Ink of Blood

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

When I read the blurb of this book, I felt immediately drawn to the storyline described. I liked Alex’s character and I found her really easy to understand and empathise with.

I thought it was really cool to see the descriptions of the meteor shower, even though it brought the virus. I found it easy to see how difficult things were for Alex and how she and her brother were affected by not only their mother getting sick, but everyone around them.

I really enjoyed seeing Alex’s relationship with Jacob and I liked that he remained a priority to her. I did think that there wasn’t enough foreshadowing in this book, though. There was too much in the way of things suddenly being revealed from the past, rather than earlier in the book. It was very much a case of, ‘Oh. That was a bit convenient’.

I liked being able to see some of the characters before the virus took hold, since it was good to see the contrast in their personalities before and after. I would have liked a bit more information about how Baxter seemed able to sense something was wrong… whether it was something unique to dogs, or if all animals could sense it.

There were some really good elements of mystery in this book and it was good to see that Alex wasn’t as good at fooling her mother as she’d hoped. I was a bit disappointed in her father’s friend. He came across as kind of a jerk and completely contrasted with how he’d come across before. (And there was the lack of foreshadowing again…)

It was interesting to see the dreams that were helping Alex to figure things out, but I couldn’t tell if the dreams were her subconscious or whether there were supernatural reasons behind them. I also liked seeing Alex’s interactions with Chris. It was nice to see that, although she was attracted to him, that didn’t take over the book. It was also good to see her and Chris forced to grow up and take on responsibility.

I would probably be interested in reading the sequel to this book in the future. It would be good to see how people will deal with the aftermath of everything.

(I received a free copy of this book, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Ideally, I’d give this book 2.5 stars out of 5. I can’t quite give it 3. I thought the blurb was really intriguing and I really did adore the front cover. I thought that the book did start off promising… but it quickly went downhill when Piper came into her abilities.

I did think that Piper became a much more unlikable character after her transformation. Although she claimed to care about and love her friends, I didn’t really see much evidence of that. I thought most of the characters came across as quite immature… which I guess they were meant to be, but I couldn’t really form an emotional connection to Piper. And I felt that her friends didn’t seem to exist outside of her; mostly because I was only ever told what they were thinking and feeling through Piper, without having the chance to see it for myself.

While I did like Charlie’s character, I was disappointed that Piper seemed to drop him as well, despite apparently seeming to care for him at various times. For most of the book, I felt that Piper was vapid and shallow. There was the ‘soulmate’ connection with Dev, which I felt was used rather than any real feelings developing between them.

I did like the fact that Piper was so good with Jaxx, even though it didn’t take me that long to figure out the secret. I liked Esther… and I did like Lisa; at least what I saw of her that wasn’t mad on Chet. Or other boys.

I didn’t like how Piper treated Tess… but I wasn’t really that keen on Tess, either. There was too much glossing over of events at the beginning of the book… and I felt the first chapter written from a different first person perspective wasn’t necessary and didn’t add anything to the story.

There was a lot of potential in this book, such as the deeper aspects to Rob. Unfortunately, it felt like it was more important for Piper to become a ridiculously over-powered character than in forming any attachments that felt real and had meaning.

I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book/s in this series.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book to be a really short, entertaining read. Although I did find it a bit difficult to connect to the main characters (I didn’t feel there was much of their personality shown), I did enjoy reading the three short stories and seeing each of the characters’ ‘voice’.

I thought the first story was particularly good. I felt sorry for the main character in that, but it was interesting that I had an idea of how that story would end… but it actually ended differently to how I was expecting. And the last line was quite a poignant one and made me think. I felt the descriptions read really well and I was drawn really into the first storyline.

The second story was just as intriguing, though in a different way. The idea of the box was a kind of creepy one and I felt a lot of sympathy for the main character in that. Unlike the previous story, though, I didn’t really like the ending of this one… even if it didn’t really surprise me. It was also interesting to have an idea of what that kind of loss did to the characters.

The third story was probably the most confusing for me. Although the main characters (a fly and a mosquito) were an interesting choice, I wasn’t sure what the relationship with the reality was… and if there were supposed to be hints of fantasy even towards the end of the book, when the story was over. It would have been good to get an idea of the world the three storytellers inhabited… I’d been half-expecting a twist and it was disappointing to see there wasn’t one.

I did really like the illustrations in this book. I thought that they fit really well with each of the stories. I would have liked more interactions between the three siblings… there were hints at interactions that didn’t really go anywhere and that was quite disappointing. I think this book could have been expanded upon.

While I wouldn’t read this book again… I wouldn’t mind reading more books by this same author in the future.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I have read the previous two books in this trilogy, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read the third book, even though I’d forgotten a lot of what had happened in the previous two books.

I was a bit disappointed to see the way characters like Jet referred to themselves as evil, since I always feel that the more interesting villains are those who think they have good reasons for what they do. Wolfe was an awful person and I had a strong dislike towards him, even before he threatened Will’s life.

It was nice to see Hunter and Will share some sweet moments together, but also to see that there were conflicts in their relationship. I also liked seeing Joshua and Jenny interacting together, especially since Joshua wasn’t a ‘true’ bad guy… and I did get the impression he cared about the kids.

I liked Zac’s character, but I really liked him interacting with Chantel as well. I thought they were sweet together. I did find it hard to differentiate between some of the younger characters, but I did like those who were expanded upon… and it was good to see that the danger they were in felt real and that there were sacrifices made. I especially hated what happened with Fearne and it was good to see that people didn’t just forget what happened with her and the others.

I did have a lot of sympathy for Jack, but at the same time, I could tell how difficult it was for Hunter to deal with trying to take on all of the responsibility. I did like Chevie and I could understand why he did what he did.

I also really liked Ryo’s character, although I would have liked to see more of her relationship with her brother. At the same time, it was good to see that there was so much she was able to do… and the fact that, despite the power’s strength, it did still have limitations.

I did feel that the ending was rushed a bit and I would have liked to see some of those scenes expanded upon. But I was drawn really easily into this book and I did enjoy reading it. It was a bit of a disappointment to see it end… but I did think the ending was quite a nice one.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Ideally, I’d give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. I found it easier to read than the previous book… but I did think that the time jump of a year later (and the constant flashbacks with little warning) were somewhat jarring.

While I did remember a lot about the previous book, I found that I got confused with some of the characters for a while before things settled down. I did think it was good to see the conflict between Lex and Quin in their relationship, but I was disappointed to notice a trope I see used a lot – the attractive girl/woman who wants to make a move on the heroine’s man. I found myself rolling my eyes during most of Emma’s appearances.

I did think that Quin’s father was interesting, but it seemed like his personality kept being written differently. I also would have liked to have seen more of the after-effects of Lex being drugged. I felt that she shook it off very quickly and it didn’t seem to fit with my understanding of the drug.

While Max did irritate me at first in this book, I did find myself liking him and String together… even though String seemed to change so much, it made my head spin. Augustus was still a creep. I could understand why Lex wasn’t believed about him, though… even if that did really annoy me.

There were some good elements regarding Emma that I was disappointed not to see more of. It felt very much like her entire personality was based around her trying to steal Quin from Lex, rather than being a character in her own right.

There were some good elements of tension in this book, but I was confused about exactly what the characters had been doing during the missing year. I think the book could have been expanded, with more scenes shown before the trial.

I did think it was good that Lex was suspicious of Quin’s dead and it was also good to see it have some effect on their relationship. I did find it really hard to connect emotionally with Lex at the time she was drugged… but then again, that was probably the point.

I’m not sure I’d re-read these books… but I am interested in seeing where this story will end and what will happen to the characters.