The Raven King By Maggie Stiefvater

All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore. (Goodreads) 

After four books, i'm still so torn about how I feel about these books. I see many die hard fans on social media, and I see many people who aren't too fussed on the series. I'm there in the middle. At some points I sit there thinking "Oh, wow!" and then at others my attention starts to slip. I keep finding myself asking "Do I love this series?" It may take a reread for me to really decide whether it do or  not.

Stiefvater's writing is A+++++, its beautiful. It's the thing I love most about these books. It's reason enough to pick up a copy of these books. The Raven King is no different. She mixes funny and casual teenage-talk with gorgeous descriptions and heart stopping one-liners. 

I felt my interest in the story dip whenever the point-of-view switched to someone outside the main four characters (and Noah), despite them being necessary to the plot development. I totally get why some people are obsessed with these characters, each of them is so fleshed out, so well imagined. It's not hard to imagine them as real people. Each of them has flaws and each of them know the others aren't perfect. They lose their tempers, they fight, they poke fun, like people do. Like friends do. 

Also, the character development for them all is just perfect. Everyone ended a more mature, better version of who they started the series as. 

The magic in previous books felt more realistic, despite magic not actually being real (Or is it????) Since this is the last book, it felt as though as it was made bigger and sped up to heighten the tension of the finale to build to a climax, it lost some of its realism. Less was explained, but you're so caught up the ending, you go alone with it.

How I feel about the climax is how I feel about the whole series: torn. I loved it, but also I didn't. As a reader, I never say the story should've gone this way or ended like this. I'm not the author, I didn't create this story and I take what they give me. So I loved The Raven King because we said goodbye to these characters through Stiefvater's wonderful writing and it made me want to cradle the book in my hands. However, I also felt the ending was anticlimactic. I don't think it should've ended any other way, it ended the way it was supposed to, but the build up of three and three-quarter books made me expect a bang, but it was almost like the bomb landed unexploded. 

I'm loving looking at the whole series together on my shelves now. They all look beautiful lined up next to each other. 

4 stars - I'm excited to see whats next to Maggie Stiefvater!

The Winner's Kiss By Marie Rutkoski

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.
At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

(Goodreads)

Marie is a FANTASTIC writer. I remember finishing The Winner's Curse and thinking I wasn't blown away by it, but definitely wanted to pick up the next one because I sensed potential and Marie's writing felt so unique. Book two completely upped the game, everything became more complicated and much more 

gripping. By the end I remember clutching the book like I could somehow stop what was coming. 

The ending to the series is perfect. It gives you everything you as a reader could want. The intricate and complicated relationships are what makes this book so great for me. The plots tension and unpredictability keeps you desperate for more, for what happens next until you find yourself on the last page. 

The plot feels more mature, these characters have grown and been changed by their experiences. They're much different from the characters we met in book one and are better for it. Kestrel and Arin both have such individual voices and are so well written, both having their own flaws and way of doing things that they become real in your mind. I can picture them and understand their thinking.

The mix of romance into the storyline is expertly done, it doesn't overshadow the plot and yet is still such an important part of the book. Its a perfect blend. 

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending my a copy of The Winners Kiss. 

Salt to the Sea By Ruta Sepetys

Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war.

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom.

Yet not all promises can be kept.

Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.  (Goodreads.) 

Salt to the Sea is heartbreaking. Totally, utterly heartbreaking. But it also fills you with hope. 

At points you will hate humans and what they can do, but at others you'll be reminded of the hopeful wonders strangers can do for each other. 

Salt to the Sea is most definitely Ruta's best novel so far. Her characters felt so real and fleshed out and her writing style is unique and a joy to read. Each character was so individual, each had their own secrets, their own problems and even though you didn't necessarily like them all, you wanted to find out what happened to them. 

Salt to the Sea is so well researched, you learn so much about the times from the book. But the book doesn't feel dense with history facts. Each chapter is usually only a page or so long which causes you to read 'just one more chapter' and boom, you find yourself at the end of the book. 

I did find the beginning a little off-putting because the book has four different points of view and Ruta's chapters are very small. This caused the story to flip quickly from character to character which caused some slight confusion in keeping track and getting to know the characters. But after a few chapters, once you know the characters you completely fall into the story. 

