RED RIDING WEEK: COMING SOON

Red Riding Week, will be based around two books I have read recently which I loved. Sisters Read by Jackson Pearce and Rrd Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely Carthwright. They are both amazing books with a twist on the classic fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood. There will be reviews, fan art, book of the month and maybe even a movie review of Red Riding Hood. Hope you Enjoy!

The Iron Witch - Karen Mahoney - Review

Book: The Iron Witch

Author: Karen Mahoney

Publisher: Corgi

ISBN: 9780552563819

Rating: A+

Freak. That's what they call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood at Ironbridge High School. A horrific fey attack that killed her father when she was just a child left Donna branded with iron tattoos that cover her hands and arms - and magically enhanced strength, that she now does all she can to hide. Now, after ten years of wishing for a normal life, Donna finally accepts her role in the centuries-old war against the darkest outcasts of Faerie - the dark elves. Aided by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout, Donna must save her best friend's life - and that means betraying one of the world's greatest secrets and confronting the very thing that destroyed her family.

The Iron Witch is one of special books that you’ll remember forever, and will read many times over again. After receiving it last week I have already read it three times and every time I love it. It is a brand new Faerie book and it has experimented into a new subsection of the Genre of Faerie and has already become equal with my other favourite Faerie book: Need.

This book has been criticized in many ways but when I got my hands on it, I was amazed. Actually I could make a list of words to what I was when I read this:

-        Amazed

-        Enthralled

-        Enticed

-        Seduced

-        Excited

-        Interested

And that’s just some words.

The story follows Donna Underwood, who is part of a secret society that knows about Faeries, and she is branded with iron tattoos after a Faerie accident that resulted in the death of her parents. Faeries are starting to hunt her again and she meets a mysterious half Faerie boy who she falls in love with. (gotta have the romance! *winks*)

To be honest the book totally blew me away. I have to admit, it wasn’t what I expected but that’s a good thing because nonetheless I adored it. It’s such a wonderful and magical book woven together with care and beauty. The book was fantastically written. There was so much detail yet it didn’t drone on, as it is a relatively short book. I have to say out of all the books I have read this month it is the best paced. And the other thing is that it is very well balanced. Not too much action but then not too much romance. It’s balanced until you get to the last couple of chapters which are complete action but hey, who does love a god old magical fight, and even then there was the love side to it, with the Capturing of Navin and all.

The book is a thriller ride. I loved the events but in some parts I have to admit Donna was a bit dumb, because like within a few chapters of the makers saying he was experimenting with goblins I’d figured it was a shape shifter but Donna didn’t until the end.

My favourite character was Navin. Very quirky but a friendly person and one thing I picked up on was Loyal. Like a Puppy. One thing that did confuse me though was whether Navin had feelings for Donna. He didn’t seem to say it upfront but he seemed to get jealous. He obviously likes Donna more than she likes back.

The book is a wonderful one. A magical one that I enjoyed to my heart’s content but not long before number two!!! Can-not wait for the Wood Queen to be released.

The Demon Trappers: Forsaken - Jana Oliver - Review

Book: The Demon Trappers: Forsaken

Author: Jana Oliver

Publisher: PanMacmillan

ISBN: 9780330519472

Rating: A

Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass. One thing's for sure - if she doesn't keep her wits about her there'll be hell to pay...

Okay, so let’s start off with the cover this time round, mainly because it caught my attention out of all the other books on the PanMacmillan website, but the book was amazing. It was, immense, intense and EPIC. It had me flipping pages all night just to see what happens, and boy this book blew me away, knocked me off my feet, gripped me in the gut... okay, I’ll stop now. But what I’m trying to say is... HURRY UP AND RELEASE FORBIDDEN BECUASE FORSAKEN WAS BLOODY AMAZING!!!

The story follows Riley, the daughter of a Demon Trapper, in a world where the land is ravaged by Demons in the fight between Heaven and Hell... well mainly Hell, anyway one day he father is killed and she just has a pretty hectic life, with a love triangle, demons trying to kill her, necromancers trying to get her father’s body, trying to prove herself, discovering fake holy water, and dealing with a bunch of mean girls. Oh yes, this book just has it all. (Did I mention there were spoilers?)

The book is nice and fast paced, and it kept me reading. The story is like a jigsaw, it leaves you confused and then chapters later it all slots together, and following on that not, I have to say the book was beautifully written. The style was very edgy but unique and I really enjoyed reading it.

My favourite character was either Beck or Simon. Beck is those guy who acts all tough and strong and ‘pah, you’re a twonk’ attitude character but really he’s insecure and finds it hard to express his emotions, shown when he turns Riley down and gets jealous when she and Simon start a relationship. Simon now, is this perfect angelic boy with Heaven on his side. He has a really nice and caring personality and is just... AWESOME.

I suppose I just want to read FROBIDDEN and FORGIVEN and out of five stars, I’ll give it... six!!! Jana Oliver has created and immense, awesome, cool, Novel. 

