January/February TBR + Quick Life Update: Where Have I Been?

(Please feel free to skip the update but it will help explain my long hiatus! I miss you guys!)

Before I can even start telling you all what I have planned for the coming year of 2017 (sigh... time is getting on and I'm getting old), I need to explain where on earth I have been for the past few months; why haven't I been uploading videos and many posts, why haven't I been online much or tweeting every hour like I used to, why did I go quiet and didn't explain myself until the following year? WELL HERE WE GO! (I'm scared to explain myself because my excuses are pathetic but true...)

What happened was that our internet cut (we've had a bit of struggles with money lately because the price of everything in Auckland is super expensive and hard for us to afford now but we can't really move away either) and we couldn't have the internet reconnected until we paid the outstanding amount first. As you may have figured out, we still have not found the applicable funds but I'm waiting on a miracle or two that might happen soon otherwise it'll be back to the library for me to study this year.

That brings me to my second point: I was constantly bombarded by university work and everything was almost unbearable to handle thanks to the stress of everything - mostly considering my ADHD making it really hard to concentrate when I actually wanted to. It was my fault that I fell behind and therefore my extra time that I would usually use to read had to be used to catch up majorly on school work. However, by the grace of God, I managed to pass both semesters and (at this point I'm 99.5% sure I did) earn my Diploma in Applied Writing for level 5! Now I'm waiting on my level 6 course this year which sounds super fun! I'll give you guys a list of what I'll be doing this year so you can be excited with me - it's literally the type of papers that will help kickstart my career as an author!

Semester One:

• 601 Business and the Writer
• 604 Project - Planning
• 613 Research for Writing
• 605 Project - Execution

Semester Two:

• 605 Project - Execution (continued)
• 603 Practice of Selected Genre(s)
• 619 Publishing eBooks
• 602 Personal Career Plan

So in terms of my videos, my phone broke... twice. That's why I haven't been able to film or upload. I did have a couple of videos I could have edited and eventually uploaded with some weak wifi at the library but I get a bad feeling about old videos after a while and I just want to re-film them. There's something about uploading a six-month-old video that makes me feel like I'm lying to y'all about my current place in life (I'm just strange so I hope you guys can understand!). I plan to either get my phone fixed or try get another one soon but I'll let you know when something does happen. I'm planning to write more updates since it's easier for me to upload at least least twice every month so I hope that is alright with you until I get back on to my feet!

So enough with the boring information and know that my resolution for this year is to create a world of literacy for myself that will one day support my passion for writing books. I wanted to list a bunch of the books sent from multiple publishing companies in New Zealand that I've chosen to review next . You might recognise a few of these, if not all of them, so feel free to comment your thoughts and feelings down below (no spoilers please!) so that we can fangirl together!

Title: Life and Death

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Book Group

Title: The Chemist

Author: Stephenie Meyer

NZ Publisher: Hachette NZ

USA Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Title: The Severed Land

Author: Maurice Gee

NZ Publisher: Penguin Random House NZ

Title: A Million Worlds With You

Author: Claudia Gray

NZ Publisher: HarperCollins NZ

USA Publisher: HarperCollins

Title: Moon Chosen

Author: P.C Cast

NZ Publisher: Lighthouse PR

USA Publisher: St. Martins Press

AUS Publisher: Pan Australia (Paperback)

Title: Stealing Snow

Author: Danielle Paige

NZ Publisher: Allen and Unwin

USA Publisher: Bloomsbury

*****

Those are all the books I hope to read over the next couple of months! I may not finish them all as usual, especially since half of these books are considerably large and I start back university on the 20th of February, but I am super excited because they're all books that I really want to read!

Aside from everything else, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Please ask me anything you would like to know and I will try respond as soon as I can. Try to keep your New Year's resolutions and I'll try to be a bit more active this year (God help me succeed haha).

See you all real soon!

