Shadow of the Hawk by Curtis Jobling

Series: Wereworld, Book Three

Publisher: Puffin

Format: Paperback

Published: 5^th January 2012

Number of Pages: 448

Book: For Review*

Genre: Action-Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller, Suspense, Magic, Horror, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, YA

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains: Violence, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Wereworld Books 

Drew Ferran, the rightful king of Westland, is trapped.

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young Werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords.  With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free – but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords.  Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy’s net is closing in.  Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is…

                                                                   Review:

A brave hero, a band of gladiators, an imposter king, a vengeful knight, a world full of Werelords and Wereladies, Wereworld is a place like no other, a world more fantastical and magical than any I’ve read about for a long time…

Drew Ferran, rightful heir to the Westland throne, is a prisoner.  The Goatlord Kesslar has the young Werewolf in his possession, taking him to the land of the Lizardlords.  There, Drew will be forced to fight as a gladiator, and make unlikely alliances in order to escape alive, from a place no one has broken away from before…

Hector the Wereboar, Vega the Sharklord and Werestag Manfred are fleeing from the Catlords, aboard the notorious pirate ship Maelstrom.  But as the spirits haunting Hector grow stronger, he is left wondering whether the true enemy is closer than they thought…

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting when I started this – especially as I haven’t read any of the other books in the series.  A cross between Narnia and Teen Wolf perhaps?  I don’t know.  Most definitely not the fantastical, action-packed, magical, pure awesome book that was Shadow of the Hawk.  From the word go, I was sucked in.  I fell totally and completely in love with the world.  I just could not put it down, in a constant adrenaline rush from start to finish.  I know I have to get my hands on the previous two books in this series: I want back into Lyssia!  ASAP!

Drew Ferran, the last Grey Wolf of Lyssia, was smart, fast and strong, willing to do anything to survive.  I found him proud, kind, good, loyal and giving, with a good heart.  Drew was just really noble: a real king.   His thinking was inspiration and he always spoke his mind.  And while he wasn’t afraid to use violence, he preferred to talk things out.    Drew was a king of old, honourable, brave, defiant and passionate.  And I fell in love with him from the word go!

Baron Hector, Boarlord of Redmire, was haunted by “Vincent-vile”, the spirit of his dead twin.  He really missed Drew, and he had a good heart.  But the black spot on his hand, that grew every time he “dabbles in communing” with spirits, showed that something was wrong...  And the Vincent-vile was just horrible, always saying cruel things.  All he wanted to do was help Drew, but he was truly out of his depth…

Count Vega, a Sharklord, the Pirate Prince.  To start with, I felt Vega was heartless, that he killed too easily.  But soon after, I started swaying, changed by his snarky humour and the care he showed towards his crew and the Weres on it.  And, before long, I had decided that I loved him.  Ok, so he’s a pirate – a Were pirate at that.  But he has a good heart.   He was really rather sweet, in a piratey way.  He soon turned into an unlikely favourite of mine, one I was always happy to see.

Trent Ferran, Drew’s brother, who was in the Lionguard, hunting Drew.  He wanted his brother dead more than anyone…  Of course, as I loved Drew, I instantly hated Trent for hunting Drew down.  But as I saw his reasoning, and what he was like, I grudgingly admitted he wasn’t too bad.  He was quite honourable and very determined.  I think he will come into himself in Book Four, and I’m looking forward to that. 

All the other characters were equally well padded and thought out.  One of the ones I hated most was Count Kesslar, a Goatlord and slaver.  He was a selfish, greedy coward, who I loathed from the moment I met him.  On the other hand, I loved Duke Manfred, the Werestag of Stormdale: he was really level headed, proper and kind, always seeing the good instead of the bad.  The character who creeped me out the most was, without a doubt, Slotha, the Walrus of Tuskun.  She was (to quote from the book): a “notoriously ill tempered, violent woman”.  And her city?  Eek, it came me the creeps, and so did she.  She really was horribly vicious, and the fact she was a Werewalrus made her even scarier.  (If you want to find out more about Slotha, check out Curtis’ guest post on when it comes up tomorrow.)

May I just say, I am in love with this world.  The various Werelords, all the different ‘species’.  The change, the characters: everything was so vivid.  I love the twist Jobling has put on the lycanthropy mythology: silver, shifting…  It was all just so cool!  I loved learning all about the Therianthropes, and meeting the various other characters.  I was over the moon to see Sirens as well – again, I adore the twist!  But: it got better:  Weremammoths.  So cool, right?!  I loved this book, the action, the fantasy, the characters.  And by the end, I was left going crazy for more.  

