Cover Reveal: Face of Death

Face of Death

(Touch of Death #3) by Kelly Hashway

Having fallen at the hands of Hades, Jodi's enduring torture like she never imagined. Worse, she has to watch her Ophi friends suffer along with her--the punishment doled out by the very people she'd sentenced to life in Tartarus. Hell. This is one reunion Jodi hoped would never happen, but now she must find a way to free them all.

 

Except the underworld is nearly impossible to escape.

 

Jodi's one chance may rest in raising the human soul she killed when she drank Medusa's blood.

 

But splitting her human soul from her Ophi soul means living a double life: One as an Ophi experiencing unspeakable torture and the other as the human she could have been if she never came into her powers. With her two worlds colliding, Jodi will have to make the toughest decision she's faced yet.

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Wow! Face of Death sounds so action-packed  and absolutely intriguing! 

Plus the cover is gorgeous and you should know how I rated book #1 in this trilogy :)

On my TBR Face of Death goes... like right away!!!

TRIANGLES by Kimberly Ann Miller

TRIANGLES
Author: Kimberly Ann Miller
Standalone (but will have a companion novel)
Publication date: June 18th, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Number of Pages: 175
Date read: June 14th, 2013
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction
Source: ARC from Spencer Hill Press
Format: Paperback
Add on Goodreads


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(Description source: Goodreads)

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong? 

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

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I have been dying to read Triangles since I very first found out about it when participating in the cover reveal! Th cover is simply gorgeous, but that's not the only thing gorgeous about this - in fact there are a lot of gorgeous aspects to Triangles: the location! the two guys! and the writing style!!!

Triangles is the story of seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor (by the way, I love her unique name: Autumn Rayne Taylor), who has just recently quit school and is desperately searching for a way out of her hometown. Autumn feels responsible for the fate of her parents and carries the guilt around with her, it especially comes to the surface when she and her sister, Jessica, go on a cruise to the Bermuda Triangles which was organised by her mother years earlier. What makes Autumn more reluctant to go on the cruise? The fact that her shadow, a work mate who has a crush on her, ends up on the very same cruise.

Autumn thinks her vacation can't get much worse... that is, until she starts waking up confronted with alternate realities involving family, boys, secrets and choices. She is also confronted by the possibility of any one of the realities becoming permanent.

Autumn is a very stubborn character, very set in her ways of thinking and seeing things, she has let her grief consume parts of her - the more optimistic, carefree parts of her, and it really shows in her interactions with other people, specifically her interactions with her sister and Joey. But Autumn is also strong and smart, as she lives the alternate realities, she holds tight to her morals and comes to several realisations that you can see giving her the potential to become a better person and someone who makes better decisions.

The plot is very well paced and it is so easy to forget to put this book down, the characters, the storyline, they all serve to pull you in and bring YOU to the realisation that there are some things that mean more, that should be a priority despite more often being pushed aside, and that no matter what you might think, there is always more to people than meets the eye.

Triangles is an absolutely amazing novel and it has made it impossible for me to not read any future books by Kimberly Ann Miller! Triangles definitely has a place on my list of all-time favourites, it teaches you to always look on the bright side of life, it is so insight and heart warming with hidden depth, an absolute must read!!!

I rate TRIANGLES Five out of Five!!!

BLOOD TIES by Gabriella Poole

Book Two in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: February 4th 2010
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 288
Date read: August 31st 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought   
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(Description source: Goodreads)

Suspense builds in the second tale of the Darke Academy, where true graduates take life by the throatThis term the secretive Darke Academy has moved to New York, and Cassie Bell is no longer the innocent new girl. 

Now she is strong, determined, and hiding secrets of her own. 
Cassie has been introduced to the world of the Few and is struggling to come to terms with her astonishing powers, a dangerous romance, and the malevolent spirit inside her, demanding to be fed. 

When an old enemy returns, bent on revenge, Cassie is tested to the limit. 
Can she rescue her friends from a horrific fate, or will she end up destroying them to save herself?

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"Get your Jimmy Choos on, you mean," remarked Cassie under her breath, but she felt a thrill of glamour as she slipped into the gorgeous stilettos. "Am I going to be able to walk?"
"In these shoes you do not walk, Cassie, you stalk.”