Bellz x

Find more out about me at:

Website: http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Twitter: ellabellabellz

Instagram: FeathersandFaith

Snapchat: FeathersnFaith

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings: Book Review

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Lindsay Cummings is yet another author with a book that I just happened to discover while watching an interview with her and Sasha Alsberg on YouTube. When I heard about her debut novel, The Murder Complex I instantly felt like I really wanted to read it. Probably because it was all about survival and strategy which is something I like reading about to learn just in case the world ends up being a similar type of "f**ked up" reality. I saw this at the library and without even reading the blurb I picked it up in an instant and added it to my already massive pile of books I'd have to sort through two hours later and decide which I was actually really wanting to take home - obviously The Murder Complex ended up being one of those "chosen ones". That, my friend, is the power of book reviewers if you think we don't really do or mean much to anyone. Though if I were to give a quick overall review on this book, I'd really just have to say that if a debut novel can make me question how they are over the age of twenty and basically have not been discovered by a few simple short stories at high school or something crazy like that then they are definitely doing their job. I'm just a little melancholic thinking about the fact that this is only a duology and I won't have that much time to delve into this world once I get my hands on the next book, The Death Code, as it will be the last one.

The Murder Complex is the story of a young girl called Meadow and a young boy named Zephr, who both live in a city where everything is cut off from the rest of the world by a massive gate surrounding it and cannot live without having to survive first. They are controlled by a government of people who watch their every move and make sure that they do not attempt to escape the perimeter of the city or the tiny pins in their arms will zap them dead. Meadow is coming up to her test which decides whether or not she can get a job and provide for her family. Zephr is one of those that collects the dead bodies of the unfortunate to live and survive with his older friend, Talan who he practically considers his only family even if they aren't related. Soon Meadow and Zephr end up meeting almost by fate and start discovering some weird and different things that they didn't expect to be true. Meadow ends up feeling responsible and regretful for the things she has done but soon finds her way with Zephr and they come up with a plan to do what no one sane has ever thought about doing before. Escape.

Things I LOVE about The Murder Complex:

* Meadow and Zephr are cute together and I ship them so much! If there was any couple cuter than Aelin and Rowan, I'd have to say that Meadow and Zephr are next in line. I don't know why but I think it's the way I notice them when they start to connect and realise how much they actually like each other. It's not a confusing or disorientating experience for them and I like that because I have kind of gotten sick of seeing relationships in books where they can't make up their damned minds and it's like, come on! What on Earth is stopping you two? Love each other already! You were meant to be!

* Survival is one of my favourite things to read about! You have to thing about one thing if our world becomes anything similar to The Murder Complex, Red Queen or The Hunger Games; Who are gonna be the ones to survive because they know what the hell they're doing? It'll be the readers and movie fanatics. We'll have watched and thoroughly subconsciously taken in everything we need to know about survival. I already know I'll be good with a bow and arrow thanks to a school camp and thanks to The Hunger Games, both book and movies, I know how to set a trap for an animal and how to sleep in a tree without falling out of it. You've got to think that even though book reviewers or book lovers in general may get crap for having a job in something "so basic" or not having a "real job", we will be the ones who have learnt to live in different types of realities and think more logically and sanely about it because we have thrust ourselves mentally into these worlds. You think we come out the same once we're done with a book like that? No my friend. I know myself I was very different once I had finished reading all three The Hunger Games novels. You come out a stronger person in a way and that's what I love about novels like this. Think I'm crazy and all but that's what I believe and good luck to you non-readers when you need to know how to live in the woods and survive and no one is there how to teach you.

* It's unique in its own way - new content is what every reader needs! Yeah it may be a 'survive or die' novel which is pretty similar to The Hunger Games but it isn't like any other novel I've read or heard before. New content and ideas are always attractive to the average reader so it's much more understandable that something like this novel would do pretty well. I applaude to the up and coming authors that have the guts to write about something that hasn't really ever been written before. I feel like that's the true art of being an author. You hook readers by being the one with fresh and new ideas. That's how you become a best selling author (think about every best-selling author you've read - is every one unique from the other? Yup, thought so).

Overall I have given this novel a four out of five stars. This book was so bloody and brutal so obviously it may not be the best for very squeamish or easily offended people (However I'm pretty squeamish so it didn't sicken me that much). It was highly descriptive and well thought through. I did absolutely love it and basic enough for me to feel hopeful about my own writing (This is literally what I think about everytime I read a novel). I can't wait to get into The Death Code but at the same time I'm already wishing it wouldn't end so soon. Fanfiction anyone?

