Impostors

by Scott Westerfeld

Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . but very few people have ever seen them together. This is because Frey is Rafi’s double, raised in the shadows of their rich father’s fortress. While Rafi has been taught to charm, Frey has been taught to kill. Frey only exists to protect her sister. There is no other part of her life. Frey has never been out in the world on her own – until her father sends her in Rafi’s place to act as collateral for a dangerous deal. Everyone thinks she’s her sister – but Col, the son of a rival leader, is starting to get close enough to tell the difference. As the stakes grow higher and higher, Frey must decide whether she can trust him – or anyone in her life.

Jinxed

by Amy McCulloch

A little bit Golden Compass, a little bit Hunger Games, and all adventure' - Amie Kaufman, NYT bestselling author of ILLUMINAE

The brand-new series from Amy Alward, author of the magical POTION DIARIES adventures!

Lacey Chu has big dreams of becoming a companioneer for MONCHA, the largest tech firm in North America and the company behind the "baku" - a customisable smart pet that functions as a phone but makes the perfect companion too. When Lacey finds out she hasn't been accepted into Profectus - the elite academy for cutting edge tech - it seems her dreams are over. Worst of all, rather than getting to choose one of the advanced bakus, she’s stuck with a rubbish insect one.

Then, one night, Lacey comes across the remains of an advanced baku. Once it might’ve been in the shape of a cat but it’s now mangled and broken, no sign of electronic life behind its eyes. Days of work later and the baku opens its eyes. Lacey calls him Jinx – and Jinx opens up a world for her that she never even knew existed, including entry to the hallowed halls of Profecus. Slowly but surely, Jinx becomes more than just a baku to Lacey – he becomes her perfect companion. But what is Jinx, really? His abilities far surpass anything written into his code or built into his motherboard. He seems to be more than just a robotic pet. He seems ... real.

~ Paperback Princess Blurb ~

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch is a wonderfully creative YA sci-fi focusing on technological advancement, that, truth be told, doesn't seem so far into the future. An innovative, fast-paced plot, with just enough mystery, will have you devouring this book, like your dog devours a bone. A great introduction to Amy's work, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch is a unique YA Sci-Fi. The concept and foundation of it's plot is as innovative as the characters within it's pages. It's an addictive read, and from the moment you open the book, you are hooked, glued to it till the very end. It's a fantastic and enjoyable introduction to Amy's work, I can't wait to read more of McCulloch's work AND of course the sequel to Jinxed.

Set in the near future where bakus are needed to live life conveniently, like our smart phones of today. Bakus is the lovechild of tamagotchis and smart phones. It's used as a higher-tech smart phone AND made in the image of insects/animals/birds that also serves as a companion for it's owner.

Accompanying you to your happiest life ever

When Lacey Chu finds and restores a high level baku she finds herself wrongly accepted to the prestigious school Profectus Academy, the next step to securing her dream job as companioneer at Moncha, the creators of bakus. However, she soon finds out that her new baku, Jinx is unlike other bakus, he thinks for himself. Will she get to keep her Profectus Academy placement if they knew that her baku is actually not the one issued to her AND that he has a mind of his own? 

A fairytale, but not of princes and frogs, ballgowns and pumpkins, but of makers and metal, of wire and ingenuity and inspiration and creativity and invention. 

The world is so realistic, and to be honest, it doesn't seem that much further into the future from where we are in technology. The world creation was fantastic, I loved the different elements and explanation of how they got to where they are; it speaks of our world today, which is definitely interesting.

The characters were well written. Lacey along with Zora, her long-time best friend were definitely my favourite characters. I also loved how Amy allowed females to be the tech geeks. In this novel, the women was at the forefront of technological advancement! 

I want a career that sets my soul on fire, that fans the flames of passion that smoulder deep in my belly - that I guard with my hardness and intellect.

Lacey Chu is a strong protagonist who's swimming against the tide of not being born "privileged", yet she's smarter than most at Profectus, and despite all the things she had to endure to keep her place in the Academy, she didn't give up! Zora was the perfect backup, they are Batman and Robyn in the "tech" world; Lacey built and Zora coded. A match made in Moncha heaven. 