Blood Ties further explores the hidden world of the dark and mysterious occurrences at the Darke Academy. 
It continues to follow Cassie Bell as she learns to live with being one of The Few, a very select group of students who have been given beauty, power and someone else's soul in their body.
Cassie is now trapped with Estelle, an old, strong and respected soul in her mind as well, this is no easy feat to deal with when Estelle interrupts her innermost thoughts and contributes her outspoken opinion to most things. 
As Cassie's friendships grow ever stronger with her classmates, especially Isabella, Ranjit and Richard, she begins to get a better view on her life and she begins to get it back on track. With Isabella by her side and the drop dead gorgeous Ranjit as her boyfriend Cassie feels as though she can take on the world. 
That is, until things take a dramatic twist for the worse and the tables turn on them, then Cassie finds herself torn between love, friends and self preservation.

Blood Ties was a great sequel to Secret Lives, it followed on really well from where it left off and kept up the momentum to keep your blood pumping. 
The characters continue to develop, diverting slightly from their stock character persona's and becoming more realistic and relate-able.  
I would love to be able to say that the language becomes more sophisticated and that a wider vernacular is used but alas, sadly it is not the case and it tends to remain mostly at the same level.
 Although the plot line certainly does thicken and intensify, it is sadly quite predictable at times but still maintains some mystery and curiosity for readers.
The next book should be just as good and this series seems to only be getting better, so cannot wait to get my hands on Divided Souls.

“For this lowlife to remain at the Academy while I was expelled is simply...oh dear, how shall we put it?"
"A crime," murmured Sara.
"That's kind, dear Sara, but crime can be fun and sophisticated." Katerina gave a thin-lipped smile as the other three girls chuckled. ."

I rate Blood Ties Four out of Five!

SECRET LIVES by Gabriella Poole

 Book One in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: August 6th 2009
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 288
Date read: August 30th 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought 

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(Description source: Goodreads)

The first in a new series about an exclusive school with a terrible secret—you'll be dying to join the chosen Few

The Darke Academy is a school like no other.

An elite establishment that moves to a new exotic city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated and rich, and the more the new scholarship girl Cassie Bell learns about the Academy, the more curious she becomes. 
What sinister secrets are guarded by The Few, —the select group of students who keep outsiders away?
 Who is the dark stranger prowling the corridors at night? 
And what really happened a year earlier, when the last scholarship girl died in mysterious circumstances?

 Cassie quickly discovers that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but knowing too much can be deadly.

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“Oh, get down from your high horse before you fall off.”

Secret Lives is the enticing first novel in the Darke Academy series. 

It takes flight in the illustrious city of Paris, which you soon realise is the perfect place for the annually moving, elite boarding school, Darke Academy, to be.

When intelligent and very middle class Cassandra Bell, aka Cassie, arrives at the gates of Darke Academy she is in awe of it's size looming over her and its' gothic appearance. 

The prestige and elite standards overwhelm Cassie in not only the sheer size and looks, but also in the attitudes and persona's of the other students.

This being amplified even more so due to her being the looked down upon for being the 'scholarship girl'.

Despite being the insignificant, lowly scholarship girl, Cassie soon makes friends as well as some very important enemies.

 She soon finds herself ensnared within the select, prestigious group within the school named The Few, drawn in by their charisma and effortless good looks Cassie soon discovers a secret that could mean the end of life as she knows it.

When I first set my sights on Secret Lives, I was immediately drawn in and curious about the series. 

The cover alone makes it stand out of the shelf, with the striking title and those menacing, dangerous, yet somewhat alluring eyes. 

These elements accompanied by the  image of what one can only assume to be the academy gives an image that keeps in your mind and provides a sense in intrigue.

Secret Lives  was a bit difficult to get into at the beginning but I kept reading, curious as to where things would lead. I was well rewarded, because the story soon began to fly and I became trapped in Cassie's world with her. At the end of this novel I decided that I simply HAD to read the next few!!

Cassie, despite being the very stereotypical female protagonist, was a decent enough character and I even quite enjoyed how the love triangle was written. 

