The Girl Who Rode The Wind by Stacy Gregg: Book Review

An epic, emotional story of two girls and their bond with beloved horses, the action sweeping between Italy during the Second World War and present day.

When Lola’s grandmother Loretta takes her to Siena, Italy, for the summer, Lola learns of her family’s history of heartbreak and adventure, stretching back to the Second World War. In 1945, Loretta’s nickname was ‘The Daredevil’ due to her fearless competing in the town’s famous Palio horse races – until war broke out and led to sadness and loss for Loretta.

Lola jumps at the chance to enter the modern-day Palio on a beautiful horse called Nico – can she win, in honour of her beloved grandmother? And solve a mystery that will bring happiness and hope to Loretta?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Returning to Stacy Gregg's novels is a breath of fresh air for me. I grew up loving her very first series, "Pony Club Secrets" and reading one of her latest novels such as this one, it has opened my eyes again to my love for horses and has sent a deep ache of pain and agony through me - reminding me of how much I miss having the companionship of a gorgeous horse and being upon his back while soaring across the field in an open canter. Stacy has not failed to impress me with her writing skills, even as a children's author I feel like she has done an impeccable job of conjuring up a story of which delves right into the hearts of horse lovers and brings about a new understanding of the history of WW2 while giving horse racing a whole other meaning of competition. Choosing the famous 'Palio' horse race in Italy was a great choice to write about as it not only was the perfect way of describing passion in horse riding and honour, but teaches children the basics of the war with Hitler and the Nazi's, therefore this would be a great read to prepare any child to the age of thirteen for the harsh and brutal reality of History that they teach you at high school. I wish she had of written this book for me five years ago!

Lola reminded me a lot of how I used to be as a kid, a little bit crazy about horses with a talent to cope with a tempered horse well (according to my old best friend's riding instructor when a Mare I was riding had spooked and I was able to stay on while she had a fit and I eventually calmed her down), yet not very popular at school due to having her nose stuck in a book but having the courage to stand up to a bully if need be. However, Lola seemed a little more courageous than what I was; I don't know whether I would have had the will to enter a race like the Palio if I were in her position! One thing I really liked about Lola is that she cared for the horses to no extent - she would rather worry about them and their safety or comfort rather than her own. One quote from the book that really got me thinking about the type of character Lola really was, said, "Was a feather mattress enough to protect a horse if it crashed at a full gallop?". This made me stop for a second and made me realise how caring she was for a twelve year old girl who was about to ride in the Palio in Italy to regain her family's contrada respect and value. I respect this about Lola as she seemingly retrieved that habit from her Nonna and made sure that the horses came first no matter what. Again she showed this later on in the race but I'll leave that for you to find out!

In terms of character development, both Lola and her Nonna seemed to come a long way and learned a lot through their trip to Nonna Lorretta's home town in Italy. I feel like Lola realised her responsibility by the end of the story to make a good life for herself and her family by deciding on an agreement with her father. Nonna's history played a massive part in this book and it really helped Lola throughout everything she attempted in Italy, but also Nonna had a lot of her own skeletons in her closet which she eventually got around to sorting out and that seemed to bring her and Lola closer together. There were a lot of hidden messages in this novel which I think is highly important for growing children to learn but I think the one thing I got most out of this read was learning to be strong and courageous, but also to forgive, forget and move on because you can't ever truly be happy if you don't eventually deal with your past and let go. It's one thing not only children must learn, but many adults too and I feel like that is another reason why this book is great for any horse lover, any age.

I noticed by the end of the book that there wasn't any sort of minor romance for the main character, Lola as there was for Issie in PCS who had a brief relationship with Aidan but it couldn't stay afloat due to bigger responsibilities. Personally I think that was a good choice as this was more about the retelling of the Palio race and what happened back in the 1940's during the war. Of course there was a bit of romance which took a back seat to the main course of the novel through Nonna's retelling of her bringing up in Italy before she came to America. It was sweet and romantic to read about a grandmother's view of her first love and what happened in the end. Although I truly feel like the real love story was the bond between girl and horse; the relationship between Lola and Nico was strong and showed a fierce passion and connection between the two. That's what I like most about Stacy's books, is that she always has this unending theme of that bond between a human and a horse and that's sometimes all someone, especially a young girl at Lola's age, really ever needs. I'll just quickly add that a rider on a dark bay horse just rode past my house and my heart leapt out of my chest! Stacy, you have made my inside's hurt but also fill me with joy again with this book and I thank you for that.

Overall I have given this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it is such a timeless and ageless read that it could be read by anyone and still be enjoyed, horse lover or not, young or old. Stacy is truly a pony genius and knows exactly how to warm the heart of a pony lover. A great novel for kids to read - I'm not at all surprised that it has won an award!

