ARC Review: Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

Title: Time's Convert
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Headline Books
Published: September 25th 2018
Page Number: 480
Rating: 1/5

Summary:

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast forward to contemporary London, where Marcus has fallen for Phoebe Taylor, a young employee at Sotheby's. She decides to become a vampire, too, and though the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable in the modern world than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both - for ever.

REVIEW

 

Time's Convert was my most anticipated book of 2018. I was very lucky to receive one of very limited Advanced Reader Copies of the book and as soon as the proof came I dove straight in. The All Souls Trilogy told the story of Diana and Matthew on their quest to solving the mystery behind Ashmole 782. Time's Convert follows Matthew's son, Marcus and his girlfriend Phoebe while they go through their journey to be together.

 

Initially I really enjoyed the first few chapters I read. I loved being back into a world I knew and loved so much and seeing scenes with Diana and Matthew made my heart warm. However, I started to realise that what I thought would have been a story was starting to lag and feel like a diary entry. The story is told in 3 ways; Marcus' story of his childhood and how he got into the army and fought in the war. We then have Marcus' current story while being away from Phoebe and then lastly we have Phoebe's story while she goes through her transition. With this in mind I kept reading on in hopes Deborah would create a plot twist that would change the story but nothing ever came. It continued on the diary format, living each day as they came doing very basic things that Mundanes would do despite them being Vampires.

 

The one big thing that knocked me for six was the writing. The All Souls trilogy was filled with beautifully descriptive writings that captured the scenes and characters so well but everything in Time's Convert felt very simple. According to someone I spoke to on the book, Deborah said in an interview that the writing would be different because Marcus is 24 years old. However, that made zero sense to me because while Marcus was 24 years old when he was changed, he's actually over 200 years old so that doesn't really count as an excuse to the writing being lazy.

 

With the writing being lazy and choppy I decided to eventually DNF the book at page 207. I truly tried to conquer my way through the novel but I just couldn't force myself to do it. I was starting to dislike our main characters and I truly do not care for the storyline. I actually find it difficult how Deborah can carve a trilogy out of this because Time's Convert just purely feels like an after thought. As for now I'm happy to leave the All Souls series where it is. At the moment 2 episodes of the TV series have aired and I'm not liking the adaptation that much either. So maybe once the full series has aired I'll write a series review and give my full thoughts because I have a lot.

 

 

Thank you Headline for sending me an exclusive ARC to honestly review.

 

 

 

Buy the book (Wordery) | Buy the book (Book Depository) 

The Book Sacrifice Tag

My return to blogging will remain at just one post a week for the next few weeks, hopefully I'll then be able to write and upload two posts a week when my schedule starts clearing up a lot more than what it is at the moment. So I thought I'd do something quick and simple; a book tag. The Book Sacrifice Tag was created by Ariel Bissett and only consists of 4 questions all based on books you'd sacrifice.


Question One:

An Over-Hyped book - Let's start this off with a Zombie Apocalypse! Let's say you're in a book store, just browsing, when BAM! ZOMBIE ATTACK. An announcement comes over the PA System saying that the military has discovered that the zombies' only weakness is over-hyped books. What book that everyone else says is amazing but you really hated do you start chucking at the zombies knowing that it will count as an over-hyped book and successfully wipe them out?!

Answer:

So for this Question I chose 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'. At the moment the book is getting even more hype due to the recent movie that's just become available on Netflix but I honestly felt like the book itself was written for Tweens when it was marketed as Young Adult. The writing felt very immature and in fact I stopped reading 50 pages in because the character said the word "Biotch". Biotch was a word made popular by the movie 'Wild Child'. It was popular for a few months, then deceased all together so I had no idea as to why Jenny used it as something Lara would say because it felt so awkward.


Question Two:

A Sequel - Let's say you've just left the salon with a SMASHING new haircut and BOOM: Torrential downpour. What sequel are you willing to use as an umbrella to protect yourself?

