Mini-Review! - Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal* (*ish)

Series: Trylle Trilogy #1

Amazon: UK - USA

Verdict:

This book is nuttier than a squirrel's hoard.

OK, so we have mademoiselle-YA-heroine Wendy. Who is completely unlikeable and pretty abrasive. When she's not whining, she's making truly stupid decisions.

But then, she's a YA heroine, and these things happen.

Then Wendy finds out she's a troll (I know - what?!) and a changeling-child t'boot.

She moves in with the other trolls, and we find out that she's about the nicest and least whiny of all of the trolls - who knew?

Everyone continues to make stupid-a*s decisions, although there is a ray of intelligence at the end - which I can't go into, cos, y'know, it'd get spoiler-y.

Sometimes I questioned why I was still reading it but... I just couldn't seem to help myself.

You know when you see an accident? And you know you shouldn't stare, but you can't look away? It's that feeling.

I shouldn't've wanted to keep reading... but I did.

Oh and those of you who hate/love/love-to-hate/hate-to-love love triangles?

Yeah, this book actually has more of a love rectangle/multi-sided shape... comprised mainly of Wendy and countless broody mystery-dudes. (There are a lot of them. Turns out teenage trolls are naturally pi*sy.)

Other girls also fancy various members of the broody-dude-troop. See? Multi-sided love-shape. (I don't even know.)

There's some violence, and eternally-thwarted sexy-times of one type and another. (Troll society is one massive chastity belt as far as Wendy's concerned.)

There might be swearing... but I honestly can't remember, so if there was it passed me by. It's possible that there was the odd 'cr*p' in there, I really don't know.

If you read this, you will enjoy it... you just won't necessarily want to enjoy it.

*Shrugs* - sometimes you need some absolutely crackers YA, if you love it, go for it.

I liked it. I really don't know why.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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Month In Review(s) - July 2016

Ahhh, July - funny old month, some good things, some not-good things.

But, y'know, I'm still standing, and blog-wise things are looking uber-awesome if I do say so myself! :)

This is me this month. #TrueStory ;)

This month has been rockin' as far as blog-stats are concerned:

I hit over 20k page-views in all, with over 5k views just this month.

A lot of this was due to my most popular post of the month - my review of Luna the Vampire, which hit over 2k page-views all on its lonesome! (Honestly, I don't know why that post was so popular, but I'm not complaining!)

Diary of a Reading Addict now has 50+ followers on BlogLovin'.

I now have 900+ followers on Twitter!

I reviewed some awesome-a*s books this month - stand-outs for me include Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi and Monstress, Vol: The Awakening. But honestly, I reviewed a lot of rockin' stuff this month!

And yes, before you say anything - I realise that of the 8 books I reviewed this month, 4 were graphic novels *shrugs* - there's nothing wrong with that!

As July 2016 faffs off into the sunset, I'm going to shamelessly point you at my post for The Diverse Books Tag.

I will also point you at Naz's awesome Read Diverse Books blog - check it out :)

And without further ado, here are the book reviews I wrote this month:

Kids

Thor: Dueling with Giants by Keith R A DeCandido - Fantasy, Media Tie-In

Young Adult

Panic by Lauren Oliver - Contemporary

New Adult

Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi - Contemporary, LGBTQ+ (M/F and F/F)

Adult

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson - (Modern) Classics, LGBTQ+ (F/F)

Graphic Novels

 

   

Disney's Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland Vol 1 by Jun Abe - Manga, Fantasy, Media Tie-In

Luna the Vampire, Vol 1: Grumpy Space by Yasmin Sheikh - Humour, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Vampire

Monstress, Vol 1: The Awakening - Fantasy

Mythic, Volume 1 - Fantasy, Mythology

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Luna The Vampire, Volume 1: Grumpy Space by Yasmin Sheikh

Title: Luna the Vampire, Vol 1: Grumpy Space

Author: Yasmin Sheikh Genre: Graphic Novels, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Humour, Vampires

Series: Luna the Vampire

Release Date: 14 July 2016

Amazon: UK - USA

Month in Review(s) - June 2016

We're half-way through the year folks! Which is kind of rocking, really, because it means we're that much closer to Christmas.

(I love Christmas!)