This is a really good book once it gets going, worth reading and with some great characters!

    

“Pretty?" mused Katerina. "I suppose so. She has unusual looks. True beauty, I think, requires a touch of cruelty. That seems to be missing."
"Good," muttered Cassie under her breath.
Richard shot her a warning look.”

I rate Secret Lives Four out of Five!

TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN by John Marsden

Book one in the Tomorrow series
Publication date: 1993
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (Australia)/ Scholastic
Number of Pages:304
Date read: April 12th 2006
Genre: Realistic Fiction, War, Young Adult
Source: Bought 

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(Description source: Goodreads)

 When Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip in the Australian bush, they find things hideously wrong — their families are gone. Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in their town has been taken prisoner. As the reality of the situation hits them, they must make a decision — run and hide, give themselves up and be with their families, or fight back.

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“At that age you think boys have as much personality as coat hangers and, you don't notice their looks.
Then you grow up.”

Set in country Australia, Tomorrow When the War Began follows the adventures of seven average, naive and inexperienced Australian teenagers and their growth as individuals and as friends. The story takes off with the main character Ellie recounting the events that came to pass since her and her friends went bush for a few days.

As the story begins to flow, it goes from being more of a second person story to completely first person. Tomorrow When the War Began is a gripping story which, from the beginning attaches you to the various different characters. Each of the characters are easy to identify with and have vastly different qualities and identities that make it so that there is someone in there that everyone will grow to adore.

 From the innocent, gullible, sheltered teenagers seen at the beginning of the novel, they begin to change as the harsh reality sets in that Australia is at war and that they need to survive on their own until it's over. That is unless they wish to become captives like the rest of their town and those surrounding.

When they decide to keep themselves from being captured they also decide that it's time, time to help the war efforts and fight back guerrilla style and hit the enemy forces where it hurts, their soldiers, their vehicles and the main routes to their strongholds. But it isn't going to be an easy task and may cost the seven friends their lives. 

Tomorrow When the War Began is an absolutely AMAZING book that really should be on everyone's to read list!!! It is enthralling and I when I first read it I absolutely could NOT put it down, I read it every second that I possibly could and then found myself desperate for the second. These book do not disappoint in the slightest and I recommend them to all readers!
 

“They say teenagers can sleep all day. I often used to look at dogs and be amazed by the way they seemed to sleep for twenty hours a day. But I envied them too. It was the kind of lifestyle I could relate to.

We didn't sleep for twenty hours, but we gave it our best shot.” 

I rate Tomorrow When the War Began Five out of Five!

1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway Winner!!!

Thank you SO much to everyone who entered the giveaway!

You are all so completely awesome!!!

Now, done to business, the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Imel, if you could email me at sam.hawker(at)hotmail(dot)com with your address, I will book your preorder immediately. Congrats!

Waiting on Wednesday (#19) The House of Hades

This is a weekly meme 'Waiting on Wednesday' that I take part in, it is hosted by Breaking the Spine

It is a meme where you post about a yet-to-be-released book that you are looking forward to reading. Here is a book I have been highly anticipating:

The House of Hades 

(Heroes of Olympus #4)

by Rick Riordan

Publication date: October 8th, 2013

Description 

(From Goodreads)

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. 

The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

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I absolutely LOVED The Mark of Athena!!! I cannot wait for The House of Hades, it sounds SO unbelievably awesome!

THE MARK OF ATHENA by Rick Riordan

Book Three in the Heroes of Olympus series
Publication date: October 2nd 2012
Publisher: Puffin
Number of Pages: 572
Date read: June 13th, 2013
Genre: YA, Mythology, Adventure, Action, Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought




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(Description source: Back cover of book)

ONE FATAL PROPHECY.

SEVEN BRAVE DEMIGODS.

A QUEST TO FINS - AND CLOSE - THE DOORS OF DEATH.

Annabeth and her friends Piper, Jason and Leo have landed at Camp Jupiter with one mission in mind. The time has come for Roman and Greek demigods to unite. With Percy Jackson, Hazel and Frank by their side, they must combine forces to find - and close - the Doors of Death.

But Annabeth is hiding a secret - a command from her mother, the goddess of war and wisdom: 'Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.' Annabeth is already risking her life... What more does Athena want her daughter to do?

