CAN'T WAIT TO READ: A Sorrow Fierce and Falling by Jessica Cluess

Series: Kingdom on Fire #3
Release date: October 16th 2018
Publisher: Random House 
Pre-order: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

It’s time for war.

After suffering terrible losses, Henrietta and Lord Blackwood have led their warriors to Sorrow-Fell, a vast estate where only those invited by a Blackwood may enter–and the ideal place to plan a final assault against the Ancients.

It’s time for a wedding.

Henrietta nervously awaits her marriage to Blackwood, but when the ritual to become his bride reveals a dark secret, she realizes that Sorrow-Fell is not a safe haven; it’s a trap. Convincing the sorcerers of this, however, is not easy. So with Maria, the true chosen one, and Magnus, the young man who once stole her heart, at her side, Henrietta plots a dangerous journey straight into the enemy’s lair. Some will live. Some will die. All will be tested.

In this stunning conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire series, Henrietta must choose between the love from her past, the love from her present, and a love that could define her future. While battles rage, the fate of the kingdom rests on her decision: Will she fall or rise up to become the woman who saves the realm?

It’s time for Henrietta to make her stand.

About the Author

Jessica Cluess is a writer, a graduate of Northwestern University, and an unapologetic nerd. After college, she moved to Los Angeles, where she served coffee to the rich and famous while working on her first novel. When she’s not writing books, she’s an instructor at Writopia Lab, helping kids and teens tell their own stories.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Review: Antisocial by Jillian Blake

Release date: May 16th 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Alexandria Prep is hacked in this exhilarating whodunit set in the age of social media and the cloud Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks.

Senior spring at Alexandria Prep was supposed to be for sleeping through class and partying with friends. But for Anna Soler, it s going to be a lonely road. She's just been dumped by her gorgeous basketball star boyfriend with no explanation. Anna's closest friends, the real ones she abandoned while dating him, are ignoring her. The endearing boy she s always had a complicated friendship with is almost too sympathetic. 

But suddenly Anna isn t the only one whose life has been upended. Someone is determined to knock the kings and queens of the school off their thrones: one by one, their phones get hacked and their personal messages and photos are leaked. At first it's funny people love watching the dirty private lives of those they envy become all too public. 

Then the hacks escalate. Dark secrets are exposed, and lives are shattered. Chaos erupts at school. As Anna tries to save those she cares about most and to protect her own secrets, she begins to understand the reality of our always-connected lives: 

Sometimes we share too much.

*Received a free physical ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Antisocial has an important message in regards to what you put out there, whether in text messages or posting on social media. And while that is a great aspect of the story, for the most part, I felt detached. There were times the situation just didn't make much of an impact on me because I've read it so many times in other books with the same school setting. However, it is realistic and depicts what's happening now in this digital age we're living in. It's just that I feel like the story could have been stronger and some things weren't cleared up in the end. 

Initially, I was curious about the characters and what was taking place at this school. I could relate to Anna in the sense that she started seeing someone and neglected her close friends. It happens. Sometimes you go back and fix those relationships and sometimes it's best to let them go, especially if they weren't strong, to begin with. But in Anna's case, she got dumped, and that ignited the desire to go and make amends with her friends. But with the way one friend in particular was, I couldn't understand why she would even bother. This one character pressured another friend into making a stupid decision and was rather hurtful more times than once. 

My attention remained locked for the first few chapters, especially since the story is fast-paced and light. But after the hacking started, some crazy things began to happen as well and it became difficult to stay focused. For instance, there were times I was reading but wasn't really into it and couldn't recall what I'd just read. But that could just be me, because like I said there are great aspects of the story, and the writing is good. It's an interesting book but could have been...more. I still recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with the usual high school drama mixed with digital abuse.

About the Author
JILLIAN BLAKE grew up in New England, where she kept her deepest, darkest secrets password-protected. Antisocial is her first novel.

Review: The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

Release date: September 13th 2016
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

THE LOST

When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister, Faith. Since then, Faith’s childhood has revolved around her sister’s disappearance—from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention, to dealing with so-called friends who only ever want to talk about her missing sister.

THE FOUND

Now, thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the front yard of the Logans’ old house, disoriented and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Can her sister finally be back? Faith always dreamed of her sister coming home; she just never believed it would happen. But soon a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated from her family and paranoid about her sister’s motives. Before long, Faith begins to wonder if it’s the abduction that’s changed her sister, or if it’s something else. . . .

*Received a physical copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

From the opening chapter I was intrigued and wanted to understand the family and Faith. It was easy to say she was being bratty and not very considerate of the situation, but at the same time I could understand her feelings. It was obvious that Faith was somewhat neglected by her mother and in some ways by her father as well. Her parents had spent all their time and efforts in finding Laurel, that they seemed to have not paid much attention to their other daughter. And when they were informed that Laurel had reappeared, Faith's mixed reaction wasn't surprising. I sensed jealousy a tad in her, because all the attention was given to her sister and not much was left for her. Over the years, she basically took care of herself. And honestly, I was happy that her parents weren't together. The mother seemed like such a trip, and I found nothing likable about the woman, and I wish there were more scenes with Faith's stepfather because he was the only one really there for her. 

Now, on to Laurel. It was great that one parents misery was coming to an end, and  their kidnapped daughter had finally come home. But I had my reservations. Something didn't seem right, especially with how Laurel didn't mind being in the spotlight and the way she acted with Faith's boyfriend. He was another story. With the way Faith questioned her feelings for him daily, I knew she had no business being in a relationship with him, and sadly it took too long for her to realize that. Even after what happened towards the end. 

The truth became pretty obvious to me from early. So for the rest of the story, I diverted my focus to the relationship between the girls; how they acted with each other, if Faith would finally break and unveil how she truly felt, and how the story would wrap up. It was terribly unfortunate what Laurel had experienced and I was happy that she was free from that. But with the state of the family, I didn't think it was healthy for her to be with them because she needed to know what it was like to have a normal, loving and supportive family. The father was barely around and the mother was pretentious and acted as if the world owed her. She got too caught up in the press and money and lost sight of what was important. She also pressured Faith a lot and treated her like crap, often dismissing her feelings or putting the guilt trip on her. The whole situation made me cringe and I yearned for the moment each of them would have an epiphany.

The ending wasn't much of a surprise, but it was emotional when Laurel spoke about her ordeal at last. Her pain felt so real and I could picture every single detail in my head as she revealed them. I'm not so sure I'm contented with the way things ended, but a part of me understands why they did that. 

To conclude, The Lost and the Found is an interesting story with a realistic tragedy no one should ever go through, but I did have some issues and that's why I rated it three stars. The writing's good, but at times I felt like there could have been less of some things mentioned, and more given at other parts. Also, I wasn't as emotionally invested as I was expecting to be, and I didn't really connect with the characters. Like I mentioned before, I already knew the truth from early so it was more about how it would end, and that was my main drive to keep reading. 

   

About the Author

Cat was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people. 

Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels. She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up furballs at the most inconvenient times. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.

www.catclarke.com

facebook.com/catclarkewriter