Becky's Book Reviews

In today’s post, I’m featuring both a review and spotlight post. As part of the Arcana Rising celebration, I’ve recently been giving the opportunity to review Poison Princess, the first book in a Arcana chronicles by Kresley Cole. I’m sure most of you have heard or read the books, but just in case you haven’t, Poison Princess is about a girl who has debilitating visions of an apocalyptic future and explores what happens when those visions come true. Today, Arcana Rising, the fourth book in the series is out in the wild. I don’t want to give too much information about the book as I’ve just finished the first one, but have included a brief synopsis for you below (following my review of Poison Princess). Source: Review copy from the publishers. You can purchase a copy of the book from Raru.co.za   Summary: Goodreads Publication date: August 19th 2014 Publishers: Simon & Schuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, post-apocalyptic ...

In celebration of the re-release of her book, Of Light and Darkness, I’d like to welcome author Shayne Leighton to my blog today.  Described as a cross between Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus (which I loved) and Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, Of Light and Darkness is a New Adult paranormal fantasy which chronicles this story of Charlotte, a girl raised by a Vampire in a society where all manner of magical creatures reside. In today’s guest post, Shayne introduces us to the various magical beings that can be found in her book series; from vampires to elves, fairies to shape shifters, each supernatural individual has a role to play.  Before I hand over to Shayne, here’s some more info about the book, which is out now: Of Light and Darkness Raised by a Vampire in a secret society of Witches, Shifters, and Elves, Charlotte finds that she is the freak in her world of magic and wonder. When she stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of survival in th...

Update: Recently reread this book because I'm finally reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer in preparation for The Retribution of Mara Dyer. My opinion of the book is relatively unchanged and I'm really enjoying the second book in the trilogy so far. Disclaimer: An edited and slightly shortened version of this review appeared on Women24.com , a South African women's lifestyle website where I manage, amongst other things, an online books section. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer What would you do when the line between reality and insanity begins to blur? You can purchase a copy of the book via Raru.co.za The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Simon Pulse) Michelle Hodkin’s The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of the most intense and creepiest books that I’ve read in a long, long time. It’s a compelling and engaging story made all the more chilling by the fact the book, in some parts, are inspired by real events. Having said that, you should probably know that The Unbecoming ...

A genre-defying novel that combines elements of science fiction and gas lamp fantasy to create a world filled with auras, dreamscapes, humans with supernatural abilities and a whole realm of otherworldly creatures.  Disclaimer: This review also appears on Women24.com , a South African women's lifestyle website where I manage, amongst other things, an online books section. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon  (Bloomsbury) I’ve been reading and reviewing books for a good number of years now. In this time, I’ve come across books that have had me a) shaking my fists (for wasting my time), b) being stricken with grief (at the sheer beauty and tragedy of it all) and c), marvelling in wonder (while losing myself in a world filled with sheer phantasmagorical splendour). I’ve found the words to express how deeply I loved the book, and I’ve been able to give constructive views on why certain books just didn’t work for me. What I’ve never found, until now, is a book that is so good, it...