BOTM: April 2011

Fanmade The Iron King Cover

So... what do you think. I haven't really done a movie style FanArt yet, this is my first. Yay, Nay? If you want to request a cover  it's DELETED

Fanmade Tyger Tyger Cover

I did this for the SOPHISTIKATIED.BLOGSPOT.COM Tyger Tyger comp, but I think it fits with Iron week! Yay or Nay? Remember Request covers by commenting or emailing DELETED

Fanmade The Replacement Cover

So what do you think? Yay or Nay? Remember if you want me to do a Fan Cover for a book just comment or email me at DELETED

The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff - Review

Book: The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

ISBN: 9781847388391

Rating: A

Mackie Doyle is a replacement - a fairy child left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago, to replace the baby when it was stolen away by the fey. So though he lives in the small town of Gentry, Mackie's real home is the fey world of tunnels and black, murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. Now, because his fey blood gives him fatal allergies to iron, blood and consecrated ground, Mackie is slowly dying in the human world. Mackie would give anything just to be normal, to live quietly amongst humans, practice his bass guitar and spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably back home to the fey underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem, where he must face down the dark creatures, rescue the child, and find his rightful place - in our world, or theirs.

The replacement is one of those books that, hence the pun has a steel grip on you from the moment you start reading it. The words jump off the page at you like moth to fire. The book is a fantastical twist on the common concept of a fairy changeling, and boy did I enjoy it! (That’s a yes, in case you don’t get it!!!)

The story basically follows Mackie Doyle, a Fairy changeling slowly dying in the new world, who is suddenly in love, sucked back to his Fairy roots and about to interrupt and long lived, Cannibalistic tradition. He lives in the down of Gentry in which every seven years Fairy’s have to pay tax with blood, but this time he gets involved and stops it! We always love a good hero, don’t we? (Again, the answer is yes!!!)

Also the Romance, can’t forget that. Alice, is of course the hot girl who Mackie likes and who falls for Mackie, just when he realises he like Mysterious and corrupt, edgy girl Tate, who has had her sister, stolen, that was replaced with a dead changeling look-alike.

Tate is my favourite character, as I have mentioned before, I have a soft spot for the dark, edgy, mysterious characters. I love how this time though it’s a bad girl, and not the boy. There are so many books where the girl is human and the boy is dark, edgy, etc. hiding a secret, whereas Mackie is still hiding the secret, Tate is just the Bad-ass. And her name ‘TATE’ what and awesome name! I mean I’ve never heard it before but it is cool!

The book has taken a more gothic turn on the Faerie young adult Genre compared to some others Faerie books, but I like the new twist because it gives it a nice new feel.

Overall I really loved this book and I really hope there is a sequel.

IRON WEEK: COMING SOON

Iron week is next week and it will be a fantastical and magical week full of Fae (Faeries), fun and well books. There will be lots off special posts, such as reviews, fan art, and more. It will be based around two of my all time favorite books: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa and The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney, but there will be other 'Faerie' books included such as: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. Don't miss it and hope you enjoy!!!

Halo - Alexandra Adornetto - Review

Book: Halo

Author: Alexandra Adornetto

Publisher: ATOM

ISBN: 9781907410758

Rating: A+

Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone?especially herself...Is love a great enough power against evil?

Halo is a new, intoxicating Novel. From the first sentence I was drawn in and to be honest, this book is a piece of heaven. The story is thrilling, enticing, clever and unique and if I had to describe it in three words it would be: I LOVED IT!

To start off the first thing I picked up on was the description. There was so much detail in so little sentences and the whole book just played out in my head. Another compliment is that it was very well written, especially for someone of Adornetto’s age. The writing flowed smoothly and was beautiful. The book was completely smooth and was paced just right. Many reviews have mentioned Halo to be too similar to Twilight but I disagree. The book and idea is totally different and unique.

This angel book is definitely what I needed. I am very much into Angels, as they are the new vampires, but all the ones I have read such as: Hush Hush, and Fallen, are all very dark and heavy but Halo followed the angel theme but was very light and airy. It is a quick read, even with around 500 pages, as you a completely engrossed and I was reading into the depths of the night even after many scolding from my parents. I just couldn’t put it down.

The plotline follows the story of a Love Triangle between an Angel a Demon and a Human, with the whole Forbidden love idea, but the plot was intense, romantic and fun. It was well thought out and I loved it. Many reviews also said the plotline was to boring but yet again, I disagree. You need to have a balance between normal life and the fantasy element and Adornetto has created that balance perfectly. To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if Adornetto is actually an Angel! *winks*

My favourite character is Beth, no two ways about it. I think because he human-ness was being emphasized, you felt all that closer to her mentally and emotionally as all the emotions are described in so much detail. Also (being an angel and all) I found her instantly likeable. I think the first person idea was good and gave us a glimpse into Beth’s life very we!!!

The scenes that stick out in my mind are the ones where Beth reveals her true identity and her and Xavier kiss on the moonlit beach and the scene, I suppose you could call the final Showdown. The beach scene, in my mind is such a magical, beautiful scene, how can you not love it?! The showdown, well that was awesome. Gabriel’s Power, Jake’s Wrath, Ivy’s Healing, and Beth and Xavier’s love magic. It was awesome. The epic scene was intense, dangerous, edgy and I loved it (I’ve said that sooo many times now ;)

Overall the book has become one of my favourites and I am waiting for Hades to come out!!! The novel is a fantastic one in all aspects and for the last time... I LOVED IT!!!