Answer:

This book honestly goes down as the worst sequel I have ever read. Literally. I absolutely loved 'The 5th Wave' The setting of the book captured my attention, I loved the world building and the character growth was some of the best I've ever read. It was even one of my favourite books of all time. And then 'The Infinite Sea' released. It was just a mess. Our main characters got pushed to the side for some boring side character who was very 2D. The book was filled with plot hole after plot hole and overall it left a sour enough taste in my mouth that I never went on to reading the last book in the trilogy and I honestly never will pick it up.


Question Three:

A Classic - Let's say you're in a lecture and your English teacher is going on and on about how this classic changed the world, how it revolutionized literature and you get so sick of it that you chuck the classic right at his face because you know what? This classic is stupid and it's worth detention just to show everyone how you feel! What Classic did you chuck?

Answer:

I think every school made you read a classic that you absolutely hated and surprisingly my school was no different. They made us read 'Lord of the Flies' which was quite fitting since I attended an all boys school filled with a bunch of assholes. Now 'Lord of the Flies' was just completely awful in my opinion. The writing was very stiff and I found it didn't flow very well, not only that but the author tried bringing in so many characters that it made it all very confusing - even after seeing the movie; twice. I never understood why the only character who had his head on straight was killed off? Also the ending never made any sense.


Question Four:

Your least favourite book of life! - Let's say that you're hanging out at the library when BAM global warming explodes and the world outside becomes a frozen wasteland. You're trapped and your only chance for survival is to burn a book. What is the book you first run to, your least favourite book of all life, what book do you not fully regret lighting?

Answer:

I think I've made it pretty well known that I absolutely hate 'The Hunger Games'. It's not just for it's lack lustre characters and writing but also for the plot as well. I appreciate that 'The Hunger Games' was a starting base for the Dystopia genre but nothing about this series was entertaining. In the first book everything was slowly paced until the games started, even when the games started it never really picked up a lot. In Book Two I found the beginning to be well paced and then the actual games very slow paced. Book Three was just a big ol' mess. It's a rare occurrence for me to say that the movies are actually better than the books.

Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Darkest Minds
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Quercus Children's Books
Published: November 17th 2016
Page Number: 528
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

REVIEW

With the movie having come out yesterday in the UK I knew I had to read the book first. Back in 2013 I read 50 pages of the book and put it aside, until now. Despite the book being pretty chunky I actually flew through it and I have quite a lot of thoughts. Both positive and negative.

The book actually started out well. We were seeing Ruby working away at the weeds in the garden and then being knocked to the floor from the sound of high pitches and waking up in a ward with a female doctor telling her she's going to be killed. Just the thought of that alone sucked me right into the story, but it went all downhill as soon as Ruby left Thurmond. Ruby ends up running away from those helping her escape and meets 3 other children, who end up becoming her friends and together they all set out to find the Slip Kid who they hope can help them all go home to their families. Their adventure was filled with some intense moments, which really gave a great atmosphere from the writing. It was quick paced and seeing these powers be put into use gave us so much more depth into our characters.

But one thing kept nagging in my mind. My dislike for Ruby. She was naïve and acted on things without thinking anything through, creating destruction along her journey. Not only that but she ended up falling in love with one of the first boy she's seen in 6 years and I couldn't help but eye roll the entire time something romantic was happening between them both. Has The Darkest Minds been told from Chubbs' or Zu's perspective then I probably would have enjoyed the story a lot more as those two were the only characters I even cared about.

So with that, I won't be continuing on with the series. But I will be watching the movie and since the book was mediocre the movie cannot be any worse.

My Favourite Books of 2018 (So far)

Guess who's back in the house,
heels click clacking about?

That's right everyone, I'm finally back from a super long time away from the blog. It's been over a year since my last blog post and so, so much has changed in my life. So today's post I thought I'd make it something that is very easy and fun for me. I've read quite a lot of books so far, especially compared to last year and think this is a great time to showcase some of my favourite books of 2018, so far!

