Rating: 3.5 STARS Genre: Paranormal/LGBT/Romance Series/Standalone: Soulbound #1 How I got this book: Bought When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no. Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares. Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belonging to the Dominion Sect. Standing his ground alone has never been a winning option in Patrick’s experience, but it’s been years since he’s had a partner he could trust. Looking for allies in all the wrong places, Patrick discovers the Dominion Sect’s next target is the same werewolf the Fates themselves have thrown into his path. Patrick has been inexplicably attracted to the man from their first meeting, but desire has no place in war. That doesn’t stop Patrick from wanting what he shouldn’t have. Jonothon de Vere is gorgeous, dangerous, and nothing but trouble—to the case, to the fight against every hell, and ultimately, to Patrick’s heart and soul. In the end, all debts must be paid, and Patrick can only do what he does best—cheat death. Okay so lately, I'm starting to wonder if the problem is less with what I'm reading and more with me because I'm starting these books and enjoying them and then somewhere along the line, something stops connecting.
I mean, the premise of this book sounds amazing - it's why I chose to read it and I loved the main character. Patrick is gritty, his past is dark and painful and yet he's struggled to keep going, against really sh***y odds. I loved this book for quite a while, the characters are varied, unique and fun. There are vampires, werewolves, mages, witches, demons, Greek gods and so much danger and action that I couldn't get enough. Hell, here was my tweet about the book when I was around 30-50% of the way through it: Really enjoying my current read, I'd love to see a movie of this book, lots of action, demons, gods and other fun stuff! Jono was a slightly less interesting character with an interesting 'secret' but even though I did feel that their relationship was a little too forced and somewhat rushed, I enjoyed the development. So, what went wrong? The truth is, I don't really know and I know from the Goodreads reviews that I'm in the minority here with my lower than 4-star review. I guess at one point I started to notice the descriptive writing a little too much and it sort of rubbed me up the wrong way at how certain (completely insignificant things) were overly described. As mentioned above, I also felt that the relationship was a little forced but then that's sort of part of the plot so maybe it was intentional, either way, it just didn't work that well for me personally (I guess I'm more of a slow burn kinda gal than insta lust). I loved the action but felt that it was dampened a little in parts by too much description. Overall, I really liked the characters, enjoyed the action and all of the paranormal elements whilst the pace and relationship let it down for me. I probably won't continue with this particular series but never say never. What do you think? Have you read A Ferry of Bones & Gold, do you agree or disagree with my review? I'd love to know your opinion in the comments below! As you know, I'm doing my best to catch up on all of the things I've missed lately and so today, I'm catching up on The Unique Blogger Award!
I was nominated by the incredible and lovely Noly over at The Artsy Reader (seriously, go check out her stuff!) last September (has it really been that long??) and I really love these tags. They're just short, fun little ways for you us all to get to know each other a bit better. First up, the rules:
So, without further ado, here are Noly's questions and my answers: 1. If you could pick three book characters to have as close friends, who would they be and why? OMG, why is this so hard? Okay, so here goes, off the top of my head: - Amren from A Court of Thorns and Roses so that we can drink the blood of our victims together and adore all the shiny things. - Reichis from Spellslinger because who wouldn't want a cute and furry yet bloodthirsty squirrel cat as a close friend? - Sam of Wilds from The Lightning Struck heart because you'd always end up on the best adventures, laughing your head off and receiving the all-time best hugs ever!! 2. What makes a good book for you? Good question, difficult to answer because it depends, mainly on what mood I'm in. Sometimes the book I need is a delicious and hilarious slow-burn enemies to lovers romance where the plot focuses on their relationship. Other times, I fall in love with books that make me cry with laughter and are filled with oblivious wizard's apprentices, occasionally douchey knights, monologuing evil wizards, gay unicorns and disturbingly sexually active dragons. And then sometimes, I'll enjoy a book about two boys who meet by chance, become friends and fall in love over the course of single day and then both die in equally horrific ways while I cry my eyes out - NO, ADAM SILVERA, I AM STILL NOT OVER IT NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE WERE WARNED!! So, I guess, any book can be a good book for me if I fall in love with it. Here are some of my favourites to help demonstrate my answer: - Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec (romantic comedy/murder mystery) - Eragon by Christopher Paolini (epic fantasy with dragons) - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (epic female-led fantasy with magic) - Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (epic female-led fantasy with magic, murder, sex and shadow cats) - They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera (heart-breaking contemporary) - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (heist-style fantasy with magic) - The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune (sci-fi m/m romance ) - The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee (historical LGBT romance/fantasy - it has pirates!) - Children of Blood and Bone (epic female-led fantasy with incredible magic and battle scenes) - Clean by Juno Dawson (gritty YA contemporary) Okay, so writing that list sort of gave me an answer because each book title I wrote was inspired by a character (that I love) from said book popping into my head and so I guess, yeah, it's the characters who make a good book for me. It doesn't matter what the genre is or the setting or whether or not it has romance. If the character is compelling and amazing, that's usually what hooks me. Sorry for the massive answer! 3. What is the first book you remember to have read by yourself as a child? It was either The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe or Lyrico. I loved both as a child and found both in my grandparents attic but I don't remember which came first. I do know that they sparked my love of reading, particularly fantasy. I'm currently reading Lyrico to my daughter so I've gone full circle. My three questions for you:
Thanks for reading lovelies, I'll tag a bunch of accounts on Twitter but feel free to join in via the comments (you don't need to be a blogger to take part). Let me know your answers to my questions and what you think of my own (slightly lengthy) answers. Want to know the number one secret to writing the perfect book review?
There isn't one. That's it, blog post over! Just kidding... The truth is, a book review is an extremely personal, subjective thing, as is the process of actually reading a book. Think about it, how many times have you spoken to someone about a book you've both read and found that you've had differing opinions/feelings? Maybe you even both loved the book but your favourite character was someone different or there was a particular thing that you both had contrasting opinions about. Whilst you've both, in theory, read the same book, your own personality, experiences, mindset (and a whole load of other things) have shaped how you read and processed that book in a completely different way than the other person did, so in essence, you've both actually read a different book. That leads me to the trickiness of writing a book review, especially when it comes to 'negative' reviews because what's negative to you (or positive for that matter) might not be for someone else. Your thoughts and feelings towards a book and whether it was good or bad, what worked or what didn't is subjective to you and your preferences. Those same preferences might not apply to someone else and so the truth is, or at least this is the way that I see it, you can only be as honest as you can when writing a review. If you say that something didn't work for you, say why i.e. writing, 'I prefer a faster plot' is much more helpful to readers than 'the plot pacing was terrible' - the second phrasing leaves too many questions, why was it terrible? Was it too fast, too slow? etc. With the first phrasing, other fast-paced book lovers might choose to steer clear of this particular book but other readers who enjoy or prefer a slower-paced book might find their next favourite author. So, in summary, the secret to writing the perfect book review is to simply write how you feel, be honest but be descriptive. Simply writing that you don't like something, or that you do like something isn't much help because you're you and we're not, but maybe we share some reading interests/preferences and it'd be really helpful as readers to understand why you did/didn't like something. Oh, and just a personal preference from me, where possible, try to keep your reviews spoiler free. I HATE SPOILERS! For example, before watching any big movie (i.e. End Game) and TV Show (i.e. GOT) I avoid the internet and social media like the plague (as much as I can since I have to use it for work) and even with my efforts, some careless twit managed to ruin yesterday's episode for me, and it completely spoiled my mood. Surely the last thing you'd want to do is ruin a book for a reader? On My Endless Shelf, I try my hardest to keep reviews spoiler-free whilst still sharing my thoughts and feelings (and the occasional out-of-context snippets) and, in the case of sequels, I always put a warning at the start in case you haven't read the previous installment. Saying that, I'm only human and if you do spot a spoiler in any of my posts, feel free to let me know! What about you? What are your tips for writing the perfect book review and how do you feel about spoilers? I read 9 books in April and all but one of them was m/m romance - it wasn't an intentional choice, I guess I just subconsciously chose a reading 'theme' for this month. For those of you who haven't joined me for a monthly book roundup before, here's where I list all of the books I read over the last month and give much smaller 'micro' reviews. It's also probably one of the only times you'll read about any of my DNF's and books I rated less than 3 stars etc. Here goes (you can click on the title to see the full review if there is one or to visit GoodReads): Downtime by James Allen - This book was so interesting! I read it because of a recommendation by one of my favourite m/m romance authors, Anyta Sunday, who recommended it as a slow-burn romance. Whilst, I wouldn't actually agree that it's a slow burn, it was definitely an interesting read. This book had a bit of everything really, time travel, magic, murder mystery, ghosts and a truly sweet love story. The direction of the book and some of the elements took me by surprise but I really enjoyed it. Here are two of my favourite quotes: Words I live by - "I can put up with anyone who comes bearing cinnamon rolls." Words everyone should live by - “Any fellow who’s not on the side of love—” Derry’s voice went soft. “He’s to be pitied.” IRL by Lucy Lennox - This book was so much fun, making it quite different from the book above, which was more serious. This book had me giggling throughout and I did not put it down until I'd read the whole thing from start to finish. I loved how the relationship between the two characters started via a misunderstanding and it grew to be something amazingly funny and touching. The boardroom scene will forever be etched into my memory!! I don't usually buy into the