Gyre (The Atlas Link #1) by Jessica Gunn

This is the first book in a fantasy series aimed at young adults.

Archaeology is one of Chelsea's passions in life; the other music. One night after leaving a gig she is mugged, and when a stranger comes to her aid, Chelsea's life takes a dramatic turn for the crazier. She discovers she can teleport and lands up on SeaSat5, a military ship working on a classified quest about Atlantis and mysterious artifacts connected with it. On board she meets the stranger (Trevor) who saved her, and so begins an adventure of war between Lemuria and Atlantis, betrayals, new friendships, discovery of powers, and of course, love.

The story is well written, a little slow to get going but with an action-packed finish. I enjoyed the dual POV between chapters as it gave you a good insight into different characters' motivations. The violence and romance scenes have been written with a young adult in mind and are age appropriate. The ship itself was a fantastic piece of technology with an amazing description. I liked the idea of the warring factions as you never really hear of any other underwater worlds in fiction other than Atlantis. It was also good to see a character like Trevor, who was thrown into the middle of the war, take a stand against the beliefs his parents wanted to enforce. Chelsea was a good strong character and I can't wait to hear more of Valerie's story.

I got a little annoyed at the continual references to the Lemurians and Atlantians being at war; it was just repeated far too often and the reader doesn't need to be constantly reminded. I felt that Trevor needed to grow a bit more of a backbone so I'm hoping in later books he finds himself. Not too many editing mistakes but one that really did irritate me was the continuous use of "could of" instead of "could have", and finding silly things like "road up her arm" instead of "rode up her arm".

All in all a fun story, written in an easy to read and comfortable style. I'm looking forward to seeing in which direction the story goes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the chance to review the book.  

Chickpea Flour does it all by Lindsey L. Love

This recipe book has gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian recipes for many different occasions.

The book is divided into the months of the year to showcase seasonal ingredients. The diversity of the recipes is amazing : from chickpea waffle avocado toast, to almond butter brownies to ratatouille tartlets. The author introduces the book and explains how her journey led her to using chickpea flour, and also includes different ways it can be utilised. I personally didn't realise that a flour could be so versatile. The most beautiful colour photos accompany the recipes and the layout of each recipe is easy to read and follow. A list of recipes in the beginning of the book as well as an index at the end allows you to find your recipe or ingredient choice with ease.

An absolutely indispensable book and highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

The Twisted Souls Series by Cege Smith

This is a unified collection of 4 books in the fantasy/dystopian genre and is suitable for mature young adults and up.

The world of Before must not be spoken of. All info pertaining to the events that led to the world After is kept by the Office of Souls on a strictly confidential basis. In the Territory of Malm children are born soulless, only receiving souls if won in a lottery or sometimes never at all. These soulless are disfigured and speechless; useless to society. Malcolm and Eve are ecstatic to have won a soul placement in the lottery and duly study the rituals and rights necessary in order for baby Cameron to receive her new soul from the Head Master at the fountain. What they didn't bargain for was a plot hatched by the evil Chim set to culminate on the important soul day which will have devastating consequences for not just those involved, but all others in the Territory.

The first book grabbed my attention immediately, with the idea of a civilisation changed so much from the Before, that not even procreation, unless authorised, was allowed. What could have been so shocking in the Before that in essence reset the world? Things move on at a good pace and the gist of good and evil as the main idea comes through. But then again both terms are very subjective. The second book starts lagging a bit with some YA romance thrown in that creates a bit of a diversion to the main story. Book 3 really slowed down and it felt like some pages were just there to take up space. Book 4 then comes and beautifully rounds off the series with twists and turns, action, heartache, camaraderie, love, loyalty and sacrifice, and it seems worth all the reading. Well almost worth it. I understand that these are 4 books put together and the reader has to be caught up on previous events, but if sold in one tome like this perhaps some editing could take place where one book leads directly into the next story and a whole horde of info is not repeated?

I did enjoy the story though. A good play on power corrupting morals and authority becoming unquestionable. I liked the different viewpoints in different chapters-it gave the reader a bigger perspective. A good climactic finale explains most of the questions a reader will have throughout the series. Well written with an easy to read pace and good use of editing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

In the Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You: The Complete Black Room story by Luke Smitherd

Originally released as a 4-part series, this is the complete story of the Dark Room.

