The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder
Goodreads Summary: 'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.' The iconic opening line of Stephen King's groundbreaking series, The Dark Tower, introduces one of his most enigmatic and powerful heroes: Roland of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger.

Roland is a haunting figure, a loner, on a spellbinding journey towards the mysterious Dark Tower, in a desolate world which frighteningly echoes our own.

On his quest, Roland begins a friendship with a kid from New York named Jake, encounters an alluring woman and faces an agonising choice between damnation and salvation as he pursues the Man in Black.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: Roland of Gilead is the last Gunslinger. He is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. The only thing in his way? The man in black, who he is always chasing but never catching. A shadow which holds all the answers, yet none of the ones Roland wants. On his journey, Roland will come across two people. As he walks the path to damnation, will he continue or turn around in hopes of salvation?

The Gunslinger is a good story, but contains an overwhelming amount of information. I found some of it hard to process, and read at a much slower pace than I'm used to. The mystery of the story, particularly at the beginning, got quite frustrating for me as I just wanted the story to progress beyond Roland's day to day travels. There are highs and lows, parts of the story I greatly enjoyed, and parts which bored me to death.

Really, there's only one main character (Roland) which is an interesting way of telling a story. Jake's character really intrigued me, he's just a boy from another world, yet insightful and intuitive. The idea of having many worlds is a good one, which really adds to Roland's story.

The style of the text is vastly different from what I'm used to reading, probably because I rarely read adult fantasy with the long descriptions us teenagers seem to get sick of after awhile. I'd enjoy knowing more about Roland's past, however I believe more bits of information will be revealed as the series goes on, for Roland has an extremely interesting character with a significant backstory.

The Gunslinger is a fantasy unlike no other, set in a world with many worlds within. Stephen King's detailed descriptions will blow you away just as the book surprised me. I expected a regular fantasy novel, instead I got an extraordinary one which challenges your views on the world around you.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
Publisher: Hachette New Zealand
Goodreads Summary: A clammy hand pressed Laura down to her knees beside Jacko's bed. It was the hand of terror, nothing less.'

It was a warning. Laura felt it when she looked in the mirror that morning. There had been others: the day her father left home, the day she met Sorensen - the boy with the strange silver eyes.

But nothing had prepared Laura for the horror of today. And now her little brother, Jacko, was fighting for his life after being sucked dry of his youth by the sinister Carmody Braque.

Laura knows there is only one way to save Jacko; she must join Sorensen and use his supernatural powers to change over if there is to be any hope for her little brother.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Laura Chant isn't normal. She receives warnings, feelings of premonition which only proceeds bad things. Sometimes, she acknowledges them; but sometimes she ignores them, and what happens after is always unchangeable, set in stone. To save her younger brother Jacko's life, she must talk to Sorenson Carlisle, the school prefect she knows is a witch. But this journey won't be easy...

The Changeover is a short book, nevertheless a good one. It's not often that I read books set in New Zealand, with typical 'New Zealand' problems such as a single mum raising a child (or children!) alone, and lack of money. The book has a great storyline of ups and downs, however what prevented me from liking it more is actually just the fact that it has such an ordinary setting.

Sorry (short for Sorenson) is another thing I really like about this book. His nickname is quite ironic I think, considering his personality which is unveiled bit by bit. I love his broken-ness I suppose, just the fact that his past still haunts him and certainly has stopped him into the boy Laura meets. His mother and grandmother have their own mysteries about them too; his whole family is an intrigue.

One peculiar thing that occurs in this book is Laura telling her mother these supernatural feelings. Although she isn't really believed, in most Young Adult books the main characters just go off on an adventure with little regard or mention of their parents. In The Changeover Laura's mum Kate is still quite a big part of the novel even though they aren't always around. Margaret Mahy has created a next atmosphere in which her characters grow and inspire others.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of supernatural stories about ordinary people.

Strange The Dreamer (Strange The Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads Summary: The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: "Inside a dream. 
Within a lost city.
In the shadow of an angel.
At the brink of calamity."

Lazlo Strange is an orphan. While working as a Librarian the Godslayer Eril-Fane shows up and Lazlo's dream becomes an adventure. Learning the language of Weep, Lazlo attempts to solve the problems of Weep, a city with hidden mysteries. As for the answers? They lie buried in the past.

