"Antigoddess" (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don't just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Review
I absolutely loved this book! I don't understand why I put off reading it for so long.
I might be a bit biased about Antigoddess though. After all, ever since I started reading books related to Greek mythology (or an mythology in general), I've been obsessed with this topic. (I blame you for my obsession, Rick Riordan.) So I started looking for more books related to Greek mythology, based in the YA and fantasy genre and found this book, which fits all of my criteria.
This story starts off with two dying gods, Athena and Hermes, traveling across the desert to find Demeter and gain more knowledge about why all the gods are dying in the first place. However, the other dying Olympians have allied themselves with Hera and will stop at nothing to eliminate competition and prolong their own lives for as long as possible. The only thing Athena knows for certain though, is that Cassandra is the key to everything.
Kendare Blake created an awesome tale that I enjoyed reading so much! First of, I noticed that even if you don't know your Greek mythology, you would still understand what this book is about. All the pieces of Greek mythology you do need to know for this book are mentioned either during descriptions or conversations between characters and if you do want to read up about Greek myths anyways, then all you need to know is the gist of the Trojan War. I think that you could learn some things about Greek myths in this book, even though it isn't a lot.
I'm no going to talk about the best scene in this book much because it is at the very end of the book and I don't want to spoil anything. But it is the best scene (in my opinion) because it was action-packed and the plot progressed really quickly in that one part because so many things happened at once and it was also kind of an emotional part as well.
This book was full of action, first off. From start to finish, something dramatic was always happening, so you never got bored reading it.
The characters were also really diverse and interesting. This story is told out of two different perspectives, Athena's and Cassandra's. For some reason, I always found Athena's point of view more interesting. I think, that my favourite character was Hermes because he still kind of had a light spirit despite the fact that he was dying. The other characters were also alright, like Henry and Andie were also pretty cool.
Overall, this is one of my all-time favourite books and I recommend this book to any person, that likes action and fantasy with its fair share of Greek myths. This was an amazing book, which I think Kendare Blake wrote really well, because even the descriptions weren't boring and there was constantly something happening. The ending of the book was also kind of cliff-hangerish and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

First Chapter Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday #6 - "Cogling" by Jordan Elizabeth

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile By the Sea hosts a weekly meme called First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Basically, this is when you share the first and maybe the second paragraph of the book you are currently reading or want to read soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB @ A Daily Rhythm, where I need to open a book to a random page and pick two spoiler-free sentences.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 I got this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have already read several books by this author and I enjoyed them, so I started reading this yesterday. 

 Prologue
Green smoke snaked up the side of the tenement and drifted over the sill of an open window. A breeze blew the vapor into a column before it solidified into the shape of a stout, young hag. She shook her crimson curls away from her face and straightened the hood of her cloak to keep her kohl-lined, silver eyes shadowed. The scent of lavender clung to her robes, washing over the small room. Two brass-framed beds crowded the floor. Blankets covered sleeping children. A little boy wheezed against the head of his stuffed bear, drool dripping onto the wool. The hag squinted to see the goldenrod dream cloud above his head— a dream about seeing his father again. She frowned at the other bed, where a sleeping teenager lay with a threadbare blanket tugged around her chin. Even squinting, the hag couldn’t make out a dream cloud. The girl was too old to be of any use.

TEASER

“Don’t doubt it’d be something they’d do.” She snorted. “My name’s Annie, by the by.” “I’m… Eddie.” She used the nickname Harrison gave her when he was a baby. “That’s a boy’s name.” “It’s short for something longer.” Edna glanced at Ike where he spoke to the ticket seller, waving his arms.
~ 19%

What do you think? Would you read it?

