Geek Girl Head Over Heels - Holly Smale

Synopsis:

My name is Harriet Manners, and I will always be a geek.”

The fifth book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series.

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

She knows duck-billed platypuses don’t have stomachs.
She knows that fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies.
She knows only one flag in the world features a building.

And for once, Harriet knows exactly how her life should go. She’s got it ALL planned out. So when love is in the air, Harriet is determined to Make Things Happen!
If only everyone else would stick to the script…

Has GEEK GIRL overstepped the mark, and is following the rules going to break hearts all over again?


Review:

How am I going to manage to get through writing this review without completely losing control of my emotions whilst trying to make sense? I don't even know but ill sort something out.

Where do I begin? well were back here again Geek Girl number 5, Head Over Heels. I got this copy before the release date after being chosen as part of a group of ten people who would review the book, this was thanks to Maximum Pop Books.

The day it arrived I managed to devour 11 chapters within maybe an hour? I'm not sure but then between there and the day I finished it, I actually met Holly at a Feminism in YA panel in Birmingham and had my copy signed and a photo taken of us together (which can be seen on the blogs twitter) She was actually really amazing and I internally freaked out.
But back to the review, I devoured the rest of the book in 5 hours which felt like a very short time in the moment.

So we meet Harriet again, and from the last book she's continuing to mature and now has a small group of friends called JINTH containing Jasper, India, Nat, Toby and Harriet of course. The five of them are the best of friends, and Harriet doesn't want anything to disrupt this, but obviously, something does. She gets a phone call out of the blue from Wilbur who has now started his own modelling agency and wants her to be the face of his company. Harriet is apprehensive, but when she realises just how much Wilbur needs her, she'll do anything, including roping baby Tabitha into modelling too.

Not only does team JINTH play a role throughout this book but also Rin, the lovely, adorable character from Model Misfit who became a friend of Harriet when they met in Tokyo. Although through the past books most of the 'drama' and most of the storyline were carried out in countries, notably Japan, Russia, Marrakesh and America, I was quite surprised that without spoiling in although Harriet does go to India, the majority of the book and the 'drama' was based in the lovely England. Pleasant surprise I say.

I don't want to spoil the book so I think this review is going to be less than normal, but Harriet takes on modelling once again and comes face to face with the truth of friendships. I truly adore this series, even more so now that before which I'm surprised is still possible, unfortunately the next book, number 6 is going to be the last which is incredibly heart breaking but number 5 left me out of control, silently crying as I flopped around squealing like a pig because it was a book I truly enjoyed and the ending was unexpected but very much welcomed and loved and I've now lost composure.

The book is a 5/5 and a must read if you've read any of the other books, you cant stop reading the series before you read this one, I swear. Holly you've done it again my dear, completely blew me away and done it so perfectly, Author Goal was definitely achieved.

Prompt #15

She pulls the knife from her chest, thin red blood pouring our from the wound, I expect to look to her face and find fear, but no. She's smiling.

"Oh darling was that supposed to hurt?" she taunts throwing the knife down to the kitchen floor.

"What the?" I question, my words caught in my throat, the fear I had expected in her now burning my chest.

"Cant kill whats already dead." she smiles covering the metre that I had gained between us in a second flat, the force of her body knocking me to the floor.

She pins me down, a laugh of pure evil filling her mouth, her wound pours blood onto my blue top, with her movements it spreads elsewhere but I cant move, her left hand grips tightly to my throat and I'm barely breathing, my senses dull and then fades into black.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Bookworm Delights

A list of 10 things only bookworms can experience and enjoy.

1. The Smell Of Books, its an indescribable smell but each book smells somehow glorious
2.  Uncomfortable reading positions, pain and discomfort but somehow its all worth it and somewhat loveable.
3. Cover Love, you know? that indescribable love for a cover to a book you've read or have just discovered.
4. That undeniable pull you feel when you walk past a book store, they just seem to draw you in.
5. Parts of the books films don't cover, they're like a little secret you get to know.
6. Preferring books to actual people, you tend to crush on fictional people too, but that is a whole new level.
7. Ending a book or a series and having to say goodbye to a world you've been inhabiting for the past however long and have a mini melt down, but somehow its glorious somewhere along the line right?
8. Buying like 3 more books even though you're pretty sure you have 12 unread books on your packed shelves.
9. Publishers re releasing a book you already have but with a new cover and you cant afford to buy it and survive but you cant survive without it.
10. A movie which perfectly mirrors the book instead of butchering the poor thing.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

Gravedigger - Michael Israel Jarvis

Synopsis:

Dead or alive. Good or evil. Hero or fugitive.