The action had a huge part in that: it started from the word go, sucking me straight in.  And even though I hadn’t read any of the previous books, I felt… invested.  And I understood everything, all the backstories.  And, blimey, the action was non-stop!  There were the most amazing battle scenes, that really got the old adrenaline flowing.  I loved the action – and I’m not normally one who likes violence.  All reluctant readers could really get into Shadow of the Hawk in my opinion – it’s like a film: I could see everything in my head as I read. 

And that was thanks to the writing: it was just amazing.  It had me totally hooked.  It was lyrical, powerful, descriptive.  I could see everything – every character, every setting, every battle.  And I loved that we got to see into all of the characters’ heads, got to see all the action.  There was never a dull moment.  Throughout the whole book, I wasn’t bored from a millisecond.  This series, this book, this world is so utterly addictive it’s untrue.  I loved every moment, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other books!

I loved this book, the action, the fantasy, the characters.  By the end, I wanted more, more, more!  In other words:

I.  NEED.  THE.  NEXT.  BOOK.  NOW!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

Wereworld Series by Curtis Jobling

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tokien (Same Epic Fantasy)

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Megan

* This book was received from Puffin in exchange for an honest review

Happy Reading

Need by Carrie Jones

Series: Need, Book One

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Published: 1^st February 2010

Number of Pages: 320

Book: Bought

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy, Action Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Blog: Carrie Jones

“Panic shoots through my head.

Fireworks.  Explosions.  All inside my brain.

The white world goes dark and I know what’s about to happen.”

Zara White suspects a freaky guy is stalking her.  She memorises phobias and chants them when she’s nervous.  OK, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died.  But moving to a freezing Maine town to stay with her grandmother is supposed to be the perfect fix – so her mum says.

Except, this plan of sending Zara away to help her stay sane?  Yeah, not working.  Turns out the stalker is not a figment of Zara’s imagination.  He’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust.  There’s something no right – no human – in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs are pointing to Zara.

Review:

Zara’s father died, leaving her a lifeless shell.  Her mother decides to send her to Maine, to her grandmother, to try and get her back.  But once in Maine, Zara discovers that a man is following her, leaving behind a trail of golden dust.  Is he something human, like a psycho stalker?  Or should Zara believe her new friends?  That the ‘man’ is, in fact, something otherworldly.  Something that will not stop until he has Zara…

This was a really new, inventive take on the faerie-pixie-were lore, a take I loved.  The whole Shining Ones mythology was brilliant, and I really cannot wait to see more paranormal beings in future books.  The writing was wonderful, the plot brilliant and the characters real.  I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes me!

Zara was a great lead!  Kind, loving, brave and a pacifist, she had this habit – a quirk, really – of reciting phobias when she got nervous – something I found totally cute and really interesting.  Plus I just loved her stubbornness, though it did make it slightly hard for to accept the blatantly obvious.  She was just an overall great, quirky, cute, funny lead, and I loved being inside her head and seeing how she thought.

Nick I also loved.  He was just sweet, protective and strong; honestly, what more do you want?  Overall amazing, and I loved his strength – I really could tell what Zara saw in him (‘cause I loved him too!).

Zara’s new best-friend Issie had to be my favourite character.  She was totally hyper, loving and just plain adorable!  Basically, she was the exact kind of girl that I would love to be friends with.  And their other friend, Devyn, was super-smart.  When him and Issie were together – well, let’s just say they were so cute I could just die. 

And finally, Zara’s step-grandmother, Betty: I loved her!  She was really strong and very protective of Zara – something I loved about her: how much she cared for Zara.  For everyone.

Now, admittedly I guessed a few of the twists, but there were others that completely befuddled me.  Also, some of the characters’ reactions to certain revelations felt rather unrealistic.  As did a few of the events leading up to those in the book…  But, honestly, that didn’t matter to me.  I was just addicted.  There were great characters, the most amazing writing – writing that made me feel what was being described – plot, facts and an incredible twist on mythology.

Addictive, descriptive, thrilling, amazing.  I was left wanting – Needing – more.  Thank goodness I have Captivate!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Striefvater

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

Faeriewalker by Jenna Black

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

House of Shards by Micol Ostow

Series: Charmed, Book Thirty-Seven

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s

Format: Paperback

Published: 2^nd January 2007

Created and Based On the Series By: Constance M. Burge

Number of Pages: 192

Book: Bought

Genre: Magic, Action, Fantasy, TV Series Tie-In, Supernatural, YA

Warning: Contains Spoilers From Previous Books/Episodes

“These walls have watched the witches;

the witches have watched the world.

These walls now turn against them –

some evil’s been unfurled...”

The one thing any Halliwell witch has always been able to count on is Halliwell Manor, the ancestral home of the Charmed Ones and one of San Francisco’s historical landmark homes.  The grand old house has sheltered generations of women, and bits of Charmed history are practically built into the walls.