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

Book Blurb (From goodreads)
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Review:

The first thing that you notice about this book is how big it is. And from the perspective of a person that is just coming out of a reading slump it seemed pretty daunting when I took it of my shelf. But then I opened it and started reading...
The plot of this book was thick and complicated and dealt a lot with politics and religion. It follows Ismae, a girl from a small town who's farther hates her guts. After an arranged marriage goes wrong she finds herself in the coven of St. Mortain, the god of death. He she learns that she is one of his 'daughters' and is encouraged to join the coven and serve him. From there she is thrown into two assassination missions, on her third she is thrown into the royal court with Duval as his mistress. The politics of court and intriguing since you never quite have all of the pieces. Just when you think that you have it all figured out, the circumstances change or someone dies or goes missing or gets poisoned or all three.
Ismae is often not very street smart. Despite her intensive training in all things murder in the convent she often finds herself unprepared for unexpected scenarios and does not know how to act in them. This does make for a humorous read sometimes but other times you just want her to figure it out. However, it terms of logic and problem solving in a larger scale she figures out the mystery of the book faster than you would expect and before any of the people that you would expect to do.

All in all I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

"The Magickal Birthday Treat" by Sheelagh McGrath

Book Blurb (from Goodreads:)
Jessica enjoys a Magickal Birthday Treat with her Grandmother, Nonni, on her eleventh Birthday. Arriving at Jess's house in Massachusetts, USA, Nonni has some surprises in store for her Granddaughter. They zoom around the World, visiting many places in only a few hours, dimension-hopping, time-hopping and culture-hopping. Visiting Europe and its historical past, Africa and its wonders and Asia, past and present! They travel in a mysterious manner, which is both exciting and daunting, somewhat like Nonni and Alex, in the first book of the series. Along the way, Nonni teaches her Granddaughter a smattering of history, of people and places, the importance of family values and about metaphysics; energy, manifestation, empowerment and Universal Oneness. All of this experienced with fun, a little fear and oodles of excitement.



My Review 

***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

This was a sweet book which would be really appropriate for younger readers.
I enjoyed reading this book, even though I thought that it isn't really meant for readers of my age group or Young Adult readers. This story might be more adequate for children who like to read a short story about magic and the mysteries of life. There were certainly a lot of life lessons and education in this book and also several theories. All of this is explored when Jessie, the main character of this story, is having her 11th birthday treat and goes on a life-changing experience with her grandmother.
This book actually was really deep. There were several philosophical lessons. However, I thought that several of these lessons would be slightly too complicated or difficult to understand for the younger audience, which I think this book would be more appropriate for. The idea was really sweet and reading about the relationship that Jessica and her grandmother have is also quite heart-warming.
The characters were sweet, but I still felt that they were kind of 2-D to me. Jessica was a cute girl with an adorable personality and a good heart. However, she was a bit too hyper and over-happy for me; she was giggling a lot and changed her mood every couple of pages. I also felt that her grandmother, who Jessie calls Nonni, was a stereotypical grandma with tons of grandchildren, a happy family and an abundance of love for Jessie, as Nonni shows very often throughout the story. She is also the one who understands all the philosophical stuff.
Overall, I thought that it was a sweet book with a unique and philosophical take on magic and family. Sometimes I felt the writing and the descriptions were a bit dull though and at times I felt that the love between Nonni and Jessie was expresseda bit extremely. But then again, I need to consider that this book is not really aimed at my age group and what I find dull, might be very interesting and exciting for younger children. Therefore I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars, but because of that reason I decided on 4 stars!

First Chapter Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday #5 - "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" (Inheritence #1) by N.K. Jemisin

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile By the Sea hosts a weekly meme called First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Basically, this is when you share the first and maybe the second paragraph of the book you are currently reading or want to read soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB @ A Daily Rhythm, where I need to open a book to a random page and pick two spoiler-free sentences.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

So, I started reading this book a couple of days ago because it was on my TBR pile ever since I first got started on Goodreads. (More info about the book here)

1. Grandfather

I AM NOT AS I ONCE WAS. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore.
I must try to remember.
* * *
My people tell stories of the night I was born. They say my mother crossed her legs in the middle of labor and fought with all her strength not to release me into the world. I was born anyhow, of course; nature cannot be denied. Yet it does not surprise me that she tried.
* * *
My mother was an heiress of the Arameri. There was a ball for the lesser nobility, the sort of thing that happens once a decade as a backhanded sop to their self-esteem. My father dared ask my mother to dance; she deigned to consent. I have often wondered what he said and did that night to make her fall in love with him so powerfully, for she eventually abdicated her position to be with him. It is the stuff of great tales, yes? Very romantic. In the tales, such a couple lives happily ever after. The tales do not say what happens when the most powerful family in the world is offended in the process.