I enjoy books that make me cry, because I know that that story will stay with me forever. I even got choked up talking about it to my dad. I'm so grateful to Ruta for educating me about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, something that I probably never would've heard of without her, but is something the whole world should know about. 

Books like Salt to the Sea and The Book Thief are so hard-hitting because even though you know the characters aren't real people, the characters represent all those people who experienced these times, experienced WWII and what happens to those characters is very much similar to what real people would've gone through. 

MEETING PIERCE BROWN

                    

On February 24th I had the amazing AMAZING opportunity to meet and interview the one and only Pierce Brown, author of the Red Rising trilogy. (Thank you so much Hodder- like seriously, I feel like I owe you so much chocolate)

You can watch the interview here:

And you can also watch me quiz/teach Pierce some Scottish/ North-Eastern slang. (He cant say Howay):

It was one of the best days of my life and Pierce is THE nicest guy in the world. Edinburgh is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it was wonderful to spend two days there for my birthday. 

Blog Tour Stop- Maria V Snyder- Night Study

I am such a huge fan of Maria V Snyder's books, so I feel very honoured to have my blog as a tour stop. For today's stop Maria has written up 5 points to help with writing a convincing romance within your books. If you've ever read any of Maria's books you'll know the advice will be great because her romances are swoon-worthy. 

After the tips, you can read my review of Night Study, or rather read my gushy ramblings about my love for this book. 

You can purchase Night Study from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Study-Soulfinders-Maria-Snyder/dp/0778318753 and Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/night-study/maria-v-snyder/9781848454484

What advice would you give to any aspiring writers who want to write a book with a good romance at the heart of it?

While my novels are primarily fantasy and science fiction, I invariably have romance in all my books.  I can’t help it as I enjoy writing about two characters who eventually fall in love.  Here are a few tips I found helpful in writing a good romance:

11)      Avoid insta-love:  Relationships take time to develop.  Yes, there might be an immediate attraction, but that’s always based on a first impression.  When characters have time to get to know each other and have interacted in various situations, then, when they do fall in love, it’s a natural progression.

22)      It’s a partnership: The best romantic couples have this in common.  They compliment each other—one’s strengths balance the other’s weaknesses and vice versa.  They work together to solve problems and have equal say in decisions.  They respect each other and while one might rescue the other in one situation, it’s equally as likely that their positions will be reversed during another situation.

33)      Nobody is perfect:  Let me repeat this: Nobody is perfect.  Everyone makes mistakes.  They do and say things when angry and upset.  They make poor choices and do stupid things—sometimes for what they think is the right reason. This should not doom them, but show they are human and forgive them.

44)      Tension:  Good romances have lots of tension.  Sexual tension, of course, but also a clash of personality traits.  You’ve heard the old adage: opposites attract and that’s great to keep the sparks flying in relationships and make it interesting for the readers.

55)      Humour:  In my opinion, this is the most important aspect of any relationship.  It shows the lighter side of your couple’s personalities and gives them a break from all that tension. 

Review

Maria V Snyder's books never disappoint. Never. Night Study is no different.
I had high expectations for Night Study and Maria surpassed them all.

Night Study is Maria's 8th book set in the lands of Sitia and Ixia. Does this mean the story's are starting to feel repetitive or dragged out? Not at all. Night Study is filled with as many twists, turns and surprises as her other books, and is written in Maria's addictive writing style.

The romance in Night Study feels so authentic. Valek and Yelena have now been together for many years but their relationship is still so exciting to read. Often in books, the initial chase and tension between a couple grabs the reader but after they get together interest can wane, but Valek and Yelena's relationship is so refreshing and they're still facing so many obstacles together, their latest being a baby. They're addictive to read.

After the events of Night Study it feels like its going to be an excruciating wait for the next book in the series. I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. 

Which blog is up next? Check who is next on the stop and look at where the tour has already stopped:

#YAtakeover Guest Post!

       I've been pretty AWOL lately because of work and university stuff, but I did take part in the #YAtakeover where I interviewed the amazing authors that are Samantha Shannon (Author of The Bone Season, The Mime Order and the upcoming The Song Rising) and Melinda Salisbury (Author of The Sin Eaters Daughter and The Sleeping Prince). You can read mine as well as the many other interviews with a whole bunch of awesome authors by searching  #YAtakeover on Twitter. 

