The Diviners and Lair of Dreams
By Libba Bray
Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened. (Goodreads)
I've had The Diviners sitting on my bookshelves for about 2 years now. I'd bought it because I heard such amazing things about it and I knew I'd love it. I eventually got around to reading it and now i'm so angry I waited so long because OH. MY. GOD. this series is amazing. Immediately after starting The Diviners I ordered Lair of Dreams so I could dive straight into the second book.Everythingggg about these books is perfect (to me, anyway).
1)They're dense with an awesome pacing.
2) The setting is so vivid. Its set in 1920's New York City so its full of everything you've heard about that time, the parties, the celebrities...but also the things you don't often hear of like the racism and large population of immigrants.
3) The characters are all so interesting. Every. Single. One. They're not perfect. They're sometimes unlikeable, but I love them.
4) It's super spooky. I had no idea just how creepy these books would be and it is written SO. WELL.
The Friend
By Dorothy KoomsonWhat secrets would you kill to keep?
After her husband’s big promotion, Cece Solarin arrives in Brighton with their three children, ready to start afresh. But their new neighbourhood has a deadly secret.
Three weeks earlier, Yvonne, a very popular parent, was almost murdered in the grounds of the local school – the same school where Cece has unwittingly enrolled her children.
Already anxious about making friends when the parents seem so cliquey, Cece is now also worried about her children’s safety. By chance she meets Maxie, Anaya and Hazel, three very different school mothers who make her feel welcome and reassure her about her new life.
That is until Cece discovers the police believe one of her new friends tried to kill Yvonne. Reluctant to spy on her friends but determined to discover the truth, Cece must uncover the potential murderer before they strike again . . . (Amazon)
Before The Friend, I'd never read a Dorothy Koomson novel, so thank you edpr for fixing that! They sent me a copy of the book cutely wrapped up with a letter printed on seed paper which means it can be planted! I didn't even know seed paper existed so that was a lovely surprise!I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Friend! It took me a couple of chapters to get my head around everything and the characters but once I passed that I couldn't put it down!
I adore novels that explore the complexities of friendships.
I have most definitely taken Dorothy's advice on the letter - I've given both the letter and book to my mam. She'll be planting the letter and reading the book for herself so she can enjoy it too! I think she might even enjoy it more than me!
The Throne of Glass series
By Sarah J Maas
*spoilery*
With the release of Tower of Dawn fast approaching, me and Ari (@_ohhbooks) decided to do a full series reread. It's been so long since I'd had a reread so I immediately jumped on the idea.
So far we've read Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire. It has been SO interesting being able to pick up on links and hints to what will happen in the future books now I know what to look for.
Every time Duke Perrington is in a scene, everything he does or says has x100 more impact.
The most interesting thing I've discovered during this reread is how my feelings about Chaolaena have changed. When I first read the first three books I was 100% Team Chaolaena, so throughout Heir of Fire I was looking forward to there reconciliation and never saw Rowan as a potential love interest. Then when we got QoS I was hit with that fact that they wouldn't be getting back together. But after hearing from both Aelin and Chaol on their relationship I saw that they were no longer right for each other.
When I read CoM last week, I found I still adored their relationship, but could see how they wouldn't work together. Then reading Heir of Fire without the desperate hope they would get back together, I could better appreciate the growing relationship between her and Rowan. I feel SO much more at peace with it all after this read. Hearing they aren't right for each other made me brain understand, but reading it for myself convinced my heart. If you're still unsure about how to feel about it all, I'd highly recommend a reread of all the books out so far.
Out Dark Duet
By Victoria Schwab*spoilery*
THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.
KATE HARKER isn't afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she's good at it.
AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.
THE WAR HAS BEGUN.
THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.
Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims' inner demons.
Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within? (Goodreads)
I love Victoria Schwab, and will always buy her books when they come out but I was a bit underwhelmed by Our Dark Duet (don't hate me!). It was good and Victoria is a brilliant writer, but I lacked an emotional connection to the characters, so when I finished the book I simply closed it and added it to my bookshelves. There was no mourning or desperate need to reread immediately.
The one thing that does bug me about Our Dark Duet was the new monster. It was never explained where it came from or how it came to be, which for me was frustrating.
Despite sounding harsh about this book, I'll still be picking up everything Victoria writes.