whole billionaire romance thing but this was fab! How to Be a Normal Person by TJ Klune - I don't know how TJ Klune keeps pulling off these great books that are all so very different. This book gets bonus points for its fantastic asexuality rep. The characters are adorable, quirky and so likable it's hard to leave them once you've gotten to know them. A great start to the series! The Deal by Elle Kennedy - Looking at other reviews, I seem to be the minority with this one as I just didn't enjoy it at all. Maybe it was the lack of trigger warnings, the stalker-like/controlling behaviour of the main character or the fact that the plot just seemed to fizzle out at one point, but this was definitely not my kind of romance. Looking for Trouble by Riley Hart - This book on the other hand, I really did enjoy. The characters are complete opposites in lifestyle, personality and age but their excruciating, slow-burning connection was beautiful, especially in how it changed both men for the better. Deke by Eden Finley - Like the other books in the Fake Boyfriend series, Deke did not disappoint. "Sweet Neil Patrick Harris, I’m fucked." It was fun, surprising and sweet, all at once. Blindsided by Eden Finley - This book was a little different to the previous in the series as it didn't actually contain a fake boyfriend trope. However, it is another great coming out story this time featuring bi rep (whoop!!!) and two very clueless but very sweet and sexy characters. I'm now really itching to get my hands on Jet's book - he's quickly become my favourite character! Made for You by Anyta Sunday - This was easily my book of the month. Anyta Sunday is the queen of slow-burn and this book was so dreamy and sweet. I love each of the characters individually and their relationships with each other were perfect. I read this book in one sitting with a big grin on my face from start to finish. Family Camp by Eli Easton - This was a lovely book, dealing with some tricky themes i.e homophobia, anxiety and adoption. The two main characters were great and I loved their building romance but what really made this book special was the kids and the transformative relationships that were just super sweet and moving to read. Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments, especially if you have some recommendations for me!
Long time, no see.
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen a few posts from me over the past month or so saying how hectic my life has been lately and that completely coincides with the fact that I haven't posted here in over a month!! My family have had a pretty rocky start to the new year, suffering losses and illness and then to top it off my daughter really struggled with her mental health which resulted in her needing to be removed from school. So, in short, I'm running a small business, homeschooling my daughter and trying desperately to finish my book. Which, hopefully gives some indication as to why I've been MIA from blogging lately. As much as I love reading and writing, my daughter and my work have to come first. But, saying that, I have been reading when I can and since my last book review, I've read nine books - I just haven't gotten around to writing reviews for them, but I'm really hoping to try and get back into blogging a little more, especially since I recently earned my 80% badge on NetGalley (something I've been working towards for a year!) Which brings me to my next topic: My Endless Shelf Turned 1!!!!!
I know, right? You want to hear the best part?
I completely missed it! ? That's right, I completely missed my own bloggerversary! But, to make it up to you guys for sticking with me, even though I've been completely rubbish lately, I'm holding a giveaway to celebrate (more info below). Anyhow, I'm going to be posting a few mini reviews of some of the books I've been reading lately as well as what's on my TBR right now. As mentioned above, I am still working on my first book, a paranormal romance that I'm so, so excited to share with you. It's been my baby for so long now. I finished the first draft over a year ago and I'm currently working on story edits before going back to tidy up those pesky line edits. Eeek! I love these characters and I hope you will too! If you enjoy teasers, feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I sometimes share snippets on Wednesday's under the #1linewed hashtag. Giveaway Time!
Thanks for sticking with me! If you'd like the chance to win the book of your choice (under £10), enter below!
Giveaway is open worldwide as long as Book Depository ships to you. Giveaway closes at midnight on 31st May. Winner will be announced here and on social media within 48 hours. Giveaway t's and c's apply! No giveaway accounts!
A big thanks to everyone who enters!
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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