TEASER

"Let him go!" I crouched, shifting my stance the way my Darren grandmother had taught me. My hands shook, not with fear, but with that mad, wild, righteous fury. Sieh was a child. "Stop it!"
~pg.51

What do you think? Would you read it?

Book Blitz - "Immurement" (The Undergrounders Series #1) by Norma Hinkens

Immurement by Norma Hinkens
(The Undergrounders Series, #1)
Publication date: December 16th 2015
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic,

Young Adult

Book Blurb:
The earth’s core overheats. The sovereign leader vanishes. A young girl is the survivors’ only hope …
What little land is habitable is patrolled by cutthroat gangs of escaped subversives, but that’s not the greatest threat facing sixteen-year-old Derry Connelly, her brother Owen, and a ragged band of Preppers holed up in a bunker in the Sawtooth Mountains. Mysterious hoverships operated by clones are targeting adolescents for extraction.
Owen, is one of the first to disappear. To save him, Derry must strike a deal with the murderous subversives, and risk a daring raid to infiltrate the heart of the extraction operation.
But will the rookie leader falter when forced to choose between her brother and a clone who ignites something inside her she didn’t know was possible?

Goodreads 

Amazon

AUTHOR BIO:

Norma Hinkens grew up among vibrant storytelling traditions in her native Ireland. A Celtic bard at heart, she wields her wordsmithing sword with as much wit and eloquence as a bard can muster. She's a legend-loving author who takes a fiendish delight in pushing reluctant characters over cliffs to find out what they're made of. Epic odds, seemingly impossible missions, pasts that haunt, intrigue and misadventure. She's happiest when wrangling provocative big picture ideas that are never black and white when you turn them inside out. It's all about the tension in the journey. She lived and worked in Germany for several years, and currently resides in California with her husband, three children and Chihuahua extraordinaire. She is the author of The Undergrounders Series, Immurement, Embattlement and Adjudgement, a Young Adult post-apocalyptic, sci-fi adventure trilogy.

Author links:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14682662.Norma_Hinkens

http://normahinkens.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NormaHinkensAuthor
https://twitter.com/NormaHinkens

EXCERPT

Someone gives a feeble clap. “Magnificent! A most rousing speech to rally the heathens, Mason!”

My feet fuse to the floor at the raspy voice that wafts into the room. Tucker strains at his collar. I yank him back, my heart pounding.

A shrunken man with an unnatural stoop steps into view. My skin crawls with a new level of fear. My gun’s in the Crematauto, along with the rest of the weapons. I fumble around in my pocket and latch onto my switchblade. A trickle of sweat runs down behind my ears. The man standing in the entry looks freakishly old and frail. Tucker could take him down in a heartbeat, but my brain sounds an inner caution. He probably didn’t come alone.

Before I even finish my thought, the doorway darkens and four armed men in black fatigues troop through. Big-shouldered, faces set like flint on necks thick as tree stumps. Schutz Clones! I tighten my grip on Tucker and command him to stay. One false move and he’ll end up another carcass waiting to be incinerated. He minds me, but tension radiates through his collar.

“Welcome to the Craniopolis,” the old man says. “My apologies for the modest welcoming committee, but your timing is most unfortunate. Everyone is at the unveiling of our new Hovermedes prototype.” His body shakes out a shallow breath, as he shuffles toward me. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Lyong.”

I slide my gaze in Mason’s direction. His face registers confusion. Then a flicker of recognition.

“What ... happened to you?” he asks, in a half-whisper.

