31 May 2017

Month in Review / May 2017

I can't believe that May is already over!  The last time I blinked it was just about to turn into Spring!!  This month started my obsession with reading thrillers, which you can probably tell from some of the books I have read listed below.  I am very much a mood reader so when the mood strikes I get on with it!  Unfortunately no 5 star books this month but it was still a pretty great reading month for me.  My top pick for May would have to be The Blood Sisters by Jane Corry.  Such a great thriller which even managed to surprise me a few times (which is a rarity for me as I have read so many thrillers in my lifetime).  The next month will be very interesting for me as when the weather turns into summer mode I usually tend to go towards romantic easy fiction but let's see if this thriller kick continues!

Hope you have all had great reading months and looking forward to some great summer reading!

BOOKS READ



Click the below links to check out my reviews...
 
Lies 



Dreams, books and vintage fashion - the second book in the bestselling ebook series by Sophie Nicholls, author of The Dress.

In historic York, Ella seems to have the perfect life. She's a published author, her bookshop is thriving, she's married to the man of her dreams and they've started a family of their own.

But Ella is struggling. Motherhood isn't quite everything she imagined it to be, and she's worried that there may be cracks in her marriage.

On the other side of the Atlantic, despite endless blue skies and a stream of eager customers in her vintage dress shop, Ella's mother Fabia finds that life in San Diego is not enough for her. She misses York, and can sense that Ella needs her, so she flies home.

And this is when they meet Bryony. With a complicated life and secrets of her own, Bryony may have some of the answers they're looking for.

Can Ella and Fabia help her find her way, whilst also working out how to find their own happily ever after?


*****

 In June 1914, Sir Anthony Valentine, a keen mountaineer, arrives with his family to spend the summer in their chalet, high in the French Alps. There, for the first time, fourteen-year-old foundling Mathilde starts work as one of the 'uglies' - village girls employed as servants and picked, it is believed, to ensure they don't catch Sir Anthony's roving eye.

For Mathilde it is the start of a life-long entanglement with les anglais - strange, exciting people, far removed from the hard grind of farming. Except she soon finds the Valentines are less carefree than they appear, with a curiously absent daughter no one talks about. It will be decades - disrupted by war, accidents and a cruel betrayal - before Mathilde discovers the key to the mystery. And in 1976, the year Sir Anthony's great-great grandson comes to visit, she must decide whether to use it.

Vividly evoking the dramatic landscape that so enthrals the Valentines, this deeply involving, intriguing novel tells the story of an English family through the generations and a memorable French woman, whose lives seem worlds apart yet which become inextricably connected.


*****

A phone call brought Wilson and nine other men to a job in New York. At first, he couldn’t see a way to make the heist work, but the score — millions of dollars in diamonds — kept him looking. Wilson came up with a plan he knew would work . . . until the inside man got killed and took the job with him.

With no way inside, the crew walks away without the diamonds. Alone, Wilson is free to execute the job his way. Wilson sets a con in motion that should run as predictably as a trail of dominoes — except the con doesn’t rely on inanimate tiles, it relies on people.

Wilson pushes all of the pieces across the board only to find out that there are other players making their own moves against him. Everyone is playing to win and no one is willing to walk away because the job is about more than money, the job is about diamonds. And in this game, rocks beat paper every time.


*****

The spellbinding memoir of a violin virtuoso who loses the instrument that had defined her both on stage and off -- and who discovers, beyond the violin, the music of her own voice

Her first violin was tiny, harsh, factory-made; her first piece was "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star." But from the very beginning, Min Kym knew that music was the element in which she could swim and dive and soar. At seven years old, she was a prodigy, the youngest ever student at the famed Purcell School. At eleven, she won her first international prize; at eighteen, violinist great Ruggiero Ricci called her "the most talented violinist I've ever taught." And at twenty-one, she found "the one," the violin she would play as a soloist: a rare 1696 Stradivarius. Her career took off. She recorded the Brahms concerto and a world tour was planned. Then, in a London cafe, her violin was stolen. She felt as though she had lost her soulmate, and with it her sense of who she was. Overnight she became unable to play or function, stunned into silence.

In this lucid and transfixing memoir, Kym reckons with the space left by her violin's absence. She sees with new eyes her past as a child prodigy, with its isolation and crushing expectations; her combustible relationships with teachers and with a domineering boyfriend; and her navigation of two very different worlds, her traditional Korean family and her music. And in the stark yet clarifying light of her loss, she rediscovers her voice and herself.