CRASH INTO YOU BY KATIE MCGARRY

Crash into You is the third book in the 'Pushing the Limits' series and I honestly thought no book could out do my love for Pushing the Limits, until Crash into You. Isaiah's back story broke my heart and I loved how much he truly cared and loved Rachel, despite knowing that he may not be her best option for a boyfriend. This book was filled with intense dramatic scenes and the grittiness of the illegal car scenes had me giddy with excitement and while I didn't think Rachel had the guts to continue and help Isaiah she truly outdid herself and showed the boys exactly how it's done. Honestly my favourite couple Katie has ever written.


LORD OF SHADOWS BY CASSANDRA CLARE

I finally got round to reading Lord of Shadows and let me tell you right now that Cassandra Clare did not disappoint with this sequel. Lady Midnight started off slow so I was worried that Lord of Shadows may continue on with that slow pace but it certainly wasn't. So much stuff happened in this sequel and I loved the constant action after action. Seeing the characters work through their teenage life while also finding a murderer and battling demons is ever so fun.


LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT BY BECKY ALBERTALLI

I honestly was never a fan of Leah in Simon VS the Homosapiens Agenda, mainly because I hardly got to know her character. We knew very little, however, in her own book she shines. Leah is a self confessed big girl with a lot of sarcastic wit and a love for both men and women. I really enjoyed getting to see everything from her perspective and I loved this so much more than Simon VS. Becky's writing has gotten so much stronger and the relationships between her characters are so special.


LETTERS TO THE LOST BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Can I just say that I think this book will always remain as the biggest surprise of my life. I went into the book without knowing anything about it. I was suffering badly with my depression and my mind was nagging at me to pick up the book and I'm glad I did. Letters to the Lost is a raw, luscious, heart wrenching novel that makes you emotionally invested. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will understand the pain Juliet was feeling.


MORE THAN WE CAN TELL BY BRIGID KEMMERER

More Than We Can Tell packs a punch. Literally. It tells the story of Emma who's trying to survive in the game world that's predominantly male and Rev who's trying to overcome his horrible past. At first both characters aren't sure how to act around each other, mainly because despite going to the same school they've never actually met before. But it's pretty sure to say that their love grew from strength to strength. I absolutely loved this book!

The 'Where Have I Been?' Book Haul

I'm finally on the last post of the week so I thought I would treat you guys with a book haul showcasing some of the books I've recently acquired, whether it be for review or ones I bought myself. Now if you do have any thoughts on the books I've recently gotten then please leave a comment but no spoilers, I beg you.

 

REVIEW COPIES

 

 

So over the last few weeks I've not been accepting as many books for review, mainly because I know I'm not going to have the time to read and review them in the time span that publishers or authors want. However, when I get the option to receive some books I've been anticipating then I will accept.

 

Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Ameriie is a YA Anthology where 13 authors pair up with 13 Booktubers to create a short story based around the Villains we love to hate. Now this book doesn't come out until July but Bloomsbury were nice enough to send me a signed sampler of the book.

 

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray has been on my wishlist since I found out about it and while this UK cover doesn't have the same appeal as the US edition I'm still super pumped to read what's on the inside. Hot Key Books were super lovely in sending this to me and I cannot wait to step into space and take a short vacation.

 

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer was sent to me by the ever so lovely Bloomsbury. Honestly Bloomsbury never fail to supply me with incredible books and I'm super excited to getting around to reading this one. I've heard it's a real tear jerker with a lot of home truths.

 

Release by Patrick Ness was sent to me by Walker Books UK the day it released in the UK and I'm so intrigued by this one. Essentially I thought it was just a coming out story within a religious household but the story also contains chapters from the ghost of the girl who's recently passed away. It holds this appeal and my friends have whispered nothing but high praise for this one.