Go add The Murder Complex to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham: Book Review

From the acclaimed creator, producer, and star of HBO's Girls comes a hilarious, wise, and fiercely candid collection of personal essays that establishes Lena Dunham as one of the most original young talents writing today.

In Not that Kind of Girl, Dunham illuminates the experiences that are part of making one's way in the world: falling in love, feeling alone, being ten pounds overweight despite eating only health food, having to prove yourself in a room full of men twice your age, finding true love, and, most of all, having the guts to believe that your story is one that deserves to be told.

Exuberant, moving, and keenly observed, Not that Kind of Girl is a series of dispatches from the frontlines of the struggle that is growing up. "I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you," Dunham writes. "But if I can take what I've learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile."

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Lena Dunham is an actress that I have yet to learn much more about in terms of actually just watching her on her tv show, Girls which she wrote, produced and directed. Since finishing her memoir I feel like I only really know who she was when she was younger and not as successful as she is now. The book includes almost every embarrasing moment, every down side to life and every upside, the perks of living in New York and not needing to worry about getting your license because who does that in a city where everyone gets around in cabs anyway. Lena has always been destined for success and a job in something where she can say the word, "vagina" ten times in a row without getting fired or having weird looks from her co-workers.

Lena is funny, sarcastic and intelligent and all this shines throughout her constant witty humor. The book is ordered in a range of topics which include personal body issues such as weight, diets, and sex. She also mentions love, relationships and friendships; all of which have a completely different outcome. We get an exclusive sneak peak into her schedule of what she ate each day and the count of calories so that we can start feeling self conscious about what we ate in the day and start counting the calorie intake of that. However, it's all good - this is Lena Dunham and she is teaching us that we can do everything she's done and still become a Hollywood success like herself if we dare to dream. I feel like the point of this book is to completely reveal herself as an open and honest person to prove that not everyone who makes it in Hollywood is all perfect and pristine. They're not all the type of people who will f*ck their way to the top in the hopes of big money and fancy parties so they can say they talked to JLo but really they just fell into her while drunk off their ass and said a brief, "Sorry".

Things I LOVE about Not That Kind Of Girl:

* Lena is totally raw and open about her experiences! If there was a definition of a type of girl that literally did not give two asses about what anyone thought of her or what she put in a memoir, the answer to that my friend, is Lena Dunham. She is such an out-there chick and to be fully honest I would absolutely love to have an interview with her and then go out for drinks after to get drunk and talk about what life means. Lena is the girl that you can't expect to be who you want and I appreciate people like that. We need more people in the world like Lena Dunham.

* The "10 Things I've Learned..." lists are the most hilarious parts of this book and I will re-read every single list again just to laugh out loud! If there is anything I've learnt about reading Lena's memoir, it is that I need to add the "10 things..." list because everybody loves reading ten basic things you like, love, hate or just learnt about something or someone. Okay wait, nah that's just me but if that's you too then I like you already.

* I feel sorry for the shit she's gone through even though she doesn't make you feel like that on purpose. It's the point of a memoir, you're honest with your readers! I absolutely love how she's so honest about her relationships and what she's had to deal with in the past. I'm so glad she's been able to find someone deserving of her and who makes her happy. The dicks who have just used her as a play-thing make me wanna go hug her and then hunt them down with a paintball gun and shoot them in the crotch. Yeah I'm a little sadistic when it comes to getting guys back for being an asshole to either me or others. Lena should have that friend.

Overall I have given this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars because she is so descriptive and has written her memoir almost like if her life was just out of a drama novel. It pulls you in and even though my eyes sometimes got lazy and didn't want to read or process some of the "big" words, Lena really looked like she put so much effort into this book so she really deserves some extra credit for her work. I hope that her tv show, Girls does really well in the future. I think I might start watching it at some point.