There was a man who loved the moon, but whenever he tried to embrace her, she broke into a thousand pieces and left him drenched, with empty arms.

Many characters get a say in Strange The Dreamer, including one cinnamon haired beauty Lazlo sees in his dreams. As the nights pass they revel in each other's company, experimenting and testing the limits of their dreamscape. Their love is unique, and I believe it mirrors the quote above. It is a sad story, one which may or may not have met its end. There's a subtle magic in this romance, although it took me awhile to believe it was real and not just an insta-love scenario.

"That's how you go on. You lay laughter over the dark parts, the more dark parts, the more you have to laugh. With defiance, with abandon, with hysteria, any way you can."

The city of Weep is only a flawed place hiding behind a mask of perfection and the illusion of glory, which Lazlo soon discovers. Those hidden facts lying beneath the surface mean more than most realise, the very definition of a dark past. Strange The Dreamer has a lot of world building and introductions made in the first part of the book, but once that is over there is a great story to enjoy reading.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of fantasy and adventure books.

He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads Summary: In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack. She and her boyfriend Kit call the police, and in that moment, it is not only the victim's life that is changed forever. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear, and while Laura knows she was right to speak out, the events that follow have taught her that you can never see the whole picture: something, and someone, is always in the dark.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Laura and Kit once saw an eclipse together; a beautiful moment, but perhaps they would choose to sacrifice it if only to escape the horror of what happened in the aftermath of that eclipse. Dragged into a high profile trial, they will never be the same. Fifteen years later, they're still running from the past. But eventually they will have to face it...

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this book. There were moments I absolutely loved, moments I hated, moments where I doubted my thoughts on the events that occur in this book filled with controversy. Laura and Kit both have truly flawed characters, something which I appreciate, but still hate.

He Said/She Said is a multi-sided, a classic who do you believe? tale. I was jerked from side to side, my opinions changing with the completion of each chapter, each dose of information just another slightly zoomed out but still largely magnified big picture.

The characters? Masterfully crafted. That doesn't mean I didn't hate every single one of them at one point or another. In fact, I can almost believe that Erin Kelly actually made them this way on purpose! No character in He Said/She Said is faultless for though they may seem like so at the beginning, this assumption is quickly proven to be just that.

An excellent story with detail, lots of character development and plot twists, what could be missing? Oops, I forgot to mention the sometimes scarce (or nonexistent) action. Action is an important element in my opinion, and it just didn't meet my expectations. Time in the book could've progressed faster and perhaps produced more action but it's only a matter of opinion. Erin Kelly has created a wonderful, complex tale about a young girl struggling to come to terms with what has happened to her.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery thrillers and psychopaths.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: Vowing to discover the fate of her missing cousin, a woman returns to her family’s Kansas estate where she spent one haunting summer as a teen, and where she discovered the dark heart of the Roanoke clan that left her no choice but to run.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her maternal grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, at the Roanoke family estate in rural Osage Flats, Kansas, following the suicide of her mother. Lane knows little of her mother’s family, other than the fact that her mother ran away years before and cut off all contact with her parents. Allegra, abandoned by her own mother at birth and raised by her grandparents, introduces Lane to small-town life and the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But there is darkness at the heart of the Roanoke family, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull she has no choice but to run, as far and as fast as she can.

Eleven years later, Lane is scraping by in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls with the news that Allegra has gone missing. “Come home,” he beckons. Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to Osage Flats, determined to find her cousin and assuage her own guilt at having left Allegra behind all those years ago. Her return might mean a second chance with Cooper, the boyfriend whom she loved and destroyed that fateful summer. But it also means facing the terrible secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between the summer of Lane’s first arrival and the summer of her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Lane Roanoke is a member of the Roanoke family; a rich, have-it-all group. There's just one flaw - all of the Roanoke girls have run, disappeared, or died. When Lane discovers the family secret she chooses to run, but then her cousin Allegra goes missing and loyalty forces her to return and solve the mystery, once again entrapped in the web of lies and resurfacing many memories. Soon Lane must make a life altering choice...

Cooper Sullivan is every bit the dark, mysterious guy that frequents books. As always, I love this archetype and therefore love Cooper. He's a little different though and his relationship with Lane is something I admire, when countless fights and ploys are finally beneath them, after all that time they can still forgive and love.