Anyway, back to the summer-ish-ness of June, and I can honestly say I read a little bit of everything this month.

Plus it was a pretty fab month blog-wise: I reached over 750 Twitter followers, over 15k blog page-views (ARGH!!!!!) and over 30 Bloglovin followers.




AND JUNO DAWSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!!!!

(I'm a massive Juno Dawson fan - so this was kind of a fantabulously big deal to me.)

So catch up on all my reviews this month with this handy link-list (and I've added cover images, because I spoil you.)

Kids

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Fantasy

Young Adult

Say Her Name by Juno Dawson - Horror, Ghost Story

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - Historical Fiction, Crime

Adult

Life Blood by V M Black - Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Novella

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - Contemporary, Chick Lit, Magic Realism, Romance* (*ish)

Graphic Novels

Codename Baboushka, Vol: The Conclave of Death - Spy, Gangster, Thriller, Crime

Klaw, The First Cycle - Young Adult, Fantasy, Superhero*, Paranormal* (*ish - there are shifters of various types and somewhat of a superhero origin story.)

Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Klaw, The First Cycle

Title: Klaw, The First Cycle

Author: Antoine Ozanam

Contributors: Joel Jurion, Yoann Guille, Mike Kennedy

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy, Superhero*, Paranormal* (*ish - there are shifters of various types and somewhat of a superhero origin story.)

Series: Klaw (#1-3)

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

This looked interesting - shape-shifting and all that jazz! (Woo!)

Plus the cover rocked, and covers are usually a good indication of graphic novel rock-itude.

Premise:

Angel Tomassini is about to learn a few truths - one is about his father, and his father's business.

The other... well, the other is about shape-shifters.

It's going to get interesting.

Best bits:

There were parts of this with a superhero origin-vibe. Which I kind of dug - it's nice to see superheroes who aren't the property of Marvel or DC.

And it didn't over-shadow the character-driven aspects (character-driven superhero story? Hallelujah!)

The artwork was adequate - verging on rockin' in places - and the character design in particular really shone through.

I loved the way that the post-shape-shifting animal-people looked - the tiger in particular (which as the tiger is the focus here, is a good job too!)

The shape-shifting is based on the Chinese zodiac - which was a nice twist, and added another layer to the whole deal-y. :)

And I liked Angel - a likeable protagonist with the right level of gung-ho stupidity to fit the storyline, but not make you want to throw things at him repeatedly.

Not so great bits:

There were moments when I was a little lost as to what the hell was going on. Brief, but mentionable.

And there was much blood and violence. It's more comic-style than anything, but it's definitely noticeable.

I can't remember any swearing... but there might've been some tucked in there somewhere.

My bug-bear here is a big time-jump in the middle, which I felt was fairly unnecessary.

Also, some of the supporting characters were a little thin-on-depth for my liking.

The girl - whose name I can't remember - was pretty much the only female character of note, and was disappointingly flimsy, all-in-all.

Verdict:

This was an interesting take on so many tried-and-tested tropes.

I enjoyed it, I just would really have preferred some stronger roles for female characters.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads

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Mini-review! - Life Blood by V M Black

Title: Life Blood

Author: V M Black

Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Novella

Series: Cora's Choice #1

Amazon: UK - USA

Verdict:

I picked this book up because free e-books are my kryptonite. Particularly paranormal romances. They're like alcopops or junk food to me, honestly.

So yeah... this went on the e-reader!

This is one of those 'get-you-hooked' series-starter novellas. Like a drug dealer who gives you the first hit for free.

(Reading is an addiction - I keep telling you people this.)

As such, it's pretty short, and is series-foundation-setting rather than a full-blooded (ha! Blooded. Vampires. I just noticed that,) romance in and of itself.

The sexy-times only start to appear near the end, and aren't all that graphic (but I still don't want you young 'uns reading this! It does get a li'l steamy.)

And I'm not entirely sure I'm sold on the love-interest/s.

Luckily, the main romantic-al feller/vampire is more a lust-interest at this stage, so has time to develop in other books into (potentially) something deeper before everyone starts declaring undying love, or whatever.

Oh, and personal-safety-wise? It was nice to see Cora being careful to tell people where she is... even if some of her other decisions are a little ill-advised to say the least.