*****

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES?
When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she's supposed to be at work, he's intrigued enough to follow her in.

And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene.

But just as the confrontation between the two men turns violent, and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe's young son has an asthma attack - and Joe must flee in order to help him.

When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is OK, Joe is horrified to find that Ben has disappeared.

And that's when Joe receives the first message . . .
 


*****

Janet Moodie has spent years as a death row appeals attorney. Overworked and recently widowed, she's had her fill of hopeless cases, and is determined that this will be her last. Her client is Marion 'Andy' Hardy, convicted along with his brother Emory of the rape and murder of two women. But Emory received a life sentence while Andy got the death penalty, labeled the ringleader despite his low IQ and Emory's dominant personality.


Convinced that Andy's previous lawyers missed mitigating evidence that would have kept him off death row, Janet investigates Andy's past. She discovers a sordid and damaged upbringing, a series of errors on the part of his previous counsel, and most worrying of all, the possibility that there is far more to the murders than was first thought. Andy may be guilty, but does he deserve to die?


*****


Three little girls set off to school one sunny May morning.
Within an hour, one of them is dead. 
 
Fifteen years later, Alison and Kitty are living separate lives. Kitty lives in a care home. She can't speak, and she has no memory of the accident that put her here, or her life before it.

Art teacher Alison looks fine on the surface. But the surface is a lie. When a job in a prison comes up she decides to take it - this is her chance to finally make things right.

But someone is watching Kitty and Alison.

Someone who wants revenge for what happened that day.

And only another life will do...

 







 

 





Continue reading Month in Review / May 2017

28 May 2017

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Book Review / Blood Sisters by Jane Corry ***Contains Spoilers***



Three little girls set off to school one sunny May morning. 
 
Within an hour, one of them is dead. 
 
Fifteen years later, Alison and Kitty are living separate lives. Kitty lives in a care home. She can't speak, and she has no memory of the accident that put her here, or her life before it.

Art teacher Alison looks fine on the surface. But the surface is a lie. When a job in a prison comes up she decides to take it - this is her chance to finally make things right.

But someone is watching Kitty and Alison.
Someone who wants revenge for what happened that day.

And only another life will do...



Published:     4th May 2017
Publisher:  Penguin
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher




MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...      It is not often that I come across a thriller where I honestly do not know or can't figure out what is going to happen.  Blood Sisters is one of those books.  I really couldn't tell what was going to happen until the very end!  It was not just at the end of the story where I was surprised.  I am not sure whether I was just not paying attention or whether it was a good slight of hand but I honestly didn't recognise the character in the care home as Kitty!  I should just mention that when it comes to thrillers I do not read the description of the book apart from the caption that usually features on the front of the book.  That way I don't get spoiled and any surprises the author wants me to find, I don't know then in advance. 

What I didn't like about this story...   It did take me a while to get into this story and I am not sure whether that was just me and my mood at the time or whether the beginning just had a lower pace than the rest of the book but I can tell you it is definitely worth the read!


Continue reading Book Review / Blood Sisters by Jane Corry ***Contains Spoilers***

22 May 2017

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Blog Tour Book Review / Two Lost Boys by LF Robertson


 Janet Moodie has spent years as a death row appeals attorney. Overworked and recently widowed, she's had her fill of hopeless cases, and is determined that this will be her last. Her client is Marion 'Andy' Hardy, convicted along with his brother Emory of the rape and murder of two women. But Emory received a life sentence while Andy got the death penalty, labeled the ringleader despite his low IQ and Emory's dominant personality.


Convinced that Andy's previous lawyers missed mitigating evidence that would have kept him off death row, Janet investigates Andy's past. She discovers a sordid and damaged upbringing, a series of errors on the part of his previous counsel, and most worrying of all, the possibility that there is far more to the murders than was first thought. Andy may be guilty, but does he deserve to die?




Published:     16th May 2017
Publisher:  Titan Books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher 



MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...   This book could not have come at a better time, right in the middle of my 'I really want to read thriller style books' mood.  What I liked the most was actually following the case as it went along and discovering things as Janet was discovering them.  A lot of the time, to be honest, I had not guessed what might happen but sometime I did but that didn't matter.  This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the book.  As most who know me know that I love a good book about secrets and this one fit right into that category.   The ending for me was brilliant, I had kind of suspected what would happen but loved to see it all play out.

