#BookReview Savior by A. King Bradley

Savior by A. King Bradley

This novel was a great read – it was a mix of fantasy, paranormal and superhero all rolled up into one beautiful package.

Within this story, I get the feeling you are supposed to pity Adam (our main character). His story is daring and full of action and drama, but I always was left feeling bad for him. There would be moments where I would feel delighted and strong with him, and then I just felt like it was a day to rain on Adam’s parade…

But then you must realize Adam isn’t your normal, everyday teenager – he has powers! Hence the superhero tag I left on my Goodreads. It’s not totally fantasy to me, it seems superhero-ish as well with these superpowers he uses.

There’s some subplots among the action and main story – a pinch of romance, but nothing wild (or that would give you the hint that it’s a romance novel. It’s not).

I will say this book is great for a first book in the series. While I might not be able to pick up the rest of the series, I think it’s a great start. This isn’t my top book of the century, nor was I hooked to this book and desperate to finish it, but it was good and well written. A King Bradley is a great writer by my standards and deserves his spot on library and bookstore shelves alike.

The downfalls of this book (as listed by me):
1. I didn’t like the cover. Yes, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I really do. If I’m in a book store and I want a random read and I’m stuck between three REALLY good back cover/inside cover plots that make it super difficult for me to pick just one on a budget, I choose the prettiest or coolest cover of the three. Is this a bad thing that the cover isn’t drawing me in? No, but it could be for other readers who choose books like me.

2. This book was a good mix of predictable and unpredictable. I love when there’s twists and turns that I don’t guess and can keep going, but this book has a few to many spots where I could see everything coming from a mile away. That bored me more than anything, despite this read being absolutely fantastic at times.

3. Cliffhangers. I HATE cliffhangers with a passion. Why, you might ask? I have read countless books where a cliffhanger is left and then the author never gets to write the next book (or they write it and it’s never published). It infuriates me, and by the time the next book comes out I either forgot everything, can’t afford the book or can’t find it. It left a little to much unknown/cliffhanger-ed for me. It’s a well written cliffhanger, but it annoys me to no end.

4. Pacing issues. Sometimes this book is slow paced and leaves me waiting for something interesting, but when it hits it’s dramatic and action packed points it moves fast and furious! This is something that seems to come with time for writers – the more they write the better they seem to get. This issue did make me drop this book for a while though. It took months for me to finish it, despite me trying to jump back in numerous times.

Overall, this book is a pleasant surprise. It’s well written, has a great plot and is a great read. It’s a definite recommendation to those who love sci-fi and fantasy. It’s not a book for me, but it’s a FANTASTIC book!!!

Three out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

Check out this fantastic author on Goodreads: A. King Bradley on Goodreads

Or on his website: A. King Bradley.com

A. King Bradley on Twitter

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#BookReview Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi

If you were wanting more Sunny in this book – YOU GOT IT.

This addition to the Blood Coven Vampires series follows Sunny (but don’t worry, Rayne is still kicking!). This time around, Magnus has to get a blood mate – and guess what? It’s not Sunny.

Sunny, who’s madly in love with Magnus, and her trusty sister Rayne have to work hard to try to get Magnus back to Sunny and away from this blood mate. Will they do it? I guess you’ll have to read to find out…

I really loved this book, it helps that Sunny is my favourite out of the two girls but I also really enjoyed the adventure and drama within this novel. It’s a big step up from the last novel in my opinion. This book hooks me instantly, made me not want to stop reading it, and desire more from Mari Mancusi ASAP.

This book had it’s faults – Sunny is definitely in love with Magnus, but I doubted his love for her. While Sunny’s actions and thoughts show how deeply in love she is, Magnus barely seems like she has the time of day (despite expressing his feelings).

Overall, this young adult novel was everything I wanted (minus the Magnus fault, but hey we can’t have everything we want). It’s silly, cute and totally unrealistic – but that’s what I want in a silly, YA vampire novel that’s filled with cute moments and teenage drama. Mari shows her true skill at writing as a teenage which makes this book even more “believable” within it’s realm. That helps this quick read continue moving at a super fast pace and become utterly addicting – what teenager didn’t think like Sunny and Rayne?

Five out of five stars.

