Of Poseidon Audiobook by Anna Banks | Mermaid Romance Audiobook Review

Of Poseidon
Anna Banks (Narrated by Rebecca Gibel )
Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance
Age Group: Young Adult
Publication Date: 22nd May 2012
Number of Pages: 324
Source: Bought from Audible.com

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Emma and her friend Chloe are spending vacation in Florida. When Emma (literally) runs into a hot guy named Galen on the beach, little does she know he’s a prince of the Syrena. Galen and Emma both feel something strange – is it attraction? – and Galen suspects that Emma might well be the girl he’s heard of – a human who can communicate with fish. What follows is a deadly scene with a shark in which Galen witnesses Emma’s gifts. He must know more about her, and follows her back to New Jersey, and high school, to find out for sure if she’s the key to saving his kingdom. Soon, Emma can’t deny her feelings for him, but can’t explain them, either – and both she and Galen must learn more about where she comes from and what her powers are before they can trust one another and their feelings. Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humour, and waves of romance.

Of Poseidon starts off amazing, it’s funny, witty and different. I mean a shark attack scene which kills off one of the main characters within the first few chapters – shocking! However, after this scene the story loses the wit, the sharp comebacks and just becomes bland. It’s your typical ‘insta-love’ mermaid story; girl meets guy, thinks he’s hot, he’s not ‘normal’, she’s not ‘normal’, they have instant feelings for one another, the situation isn't simple so they can’t be together, situation changes but then leaves on a cliff hanger ending.

I’m not normally a reader who gets annoyed and bored by similar story line books but this one just didn't quite offer anything different or ‘special’ to make me want to keep listening to it. However, I did keep listening to the audio book in the hope that the sparky, witty aspects of the beginning few chapters would emerge again. Sadly they did not.

Overall this book was just ‘another book I read in 2013’, I didn't think there was anything unique with the story and I felt there was nothing special about Galen or Emma’s characters - I just found that I didn't care. I will however say that this book does seem to be loved by quite a few people though so I’d encourage you to try it yourself as you may think differently to me. Just maybe borrow it from your local library so if you don’t enjoy it you haven’t wasted any money.

Faelorehn (#1 The Otherworld Trilogy) | Book Review

This review contains no spoilers and no reference to events or character information that may ruin your reading pleasure.

Faelorehn
Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

Book 1 - The Otherworld Trilogy

I never heard him come after me and even as I climbed the slope and stumbled onto our shaded back lawn, I didn’t look back. It was like the day the gnomes chased me all over again, but this time I was not escaping some horrible little creatures, I was fleeing from an incredibly good-looking guy who could very well understand me completely. I was either saving myself from that serial killer I always imagined lived down in the swamp, or I had finally gone over the deep end...

Meghan Elam has been strange her entire life: her eyes have this odd habit of changing color and she sees and hears things no one else does. When the visions and voices in her head start to get worse, she is convinced that her parents will want to drag her off to another psychiatrist. That is, until the mysterious Cade MacRoich shows up out of nowhere with an explanation of his own.

Cade brings her news of another realm where goblins and gnomes are the norm, a place where whispering spirits exist in the very earth, and a world where Meghan just might find the answers she has always sought.

Recommended for those who enjoy:
Supernatural revelations, Celtic myths and legends, discovering your true identity, beating the bullies,
friendships formed, teen romance blossoming.

This book was a particularly slow builder and the same aspects of the story kept being played out without much development each time. Despite this lack of development, I did find the book easy to read as it was simply written and therefore quick to read each page. I would say that this book is aimed at the 'Middle Grade' market though as I felt the content was very tame and the simple English used made it very easy to read.

I didn't warm to many of the characters as they were all too 'angsty' for me and the aspects of the characters which seemed to tie into the plot never actually did tie into the plot as the main character researched everything herself and then got her 'new friends' to help fill the blanks. This made the friends characters void to me and I didn't quite understand their responsibility to the story. I did however like the character, Aiden, who is Meghan's younger. He suffers from a learning difficulty and, considering this book is aimed at younger readers, I like that it wasn't afraid to include this within his character. I do feel that more could have been developed with the relationship between Meghan and Aiden though.

This book's strengths were its strong links to Celtic myths and legends and that its firstly introduced the to the reader and then developed to fit the story. This aspect was my favourite as I love anything supernatural history (e.g. Merlin) and this is the main reason this book gets it 3 star rating. The author has clearly carried out in-depth research in Celtic myths and legends and this comes through into the story.

The last quarter of this book, when the action actually starts and we discover the answers to all of Meghan's questions, seemed rushed to me and when some of Meghan's questions can't be answers I feel this is a disappointing method of holding back information in order to read the next book. I can't fault this in itself, however when a character just plainly states "I can't tell you that right now", it was all rather annoying!

I am unlikely to continue this series as although I did enjoy this book, I am not eager to discover more of the story. I do however believe this would be an excellent book for children/early teens that not avid readers.

Over to you:

Have you read Faelorehn, what did you think of it?
Should I continue with the series?

The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlet & The Queen's Army) | Series Halfway Review

This review contains no spoilers and no reference to events or character information that may ruin your reading pleasure.

Cinder
Marissa Meyer

Book 1 of the 'Lunar Chronicles' series

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one know that Earth's fate hinges on one girl...

