Virals (Book 1) ~ Kathy Reichs

 Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their new found physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends. They're a pack. They are Virals.

This book rapidly became my new obsession! Tory is a 14 year old girl who lives with her newly discovered dad, a marine biologist, on a small island in South Carolina. Her three best friends, Ben Blue, Shelton Devers and Hiram Stolowitski. I loved the character of Tory and how brave, headstrong and caring she is. She was the perfect protagonist in this series. It was her caring nature which brought upon them the virus which would change her pack's lives forever. One of the best things, apart from the heroine, was that the author (Kathy Reichs) brought in a lot of her forensic knowledge, just like in her Temperance Brennan series, but it is more accessible and understandable for the target audience. I learnt a lot from reading this book and the rest in the series. Another thing I liked was how there was no love story in this series which made sense since Tory was only 14. She does have a crush but that make up only a really small part of the story. However, saying this, I felt a definite sense of something romantic brewing under the surface.

The storyline of this book was particularly gripping, throwing you into the midst of a life or death chase involving guns and a dead body. Also, the solution to the mystery wasn't obvious which I put down to being written in the hand of such an experienced mystery writer like Reichs. If you like gripping mysteries mixed with a hint of fantasy and a huge scientific interest then this is the book for you. Even if you don't, I would guarantee you will enjoy this book. I really can't think of any complaints I have with this book and the rest of the series is just as fantastic.

As usual, please comment suggestions on how I could improve my reviews or hat I should review next. Also, have you read this book? What did you think about it? xXx

Halo ~ Alexandra Adornetto

 
Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.

The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?

 I feel as though I have said this about all books, but I really enjoyed this. Bethany is a young angel who has come to Earth with her brother Gabriel and sister Ivy to try and rid their small area (Venus Cove) of evil. Bethany's youth and the fact that she is newly come from heaven make her very naive but at the same time innocent and sweet. As soon as she meets Xavier, she is drawn to him.

“Beth: "You're ridiculous."
Xavier: "I think you mean irresistible."
Beth: "Yes, ridiculously irresistible.”


“A man in love can do extraordinary things, I don’t care if you’re an angel, you’re my angel, and I won’t let you go.”


“That was one of the saddest things about people--their most important thoughts and feelings often went unspoken and barely understood.”

I enjoyed how this book tackles issues of our planet such as violence,
war as well as problems which every girl will at some point face (Prom, the 'S' word, first boyfriends). However, at the same time I felt that some parts of the storyline were dragged out a bit too much or were a bit too soppy between Beth and Xavier, which although I usually don't mind, I felt it distracted from the main plot. I also thought that the book took a bit too long to get to the main 'action' but that when it did finally get there, I was hooked. Recently, I found out that there are two more books in the series and I am looking forward to trying them and shall make sure I tell you what I thought.
           Adornetto had some good world building here, I felt I knew exactly what Bethany's room looked like or the atmosphere in Xavier's house and there was also a lot of witty dialogue between characters which gives the story a slight comical twist as well. The characters are also well built up, but I think that the supporting characters could have had a bit more back story. Overall, I would definitely recommend the book.

Please comment suggestions on how I could improve my reviews or which books I should review next xXx

BeautyEdit ~ W7 'In the Buff' Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

Buff, Camel, Sand, Dust, Chocolate, Topaz, Earth, Storm, Silk, Wave, Thunder, Onyx

As well as a really nice metallic packaging, this palette also contains 12 perfect nude colours which are perfect in any look, day, night, smoky, natural... This product reminds me of the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. Each eyeshadow has great colour pigmentation and they are a mixture of shimmery and matte colour.In addition, their names are natural sounding and really nice: Onyx, Earth, Storm  ...

I got my palette online but I think you can also get it from Ebay, Amazon and a few other places if you search for them. I think I have also seen them in Next before. And another positive, they are all under £5!

Buff, Camel, Sand

Dust, Chocolate, Topaz

Earth, Storm, Silk

Wave, Thunder, Onyx

Please comment suggesting how I could improve my reviews or which products I should review next xXx

Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer ~ Katie Alender

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.

Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realises she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger . . .

Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this story of revenge, betrayal, intrigue — and one killer queen.

