Menagerie by Rachel Vincent

Menagerie by Rachel Vincent
Release Date - September 29, 2015
Publisher Website - Harlequin
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent comes a richly imagined, provocative new series set in the dark mythology of the Menagerie…

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale. 

Menagerie is my introduction to Rachel Vincent novels, and she sure didn't disappoint. A wildly imaginative world, engaging characters, and a timely social structure, all ensure a highly addictive read that will easily have you reading late into the night.

The setting is mesmerizing. It's incredibly vivid and vibrant. It comes to life easily though Rachel Vincent's words, and it captures your imagination. It's easily the strongest aspect of the novel, and one that you can loose yourself in completely. There is a magical, yet sinister quality to the 'carnival'. It's one that makes you think about the animals in these traveling 'circuses' and how it would look if itwere people within those cages instead. It is eye opening right from the second you're immersed into the story and that shows Rachel Vincent's talents.

This novel easily plays out like a television show or movie. You can visualize all the details, and see yourself in the middle of the story with little effort. The author has transported you into this world, and has made these characters feel incredibly real. The entire novel feels real and that adds an extra layer to the experience. The realism ensures that you become invested in the story, and that you care about the characters. It also adds to the sense of unease you feel, because it feels so similar to real events and situations.

Part of this realism is due to the easily imagined oppression and treatment of the cryptids (the magical creatures that are the carnival's exhibits). Stripped of all rights, subjected to horrible conditions in captivity, and forced into a life of confinement and abuse. It is entirely relatable to the fight for rights, animal cruelty, and genocide that we're familiar with. It's not unfathomable, and not unknown to us, so slipping into this world feels effortless as a result. The brutal truth is hard to read sometimes, and there were some unflinching scenes that were uncomfortable to experience. Violence, rape, and derogation are common place in this world, and it is heartbreaking. It's a novel that ignites an anger within you and it's one that doesn't leave when you turn the final page.

Deliah has an inner strength to her that is present through each indignity and each situation that is thrown at her. She uses these atrocities to gain strength and never breaks. She is strong in a different way than perhaps expected, but one that is no less inspiring than the usual. It's not a physical strength that stands out in her, but a mental one. It's what allows her to retain her sense of self and fight back. She refuses to bow and bend to her captors. She refuses to give in. This strength is her most defining trait, and one that serves the story well.

Those who are looking for a novel with little to no romance will be drawn to this story. It appears that this entire series may have little romance in it (or perhaps even none at all), as the focus is elsewhere. The story is stronger without it, as it would only distract from the overall message of the novel. This is a world that doesn't lend itself to romance, and I was especially relieved not to see any romance between captives and captors.

A story that will have huge cross over appeal and is one that keeps you hooked from the very beginning. Rachel Vincent has crafted an unforgettable world, and heroine that will immediately have you wishing you could read the sequel. She blends paranormal and fantasy elements into a brutal, realistic world seamlessly to create a story that will appeal to both older teens and adults in equal measure. 

Waiting On Wednesday ...... A Criminal Magic

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE PEAKY BLINDERS in Lee Kelly's new magical realism, crossover novel.

Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive - and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.

It's 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city's magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters' crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer's shine.

Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC's most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family's home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.

Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic - and when their paths cross at the Shaws' performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.

A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties. 

Night Circus meets Peaky Blinders?! YES! I need this book immediately. The cover is also STUNNING and makes me want to drink fancy cocktails while reading this book. It's quite a wait it's release but I have a feeling it'll be more than worth it.

Expected release date - February 2, 2016

Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson
Release Date - September 22, 2015
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

Rae Carson's newest novel is perhaps not what one would first expect. This is not the high fantasy of her previous series. This instead is a well researched, well written, historical novel that just happens to have a nugget of magic at it's center.

Everything from the plot, setting, and characters felt different and exciting. Rae Carson's setting is pitch perfect. You feel propelled into the Gold Rush era along with Lee. Losing yourself into this world is effortless, and this combined with Rae Carson's writing made the novel a quick read. The story is primarily a journey based one, and therefore is a little quieter, but it allows for the characters to truly shine, and the moments of intense action feel just a little brighter when they do happen as a result.

