Mel's Random July

July is over and perhaps it was the heat in London, but I felt like it was a very long month. At the same time I can't quite believe it will be August tomorrow! This month has been pretty busy with work kicking into gear and lots of personal upsets still. But I am thinking positive especially as I'm heading to Canada at the end of August for two weeks! I've visiting family in Toronto so plan to do all the touristy stuff like CN Tower, see a Blue Jay game and visit Niagara Falls. Plus shopping...my family definitely has a shopping gene at least in the female side and a variety of cousins are planning on helping me stretch my shopping muscles! Still in the meantime I hope to leave plenty of lovely review and surprises for you while I'm away - although if anyone fancies a guest post on a subject of their choice please let me know!

In the meantime I'm going to leave with the view from Box Hill over Surrey where I went for a brief walk with my Dad, brother and brother's girlfriend on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and the view spectacular - as you can see we weren't the only ones to step out on a Sunday afternoon!

View from Box Hill, Surrey, UK

So how did this impact the reading situation in June...?

Books
Transcendence - CJ Omololu
Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan (British Book Challenge)
The String Diaries - Stephen Lloyd-Jones (British Books Challenge)
Odd Interlude - Dean Koontz
Mistress of the Sea - Jenny Barden (British Book Challenge)
Nowhere - Jon Robinson (British Book Challenge)
Kitty Rocks The House (Kitty Norville #11) - Carrie Vaughn
Etiquette and Espionage - Gail Carriger
Deep Fathom - James Rollins
Stung - Bethany Wiggins

Ebooks
Stalking The Others (H&W Investigations #4) - Jess Haines
Forsaken By The Others (H&W Investigations #5) - Jess Haines
Mist - Susan Krinard
Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5) - Jennifer Estep
Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square - William Sutton (British Book Challenge)


Novella Review
Meridian Six - Jaye Wells

Sarah's Review
The Curse of Chalion - Lois McMaster Bujold

Other Posts
Book Confessions: Genre Burnout
Book Confessions: Are Paper Books More Valuable...?

So updating the challenges -
British Books Challenge - 25 Read - half way to my personal target of 50 books by British Authors!

Best of the Bunch: Etiquette & Espionage just rocked!


Honorable Mentions: Nowhere was just a great read and I had fun with The String Diaries and Odd Interlude as well!


So what was your month like? :

Stung Review

Stung

Bethany Wiggins

Publisher: Bloomsbury

In a world in crisis, children are the future. Part of the cure. Not now. Children are deadly. Marked one to ten. Fiona is a TEN. She just doesn't know it yet . . . She doesn't know her true strength.
Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But she has woken to find her entire world has changed - her house is abandoned and broken, and her neighbourhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. But instead the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts. They have been branded as a warning to unvaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected inside a fortress-like wall. Fiona has awakened branded, alone and on the wrong side of the wall 

What happens when the bees die out? The answer is the end of the world as we know it and the start of a dystopian nightmare for those who survive. When Fiona wakes up in her bed, she has no memory of the last four years but the world has changed rapidly with some people living in the sewers, beasts who were once people roaming the land and a select few living in relative safety behind the Wall. Fiona is lost, confused and doesn’t know what is going on...

Fiona may not know what is going on but she trusts people to easily and even manages to give her heart to a guy who has done nothing but assault her and keep her captive. I found myself getting very frustrated with her as she never really seems to fight for herself or even others. Added to which I found it difficult to imagine the whole country had changes so rapidly in just four years with people so quickly divided into levels and organised behind a wall. The character I was most intrigued by was Arrin/Arris and felt like they could have been explored more. There is much left unexplored and for once I feel that this story would have worked with a little more background – perhaps some other characters point of view to answer questions Fiona doesn’t even think to ask!

Stung is fast paced though and it was only once I put the book down and started to think about the world and the characters that I really had any problems. The plot is pacy and there are enough action scenes to keep most thrill readers happy. The romance was far too quick for my liking and not based on much substance but it wasn’t a focus of the plot so it wasn’t too distracting. This was an easy enough read but with choice of dystopian YA overwhelming there wasn’t anything that gripped me. Nice idea but I want a little more.