Dr. Lyong jerks to a stop in front of me and lets out a long, trembling sigh. It’s all I can do not to gag. His breath smells of decaying compost.

“Restructuring DNA proved more complex than I had hoped.” Dr. Lyong runs a finger under his beaked nose and waves it dismissively in Mason’s direction. The skin is stretched so tight over his hand I can see the grape-colored veins forking out beneath it. He barely looks human.

I can’t repress a shudder.

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First Chapter Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday #4 - "Antigoddess" (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile By the Sea hosts a weekly meme called First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Basically, this is when you share the first and maybe the second paragraph of the book you are currently reading or want to read soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB @ A Daily Rhythm, where I need to open a book to a random page and pick two spoiler-free sentences.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have finally started reading this book. It has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time by now and I only just picked it up. This book is about Greek gods and myths, meaning that Athena and Hermes are the main characters, which is awesome! More information about the book here.

FIRST CHAPTER
Owl Feathers

The feathers were starting to be a nuisance. There was one in her mouth, tickling the back of her throat. She chewed at it as she walked, grabbing it with her molars and pulling it loose. Warm, copper-penny blood flooded over her tongue. There were others too, sprouting up inside of her like a strange cancer, worming their way through her innards and muscle. Before long she would be essentially a girl-shaped,walking chicken, constantly plucking at herself.
She reached between her lips discreetly to take the feather out and twist it between her fingers. The movement wasn't subtle enough; she caught the tilt of his head at the edge of her vision.
"Feathers," she snapped.
"You should stop making out with your owls."
"Shut up." Neither of them wanted to talk about the feathers, any more than they wanted to talk about the way he was starting to look thin and gaunt in places. It was easier to ignore the afflictions than to talk about what they meant.

TEASER
When they got through the door, Cassandra squirmed free and took off her coat and shoes, grateful that her hands weren't shaking. "I probably just didn't have enough to eat today," she said. "Andie keeps stealing my lunches."
"You never fight me for them."
~ pg. 59

What do you think? Would you read it?

"Greenwood" by Alexandra M. Griesinger

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):
We all have a destiny. We aren't born with our destiny, but it is found when our fate comes knocking on the door. My fate came to me as my curiosity found the darkest and deadliest secret in my town called 'Greenwood'. My discovery thrust me into a world where I immediately became a target to a group of people I knew nothing about nor did I understand why they wanted me dead. I am now faced watching my town slowly tearing itself apart as innocent people are dying all because of me. I also must face the truth that my family and friends are also suffering, because of the secret I found. I know that I must embrace my destiny in order save the town and I must become something that I didn't want to become, but I have to. My name is Lexi Connors and this is how I found my destiny.



My Review

***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***

I really don't know what to think of this book. However, there is certainly plenty of room for improvement. 
The story is basically about the discovery of an earth-shattering secret and the war between the rebels of Greenwood and the monsters. The main character is called Lexi Connors and she strongly believes that monsters are just fairy tales. I thought that the story idea was alright, not especially detailed but still alright. The world wasn't very developed in my opinion and after reading the entire book, I thought that in the repeated plot twists or villain revelations seemed like an attempt to make the plot more complicated and didn't really make me think: "Wow, that was really cleverly thought out!". As I said, the plot idea itself was a good idea that just needed some more development.
Next I'm going to talk about the characters. They all just seemed to be some kind of cardboard cut-out characters which I absolutely couldn't relate to. Lexi seemed very emotionless and at times way too emotional. There didn't seem to be any in-between for her and the others. I was really annoyed every time Lexi would start being emotional and tell everyone about her troubles and how they all immediately burst into tears. Lexi cried every single time she retold her story even though she has said it many times before and the events happened years before. I also just didn't like Lexi's personality by being so brash. Overall, I think that my favourite character was probably Zane because he was so sweet and innocent.
The writing style was also annoying at times. The grammar in this book was just so messed up. The verb tenses were being mixed up and so were certain word placements in a sentence. Then there were certain words missing and the spelling was also faulty at times. Another point I have, is that the repetition in the sentences was driving me crazy. Since this story is narrated from Lexi's point of view (first person) the author of course had to write stuff like: "I did ..." The problem was that almost every sentence started with "I". I thought that the a more extended vocabulary could have been used. Several nouns were also repeated in all consecutive sentences, which really annoyed me for some reason. Also, I just have to mention the last chapter of the book. I  didn't agree with the plot twist at all at the end, I think that there had to be more hints or at least some kind of evidence to explain the plot twist.
Overall, I thought that the idea of the book was alright but the way it was carried out made me read this book at a snail pace. The wording and the grammar annoyed me and I wasn't tempted to continue reading the book. However, once I continued reading there were some action-scenes that flowed nicely. I am reluctant to say this, but I am giving this book 1 out of 5 stars.