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

Go add The Girl Who Rode The Wind to your Goodreads list HERE

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

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

Go add An Ember In The Ashes to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

I created my first tag video for Booktube!: Character Habits Tag! - FeathersandFaith

Hey everyone! I finally created my own tag on YouTube! I came up with this idea surprisingly just by not being able to sleep one night! The following morning (after I eventually drifted off to sleep) I wrote everything down so I wouldn't forget it and then the next couple of weeks I spent most of my time sorting it out and figuring out how I would film everything and who I would tag.

Now that I have uploaded it, everyone who I tagged seem to be passionately keen to film their own versions of this and I am so thrilled to be able to hear that from them! I am so interested on seeing how they all portray this tag and what type of scenes/skits they'll do to interpret the characters they have chosen!

If you are wanting to do this tag video, I will leave the tag questions for you all down below!:


Choose a character:

1. Who is too clumsy for their own good
2. Who's love could save the world
3. Who makes decisions then suffers the consequences later
4. Who would die protecting their best friend
5. That would do anything for a family member
6. Who has a revenge plan to take over the world
7. Who is truly lethal, inside and out
8. Who is too serious to take a joke
9. Who has great leadership skills but doesn't realise it/doesn't want to accept responsibility
10. Who is an introvert and doesn't mind being alone


If you decide to do this tag then please comment the link to your video down below! If you have decided that you are not overly confident acting out a scene or talking in front of a camera but you would like to do it in the form of a blog post then you could take photos of you as the character doing their typical habit instead. Remember to also leave the link to your post down below as well so I can go check it out and even retweet it!

I hope you all enjoy this video and I promise that I have many more original videos in the process of being created now so there won't be a short supply of awesomeness! I love you all and I'll talk to you soon!

All the best,

Ella Fleming-Christie - FeathersandFaith xoxo

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Currently Listening To While Reading: "An Ember In The Ashes"

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Crown of Midnight just did it for me. It sealed the deal. I officially don't love any other author as much as I love Sarah J. Maas and her books. This second book in the Throne of Glass series was so good, especially towards the end, that I am literally going to die if I don't either have Queen of Shadows or Assassin's Blade by the time I am done reading Heir of Fire. To say that I absolutely loved this book is a massive understatement; the books just keep getting better and better! Not to mention that knowing this work of pure talent is just more reason for me to want to buy every version of the books in the future - paperback and hardback, normal covers and white covers. I don't doubt for a second that I will be one of Maas' biggest fans yet! With that, I might as well throw in that I also plan on buying Chaol's ring, the Eye of Elena necklace and the Damaris necklace as well from an awesome online store I discovered called Cadsawan. If you would like to as well, check it out here!:

CADSAWAN

This novel in particular had more in store for me than what the first did. Of course I absolutely loved Throne of Glass but the sequel held so much more in terms of betrayal, heartbreak and definitely magic! Nehemia has a bigger part in this instalment, where you will find out the truth about why she's really visiting the castle from Eyllwe and what she really knows about the wyrdmarks. Aside from the fact that the first novel was based on a violent competition, I feel like this book was more gruesome and violent than ToG and that makes it all the more interesting and gripping. At points I found myself mentally gasping over what had happened and wondering about what Celaena really went through while in the care of Arobynn Hamel; which pushes the fact that I still need to read Assassin's Blade with all the stories of Celaena's past. Even so, all the event's of which occurred in Crown of Midnight just made me love her more, no matter how messed up, lethal, or even feral she seemed to be.

In terms of relationship developments, there was a lot for Celaena to gain and a lot to lose, depending on who you're talking about. I feel sad about the fact that she decided not to be with Dorian from Throne of Glass as she felt it was a dangerous game to play whilst in the midst of the King of Adarlan, Celaena having any type of close relationship with the Crown Prince was doubtably something that the King would have any appreciation for. In the light of this, obviously Chaol felt the pressure lift a little and even though he knew he had major respect for Dorian, he couldn't help but feel drawn to Celaena's charming ways. Personally I don't feel like Celaena and Chaol match even though many of my Booktube friends seem to ship them together. I however feel like Celaena and Dorian are a better match, especially in light of the events which happen towards the end of this highly acclaimed novel. This book made me realise how much I love the theme of Faeries and magic. Originally I had first read ACOTAR so I didn't know yet that it was one of Maas' favourite things to write about. I had watched an interview with her and a Booktuber where she spoke of this love of hers for fairytales and writing her own versions, but I didn't realise how passionate she was about this particular subject until reading this novel. This is definitely one of the novels worth looking forward to reading ToG.