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

Go add Not That Kind Of Girl to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Outsiders by Tammy Ferebee: Book Review

Jaylen Hayes knows that she is different from all other seventeen-year-old girls. Possessing extraordinary intelligence, she is also uncannily powerful and inexplicably hated by wild animals. But it is not until she transfers to Trinity High that she learns the truth about who—and what—she really is. 

Instinctively drawn to two new classmates—the intense and passionate Indigo, and the charismatic and breathtakingly gorgeous Michael—Jaylen soon learns the shocking secret of their shared heritage, and the bloodline that extends to the stars. However, all is not what it seems, and Jaylen soon finds her newfound security threatened when a trusted friend becomes a dangerous and vengeful enemy.

*I received a copy of this book from Tammy in exchange for an honest review!*

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Well I am literally lost for words. I have just finished this novel and now I have to attempt to organised all my crazy thoughts and emotions into writing a great review - because it was literally that brilliant! When I first found Tammy and learnt a bit more about her novel, Outsiders through a video she posted on her YouTube channel explaining the book and reading the blurb so that we could have somewhat of an idea as to what it was about. I am literally so glad that I found her because this book had me pining for more and more. Basically I couldn't handle not reading it, so I did everything that was required to have the house clean and everyone fed so that I could lock myself away in my bedroom, sit down on the bed and binge read until the end. It was only a few moments ago that I finally came back to civilisation and realise that Jaylen and Michael were just fictional characters and there's no such thing as aliens with super powers (well you never know, I might actually believe that) and so here I am - back to my own life where I am suffering through a major book hangover, drinking tea and writing this review.

Now please don't sit here reading this thinking that I'm only saying this much because I offered to do a review for Tammy and I only want to give her a review she'll want to hear. Well actually, no. That's not why I'm writing such an awesome review. Before I asked for a review copy, I had the strangest feeling that this was something I really wanted to read. Now as some people may know, I'm pretty hard to impress if a book isn't written well and usually my first gut instinct about a book is right. In this case, I was absolutely right and I couldn't thank Tammy more for being so good at this and making me believe in myself more as a writer as well. Tammy has pure talent as an author and even though it was self published, I'm more than positive that a company like HarperCollins would have snatched the manuscript up in a heartbeat. Even so, I love the cover design and how the name, "Outsiders" has been made into a font which resonates the eeriness of the novel. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of awesome events that happen and relationship drama's that makes you want the popcorn every two seconds - this novel definitely has it's fair share of scares and heart attacks. I have to admit, at least twice I basically wanted to cry my heart out for the characters but I couldn't or I'd look seriously psychotic in front of Chad. But I can say that this is one hell of an emotional rollercoaster, and you are bound to want to get on!

If I could say anything about the main character, Jaylen, it would be to mention how strong of an individual she is. The fact that she has been through so much with being through foster homes and two of her mother's dying; her real one when she was a little girl and her perfect foster mother when she was much older. I wish I were as tough as her and be able to stop myself from crying so easily - that takes massive talent! The fact that she started to live with Ms. Ward, the woman who put Jaylen in and out of foster homes through out her childhood, is a pretty major difference and a bit awkward, but like any other novel there is definitely development after time being spent together. The girl Indigo, who she met at her first day at Trinity High, was a great first friendship for Jaylen and really brought her out of her shell. When Jaylen met Michael, hearts were everywhere and of course Jaylen was in denial, more so thanks to Indigo, but what school is there where a friend of yours won't get even the tiniest bit jealous over the attention you're receiving from the guy she likes too, but is thankfully more interested in you? I like how Michael was a respectful male who had a good relationship with his mum. I also like how there is a reoccurring theme of a broken family, where Michael never knew his father either. This novel definitely had a strong theme of Americanized schooling showing through how the school handled things with classes, the fact that Prom was a massive thing and the harsh yet truthful discussion in the classroom that only the 'more attractive' people are chosen as Prom King or Queen, and how the graduation is taken as a massive milestone in life leading to their future at a faraway College. This is really interesting for someone like me who isn't immersed in that type of high school culture and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the storyline, even when it almost had me in tears.

