To Kill a Kingdom - Alexandra Christo

When Elian saves Lira from drowning after her mother turns her human and steals her siren's song, he has no idea this is the same girl who almost killed him. Still he doesn't know if he can trust her though they may need to work together to find what they are both looking for.

Lira and Elian are both great characters with as many similarities as they have differences. Both are reluctant royal heirs to their kingdom's throne and both feel like they cannot live up to their parents' expectations. But while Elian has made it his life's mission to rid his world of the threat of the Sirens, Lira spends her life killing princes and stealing their hearts, earning the title Prince's Bane.

To say this is just a Little Mermaid retelling is to sell it short. Though it has a surface similarity in that a mermaid (or siren in this case) loses her song, it is far more than that. There are many more levels to this story and plenty more adventures going on.

I absolutely loved the magical world of Lira and Elian. I found it delightful realising that the Siren language Psariin is actually Greek and many of the place names have hidden meanings. It is full of intriguing Kingdoms with Greek connections. Elian's home land, Midas, where everything is golden. Pagos is the land of ice and snow, while the sirens live in the Diavolos sea.

I have named my cocktail the Prince's Bane. It brings together the Greek theme with ouzo for the liquorice aroma Elian has and the green/blue colour of the sea.

Shake up 1 shot of ouzo, 3/4 shot lemon juice, 1/2 shot each of blue curacao and apple Sourz and a dash of sugar syrup with lots of ice. Strain into a glass and stir in a little blue shimmer to make it even prettier. Garnish with a star anise floating on the top like a little boat on the sea.

Book Mix & Match 3

So many books! I decided to do another quick round of short reviews to catch up a bit.

The well known Heisenberg principle states that you can know what you're drinking, or what you're reading, but not both at the same time! So the Heisenberg cocktail is perfect when there are so many books to read that you don't know where to start.
2 shots of tequila, 1/3 shot of maraschino, 2/3 shot lemon juice and 1/4 shot each of lavender syrup and blue curacao. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass with a salt rim.

As you wish - Chelsea Sedoti
Eldon lives in a little town in the desert, where nothing much happens apart from being close to area 51. At least, that's what he and the other residents want everyone to think, while in fact his town is extremely special. Everyone who lives there gets a wish on their 16th birthday. A real, guaranteed, wish come true. While the rest of the town thinks this is the only thing that really matters in life, Eldon isn't so sure any more. His birthday is coming up and he still doesn't know what to wish for, despite his mother's request.
Eldon has seen first hand how wishes can ruin lives and is determined not to make the same mistakes other people have made, so he asks everyone he can about their wishes. These are touching stories which I found so emotional to read. I can't even imagine what I would choose if I had the chance.

The Hanging Girl - Eileen Cook
Skye is desperate for money and what she makes on her fake tarot readings for the other pupils at her school aren't going to be enough. When an opportunity to scale up her fake predictions presents itself, she decides to take the chance but she doesn't realise how much more complicated things are than she expected. Skye convinces herself that Paige won't really be hurt, it's only for a couple of days and then she'll have the money she needs so she doesn't have to let her best friend down.
There's plot twist after plot twist, just when you think you have a clue what's going on, you realise that you really have no idea.
I really enjoyed this book, the writing was very clever and I will be looking for more from this author.

How to Hang a Witch - Adriana Mather
Samantha Mather is unwillingly moved to Salem, home of the witch trials. Her father is in a coma and the high medical bills mean her step-mother can't afford to keep them in their New York home. There she must learn a lot more about her ancestry than she ever wanted to know. Throw in an angry ghost, some bitchy teenagers and an ancient curse and Sam has her work cut out for her. The author makes you suspect almost everyone in this book so you never really know who Sam can trust.
This is narrated by the author which I think gives an extra insight into how she really wanted the characters to feel.

Undercover Princess - Connie Glynn 
Lottie has spent her life trying to live up to her ideal of a princess, she has her motto to be kind, brave and unstoppable.  Lottie promised her mother, before she died, that she would be happy and do her best to go to Rosewood Hall school. When she manages to get a rare scholarship, she never expected that she would have a real princess as a roommate and that she would end up pretending to be her.
This is the first in a new series and I think there is plenty more to the story and to the mystery of Rosewood Hall.

Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton
Amani is probably the best shooter in Dustwalk, but as a girl she has no rights as lives at the mercy of her aunt and uncle. When she overhears her uncle deciding that he should marry her himself as she will never find a husband of her own, she is even more determined than ever to flee to Izman. While putting her plan into action she meet a mysterious foreigner, Jin, who has his own reasons for running away. Together they escape on a magical horse, but the adventures only just begin here.
I enjoyed the book but not enough to rush out for the second in the series. I probably will read it eventually because I do want to know what happens to Amani and Jin.

This Is How It Always Is - Laurie Frankel

Rosie and Penn have 5 boys, until their youngest child, Claude, reveals that he wants to be a girl. While his parents and brothers are all as supportive as they can be, they know it won't be as easy for the rest of the world to accept him. They all struggle with how to handle the changes, how to advise Claude, how much is going to be accepted. Is this the whim of a small child or something deeper? Does he just like dresses or is he really a girl inside? Rosie asks herself so many questions though all she really wants to do is protect her child.

As Claude grows from toddler to young boy, from Claude to becoming Poppy, the book deals with the different stages he and the family go through. Their own understanding and acceptance as well as dealing with school, friends and the rest of the outside world. The other boys are also growing meanwhile, with their own needs for attention.

I liked the idea for the story but at the beginning of the book I found it all a bit too light and easy. It read a bit like a love story, with Rosie and Penn knowing even before they met, that this would be the one. I felt it difficult to relate to people who just know things, know their own minds so easily. Are there really people like that? That passed quite quickly though, once getting into the main part of the story it stopped being so simplified.

I found the descriptions of the markets and countryside in Thailand really brought it to life. I didn't find Bangkok quite as dirty and hectic as described but I can imagine it depends which sections you're in. Overall I really enjoyed the book though I thought it was a bit longer than necessary.

Make yourself a Thai Red Daiquiri to sip while you read. Muddle a few cubes of red pepper in a shaker and then add 2 shots of rum, 1/2 shot each of lemon juice and coconut water, 3 thai basil leaves and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake them all with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of pepper.

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.