The Witch Hunter (the witch hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker

Book Blurb (From Goodreads)
The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

My Review:

I haven't read a good fantasy book in about three weeks, how did I survive? With a sprinkle of fairy dust, or in this case, some witch herbs.
I wasn't sure about this book in the first 2-3 chapters. It was in this time that I worried that it was going to be a book about some kind of love sick girl drinking away her problems in a bar. However, when I stuck to it and continued reading what I got was a good book witch many loveable characters. When Elizabeth meets Nicholas was when the real fun began. This is when you are thrown into the world of magic and get to see all of the amazing things it can do like make a real life replica of space on your living room celling (I don't know about you, but I would love to see that). We find out soon after that Nicolas has been cursed by a mystery person and apparently Elizabeth is the only one that can find a tablet to break it. If she doesn't it is 100% certain that Nicolas will die, so no pressure. Since Elizabeth has been trained to kill wizards, and Nicolas is the most wanted wizard in the country this goes against her morals but of coerce she does it because if she didn't there would be no book. She teams up with one pirate, one witch healer and Nicolas's apprentice. This leads to an exciting adventure with much needed good humour.
Elizabeth is a head strong stubborn character that has some trouble letting go of the ways that she has been taught for most of her life. She has a complicated background, involving her parent being killed by a magic plague which makes it severely difficult for her to trust anyone even remotely related to any sort of magic. We see these trust issues start to evaporate when she finds the good side of magic but it does take a while. She always sticks up for her friends, unless they betray her, then she might accidently through a dagger at the head. I'm not looking at anyone in particular.

All in all I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

First Chapter Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday #3 - "Immurement" by Norma Hinkens

Every Tuesday Diane @ Bibliophile By the Sea hosts a weekly meme called First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Basically, this is when you share the first and maybe the second paragraph of the book you are currently reading or want to read soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB @ A Daily Rhythm, where I need to open a book to a random page and pick two spoiler-free sentences.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is another book I am eagerly awaiting to read. (I have to finish another book before I start this one) I got it from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Chapter 1 
The sun’s always two fingerbreadths or higher above the Sawtooth peaks when the Sweepers come. Never at night. I swipe a strand of long hair from my eyes and throw a nervous glance at the horizon. The scrawny cow I’m guarding has all but given up flipping its tail at the droning swarms itching for a carcass. Time to leave it to its fate. I reach for my hunting pack, and freeze. A muffled crackling sound— too heavy for a rabbit, too light to be the cow keeling over. I hold my breath as I grab my gun and motion to my collie, Tucker, to drop beside me. My heart clatters like a wooden rollercoaster as I pan the charred hillside, my trigger finger tight on the safety. Dead trees poke up like broomsticks all around me. There’s nowhere to hide, but I’m troubled by the feeling I’m being watched. I skim the canyon again, my vision blurring in the blinding sun. A flicker of movement to my left. I suck in my breath.

TEASER
Big Ed takes off his spectacles and rubs the lenses on the end of his fleece shirt. “They ain’t just oil and spare parts.”
I twist my lips. “Might as well be if they’re all like Mason. He’s cold as steel.”
Big Ed’s face clouds over. “He’s one of God’s creatures until I know different.”

 What do you think about it? Would you read it?