Valo needs a specific solution to a grave problem. The human Claimfold and prigon Torzsi draw apart. War is promised in the West. Worst of all, the magi of Nagyevo are meddling with the dead.

Perin is an apprentice Gravedigger: uneducated, unwanted, unsure. He may be the answer Valo needs, if he doesn't get killed before he works out what's going on. But of course there's the chance that fate hasn't called him after all. The gods are nameless and silent and the best laid plans have a way of going badly wrong.
​
Enter the spade and sorcery world of Valo.

Gravedigger subverts the expectations of that oldest of foes in fantasy, the dead that walk, in a fast-paced adventure through a world of culture, intrigue, magic and blood.

Review:

Dane Cobain had contacted me in early March asking if I would like to read any of the four books he had told me about, I said I could read all four and review each of them, Gravedigger was one of those four.

I have to admit that with a name of Gravedigger, I wasn't sure what to expect, I have to admit that it wasn't something I had expected, and it was truly enjoyable. We take the view of Perin, an apprentice gravedigger who has no friends and what you can see as no future. And then a giant bull-man Kesairl the Prigon, and his dead friend Medrivar the undead king come seeking the services of Perin’s master, and shatter the narrow minded ways of the Graveyard. When unfortunate events occur within and after a year, Perin has no choice but to leave the graveyard behind and follow Kesairl across the land alongside Medrivar, but not in the form you think.

The story is well paced, I loved that all of the characters were individual in mind set and skills it just helped that they weren't clones of each other. I was surprised at the level of gore but it wasn't offensive, in fact it helped the book become greater.

"The book Gravedigger, is about living and dead people and then the living dead people. It has corrupt mages, secret societies and ale-drinking anarchists.
It’s also about brotherhood and resilience in the face of adversity. It questions the existence of fate and the motivations of the gods."

I couldn't sum it up any better, a nail biting, edge of the seat, intense, gory, fantasy with no dragons or pixies, a great amount of progression and amazingly written characters and story line. The ending truly blew my mind, I wasn't expecting it to happen how it happened but it unfolded perfectly and was a overall, I wasn't able to stop turning pages.

I can say that Jarvis has a talent when it comes to writing Fantasy and the immersion is effective due to his eye for detail.

The only thing I've got to say is that for me it felt like a very big lengthy read but it's faultless besides that. I love the artwork, it's an exact replica of the way I see both of the characters pictured. As for the recommendations having now read this book? Well any fantasy lover, anyone who wants to dip their toes into a twist of fantasy or the fantasy genre in general.

Overall a 5/5 from me, I definitely will me looking out for more of Michaels work.

The Mysterious Call

My eyes shoot open, the obnoxious ringing of my cell on my night stand awoke me and was already becoming annoying. I squint at the clock.
"Who would want to call me at midnight?" grumble reaching towards my table and slapping around several times before finally reaching the cell phone.

"Unknown Number, Great." I huff and answer the call, I place the phone to my ear and the caller stars immediately.

"There is a car waiting for you outside your house. Get inside, you don't want to ignore this." The voice deep and groggy. The call ends and as soon as it does my spouse beside me rolls over.

"Everything okay?" she asks, her eyes squinting to find me in the darkness.

"Yes, just sudden urge for the bathroom." I smile at her even though she probably cant see me.

The bathroom was at the end of our bed, I could easily grab clothes on my way there and wait until she's asleep to sneak out. The tone the man had spoke in had told me he was serious, something bad was going to happen if I didn't go, so I had one choice and it would save everyone trouble.