Now the seven demigods must begin their quest across land and sea to Rome, but what will they have to sacrifice this time - what unspeakable horrors await?

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“Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic; but Percy found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!” 

There are just no words to describe how I am feeling right now, I only just, literally seconds ago, finished reading The Mark of Athena. Suffice to say, I am a MESS! I am hyper-actively bouncing up and down while on the verge of tears. That book! It is amazing, beyond amazing, it is awesome-sauce on a colossal scale! I was so excited to read this book and now I half can't believe I put off reading it for so long, while at the same time I knew subconsciously that if I finished this novel, the wait for The House of Hades would be even more excruciating and I was right, still I am SO glad I finally finished reading this novel!

The Mark of Athena starts off with Annabeth, Piper, Leo and Jason arriving at Camp Jupiter. Percy and Annabeth's reunion was better than I imagined (judo-flips for the win) and the story was got continuously better from there, I mean, it is not possible for Rick Riordan to write a boring scene, it's just an impossibility. Things at Camp Jupiter go awry and there are ever more schemes and meddling afoot. The seven set course for Rome, for more reasons than one and Annabeth has a dangerous mission given to her by her mother, Athena. With so much happening, the heroes barely have any chance to rest, especially since the situations they find themselves landing in just keep getting worse...

As always, the characters, each and every one of them, has a perfectly developed personality with quirks and flaws. Percy and Jason, both natural leaders, find themselves clashing and needing to prove their abilities. There is also some tension that develops between Leo and Frank...

Hazel and Piper are slightly more calm compared to the rest of the group, while Annabeth is at her butt-kicking best - especially with Percy by her side!

My favourite characters are definitely Percy and Annabeth, they are so, so, so incredible and readers will ache and grieve for some of the decisions they are forced to make! Nevertheless, it is impossible not to love Percy and Annabeth in The Mark of Athena.

Now, the plot of this installment in the Heroes of Olympus series reaches new heights - I'm not even sure if Zeus could reach that high. There is action galore, the most insanely fantastic new weapons and ridiculously hilarious and action-packed fight sequences ever seen (think giants and drama)! The Mark of Athena also has to be the most (personally) devastating novel in this series yet, but do Not let that stop you from picking it up!!!

This novel is one that if you do not pick it up and devour it, you have not lived! I recommend it a thousand, million times over: READ IT NOW :) It is PURE genius!!!

**On a side note, I may just go rock in a corner until the 8th of October when I can finally read The House of Hades!

'You had to break,' she scolded it.

The ankle did not reply.

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'The ghost thing won't work,' Otis said. 'Our focus groups say it won't pull ratings.'
'Doubters!'

I rate The Mark of Athena FIVE out of Five!!!

THE SON OF SOBEK by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympian/Kane Chronicles crossover
Publication date: May 7th, 2013
Publisher: Puffin
Number of Pages: 40
Date read: June 13th, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Action, Adventure, Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought
Ebook


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(Description source: Goodreads)

Carter Kane is investigating rumored sightings of a monster on Long Island when he runs into something else: a mysterious boy named Percy Jackson. And their meeting isn't exactly friendly. . .

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A giant fist the size of a dishwasher shimmered into existence and slammed Camper Boy into the next county.

I mean I literally punched him out of his shoes.

Rick Riordan is a genius! In this short story, he brings together two of his series - The Kane Chronicle and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Carter Kane is searching around Long Island for something that has been causing magical disturbances, but so has Percy Jackson. Percy and Carter  clash from the start, due to misunderstandings and male egos. 

This short story is hilarious, there are knock out punches, giant crocodiles and water fights. 

This crossover is amazing in the way it handles two mythologies, two leading characters and so much action, as well as what the implications of such a meeting as that between Carter and Percy could mean.

The Son of Sobek is told from Carter's point of view and will help tide over any readers waiting for the next Rick Riordan novel. You do not necessarily have to have read The Kane Chronicles or Percy Jackson and the Olympians to understand what goes on in this story, but it is best to at least have read one of the series to properly understand the context.

A great way to spend a short amount of time, something you will not regret and that does give avid readers hope about potential future stories.