I feel like the development of Celaena's character and her personal preferences of what it will take to save Adarlan from the king and the whole of Erilea takes a turn for the best and she eventually realises what is right and who is the one to save it from destruction. Celaena really has come a long way in her eighteen years of life and I feel like she will never suffer enough with the King alive. The emotional destruction that she goes through moulds her and helps her realise what is most important in her life. With Queen Elena to occasionally appear and guide her in the right direction makes my heart warm. It wasn't until this novel that I realised the fact that Celaena never had a mother figure in her life (as far as I know - she could have had one while training with Arobynn but I highly doubt it) and I feel like Queen Elena, even being a spirit that can't be there 24/7 as it drains her power, is the best mother figure to Celaena and I really hope that she has more of a part in the following books - no matter whether she is spirit or not. If she was somehow resurrected from the dead, that would make my day and I bet it would make Celaena's too! Celaena needs more female figures in her life, and I'm sure there will be soon but I honestly wish that Elena could be more of a mother to her because if she deserves anything, it's the love of a mother who understands her pain, her struggle and her history.

Overall I have given this book a 5 out of 5 because it's too good not to read! I would read this over and over and never get bored (I would because I read Breaking Dawn eight times over and was still obsessed with it). I can't wait to get into Heir of Fire because I really want to find out what happens next in the rollercoaster of Celaena Sardothian's life and career as Adarlan's Assassin!

Go add Crown Of Midnight to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout: Book Review

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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This was a novel I literally couldn't wait to get into! Not only had I found out about it through Sasha on Booktube, but I knew it was something that was fast-paced, sexy and had a whole bunch of romance, not to mention frustration (if you catch my drift!). The cover obviously gave a great first impression, other than what I already knew about the book. I felt like this was definitely going to be a novel that I would literally devourer and miss until I got my hands on the sequels. Thankfully I wasn't wrong and I delved into a whole new world where aliens are the new vampires and the threats are bigger than ever! I got through this book in a whole day - thanks to having all this time on my hands waiting for my partner in the car while he was at school. I got as comfortable as a could and dug into what could only be something I would never get out of. Let me just clarify, Jennifer L. Armentrout is now officially among the ranks of Sarah J. Maas in terms of literature hierarchy. I feel like she is definitely someone to consider as a goddess of all authors and in the humor department too. No matter how many jokes I came across or awkward, sexy scenes between Katy and Daemon, I could not help but crack up laughing at everything I read.

Katy is the type of girl that definitely reminded me of... well, me! Wearing tops that say, "My blog is better than your vlog"? Hell yeah she has just made it onto the epic team of "Ella's Favourite Female Heroines"! Katy is a laidback, cool and sophisticated chick who obviously can't help but realise that there are two totally gorgeous twins living next door to where she just moved to from Florida. No thanks to her mum, she is practically forced to go introduce herself to them but finds herself the target of the guy called Daemon who doesn't exactly seem to own a shirt. At all! Thankfully, his twin sister, Dee bumps into Katy at the supermarket and seems to amend the troubles that Daemon set into her head due to his rudeness. Katy definitely knows trouble when she sees it, the problem is that she doesn't see trouble when it is a supernatural matter. Because what human would, right? Apart from this I feel like she knows what she wants and she doesn't just want a quick fling with a guy that'll drop her at the sight of another good looking girl. Unfortunately she doesn't know exactly what type of guy Daemon is yet but she definitely can't resist his charming looks and his arrogance seems to set off a love/hate relationship between the two. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about Daemon. He seems to be a really understanding and caring guy one moment, and then the next he can turn straight into an unbearable asshole who will let another chick sit on his lap and let Katy be humiliated at school. I feel like Katy should have just ditched him at certain points but she did choose wisely to keep her distance emotionally until he started to realise how much he really couldn't live without her.

I absolutely loved Dee! She's the type of sister and best friend that everybody wants and needs in their life! She is positivity personified and the way that she tries to hook up Katy and Daemon is literally the cutest thing, much to her frustration when Daemon doesn't cooperate and ends up making things harder for all of them. Dee seemed to bring a smile to my face when she showed up and I always felt like she needed to be around to be everyone's personal light (no pun intended!). I really hope that in the future novels she will have a better relationship with whoever she's with and have more of a spotlight on her because I really enjoyed reading about her. If she had a spinoff series, I would definitely go buy it and read it!

The plot line kept to it's truth and never wavered or went off in a random tangent which sometimes books seem to do when there is a lot to say and sort out, especially having a lot of characters involved. The biology of how the aliens came to be, how their body chemistry worked and how they got from their home planet to Earth really stuck and sounded logical even for a fictional novel. I feel like this story was more likeable for an alien story as short little green things don't fulfil my interest as much as this novel did and I am truly grateful I read it!

Overall I have given this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it was a great novel. I wasn't as obsessed with it as I was with Throne of Glass or A Court of Thorns and Roses, but it was intriguing enough to make me love it almost as much as Sasha did. This was another novel I read for the Booktube-A-Thon and I'm grateful I sat down and read it as fast as I did.

Go add Obsidian to your Goodreads list HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith