Book Review: Prophecy Girl by Faith McKay

Title: Prophecy Girl

Author: Faith McKay

Publisher/format:  Kindle Edition

How I got this:  Free copy in exchange for fair review from author

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.

Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?

While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?

Review:

I got a free copy of this book for review a little while back, and have literally just gotten around to reading it.  I’m kind of sad about that, because actually, this book is kind of awesome. 

It seems a bit typical at the start, Sam’s family have just moved to a new small town, making Sam the awkward new girl at school.  However, Sam’s got a few more problems than just that.  One is that her father is sick and her mother is abusive, and another is that she seems to have prophetic dreams, and that her little sister only has to wish for something and it becomes true. 

Of course, add into the mix that her mother has some sort of plan, and you’ve got yourself an intriguing storyline.  It was definitely different to other things I’ve been reading recently, and I very much enjoyed the book.  I liked the characters, even if sometimes they felt very familiar, and I liked the idea of the Valley as a place.

Having finished the book I do still have a lot of questions – the answers to which I hope will become clear when the rest of the series is released.  One is what exactly Sam’s power entails, another is what her mother is actually planning, and on top of all of that, what really are the Seasonals?

Basically, having read this, I’m still intrigued, and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Writing: 4/5

Originality: 3.5/5

Characters: 3/5

My Enjoyment: 4/5

In a similar vein…

Feature and Follow Friday!

Q: If you could choose one supernatural being/creature to really exists what would it be and why? ex. fae { submitted by @SeeingNight }

 If you read more or less any book involving supernatural beings, there's always a dangerous side to them!  With that in mind, it's probably better than none of them actually exist!  




That said, if I have to choose one, I'd probably go for wizards, because generally in whatever book you read, they tend to be human (and therefore marginally safer than other supernatural beings who are completely without humanity) and because a little bit of magic in the world would be awesome.




What about you guys?  What would you choose?

Battle of the ereader: Ipad vs. Kindle

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I know a lot of people who read on their iPads.  Admittedly, the iBooks interface is very good, and it does allow for various formats.  You can also install Adobe reader and the Kindle app to the iPad, making it a lot more versatile for different titles in comparison with my well-loved Kindle.  But despite all that, I personally still don’t often (if ever) use my iPad for reading on. 

I have to admit, when I first got my iPad, I had grand designs of using it for reading on, and finally retiring my somewhat battered Kindle.  But as I’ve stated above, the Kindle is still the weapon of choice for ebook reading. 

The reasons for that are simple.  One of them is that my iPad is a fair bit bigger in size than the Kindle, and that doesn’t make it as easy to hold.  I have a horrible habit of reading whilst doing everything else, so the fact that my Kindle Keyboard is easily held in one hand it brilliant for me.  I have to admit, if I had an iPad mini instead of the larger version that might not be such an issue, but on the model I have, it is.

The second is that I find the screen of the iPad starts to give me a headache when I’m reading on it for too long.  The Kindle screen is deigned not to get glare, and it really does make a difference.  It’s also the fact that my personal favourite ebook vendor is still Amazon’s Kindle store – and of course, I have mine set up to send directly to my Kindle, so again, it’s a convenience factor. 

As I’ve said,  there are positives, like the using books from different sellers, which can be more difficult on Kindle, and being able to easily read eARC copies that aren’t in the mobi format used by Kindle.  Plus the extra stuff you can do on an iPad is always useful!  I actually use mine more than my laptop when I’m off moving around or not going to be at home! 

Basically, whilst I had ambitions ofusing the iPad for everything, I think for me it turns out my ‘normal’ ereader is actually superior for the purpose of reading, but my iPad does make a handy back up!

What about you guys?  Do you read on your iPad, or do you prefer a designated ereader?  What about the Kindle Fire?  Does anyone have any experiences with those?  Let me know! 

Top Ten Tuesdays - Bookish Goals for 2013

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Top Ten Tuesdays is a regular feature hosted by the lovely people over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This week’s theme is Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013.

1.  Update my blog more!

I feel like I’ve been flagging where my blog’s concerned to the end of this year!  I think that’s due to a number of factors, including not quite having as much time to read and blog as I previously did, and struggling to think of original material. 

2.  Find more time for reading

Reading is what relaxes me.  I think it doesn’t, but it really does.  And I think I need more time to myself to just sit down quietly and read. 

3.  Get through my TBR pile!

My TBR pile is out of control.  I have so much stuff loaded onto my Kindle that’s gone unread thus far, and I really need to get through it all before I allow myself to buy anything else!

4.  Promote my blog more

I was getting so good at this, but my bout of blogging apathy seems to have undone all of my good work, so I really need to get back into it properly! 

5.  Try and read for enjoyment as well as to deadlines

I know this sounds mad, but I find that I’ve kind of lost sight of in recent months – probably adding to my reading apathy.  I’ve taken on a lot of books that maybe I wouldn’t have read if they hadn’t been on offer, or if I hadn’t been offered them for review, and I think I need to step back and just read what I want for a bit!

6.  Finish off some series!

One of my worst reading habits is starting a series, loving the first book or two then never finishing it!  This year, I really want to clear some off my list!

I think that actually kind of covers everything for me right now – what about you guys?  What are your reading goals this year? 

Book Review: Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility

Author: Katja Millay

Publisher/format: Atria Books, eARC

How I got this:  Netgalley

Synopsis (From Goodreads.com):

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Review:

The book hangover I am going to have from this book is going to be an impressive one!  When I was offered a copy of this book for review purposes via Netgalley, I wasn’t sure.  Then I literally thought “why not?” and downloaded it.  Let me just clarify that this was one of the best book decisions I’ve made in a good while. 

I honestly can’t explain the love I have for this book.  This book completely blew everything I thought it would be out of the water, and swept me away completely.  This is genuinely one of the first books in a very long time that I’ve literally sacrificed my social life to read. 

I’m not going to give spoilers in this review, because you need to read this book to truly understand it, and you need to read it NOW.  All I’m going to say is that Nastya and Josh have instantly become some of my favourite protagonists, and I think they’ll be staying with me for a while.  It’s one of those situations where you’d love a sequel because seeing the characters again would be awesome, but you’re kind of scared it would ruin the magic. 

I think it was helped by a brilliant supporting cast, who seemed real if for their imperfections and the way that Millay describes them. 

Honestly, I genuinely loved this story, and I really, really recommend it to pretty much anyone, because I think it’s one of those books that really sucks you in and makes you think.  Definitely worth it!

Overall rating: 5/5

Writing:  5/5

Originality: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

My Enjoyment: 5/5