Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

(also known as The Gathering Dark)
My Rating: 4/5
Blurb:
The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

Review:
I loved this book. Especially the world the author makes and how it's so mysterious and magical, but also has it's dark side. I also liked how Alina is a tom boy at first and kind of grows into herself as the book progresses. I loved Mal. His character was a very good love interest as he is the best friend and starts to realise how he feels. It's a good romance. I found this book very hard to put down and would definately recommend it to others.

Sequels:
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising

Author Interview: (its only German for first 7 seconds)

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Is falling in love the beginning . . . or the end?

In Ethan Wate's hometown there lies the darkest of secrets . . .

There is a girl. Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head . . . Green eyes, black hair. Lena Duchannes.

There is a curse. On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it's been promised. And no one can stop it.

In the end, there is a grave.

Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. But Lena is cursed and on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided. Ethan never even saw it coming.

Review:

I've found this book very interesting. The storyline was great. It had alot of thrilling moments and is hard to put down. I did find however that Lena wasn't as gripping a character as would have been expected. This made it hard to connect with her or have that much sympathy. The town it was set in seemed to be trying too hard to discriminate people. Otherwise I loved this book and would recommend it to others.

Sequels:

Beautiful Darkness

Beautiful Chaos

Beautiful Redemption

Authors Interview:

Angel by L.A Weatherly

My Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb:

Angels are all around us: beautiful, awe-inspiring, irresistible.

Ordinary mortals yearn to catch a glimpse of one of these stunning beings and thousands flock to The Church of Angels to feel their healing touch.

But what if their potent magnetism isn't what it seems?

Willow knows she's different from other girls. And not just because she loves tinkering around with cars.

Willow has a gift. She can look into people's futures, know their dreams, their hopes and their regrets, just by touching them. But she has no idea where she gets this power from.

Until she meets Alex…

Alex is one of the few who know the truth about angels. He knows Willow's secret and is on a mission to stop her.

The dark forces within Willow make her dangerous – and irresistible.

In spite of himself, Alex finds he is falling in love with his sworn enemy.

Review:
I found this book quite interesting. It seems to put a spin on the whole image of kind, holy angels and turns them into evil beings that are harming humans which I thought was an interesting concept which worked very well in the book. The relationship between Alex and Willow was done well and they were great characters separately aswell. I will say the switching of view points could get confusing from time to time, though you do get a grasp for it by the end, it keeps changing from 1st person to 3rd person alot. My only other complaint would be that the ending seemed a bit too quick and abrupt, as we were waiting for this big show down and it wasn't quite the ending that was implied from the rest of the book. Otherwise I enjoyed this book and would say if you are into teenage, paranormal, romance books then you would enjoy this.

Sequels:

Angel Fire

Angel Fever

Author Interview:

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

The story of a remarkable boy called Yann Margoza; Tetu the dwarf, his friend and mentor; Sido, unloved daughter of a foolish Marquis; and Count Kalliovski, Grand Master of a secret society, who has half the aristocracy in thrall to him, and wants Yann dead. Yann is spirited away to London but three years later, when Paris is gripped by the bloody horrors of the Revolution, he returns, charged with two missions: to find out Kalliovski's darkest deeds and to save Sido from the guillotine. With a tangle of secrets, a thread of magic and a touch of humour, the follies of the aristocracy and the sufferings of ordinary people are unfolded as their lives move relentlessly towards the tragic and horrific days of the Terror. The Red Necklace is not only a tremendous adventure story but a vibrant and passionate picture of Paris in turmoil and of a large cast of memorable character.

Review:

I gave this book a 4/5 as I felt it was a very interesting book with alot of excitment and I especially love the magical side of it. I would have given it full marks, but it dosen't have as much historical relevance as it claims to, it is just set during The French Revolution, it dosen't mention many of the events that took place during the time, even in the background. This would be my only problem with the book, otherwise I loved it. I have re-read this book atleast twice I loved it so much and would definately recommend it to my readers.

Sequels:

The Silver Blade



Author Interview: