to be that everyone in the world has a twin and when one twin dies so does the other. This gave a really interesting twist to the story as it keeps everyone's anger and hatred simmering as they cannot just fight.

Cass is a great character. She is caring, strong and looks deeper at people than what is just on the surface. What I loved about her is that whilst she is a "strong female characters" she is also believable and relatable. Rather than having exceptional fighting skills she has to rely on intelligence and sheer determination and there are many facets to her personality including vulnerability.
I have seen this book called YA by various people. However, I don't really think it should be classed as YA - Partially but not wholly because the main characters are in their early 20's for the majority of the story - though the content holds nothing overly inappropriate for most teens.

There is a romantic subplot in this novel which is very nice (especially if you like a sprinkle of romance with your action like I do!) but it is in no way a main feature and doesn't take over from the central storyline. It has what seems to me from other books I have read to have a relatively standard amount of romance (and inferred potential sexual activities) for an adult fantasy novel.

I absolutely loved Kip. He is a little different to your traditional "hero" as quite frankly he can be a little bit of a wimp at times. His lack of memory makes or some interesting twists and he is fiercely loyal and protective of Cass. Kip's growth as a character and discovery of himself made for some of my favourite moments in the book and when the going gets tough he manages to rise to the occasion.

With equality and diversity in both society and novels currently a hot topic I think that The Fire Sermon is being released at the perfect time. One of the central elements in this book is the hatred that Alphas and Omegas feel for each other, mainly because they are different and constantly focus on that rather than their in fact more numerous similarities.

There are a few mysteries in the book, some of which I guessed but others I was completely oblivious about to the end which is always nice. Surprises should stay as surprises and I normally work out the twists and endings of books way too early for my liking. I was most certainly surprised by some elements throughout!

The ending to this book was... brave. Francesca Haig has taken a route that I doubt all readers will be happy with, but I liked as I thought it was true to both the characters and the world in which they live. After how things were left I cannot wait to see what is next for Cass and everyone else and what route their story will take.

*I received a copy of this book for review consideration, this has not affected my opinions or ratings in any way*

Try it for yourself! Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

Laura

Hot New Releases: January 28th - February 10th

Welcome to Hot New Releases here at Bookish Treasures. The past two weeks have been incredible, particularly for YA novels included a few highly anticipated debuts. In fact, the only problem with these releases is that there are likely so many you want to buy it might break the bank! I know that I am going to have to slowly treat myself throughout the whole year to be able to get these.

We can only include books that we are aware of! If you have an upcoming release please let us know over email, facebook or twitter for the chance to see it included in the weekly round up. We are also always happy to hear about any free or discounted books :D

Young Adult

Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth

This bold, compelling and topical story about bullying is told from the perspective of the bully and the bullied. You won't be able put it down until you've reached the conclusion. Jess's life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her – it’s turning school from a safe place into a nightmare. Kez has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks. A hard-hitting and even-handed look at bullying and the issues facing teenagers today.  

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Arsenic For Tea by Robin Stevens

Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious.

Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill - and everything points to poison.

With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem - and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth . . . no matter the consequences.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell

And these are they. My final moments. They say a warrior must always be mindful of death, but I never imagined that it would find me like this . . .

Japanese teenager, Sora, is diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Lonely and isolated, Sora turns to the ancient wisdom of the samurai for guidance and comfort. But he also finds hope in the present; through the internet he finds friends that see him, not just his illness. This is a story of friendship and acceptance, and testing strength in an uncertain future.  

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Captive by A.J. Grainger

I open my eyes. The cell is flooded with sunlight; the window is a slice of pale blue. Dust particles dance in the sparkling light, pirouetting in a golden line from the window to the opposite wall of the cell, where they seem to converge into shapes. It is like looking into a kaleidoscope.

Dad isn't here. No one is, but me.
Robyn Knollys-Green is an A-list celebrity, famous for being the daughter of one of the world's most powerful men. But not even the paparazzi can find her now.

Robyn begins to realise that she is trapped in a complicated web of global corruption and deceit - and that the strange, melancholy boy who has been tasked with guarding her might not be an enemy after all . . .

A thrilling, well-crafted, ever-relevant story from a talented new voice in YA fiction.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Invaded by Melissa Landers

The romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe...until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen

Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She’s grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn’t know that it’s magic her parents are running from.

When Sarah’s mother walks out on their family, all the strange old magic they have tried to hide from comes rising into their mundane world. Her father begins to change into something wild and beastly, but before his transformation is complete, he takes Sarah to her grandparents—people she has never met, didn’t even know were still alive.

Deep in the forest, in a crumbling ruin of a castle, Sarah begins to untangle the layers of curses affecting her family bloodlines, until she discovers that the curse has carried over to her, too. The day she falls in love for the first time, Sarah will transform into a beast . . . unless she can figure out a way to break the curse forever.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton

Megan doesn't speak. She hasn't spoken in months.

Pushing away the people she cares about is just a small price to pay. Because there are things locked inside Megan's head - things that are screaming to be heard - that she cannot, must not, let out.

Then Jasmine starts at school: bubbly, beautiful, talkative Jasmine. And for reasons Megan can't quite understand, life starts to look a bit brighter.

Megan would love to speak again, and it seems like Jasmine might be the answer. But if she finds her voice, will she lose everything else?  

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

New Adult and Adult

Verum by Courtney Cole

The truth shall set you free.

My name is Calla Price and I’m drowning.

My new world is a dark, dark ocean and I’m being pulled under by secrets.

Can I trust anyone? I don’t know anymore.

The lies are spirals. They twist and turn, binding me with their thorns and serpentine tongues. And just when I think I have it figured out, everything is pulled out from under me.

I’m entangled in the darkness.

But the truth will set me free.

It’s just ahead of me, so close I can touch it. But even though it shines and glimmers, it has glistening fangs and I know it will shred me.

Are you scared?

I am.  

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

Hero by Samantha Young

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren't his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again…

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

***

What books do you have your eyes on this week? Is there any fantastic new releases that I have missed?

What Are Your #BookishWISHES ? (Giveaway!)

In the excitement for the release of The Darkest Part Of The Forest by Holly Black, Indigo Books have been encouraging bloggers to share their bookish wishes. I have a few, wid

My first wish is for greater diversity in books published over the next few years. In terms of both genre and characters (think ethnicity, religion, sexual identity and orientation etc.)

My second wish is for more retellings of less well known fairy tales.

My third wish is more personal - and maybe a little selfish! - and is that I wish to get an awesome entry level job in publishing once I graduate in August.

I love fairy tales and so today I am going to play at being a fairy godmother and bestow someone with a copy of The Darkest Part Of The Forest. However I cant decide who to play fairy godmother for! So what I want is for you to let me know why you would like me as your fairy godmother and I will pick my favourite (or at random if I cannot decide) to receive a copy of this book. Alternatively you can say why someone else deserves a fairy godmother and I will send THEM a copy.

Either let me know in a comment here or tweet using both @loopy_lu_ and #bookishWISHES . You can just have a short explanation or do something fancy like a video and share the link with me.

Now before you run off to try and win the book, here is a little more information about it.

Synopsis

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?