It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

I finished reading this Juliet Marillier book during the week:

It is all about a girl called Neryn, who has a sixth sense, 

and is able to see and speak to the usually invisible Good Folk. This makes her highly sought after by the King of Alban, who captures people with such skills and uses them for entertainment in the court, and for spying on the enemy. One of King Alban's Enforcers, Flint, tracks down Neryn, who, under his guidance and protection, leads her towards Shadowfell. But is he friend or foe?

This is a quick read of Marillier's, a book written primarily for young adults, and yet not teenagery like many of the popular series, such as The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. This book bascially follows the journey of Neryn and Flint, and details how they survive in the terrain, but I found, apart from Neryn's talent to call on rock formations for help, there was really nothing new here for fantasy readers.
It was a good read, but not a spectacular read. I will read the other books in the series as they are published, as I do enjoy Marillier's writing style, but it does not make my list of all-time favourite books.

Popping over to Sheila's blog now, to see what my other bookish friends are reading!

Love to you!

xxx

What Are You Reading?

Hello there!

 This past week I finished reading Foxmask by Juliet Marillier, 

and, while I thought it started out a bit slow, at the half way mark it got really interesting, and by the end I was in tears, which is very rare for me. The love story was so convincing, that I just felt so much for the characters in the last pages. Brilliant!

Influenced by Nordic folklore, the story centres around Thorvald, who takes to the seas with his friend Sam, to search for his father who was banished from the Light Isles 18 years earlier. Creidhe, a long admirer of Thorvald stows away on the ship, to remain close to him. Once found she is seen as a hindrance but they continue on their journey until the ship is wrecked against the Isle of Stormss. Here Thorvald and Sam are virtually held captive by the leader of the Long Knife tribe, Asgrim, who Thorvald suspects may be his father. They become part of Asgrim's army and prepare for the annual hunt on the Isle of Clouds, for the great seer, Foxmask, who was kidnapped from them and is kept hidden there. Creidhe meanwhile is kept separate from the men, and lives with the women of the island who act somewhat suspiciously around her. Eventually it is revealed that she will be a human sacrifice to the tribe of the Unspoken as a trade for the seer. Creidhe escapes Asgrim's hold with the help of the kind priests from a nearby settlement and makes her way to the Isle of Clouds. There she discovers Foxmask, and plays a part in protecting him from Asgrim's army. This is where the book becomes really exciting, as all the characters are now established and the fight for survival becomes paramount. The second half of the book races along and emotions run high. It was captivating!

In other news, I received a big pile of books from my Mum

and one, which I've been wanting to read, from my sister.

 I've heard great things about The Light Between Oceans, so I'm pretty sure I'll start with that one.

Have you read any of these books? Which ones do you recommend highly?

I'm popping over to visit Book Journey now, to see what all my bookish friends have been up to!

See you there!

xx

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hello, my readerly friends!

I read another great Cecelia Ahern book this week, called The Gift. 

This is the story of Lou Suffern, a man who lives his life racing against the clock, always on time for appointments for his work, but never quite making the time to be with his family. His ambition absolutely consumes him, and he gives all he has, with the aim of achieving an upcoming promotion. 

Enter, Gabe, a homeless man, who speaks to Lou outside his building one day, actually slowing Lou down for a moment to consider the world around him. Gabe has seen things, and knows things, that could benefit Lou, so Lou gets him a job in the mailroom of the office building. 

Gabe is a fast mover, and impresses everyone with the way he can seemingly be in two places at once. 

Lou wants what Gabe has, but what happens when he gets it?

This, like many of Cecelia Ahern's other books, takes an unlikable protagonist, gives his values a good shake-up, and leaves us with an unpredictable ending. Magical, engaging and thought-provoking, this is a book that needs to be read by those who reach for the top, but leave everyone else behind them on the way. There are lessons to be learned here!

In other news, I'm still reading through my two big books, Foxmask and The Woman in White, but Foxmask has taken my interest more at the moment. I haven't had a chance to start Casual Vacancy yet, but it is on my bedside waiting patiently!

Hope you find some good reads this week! I'm coming to check out what you're up to at Book Journey:

xx