#Review - A Torch Against the Night - Sabaa Tahir

Rating:

4/5 Book Emojis

This review is a proud part of Penguin Random House's A Torch Against the Night Global Book Tour.

Format: 

• Paperback ARC (provided by the publisher)
• Audiobook

#BookBirthday - #ATorchAgainstTheNight by @sabaatahir 📚🌈✨💖🎉 Congratulations! 😊 Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse and @razorbillbooks for this Advance Reader's Copy 😘 Tags: #torchstagram #KindleReads #KindleReading #AdvanceReadersCopy #YaLit #ipadreading #AnEmberintheAshes #SabaaTahir #book #booknerdigans #Bookstagram #BookstagramIndia #Bookstagrammer #BookReviewer #Blogger #Bibliophile #Bookworm #BookstagramFeature

Review: 

*Note: I was sent a review copy of the book from Penguin Random House (thanks!) for an UNBIASED review. The views expressed here are solely my own.

This book is the sequel to the New York Times Bestseller An Ember in the Ashes. It continues exactly where the first installment of the series left off and is narrated by the three main characters - Laia (the slave girl), Elias (the Aspirant Martial) and Helene (an Aspirant Martial and Elias' former friend). It goes through Laia and Elias' journey as they flee the city of Serra to free Laia's brother Darin who was captured by the Martials, for being accused of being a spy, in a raid at their home.

What's different about this book is that it is narrated in a way that it goes in a flow through the chapters, unlike An Ember in the Ashes, in which some chapters are just the same incident being narrated by either Laia or Elais to show the reader their perspectives. The pace of the story fluctuates like a rollercoaster ride that every reader will enjoy. The beginning of the book is already intense and the pace slows down through the first half. This, however falters the interest of the book for a significant while, unlike AEITA. In the second half, fortunately, the book gets insanely fast-paced and the story unfolds itself through twists and turns that left my jaw hanging loose from my face.

The crispness of the book stays intact till the very end but is fiercer than its predecessor. What I liked most about this book was how the chapters ended in a way that would make sure of the reader to read further into the book... The characters remain strongly rooted in this installment to the series too... Their essence is strong enough to keep the reader craving to intently read what they narrate to them.

CONCLUSION: From what I believe, you should get both the copies of this series yet written and released. Trust me, it's worth it.

Blog Tours are fun, especially when they're international and the books are written by @sabaatahir and published by the lovelies at @penguinrandomhouse / @riverheadbooks 🌈💖🌈💖🌈🌈💖🌈💖🌈💖🌈💖🌈💖🌈🌈💖🌈💖🌈💖🌈 Currently reading 'An Ember in the Ashes' by Sabaa Tahir 😊 P.S. Saying goodbye to summer was easier with these books by my side 😁 Tags: #YALit #booknerdigans #Books #SummerReads #BookandCoffee #Bibliophile #AnEmberintheAshes #Sabaa Tahir #atorchagainstthenight #NoFilter #India

#Review - An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir

Rating:

                     4.5/5 Book Emojis

This review is a proud part of the A Torch Against The Night Global Book Tour hosted by Penguin Random House International

Format:

Paperback (446 pages)

Audiobook 

"Life is made of many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after" - @sabaatahir 🌈 #CurrentlyReading this beauty by the extremely talented @sabaatahir 💖 Blurb: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire's impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia's brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire's greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school's finest soldier-and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he's being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined-and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. ................................................ P.S. Artwork credit goes to @eviebookish Tags: #anemberintheashes #torchstagram #atorchagainstthenight #Bibliophile #BookstagramIndia #BookNerd #Book #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #YaLit #TheFaultInOurStars #booknerdigans #Ludwig #India

Review:

*Note - I was sent a review copy of the book from Penguin Random House (thanks!) for an UNBIASED review. The views expressed here are solely my own. 

I want my readers to know that Book-Hangovers are not a common thing for me. Whenever I get them, they last for at least a week and it shows that the book I read was phenomenal. An Ember in the Ashes is such a case, too.

This book is about a girl named Laia - who is a Scholar and a soldier named Elias - who is a Martial. It deals with their story of bravery, in a world ruled by the Martial Empire, narrated by them in alternate chapters. The book begins with Laia narrating how by a raid at their house by the Martials, her life takes a turn as her brother is arrested for treason and her only remaining family - her Nan and Pop are killed- with her her house being burnt to the very ground. 