What I didn't like about this story...  Although this is not technically a negative I am putting it here anyway because it is all I have to put in this section but I would have loved to have learnt more about Janet, more about her back story etc throughout the book as well as having the main story. 



Continue reading Blog Tour Book Review / Two Lost Boys by LF Robertson

17 May 2017

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Book Review / Lies by TM Logan


WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES?
When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she's supposed to be at work, he's intrigued enough to follow her in.

And when he witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he knows he ought to intervene.

But just as the confrontation between the two men turns violent, and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe's young son has an asthma attack - and Joe must flee in order to help him.

When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is OK, Joe is horrified to find that Ben has disappeared.

And that's when Joe receives the first message . . .




Published:     17th January 2017
Publisher:  Bonnier Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher




MY REVIEW

Right when I had started to want to read thrillers I picked this up and I am so glad I did.  This book solely holds the responsibility of me wanting to read a lot more thrillers than I would normally!    We follow Joe Lynch in this story who at the beginning just happens to see his wife at a hotel having a far too familiar heated chat with his friend Ben.  What follows is just one thing after another most of which is predictable but I enjoyed following Joe as he delves deeper and deeper into the troubles he never knew that he had.  What I loved the most was the ending.  What a great twist in the story and definitely one that I wasn't expecting!   









Continue reading Book Review / Lies by TM Logan

15 May 2017

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Book Review / Gone by Min Kym

The spellbinding memoir of a violin virtuoso who loses the instrument that had defined her both on stage and off -- and who discovers, beyond the violin, the music of her own voice

Her first violin was tiny, harsh, factory-made; her first piece was "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star." But from the very beginning, Min Kym knew that music was the element in which she could swim and dive and soar. At seven years old, she was a prodigy, the youngest ever student at the famed Purcell School. At eleven, she won her first international prize; at eighteen, violinist great Ruggiero Ricci called her "the most talented violinist I've ever taught." And at twenty-one, she found "the one," the violin she would play as a soloist: a rare 1696 Stradivarius. Her career took off. She recorded the Brahms concerto and a world tour was planned. Then, in a London cafe, her violin was stolen. She felt as though she had lost her soulmate, and with it her sense of who she was. Overnight she became unable to play or function, stunned into silence.

In this lucid and transfixing memoir, Kym reckons with the space left by her violin's absence. She sees with new eyes her past as a child prodigy, with its isolation and crushing expectations; her combustible relationships with teachers and with a domineering boyfriend; and her navigation of two very different worlds, her traditional Korean family and her music. And in the stark yet clarifying light of her loss, she rediscovers her voice and herself.


Published:     25th April 2017
Publisher:  Viking
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher




MY REVIEW


I always find it hard to review a non-fiction book.  How can you review someone's thoughts and life experiences?  I really enjoyed this story and finding out more about Min Kym.  I will be honest and say that I hadn't heard of her before but I do love reading non-fiction biographical books about musicians and knew that I had to give this a go...  Finding out more about her, her life and career I found fascinating especially when it came to learning more about her family and their way of life, which is something I had not known a lot about.

I have to be honest and say that there were parts particularly where Min was going into detail about her violin that it did lose my interest a bit.  I found it a lot more interesting reading about her life.



Continue reading Book Review / Gone by Min Kym

12 May 2017

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Blog Tour Book Review / Rocks Beat Paper by Mike Knowles

A phone call brought Wilson and nine other men to a job in New York. At first, he couldn’t see a way to make the heist work, but the score — millions of dollars in diamonds — kept him looking. Wilson came up with a plan he knew would work . . . until the inside man got killed and took the job with him.

With no way inside, the crew walks away without the diamonds. Alone, Wilson is free to execute the job his way. Wilson sets a con in motion that should run as predictably as a trail of dominoes — except the con doesn’t rely on inanimate tiles, it relies on people.

Wilson pushes all of the pieces across the board only to find out that there are other players making their own moves against him. Everyone is playing to win and no one is willing to walk away because the job is about more than money, the job is about diamonds. And in this game, rocks beat paper every time.