I really did enjoy this book. I hadn't been expecting much, but I am no longer sure why. It has a very Parisian feel to it, on of beauty, culture and history. I liked the character of Colette although her Mean Girl wannabe attitude annoyed me at the start. She does realise that Hannah's attitude to others is mean and wrong and I enjoyed how we watch her develop as a person and as a character to stand up and do what she thinks is right, no matter what the consequences.

   My favourite scene in the book is the one involving Jules and his family. It was such a heart-warming read and made me feel very nostalgic about my own family. I could see parallels between mine and his for examples family rituals such as everyone eating together and talking, which were lost when Colette described her own dis-functional family. Hearing about how her dad left, that her mum was suffering financially and that she and Charlie just didnt' get on as I do with my brothers really made e feel for her.

Although the storyline was a bit dubious, why does the ghost wait this long to carry out her revenge, and it wasn't always historically accurate (sorry to break it to you but there was never an Order of the Key, L'ordre de la clé) I found the story gripping and powerful in the way that you understand Marie's grief and anger as well as Colette's fears of being a social outcast and for her friend. I would have liked a bit more from her romance with Jules, for example in the epilogue a suggestion of whether or not they are together or will see each other again, but I still found him dreamy and I loved how much he cared for her, even before they became romantically involved.

I would really recommend this book if you want a light, easy to read story which at the same tine has a good mystery, great world building and hints of the history of Paris and their most famous monarch: Marie Antoinette.

At the House of the Magician ~ Mary Hooper

Lucy has been forced to run away from home as she fears for her safety from her drunken father. She is taken on as a maid at the house of Dr Dee, court magician, upon whom Elizabeth I relies heavily, even down to advising the date of her coronation.

The household is strange and sinister, and Lucy has a nose for intrigue . . . And she has more than enough to satisfy her: Lucy stumbles across a plot to assassinate the queen and has to find means to warn her . . .

I used to really, really love this book. I still do really like it. It was the first I had ever read from Hooper and I just fell in love with all of her subsequent books (which I will be reviewing soon x).

Lucy is a very curious girl who goes to work as a nursemaid in Dr Dee's house. Whilst there, her curiosity brings her to his library where she find all manners of strange and sometimes scary objects. She meets Tomas on one of her more daring trips to the library and this leads to her becoming a spy for her beloved Queen Elizabeth 1. She is a likeable character because of her gentle nature and difficult background. Her supporting characters (Isabelle, Tomas, Beth, Meryl...) and Hooper's writing really brought the Elizabethan world to life.

Dr Dee's Mirror and Scrying Stone

The thing that I loved the most about this book is how it brings in historical facts and intertwined them fiction to create a compelling story of a young girl in Elizabethan England.
      Dr Dee was Queen Elisabeth's personal magician (not the kind that we know today) as well as a mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. He lived in Mortlake in his later years and this is where Lucy's story is set. It gives a lot of mention to Dr Dee's famous 'scrying stone and mirror' and it also touches on the supernatural fears of the time and Dee's involvement with them. I found it interesting to discover more about the intriguing life of Dr Dee but after re-reading the book recently, I feel that it is more suited to a young teen audience.


Please comment suggestions on how I can improve my reviews or which books I should review next xXx

Beauty Edit~ Rimmel Wonder'full mascara

Happy New Year!!

Welcome back! I'm going to kick this new years first post off with a Beauty Edit on a product I got just days before Christmas:

Rimmel London Wonder'full Mascara with Argan Oil

The first thing which really drew me to this mascara was the packaging. It is just so beautiful. The shiny browns in two different shades just somehow makes me think: natural, Moroccan, caring. Which is exactly why I love this so much. The formulation for the mascara contains Moroccan Argan oil which is known for its caring/nourishing properties on hair (it is in the shampoo and conditioner I am currently using) and this in turn makes lashes look fuller and healthier which I have really noticed.

   Another thing I loves war the wand. Its shape and the style of the bristles help to separate lashes and give definition and fullness, all whilst leaving you with a natural look and with no clumps. The formula is not too wet so it doesn't transfer from your lashes to anywhere around your eyes too easily, and it is a really dark black, not a greyish tone which I have found in other mascaras.

I would really like to see this product come out in brown as well because it would be perfect for a really natural look.

Please comment suggestions on how I could improve my posts or which products I should review next xXx
       (What do you think about the quality of the pictures? Good? Bad? How can I change them to improve this? What would you want to see?)
 Once again, sorry about the text :/