Dearest grandfather, what have you done? I must say, Lane's grandfather is truly a piece of work. It took me a few chapters to figure out the secret, but when I did, I really was appalled, still am. I wasn't really convinced though, that the whole situation could work out with illnesses or defects? This is simply my core feeling, if forgotten about I enjoyed the read. Osage Flats and Roanoke are closely related, and I really grew to love these twisted characters who can easily be hated if you forget that they too are human and not much more than confused children brought up in a damaging environment.

Throughout the book I debated whether I like Allegra or Lane more, and which I am most similar to. Introduction: I found myself leaning towards Allegra, but once the conclusion was reached, I definitely pick Lane. At least, I really hope to be like her. Tommy definitely wins most interesting character, a "heart of gold" with unclear intentions. This book is explicit and I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive readers.
Purchase Location: ~ I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it ~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of dark tales.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Samantha Kingston is living the high school dream. She's popular, has a boyfriend others would due to date and gets heaps of roses on Cupid day. But one fateful night, it all goes wrong. Sam wakes up one day ago, and wonders why. In this haunting tale of life after death Sammy must try and make things right in her last week of life.

Before I Fall is quite similar to We Were Liars, but I like the characters more. Sam has more layers than most would expect from a typical popular girl and it's really enlightening to see her transform in this last week, back to her younger self/personality. The ending is cliffhanger like, but hints throughout the book give you a fair guess at what happens next.

I just want to discuss two characters: Kent McFuller and Juliet Sykes. Both are social outcasts, but much nicer than the popular crew. A huge chunk of Juliet's past is revealed and Sam's attempts to help her have varying degrees of success, though this effort builds the story so much more. Many minor details recur through the days which makes Before I Fall consistent, and the reader watching for differences.

Samantha reminds me of myself. Alas, I have made many of her mistakes, and probably will make more in the future. Maybe this is reader bias here but I think out of the four girls, Lauren Oliver chose the right narrator because the other girls are interesting too but Sam has more to her than them since she hasn't always been popular. Before I Fall is an alluring, enticing and beautiful teen fiction novel.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads Summary: In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s bestselling Red Queen series, allegiances are tested on every side. And when the Lightning Girl's spark is gone, who will light the way for the rebellion?

Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review: Mare is Maven's prisoner. A puppet and figurehead, she endures the worst at Maven's mercy. Meanwhile, Cameron Cole and the other newbloods are busy planning out their next move against Maven, and possibly a rescue attempt for Mare. But their allies are nothing more than their enemy's enemies, with hidden agendas that threaten to divide them forever.

The first part of King's Cage is Mare's POV. Then, Cameron's POV is smartly chosen and used well to show the rebel (or should I say terrorist) side of things. Later, we have a few chapters from a surprise POV which answers many of your questions from earlier books. We also get some insight into this mystery character's personality and why it is that way. I really loved reading this book, and I devoured page after page but it did drag along quite a bit especially during the earlier stages. This didn't make me lose interest, but I did pay less attention to those pages.

Mare is portrayed well in this book, with things such as trauma and other issues carefully thought out and weaved into the novel. Cameron is but a little girl wondering if she should join the war, but her tough exterior is something I admire. Evangeline is such a troublemaker in this book, her motives unknown. I have a feeling she'll be key in book four. Farley, Farley, still the same brave woman, yet haunted by loss. My baby Cal... I really hope he realises what King's Cage has done to him and wakes up.

We move well outside Norta in terms of territory, and well into neighbouring areas. The climate/landscape is described frequently and consistently in detail. Can we all just stop and take a moment to appreciate Marecal (miracle!!)? Stuff happens in King's Cage. I repeat, this relationship is not dead, and neither is Marven (unfortunately for me). Finally, the hating and "different worlds" thing is shoved aside, albeit temporarily. As for the ending... I'm telling you, it's another Glass Sword, but in my eyes it's worse than that.  King's Cage has a stellar plot, character development and storyline that can't be missed.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes:

"I stare at him, trying to see the man beneath the crown." – Mare Barrow, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

"Those who know what it's like in the dark will do anything to stay in the light." – Maven Calore, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

"I pushed away the people closest to me thinking I could bleed alone." – Mare Barrow, King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
Recommended for: Fans of fantasy, betrayal and romance.