Published:     16th May 2017
Publisher:  ECW Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 6, Wilson Mystery
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher




MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...   I don't normally read stories about heists but I liked the sound of this one.  To me it seemed like there was more to the story than what meets the eye and I was right!  There were quite a few twists and turns in this story which kept me on my toes that's for sure!  For me, it didn't matter that this book was book 6 in the series because it was definitely a story that can be read as a stand-alone, separate from the rest of the series.  That said, I will be picking up the first books in the series when I can get my hands on them.  What I also liked was the somewhat comedic at times interaction between the characters in this heist.  At times they are serious and focusing on the job at hand but at other times they seem to like having friendly digs at each other, which I found very amusing! 
 
What I didn't like about this story...  Although I did enjoy this book very much I would have loved to have read more about the heist and the story when the characters were out and about.  There was a lot of discussion  and preparation meeting  type dialogue at the beginning which did add to the story but I would have loved to have learned more about character backgrounds and what they were doing on the 'job'.  That said, this may be something I might pick up in the first books in the series that I have missed.






Continue reading Blog Tour Book Review / Rocks Beat Paper by Mike Knowles

9 May 2017

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Book Review / The Valentine House by Emma Henderson

In June 1914, Sir Anthony Valentine, a keen mountaineer, arrives with his family to spend the summer in their chalet, high in the French Alps. There, for the first time, fourteen-year-old foundling Mathilde starts work as one of the 'uglies' - village girls employed as servants and picked, it is believed, to ensure they don't catch Sir Anthony's roving eye.

For Mathilde it is the start of a life-long entanglement with les anglais - strange, exciting people, far removed from the hard grind of farming. Except she soon finds the Valentines are less carefree than they appear, with a curiously absent daughter no one talks about. It will be decades - disrupted by war, accidents and a cruel betrayal - before Mathilde discovers the key to the mystery. And in 1976, the year Sir Anthony's great-great grandson comes to visit, she must decide whether to use it.

Vividly evoking the dramatic landscape that so enthrals the Valentines, this deeply involving, intriguing novel tells the story of an English family through the generations and a memorable French woman, whose lives seem worlds apart yet which become inextricably connected.


Published:     6th April 2017
Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Review Copy from Publisher



MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  This book was very much a surprise for me.  This is not normally something that I would pick up in a book shop but there is nothing that I like more is a good family drama with the prospect of deep family secrets along side this.  What I liked the most about this book was the sense of history and following Mathilde where she joins the Valentine household and also many many years later when she is not that far away...  I liked the sense of family history going through the different generations starting with Sir Anthony Valentine (who was a character that I deeply disliked at the start of the book but have to say that I liked him a bit more by the time I got to the end). 

What I didn't like about this book...  This book was a bit slow moving for me.  I had wished there was a bit more pace and a bit more drama or something surprising happen.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this book, I did and would recommend it for those who like a bit more of a laid back style family style book.







Continue reading Book Review / The Valentine House by Emma Henderson

2 May 2017

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Book Review / Miss Mary's Book of Dreams by Sophie Nicholls

Dreams, books and vintage fashion - the second book in the bestselling ebook series by Sophie Nicholls, author of The Dress.

In historic York, Ella seems to have the perfect life. She's a published author, her bookshop is thriving, she's married to the man of her dreams and they've started a family of their own.

But Ella is struggling. Motherhood isn't quite everything she imagined it to be, and she's worried that there may be cracks in her marriage.

On the other side of the Atlantic, despite endless blue skies and a stream of eager customers in her vintage dress shop, Ella's mother Fabia finds that life in San Diego is not enough for her. She misses York, and can sense that Ella needs her, so she flies home.

And this is when they meet Bryony. With a complicated life and secrets of her own, Bryony may have some of the answers they're looking for.

Can Ella and Fabia help her find her way, whilst also working out how to find their own happily ever after?

 
Published:     23rd March 2017
Publisher:  Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher



MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Anything that has book in the title or has anything to do with book shops I am definitely going to check it out and read it!  A very interesting story to read, a story of family, love and starting again indeed with also a hidden touch of magic folded in.  The best parts for me were the stories of Ella and Bryony.  You have Ella who runs a bookshop, has a husband and daughter and is also an author.   She is struggling with a lot of those and we watch her in this story struggling and coming to certain decisions on certain things.  You then have Bryony who has her own complicated family problems and personal problems.  I liked finding out more about each of these characters, finding out their secrets and seeing how they dealt with them. 
 
