Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick


Rating: 3.8 stars

Synopsis: Hot. Cold. Deadly. Britt Pfeiffer has never been very adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces her best friend Korbie, to take a hiking trip with her. But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded, they seek shelter in a secluded cabin - where they find two handsome rescuers. Or so they think. Britt realises she and Korbie need to get off the mountain fast, and so begins a treacherous journey through the ice and snow. But is gorgeous, mysterious Mason an enemy - or an ally?

Review: I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book, hence the insanely precise rating above. Originally, I was going to give it 4 stars but then I realised there are a few things I didn't really like about the book. You know the kind of things you don't realise irritate you when you're reading but after you've finished the book and think about it, you realise they're there. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book and I did enjoy it - I read it in about a day so the plot really did grab my attention. It was just little things that knocked the rating down for me.

There are quite a few reviews on this book already and most of them say what I'm going to say now. Britt needs to grow a backbone in terms of her relationships. In terms of survival skills, she's got it down. She knows what to do to stay alive in the mountains, but when it comes to relationships she needs to grow up. We get it, you loved Calvin and he broke your heart, but whinging for him every ten seconds isn't going to do anything. It just felt repetitive. Every time I wanted Britt to stand up and help herself, she'd spend five minutes wishing Calvin was there to do it for her. And then with Mason; the constant internal monologue of I can't fall in love with him, he's my captor got really repetitive. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to snap out of it. Apart from this though, I thought in general, Britt's character was quite well developed and she had an inner strength that you could see develop over the course of the book. The initial need to prove herself to Calvin turned into her wanting to prove herself to everyone - including herself and it was nice to see this change.

I hated Korbie. There was no chemistry between her and Britt and it was difficult to understand why they were best friends. When we first join the story, you get the impression that Britt has only asked Korbie along because of Calvin and not because she's her best friend. As you delve into the pairs past you really get the sense that this is a mismatched friendship if I ever saw one. There is no chemistry and, while Britt really seems to care about Korbie's well being in the cabin, trying to protect her (in a way that I personally didn't understand because surely it would have just sealed Korbie's fate if it was true?) Korbie seems to only care about herself. She doesn't seem to give Britt a second thought throughout the book, focusing only on herself and that just turned me off her completely.

I thought the premise of the book was really good and you could tell that Becca Fitzpatrick had really done her research on the area and how you could survive the situations Britt and Mason were thrown into. The book moved along at quite a fast pace and, like I said, I read the book in about a day so I did enjoy it a lot. I think this is mainly to do with Mason. I thought he was a really complex character who had a lot of secrets to his past. I didn't see his connection to Shaun until it was almost revealed and then it was pretty easy to guess but, apart from that, I did really like his character, and the way he put up with Britt was commendable. Like I said, she did have a few 'stupid' moments in the book.

The final 'action scene' was probably the best part because you really saw a mature side to Britt that, until then, you had only caught glimpses of. Other reviewers have said that they had guessed the ending, but it came as a surprise to me and I didn't see it coming. I guess you guys will have to make your own minds up about it. For me though, I thought it was a satisfying conclusion to the time on the mountains. The way that Britt handled everything during those few chapters was really satisfying as a reader because you finally saw her accept everything and accept that she wasn't as helpless as she had previously made herself out to be.

The actual ending itself was also something I really enjoyed. Some people might have found it cheesy but we all need a little cheese in our life and I thought it was a satisfying conclusion, with the romance that you really wanted to see continue after everything on the mountain and a little bit of humour thrown in there. It was a satisfying, relaxed conclusion which I thought the book needed after all the action throughout the book. It was also nice to see that Britt had learned that Korbie wasn't right for her - I half expected her to forgive her for everything, so it was nice to see that that wasn't the case.

All in all, it was a good book and I did enjoy it. The parts that let it down for me, didn't completely hinder my enjoyment of the book at all and I really only focused on them completely once I came to write this review. Considering I hadn't read Becca Fitzpatrick's 'Hush Hush' series, I thought this was a great introduction to her work and I'll probably pick up the 'Hush Hush' series at some point. Give it a go and tell me what you think.