Overall I have given this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars for its overall awesomeness and how much it drew me in. I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait until the second one is released so I can find out what happens next! Amazing work, Tammy! I hope you decide to hit me up in the future so I can read more great content from you!

Go add Outsiders to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE
(Please keep in mind that this is only the case if they have it in stock)

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

"The Inked Fae" Excerpt!: by Ella Fleming-Christie

Hey everyone! I've recently gone back to my story that I've been writing, "The Inked Fae" and edited the first chapter a bit more so that I can present it to you guys in a considerable manner. I am really proud of my story and the way I have researched almost every little detail of what I would like to present in my book so that it will be as enjoyable for you to read as it is for me to write it. I hope that you become as immersed with Faylinn, the main protagonist, as much as I have. Here is the very first chapter for you to enjoy!

The Inked Fae

By Ella Fleming-Christie

Chapter One

“I swear to god I didn’t do it!” I protested as my mother outstretched my arm exposing the ever so beautiful water tattoo that just happened to magically appear on the inside of my right forearm overnight. It was a picturesque pure white andalusian horse which appeared to be galloping and it had intricate swirls of different colours that included yellow, red, blue, green and purple circling around like a mini tornado. I just couldn’t explain myself. It had just appeared as I woke up this morning. Of course, my mom would never believe me. Yeah Mom, of course I’m not lying. A tattoo just magically appeared on my wrist the night after my sixteenth birthday party. You know I would never do such a thing. Nope. She would never believe me. Unless she believed in magic which I doubted would help in this situation. Even though she was fully qualified as a High Priestess of Wicca since she took a course with “Sacred Mists Online College” which was practically magic I guess, although none of the stuff she did made much sense anyway.

“I told you, no crazy stunts or acts of stupidness. This included.” She chastised while pointing at my arm. “Just because you’re sixteen now and able to make more decisions for yourself, that doesn’t mean you should go crazy with the call of opportunity. You are a ‘straight A’ student. Imagine what the teachers will think of your actions.” There was almost a flicker of sorrow that crossed her face which disappeared as quickly as it came. She apparently didn’t have an easy life growing up so she knew what it was like to make stupid decisions too. But the difference was that this wasn’t my decision. It definitely wasn’t there when I went to bed last night. I would have definitely noticed something so out of the ordinary.

“Mom, I swear to the Goddess, I did not do this nor did I even want it. I don’t think I would have missed something as crazy as this. I was perfectly conscious the whole night. Plus you know I’m not a drinker.”

“Ok darling. Well when you can give me a reasonable explanation on how this tattoo was placed on your arm without you even knowing, then I shall believe you.” She studied the work of art for a little bit longer before she turned to retrieve the toast that had popped out of the toaster. “So, what did you want for breakfast?”

I stared at her blankly. “I’m not that hungry.”

“I’ll cut up some fruit for you. After all, you’re a maturing teenager. You need all the food you can get,” My mom replied with a stifled grin.

It was true, I wasn’t overly big in size. In fact you could compare my body shape to a pixie. If they even existed––something which I certainly didn’t ever question about. I kind of doubted that I would ever immensely expand just because my body was meant to somehow now not able to process food as quickly as before. If anything I wanted a few curves. I wasn’t that stereotypical sexy, tan, blonde chick. I was more of a supermodel thin with the flawless pale skin stereotype. My hair was a mousy brown and my eyes were a special kind of violet. No one else I knew had the same eye colour. It was funny because I didn’t look like my mother in the slightest. She always said I looked like my father but she never had photos of him. She only had a bad sketch which some random artist had done for her by giving him details about my father’s facial details so I never really knew exactly what he looked like. Sometimes I wished that I knew where he was but even my mother was clueless of his whereabouts. According to my mom he left when I was only a baby, claiming he had to be somewhere more important. She always said that the reason for his sudden departure wasn’t as bad as it sounded. There were just things she couldn’t quite explain until I was old enough to understand. That thought struck a heartstring. Maybe I was old enough now to know what my mum had meant all those years.

“Mom…” I said hesitantly.

“Yes, darling?”