Recommended for fans of Veronica Rossi and Sarah Crossan. 7 out of 10   

Early Review: Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square

Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square

William Sutton

Publisher: Exhibit A - To be Released on 30th July 2013

E-Arc Courtesy of Netgalley and Angry Robot

London 1859-62. A time of great exhibitions, foreign conquests and underground trains. But the era of Victorian marvels is also the time of the Great Stink. With cholera and depravity never far from the headlines, it’s not only the sewers that smell bad.
Novice detective, Campbell Lawless, stumbles onto the trail of Berwick Skelton, an elusive revolutionary, seemingly determined to bring London to its knees through a series of devilish acts of terrorism. But cast into a lethal, intoxicating world of music hall hoofers, industrial sabotage and royal scandal, will Lawless survive long enough to capture this underworld nemesis, before he unleashes his final vengeance on a society he wants wiped from the face of the Earth?

Imagine living in a time when technology changes almost daily and what seemed wonderous quickly becomes mundane, a time when politicians only look after themselves and their cronies leaving the ordinary people to fend for themselves. Okay, so some things haven’t changed much but when communication with others depending on actually seeing them or passing notes through urchins – no mobile phones, no landlines, no internet, no computers, no forensics but your own eyes and experience and then mix this early Victorian world with a crime that seems bafflingly complex and pointless. Where someone steals the inside of a clock workings, causes flooding in buildings across London, and breaks into houses only to leave a bone and take little of true value. This is the world that Lawless, a new sergeant at Scotland Yard finds himself in.

The story actually takes place over three years as little incidents build up to become one truly complicated case. I have to admit I was never less than intrigued by what was going on and what the purpose of it was. The world building effortlessly mixes real events like the Great Stink and the opening of the London Underground with new characters and historical to create a compelling world. Unfortunately the pacing was very slow – the long timeline while realistic seemed to rob the story of any urgency. It never really felt like there was a major threat to the city or individuals – someone who has that level of patience and ingenuity should really have ‘got over it’ after that amount of time.

Lawless is an interesting character – young and being inducted into the ways of Scotland by a well respected Inspector, but he discovers that even the watchers sometimes need watching. The librarian he starts to work with is a fantastic character – learned and book smart, she determines to help Lawless whether he wants her help or not. Adding to the character lists is an entrepreneur who is all confidence and little substance, Urchins trying to make a living on the streets, professional ‘Actresses’ and the workers’ rights movement.

The book has loads of potential and would look great in one of those Sunday evening dramas, but the slow pace meant it took me longer than normal to read and numbed my enjoyment a little. However, I would relish another visit to Lawless to see what he gets up to next!

Recommended for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Lynn Shepherd. 7 out of 10 

My Book Haul / Showcase Sunday

This is Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday where I share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!

This was a slow reading week for me. I finished Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square by William Sutton which was interesting but a challenging read. I also read Mr Lynch's Holiday by Catherine Flynn which is a contemporary literature book - very different from my usual read and I still can't decide if I like it or not!

This week I went a little on book buying spree - so sue me!

For Review

The Boleyn Deceit (The Boleyn Trilogy #2) - Laura Andersen

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Henry IX, known as William, is the son of Anne Boleyn and now the leader of England, his regency period finally at an end. His newfound power, however, comes with the looming specter of war with the other major powers of Europe, with strategic alliances that must be forged on both the battlefield and in the bedroom, and with a court, severed by religion, rife with plots to take over the throne. Will trusts only three people: his older sister, Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by Anne Boleyn. But as the pressure rises alongside the threat to his life, even they William must begin to question-and to fear.

I really enjoyed the 'what-if' historical fantasy of the first book in this series so when book two was available on Netgalley, I had to request it!

The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.
But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.
Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

I requested this ages ago on Netgalley and finally got accepted!