8 Rivers of Shadow (13 Days of Midnight #2) by Leo Hunt
Publisher: Gollancz
Goodreads Summary: In a high-stakes sequel, reluctant necromancer Luke Manchett must call upon the most wicked and eerie ghosts of his dispelled Host to save two innocent souls.

It’s been a few months since Luke Manchett inherited a Host of eight hostile spirits from his dead father and made a deal with the devil to banish them. Luke’s doing his best to blend in to the background of high school, to ignore the haunting dreams spawned by his father’s Book of Eight, and to enjoy the one good thing to come from the whole mess: his girlfriend, Elza. And then it all begins again. Ash, a strange new girl with stark white hair, requests his help—and his Book of Eight—to save her twin sister, who was attacked by a demon. Ash knows a lot more about necromancy than Luke and seems to know what she’s doing, but can she be trusted? As Luke is drawn into a spiral of ever more dangerous favors, he finds himself not only summoning the deadliest members of his father’s Host, but returning to Deadside in a terrifying quest to save what he holds dearest—or die trying.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: Luke Manchett is no longer popular. Shunned by most of the school, he sits with his girlfriend Elza Moss a lunchtimes as far away from his former friends as possible. When a new girl, Ashley Smith comes as an exchange student from California, Luke's suspicions are high as he knows immediately that something is up and that she isn't who she appears to be.

This book is definitely better than its prequel, but there are still many things I didn't like/believe about it, and it was the ending that made me lower my rating. For instance, tales of resurrection never end with a HEA... It's almost unheard of, and I believed it was an unspoken law that something bad would happen every time. From the information I gained in 8 Rivers of Shadow, it appears that no bad side effects had any chance of occurring in book 3.

Luke's enemies become his friends in no time, one such friendship even occurs wih no betrayal. At first I accepted this, but when it became clear no backstabbing was to occur I disliked it because it seems very unrealistic that former enemies can become instant friends by bonding over a situation with barely any hints of distrust or arguments.

With all that being said, I liked the plotline. Ash and Luke both want to save their loved ones, and desperation creeps into their minds like a vicious poisonous snake. Trust can be a walk into the unknown... Potentially dangerous, but just as likely to be rewarding.

The mystery part of this novel is also written well and became my favourite aspect of the book. The ending left little room for a third book's plot so I'm interested to see what Leo Hunt comes up with.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ which I willingly reviewed~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of the "I'll do anything" situation.

Visions of Heat (Psy-Changeling #2) by Nalini Singh
Publisher: Gollancz
Goodreads Summary: Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous - aching need & exquisite pleasure.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Faith NightStar is a cardinal F-Psy, able to see the future. Her visions are one of the most accurate in the world, and her value is priced dearly at many billions. When she escapes her isolated home in search of Sascha Duncan, the only known Psy to have ever escaped the PsyNet, she instead finds Vaughn D'Angelo, a jaguar changeling with his allegiance sworn to DarkRiver.

In Visions of Heat Faith and Vaughn's story takes the centre stage, but Sascha and Lucas are also a major part of the story. This development enables other romances and keeps it interesting. Faith's story is quite different from Sascha's which I liked because it showed the originality of the series. In this book Nalini Singh explores the F-Psy and the consequences of Silence in yet another brilliantly written novel. The plot twists weren't as easy to predict, though mystery wasn't as prominent a part of the story and I thought it was solved a little too easily. Faith's romance with Vaughn worked differently as well, with the similar themes of "I don't want you to die trying to save me", "you're mine", etc which I found slightly repetitive, but perhaps necessary.

One of the things I liked the most about this book is Faith's communication with the PsyNet NetMind. In Slave to Sensation, Sascha was always trying to avoid getting detected by it, which Faith is talking to it and we get a better understanding of how it functions and its thought process. The communication through images is another obstacle they much overcome to achieve the result.

I have an addiction to the author's dual third person perspectives. Something about them makes me love reading the books in this series so much. The emotional side of it affects me as well, but not as much as some other books. Visions of Heat gave us more background and discoveries about the basis of the Psy world, however the storyline didn't move forward as much; I suppose there must be a balance. Something about the book made me enjoy it more than Slave to Sensation, making it easier to write this review and earning it an extra half star.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette New Zealand and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of adventure, escape and romance.

