#94 So Lucky

So Lucky by Dawn O'Porter

I read The Cows last year and instantly fell in love with everything about it, the characters and the writing were perfect so i was hoping that So Lucky would be similar and it did not disappoint!

So Lucky follows three women Beth, Ruby and Lauren whose lives seem perfect from the outside but are they really? Beth has a four month old baby and runs a successful wedding planning business, she has just gone back to work leaving her husband at home looking after the baby, her marriage and new family look perfect from the outside but the truth is that she hasn't had sex in over a year and her husband is physically repulsed by her. Ruby has a three year old and also runs her own successful business altering images for magazines/social media using photo shop type software, her life too looks great from the outside but the truth is she suffers from PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome) leaving her body covered in hair, she lives in the fear that someone will see or find out and mock her for it, she has a very estranged unhealthy relationship with her mother and she struggles to parent as a result. Lauren is a social media influencer who is soon to be married to a millionaire, she spends her days posting photos on instagram and keeping her fans up to date. Everyone believes that she is living the dream but they dont know the secrets from her past that she is hiding.

The great thing about Dawn O'Porters writing is how believable it is, the characters are so flawed are feel so real to read about. I must admit i was more attached to Beth and Ruby than Lauren as i could really put myself in both of their shoes whereas Lauren's lifestyle is so far from my life that it was difficult to relate to her. Ruby was my favourite character, i too have an almost three year old so i could really relate to her struggle to parent, having said that she was pretty terrible towards her daughter. Her character growth and her learning to accept her condition as well as its side effects was so endearing to read, i really routed for her. I was a bit confuses at points with her ex-husband, he only had their daughter Bonnie on weekends but never argued this or tried to get a more 50/50 custody agreement. I also dont understand why he didn't challenge Ruby on why their 3 and a half year old was not potty training or at least trying to potty train, it was like he knew she was struggling with parenting and adapting but he didn't step in and try to help, he instead just let it all slide? That was my only gripe with her story line.

With Beths story line i found it pretty hilarious, obviously she was having a tough time adapting to being a new mother and being back at work so soon and missing her son but my god did it provide me with some laughs! That sex toy scene will stay with me for a long time. I struggled trying to understand why she didn't corner her husband and ask what his problem was! Everyone around her was telling her how lucky she was to have such an attentive husband looking after the baby whilst she worked but behind closed doors she was miserable.

I enjoyed how everything came together at the end too, i enjoyed how the story lines all wrapped up together, it was so satisfying. I loved how quietly feminist this was and that the message is 'not to judge a woman by her cover' and that you really dont know the ins and outs of someones life and shouldn't make a perception based only on what you can see. This was a fantastic read, i highly recommend it!

#93 Regretting You

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You is my 9th book by Colleen Hoover, i usually dont reach for contemporary but i love Colleen Hoover's darker elements to her books and this one was no different. The book follows Morgan and Clara who are mother and daughter. Morgan was a teen mum and had Clara at 17, the story is told mostly in present tense but you also get a few chapters from Morgan as a teen. The book is told in alternating character chapters. Morgan and Clara are very different and dont always see eye to eye the one thing that holds them together is Chris, Morgans husband and Claras father. When Chris is killed in a car accident Morgan and Clara are left with their grief and their relationship hits rock bottom. Clara meets a boy called Miller that her family dont approve off but she cant help but be drawn to him which only worsens her relationship with her mother. Chris' childhood best friend Jonah is also a significant part of this story, at the beginning of the story Jonah has just fathered a child with Morgans sister Jenny. 

I really enjoyed Morgans chapters, i could really relate to her and found her feelings to be conflicting and raw. It was so difficult to read at points. Clara's chapters on the other half really brought my enjoyment level down, i know it is written in the perspective of a sixteen year old but my god was she a whiny little brat. I think this would have been a 5 star read if it had been told in just Morgans perspective. It also would have been really interesting to have read from Jonahs perspective. Clara was just too much, i was probably a brat at that age too but it just did my head in, maybe im getting too old to read a teenagers stream of consciousness? When did i get to the age where i agree with the mum more than the teenager! 

The book mainly focuses on grief and the reparation of a mother/daughter relationship. i struggled with it a bit, i have a daughter myself (albeit shes only 2) but i was cringing at the thought of me every being in that sort of predicament, ive obviously never raised a teenager so the thought is utterly terrifying. Clara and Millers relationship was a bit mushy for me and felt a tiny bit filler. I just wanted to read the story of a family dynamic after a devastating loss and i did get that but only in Morgans chapters, it really annoyed me that Clara cared more about her new boyfriend and pissing her mum off that her dads death. 

