Tiger's Destiny

Review Time! Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck is the 4th book in her bestselling Tiger Saga, this is one of those series that completely took me by surprise - I never expected to fall in love with this series but I did. It's getting a little hard to review these books without giving away the story but it's all worth it! You can purchase a copy of Tiger's Destiny from Fishpond | The Nile | Booktopia | Bookworld Thank-you to Hachette for the review copy!

(Goodreads) With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestsellingTiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers' true destinies once and for all.

The Short Story? - This is definitely not my favourite book of the series but the ending left me in a complete mess. Absolutely heartbreaking yet beautiful and bittersweet at the same time, Houck has given reader's the ending we all hoped for but somehow with it all laid out, it wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be. Filled with heartbreak, love, pain and sacrifice, Houck's Tiger's Saga is one of the great fantasy love stories I've ever read. This series is a must read.

The Long Story? - While this is probably my least favourite book of the series, it's the one that has affected me the most. I think because it's affected me, I don't like it as much as the other ones. The story got a lot more intense and that ending left me in tears. One of the reasons I love this series it because of the romance, it's brilliant. It's got a love triangle and it's somewhat predictable but it's SUCH a brilliant triangle. Two brothers, one girl and an epic adventure through the exotic land of India. The ending of Tiger's Destiny sort of saw the end of the love triangle and it was heartbreaking to say the least. I expected it but not like this, the sacrifice was a complete mind bender and I was BAWLING my eyes out. This is how love triangles are meant to be written. The book started a little slowly and it wasn't until 150 pages into the book that I was really hooked but it was all worth it in the end. I don't know what's the next book in the series is going to be about because it seems to me Houck has tied everything up nicely, however I'm not going to complain if there is another book!

Tiger's Destiny saw the most character development in the whole series, Kishan, Ren and Kelsey all grew so much and it was beautiful to see them grow and flourish throughout the series. Kelsey is finally putting her own needs before others and learning what it means to be happy which was an important lesson for her. She's so selfless and sweet, she truly deserves true love. Kishan has grown so much from the sulky tiger we met in book one, he's learnt so much about love, companionship, brotherhood and sacrifice - it's such an amazing change to see in a character. Ren, apart from being just perfect has learnt to cherish the things closest to his heart and to hold onto them. All three protagonists have learnt such important lessons and have gone through such amazing transformation. A huge step for the characterisation, absolutely brilliant.

If you haven't read the Tiger Saga, I highly recommend you do. This is the perfect example of one of those Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover instances. The covers are quite meh but what's between the covers are decent stories with the right mixture of culture, adventure, romance and emotional development. One of my favourites, Houck's Tiger Saga is YA fantasy at it's best! A must-read!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx

Pandemonium

Review Time! Pandemonium is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Lauren Oliver's bestselling YA dystopian, Delirium! If you haven't read Delirium, you should because it's plain awesome! Lauren recently visited Australia and it's such a shame I couldn't make her book signing but I'm sure I'll get to meet her one day! :) Thanks to Hachette Australia for the review copy!

(Goodreads) I’m pushing aside 
the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 

pushing aside thoughts of Hana 
and my old school, 

push, 

push, 

push, 

like Raven taught me to do. 
The old life is dead. 

But the old Lena is dead too. 
I buried her. 

I left her beyond a fence, 
behind a wall of smoke and flame. 



The Short Story? - Oliver never fails to impress! After reading raving reviews for months I can now safely say that yes, they weren't exaggerating - Pandemonium was mind-shatteringly amazing! An edgy and exciting plot, a romance tagline that keeps getting better and Lena! I'm so proud of this girl, she's toughened up and she's so so brave! If you love your novels everything dystopian and if you're a lover of great romance tag lines - this one is for you!