So when the Manor seems to have turned against its inhabitants, needless to say, the Halliwell sisters start to worry.  It begins simply: The hot water heater is broken.  No big: Leo’s great around the house.  But this is no simple plumbing problem.  Soon, the Manor seems to be messing with the girls, Leo and Wyatt in increasingly malicious ways.  Thankfully, the Book of Shadows has created a safe zone for itself in the attic.  But the Charmed Ones can hardly live up there forever...

Can they find out what’s turned their safe haven into an evil lair before it’s too late – for the Manor, and for them?

Review:

I picked this book up for about 30p a little while ago, and then completely forgot about it.  Recently, though I found it again, saw it was based on a TV series and decided to give the show a go.  And, I loved it!  Charmed is brilliant – funny, quirky and full of the supernatural.  As I enjoyed the show so much, I thought I’d read the book.

I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed.  Although the book isn’t quite as good as the show, it had all my favourite parts: humour, demons, insane problems only the Charmed Ones can get themselves into and magic. 

In House of Shards, the Manor’s turning against the girls.  It all starts off with a plumbing problem, and – since the Manor’s ancient – can just be put down to age.  Of course, when a black hole pops up in your bathroom and a portal to a past that never happened appears in your bedroom, you have to accept that something unnatural is at play.  Then, the big question is: is the Manor just rebelling or is something evil behind everything?

The only downfall I found was that there wasn’t enough action.  There seemed to be a lot of waiting around, something that would probably send the TV-sisters insane.  But when you have cuddly policemen being turned real, alternate realities playing out in your room and demons-and-laughs-a-plenty, you really don’t care.

Astonishingly, the characters were very similar to their TV counterparts, even the way they spoke.  Phoebe was funny, bright and bubbly.  Paige was smart, optimistic and witty.  Piper was a little whiny, but she had that same kind of dry humour that I love her for.

Overall, although there isn’t quite as much action or fear in it as there often is in the TV show, I really loved this book.  I’ve seen some people give it negative reviews because it’s too emotion-based, but I loved seeing what was really going on inside the sisters’ heads.

I really enjoyed this book, and Charmed has become one of my favourite TV series ever.  If you’re not a fan, I’m not really sure how much sense it will make.  But, if you are a fan, you’re going to love this completely new and brilliant adventure.

P.S. I gave the book 3¾ instead of 4 because I felt that it was too short and that the end came too fast. 

Star Rating:
3¾ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Charmed TV Series created by Constance M. Burge

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bind-Up 1 by Various

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Book in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

The Darkest Powers Trilogy: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Orbit

Format: Paperback

Published: 2010

Book: Bought

Numbers of Pages: 391

Genre: Dark Romance, Action, Supernatural, Fantasy, YA

The nail-biting climax to Kelley Armstrong's bestselling YA series. Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. First of all, she happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are on the run from the evil corporation who created them. To top it all, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf. Definitely not normal... 

Review:

This is last in the trilogy that has become one of my favourite paranormal series ever, and by far the best book in it.  I absolutely devoured it, desperate to know what was going to happen. 

It picks up more or less where the other stopped, after Chloe, Tori, Derek and Simon’s escape from the clutches of the evil Edison Group, with the help of former employs, who are now working on bringing the EG down.  Chloe and her friends had been through a lot in the previous two books, and none of them are who there were at the beginning.  They know now that you can’t trust everyone.  Can they trust these people?  After all, one of them is the boys’ father’s friend, the one they were told to go to if they were ever in trouble.  But they’ve already been betrayed by those they trusted more than anyone, so can they really trust these people, and is their offer simply too good to be true?

These are the questions that were running through my mind, practically falling over one another; I just needed to find out what would happen.  On the other hand, I was almost reluctant to finish the book, because I knew that if I did it would mean no more stories about Chloe and her friends.  But the book was far too absorbing for that, and besides, there’s a second trilogy coming out, about a different group of kids caught up in a different Edison Group project.  It should be coming out something this year, and will be called Darkness Rising, the first book being called The Gathering.  There’s a rumour that Kelley Armstrong will write the gang from The Darkest Powers series into the new one, in a later book in the trilogy, and I really, really hope she does, as I think there are a few unresolved issues, and besides, I just want to read more about these characters.

Chloe really grew up in this book from a naive, scared little kid to a brave young woman who really knows how to handle her powers – and how to stand up for herself, something that had annoyed me a little from the other two books.  As Tori said in one of the books, Chloe was just too nice, but it was great to see her finally come in to her own and realise you didn’t have to be horrible to defend yourself.  One of the things I love most about her is the way she has of looking at everything as how she’d film a movie when times get tough for her: it made her feel far more real, and I loved her for it.  I must admit, I kind of saw her getting feelings for Derek coming after the second book, where they get left behind because Derek starts going through his first Change.  I wasn’t really sure who she was going to choose, but I was really happy with how the love triangle turned out.