Image from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21943246-black-ice - no Copyright intended

Wings of Arian by Devri Walls

Wings of Arian by Devri Walls

Rating: 4.8 stars

Synopsis: Kiora thought she'd never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that magic didn't exist. Lie. That magic wasn't real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie. With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she's the only one who can stop it, she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life. She reluctantly dips her toes into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar. This journey isn't just for Kiora to undertake alone, she will have a Protector to help her. To her disbelief and utter irritation, they name the hot headed, stubborn, non-magical (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives but right now Kiroa would settle for a non hostile conversation. And now it comes down to this: if you had never heard a lie, how would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora soon finds herself having to decide who lives and dies based on these questions.

Review: I picked this book up on Kindle on a whim. I was looking for something that I hadn't read before and Wings of Arian seemed to be it - and I wasn't disappointed. Wings of Arian is the first book in The Solus series and is described on Amazon as being a paranormal romance novel. And I loved it. I feel like I don't read enough fantasy books, which is how I would describe this book, rather than paranormal, especially since when I was little I loved them. The thing is, fantasy books can be hit and miss with me. The world building is key to fantasy books and I've found in some books that it can be a little lacklustre in the whole world-building department. Devri Walls is a pro at world-building. The land of Meros is so well thought out and you can tell that she's really put a lot of thought into the dynamics of the world and why things happen the way they do. Meros is a land with supposedly no magic. At least, this is what the villagers have been told but little do they know that they are surrounded by magical creatures and this is how we start the book; with Kiora finding out about magic.

Kiora is a really good heroine for me. She's feisty and stubborn but she still has weaknesses and, because of her sheltered upbringing, a sense of innocence and naivety which I found quite endearing. This doesn't normally happen - many heroines who have these characteristics are more innocent and naïve than feisty and stubborn but Kiora has a good mix of both. What made Kiora really interesting to me was the whole 'feeling emotions on a deep level' thing. I wasn't sure how I initially felt about this and there were times when it was a little irritating but on the whole I thought it worked well. Kiora can feel things on such a deep level - she can be insanely happy or insanely sad, there's no real middle ground for her. So when she's forced to kill people, you can imagine how that makes her feel. I thought that this quality made her quite interesting because it made her stand out from other heroines. For example, Katniss in The Hunger Games, isn't a killer, but she doesn't kind of think about her actions during the games because she wants to get home to Prim. Kiora on the other hand, agonises over the people she's killed, despite them trying to kill her. The guilt she feels is immeasurable and in this way, Kiora stands out from Katniss in that while both are forced to kill, Kiora isn't able to compartmentalise the guilt she feels like Katniss can. Despite this guilt, Kiora does continue and overcomes this weakness; she knows what has to be done and, while she's not exactly thrilled that she has to be the one to eradicate evil, she still does it and she tries her hardest to do it right. But she's not perfect and she doesn't try to be. That's where Emane comes in.

Prince Emane. Ah. You gotta love a Prince. He's not quite Prince Ash but hey. Emane's role as Protector is literally that - to protect Kiroa as she tries to defeat evil. The only problem is, he doesn't have any magic. So while Kiora kicks butt with her magic, he has an assortment of non-magical weapons, leaving him feeling a little bit useless. Until the whole - we can make you magical deal breaker comes into play. Emane for me was brilliant. The relationship between him and Kiora was really nice - I love my hero's to be sarcastic - and Kiora gives as good as she gets. He makes up for her weakness; knowing that people will die during this and being okay with that in the most part. He's never really cared about anyone other than himself and it was quite funny to see him realising that he cares for Kiora outside of his protection detail. One of my favourite moments in the book was the ceremony that was performed for Emane in order to give him magic so he can better help Kiora. I felt like you really got to see the relationship between Emane and Kiora in a better light and I liked how, for the first time, Kiora was taking care of Emane, rather than the other way around.

The plot of this book is incredibly intricate. There are quite a few battles and fights that occur but it's not difficult to follow which is what I initially expected. In fact, it's a really comfortable read. Devri Walls has spent so much time on both the world building and the plot that you can really imagine this happening. The way that magic is worked into the very essence of the world was really well done. I loved the idea of threads - being able to sense someone nearby and whether they're good or evil based on their thread was quite a good idea. Every plot point worked together and there wasn't really anything that was unnecessary like you sometimes get in fantasy books. The only thing that confused me was the appointment of Emane as Protector. We're told that a Protector will be assigned and then, the next minute, Emane has popped out of nowhere and is suddenly our Protector. I felt like there should have been an extra chapter or scene where Emane is told about his role, rather than him just popping up out of nowhere. That's why this book didn't get a full five stars for me. Apart from that though, I thought the whole plot was really well thought out and the story and characters as a whole was really enjoyable.