 

 

 

BOOKS I BOUGHT THAT LEFT ME A POOR MAN

 

 

Lately I've been treating myself to US hardcovers because they're so pretty and also smaller than a standard UK hardcover. Plus the UK hardcovers normally end up with a demented spine because they're bound so tightly. One of these books was bought when I went to Liverpool for the day and partied the night away with RuPauls Drag Race Ambassador, The Vivienne.

 

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh ended up on my anticipated list after I read - and fell in love with - her debut novel The Wrath & The Dawn. It was beautifully written with such lyrical prose'. I just knew I had to have more of her writing so I instantly pre-ordered it. Flame in the Mist has been described as 47 Ronin meets Mulan and I am so ready for that.

 

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines is actually one of my all time favourite YA Contemporary books, so I instantly needed to treat myself to the hardback copy. In fact I have the hardback copy of book 2 on it's way to me as well since the covers are so ascetically pleasing. It's a book that really hits home and also shouts out about controlling relationships. Abbi Glines can never do anything wrong for me.

 

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson really spoke to me when I was up Liverpool and shopped their Waterstones. Following the story of an unexpectedly pregnant sixteen year old Mary B Addison who's in jail because she murdered a 3 month old baby when she was 9. Allegedly. Need I say more about this one.

 

 

 

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli shouldn't have really been in here. In fact I wasn't going to pick it up until a friend of mine reviewed it and said that it was one of the best contemporaries she's read in years. And that was saying something as said friend isn't the biggest contemporary fan. Now it does sound like there's the possibility of a love triangle, which I'm not too fussed on but the synopsis had me gushing.

 

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han was the book I got half price when I purchased The Upside of Unrequited. I've not even started book one in this trilogy but I do now own all three books which means I can do some serious marathoning over the summer. I'm expecting meet-cute romance and a lot of drama.

 

Contagion by Teri Terry was a lovely surprise I found in my local WHSmiths as the book isn't actually out until later in the month so I'm so grateful that WHSmiths had it out super early for me to add to my Teri Terry collection. One girl missing. Two people out to find her. An epidemic that's sweeping the country. Why would I need anything else in my life?

 

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas is officially a book that intimidates me. I've not even started ACOMAF yet but seeing the size of this beauty has me scared. I'm sure my feelings are not prepared for the awesomeness that will ensue.

 

 

Underrated New Adult Books

I cannot believe that this is my fourth post of the week. I've been away from blogging for so long that I actually thought I couldn't get a post up each day of the week but I'm doing so well so far. Now todays post wasn't going to be a recommendation post, in fact it was meant to have been my ARC Review of 'The Names They Gave Us' by Emery Lord. However, I'm struggling to write up a review good enough for a book so fantastic. Anyway, today I'm talking about a few New Adult series that I feel are underrated and definitely deserve more positive attention.



A POUND OF FLESH BY SOPHIE JACKSON

When I first read 'A Pound of Flesh' I was unaware that it was actually a hugely popular Twilight Fan Fiction and honestly I don't think anyone could tell. A Pound of Flesh tells the story of Kat and Carter who find love through the prison system and have to face the struggles of outside life. The honest truth is that I loved every single page of this novel. It's romantic, luscious and dark. Exactly how I like my romances to be like. This series really left a lasting impression on my heart and hit me right in the feels. And if like me you enjoy this novel then you can dive straight into Book 2, An Ounce of Hope and Book 3, A Measure of Love.




IDOL BY KRISTEN CALLIHAN

I had already read the first two books in the 'Game On' series by Kristen Callihan when she announced this new series and I'm being honest when I say I did a little (nothing about me is little, neither was this) squeal. I'm a huge lover of Rock Star Romances and this one hit it out of the park. Literally. Idol tells the story of shy girl, Libby who finds a very drunk, yet stark naked Killian in her front yard. And their story goes from there. Idol was down right dirty and fun, just like a normal Friday night in the clubs for myself. Honestly I just love anything this author writes and Book 2, Managed is even better!