Through a series of events, Laia turns to the Resistance, i.e. the rebels, for freeing her brother, in exchange for risking her life to spy from within the Empire's greatest military academy, as a slave, where she is assigned to serve the tyrant and cruel Commandant.

Check these bookmarks out at - spotdrop.etsy.com

These LOVELY magnetic bookmarks from
Spot Drop bookmarks make reading cuter!

The book is an aim of the author at combining various genres like YA, Adventure, Mystery, Thrill, Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy etc. In doing so, I felt that Sabaa has not only succeeded, but also set an example for any author who wishes to write any fictional book. The way the book is written is highly commendable since the writing style is crisp and keeps the reader hooked. However, I feel that the first half is slightly elaborate than the second half, which is when the book takes on a very fast pace. This flaw is shadowed by Sabaa's brilliant writing that is absolutely on point. 

Sabaa makes the reader feel all of these emotions at once that one wouldn't have known to exist. The book surprisingly has a love triangle (or rather a square!) that left me screaming to take sides. It also deals with a lot of violence through the slavery and the Martials. 

"...you are an Ember in the Ashes"

This is written in three parts and a total of fifty chapter that are alternatively narrated by Laia and Elias. Within it, are such well-written characters, some human and some not, that are perfectly rooted into the soul of this book. These characters range from wide age groups and are the oil to keep the book's fire going (see what I did there?!). Everything about is book stands out and unique, making all of the other books of the same genre seem like sheer attempts at writing. Such stories are perhaps told by Oracles from books that illuminate words written in flame...

CONCLUSION: This book is has some kind of feel to it that makes you want to read it on a Christmas Eve in front of your fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate by your side. So, don't wait for anything and just buy NOW! Reading it was more like an honor than an experience.

My Last Love Story - Falguni Kothari - Blog Tour

About the Book:

Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes’s, Me Before You, My Last Love Story is a heartbreakingly romantic tale about the complexities of trauma and whether love can right a wrong.

I, Simeen Desai, am tired of making lemonade with the lemons life has handed me.

Love is meant to heal wounds.

Love was meant to make my world sparkle and spin.

Love has ripped my life apart and shattered my soul. 

I love my husband, and he loves me.

But Nirvaan is dying.

I love my husband. I want to make him happy.

But he is asking for the impossible. 

I don’t want a baby.

I don’t want to make nice with Zayaan.

I don’t want another chance at another love story. 

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon US * Amazon IN

Conversation with Zayaan Khan from My Last Love Story.

Introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey! I’m Zayaan Khan—Zai to my friends. I have two younger sisters and a mother, and we live in London. I’ve come to Carmel-by-the-Sea to be with Nirvaan and also to finish my dissertation in Islamic studies.

You’re a nerd, huh. Then, this question is perfect for you: If you could do something dangerous just once with no risk, what would you do?

Zai: Nirvaan and I have pretty much covered all the risky and dangerous things men can do. As of this moment, I’d try any risky experimental medical procedure on Nirvaan to rid his head of tumors once and for all.

What’s the biggest lie you told in childhood?

Zai: That I love my brother. That he was redeemable in Allah’s eyes.

Which of your ancestors would you most like to meet?

Zai: My eight-times great grandfather who was a Sufi saint. I’d love to meet him and discuss philosophy.

Is it more essential to develop beliefs or gain knowledge?

Zai: Gain knowledge, of course. Belief without knowledge is a waste and an error. Knowledge is reason. Belief can be unreasonable.

Heavy. Let’s end on a fun note, shall we? What’s the most fun party you ever attended?

Zai: My—our—fifteenth birthday party. It was at Dandi Beach back home in Gujarat. It’s where we—Nirvaan and I—met Simi.

And that’s our five questions done. Thanks for being a sport. And I wish you find that experimental procedure for Nirvaan too.

Advance Praise:

At once heartbreaking, delightful and completely unexpected. A must read! 

~ Sonali Dev, author of The Bollywood Affair

In My Last Love Story, Kothari examines love and loss, desire and desolation, with a deft, wry touch that kept me reading late into the night and moved me to tears. 

