Review: The Immortal Circus - A. R. Kahler

Imagine the world of The Night Circus, now update it to the present and instead of a fight between two wizards (or two young lovers) make it about an age-old battle between the fey courts of summer and winter. Add to that some murder, a dash of amnesia and a pinch of extremely binding contracts and you have got The Immortal Circus. In a word, it is awesome.

Vivienne joined the circus less than a month ago, and someone has been murdered. The worst part is that she appears to be the only suspect, and had absolutely no answer for it. It soon turns out that the entire circus is in jeopardy, under attack by the summer court, and now the secrets that Mab, the queen of the winter court, has been hiding will be let out.

The plot starts heavy, pulling you in from the first chapter with a gruesome murder juxtaposed by an unrequited love. So far, so good, and soon we realise that this murder was never supposed to happen; the circus really is immortal and the people in it are all magical. Well, everyone except Vivienne, it seems. However, Vivienne's amnesia also begins to gain your attention, and soon you begin to wonder if there is more to our protagonist than meets the eye as well, even if she doesn't know it yet.

As characters go, this book is really good at delivering. Vivienne is really easy to empathise with, even if her constant yearning for Kingston does grate from time to time. She is in the same boat as you, being dragged along by the current, and her reactions are precisely the kind of reactions any sane person might have. Well, nearly... I say this because I found that it was much too easy for her to accept that magical beings exist in the world, and her ability not to freak out is something most people decidedly lack. However, I think we'll get to know more about that side of her in the remaining two books, and to me, this wasn't as important as the plot was. Now Kingston, Mab and Lillith are the really interesting characters. They are so complex, and in-between the writings of the contracts forcing them not to say certain things, you can really see who they are, and who they have been striving to be, especially in the case of Kingston.

Sure enough when it all comes to a head there is an incredible crescendo. Vivienne's fragmented memories finally make sense, along with Mab's confusing actions and the riddle that is Lillith. A battle takes place that is unlike anything you were expecting, and all hell breaks loose.

If you want a quick but utterly enthralling read about a circus and the fantastical, this is the book for you. If you liked Wicked Lovely, this is also for you. Heck, if you like some action and a bit of romance with some paranormal stuck in, this is for you, too.

10 out of 10.

Book Cover Reveal: Carrier - Anne Tibbets

I am overjoyed to announce that this is my first participation in anything of this sort, and I am really interested in this book. So without further ado, here is the brand-spanking new cover. I can't wait to read the book!

Carrier by Anne Tibbets
Publication date: June 16th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult

Synopsis:

Twenty-two -year-old Naya has spent nearly half her life as a sex slave in a government institution called The Line. When she’s kicked out after getting pregnant with twins, she’s got no way to earn a living and a horrifying choice to make: find someone to replace her, or have her babies taken in her stead.

A doctor with a history of aiding ex-Line girls, Ric Bennett, wants to help. He runs a team of rebels that can delete Naya’s records and free her forever. But when The Line sniffs out his plan, things get bloody, fast. Naya means more to them than just a chance at fresh faces—her twins are part of the government’s larger plan.

As they hide from government search parties, Ric comes to admire Naya’s quiet strength. And Naya realizes Ric might be a man she can trust. If they make it off the grid, they could build a new life. But first they’ll have to survive the long, vicious reach of The Line.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20886571-carrier?ac=1

AUTHOR BIO

Anne Tibbets is an SCBWI award-winning and Smashwords.com Best Selling author. After writing for Children’s television, Anne found her way to young/new adult fiction by following what she loves: books, strong female characters, twisted family dynamics, magic, sword fights, quick moving plots, and ferocious and cuddly animals.

Along with CARRIER, Anne is also the author of the young adult fantasy novella, THE BEAST CALL and the young adult contemporary, SHUT UP.

Anne divides her time between writing, her family, and three furry creatures that she secretly believes are plotting her assassination.

Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor or on Twitter @WriteforCoffee. To contact Anne, visit www.annetibbets.com and click the ‘CONTACT’ tab.

Author Links:

http://www.annetibbets.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839392.Anne_Tibbets

https://www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor

https://twitter.com/WriteforCoffee

Wednesday Wishlist #1

So I am trying something new starting this week. In an attempt to make my blog a bit more consistent, from now on I'll be writing this little post. Every Wednesday (hopefully) I'm going to outline things that I've discovered recently (or ages ago, there's a lot of catching up to do) and tell you lot why I need them in my life.

This week's Wishlist is all the YA series that I feel I must read;

The One - Kiera Cass

Every time I glimpse the beautiful cover on my Amazon wishlist I always think about America and the competition to win Maxon's heart. This finale is going to be brilliant, and just look at that stunning dress on the cover.. wow.