The crew that Lacey befriends at Profectus was also a great bunch of kids, and I love how they still did the right thing at the end, although they were somewhat unhappy with Lacey. I especially liked Ashley and Tobias, and can't wait to see where Tobias and Lacey's relationship goes.

It's a fast-paced novel without compromising the story. It read like a standalone novel, characters and world building had great foundations. I did not feel like it was an introduction to a new series...which is a good thing! It takes a good Author to satisfy readers, and still have them eagerly anticipating it's sequel. 

Amy's innovative plot, fast-paced and exciting writing, strong, likeable characters, a creative world with an equally creative history make this book a must read for lovers of futuristic and realistic technological sci-fi; with a hint of conspiracy theory and mystery added in for good measure.

Shadow of the Fox

by Julie Kagawa

Every millennium, one age ends and another age dawns...and whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers holds the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish. The time is near...and the missing pieces of the scroll will be sought throughout the land of Iwagoto. The holder of the first piece is a humble, unknown peasant girl with a dangerous secret.

Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has...and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

A wish will be granted and a new age will dawn.

Ash Princess

by Laura Sebastian 

Princess. Prisoner. Orphan. Rebel.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's land and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess - a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword.

And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

"Tense and imaginative. Ash Princess is a smart, feminist twist on a traditional tale of a fallen heroine, with plenty of court intrigue, love, and lies to sweeten the deal. Good luck putting this one down." Virginia Boecker, author of the Witch Hunter series.

Ash Princess was absolutely amazing! Fast paced, gripping and definitely a page turner. Another fantastic YA Fantasy novel, that somewhat reminds me of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.

Theo/Thora/Theodosia is a prisoner in her own home. The rightful Queen of Astrea.

When her home was attacked ten years prior, the Kaiser overtook her home, kept her imprisoned, killed her Mother, massacred and slaved her people. 

She was happy enough to just survive...after all she is alive, despite the lashings and the ridicule...until she was forced to kill her only living parent, before she got to really know him as a Father. Then the rebel was born, and the rebellion awakened.

I was a princess made of ashes; there is nothing left of me to burn. Now it's time for a queen to rise

Ash Princess was well written. It was striking! I was turning the pages while I held my breath...waiting! Very suspenseful and I truly enjoyed the characters. It was a nail-biting kind of novel and I really enjoyed Laura's writing.

It was so wonderful reading about the characters. Theodosia, called Theo by her friends and Thora by her enemies seemed weak and insignificant in the beginning, to be honest I didn't like her all that much at the start. I felt like she was just weak and lacked any back bone, but as the story progresses, she blossomed into a wonderful Queen! Ready to do everything it takes to save her people. I suppose that's how Sebastian wrote it, so we can see how she conquered herself and her beliefs to become someone quite fierce! 

A guardian must dedicate themselves to their god above all else, but being queen means dedicating yourself to your country above else. You cannot do both. You can love the Gods, you can love me, you can love whomever you wish to love in this world, but Astrea will always come first. Everyone and everything else gets only the leftover scraps. That was Houzzah's gift to our family, but also his curse."

There is a somewhat weak love triangle between Theo, Soren (the enemy's son) and Blaise, her childhood friend. Strangely enough, despite being the Kaiser's son, I prefer Soren to Blaise, and I think Theo does too (but I could be wrong). 

Soren wasn't a strong character, he still allowed his Father to dictate some of his actions, despite rebelling (behind closed doors) but he has so much potential! I feel sorry for him, as he's just trying to navigate this dangerous world, he has morals and tries to abide by it when he can, but I hope to see him become a stronger character, and one worthy of sitting side by side with the up and coming Queen of Astrea. I really enjoyed their time together, their interaction was sweet without the instant-love element. 

The small distance between Soren and me no longer feels cramped with things unsaid. Now, it's full of unspoken promises.

The only slight problem I had with the book in the beginning, was failing to understand why a power hungry King would allow a rightful heir to live, but through the book we are shown several reasons why he kept Thora all this time.

There are some strong themes explored in this book; racism, pedophilia and brutality, but it's not strong enough that it was hard to read, it was somewhat light.

Ash Princess is definitely a strong beginning to this trilogy. It was action packed, the ending was satisfactory. It allowed me to breathe in ease, but it left enough of a cliffhanger that I'm impatiently waiting for the next books in this series. 