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh
Publisher: Gollancz
Goodreads Summary: THE HOT NEW NAME IN PARANORMAL ROMANCE.

Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind-and none of the heart.

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review:  Sascha Duncan does not have the easiest relationship with her mother Nikita. She is Psy, the race taught not to feel any emotion at all. On top of that, she is a Cardinal Psy, her eyes marking her as different from others, the most powerful type of Psy. When she is tasked with forming a deal with the Changelings, she meets Lucas Hunter, alpha leopard of the DarkRiver clan.

Sascha's flaw allows her to feel emotion, which is expressly forbidden, and should she be found she will be sent into rehabiliation, a place that is rumoured to be worse than death. However the Changelings see a different side of her, and soon she is immersed into their world, cut off from the Psy.

Lucas Hunter is an intriguing hcaracter. He's an alpha male through and throuhg, but he's a little different from both the 'human alphas' in romance novels and the shapeshifter (mainly werewolf) men found in fantasy novels. He is a leopard, but called a panther due to his black colouring in animal form. I found that I like his panther side a lot and his animal characteristics.

There was very little missing or wrong with Slave to Sensation, however I found that the serial killer was very predictable and I guessed it correctly from near the start of the book. I would've liked to hear more about Sascha's mental exercises and how they calm her down as well. A more detailed description of Lucas's panther would also have made me like the book more.

This book contains mystery, romance and paranormal in an all-in-one. No pat of the above lacks when compared to the others, they are equal parts of the book and treated as such. I enjoyed reading Nalini Singh's writing and how she decided to write Sascha's perspective because of her important but difficult choices, her development and changes as well as the hardships she went through in order to survive.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette New Zealand and willingly reviewed it~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of paranormal romance and mystery.

Holding by Graham Norton
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Set in the village of Duneen, Ireland, Holding is told in third person omniscient. The main characters are PJ Collins, Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross. The genres are contemporary, mystery, and romance. This book follows an investigation of bones found during an excavation.

I only realised after starting this book that it is written by Graham Norton, the Graham Norton. I didn't know too much about him anyway, and I read it as if it were any other book. I have to say, I'm impressed; celebrity novels are usually ghost written or terrible. I wasn't expecting Holding to be so good.

PJ Collins is the Sergeant of Duneen. He is rather overweight and not expected to chase anyone on foot, but works hard and does his job well. Brid Riordan and Evelyn Ross were both involved with Tommy Burke, the man whose bones are suspected to be the ones excavated.

Holding is not the contemporary novel I expected. Graham Norton writes the mystery and romance parts of the book with skill, highlighting a lot of current global issues. The ending is shockingly sad and the characters aren't all the same, Graham Norton shows their flaws as well, they are all struggling with various problems in teir lives. I especially enjoyed Holding because the writer connects well with the readers through the style and I was emotionally invested in the book.

This is a great book, I just can't think of what to say about it. As with any small tow, Duneen has a collection of secrets. The discovered bones do no appear to have a backstory until an unlikely witness reveals a hidden past and dirty secrets come to light. Holding is a contemporary mystery romance suitable for mature audiences.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Quotes: "Time didn't [pass]; it seeped away."

"And in those dark endless hours before dawn when she allowed him to hold her [as] she wept, he understood that she still loved him."

"Pain like that can do strange things to a young heart."

"To try was to fail. To care was to get hurt."
Recommended for: Fans of contemporary romance and adult reads.

Run by Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Goodreads Summary: Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and an alcoholic mom. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Agnes Atwood has never stayed out past ten p.m., never gone on a date and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally-blind daughter, but Agnes isn't quite sure what they are protecting her from.

Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs more deeply than anything else. But when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, police sirens wailing in the distance, Agnes is faced with the biggest choice she's ever had to make. Run, or stay?

The Revelations of Carey Ravine by Debra Daley
Publisher: Heron Books
Goodreads Summary: London in the 1770s is bursting with opportunity. It's a city fuelled by new ideas and new money, where everything is for sale - including entrée into the ruling class.