At least someone would be able to find the body if she was murdered and left in a ditch. Better than what most heroines manage, Cora - 10 points to Gryffindor!

(I don't know if she's in Gryffindor... I just kind of assumed...) (No, I actually haven't had coffee - which is more worrying than having it to be honest...)

This, then, is a short and very readable para-romance novella. If vampire romance is your thing, you'll probably devour this. :)

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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The Month In Review(s) - March 2016

Ahhh, spring and March and books and reviews :)

Check out all the books I've reviewed this month:

Kids

Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson - contemporary, chick lit
After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross - dystopian

Young Adult

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - fantasy, paranormal, LGBTQ+ (M/M)

Adult

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King - crime, thriller
Orlando by Virginia Woolf - classics, historical fiction, LGBT*Q+
The True and Splendid History of the Harristown Sisters by Michelle Lovric - historical fiction
The Zoo Father by Pascale Petit - poetry

Graphic Novels

Adulthood is a Myth: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection by Sarah Andersen - humour
The Beauty, Volume 1 - dystopian, horror, sci-fi

Non-fiction

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

Review Time! - Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, LGBTQ+ (M/M)

Amazon: USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publishers Pan Macmillan via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I had the opportunity to review this in connection with the new edition released by Pan Macmillan on 25th Feb.

I've heard loads about Rainbow Rowell, but had never read any of her books before (I can hear your collective gasping from here.)

I figured 'Carry On' would be the Rowell book I'd be most likely to enjoy, so decided to give it a shot.

I know this is kind of a spin-off of Fangirl (UK - US) - but figured since it was a book based on the fictional series mentioned in Fangirl (so... it's a book based on a series in a book about fanfiction... my head hurts,) that it would be OK to read it standalone (and it was.)

Premise:

Simon Snow is a Mage; probably the most powerful Mage ever to live. And with the World of Mages about to fall into about ten kinds of war, that's probably not the best thing to be.

And then there's his room-mate: Baz. Who may or may not be a vampire. And who may or may not be plotting against Simon.

Alongside that is the threat of a mysterious force called the Insidious Humdrum, and a mystery surrounding the death of Baz's mother.

Lots of challenges ahead for Baz and Simon: will they face them as friends, foes, or something else?

Best bits:

This book was like Harry Potter fanfiction on steroids - and yes, that's a compliment. (From me, that's a compliment.) 

It takes a Harry Potter-esque world and gives it a healthy dose of the 21st Century; it works.

I loved the sense of humour here - it's not a book that takes itself overly-seriously. And the school being at Watford? Just brill.

It's witty and self-knowing - which I really enjoyed.

The characters are great. Particularly Baz - Rowell knows her audience, and has created a deeply vulnerable Draco Malfoy/Loki hybrid; he's sharp, he's smart, he gives all you fangirls the feels. Well done Ms Rowell, well done.

I also loved Agatha - a sentiment that isn't shared by everyone, I'm sure. I think that the problem is, she's a fabulous character... who belongs to a different story.

She's not a part of this story - she's a part of her own; so she always feels a little out of place.

I also adored the way that spells are created from language - from the way people use language, and the way that it evolves. I thought that was really poignant.

Not so great bits:

This book, to me, waxes and wanes - there are parts that are slow, and parts that are fast. And, personally, there are aspects I would've explored to greater depth, and aspects that I would've trimmed down a little.

That's fine - and, obviously, down to personal preferences. But I can't help but think that with a few changes it could've been something truly special.

And the first quarter-ish of the book is basically Simon having a small pout over nothing and everything. Hold on - it gets so much better!

I also predicted all the twists - it didn't bother me that much, because I was just chuffed that I'd figured it out, but I know a lot of people don't like to be able to figure out plot-points.

There's also a bunch of the usual: some swearing, some violence, etc. If that stuff bothers you then it's maybe not the book for you.

And not everyone is going to appreciate the humour - but, personally, I loved it.

Verdict:

I surprised myself by really enjoying this book. True, there were some minus-points, but they didn't really detract from the whole. And I love Baz; he's just awesome.



UPDATE: 16th May 2017 - Some people have problems with this book with regards to bisexual erasure. If anyone has any blogposts or reviews which discuss this, please let me know!

Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

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