Regan Leanne

Kelley Armstrong - The Gathering
The blurb: Maya Delaney has always felt a close bond with nature. The woods around her home are a much-loved sanctuary and the pawprint birthmark on her hip feels like a sign that she belongs. But then strange and terrible things begin to happen in the tiny medical-research town of Salmon Creek!

My rating: 4/5
Tagged: young adult, paranormal, urban fantasy, supernatural
Date I started this book: 21/02/2016
Date I finished this book 24/02/2016

What did I think? The Gathering is the first in a new young adult trilogy set in the same universe as Women of the Otherworld and is similar her The Darkest Powers trilogy. The small town where Maya lives is run by the St. Cloud family and she believes they're working on top secret medical research. There's a good chance that's exactly what they're doing, but established fans will know who the St. Clouds are even though they've not featured heavily in her other books.

The plot is fairly slow and I'm not sure if it will appeal to readers new to Kelley's world. Personally, I love trying to make all the connections.

Sadly, the book doesn't really finish. It's designed as part one of a trilogy and it's obvious at the end that there's still much more to tell. I don't mind this so much because I've already started book two

Kelley Armstrong - The Awakening
The blurb: You don't have to be alive to be awakened.

Chloe Saunders is a living science experiment—not only can she see ghosts, but she was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. She's a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control, which means she can raise the dead without even trying. Now Chloe's running for her life with three of her supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and they have to find someone who can help them before the Edison Group catches them.

Or die trying

My rating: 4/5
Tagged: young adult, paranormal, urban fantasy, supernatural
Date I started this book: 10/02/2016
Date I finished this book 16/02/2016

What did I think? The Summoning was so exciting and I was really looking forward to reading The Awakening. I've now read it, and I'm feeling a little disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, the book itself wasn't bad; the characters are just as awesome as they were before, the writing as just as good, there's no fault there. I think my problem is with the plot. I haven't read the third book in the series, The Reckoning, yet, obviously, but it felt to me like Kelley knew how the series was going to end, but couldn't just start The Reckoning after The Summoning, so needed The Awakening as filler to bridge the gap. Not an awful lot happens for a book of its length. Before I knew it, I was over half way through, and still waiting for something important to the actual plot line from The Summoning.

I love the way Kelley writes; Chloe's voice, thoughts and fears are just so fascinating, you don't want to put the book down. I want to get to know Chloe, and the others, better because their lives and what they're going through is just so clever. Chloe learns a little more about her necromancy ability in this book, and it's kind of freaky just how far she can go. Tori has to face some harsh truths, and I can't help but feel sorry for her, even when she is being a cow. Derek is so awesome, I swear; he's strong, he's brave, he's self-sacrificing, he's just brilliant! Simon is lovely, but he annoys me sometimes with just how nice he is. I know he likes Chloe, but he shouldn't be so happy-cheery all the time, it's grating. Liz is still one of my favourite characters, she's just on the right side of quirky, and I love her! I am liking the hint of a love triangle that weaves its way throughout the book, though I know who I would choose.

They find out something huge about themselves in this book, and it puts them all on edge a little, though I can't really go into why without spoiling a major plot point (which I would like to point out we find out at the beginning of the book). There is a fair amount of action, of the creepy ghost/zombie kind, dodging baddies kind, and fighting kind, and it's all suspenseful and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Quite a bit of a thrill roller-coaster.

I'm really looking forward to reading The Reckoning

Ransom Riggs - Library Of Souls
The blurb:The adventures that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued with Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls.

As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography.

My rating: 4/5
Tagged: fantasy, paranormal, young-adult
Date I started this book: 17/01/2016
Date I finished this book 21/01/2016

What did I think? I loved Library of Souls, a fantastic conclusion to a great series. I feel a little sad because I’ve loved these books and didn’t even know this would be the last book. I could read about the peculiar children forever.

All of the loose ends created in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Hollow City are brought to a close. I liked the way everything plays out. I really enjoyed it when Jacob and the others go to Devil’s Acre. The prison loop is not quite I expected but sinister all the same and sort of sad.

I enjoyed the way Jacob’s ability to control hollows is developed. This skill was revealed at the end of Hollow City and Jacob’s grandfather had it as well. I liked the way this develops across Library of Souls. I did find it a bit far-fetched when Jacob can suddenly control a dozen hollows when he finds it so hard to control one at the start of the novel. There are some great battle scenes though and the peculiar children kick ass.

Library of Souls has everything you’d expect from the end of a series; thrilling battles, murder, mayhem, chaos, loss, betrayal and a happy ending that manages not to be twee or nauseating

Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The blurb:A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography.

My rating: 4/5
Tagged: fantasy, mystery, paranormal, young-adult
Date I started this book: 09/01/2016
Date I finished this book 12/01/2016

What did I think? Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar children reads like a fairy tale – a dark, spooky story combined with curious, mysterious photographs that took me a little by surprise. I went into this one uncharacteristically blind – normally I’m all over a synopsis, but for some reason although I was very much aware of the book, I didn’t really know what it was about.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I initially would – although there are slower parts in the plot it kept my attention pretty consistently, and I loved that the ending was so perfectly paced. It was short enough to feel like a climax but not so rushed that I didn’t feel satisfied.

It’s a book for lovers of fantasy and fairy tales with a darker vibe, and it is one of the most unique books I’ve read in a while.