 

You can find Mari on Goodreads! Mari Mancusi on Goodreads

Or swing by her website – Mari Mancusi’s Website

Want urgent updates from Mari? Check out her twitter! @MariMancusi

Did you enjoy this series? Check out it’s website!  Blood Covens Series by Mari Mancusi

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#BookReview Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Now is time for a #ThrowbackThursday review – AKA I’ve gone back to reading a book on my shelf from years ago and reviewing it. Enjoy!!

 

 

Poison Princess is one of those books that takes you by surprise, pulls you in and won’t let you go until you finish it.

I actually found this book (originally) via Gena Showalter. She was always talking about her author friend Kresley Cole on Twitter, so I decided to pick this book up. They seemed to get along so well, so why not pick up her book? I doubt author friends who hated each other’s works would talk so great about each other. And to no one’s surprise, Gena’s suggestion was on point. (Keep in mind I love Gena Showalter. I’m quite sad I haven’t been able to read any of her books recently, due to my busy schedule).

This is a dystopian, apocalypse novel is for sure a YA novel – but that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy it. It’s not R rated, if anything it’s more of a PG/PG-13-esque novel. It’s an easy read, and it’s totally addicting. There are some cringy YA moments (silly romances, ironic comments, and all the joys that come with being a teenager) but it’s still an enjoyable book. If you keep in mind it’s a YA novel made for a YA audience, it’s not to heart breaking when silly teenage plot lines go on. It’s like a soap opera – if you understand that some extraordinary things happen that are out of the line of reality, then you can thoroughly enjoy it.

Keeping in mind that I have read the next novel – the character development in this book works. You begin to fall in love with these sassy characters and they do grow! Their story is continually built on into the next book, and to me it’s a worthy read worth a recommendation. It’s probably one of the better YA novels I’ve read – and one that I’ve been able to come back to and enjoy.

Overall, Kresley Cole is an amazing story teller. She’s great at her adult series and her YA series, and it’s a worthy read for those looking for some YA or dystopian drama in their lives.

Five out of five stars.

#BookReview The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon

Ah, another day of FNAF lore is another casual day for me. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I’d read this book (I’m overly obsessed with FNAF theories. Too obsessed…in all honesty). While it took me a while to get to it, the book was definitely worth the wait.

The Twisted Ones is the second book in the FNAF book series. The lore is different from the video games (same animatronics, different back story, but some similar names of characters…) but you could easily try to eave it into the video games if you tried (or if you trust Scott and his sneaky ways).

While this appears to be a YA novel, some of the gore is definitely closer to R rated. If you’re a fan of FNAF, it probably wouldn’t come as big of a surprise to know some of the gore is REALLY GORY, but keep that in mind if you choose to read it.

Plot wise, the story continued with a smooth transition. There is a time jump between the first and second book, but it worked in it’s favour. Slowly plot details are revealed and old characters appear, and eventually Scott and Kira build and add to this spectacular take on the lore. I really did enjoy it – more animatronics, more craziness!

The book is relatively fast paced – I didn’t get bored once. I really hope the next book is the last book in this series to finish it up. This book was the perfect sequel, so I’d like to see an explosive ending (by the way, MAJOR CLIFFHANGER ALERT).

Now, time for some lore discussion – this book will raise questions. Don’t try to tie it to the book, and you’ll be feeling mighty fine! If you start trying to make a wild, crazy theory you’ll get fed up and quit. This book is supposed to be fun and increase circulation of this series (from my perspective) and it is increasing the fan base. Look at how many people are frustrated with the fact that this book doesn’t fit in with the FNAF video games and are talking about it constantly… It’s a lot of people. More conversations, more circulation, more participation, more people reading… It’s marketing genius. Is this book kinda silly? Yes. Were half of my questions answered in regard to lore for this book series? No. But it’s fun! I think this is a fun read that didn’t require my brain to explode to understand it.

Side note: Can we get a FNAF graphic novel or something? This book would be EPIC in picture form…just saying.

Four out of five stars.

