Title: A Darker Shade of Magic Series: Shades of Magic book #1 Author: V. E. Schwab Page count: 384 Date published: 24 February 2015 Genre: Young/New Adult fantasy Rating: (4 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the…

Title: An Ember In The Ashes Series: Ember Quartet book #1 Author: Sabaa Tahir Page count: 480 Date published: 28 April 2015 Genre: Young Adult high fantasy & dystopian Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, it’s most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia…

Title: The Upside Of Unrequited Author: Becky Albertalli Page count: 336 Date published: 11 April 2017 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Thank you Penguin Random House SA for sending a copy my way (all opinions are my own) Rating: (4.5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love-she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?…

Title: Throne of Glass Series: Throne of Glass book #1 Author: Sarah J. Maas Page count: 404 Date published: 2 August 2012 Genre: Young Adult high fantasy Rating: (4 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS After serving out a year of hard labour in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her … but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead … quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the…

Title: In The Afterlight Series: The Darkest Minds book #3 Author: Alexandra Bracken Page count: 582 Date published: 28 October 2014 Genre: Young Adult Urban fantasy & dystopian Thank you Pan MacMillan SA for sending this my way! Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Ruby can’t look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government’s attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds. They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America’s children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the “rehabilitation camps” housing thousands of other Psi kids. Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions…

Title: Never Fade Series: The Darkest Minds book #2 Author: Alexandra Bracken Page count: 560 Date published: 15 October 2013 Genre: YA Urban fantasy & dystopian Thank you to Pan MacMillan SA for sending this my way! Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flash drive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that…

Title: The Darkest Minds Series: The Darkest Minds book #1 Author: Alexandra Bracken Page count: 528 Date published: 18 December 2012 Genre: YA Urban fantasy & dystopian Thank you to Pan MacMillan SA for sending this my way Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they…

Title: Ignite Me Series: Shatter Me book #3 Author: Tahereh Mafi Page count: 408 Date published: 4 February 2014 Genre: YA Urban fantasy & dystopian Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her. I am shook right now. I just marathoned these books and now the “trilogy” (I know there is one more book) and have NO idea what to do with my life now. I, of course, loved it as you can see by my rating. It was so good and fast-paced. Everything that needed to happen did and it was a great conclusion. The development in this book and the truths we learn are phenomenal and I loved it so much! Kenji has become…

Title: Unravel Me Series: Shatter Me book #2 Author: Tahereh Mafi Page count: 461 Date published: 5 February 2013 Genre: YA Urban fantasy & dystopian Rating: (5 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Juliette is still haunted by her deadly touch. But now that she has teamed up with other rebels with powers of their own, she’ll be able to fight back against The Reestablishment to save her broken world. With the help of these new allies, she’ll also finally learn the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin. Did I just gobble this entire book in one sitting? Why yes I did. I may have been in my pyjamas all day (no joke ALL DAY) but it was sooooo worth it. I have emotions right now and I cannot contain them. The plot had so much more action. The characters ripped my heart and left in on the floor. I have a new favourite character. Argghhhh such a good sequel!! I really enjoy Kenji. He’s kinda annoying but he’s become a really great character to read. I can see he’s going to be a really important character in the upcoming books. I also snorted a couple times. I…

Title: Shatter Me Series: Shatter Me book #1 Author: Tahereh Mafi Page count: 338 Date published: 2 October 2012 Genre: Young Adult Urban fantasy & dystopian Rating: (4 out of 5 stars) GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong colour. The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now. Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. Shatter Me has been on my radar for a while but since…