Sever - Lauren DeStefano

Again, another beautiful cover and another compelling story. Maybe I need to re-read the first two though, because my mind is coming up blank as for the end of the second. What I do remember is that the first one was beautifully told and emotionally tangible, and the last will probably, hopefully, be no different.

Insurgent and Allegiant - Veronica Roth

With the film of Divergent out right now, I should be brushing up on Tris and Four's story by reading the next two. I'm feeling rather guilty that I haven't at least read Insurgent yet, as the ending of Divergent was so sad and so shocking that at the time I immediately wanted to read on. I'm looking forward to what Roth has in store for me.

Requiem - Lauren Oliver

My fellow YA readers must all be shocked and appalled at me by now, and I wouldn't blame you. I'm not as enthralled with the Delirium series as I am by the others, but nevertheless it's on the wishlist. Sometimes you just want to know how these messed up scenarios turn out in the end.

A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold - George R.R. Martin

As I slowly make my way through A Song of Ice and Fire, I am trying to contemplate how on earth someone can create a world so full of characters that they can kill off so many people and still have plenty left to cause trouble.

This fourth book is the bloodiest one yet (hence the title, I suppose), in which several main characters die. What's more, the deaths of these people and the reasons behind them are going to cause further issues down the line for the likes of Tyrion Lannister. The best part about it is that two of my most hated characters die in this book, and that has made me extremely satisfied.

As we read on, the plot thickens to a point where the complexity begins to have no rival in any book I have ever read. Honestly, the series is so complex that it feels entirely real, as if Westeros and the Summer Isles are only across the shore, albeit in a different time zone.

Without utterly ruining the plot for all you readers who haven't read the previous books, or have only watched the TV series, I want to make a few points about the characters. Good points I think:

Sansa's story is really beginning to take shape now, and I like who the girl is becoming. Hopefully she will no longer be a pawn played in someone else's game, and she won't need a knight to take care of her. Well, here's hoping. Tyrion is awesome. Sometimes he is also a bit scary, but on the most part I love him, and his story is really going to get interesting now (as if it wasn't already!). Jaime is, yet again, one of the best characters in terms of growth and in doing interesting things.

The only thing that bugs me is that I used to empathise with Arya, but now I don't feel that any more. Her story is just growing more chaotic and her character is getting more.. well.. mean.

Now for the TV series. It would usually go that each season would represent each book, but the front half of this book has all been melded into Season 3, leaving not too much else for Season 4. Saying that, there is one super-shocking death that has been held up for Season 4, and I can't wait to watch it (yes, it is a hated character).

All in all it gets yet another thumbs up from me. I'm going with a 9.5 out of 10.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers (Captain America to you and me) is still adjusting to his new life, having lost everything after being frozen in the ice... or so he thought. The past finally catches up with him in the second installment of this superhero's films. Some old faces come back to haunt him, some only memories, some aged and dying and some scientifically preserved. After Nick Fury is shot and killed, the Captain doesn't know who to trust, and he must battle with himself and with the people he thought were his friends to find out the truth.

Captain America's second outing alone lives up rather well to the first film. This time he's teamed up with shield agent Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow) to fight evil. The only issue is, they have no idea who it is that they're fighting. A dark secret is hidden away in SHIELD, and all of it links perfectly back into the Steve's past. This is the part that I love best; the flashbacks in time, the museum with all of the old outfits and all the memories captured inside. It really brings back the feel of the first film, which was definitely a sort of love letter to the 1940's.

The plot is fast-paced and really intriguing, with a nice scene between Rogers and a new face (known as Falcon later on, all you Marvel buffs) early on to ease you in, and then a shooting to leave you horrified. Steve and Natasha become fugitives, but despite this, they're determined to stop the threat to the earth that Nick Fury was trying to unearth before he died. Plenty of explosions, lots of fighting scenes and action sequences and a couple of mysteries to be answered make this film a really exciting watch. I loved it , and so did the boyfriend.

One issue that probably needs to be addressed here is the end credits. You know the little scenes? Well, things are getting a lot more complex, and I have a problem with this. While everything will add up in the end, it feels like Marvel are holding too many threads. We have multiple story-lines for each superhero, and issues for each one that have in no way been resolved. Does anyone remember the red-faced bloke at the end of the Thor credits? Well, no, and I honestly thought that he would come back in sooner, maybe into Thor 2 instead of giving him a whole new enemy to fight, which then stems off with this collector man at the end. There, two things already, and now there's yet another bad guy with his hands on an Asgardian weapon. It is getting very complex and quite difficult to remember, and I do wonder how this will all tie in.

Anyway, that is a small qualm, and surely it will all be resolved sooner or later. Apart from that, the film is really enjoyable, perfect for Marvel Studios fans and action lovers, and also a great carry-on from the first film. 9 out of 10. (Oh and also, the amount of naked muscly torsos on display are a lovely addition. Keep it coming, Marvel.)