Bought

The Coldest War (Milkweed Triptych #2)- Ian Tregillis

Publisher: Orbit

For decades, Britain's warlocks have been all that stands between the British Empire and the Soviet Union - a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel. Now each wizard's death is another blow to Britain's national security.
Meanwhile, a brother and sister - the subjects of a twisted Nazi experiment to imbue ordinary people with superhuman abilities - escape from a top-secret facility deep behind the Iron Curtain. They head for England, because that's where former spy Raybould Marsh lives. And Gretel, the mad seer, has plans for him. As Marsh is once again drawn into the world of Milkweed, he discovers that Britain's darkest acts didn't end with the war. And while he strives to protect queen and country, he is forced to confront his own willingness to accept victory at any cost.

Ok, so I haven't the first book in this series yet but I want to take a chance that I'll like it and bought book two!

Every Demon Has His Day - Cara Lockwood

Publisher: Downtown Books

In her wildest dreams, Constance Plyd never thought she'd see dead people. Then again, she never thought she'd be hit on by her ex-husband at his own funeral...or be the prime suspect in his murder. Fortunately for Constance, irresistibly sexy sheriff Nathan Garrett wants to believe her explanation -- that a card-carrying demon in a black suit killed Jimmy in the garage -- or maybe he wants something more. Either way, all signs are leading to a showdown of hellish proportions, with Constance at the heart of the battle, when the Devil and would-be mother of the Antichrist (a pop princess wannabe) descends on Crockett County. Sure, she'd rather be cooking up a storm for the next state fair, but if she's going to be the Chosen One, at least Constance can give a few demons a Texas-style butt kicking... 

I picked this up in The Works just because it sounds fun!

Kitty In The Underworld (Kitty Norville #12) - Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: Tor Books

As Denver adjusts to a new master vampire, Kitty gets word of an intruder in the Denver werewolf pack’s territory, and she investigates the challenge to her authority. She follows the scent of the lycanthrope through the mountains where she is lured into a trap, tranquilized, and captured. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a defunct silver mine: the perfect cage for a werewolf. Her captors are a mysterious cult seeking to induct Kitty into their ranks in a ritual they hope will put an end to Dux Bellorum. Though skeptical of their power, even Kitty finds herself struggling to resist joining their cause. Whatever she decides, they expect Kitty to join them in their plot . . . willingly or otherwise.

Kitty is on my autobuy book list so this pre-order arrived this week - and for once I'm not behind with the series having just read the previous book in the series! Go me!

Carniepunk - by so many great authors!

Publisher:Gallery Books

 The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?

And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.

Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed,Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.

Just looking at the author list of this anthology gives me goosebumps! How could I not buy this book?

So what have you picked up this week?

Early Review: Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Books – Released 30^th July 2013

E-Arc Copy Courtesy of Netgalley & Kensington Books

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can't get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities--until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I'm still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead. As Nike's Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I'm still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I've got to get my hands on the antidote fast--otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins--and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there 

Gwen Frost is Nike’s Champion and she has embraced that this means she and her friends will have to face evil God Loki and his Reapers of Chaos. However, her honey Logan is absent still unsure of himself after Loki’s interference in Crimson Frost. When another of Gwen’s allies is poisoned by the Reapers, she and her friends have to go to the one place they can find antidote knowing it is a trap...

Gwen is so much more confident now then she was when we first met her and her developing strength and fighting skills are joys to see. Her selection of friends and allies are fun and you just can’t help rooting for them all. Gwen is still smarting over Logan’s abandonment but she carries on regardless. She also discovers more about her father now. There are some exciting action scenes and I really loved how everyone accepts and looks to Gwen to guide and lead them. She is going to be one strong general in this fight.

The story is fast paced with little wasted time taking place over just a few days but in terms of the wider story arc, it doesn’t feel like much has changed. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong and this is just laying the groundwork for the end battle, but it feels like Gwen ends in the same place as she was at the start. Saying that, this is still a great series and one of my favourite YA series – I just love Gwen’s natural charm and determination. Plus the mixture of mythologies from Greek, Roman, Viking in the modern world is just a blast!