All of a sudden I found a rush of strength which enabled me to say the words and I sat up straighter in my chair, “Where’s my dad?” My mother’s body stiffened and she slowly twisted around to place my bowl of fruit salad in my hands. I really didn’t have an appetite but I knew she expected me to finish my food before I left for school. “I’m old enough to know now. I’m sixteen and practically an adult. I think you need to explain to me what really happened back then and where he is now,” I spoke without hesitation.

An instant look of shock set on her face and pursed her lips, almost like she didn’t know how to respond to my assertiveness. I was certainly never this demanding when I was younger even as a little kid, but now I felt a surge of energy flow through me; a feeling of wanting to know who I was and who my father was. “I see that you have grown into a strong confident woman and I should start to acknowledge that. But can this specific subject wait? At least until after dinner tonight? I need to think about this. It’s hard to explain but you will soon realise why.”

I couldn’t understand how hard it would be to tell me. Could it really be that bad? Did he die? Was he a marine in the army who just never came back? Or did he just leave with a stupid excuse because he didn’t care about us anymore? My mind started fooling with my emotions and I started to feel lightheaded. “Ok, that’s fine.” I tried a spoonful of the fruit my mother left in front of me to distract the tension I felt practically sizzling in the air. I felt a little better eating something although I still wasn’t hungry. It sweetened my tongue and filled my body with natural sugar fueling me with at least a little enthusiasm to want go to school. I just wanted to get it over and done with. I wanted to know now but I knew that I couldn’t persuade her to tell me any sooner. She was the light hearted kind and the thought of my dad upset her a little. My mom had never dated anyone from the time that he left. Maybe she thought he would come back one day. Or maybe she just knew he was gone for good but just never got over him. Although still massively curious, I got up from the seat in the kitchen to grab my bag and start leaving for school. “Thanks Mom,” I murmured monotonously.

“Oh, Fay?”

I quickly spun around to see if she was going to say something more about my unknown father. “Yeah?”

“Be careful now. It’s a big world out there and very easy to run into trouble. All I’m saying is re-evaluate everything you think you know and keep an open mind. I just want you to stay safe and know that I love you.”

Disappointed about the lack of information and her unwillingness to speak about the subject any sooner, I promised her exactly that. Then I walked out the front door without saying goodbye.

That night we sat silently on the couches separated from each other; one end of the couch each to ourselves. Normally I would sit right next to her and she would stroke my hair while I leant on her shoulder. But tonight was different. There were unanswered questions that I wanted solved and she was definitely taking her time. I decided to take a stand and start off the interrogation, as a policeman to a suspect.

“Ok… Mom. I know this is going to be hard for you. But right now I am asking––as your daughter––for you to just please toughen up a little and give me a straight answer.” My heart instantly started to race. I had never spoken so boldly towards my mother before but I just couldn’t take the suspense any longer.

She closed her eyes for what seemed like forever and then inhaled and exhaled deeply - almost as if she was meditating. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and smiled. “You’re father would have been so proud of what you have become. You are exactly how he said you would turn out to be.”

I didn’t understand one bit. Was he a psychic of some sort? I was sure you couldn’t exactly determine how your children would turn out unless you were the one to parent them and he certainly wasn’t here for a massive fraction of my life.

“Faylinn, I have to tell you something that you may not believe and it very well has almost everything to do with that artwork on your arm.”

“What? This monstrosity? The thing you couldn’t believe me about this morning and you gave me hell for it?” Her hypocrisy was fueling an explosion of my emotions. It wasn’t what I needed if I wanted to get information about my dad but I was definitely finding it hard to contain. It was also the first time in years that she had called me by my full name. I stopped myself for a second and took a breath. “Wait… so you mean to say that you knew about this before it even happened? Did you arrange this or something? Like have someone drug and ink me while I was out cold?”

She sighed heavily, “No, I had nothing to do with it. I’m not like you. Well I am, I’m just not the same right now.” I almost took offence until all of a serious expression took over her face, “You have history which makes you different from everyone else. Well mostly. There are other fae kids such as yourself, although you’re somewhat of a different case. We were talking about it last night.”

“What are you talking about, Mom? You’re seriously freaking me out now. . . We?” I looked at her with wide eyes. What was she trying to tell me?