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly find herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Cold Tea and Crumbs rating:  Cinder ★★★☆☆

Scarlet
Marissa Meyer

Book 2 of the 'Lunar Chronicles' series

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison - even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wold, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wold unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Cold Tea and Crumbs rating:  Scarlet ★★★★★

The Queen's Army
Marissa Meyer

Book 1.5 - Accompanying short story for the 'Lunar Chronicles' series

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. They boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen - and to himself - that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.

Cold Tea and Crumbs rating:  The Queen's Army ★★★★☆


Recommended for those who enjoy:
fairytales with a twist, romance, royalty woes, self-discovery, supernatural becomings, blossoming love, freedom from being stuck in one place, fantasy fiction


My thoughts:

Read Chapter 1 of Cress (Book 3 in the Lunar Chronicles)

Over to you:

Have you read Cinder, Scarlet or The Queen's Army, what did you think of them?
Enjoyed reading them or disliked them?
Whose is your favourite character?
How do you think the story will develop in Cress (due 2014), book 3 of the Lunar Chronicles?

A Day at the Office | Book Review

This review contains no spoilers and no reference to events or character information that may ruin your reading pleasure.

A Day At The Office
Matt Dunn

Julie kissed Mark at the office Christmas party. She doesn't seem to remember, but he's not been able to forget. What better day to jog her memory than Valentine's Day?

Calum's found the girl of his dreams on the internet. Trouble is, he's not been completely honest about himself. Tonight he's meeting her for the first time. But will it also be the last?

Nathan's organised his usual Anti-Valentine's party for the office singletons. Sophie's going - again. Though this year, if she gets her way, they might just be leaving together.

One office. Five lives. On the most romantic day of the year.

A Day At The Office is the latest novel from best-selling romantic comedy novelist Matt Dunn, author of The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook.


Recommended for those who enjoy:
the 'i heart' series by Lindsey Kelk, love, romance, humour, blossoming love, failure at love, funny moments, bitch-fights, love triangles

Cold Tea and Crumbs rating:  ★★★☆☆


My thoughts:
Love Actually meets Valentine's Day.

This book is a brilliant and witty read and tells an 'out of love' story well without desperation and wallowing being the main aspect of the story. I'm not usually into 'searching for love' stories as I get frustrated with moaning characters that haven't found 'the one' however this story wasn't like that at all. Yes the characters were all unhappy and 'out of love' but the telling of the story added so much lightness and humour to this element of the story that even I was able to enjoy it.

The mix ups and situations which occur in the book are fantastic. My favourite scene being when Sophie is bra shopping and her shop assistant is very 'helpful' ^_^ Another great aspect of this book is the London setting and from having worked around that area for a while myself, I found myself reminiscing of my experiences and you can definitely tell it's written by a London lover.

This book had me constantly laughing out loud and I think it would make a good movie, a la Love Actually. Definitely worth a read if you're looking for something light and funny.


Over to you:

Have you read A Day At The Office, what did you think of it? Enjoyed reading it or disliked it?
What are your thoughts about multiple perspective books?

Beautiful Chaos | Book Review

Please be aware that this is the third book in a series. I attempt to not include spoilers and references to events and important character information in any of my reviews, however it is recommended that you have read the first and second book in the series before reading this review. Check out my review for Beautiful Creatures (Book 1) and Beautiful Darkness (Book 2).

Beautiful Chaos
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Book 3 of 'The Caster Chronicles' series

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.


Recommended for those who enjoy:
gothic teen novels, teen romance, supernatural becomings, blossoming love, 'coming of age' transitions, freedom from being stuck in one place, fantasy fiction

Cold Tea and Crumbs rating:  ★★★☆☆


My thoughts:
Unfortunately this book made me fall out with The Caster Chronicles series and it certainly lives up to its name - Chaos! I'd been warned that this book was slow and the least favoured book in the series by most people so I went in prepared for an 'average' book but it really was quite disappointing.

The positive aspects of this book were the events that take place which evolve around the universe wanting someone else other than Lena to 'pay a price' or 'make a choice'. I loved the introduction of Linkubus and think it makes Link's character even more humourous and loveable than he was in the previous two books (if that's even possible). The change in John Breed's character is also interesting and Liv of course is still her intelligent and quick thinking self which is one of the reasons that Book 2 Beautiful Darkness was so good in my eyes.

The negative aspects of this book were that it was quite predictable. Major events that take place in the book were pointed out and then thrown right in your face so you wouldn't miss them, which obviously meant you knew what was coming about 3-4 chapters before it actually happened. Also the ending was easy to predict and was even hinted at about midway through the story. I was quite frustrating that none of the characters seemed to grasp that it could be that - you let me down Liv!

Overall this wasn't a terrible book in the series however it was certainly just a linking book between Beautiful Darkness and Beautiful Redemption. I recommend reading it if you liked the first two books and want to finish the series. I you have read the first and second books and didn't really enjoy them then I'd say don't waste your time - Beautiful Darkness in my opinion is where the series peaks.

Over to you:

Have you read Beautiful Chaos, what did you think of it? Enjoyed reading it or disliked it?
Did you feel that Beautiful Chaos was a 'linking' book?