~ Julia Tagan, author of Stages of Desire

About the Author:

Falguni Kothari is an internationally bestselling hybrid author and an amateur Latin and Ballroom dance silver medalist with a background in Indian Classical dance. She writes in a variety of genres sewn together by the colorful threads of her South Asian heritage and expat experiences. When not writing or dancing, she fools around on all manner of social media, and loves to connect with her readers. My Last Love Story is her fourth novel.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads

Giveaway

1 Copy of My Last Love Story by Falguni Kothari

Paperback Copy if the Winner is US or Indian Resident / eBook for other International Winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour - Last Vacation ~ Sarah Elle Emm

About the Book:

Seven days have passed since Naples real estate agent Megan MacKenna has heard from her twin sister, Madeline, who was vacationing on the beautiful, Caribbean island of St. Croix. Though authorities are not convinced there is a case to solve, Megan knows with all of her heart something happened to Maddy. When Megan receives a direct warning to leave the island or end up like her sister, she turns to the only person who has taken her seriously since she arrived, Gabe, a breakfast cook at a local diner. 

Undercover DEA agent, Gabriel Walker has been building his cover for months, waiting for the opportunity to work his way into the infamous Torrez crime ring. When Megan shows up asking questions and Gabe realizes her twin’s disappearance might be linked to the Torrez men, he has to convince her to go back to Florida before she becomes their next victim. 

The closer Megan gets to the truth, the more Gabe begins to suspect he is missing a huge piece of the puzzle. And someone is closing in on Megan…

Buy Links:

Amazon USA I Amazon UK I Amazon Canada I Amazon India I Kobo I Smashwords

Fun Fact:

I grew up visiting the island of St. Croix with my family. As an adult, I lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, on both St. Croix and St. Thomas. I always wanted to write a fiction story that took place there, but I never took the time to write it until recently.

Excerpt:

Megan peered out at the vast expanse of ocean gleaming in the bright morning sunshine before her. The turquoise waters seemed to go on forever. From the Caribbean Airways in flight map, she had noted theislands of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. John were in the far off distance. She had been told a faint view of the densely populated St. Thomas could sometimes be seen on a perfectly clear day, but no matter how she strained her eyes, she couldn’t quite see it today.

Had Maddy hopped on a sailboat and continued her travels to another island as the police officer had suggested? It wasn’t like Maddy not to check in. Her cell phone had been going straight to voice mail since the last photo Maddy had sent, and according to the cell company, the cell phone was out of service range. Something had happened to her sibling. The last communication with Maddy had been an unexplained picture of an iguana. No message, no text, nothing. Just an enormous, slimy, dragon-resembling lizard. Megan sunk her head to her chest. Where in the world was her sister?

“Everything okay, Miss?”

Startled from her hopeless thoughts, Megan sat upright at the sound of the low voice. Her eyes scanned the length of the man standing before her, and she pursed her lips together. She guessed he was probably about six-foot-two.

As she sat silently, observing him, the man repeated his question, “Are you okay?” His tone bordered on cautious, but concerned.

“Everything’s fine,” she finally managed with a tight voice.

With a smile, his concern faded away, and he reached behind his back to untie a grease-spotted apron. He folded the apron up, pulled out a chair at the table right next to Megan’s, about a foot and a half from her, and sat down.

An internal alarm went off, making Megan feel extremely uncomfortable with his proximity, and she fidgeted with her hands as he stared at her, finally forcing them into her lap. How could a voice so soothing go with a gruff-looking character like him? And what in the world was he doing sitting down so close to her?

About the Author:

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the HARMONY RUN SERIES, a young-adult fantasy and dystopian series, released in May 2012 by Winter Goose Publishing. (PRISMATIC, May 2012, OPALESCENT, February 2013, CHATOYANT, September 2014, NACREOUS, August 2015) Her debut fiction novel, MARRYING MISSY, was published by Bird Brain Publishing in October 2011. Sarah is a graduate of The University of Evansville, she has lived and worked in Mexico, Germany, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has traveled extensively beyond. Sarah lives in Naples, Florida with her family. When she’s not walking the plank of her daughters’ imaginary pirate ship or snapping photos of Southwest Florida scenery, she is writing.




Stalk the Author:
Website I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads I Amazon Author Page

The Last of the Firedrakes - Farah Oomerbhoy - Book Tour and Spotlight

★.•**•.★★.•**•.★ The Avalonia Chronicles Book Tour ★.•**•.★ ★.•**•.★

About the Book:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever. 

Book Links:
Goodreads I Amazon I Flipkart

World of Avalonia

Read an Excerpt:

Chapter 3

Kidnapped

For a second that felt like a lifetime, everything stopped; I felt like I was floating in nothingness. Then I blinked, and, when I finally opened my eyes and focused again through the tears, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

I found myself standing at the mouth of a small cave situated on a hill and overlooking a quiet, moonlit valley. On my left, a dark forest stretched out as far as the eye could see, treetops glistening silver in the light of the full moon. The hills around us undulated into wildflower-filled meadows that lay sleeping in the dewy night.

Far down in the valley, I could see a little village, its lights twinkling in the distance. To my right, a waterfall splashed playfully into a small river that ran down into a lake, next to which the little village was built. The moon here was fuller and larger than I had ever seen it, and the night sky was awash with a fantastic array of glittering stars.

Had I passed through the tapestry? Where was I?

I looked around, disbelief clouding my judgment. I was still trying to get my bearings after that strange moment when I had been inside the tapestry and nowhere at the same time. It gave me a funny feeling, as though I had been lifted out of my own consciousness and then put back into my body.

A warm breeze brushed past my face and played with my hair. Gone were the cloudy grey mist and the cold, nipping wind of the English countryside. I drew in a sharp breath—the air was crisp and clear, sweet smelling, and fresh. The moonlit valley was filled with fruit trees, wildflowers, and rolling meadows.

“How did we come here? Where are we?” I asked, still confused.

“You really are ignorant,” said Oblek, glancing at me. “I take it your uncle didn’t tell you anything?”

I shook my head and looked down. Oblek had tied my hands with a rope he had with him while I was still dazed and looking around. It was humiliating, and the rough ropes cut into my wrists, rubbing them raw every time he pulled me forward.

I had to find some way out of this. And, at the moment, the only thing I could do was discover more about where I was. Then, when I got an opportunity, I could escape and find my way back up to the cave on the hill, where we had arrived out of the tapestry.

But then what?

Christopher was probably dead, and Aunt Arianna would doubtless blame me for everything since I had disappeared at the same time. I had no idea what to do. I didn’t really want to go back, and, now that my adoptive parents were dead, I had nothing to return to.

I was starting to panic. I had nowhere to go, and my mind was imagining an array of horrible outcomes of my kidnapping. My palms had become sweaty, and my racing heart was thundering in my chest as I half-walked and half-ran, desperately trying to keep up with Oblek’s giant strides.

“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded with my kidnapper.

But Lord Oblek said nothing. He didn’t even look at me. He just kept walking ahead and dragging me along behind him, with no more explanations as to what he was planning to do with me.

I was terrified, and I had no idea if I was going to survive this. But I tried to be brave. Maybe I could talk my way out of this?

“You do know that this is called kidnapping?” I said, trying to reason with Oblek.

He didn’t bother to answer.

“What will happen to me now?” I squeaked, my voice breaking, as I tried not to cry.

“Queen Morgana will decide what is to be done with you,” said Oblek, finally.

Queen Morgana! The woman from my dream? It was not possible that this, too, was a coincidence. It must be the same Morgana, the one who had tried to kill my real mother.

Who the hell was she?

Suddenly all of this seemed extremely scary. I hoped that I was still dreaming and that there was no way I had actually traveled through a magical tapestry into some strange land. It all seemed very exciting in books. But actually being kidnapped and then hauled around like an animal, traveling deep into a land I knew nothing about, was not my idea of fun.

I had to get away from this horrible man, and fast.

About the Author:
 

For Farah Oomerbhoy, writing is a passion and reading her solace. She is a firm believer in the fantastic and magical, and often dreams of living in Narnia, Neverland, or the Enchanted Forest.
When she was pregnant with her first child ten years ago, a story popped into her head she could not ignore. “I was at my grandmother’s house, and as I looked at the image of a beautiful forest with a castle in the distance on a tapestry hanging on the wall, I imagined myself being whisked away into another world,” she said. It was at that moment the world of Avalonia, with its powerful mages and fae and the evil Queen Morgana, was born. Farah Oomerbhoy’s debut novel, The Last of the Firedrakes, was released in the summer of 2015.

Farah lives with her husband and three children in their family home in Mumbai, India. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Mumbai. Her first novel is The Last of the Firedrakes, Book 1 of the Avalonia Chronicles.
  

Contact Farah:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Wattpad

Giveaway:

One Amazon Gift Voucher worth 1000INR

One Amazon Gift Voucher worth 500INR
Three Signed Paperback Copies of The Last of the Firedrakes

a Rafflecopter giveaway