This book was provided to me by Pan Macmillan Australia in exchange for an honest review. 

Associate Links used for this post.  

As She Fades

by Abbi Glines

On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma. They were supposed to spend the summer planning for college, for a bright future full of possibility. Together. Instead, Vale spends long days in the hospital, hoping Crawford will awaken.

Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale's brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can't deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she's not immune to Slate's charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.

Then, Crawford wakes up... with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she's in Slate's territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

This is my introduction novel to Abbi Glines' work, despite having one or two on my TBR pile, and I quite enjoyed this book. If anything, I felt like it finished too quickly, not in the sense that it wasn't concluded well, but I just wish I got more time with the characters, especially towards the last quarter of the book. The last part felt somewhat rushed, but it was still rounded off nicely at the end.

As She Fades is a beautiful story that rings quite true, life is precious, and despite all the plans we make, one millisecond is all it takes for everything to change. This is what happened to Vale and Crawford's best laid out plans, when they are involved in a car accident that lands one of them in a coma. 

The book starts off as one point-of-view, Vale's, but mid-way through the book, after a surprising twist, Glines then changes to alternating chapters between Vale and Slate. This is the first book that I have read that changes POV mid-way through the book, but Abbi transitioned this well and I enjoyed and welcomed Slate's POV. 

Abbi's characters are very realistic, and I enjoyed seeing Vale's growth. Vale starts seeing that her "perfect" relationship wasn't so perfect after all, and that she has somehow lost herself whilst being with Crawford, allowing Crawford to take the reign for the most part. 

Seeing as this novel is for Young Adults, I really appreciate that this is something noted in this book. I know for myself, when I was still a teen, that I had lost myself whether through boyfriends or even friends, pretending to like things I did not etc just to be "cool". So I really liked how this subject was touched on, subtly and not in your face where a teen reading this book would think it was a "lecture" or "moral of the story" which as we all know, teens do not take to those well. 

Slate, despite him being a slut for the most part, I still liked him from the beginning; he was kind, caring, charismatic and charming. Glines wrote this very well as his charm just oozed through the pages. Slate was my favourite character as he was quite multi-faceted.

I also enjoyed several secondary characters, but most especially Slate's dying Uncle. He was funny, rude, crass but honest, hopeful and knowledgeable. 

As She Fades is a nice, simple and sweet book that will make you cry and smile. My favourite aspect was the reality of the story and the characters, the plot twist didn't go astray either. I felt like the twist really had me paying more attention...I also had the urge to start from the beginning to see if I can pinpoint the "hints" before it happened. Suffice to say Abbi Glines is a good writer that creates characters that grow within your heart, and the plot is somewhat unique for a YA Contemporary Romance. 

About the Author

Abbi Glines

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling Author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party, and Existence series.

Read the Sample Chapter of As She Fades by Abbi Glines

This book was provided to me by Pan Macmillan Australia in exchange for an honest review. 

An Ember in the Ashes

by Sabaa Tahir 

Buy It Now: Amazon | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes

What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution? For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all.

When Laia's brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of the Blackcliff Academy.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.

~ Review ~  

About The Author

Sabaa Tahir

Read, Sleep, Repeat has been hosting ARC August for 3 years now and it's a really great time for me to catch up with my Netgalley ARCs along with other few ones here and there, but mostly my main goal is to catch up on my Netgalley ARCs, I know I probably won't ever have 100% as there are DNFs but I'd like to get at least the 80-90%, does anyone have 100% for their Netgalley? Click on the button above or the link to sign up, and hope to see you there! 

• It may be a physical ARC or and eARC but it MUST be an ARC 
• Yes it can be an ARC that has released as long as it’s an ARC I’m not going to nit pick much
• HAVE FUN WITH THIS! Feeling like you are being “forced” to read is the best way turn a fun event into a yucky obligation 
• Update post! I personally will do a post for each Saturday in August but that’s just me. You can update once a week, every other week or once for the whole darn event. This update can be in the form of a blog or tumblr post, vlog, link to your “ARC August 2015″ shelf or even an instagram pic! I want to make this as easy and low pressure as possible for you