MR. PRESIDENT BY KATY EVANS

I've always had a rocky relationship with Katy Evans' books. Some I love, others not so much but I have to be honest by saying that Mr. President is definitely my favourite of hers. Now at the time I read this the US election was taking place so I found it weird, however, I absolutely loved Matt and Charlotte's story, despite the age gap between the couple. It was a beautiful, raw, stripped back and honest romance story that shows the price of what you pay when you want your cake and try to eat it too. Simply beautiful, even better that their story continues in Book 2, Commander in Chief.




STIPPED BARE BY EMMA HART

I've read a few Emma Hart novels now and I'm always torn on how I feel about them. Some of her earlier works truly feel naively written, however, over the last two years I have seen such a growth in her character development, story telling and writing. Especially with her 'Holly Woods Files' series and now her 'Stripped' Duology. Stripped Bare pulled me in with the love story of Mia and West. Set in the back drop of Las Vegas and filled with the Vegas strip I couldn't be any more enamoured with the story. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it in one sitting. I don't know what it is about forbidden romance but all I can say is that it's one of my favourite tropes. Incredible.



ALL LINED UP BY CORA CARMACK

I had first heard of Cora Carmack when her self-published novel, Losing It had been picked up by a major publisher and while that series didn't have any appeal for me the 'Rusk University' series definitely did. The entire series takes place in and around Rusk University and follows a friendship group while they deal with college, family life and falling in love. All Lined Up is the first book in this series and I can only praise Cora for making me fall in love with a good guy because Carson is the true definition of a Gentleman. His story with Dallas was a total meet-cute and I loved how Cora really pushed boundaries and made this one feel a little more mature in dynamics. This is a favourite of mine and Book 2, All Broke Down and Book 3, All Played Out are super great follow on as well. Now I just need Book 4, All Closed off in my hands when it releases in July.



I hope any of you guys reading this post will pick at least one of these series up because they're so, so, so good. All of them drew me in from page 1 and left me wanting more. And while New Adult is a somewhat controversial genre, I honestly believe that these books represent the genre so well.

Books With Taboo Topics | My Summer TBR

I cannot believe that this is my third blog post this week, it's crazy! I've been so busy with work and life in general that I've kind of forgotten about my blog and reviewing books. Does that make me a bad book blogger? It probably does, however, reviewing books doesn't pay my bills; my job does. Now this post is going to be about a few of the books I want to read this summer that deal with very taboo topics in YA. 2015 saw the introduction of books focusing more on mental illnesses which is great but I've slowly seen its decline again and I don't want it to be forgotten.

WHEN WE COLLIDED BY EMERY LORD

This book was massively talked about last year on Booktuber as its US publisher sponsored a lot of videos for it to be promoted in. However, I'm totally excited to read this one. It follows two characters Vivi and Jonah who are both lost souls in the world and when their world collides it creates fireworks. The book heavily deals with depression and grief, which I'm interested to see how Emery deals with it as I'm currently reading her 2017 release 'The Names They Gave Us' and I really love her writing style and views on faith.


ALLEGEDLY BY TIFFANY D. JACKSON

The story of a sixteen year old teenager, Mary B Addison is in prison and unexpectedly pregnant with the guy she's fallen in love with child. Mary B Addison allegedly murdered a 3 month old white baby when she was 9, except with this news of pregnancy Mary realises the truth needs to be finally told to stop the state from taking away her unborn child. Now I've never read anything like this in my life and I'm so excited to read something that's so taboo. I'm intrigued to see how the author will deal with the alleged murder and teenage pregnancy.


HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME BY ADAM SILVERA

Adam Silvera is a well loved author as his books tackle real life issues in a brilliant and realistic way. History is All You Left Me caught my attention before it released as it follows a gay guy named Griffin who struggles with OCD and it gets worse after the death of his first boyfriend/best friend. And despite his struggled feelings the only person who seems to understand him is Jackson, the boy he's supposed to hate. I'm just super excited to finally getting around to reading this book. I've heard it's beautiful and lyrical and really raw, honest.



What books are you looking forward to reading?
Let me know in the comments.