Derek really grew during this book, and I loved him more as it went on.  You finally get to see his vulnerable side, the sweet side, and it made him feel really real.  Also, you discovered more about his life before the story started, and you love him even more when you find out what he’s been through.  Tori also changed a lot, turning from a complete and utter spoilt, little girl into a powerful witch who shows she actually has the ability to have emotions.  And you also find out more about her life, too, and I really liked her by the end.  Finally, Simon; he didn’t really change much, but why change something already good?  I loved him before and I loved him all the way through this book.

Fast-paced, suspenseful and with a genius plot and incredible characters, The Reckoning is my favourite in the series and kept me glued to my seat all the way through.  I can’t wait for the new series, and they will definitely be an auto-buy: I just love the way Kelley Armstrong tells her stories, and the plots are absolutely incredible.  I recommend this to everyone who likes the whole witch-werewolf-supernatural genre (particularly the ones who liked The Secret Circle, Dark Visions, Evernight and the books below.  It’s also quite similar to Maximum Ride by James Patterson – both are about genetically-modified teens on the run from the organisation that created them – and to Night World by L. J. Smith ­– because of the whole underground-supernatural-community part).  Read this book!  You definitely won’t regret it.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Darkest Powers Trilogy - The Summoning and The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Tyme's End by B. R. Collins

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: ARC

Published: January 2011

Number of Pages: 336

Book: Proof From Bloomsbury*

Genre: Ghost Story, Ghost, Supernatural, Thriller, Romance, Psychological Thriller, YA

Bibi feels out of place wherever she goes – everywhere, that is, except for Tyme’s End, the deserted house she breaks into whenever she thinks nobody is nearby.  There she meets Oliver, the owner, who has returned after ten years away.  Bibi’s and Oliver’s lives become inextricably linked as they are both pulled towards Tyme’s End.  For Tyme’s End is more than just a house.  It is a house that can be by turns romantic, beguiling, sinister and malevolent.  It is a house that once had an evil and manipulative owner.  And anybody who enters Tyme’s End must prepare themselves for terror...

Part supernatural tale, part psychological thriller.  Spans three generations with narrative ease, twisting the tension tighter and tighter with each protagonist’s voice.  A consuming and compulsive read that will have readers on the edge of their seats...

Review:

Bibi feels alone in the world, having been adopted by family friends after her parents died.  And although they love her and she loves them, she’s not theirs, and they’re not hers, not really.  She doesn’t feel at home anywhere, longing for her birthplace in the Middle East. Nowhere, that is, apart from Tyme’s End, the old house in the village where she lives.  There she feels safe, she feels as if she belongs.  And so, when the mysterious owner, Oliver, appears and claims he is going to sell that house, she just has to change his mind.

But why?  What enchantment does Tyme’s End have over her and what possibly could have happened there for Oliver to be so desperate to get rid of it?  And what scared him enough to stay away for ten years?  As the first part of the story goes on, Bibi’s and Oliver’s lives become entwined, as they experience the beauty of first love.  But all the while, through all the magic, there’s Tyme’s End, hanging over the story remotely, hinting at the darkness to come...  For Tyme’s End has a sinister past that involves death, betrayal, and an evil, manipulative owner, H. J. Martin...  (See why it had me hooked?) 

Tyme’s End is made up of three parts, that start in 2006 and end up in 1936, the year of the events leading up to the murder of H. J. Martin.  Each of the three narrators feels real; each has their own unique voice, and I found it incredible that the tale slipped so smoothly between the generations.  I must admit, the first part of the tale is a little slower than the rest of it, but it’s so beautiful you really don’t care.  And, besides, from the first page, even if you don’t really notice at first, B. R. Collins winds up the suspense, tempting you with snippets that make it impossible to stop until you know the reason of the house’s evil: this book is absolutely addictive!  I also love the way the story started at the end and slowly went backwards to the core of the tale; the reason the house is malevolent and evil, the death of the owner.  Beautifully written, Tyme’s End had me hooked from the first page, and haunting and scary, I knew that B. R. Collins could make me believe anything after the first few paragraphs.  A psychological thriller, with a side of ghosts; it builds suspense from the first page, tightening its grip on you with every chapter.  Managing to both shock me by the twists and causing me to be riveted by the evil of the house, I needed to get to the end, to find out who killed H. J. Martin.  An absolute page turner that promises to both chill and absorb you, this book is a must read for all readers who want to be on the edge of their seats for an entire story.  With a killer ending – literally! – this book is absolutely sensational!

Star Rating:

5 Out of 5

Read This Book if You Liked:

What I Was by Meg Rosoff

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
British Books Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was recieved from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review