Clara rolls back over and I lean and kiss her cheek as she does so, her sleepy giggle then quickly turned into deep breathing, she had gone back to sleep just like that. I slowly climb out of the warmth of my bed, taking my phone with me I put on the jeans that lay at the bottom of my bed, close to falling to the floor. I shuffle them on one leg at a time and push my phone into my shoes by the bathroom door.

I brush my teeth in the dark and grab a random t shirt out of the open dresser as I pass by and our of the bedroom. I quickly steal another glance at Clara as she slept before slowly descending the stairs. I pull my jacket off the hook and open the door. The cold midnight wind was blowing and so I pull on the jacket on the door step and slowly and quietly close the door.

"I love you." I say, not like Clara could hear me but it was worth a shot.
True to his word, there was a small blacked out car at the end of my driveway and the driver got out as he saw me approach, looking left a right to see if anyone was around or looking.

"Its for the best." he grumbles when I get close enough to hear and he opens the back door and I climb in. He returns to his seat and pulls away from my house. I watch it disappear and I stay silent. The car cruises away and in my silence the driver finds his inquisitive side but doesn't ask any questions either. The truth is I didn't want to know what was about to happen, I just hoped it would be over quick.

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books That Will Make You Laugh (or at least chuckle)

Sorry, this weeks post wont contain any cover photos for the books as I had to quickly put this post together thinking of books I've heard about or have read a little of and found funny.

• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling
• Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding
• Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
• I Feel Bad About My Neck, by Nora Ephron
• The Broke Diaries, by Angela Nissel
• Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
• How to Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran
• Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
• Side Effects, by Woody Allen

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

The Gemini Effect - Chuck Grossart

Synopsis:

A single raindrop opens a Pandora’s box when the spawn of perverse genetic research performed during World War II is unleashed on an unsuspecting modern world. By dawn, only a dead city remains, eerily quiet and still, except for mutant beasts that hide from the light, multiply, and await the shadows of night to continue their relentless advance.

Ordered to investigate the unfolding crisis, bio warfare specialist Carolyn Ridenour barely escapes the creatures’ nocturnal onslaught, saved in the nick of time by Colonel Garrett Hoffman, who lost hundreds of his troops to a swarm that neither bombs nor bullets can stop.
As Carolyn and Garrett race to stop the plague, a battered and broken government prepares to release the fury of America’s nuclear arsenal on its own soil and its own citizens.


Review:

I have to admit that I was sceptical, I thought it was going to be the typical infection outbreak story.    I WAS WRONG.

The story follows several people/ groups across America. I loved each character as they played their parts so well. The synopsis got me hooked after I was convinced of it being the typical story. As a debut novel, Chuck knocked the ball right out of the park.

The mix of science, war, military, politics and gore, I fell in love. I found the novel truly gripping and jam packed with action and near misses. I adored the beginning of the novel, and how the biochemical weapon was introduced to the story. You get the full back story to that day where everything then goes down hill after it was accidently left in a junk yard, mistakenly not incinerated like it was supposed to have been. It was a very interesting part of the book, it had be hooked even though I could sense it wasn't going to be a good thing that it was mistakenly left there. The epilogue was okay for me, I would preferred to it to have happened some other way, I guess I just wasn't expecting it to happen that way after the whole of the book.

Some people disliked the book, some liked it a little but I liked it a lot and I can find a reason to have disliked it no matter how hard I think about it. I liked the character development and the sudden surprises in the plot. It kept me gripped and had me asking what next? Which was great. I found myself rooting for some characters, despising others once their characters were in the spotlight, and terrified of the horde that was sweeping the nation. 

I loved how the scientists within the story were smart and stayed away from the notion of  "Let me poke it in the name of science." because in this book that would be very much an insane thing to do. I loved how Carolyn was very informed about Gemini and could inform everyone else on it and come up with ideas worth trying. Thankfully the military personnel were not the average meat heads that some people would expect them to be. They were very aware of their situation and were portrayed with the emotions and intelligence, it was a relief for them to be portrayed this way instead of being the usual transparent robots they are portrayed as in other books.

I was glad it was the same old story, being unique helped my interest peak. I give it a 4/5. I hope there end up being a second book just because I think it would be nice to see how it would all have continued if there were more pages.

I got this book for free on my Amazon Kindle 7 day free trial