“An old friend came to see me last night while you were out. Someone very important; he knew your dad.” She sighed heavily, “You are needed somewhere else, Fay. You say that you are old enough to take on responsibility and be mature for all that it’s worth. You need to realise that everything you decide now places you between the possibility of life or death. The tattoo and the horse within the art; the weird sensations and changes you may already be starting to feel; demanding to know who, what and where your father is, there is all a reason for these sudden changes. There is also a reason we have a similar tattoo.” With a sudden movement she slid her top up and just to the right of her belly button was the most beautiful tattoo artwork of a swan with green intricate lines swirling around it almost exactly like mine.

I became too enveloped in shock to breathe. The room suddenly felt too occupied, like there was only enough oxygen to supply one person. I wasn’t too sure I’d be particularly thrilled about where she was going with this. Finally I managed to compose myself enough to squeeze out a reply, “Mom… just tell me.”

She repeated the deep meditational breathing and locked her eyes onto mine. I felt like she was a monk about to reveal my destiny to me or something. Pssh.

“Faylinn, you are a faerie.”

I really hope you enjoyed reading the excerpt! Please let me know what you thought of it; whether it sounds like it could be published or whether it needs a bunch more work! I would love to post another couple of chapters so you get to know a couple more characters of which I absolutely love and experience Faylinn use her powers unexpectedly for the first time.

If you wish to contact me about a publishing deal or something else then please contact me through my business email: B.theclairsentient@gmail.com

What was the most intriguing thing about the excerpt you just read? Let me know in the comments below!

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Book Review

Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It's a story that's literally burning to be told. LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution. ELIAS is the academy's finest soldier-- and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he's ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor. When Laia and Elias's paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself. Vow your blood and body to the empire. Keep your heart for yourself.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Much like any other novel, this particular story left me torn with emotions and a hunger to read more. 'An Ember In The Ashes' did not fail to impress me whatsoever; from the skill of writing to the character development to almost making me tear up because I felt so bad for some of the characters and what they dealt with. The way this book was written I could easily visualise every little detail of how the characters looked or what scar a certain slave had or where they were in terms of setting. Sabaa Tahir is truly a phenomenal author who I will be eager to read more from. Finishing book one and feeling like there is so much more to the story is definitely something that helps an author stay in business. What I feel after reading this book is a vast range of thoughts and feelings, ones which include potentially being one of those people who will do anything and everything to get the second book as soon as it is released. I'm sure it will be a long and torturous wait.

Starting the story off with Laia was the perfect way to show the harsh reality of the world in which it is set. Showing how her brother Darin was off doing things that he couldn't mention and the way she was left at home helping out her grandparents showed a great big picture of the situation without having to actually say it along with bringing up other vital questions which are of course later on answered. Her parents were not around; where were they and what happened to them? Darin was mentioned coming home late holding a sketchbook, something of which he would not show Laia yet he asked her to hide it before the Mask's came and found it; what had he seen and sketched that was so bad that the Mask's came to retrieve it? Things like this in a novel make me really appreciate how much thought the author puts into a story before they write it. It all adds up and makes sense later on. The way Elias' point of view started off was also gave a great first perspective on not only how tough the discipline is at Blackcliff Academy, but also what would happen if Elias did decide to desert like the kid that got caught. Both realities are described effortlessly and it gives the novel an awesome head start.

Laia's development from the start of the novel to the end was a tremendous change considering her courage and bravery. Through the hardships that she went through, too many for me to count, she seemed to take these and turn them into a fuel for purpose like they mention in the novel. At first, her only reason for seeking any sort of aid and hope was through saving her brother but I feel like she developed a lot throughout the book and ended up realising that in order to do good and be somewhat of a saviour to her people and the ones she loved, she had to rise up against the odds and snuff out whatever fear she had in order to become the Laia who would stand up for herself and others.