If you're looking for something a little different, or if you enjoy fantasy/paranormal books, I'd definitely recommend picking this book up. It's a great read and for me anyway, something a bit different. 

Image from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13517384-wings-of-arian - no Copyright intended

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black


Rating: 4.5 stars


Synopsis: Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. It's an eternal party, shown on TV twenty-four hours a day - gorgeous, glamorous, deadly. The problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave...



Review: Welcome to 2015! It's only taken me a month to pick up a new book but hey, I'm so glad it was this one. Finding myself in a book rut, I visited my library with the plan to pick up one or two books to ease myself back in. Typically, I leave with five, this being one of them. I'd picked this book up last year and started reading it and I got about a quarter of the way through before putting it down and not picking it back up. And I've been kicking myself for it.


This is how you write a vampire book with a modern twist. This book has the spark that I was missing from the Immortal Rules series - the connection between the characters and the way the plot was so thought out was what I expected from the Immortal Rules and more. This book is amazing.


Tana is a seemingly normal teenage girl in a world where vampires are not just the thing of legends. When a sundown party goes terribly wrong and Tana is the only human left alive, her life goes from normal to crazy in the space of twenty seconds. Tana leaves the remnants of the party with her ex-boyfriend who is in the process of going Cold and a vampire who may or may not be in serious trouble.


Tana is a strong character who knows what she wants and has the ability to kick herself and get a job done even when all she wants to do is sit in a corner and cry. Unlike Allie in the Immortal Rules though, Tana is human. She is affected by the death of friends and family and is terrified at the idea of going Cold herself. She has a family that she cares about and gives her the motivation she needs to go into the local Coldtown.


The idea of Coldtown's is genius. This is what gives this book a modern twist. When the infection that turns you into a vampire started to spread, Coldtowns were built in the quarantined areas, locking in those who have turned, are in transition, and are still human. The idea is that, if you become infected, you go to a Coldtown and turn yourself in. But the Coldtown's are in chaos, with the vampires ruling the roost. People can watch the elite vampires inside of Coldtown online twenty-four hours a day in a reality show type scenario. The vampire life is made out to be parties and drinking and eternal happiness. What Tana soon finds out, is the picture that is painted to those outside the walls is just that. A pretty picture for the few lucky enough to get in.


Gavriel is a very complex character. An insanely old vampire, who has gone a little off the deep end during his life. We don't know much about his motives throughout the book, except that he and Tana really hit it off together. We gradually learn that Gavriel is seemingly running from vampires intent on torturing him for a crime that caused the spreading of the vampire infection. It was really interesting getting to know Gavriel and Holly is so good at dropping little bits of his backstory in at just the right moment, giving you the information you need but still keeping you pretty much in the dark about who he is.


I thought Lucian was also a great character. One of the elite vampires that stars in his own reality show, Lucian is a manipulative old vampire who turned Gabriel in Paris back in the day. He's not a major player in the book until you've really got into the plot but you don't notice it the way you did with the Immortal Rules for example, where you needed the presence of a villain to kick the plot forward. There were enough little, interlinking plot points throughout the book that meant I never got bored of reading it and never wanted to put the book down.


The structuring was also very good. There are a number of moments throughout the book where the point of view changes. This way, we get to see Gavriel's past and how he became a vampire, we get to see a little bit of Lucian and how he played into what kind of vampire Gavriel became and we get to see Pearl, Tana's little sister, and see the fallout from the party hit her. In most books, this change would probably have irritated me a little but here it made sense to write the book like this because, by the end, when all of these stories finally came together, it made the impact of the ending so much better. You needed to know about these characters and their thoughts, as well as Tana's and Holly did it really well.


I did not expect the final showdown scene. It was so well done that it shocked me when it was finally revealed. Not many books do that. You really don't see it coming because Holly masks it so well and the characters are so believable in their actions and motives that the big reveal really is a shock but it still feels right and believable for it to be that way.


The only thing I didn't like (and it is only minor) is that on the final page, while all the questions seemed to be tied up for the most part, there are still questions that I want to be answered. Holly hasn't said whether there will be a sequel (please, please, please, please) but I'm hoping. Basically, I just wanted more! While it's a satisfying ending to this book, there is definitely potential for another and I think Holly is clever for leaving it in such a way that she can come back to it one day if she feels like it.


A brilliant read and I'm so glad I picked it up again.


No copyright intended - image from: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12813630-the-coldest-girl-in-coldtown