The Long Story? - I like Pandemonium much better than Delirium, although Delirium was fantastic as well! The plot was more productive and interesting. In this book Lena and her new wilderness friends join the resistance to fight the corrupt government. Lena is under the impression that Alex died the night that they tried to escape ( he doesn't - I thought you'll appreciate this spoiler). However Alex doesn't make an appearance in Pandemonium! The whole novel is a little bit of a dangerous survival adventure. I don't want to spoil it too much for you guys but - there is a new guy on the block. The story is very much evolved around him and it seems like Lena might have fallen for this guy. This deliciously delirious plot combined with Oliver's fantastic prose has got my craving for Book #3. Oliver sure knows how to end with a bang, after that killer cliff hanger - I feel 2013 can't come fast enough!

I feel as if Lena is a completely different girl and in a way she is. In the novel Lena says " the old Lena is dead, I buried her, I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame" and even word of that quote rings true. This new Lena is a badass. She's calm, she's brave and more than anything she wants to fight with the resistance, the illusion of deliria being a disease has been shattered and Lena believes everyone should be able to love and she's willing to fight for that. I admire her bravery, even in the worst of situation, she keeps level headed and she fights. I'm so proud of this Lena! I won't say much about the new guy but I have a soft spot for him. He clearly cares about Lena and while he isn't Alex, he's somebody that could make Lena very happy! Overall good characterisation ( as expected)!

If you love dystopian and a solid love story, Pandemonium might just be your next read. Of course, you will have to read Delirium first but both novels are an absolute delight to read. Fantastic plot, extraordinary romance tagline and a heroine that might just be a badass in disguise. Brilliantly written, if you haven't read Lauren Oliver, nows the time to start!

Rating - Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Review Time! Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor was one of the most talked about books in the YA blogosphere. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get around to reading the novel until the last few weeks of 2011 but nevertheless, it’s been read! Thanks to Hachette for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. 

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

The Short Story? – Breathtakingly amazing. It’s hard to explain but the quality of the writing in this novel is just phenomenal. Taylor isn’t just an author, she’s an artist. Her words paint the most vivid of pictures and the story just flows. Beautiful prose to match a wonderfully shaped plot filled with adventure, history and romance. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an extraordinary tale that will linger long after the last word.

The Long Story? – More than anything, Taylor’s writing is just pure bliss. I’ve never read any book like Daughter of Smoke and Bone and lots of authors are great story-tellers. Their words flow and it’s comfortable to read and it’s enjoyable but none write like Taylor. She’s an artist, throughout the book, my mind is just eclipsed by these vivid scenes and it’s almost like a movie – but better. It’s a very complex and beautifully shaped plot, there is history and obviously some thought have been put into the detail of the setting. I liked the plot but I thought it was overshadowed by the spectacular writing. The first half of the book was unputdownable. The plot was amazing, I loved the exotic setting and the wonderful characterization, everything was going well and then you get to the second half it’s a massive collection of flashbacks and that was a little bit of a disappointment. The flashbacks were critical in understanding the novel but I just thought it should have been written more in the present than the past. Nevertheless, it was certainly a pleasant surprise and the hype was well-deserved.

Along the amazing writing, the characterization was also very well done. I liked how the characters were developed as they came along. I don’t like it when authors develop their characters throughout the novel. You have a character, you develop it on the spot – you don’t introduce then and then 100 pages later say ‘and she has blonde hair and a quick-temper’.  I liked Karou from the very first word, I felt that I could connect with her and that her personality was likable. She’s strong and she can take care of herself and that’s what a heroine is. Akiva our lovely angel/love attraction is the strong and silent type and he gives off the impression that he is very ‘men’. He’s very good-looking, he seems intelligent and obviously capable of emotions. I curious to find how Karou and Akiva’s romance develops in the sequel.

In the end I don’t think anyone should e disheartened by my ‘little bit’ of a disappointment in the plot to not read the book because it’s definitely one of the most memorable of 2011 YA releases. Also, the writing is just to die for so if not for anything else you have to experience the wonderful words of Laini Taylor. Also wonderful characterization and a very unique setting. An exotic creation of a parallel universe and a romance that’s worthy of a second read! I look forward to the sequel!

What’s its Worth? – Hand Over the Paycheck/ Break out the Piggy Bank

Badass Bookie xx