Lee is an incredible heroine. Tough, filled with conviction, and someone who isn't afraid to take risks and grab any chances she can. She is hard working and isn't put off by making the harder choice when needed. She is also fragile, as the secret she keeps leaves her on constant edge just waiting to be found out. This makes her cautious and thoughtful. She thinks before she acts, and looks at all possible angles before rushing off. It's a character trait that really made her stand out.

I do not know much about the gold rush, other than the bare basics, but Rae Carson's novel felt incredibly authentic. The details that went into creating the long, dangerous migration to California are both stunning, and awe inspiring. From the illnesses that plagued the trip, to the people who took advantage of those along the way, and the accidents you never saw coming, there was no end to the risks involved. I never thought of how tiring and dangerous the passage actually was for those who took the journey. This novel drove home the fact that, for some people, making it all the way to California was not a reality. Rae Carson did not shy away from this heartbreaking truth, and we see the cost and toll this journey would taken for those who ventured out. This brutal truth is matched only by the beauty that is seen along the way and equal importance is given to both. This journey was life changing, and that all encompassing experience is found within these pages.

Those who favour romances that are given time and space to breath, a slower burn before igniting into a flame, will fall under the spell of the romance in this one. It also happens to be a friends first situation which are my favourite kind of romances. The foundation is there, and seeing it tentatively turn to something more is wonderful to experience. It's easy to embrace this couple as each member is better with the other, and each of them provides a stability that the other needs. This relationship evolving in the subsequent books is one of the things I am most looking forward to as this series continues.

A quiet, but engrossing, start to a new series that boasts incredible realism with just a smidgen of magic that feels organic to the setting. Rae Carson blends a historical truth with this magic effortlessly and leaves you eager to join Lee in the next chapter of her adventure.

A Letter From Henry To Anne

Today I get to kick off the Canadian blog tour for Dawn Ius' Anne and Henry. If you read my review you'll know that I really enjoyed this modern twist to their story and was excited to be asked to join the tour.

Be sure to follow along with the entire tour as there is lots of awesome things still to come!

For my stop on the tour, I decided to ask Dawn what a love letter from Henry to Anne might look like. The real Henry certainly wrote letters to the real Anne, and I wondered what a modern version of this might look like. What THIS Henry might write to THIS Anne.

Here is Henry's letter

And just in case this image is hard for some to read, here is the unadorned text.

Anne,

The truth is, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the moment we met. Those heart-shaped lips, those hypnotic eyes—I’ve never seen passion like that before, never in eyes so haunting and beautiful. Even that small gap between your teeth is somehow sexy.

Something awakened in me that night.

But then the next morning you slid into my Audi and fuck me, I was done. The way your pale thighs pressed against the black seat cushions…

Maybe you noticed, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road. Remember how you teased me about where I was taking you? I definitely wasn’t thinking about school.

Life without Dad and Arthur hasn’t been easy and I’m still trying to climb out from the wreckage. It should be awkward—we’re yin and yang—but instead, when I’m with you, I feel surprisingly free. As though expectation and guilt aren’t weighing me down, that there’s a chance I can make my own choices. Live my own life.

I should back off, but damn if I don’t enjoy a challenge.

That night at the masquerade ball, I asked you for your name. You played coy with me at first, but I understand why now. You are more than a name, Anne Boleyn.  You are my raven among doves.

~ Henry

It totally fits this version of Henry, especially if you've read the book. It's exactly what I would picture him writing to her.

Be sure to add Anne and Henry to your Goodreads and you can purchase it from the following retailers

Amazon // Chapters // Barnes and Noble // Kobo

You can also visit Dawn on her various social media platforms to learn more about her and the book

Twitter // Facebook // Website

Follow along on the rest of the stops as you'll have a chance to win a copy of the book and much more!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

A small weekly obsessions this week. There were two amazing cover reveals that happened and those are what I am highlighting this week.