Charlie wakes up naked in a dark room after having been on a bender. A screen showing a film flickers in front of him. As he tries to wrap his head around what happened, things become even more surreal. It seems that Charlie has woken up in someone's mind! Questioning his sanity, Charlie has to prove to himself that he is definitely real and still alive, and convince the girl whose head he is in that she is not crazy. How will he get back to his body or is this all just a crazy bender side-effect?

This story really messes with your mind - literally. The more you try to envisage the mind swap, the more crazy your own thoughts get. I liked the development of Charlie and Minnie's characters from the nowhere places they were, to the people they become. Having all four books together made it much easier to read; I think if I'd had to stop and start there would have been even more confusion than I was experiencing at the time. A very interesting idea which takes some concentration to maintain as you watch the mad journey. The author has a wonderful writing style, rich in descriptions and easy to read. A completely crazy but well written story, with an ending that leaves you thinking.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.  

Trust No-one by Clare Donoghue

This is a psychological thriller featuring characters from previous Donoghue books.

Richard and his ex-wife divorced amicably. Their two children seem to be coping flitting between the two households, well, as well as can be expected. The children stay over for dinner one night, and the next morning Richard's body is found in his bed; his death seemingly peaceful. DS Jane Bennett and DI Mike Lockyer are called in to see whether or not suspicious circumstances are attached to the death. As they delve deeper into family and friends, hidden secrets are uncovered and illusions of normality shattered.

I really enjoyed this book. Definite twists and turns all the way through as you guess the killer's identity, only to change your mind. The weaving in of chapters every now and then from the killer's perspective creates an interesting angle. The characters are well thought out; and not too many to complicate the story either. The author managed to portray many quirks of their personalities which are so true to real life. A great flowing writing style which is comfortable to read and a pace suited to the content of the story. A great psychological thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

This is a fantasy novel and the last written by an extremely popular author before his passing.

Tiffany Aching has always felt the pull of the Chalk but never as strongly as this. Thrust into a situation she feels she is not ready for, she needs to learn to ask others for help. So with the aid of Geoffrey, who wants to be a witch, and his goat, as well as a hodge podge of local witches (even those who thought they had given up on witching), she and her army must fight against the elves who want to cause mayhem in her land. Tiffany has some big boots to fill - is she ready for the challenge again?

As I was reading the book very different voices came through-it was as though the book was a collaboration and didn't quite gel. Having read the afterword where the author's process is described, and realising that the book was never tweaked and edited to his satisfaction before his death, now makes sense. Many old faces make themselves known again and I enjoyed the underlying theme of humanity and friendship as well as being true to yourself. With some of the more adult themes that crop up in this book, I still find it strange to be categorised as a children's book, and unfortunately the kindle edition I received had terrible formatting errors with words and sentences broken up in strange places.

While I didn't love the novel as it didn't feel like a full Pratchett, I say thank you to him for leaving such a genius and witty legacy of stories rich in colourful characters and classic storylines for all to enjoy. A book for the fans to tip their hats to.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

Divergent Chill: Battle of Nesma by Brian Fontenot

This is a fantasy novel that I would recommend for mature young adults and up.

The poisonous plants are the least of Alden's problems as he enters the sacred forest to capture the Rageborne  Shank, who has committed murder most foul. What worries Alden is the possibility of encountering a Divergent. Always female and rumoured to be god-born, they look like small children yet have exceptional speed and strength and will think nothing  of tearing a human apart and eating them. Alden enters the forest with a tracker, a priest, an assassin and a knight, and to his horror finds a Divergent ensnared in the trap meant for Shank. Faced with the decision of freeing her or leaving her there to die, Alden enters into a conversation with her and instinct tells him that she is not as feral as most Divergents are reported to be. She might even be one of the chosen ones called by the god Sitar to work in the Empire. Listening to an inner sense Alden frees her and takes her back to the Empire. Unfortunately since nothing is meant to be removed from the sacred forest by man, he is imprisoned and placed on death row. In order to save him, the Divergent is forced to take command of an army in order to conquer and annexe a nearby mining town. This leads to an epic battle and a test of loyalty and bonds.

This is simply an amazing book. The characters are well fleshed out and their personalities and emotions believable. As a reader you experience all their ups and downs with them and physically feel the ache of betrayal. Being the first book in the series it has a complex storyline of its own and is not merely a set up for the next book. From the first meeting of the Divergent to the climactic battle and ultimate betrayal, the book kept me enthralled.

A few editing mistakes don't detract from the story, and the violence, while quite graphic, is not gratuitous and is explained for its place in the story. A highly recommended book and I'll definitely be reaching for the next one in the series.