 

Have you played FNAF? What is your favourite animatronic? Comment below!
Did you enjoy this review? Check out another you might enjoy! Book Review: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: THE SILVER EYES by SCOTT CAWTHON & KIRA BREED-WRISLEY

Use the hashtags #BriarsReviews and #TheTwistedOnes on twitter to tweet me about this review! @ReviewAlholic

#BookReview Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was an interesting take on Pride and Prejudice that just didn’t live up to the hype.

I was really excited to pick up this book. I had heard nothing but good things about it! Sadly, it didnt live up the hype for myself.

I had thought this book would be written in modern English, but it was identical to Pride and Prejudice. This made the book super boring – I had already read Price and Prejudice, I wanted a cool spin with a new kind of story telling. Sadly, it’s just Pride and Prejudice with a splash of zombies. Nothing spectacular.

The writer did do an amazing job of adding zombies into the original story, but this book was not my favourite.

Two out of five stars.

 

Enjoy this review? Check out another book you might enjoy! #BookReview Halfway Hunted by Terry Maggert (Halfway Witchy #3)

#BookReview The Darkening by Maggie L Wood

 

The Darkening was a thrilling sequel to the Divided Realms series.

I am so dishearted when I couldn’t find the third book of this series, because I was OBSESSED with this book series back in the day. I went to Borders (in the states) and bought the first two books. They were two of the first books I bought with my own money at a bookstore. Then, Borders left that mall and I thought I would never find the books again (since my local Canadian bookstores didn’t carry them, and I wasn’t aware at the time that I could order books).

The game of chess was the focus of this series, and that was so fascinating to me. There’s good and evil, light and dark, and pulls towards each direction.

The world building within this universe was fantastic, and to me it’s a definite must read.

Overall, I really want to pick up this series again but with the final book (it says it’s available online as an ebook but I’ve yet to find it. I’ll have to look a little harder!). Maggie L Wood was so talented and I really hope she writes more and has more books come out. The premise alone was unique!!

Five out of five stars.

 

Comment below your favourite YA novel!

If you enjoyed this review, check out another you might enjoy! #BookReview Saving Me by Sadie Allen

Tweet me with the hashtags #BriarsReviews and #DividedRealms if you read this review!

You can find Maggie L Wood on her website: http://www.maggielwood.com/

Check out The Darkening on Amazon:

Amazon.com The Darkening

#BookReview Stake That by Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi’s 2nd novel in the Blood Coven Vampire series is an excellent read.

I fell in love with this series when I was much, much younger than I am now (aka high school era), but rereading this series has made me fall in love with Mari all over again. And with the introduction of Once Upon a Vampire into this series (kind of…it’s in the same universe, so it’s the same series, I geuss?) I had to go back and reread to get a feel of these books again (and just because I love them. I can’t help it!).

This book is full of sassy, snarky teenage angst with a splash of vampires, blood and comedy. It may be labelled YA, but it’s a great read for anyone who doesn’t want something that is going to make your brain explode. It’s an easy read with a fast yet simple plot and it’s absolutely delightful. I was hooked when I first read them, and I’m hooked reading them yet again. Mari has a great style and tone in her writing that makes it really easy to read her books, fall in love with the characters and stay interested.

I find these stories have an easy to follow plot and it’s well thought out. It doesn’t get boring since it keeps moving as a fast yet leisurely pace. They are thoroughly enjoyable at any age, and don’t require any advanced theorizing. This book follows Rayne’s story, and it’s a wonderful read and continuation of this series. It’s a definite recommendation from me!!

Keep in mind – this series is narrated by sassy, silly teenagers who over exaggerate life’s problems (like any other teenager, let’s be honest guys. I thought the world was going to end in high school too when everything didn’t go perfect!). So, you’ve been warned!! It’s not a serious adult novel, it’s a fun YA novel that adults can read and enjoy as well.

Overall, this series is fun! I really hope Mari continues on writing more books within this universe because it’s nice reading something light-hearted and sweet!

Five out of five stars.

 

Check out Mari on Goodreads! Mari Mancusi on Goodreads

Or her website! Mari Mancusi’s Website

She can also be found on Twitter! @MariMancusi

Blood Covens also has it’s own website for your viewing pleasure!! Blood Covens Series by Mari Mancusi

Check me out on Goodreads where I post up to date reviews as soon as they happen! Be the first in the know!! Briar’s Reviews on Goodreads

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