I've also written a guest post over on The Big Book Project about my experience with blogging. Blogging has done so much for me, so it was such a joy to remember everything and write it down. 

You can read the piece here: https://bigbookproject.tumblr.com/post/139285036026/my-experience-with-blogging-laura-ashforth

Hope you are well!

Interview with Leigh Bardugo on her Magic and Mayhem Tour

I interviewed Leigh Bardugo at Seven Stories in Newcastle on Friday 23rd October as she toured the UK, promoting her latest novel Six of Crows! She was as lovely and beautiful as always. And thank you to Nina Douglas, Leigh's UK publicist who set the interview up! 

Both Nina and Leigh are pretty amazing women. 

How has the response to Six of Crows been?

Leigh: It’s been great! It’s been amazing, we debuted at number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list and we’re still in the top five which is really exciting. I guess more importantly its been really exciting to see people discover Six of Crows who hadn’t even heard of the (Grisha) trilogy, and to see people who really like the trilogy take the leap into the new story.

Whenever you put something new out there’s sort of a fear because it’s a little different, or maybe a lot different, are people going to come along with me? Its meant a lot to me to see people pushing it and promoting it, especially on Tumblr and booktube.

How do you think your love of Slytherin affects how you write your characters?

I for one feel Slytherins are misunderstood and often portrayed in not the most flattering light and that is because history is often written by the Gryffindors. Or the Ravenclaws. I think that the goal is not to make a character likeable. It’s to make the character real. I think Slytherins have an appreciation for all the shades of grey in a given character. Ask Regulus Black, he understands.

Do you identify with any of the crows more than the others? I feel as if you’re like Nina on the outside with some Kaz on the inside.

Kaz is much smarter than I am. There’s a saying that no character can be smarter than the author and that’s really not true. Authors have a lot of time to think and plan and it looks as if Kaz is thinking of these things on the fly when really I’ve been sitting there banging my head against the wall for a couple of weeks.

I wish I had more of Nina’s confidence. But I think she’s the most like me in that I’ve spent my life being told I was too big, too loud, too much of one thing or the other. So I wanted to create a character who was all of those things and really didn’t care.

When did the idea for Six of Crows come about? Was is during the Grisha trilogy, or after?

Well, I always wanted to write a story in Kerch. And I had this idea for Ketterdam where Nikolai went to university or pretended to go to university. I always wanted to set something there because its almost like the anti-Ravka. Ravka is isolated and old-world,  really struggling economically and hasn’t industrialised at all whereas Kerch is prosperous, modern and cosmopolitan. Its on the cutting edge of everything, so I always wanted to set a story there but I didn’t know what story it was going to be. Then I was driving down the street and I saw a billboard for Monuments Men (film -2014) and I was like, I don’t want to see that, but I do want to re-watch Oceans Eleven! And all of a sudden I realised oh my gosh, I want to write a heist story! That’s what I’m going to do! All of these characters that I’d had steeping in the back of my head came to mind and I knew I was going to bring them together and put them on this team, this is exactly the right story for this city. That was the evolution of it.

Did you do a lot of research to build Kerch, like you did in researching Russia to build Ravka?

Research is one of my favourite things because we’re all readers, and research is basically ‘oh, now I have to read for a while. What a chore.’ So I did a lot of research on the Dutch Republic of the 1700’s and Amsterdam and the way that it developed. But also New York, old New York/ New Amsterdam. Also, Victorian London and Las Vegas. There’s all a little bit of them in Ketterdam. I think I was little bit more adventurous in my world building this time, which was kinda fun.

Was it hard writing from so many points of view, after just writing from Alina’s in the Grisha trilogy?

You know, that wasn’t the hard part. I really enjoyed writing multiple character points of view, because if you got tired of a character or if their story got too dark or too sad, you could switch gears.

I found the heist to be the hardest part to write. That was the thing that took the most work and was most challenging. The release of information and the flashbacks was difficult, it’s a much more complex book than the Grisha trilogy. It’s not linear in the same way.

Do you miss writing the characters from the Grisha trilogy?