Camper Boy was sitting nearby in waist-deep water, looking dejected. My magic rope had wrapped round his sword arm,then lashed his hand to the side of his head.

I rate The Son of Sobek Five out of Five!!!

GO ASK ALICE by Anonymous

Publication date: March 5th 1971
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Number of Pages:214
Date read: May 18th 2013
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Source: Bought 

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(Description source: Goodreads)

 January 24th

After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs....

It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life.

Read her diary. 

Enter her world.

You will never forget her.

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“I'm afraid to live and afraid to die.” 

Go Ask Alice is the emotional, heart-wrenching story of a teenage girl. Written by Anonymous, it explores her inner most feelings and experiences and makes readers grow attached to this unnamed girl. 

Since her family moved away for her fathers job 'Alice' has come down from cloud nine when she realizes that this school will be just the same as the last one. She will just be another nobody with very few friends. 
On a holidays to visit her grandparents back in her home town she is invited to a party with the girls from her old school. Feeling accepted for once she goes and is exposed to a dark world full of lies, cheats and drugs. 

As 'Alice' spirals further into this new world she meets new people, falls in love and tries new things. Following the first hand account of this teenage girl as she watches her life spiral out of control and feels powerless to control it. Getting dragged into a world that she barely knew existed and suddenly having so many expectations until her gives teenagers a realistic but terrifying view at the impact that drugs often have on youths.  

Go Ask Alice follows this normal sixteen year old through her day by day life since getting herself the diary. It may not be written in every single day but it makes readers feel involved in the story and is definitely a must read for Young Adults. I LOVE this book, it may not be modern or action- packed, but I recommend this book to all Young Adults because it exposes ideas that aren't generally discussed openly in an interesting and approachable way.

“Even now I'm not really sure which parts of myself are real and which parts are things I've gotten from books.”

I rate Go Ask Alice Five out of Five!

LIFE BEFORE LEGEND by Marie Lu

Prequel in the Legend trilogy
Publication date: January 15th, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Number of Pages: 38
Date read: June 4th, 2013
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Romance, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Source: Bought
Ebook



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(Description source: Goodreads)

Find out more about June and Day in this never-before-seen glimpse into their daily lives before they met in Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND series. 

As twelve-year-olds struggling to survive in two very different worlds within the Republic’s stronghold, June was starting her first day of school at Drake University as the youngest cadet ever admitted, and Day was fighting for food on the streets of the Lake sector. 

LIFE BEFORE LEGEND contains two original stories written by Marie Lu that give readers a sneak peek into the lives of their favorite characters in a thrilling new context.

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"You think I like going hungry?"

The girl laughs at me. "Listen to you, Tough boy. You're so adorable, I could pinch your cheek right off."

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I bet the Republic hasn't seen the last of you.

I smile. No, I sincerely hope that they haven't.

Life Before Legend is two short stories giving an insight into June and Day's lives a few years before they meet in Legend. In these stories, both characters are twelve years old and just finding their way with there recent changes in lifestyle, June being a prodigy starting college and Day being a young and injured fugitive trying to survive.

Day's story is the first of the two and you can't help but love it. It's all about Day's first kiss but it also shows his bravery, his incredible skills and his knack for working against the republic, giving readers a look as to why he made some of the decisions he did. Life Before Legend also shows how much Day really misses his old life, where he had his mother and brothers and a home, how he desperately wants to be a part of a family again.

While June's story shows her relationship with her brother better, how much they love each other and how sweet Metias is, as well as how June became a known troublemaker from her very first day at college. This story helps to add an explanation as to June's behaviour that isn't really covered in Legend, how June struggled to find friends because of her status as prodigy, as well as how she was bullied and not acepted.

These stories are fairly short but they are sweet, fairly action packed and incredibly insightful. If you loved Legend, do yourself a favour and read these stories, they give a small taste of the world you are dying to get back to. Life Before Legend is a cute read that won't take you long but will make you smile!

"Love you," I say.

Metias smiles back at me. "Love you too. Keep at it Junebug - someday, you'll shake the republic to its very core. You'll be absolutely unforgettable. I know it."

I rate Life Before Legend Five out of Five!!!