Overall, this is a good instalment in a great series – superior to other YA series but not the peak of its own high standard. It was a great summer instalment and I am happy Jennifer Estep is a fast writer as if I had to wait a whole year between visits to Mythos I would miss all my Gypsy, Amazon, Viking and Spartan friends!

Recommended for fans of Marissa Meyer and Richelle Mead. 8 out of 10

Apocalypse WINNER!

It's the end of world as we know it!

Last week I took part in the Apocalypse Blog Hop and offered the prize of a book of your choice if you told me what your first read post-apocalypse would be. Seems like most people would wither be desperately reading survival manuals or taking a return trip to Hogwarts!

Anyway, thank you to everyone who entered but in the end there can be only one winner...and the winner is....

Meli C

Congratulations! I've send a email asking for you choice of book. 

For everyone else, don't worry - Thursday is my monthly pick a book for me to read giveaway so try your luck then!

Throwback Thursday #92 - Dragon Blood

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while which looks at those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves that we haven't got round to reading yet...

Dragon Blood - Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

Riding into a war that's heating up on the border, Ward, the new lord of Hurog, is sure he's on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones could prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them.

I still fancy reading some Dragon stories and Patricia Briggs UF is so good. I hope her traditional fantasy will be as well!

Have you ever tried a favourite author's book in a different genre...?

Deep Fathom Review

Deep Fathom

James Rollins

Publisher: Harper

Ex-Navy SEAL Jack Kirkland surfaces from an aborted underwater salvage mission to find the Earth burning. Solar flares have triggered a series of gargantuan natural disasters. Earthquakes and hellfire rock the globe. Air Force One has vanished from the skies with America's president on board. Now, with the U.S. on the narrow brink of a nuclear apocalypse, Kirkland must pilot his oceangoing exploration ship, Deep Fathom, on a desperate mission miles below the ocean's surface. There devastating secrets await him—and a power an ancient civilization could not contain has been cast out into modern day. And it will forever alter a world that's already racing toward its own destruction

Ever had one of those reading periods where every book you pick up is exactly what you need at that time? I’m right in the middle of that period when I picked up Deep Fathom, a book that has been on my TBR pile for a long time and found a book that combined ancient mysteries, exotic physics, world-in-peril, tortured hero, smart heroine, sadistic villain with a vendetta and Pacific trotting locations – in short exactly what I needed for humid train journeys in London!

Jack is one of those too good to be true heroes – and ex-SAS officer, former NASA astronaut and current deep sea treasure diver who finds himself and his crew pulled into a global emergency when tidal waves and earthquakes hit all the countries around the Pacific. From there it is a hop, skip and jump to being the only person in the world aware that those quakes could only be the start and worse could follow if he and anthropologist, Karen can’t work out the secret behind a lost race and their writing. They race around Pacific Islands, being shot at by bad guys, figuring out mysteries that had been kept secret for hundreds of year and surviving by the skin of their neck! It is a thoroughly entertaining ride which happily passes a few hours. If you try to think too much about the history or physics, you miss the joy in just following the good guys around.

I loved the joy and simplicity of the story but the final ending was a slight overstep for me. Apart from that it was a great summer read and perfect for the beach.

Recommended for fans of David Gibbins and Steve Berry. 8 out of 10

Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1)

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1)

Gail Carriger

Publisher: Atom

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

This was your choice of books for me to read this month and it was so much fun!! I just dived straight in and found myself enchanted with the idea of a finishing school where young ladies learn manners and subterfuge in a world where werewolves and vampires are the height of fashion and steampunk rules.

Sophronia is a troublesome fourteen year old who keeps getting into scraps at home, so ends up being shipped off to Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. What her parents don’t realise is that Mademoiselle Geraldine’s trains young girls in the art of espionage, assassination and defence of the realm, while using the correct cutlery and curtseying fashionably. Sophronia is sharp witted and quick and not afraid to take risks, while the rest of her friends she meets at school area variety of young ladies – including one or two who might be familiar to those you have read Gail Carriger’s other series, the Parasol Protectorate. It reminded me so much of the boarding school books I read a young child (Enid Blyton and Trebizon) or Hogwarts. Where the teens manage to solve more mysteries than the adults – and take more risks!