I missed them early on in Six of Crows because I hadn’t gotten to know the Crows as much as I knew the characters from the Grisha trilogy. And I find I don’t get to know characters, well apart from Matthias, I knew him from moment one, he’s very easy to write, he’s a big blonde drama queen, we understand each other. But the other characters took me a while longer, I really got to know them through the process of writing them and getting to know their voices. I think any time you try something new there’s that getting-to-know-you stage, which isn’t always comfortable. It’s a process, sometimes you can ask ‘why can’t I hear him/her?’ It takes a while to get to know them .

Can we expect to see any of the old characters from the Grisha trilogy in the second novel?

I just turned in the first draft of the sequel to my editor and right now, yes there are some cameos, but I don’t know if they’ll stay, so I’m not promising anything, she’d could just draw a big red X over all of those pages.

I adore Winter Prayer, your song written about the Grisha trilogy. You stated you’d written a song for Six of Crows, what is it about? Can we expect to hear it?

The thing is recording a song takes a lot of time and means calling in a lot of favours from friends, and particularly because I’m not a particularly good musician. I did write the beginning of a song but I don’t know if ill ever record it. My life at the minute its basically tours and deadlines. Someday I wouldn’t mind recording it. It’s a lot simpler than Winter Prayer, which was a big orchestral, sweeping thing. This is more of a folk melody.

I did put lyrics in Six of Crows, there’s a scene with Nina and Inej with a song so I tweaked a few lyrics from a song from my band and put them in.

What can we expect from Six of Crows 2? (Now named Crooked Kingdom!)

You will get Wylans point of view.

Some ships will sail…and some will be wrecked upon the rocks.

Basically all of the powers of the world are descending on Ketterdam, trying to discover the secrets to this drug. Essentially, the future of the world is going to be decided on the streets. There are some old rivalries that will resurface, some new enemies and some new allies. For now, its all mostly contained within the world of Ketterdam, particularly the Barrel.

Can we expect any more folk tales?

Maybe. At some points. What I would really like to do is a collection of stories from each of the countries. From the Wandering Isle, Noyvi Zem, Ravka, Fjerda, I would love to write some Fjerdan folk tales, they’d be so dark!

 

If you got a tattoo to commemorate your books, what would it be?

I always feel like its tempting fate to get a tattoo of something from the books. What if the book didn’t do well, and then you had to look at it foreverrrr! We did design a tattoo; it’s the Crow and Cup that the Dregs wear. I honestly don’t know, but there’s a saying that Tolya and Tamar use in the Grisha trilogy which I really love. Its yuyeh sesh (despise your heart), ni weh sesh (I have no heart), the first part of the phrase has been with me since college, it was in a survey of African cultures and there was a phrase in Kikongo which means despise your heart and you would say it before you went to battle. I loved it so much and it stayed with me since I was 20. I think that is thing that would be most likely to end up tattooed on me. Despise your heart, which tells you all you need to know about me!

Is there a character from another book that you’d want to pick up and put into your world or a character from your book that you’d want to pick up and put into another world?

Hmm, sometimes I want to put all my characters in a cute contemporary, so nothing bad will happen to them. But then I think about putting Kaz into a Stephanie Perkins novel and I’m like oh my god, he would steal all their money and break into all their houses.

Actually someone on Tumblr has been putting all the characters into the Hogwarts houses and she put Inej in Gryffindor and I was thinking about how much that made me a little bit sad because that’s the childhood she should’ve had. She should’ve grown up and been safe somewhere. I would put Inej somewhere safe, post ( Harry Potter) books, when its peaceful.

Any book recommedations?

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

The Young Elites and The Rose Society by Marie Lu, it just keeps getting better and better.

The Sin Eaters Daughter by Melinda Salisbury.

I really love Victoria Schwab’s books, I think they’re fantastic.

Gene Yang, he wrote American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints. They won a tonne of awards. Start with Boxers and Saints, its so good, it’ll destroy you! Then read The Shadow Hero because its charming and fun and happy and it’ll cheer you up.

Oh! And Rainbow Rowell, I love everything she’s written. Eleanor and Park is still my favourite but I really loved Carry on, which has just come out.

Thank you very much for allowing me to interview you Leigh!