Book Mix & Match 6

To go with this lovely collection of books, I've made a Collection Cocktail. Shake with ice: 3/4 shot vodka, 3/4 shot lemon vodka, 3/4 shot Benedictine, 3/4 shot Blackberry liqueur and 1/2 shot lime juice. Strain into a martini glass. I would love to know if you make the cocktail, share your pictures and tag me so I can see your creations!

Outside - Sarah Ann Juckes

Ele believes in the Outside even if none of the Others do. She's been in the Tower forever and the only thing she sees from the Outside is Him, but she knows it's there and she is determined to find a way out.

Hints of the shocking truth keep coming through and I found myself constantly revising my ideas of what was happening and who the others were. Even after finishing the book I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The Masked City - Genevieve Cogman

Irene is a very rare librarian, she works for the Invisible Library but unlike most of her colleagues, she was actually born to two librarians. When her assistant, Kai, is kidnapped, she takes the full weight of responsibility and blames herself. Despite the many powers of the kidnappers, it is up to her to rescue him and hopefully prevent a war between the Fae and the Dragons. 

Irene is a brave, accomplished and quick thinking character. Fiercely loyal to the library, but still thinking for herself. I would LOVE to be able to use the Language. Librarians can use it like magic and it would be amazing to have that power. Even without it, working as a library-spy sounds intriguing. This is the second book of the Invisible Library series and I am so looking forward to reading more.

The Binding - Bridget Collins

The blurb for this book was intriguing, but the ideas that hooked me also horrified me! I love books about books, but this is quite different. In this world, books are memories, bound when someone wants to forget something from their life. Most people are repulsed by the idea while others look to profit from it.

I immediately felt for Emmett who tries so hard not to be a burden on his family. He believes he's been ill for a long time and even now finds working on his family's farm very difficult, blaming himself for everything that goes wrong. When the local binder requests him to be her apprentice, he doesn't want to go. He remembers how disgusted his father was when he saw him reading a book as a child. Now he knows better than to have anything to do with books. But it doesn't seem that he has a choice and finds himself settling into life with the binder as if he was made for it.

I found myself completely absorbed by the writing and intrigued to know what would happen to Emmett. 

Vote for Effie - Laura Wood

Effie has just started at a new school and it's not long before she finds plenty of injustice to fight against. She decides to run against the unrivalled Junior school president and champion anyone who needs support at the school. I really enjoyed reading about Effie's plans to change her new school for the better, and her absolute determination to win the election.

I could really empathise with Effie and her Greek family. My favourite character was Lil, Effie's little sister. She was so funny! I sometimes think younger books can seem quite childish but this one is easy to read for all ages.

Oh My Gods - Alexandra Sheppard

I love anything to do with mythology, particularly Greek so that meant I just had to read this book. Being half Greek, though unfortunately not half Goddess, made it even more appealing.

Helen is such a down to Earth, normal girl apart from the little matter of her father being the King of the Greek Gods. She hasn't had the easiest life so far and now she just wants to settle down in her new home, make some friends at school and maybe even have her first real kiss. Of course, life never goes to plan and her new family cause no end of problems for her.

Though the Gods have been around for centuries, they can still learn something from Helen. She's a normal girl but when she's needed, she finds the bravery inside her and shows the Gods who is wisest! I really hope there will be more books starring Helen.

Have you read any of these books? Which would you pick up first? Let me know in the comments!

Perfectly Preventable Deaths - Deirdre Sullivan

Madeline and Catlin move to the remote town of Ballyfrann when their mother remarries. The fact that their new stepfather lives in a castle isn't anywhere near the most peculiar thing about their new life and home. The people are mysterious and distant, everyone seems to have secrets. When Catlin falls in love, Madeline is convinced there is something sinister about Lon. Madeline gradually has to accept that there is a power to her strange feelings and inexplicable gathering habits. But she has always had big plans for her life, now she has to decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to save her twin sister.

I can't imagine what it would be like to move to such a new place. Living in a castle, knowing nothing about the town. There's also the question of what actually happened to their father. He is mentioned but you still want to know more.

The story is quite slow moving but I really liked the writing. It is so descriptive and emotive without being too flowery. You feel the danger and mystery. The book isn't exactly action packed but the plot is subtle. I found the girls' language a bit strange though. Madeline talks a bit teenage-speak even just to herself. They also very rarely seem to have an accent but it pops up now and then.

Two words that stand out in the book are salt and bird. Once you read it you'll know why! So here is the Salty Bird cocktail. It came out such a gorgeous colour and so lovely and frothy. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Put all the following ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake well, then pour into a tall ice-filled glass. 1&1/2 shots white rum, 3/4 shot Campari (I used Aperol which worked very well), 1&1/2 shots pineapple juice, 1/2 shot lime juice. 1/4 shot sugar syrup, a pinch of salt.