The machinery in the world are amazing – from the mechianimals to the robotic ‘staff’ there is no end of the imagination used to create a truly unique world. There is so much happening and the characters are just fantastic fun. I actually feel the world suits a YA story better than a regular story – and I can’t tell you how much fun discussions of proper manners and correct protocol are! If you want a great summer read than pick this book up – and I promise you will have a blast!

Recommended for fans of Kelley Armstrong and Richelle Mead. 9 out of 10 

Kitty Rocks The House (Kitty Norville #11) Review

Kitty Rock The House (Kitty Noville #11)

Carrie Vaughn

Publisher: Tor Books

On the heels of Kitty's return from London, a new werewolf shows up in Denver, one who threatens to split the pack by challenging Kitty's authority at every turn. The timing could not be worse; Kitty needs all the allies she can muster to go against the ancient vampire, Roman, if she's to have any hope of defeating his Long Game. But there's more to this intruder than there seems, and Kitty must uncover the truth, fast. Meanwhile, Cormac pursues an unknown entity wreaking havoc across Denver; and a vampire from the Order of St. Lazaurus tempts Rick with the means to transform his life forever

The Kitty series is much bigger than I thought it was – eleven book already! I have to admit the series has had its up and downs – some books are better than others but what keeps me interested is Kitty herself. She’s not your typical alpha heroine – ready to kick butt with leather outfits and a dozen men at her beck and call. Kitty prefers to avoid fights and talk her way out of them - if possible, she’s happily married and would rather be in comfy jeans and a tank top. Yet, she is alpha material and is balancing her responsibilities as a sister and daughter, wife, alpha of the local werewolf pack, her secret war against Roman and the Long Game as well as her job as DJ of The Midnight Hour. In this book those responsibilities start getting too much for Kitty...

This is very much a home-ly story with Kitty going about her routine and people disrupting her life. As a result there are many separate parts to the story with new werewolf joining Kitty’s pack, the Catholic Vampire visiting Rick and the loss of her grandmother all making life tough for Kitty and Ben – not to mention Cormac teaming up with Detective Hardin.

The writing is as easy to slip into as fresh cotton sheets and it’s always nice to catch up with one of my favourite werewolves. The story is a little piece-meal and isn’t one of the strongest entries in this series as Kitty mostly keeps secrets and runs around reacting rather than being proactive. But it is a quick read and perfect for a summer commute to work.

Recommended for fans of Nancy Holzner and Kayalna Price. 7.5 out of 10

My Book Haul / Showcase Sundays

This is Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday where I share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!

This week I thoroughly enjoyed Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger - so much fun! I also enjoyed another visit to Denver in Kitty Rocks The House by Carrie Vaughn and raced around the Pacific discovering ancient mysteries in Deep Fathom by James Rollins before retreating to the mountains again with a visit to Mythos Academy in Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

This week I had to trot down to my local post office sorting depot as over the last couple of weeks I've missed a lot of parcels as I'm usually at work when the postman calls! Imagine my surprise and delight as unknown competition wins and a pile of unexpected review books turned up. It was a very good week!

For Review

Winter Damage - Nastaha Carthew

Publisher: Bloomsbury (Published 1st August 2013)

On a frozen Cornish moor, a fifteen-year-old girl lives in a trailer with her dad and little brother. Ennor's mother left years ago, when things started to go wrong - and gradually their world has fallen apart. Now her father's gravely ill, school has closed, and Ennor knows they're going to take her brother away if things don't pick up soon. So three days before Christmas, when the wind is cold and her dad's health takes a turn for the worse, Ennor packs a blanket, a map, a saucepan and a gun into her rucksack, and sets off to find her mum and bring her home. Ennor thinks she knows where she's going. But this journey will change her life for ever - it becomes a battle for survival, a heartbreaking story of love and friendship, and a fable about not finding what you were looking for, but finding something more important instead ...

