The Waking Land - Callie Bates

I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for this fantastic book. Read on for my review and a competition to win a copy of your very own. And of course a cocktail to make!

A world where magic is forbidden, revered in secret by some, but feared by others.

Elanna was abducted by the king when she was only 5 years old. Brought up by him as a daughter and taught that her real father was a traitor. But is everything she has been taught all these years actually all false? When she is forced to flee after the death of the King, she learns many truths that were hidden from her until now. Including how much magic she has running through her. She discovers that her father believes her to be the reincarnation of Wildegarde, a goddess who could move the Earth and see through the eyes of the animals.

After living most of her life in Eren, Elanna feels Ereni. But when she reaches Caeris the old feelings of her family home come back to her and as she feels her powers growing she realises how much she is also Caerisian. She feels torn between the two places and doesn't want to betray either. Instead she eventually understands that she needs to find a way to unite them under a new King.

Despite being a YA book, Elanna seems very mature and relatable to all ages. I loved the magical world described in the book. I enjoyed this book so much and am so glad I already have book 2 The Memory of Fire to read.

I have a copy of this great book to give away to one lucky winner. You can enter by email or on twitter. Send an email to booktails.comps@gmail.com with 'The Waking Land Competition' in the subject and ensure you're following my blog by email. Or retweet the competition tweet which you'll find on twitter with the hashtag #Booktails. Open UK only, competition ends 24th February.

Forgive me for the cliche but as it's Valentine's Day, I've made a Loved Up cocktail. Shake up the following ingredients with lots of ice and pour into a pretty glass. I've added some edible hearts to garnish. 1 1/2 shots tequila, 1/2 shots of triple sec, chambord and lime juice, 1 shot orange juice and a dash of sugar syrup.

Book Mix & Match 2

Another batch of short pick and mix reviews. Sip on an Aviation as you go flying through all these books! In a shaker, put a 1 & 1/2 shots of gin, 1/2 shot maraschino liqueur, 1/4 shot creme de violette & 1/2 shot lemon juice. Give it a good long shake with plenty of ice and strain into your glass.

Ash and Quill - Rachel Caine
If you aren't familiar with the series, it is set in a world where the Library of Alexandria still exists and holds the majority of power. Jess and his friends have been captured by a group of Burners and find themselved trapped in Philadelphia. They need to use all their strengths and talents to find a way to escape.
I absolutely loved the book, it left me with a huge book hangover and I can't wait for the 4th in the series. For some reason I had the impression it was going to be a trilogy but it soon became apparent that it would be a longer series. I am torn between wanting to know the end and wishing it would last forever!

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe - Lauren James
I loved this book right from the start. Romy's character draws you right in and I was completely hooked immediately. Romy was born on a spaceship sent to colonise a new Earth and she is now the only surviving crew member. She is completely alone until one day she learns that another spaceship has been launched from Earth, with a single passenger called J. While she waits for this ship to catch up with her, their friendship grows through emails, though they take months to transmit. There are references to her parents and the astronauts, but you don't know the full story until it is gradually revealed through the book. About halfway through I started worrying... what if J isn't who he says he is? What if he is but they never manage to meet?
I can't imagine what it would be like to be all alone so far from anyone and anything. Not even able to have a simple conversation with someone. It's hard to say too much without spoilers as there is only one main character but there are unexpected twists and turns.

A Thousand Perfect Notes - C.G. Drews
Beck's mother wants him to be a child prodigy on the piano, to live the life she believes she missed out on and make the family name famous. He spends his life practicing but it is never enough for the Maestro, he is never good enough. He feels like he hates the piano, even though music is his life. The only thing that keeps him going is protecting his little sister. Who knows what his mother might do to punish him if he can't make her proud. When he is paired with August for a school project, Beck tries to be cold and distant, like his mother, but August bashes through his defenses with barely any effort. Your heart breaks with feeling everything that Beck goes through and you can't help but wish for him to be strong and break the cycle before his mother causes irreparable damage to him or his sister.

Inherent Fate - Geanna Culbertson
I really love Crisanta Knight and think she's a great character but far too hard on herself. It feels like the whole defining feature thing makes the characters a bit one dimensional and the others, apart from Daniel, seem like they can never do any wrong. Or at least, that Crisa thinks that about them.
It was great reading about how all the fairy tales on Earth came about, as if they were distortions of real adventures in Book.
Really looking forward to book 4. Love that there are 5 more books but also can't believe I have to wait so long to find out what will happen to Crisa and her friends and Book. Can't wait for the next in the series!

My Side of the Diamond - Sally Gardner
This book took me a little while to get into but then I really enjoyed reading the story from different points of view. Jazmin is the main character and is being interviewed by a somewhat mysterious man. Almost nothing is revealed about him until the end. He goes on to interview other people too and between them you get a picture of aliens, friendship, love, hardship and truth.
Jazmin has been through a lot after her best friend, Becky, disappears. She is torn apart by the courts trying to find out what happened to Becky and Icarus, and what Jazmin's part was in everything. Becky and Icarus jumped from a building but then disappeared into thin air. Their bodies were never found and no one ever found out what happened to them. No one believes Jazmin's side of the story until Mr Jones comes along to interview her and gets the full story from everyone who had a part to play.