Making their way in this buccaneering society are Carey Ravine, a spirited young woman of enigmatic background, and her husband, the charming, endlessly enterprising Oliver Nash. Carey and Nash share a historic connection to India and a desperate ambition to better themselves. But as Nash's plans draw them into a restless association of gamblers and secret societies, Carey begins to question what's really hidden behind the seedy glamour of their lives. Her unease grows with the appearance of a mysterious man whose appearance unearths a troubling secret from the past. Carey finds herself forced to investigate the truth behind the stranger's claims­­ - and to confront her own illusions about herself.
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: I didn't love this book. I had to read more than half of it before I started to like it. I don't think it was because of bad writing, more so that I was uninterested in the topic. I thought The Revelations of Carey Ravine would tie into historical fiction, but it didn't really, although having a historical setting.

Regardless of the storyline and plot, I really liked Carey Ravine, or Mrs Nash. The book is told in first person, past tense from her perspective, enabling us to really get to know her. The timestamps of each chapter helped with seeing how much time as passed.

Oliver Nash is nothing but charming. Throughout the book, Carey's revelations give her reason to suspect his loyalty and love. Debra Daley told this part of the tale very well, playing Carey as a middle aged woman very much in love and reluctant to face the truth or accept that she is being lied to.

The second half of the book improved by so much. It's almost as if the two halves were written by different people; the foreshadowing is over and done with, leaving space for plot twists, harder truths for Carey to face, plus a shocking betrayal that slaps her in the face.

I may not have liked The Revelations of Carey Ravine on a whole, but the basic storyline is genuine and interesting. I think the ending is suitable for Carey, not a happy ever after, but maybe it could be, after hard work and effort.
Purchase Location:  ~I received a copy from Hachette NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of books set in historical times.

Court of Fives (Court of Fives #1) by Kate Elliott
Publisher: Little, Brown books for Young Readers
Goodreads Summary: Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal's powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test her new friend's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: A story of politics, human rights, beliefs and intrigue, Court of Fives really stunned me. Set in a fantasy world, Kate Elliott uses superstition and elements from the Greek and Roman Empires as a base for her richly described world.

Jessamy is unlike a lot of heroines, because she fights for her family's freedom rather than her own survival. She has a fast, calculating mind which helps her run the Fives.

Kal and Jes' romance is easily anticipated, but their relationship is far deeper than most would think. One thing I absolutely love about Court of Fives is how Kate Elliott takes moments to set up ideas for book two, Poisoned Blade. I'm already wondering what will become of certain characters, and if anything will be done about some things that happened without a backward glance.

I could not stop reading this book. Every word kept me going, hooked, the plot twists are crucial and also set up ideas for further along the track. Jessamy, Kalliarkos, and all the other characters develop as the book goes on and sometimes true intentions get revealed. Court of Gives is a highly addictive fantasy book.
Purchase Location: ~I received a free copy from Hachette NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of fantasy worlds.

Redemption Road by John Hart
Publisher: Hachette Books
Goodreads Summary: Now after five years, John Hart is back with a stunning literary thriller.

Imagine:

A boy with a gun waits for the man who killed his mother.

A troubled detective confronts her past in the aftermath of a brutal shooting.

After thirteen years in prison, a good cop walks free. But for how long?

And deep in the forest, on the altar of an abandoned church, the unthinkable has just happened…

This is a town on the brink. This is a road with no mercy.

After five years, John Hart returns with Redemption Road, his most powerful story yet.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Redemption Road is an intriguing name, but only a tiny piece of the novel. John Hart starts with a bang, then continues to wow readers throughout the novel, hinting at the truth in flashbacks and an occasional mystery POV; the POV of the killer.

The synopsis only gives you a tiny of what's to come in Redemption Road. However, the two characters mentioned do not seem to be connected; only after reading a few chapters do you see the start of their connection.

I don't read many thrillers, not because I don't enjoy them, they're just not really on my radar. John Hart's style of writing is very different from my usual Patricia Cornwell, but I love it just as much, if not even more.

Redemption Road is structured incredibly carefully, and every intricate detail had a hidden meaning. I never guessed the ending, every theory I had was way off, and the ending was cut-throat, shocking, and definitely unexpected. The story lines began to tie together as I got into the book, and John Hart chose the right perspective for Redemption Road. Just like David Baldacci's back cover review said, I'm definitely going to be reading more John Hart.
Purchase Location: ~I received a free paperback copy from Hachette NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition: Paperback
Buy the book: Book Depository
Recommended for: All fans of Thrillers.