BOOK

cover reveal for Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker (goodreads)

This is the official cover, the ARC does have a VERY different one, but I love this one so much. It's simple, striking, and clever.

I think it works perfectly for a Frankenstein inspired novel on more than one level.

Cover reveal for Lee Kelly's A Criminal Magic (goodreads)

This novel combines prohibition with magic and that basically made it an automatic "MUST READ" addition to my to be read wishlist. However, this stunning cover has only cemented that desire.

Anyone else immediately want to have a fancy drink while reading this book? Cocktails may have to happen when  I get my hands on this one.

What are you obsessed with this week?

After You by Jojo Moyes

After You by Jojo Moyes
Release Date - September 29, 2015
Publisher Website - Penguin Random House
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  368 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for honest review from the publisher**

**SPOILERS FOR ME BEFORE YOU**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

After You is quintessential Jojo Moyes—a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and rejoice at being back in the world she creates. Here she does what few novelists can do—revisits beloved characters and takes them to places neither they nor we ever expected.

When After You was first announced I was both overjoyed and hesitant. I fell in deep book love with Me Before You and fell hard. It is one of my most favourite books, and the love story within it's pages is truly iconic. I didn't want anything to taint that experience for me. While those who love Lou, her family, and the Traynors will delight in returning to their story, this novel perhaps works better if viewed as a separate story from Me Before You.

This novel feels like catching up with old friends. There is an ease and familiarity in coming back to their story. The connection is already formed, and you instantly remember how much you loved them. I missed these characters and didn't quite realize how much until I was reading the next chapter in their journey. I am not sure this sequel was necessary to their story but it ends up becoming entirely welcome. As soon as you're immersed back into Lou's world, you'll immediately be thankful you get to read these next chapter in her story.

Lou is barely keeping it together when we first see her. That feeling she had in Paris, the one of possibilities about the future has been snuffed out by grief. She was going to go and follow Will's wishes and live her life to the fullest, but grief has weighted down that buoyant hope. This is the story of Lou working her way through that grief. It's a story of her learning to live with the loss of Will while not being crippled by it. It's a very bittersweet story and Lou's journey spans anger, sadness, guilt, and even moments of happiness. Jojo Moyes perfectly captures the vast array of emotions grief can instil in someone. It's one of the most poignant parts of the novel.

Will feels both everywhere and nowhere within these pages. It creates this gaping hole that never quite felt like it was filled by the end of the novel. The spark that was so evident in Me Before You felt like it was missing from After You. That spark was Will. That spark was Will and Lou. That lightening in a bottle type of magic just wasn't here for me. The magic of Me Before You was the relationship between Will and Lou, and that was all the more evident in reading this follow up. The most touching moments, the moments that made the most impact, were the moments involving Will and Lou and their love. Nothing else in this novel came close to that emotional impact for me, particularly not the new romance. While I rooted for Lou's happiness, I never became invested in the new man in her life. I found him underdeveloped and almost an afterthought to her story.

This may sound like a mostly sad read, but there are moments of humour that stand out as bright spots in the novel. There are some side plots that allow for some delightfully funny moments that offset the sadness that encompasses everything else. There are plenty of cameos of people from Me Before You, particularly a fantastic scene involving Patrick, that showcase Jojo Moyes comedic skills to their fullest.

After You, as a stand alone novel, is every bit as wonderful as you would expect it to be. However, for me at least, I am not sure it works as a follow up to Me Before You. It's a bittersweet novel filled with grief, moving on, and opening yourself up again and one that is filled with the trademark heart, humour and nuance you would expect from Jojo Moyes.

Waiting On Wednesday... The Unexpected Everything

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing - if everything's planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that?

I love Morgan's books so much. Her covers bring to mind summer, and sunshine and I happen to love this one in particular. Who doesn't love ice cream and puppies?!

This synopsis also sounds incredibly fun and I am sure I am going to love Andie when I 'meet' her. It's too bad that the wait between now and May feels like forever.

Expected release date - May 16, 2016