Review of Marked - Sue Tingey

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!! I got so stuck into it that I read it in just a few hours. And when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about what might happen next... Right up my alley with all the mystical creatures humanised and the lead character being so relatable. Not only is the author wonderful, but she is also hilarious and capable of writing the story of a strong female lead who may need the guidance of her companions in the new world she comes to, but is still more than able to take care of herself and kick some ass when needed.

I love when characters are multidimensional from the beginning and progress throughout their stories. Miss Tingey made all of that happen and more. I did realise within the first couple of chapters that Kayla is not all that she appears, but that really becomes obvious near the end of the novel. There's always something that doesn't add up throughout the course of the story; too many coincidences that are obviously not coincidental. Then, when one problem is solved, another arises. And, of course, as the story ends, she has the decision of a lifetime to make...

Will definitely be reading book 2 of the Soulseer series! As a matter of fact, I just downloaded it...

Review of The Lost Soul: Book 1 of Echena - K.S. Marsden

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book because it's not what you would expect and each time you think you've gotten it figured out, something changes to throw you a bit. It turns out that, even in fantasy, not everyone is redeemable. Sometimes, there are simply factors that cause people to be lost from us. Yes, this title probably refers the THE 'lost soul' of Echena, but I wonder if the author meant it to apply to more than one character in her novel, as many of them are 'lost' in one way or another....

The development of the lead character throughout the novel was inspiring. She goes from a 16 year old, sheltered schoolgirl to this independent, strong, and capable lady of the land and leader of what the establishment considers a rebellion. However, it all becomes clearly a battle for human rights once you get into it. I won't go into much more because that would spoil it! I will say, though, I love her companions and that they are very atypical.

I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in the series: The Oracle. The ending of The Lost Soul sets up a whole lot of action to occur in the next installment.

Review of The Forgotten (The Lost Children) - Jennifer Sivec

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

This book was truly a struggle to read for about the first half to three quarters of the story.  I simply could not get into it. The writing was very strong (I do like Jennifer's style), but the story itself was hard to finish due to the explanation and detail she put into it; and I actually read several other books to procrastinate finishing this. I feel that too many aspects were repeated throughout the novel that should have been obvious.

Of course, I'm bound to come across books now and then that I'm not complete enthralled by, but it could have been worse, I suppose. The last bit of the story, when it all starts to come together, was decently interesting and I would consider reading the next novel in the series to find out what happens to Emilie and Will, as well as Kell and Jakob. The characters were the main redeeming quality of the story. Especially the children themselves. Some of the characters were seriously terrible and I wished them ill, which ultimately happened.

The plot was really dark and sad, so I couldn't get myself very interested in reading. There was quite a lot of fantasy aspects, which was great since fantasy is one of my favorite genres; however, a lot of the fantastical creatures were not well explained and so I could not clearly picture them as I read.

Sivec herself is a pretty good novelist, it seems, and I would definitely consider reading more of her work. This novel, however, was a trial and I cannot highly recommend it.

Review of Solace - Therin Knite

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easy to get into and interesting, but....
This was a very hard read....emotionally, I mean. As someone who knows multiple people who have been to war, I can totally identify with Corina, albeit not to the same extent as her actual experience. The plot is extremely well developed and satisfying, even if it doesn't turn out to be the perfect ending. There's conflict and danger and high emotions, and it all comes together in such a way as to leave you feeling as though there might be a silver lining in most outcomes given the right perspective.

Therin Knite is an amazing author and I really look forward to checking out other novels in the future. I would highly recommend Solace and hope to hear your take on it.

Review of Girl of Myth and Legend - Giselle Simlett

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

Wow!!! So many emotions upon finishing this Girl of Myth and Legend...it's a very strong piece and not straightforward at all, which made me want to read it all the more. Some parts of the story were a bit confusing, but seemed to be resolved by the end of the novel. Yes, there are stereotypical aspects to the story, but the originality to the majority of the story far outweighs the cliché. There always seem to be so many things happening beyond the immediate issue and the author always keeps you guessing. The strong female character is my favorite part of the novel. It's nice to see a storyline in which the lead character is not only female, but independent, yet flawed. I love it and truly cannot wait to see what happens in the next novel.

Review of Undraland - Mary E. Twomey

When I started the first book, Undraland (which is free, so you can try the first novel and see what you think), in the 9 book series, I did not expect to like the book nevermind finish it. But after the first couple of introductory chapters, I was hooked!! This series is amazing! By the time I finished the first book, I wanted more and did not want to wait for them, so I went to download the next in the series and found there is a set you can purchase, so of course, I downloaded them all!!

This series has everything you could ask for - romance, love triangles, strong characters (personally love the lead character, Lucy), mystique, fantasy elements (I mean, a large part is set in the fantasy land called Undraland), loss, victory, seemingly incurable issues, . It really draws you in when you give it the chance. I really felt like I was living alongside Lucy and the gang as it progressed.

Now that I've finished, I think I could read it over and over again. It was truly a fantastic story.

**Disclaimer: do not read if you have trouble reading about abuse and potential exploitation.

A bit about me

Oh, hey there! How's it going? I'm glad you've decided to join in on my newest adventure as a book review blogger as I travel the world! This is gonna be so much fun..I can already tell.

At the moment, I'm journeying across America visiting family on my way to Australia. I've spent the last almost 2 years in Ireland. We're going to Australia for 6-12 months, and my goal is to find a job in animal welfare. I also own an online jewelry boutique at caffeinatedwanderings.com (find the fashion/boutique blog at Jewelry on a Journey).

Reading is one of my favorite activities; eventually, I'd love to call it my favorite vocation. My favorite part is that you're transported to another place for a time. A phenomenal author can make it seem like the characters are right there with you, or that you've become a part of the story itself. I hate ending a great novel or series because I have to come back to reality. Do you ever wonder what would happen if stories like those kept going?

I graduated from Queen's University, Belfast after completing my MSc in Animal Behaviour + Welfare in December 2015 and have spent the last nearly six months catching up on my reading list! If you take a look, you can see I have a lot to get through! I even decided to give myself a reading challenge this year, so I'm gonna read 75 or more this year. Thus far, I'm just ahead of schedule. Currently, I'm in the middle of the Undraland series by Mary Twomey. I've reviewed 3 of the books in the series, but they've all been 4-5 stars in my view. I'll post an overall review of the series when I finish it in the next few days.

Anyway, I discovered this website called Netgalley thanks to my friend, Bookish Mom! (Go check out her blog because she does reviews as well)

Let me say...this site is AMAZING!!! You can request books from publishers with the understanding that you'll post a review somewhere on the internet; i.e. Amazon, Goodreads, your personal blog, etc. Great, right? I have a few on my list now, so keep an eye out for the upcoming reviews!

Thanks for reading!!