What I didn't like about this story...   First of all I will say that I really enjoyed the writing style of this author and will be checking out more to read.  That said, I really didn't enjoy the plot in places.  I found at some parts, mostly nearer the middle of the story, I got a bit lost and got the feeling that there were more to these characters than I was reading.  I did a little digging on Goodreads and realised that there is a trilogy written by this author called the Everyday Magic series, which seems to feature some of the characters in this book which makes me thing that maybe I should have read that trilogy first?  I am not sure on that point but maybe that would have solved my confusion.  That said, I did love the two main characters and am definitely intrigued to pick up that trilogy to find out whether there was anything I have missed.




Continue reading Book Review / Miss Mary's Book of Dreams by Sophie Nicholls

1 May 2017

Month in Review / March and April 2017

To be honest, March was not a really productive reading month for me.  I just wasn't in the mood to read.  Sometimes that happens and I don't force reading unless I really want to.  It worked because the month of April was outstanding reading wise.  I just could not stop!  I will jist point out that even though I have put in the Harry Potter series in this wrap up I did start listening to these in Audiobook format from January but finished them now.

Let's talk about favourites for the months of March and April.  In the stand-alone section, Before the Rains stood out to me as a firm favourite, giving it 5 stars.  Dinah Jefferies was a new author to me so I wasn't sure which way that book would go but I loved it and I will definately be looking into more books by her in the future.  Looking at the series I read, my favourite has to be the Throne of Glass series.  Despite the fact that some of the books in this series are HUGE I just could not stop reading and read them quicker than what I thought...   

I hope you have all had great reading months and looking forward to what comes up in May!


STAND-ALONE BOOKS READ

Click here for my review

Science geek Meg is left to look after her little sister for ten days after her free-spirited mum leaves suddenly to follow up yet another of her Big Important Causes. But while Meg may understand how the universe was formed, baby Elsa is a complete mystery to her.

And Mum’s disappearance has come at the worst time: Meg is desperate to win a competition to get the chance to visit NASA headquarters, but to do this she has to beat close rival Ed. Can Meg pull off this double life of caring for Elsa and following her own dreams? She’ll need a miracle of cosmic proportions …

Fans fell in love with the warmth, wit, romance and fierce friendships in Flirty Dancing, Love Bomb, Sunkissed and Star Struck, and Stargazing for Beginners has all that and galaxies more. This is the best kind of real-life fiction – with big themes and irresistible characters, it goes straight to your heart.




 Click here for my review

Hartwell, Delaware—the perfect place to get away from it all, and find what you never knew you needed…

Bailey Hartwell has many reasons to feel content—her successful business, a close circle of friends, and her steady boyfriend…even if their romance feels staid after ten years without a serious commitment. The only challenge in her life comes in the form of sexy businessman Vaughn Tremaine. She thinks the ex-New Yorker acts superior and that he considers her a small-town nobody. But when Bailey’s blindsided by a betrayal, she’s shocked to discover Vaughn is actually a decent guy.

Vaughn admires Bailey’s free spirit, independence, and loyalty. As his passion for her has grown, his antagonism toward her has only worsened. Every little thing Bailey does seduces him. But when Vaughn’s painful emotional past makes him walk away in fear he will hurt her, it opens an old wound in Bailey, and she uncharacteristically retreats.

Once Vaughn begins to realize he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he has no choice but to fight like he’s never fought before to convince Bailey that the love they’ve found together only comes around once in a lifetime.



Click here for my review


A romantic, heart-wrenching tale of love against the odds from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author
 
1930, Rajputana, India. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself.

But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule. Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts. . .


SERIES READ AND COMPLETED



Click here for my review


After seventeen-year-old Thais Allard loses her widowed father in a tragic car accident, she is forced to leave the only home she's ever known to live with a total stranger in New Orleans. New Orleans greets Thais with many secrets and mysteries, but none as unbelievable as the moment she comes face to face with the impossible — an identical twin, Clio.

Thais soon learns that she and the twin she never knew come from a family of witches, that she possesses astonishing powers, and that she, along with Clio, has a key role in Balefire, the coven she was born into.
Fiery Clio is less than thrilled to have to share the spotlight, but the twins must learn to combine their powers in order to complete a rite that will transform their lives and the coven forever.
 




Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.





Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.





After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.













Continue reading Month in Review / March and April 2017