This arrived in a wonderful reading kit complete with wispa chocolate bar, hot chocolate, tissues and fingerless gloves. This was such a lovely surprise and the book like it might be an intriguing tear-jerker.

The Beating Of His Wings (Left Hand of God #3) - Paul Hoffman

Publisher: Penguin

Thomas Cale has been running from the truth.

Since discovering that his brutal military training has been for one purpose - to destroy God's greatest mistake, mankind itself - Cale has been hunted by the very man who made him into the Angel of Death: Pope Redeemer Bosco.

Cale is a paradox: arrogant and innocent, generous and pitiless. Feared and revered by those created him, he has already used his breathtaking talent for destruction to bring down the most powerful civilisation in the world.

But Thomas Cale is weak. His soul is dying. As his body is wracked with convulsions he knows that the final judgment will not wait for a sick boy. As the day of reckoning draws close, Cale's sense of vengeance leads him back to the Sanctuary - and to confront the person he hates most in the world. Finally Cale must recognise that he is the incarnation of God's rage and decide if he will stand against the Sanctuary of the Redeemers and use his unique skill of laying waste to all things.

The fate of mankind rests on Cale's decision.

I read the first two books in this trilogy from Penguin and while they were interesting reads, I have to admit I'd not really keen on picking up this huge tome straight away.

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) - Sarah J Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

I already have this from Netgalley but I was so happy when Bloomsbury sent me through a finished copy to review as well!

All Our Yesterdays - Cristin Terrill
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet.  Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future

This is my one request from Netgalley this week as I just can't resist time travel stories! :-)

Wins

Blood Song (Raven's Shadow #1) - Anthony  Ryan

Publisher: Orbit

Vaelin Al Sorna, Brother of the Sixth Order, has been trained from childhood to fight and kill in service to the Faith. He has earned many names and almost as many scars, acquiring an ugly dog and a bad-tempered horse in the process. Ensnared in an unjust war by a king possessed of either madness or genius, Vaelin seeks to answer the question that will decide the fate of the Realm: …who is the one who waits?

I won this in Orbits monthly newsletter...and its been a week for epic fantasy books arriving!

My Lynch's Holiday - Catherine O'Flynn
Publisher: Viking

Welcome to Lomaverde - a new Spanish utopia for those seeking their place in the sun. Now a ghost town where feral cats outnumber the handful of anxious residents. A place of empty pools, long afternoons and unrelenting sunshine. 
Here, widowed Midlands bus driver Dermot Lynch turns up one bright morning. He's come to visit his son Eammon and his girlfriend, Laura. Except Eammon never opened Dermot's letter announcing his trip. Just like he can't quite get out of bed, or fix anything, or admit Laura has left him. Though neither father nor son knows quite what to make of the other, Lomaverde's Brits - Roger and Cheryl, Becca and Iain - see in Dermot a shot of fresh blood. Someone to enliven their goat-hunting trips, their paranoid speculations, the endless barbecuing and bickering.As Dermot and Eammon gradually reveal to one another the truth about why each left home, both get drawn further into the bizarre rituals of ex-pat life, where they uncover a shocking secret at the community's heart.

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway as it sounded like an interesting story!

Bought

The Glass God (Magical Anonymous #2) - Kate Griffin

Publisher: Orbit

Sharon Li: apprentice shaman and community support officer for the magically inclined. It wasn't the career Sharon had in mind, but she's getting used to running Magicals Anonymous and learning how to Be One With The City.
When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor. The only clues she has are a city dryad's cryptic message of doom and several pairs of abandoned shoes...
Suddenly, Sharon's job feels a whole lot harder...

Kate Griffin writes wonderful UF set in London. Matthew Swift is a great character and while this is a spinoff series from that I still had to reorder it it!

So what did you pick up this week? Anything I should be adding to my wishlist...?