Elias I felt didn't have a major transformation in terms of courage or bravery. For him I feel like he more so developed a sense of righteousness in what he really believed in and the fact that Blackcliff Academy wasn't what it was made out to be by the Augurs, Masks and the Empire. His friendship with Helene was sweet and it was a true camaraderie throughout the novel, at some points I even felt like they would have been great together as a couple. Marcus absolutely grated my nerves but I think that was totally the point. You've gotta have the most annoying sidekick for the main villain. This is where I mention the Commandant; that low-life, selfish, wench (the best thing I can say without swearing) never had even the tiniest soft spot and I felt no sympathy for her whatsoever. I think that the disconnection between her and Elias, having no mother-and-son connection, really brought tension and purpose to the novel. I feel like she is the true villain of this novel through everything she had orchestrated and done to her slaves throughout the years at Blackcliff Academy.

I have to say that this novel was brilliant and heart-stopping, one of the best debut novels I have ever read and I truly cannot wait to see what is next! I have given this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because I may not have obsessed over it like I did Throne of Glass, just due to my typical nature of truly loving the typical high/dark fantasy novels with faeries and magic, but this book was just enough to keep my heart pounding and aching for more.

Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy! Go like their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz?fref=ts

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Swoon by Nina Malkin: Book Review

Sin is coming... Prepare to Swoon. 

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him—but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent—and irresistible—adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him. 

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Swoon was definitely a book I had trouble reading although I eventually managed to finish. Starting off I wasn't crazily intrigued, nor was the mid section of the book yet I was definitely shocked to see so much content written into the storyline that I would have never have even guessed by just looking at the cover or reading the description. I have never quite read a book as outspoken and real as this. My first advice to you as a reader of this novel, is that if you are not into hearing intimate details about 'certain experiences', then I suggest you do not read this book.

Throughout the book, I couldn't really decide whether the book was okay - just well written, or just really, really bad overall. I can't lie, the author, Nina Malkin, has some talent in the writing department, but I just couldn't get over how unimportant most of the points were in the book and I had myself wondering whether I should just put the book down and never pick it up again, or pick it up, suck it up, and finish the damned thing. The one thing that disappointed me most about the storyline is that it never really had a climax and the ending was just as disappointing and confusing all at the same time. Maybe this was part of the reason I never really found myself enjoying the book as much as I tried to find some reason to.

What annoyed me the most about the relationship between Dice and Sin was the fact that she really only fell for him the second she looked at him. Apart from hearing his story and feeling his pain for his past loss, I really feel like she didn't ever really get to know the person he actually was before deciding about her feelings for him. The fact that he possessed Dice's cousin, Pen for about a third of the novel was just plain awkward. I honestly don't see how she could have fallen for Sin more whilst possessing Pen as the two girls are closely related and all he ever did was bring major trouble to the town of Swoon. That should have been enough warning signs for anyone. Personally I feel like this relationship wasn't very realistic and had absolutely no development in my eyes, and if there was any intended, it came about in the wrong context. Dice and Pen shared a very close relationship throughout the novel, even though they had previously been living apart from each other practically their whole lives and the fact that they treated each other like sisters practically straight away was very disorientating and completely unrealistic. In order to have such a friendship between two individuals, I would expect at least some perverse start to their relationship and then slowly getting along as cousins before they start sharing intimate details about their love lives.

As for the plot line I'd have to say that everything was really all over the place and it made me feel like this story probably hadn't been really thought through before it was written. I feel like Malkin shows talent in the way she can complete a sentence with such detail, accurate literature and punctuation, but her ability to explain and plot a story hasn't excelled in this particular novel. I felt confused reading this and beginning every chapter I felt lost and redirected into a different direction for no reason. I'd like to say that I enjoyed this book due to the themes of psychism because that is something that would make me jump into reading a book. Unfortunately it failed to do it's purpose and satisfy my reading needs especially after reading such an amazing book by Sarah J. Maas - my writing standards had been raised dramatically. Sorry Nina Malkin!

Overall I have to give this book a 2 out of 5 stars because sadly it held absolutely no interest for me. If you're someone who isn't too fussy about the plot of a book and enjoys reading something that doesn't make much sense or isn't totally realistic, then this book is for you. Nina Malkin is great with her words, just not with the storyline and I hope that one day I will find something of hers that I actually enjoy.

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http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith