UK Title: The Gathering Dark (The Grisha Trilogy #1)
US Title: Shadow & Bone (The Grisha Trilogy #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: June, 2012 by Indigo
Thanks: Hachette AU
Pages: 442
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Final Thoughts: It’s hard to put into words just how enthralled by The Gathering Dark I was. Let’s just say that I haven’t been able to read a book of this size in one sitting for over six months, and that was when I was floored by Veronica Rossi’s debut in January. Leigh Bardugo astounds me with her craft for storytelling! I am so very glad I stumbled into the world of the Grisha!

Title: Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1)
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Published: January, 2012 by Razorbill
Thanks: Penguin, AU
Pages: 330
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship–or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word… especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate stars scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood — not even from each other.

Final Thoughts: A stunning read! Born Wicked hits all the right notes with its romance, magic and historical New England setting. Readers of Michelle Zink and Libba bray will delight in this 2012 debut by Jessica Spotswood.

Title: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published: January, 2012 by Pier9/HarperCollins
Pages: 374
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland – known as The Death Shop – are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild – a savage – and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile – everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Final Thoughts: I can safely say that I was blown away by Veronica Rossi’s debut, Under the Never Sky. Unable to put it down, I read the book in one night without pause. Perfect pacing, characters and a fantastic dystopian setting! This is definitely a YA release that lives up to the hype.

Title: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire #3, Pt. 2)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Published: August, 2000 by Voyager
Pages: 637
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud, and winter approaches like an angry beast. Beyond the Northern borders, wildlings leave their villages to gather in the ice and stone wasteland of the Frostfangs. From there, the renegade Brother Mance Rayder will lead them South towards the Wall.

Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown in the Kingdom of the North, but his defences are ranged against attack from the South, the land of House Stark’s enemies the Lannisters. His sisters are trapped there, dead or likely yet to die, at the whim of the Lannister boy-king Joffrey or his depraved mother Cersei, regent of the Iron Throne.

And Daenerys Stormborn will return to the land of her birth to avenge the murder of her father, the last Dragon King on the Iron Throne.

Final Thoughts: A perfect finish to the the third book in the Song of Ice & Fire series. The second split of the paperback edition was just as thrilling – if not more so – than the first, with arcs of favourite characters evolving or even ending. Spoilers are in the full post.

Title: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire #3, Pt. 1)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Published: August, 2000 by Voyager
Pages: 623
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud, and winter approaches like an angry beast. Beyond the Northern borders, wildlings leave their villages to gather in the ice and stone wasteland of the Frostfangs. From there, the renegade Brother Mance Rayder will lead them South towards the Wall.

Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown in the Kingdom of the North, but his defences are ranged against attack from the South, the land of House Stark’s enemies the Lannisters. His sisters are trapped there, dead or likely yet to die, at the whim of the Lannister boy-king Joffrey or his depraved mother Cersei, regent of the Iron Throne.

And Daenerys Stormborn will return to the land of her birth to avenge the murder of her father, the last Dragon King on the Iron Throne.

Final Thoughts: The first part of book three in the series really brought back everything that I loved about the first book, A Game of Thrones. There were no boring bits, only page-turning action and character development, quite possibly rendering A Storm of Swords my favourite in the series so far!

Title: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice & Fire #1)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Published: August, 1996 by Voyager
Pages: 807
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective wall. To the south, the King’s powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens. The first volume in George Martin’s series

Final Thoughts: I absolutely LOVE the television show, so it was only natural that I gave the original source material a go. At first I was apprehensive – the size of the book is extremely daunting and I was worried that it would be a slow-paced, confusing read – but surprisingly, I found myself completely immersed in the world and its characters. A real page-turner!