Emily Eternal - M.G. Wheaton

More than just an Artificial Intelligence, Emily is an Artificial Consciousness. She lives like a normal human as much as possible, with a whole campus simulation to walk around, a dorm room and even kitchen gadgets that she can't quite figure out. Emily can actually feel emotions, though she does like to check that some of them haven't just been programmed in. 

Emily was created to be a kind of virtual psychiatrist, but when the world discovers that the sun is dying much sooner than anyone ever imagined, her brain is needed to help find a solution. After seemingly endless attempts to find a answer, a group of scientists require Emily's help to save all of humanity digitally instead. However, it is while doing this that Emily discovers a different possibility. She sees an alternative that might just work to actually save people's lives.

I really liked the way Emily was revealed to the reader gradually at the start. It is so fascinating seeing how Emily's mind works and following the connections she makes. She has such an amazing brain but at the same time is a very relatable, wonderful character. This book had a fantastic mix of science and emotion, with mystery, intrigue, and a dash of romance. I never could have imagined the solution Emily comes up with, she manages to keep you guessing all through.

In consideration of Emily's indomitable spirit, here's an Eternal Spirit to sip on while reading.

Mix all the following ingredients in a shaker with ice, then fine strain into a cocktail glass: 1&1/2 shots white rum, 1/2 shot vermouth, 1/3 shot amaretto, 2/3 shot lemon juice, 3 slices of peeled cucumber, 1 teaspoon sugar. 

Sanctuary - V.V. James

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a massive fan of Vic James so of course I was desperate to get my hands on her new book as soon as she hinted about it on twitter. Anything she writes is bound to have me hooked and her description of the new witchy thriller meant I couldn't wait to read it. 

To start with, I found it just slightly confusing as it involves a lot of characters and the chapters are from different characters' points of view. I'm not usually a fan of this type of book. However, I do like knowing the various characters' thoughts and it didn't take me very long to get completely stuck into the story.

Maggie is a detective brought in to investigate a case in Sanctuary, the small town she used to live in. Her boss and the local sheriff both encourage her to make the investigation quick. A fire at a house party and an accidental death. But the more she investigates, the less simple it all seems. Could it be murder, and could magic have been involved?

In Sanctuary, everyone has secrets. Only Sarah Fenn, the town witch, seems to know most of them. But she doesn't know everything, even some secrets right under her nose. On top of this there are so many misunderstandings. Though the families had been friends for years, the mothers had no idea what was going on now that their children were teenagers. The relationship between the mothers did not mirror their kids' friendships at all. The situation gets more and more complicated and when things eventually get out of hand it is terrifying, like mass hysteria and mob mentality and the worst parts of everyone all rolled into one.

Vic's writing itself is like magic. She just leads you where she wants you to go and you follow along thinking you're cleverly working it all out yourself. Then the twists come and you realise you only thought what she wanted you to think! It's a beautiful cover too, in a way describing how isolated and apart the town is, as well as possibly hinting at something to come.

The Sanctuary cocktail actually uses Amer Picon, but as this is not the most common home ingredient (I didn't have any) I did a bit of research and found that Aperol is an acceptable substitute. In my opinion I think it probably improves it.

In a jar with ice, stir together 2 shots of Dubonnet Red, 1 shot of Aperol and 1/2 shot of triple sec. Then strain into a martini glass.

The Boy Who Steals Houses - C.G. Drews

I'm so excited to be part of the Book Blitz for C.G. Drews' second book. This is one book that I read as soon as it arrived in the post, which is EXTREMELY rare for me! If you haven't yet read her first amazing book, A Thousand Perfect Notes, have a look at my review, and for anyone somehow unfamiliar with the author (aliens maybe???), check out her wonderful blog, it's one of my favourites!

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.

But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

   

Sam survives by breaking into empty houses for somewhere to sleep at night. Though his brother is a couple of years older than him, he has constantly had to be the grown up and is always thinking about how he can protect Avery.
My heart broke over and over again for what Sam and Avery go through. I just wanted to bawl my eyes out by the end. I couldn't figure out how it could possibly end well, but the ending was absolutely perfect.

He's officially taken house burglary to the next level. Forget stealing a bed, a key, a home for the night. He's stealing families and their Sunday lunches.

Sam's love interest in the book is Moxie, and she absolutely loves caramel so I had to pair this book with a caramel cocktail. The Caramel Apple Martini from the Martini Diva is pretty simple to make but absolutely delicious. You can find the instructions here.

Giveaway!

Obviously you'll now be desperate to read the book so I am very excited to share a giveaway where you can win a signed and annotated copy of the book as well as an art print.

Click here for a chance to win!

But just in case you don't win, here are the links to buy:

Australia and New Zealand: Angus and Robinson  Booktopia  Amazon Australia  Fishpond

International: Amazon US  Waterstones  The Book Depository  Wordery