Overall i gave this book 3 stars, i loved the surprising twist (i didn't see it coming at all!) and i loved Morgan and Jonahs interactions. It was well written as always, i love Colleen Hoovers writing. 

#92 The Vanishing Deep

The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte 

Before i begin i just want to say that all opinions are my own. I read Four Dead Queens last year and fell in love with the story, the writing was so good that i (slightly obsessively) began stalking for the next book that Astrid was going to come out with. I was delighted that i didnt have to wait too long and that The Vanishing Deep was another stand alone story as they are my favourite.

The Vanishing Deep is a story with a similar set up to our world except that it is completely covered by water which was created by a natural disaster known as the great waves. There is a small piece of land known as Palindromena which is a research facility that specialises in reviving the dead for 24 hours for a hefty price. Our main character Tempe aka Tempest has recently lost her sister as she drowned 2 years prior. Tempe also lost her parents to a boating accident and is happy to let them rest in peace until she finds out that her sister, Elysea may know more about what happened the night their parent died the Tempe makes it her mission to save up enough money to revive Elysea to question her and reveal the truth. Tempe is a diver and dives in order to find uncovered treasures from the world before in order to sell them to survive but to also save to revive her sister. When Tempe finally saves enough to revive her sister all does not go smoothly, Elysea figures out straight away that she is dead and convinces Tempe to break out of the facility to go and find out what happened to their parents together.

Lor works at Palindromena in the basement aquarium where he likes to stay hidden from everyone due to the tragic loss of his best friend Calen that he feels solely responsible for. When his only friend Raylan who works as a warden in the revival process asks Lor to cover his shift Lor hesitantly agrees. Lor has never been a warden before and when he cant stop Tempe and Elysea from escaping he enlists Raylans help to go after them and bring them back before the 24 hours are up or they will face dire consequences.

This is a story filled with mystery and the attempt to mend a sisterly bond. I couldn't guess what was going to happen at pretty much any point, the ending was really surprising to me and i just fell in love with the characters! I really like Elysea as a character, she was so humble and gentle throughout. Tempe is a bit more 'typical teenager' and i enjoyed how angsty she was, her personality was very reflective of what she had been through. I loved the plot in general i found it to be so unique, ive never read anything like this story before and it was a breath of fresh air. Another big plus was the lack of romance in this book, i generally hate romance in YA as i feel like some authors use it as a main plot device whereas i prefer a good story so i was thrilled when this book wasn't all about a love story. The twists were also fantastic!

My only criticism was that a few things weren't tied up in the end and i am left forever wondering what happened to Lors mother haha. All in all i must admit that i love this book with my whole heart, even more that 4DQ which i didn't think was possible. Astrid Scholte has now become an auto buy author for me, cant wait to see what she comes up with next. (side not) Shes also so lovely on both Twitter on Instagram, when an author is engaging with their readers it only makes me love and want to support them even more so thank you Astrid for being such a lovely person.

#91 Infinity Son

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Infinity Son is Adam Silveras first fantasy book. The book follows two main characters, Brighton and Emil who are twin brothers that live in New York City. This book is an urban fantasy so its set in a version of our world however in this world some people have magic powers. They are referred to as celestials and their powers come into being on their 18th birthday. There are also people in this world known as spectres that steal abilities from other worldly beings such as phoenixes and hydras. Brighton and Emil have dreamed of developing powers their entire life but on their birthday Emil develops the powers of the phoenix which are very rare whilst Brighton doesn't. The brothers find themselves amidst a conflict that begins to spiral out of control and thus the story begins. There is a group of celestials known as the Spellwalkers, i think they used to be good but now they are bad (its honestly so confusing) and they you have the Bloodcasts who are the spectre faction.

Oh Adam Adam Adam, where do i even begin? This was a hot mess! The reader is completely thrown into the story, no introductions and no world building and that really doesn't work for a fantasy book. I have read 3 of Adam Silvera's contemporary books and really enjoyed them, im not debating whether he is a good writer as i have enjoyed his stuff in the past but man i dont think fantasy is his genre and im really sad to say it as my hopes were really high for this one and i wanted to love it so much. Infinity Son was released mid January and i must admit i held off on buying it for a while whilst i awaited the early reviews, they weren't great and people weren't taken with this story in the way they were with his other books but im a firm believer in giving something a try and not purely going on others opinions but i must admit i could not get my head around this story at all. The book is told in multi perspective and its incredibly difficult to tell the characters apart as they are written fairly one dimensional. I listened to the audio book via scribd and all the voices sounded the same to me even though there was more than one narrator.

The only thing i liked about this book was the cover :( and that there was a gay character in a YA fantasy novel but thats it. I didn't DNF the book as the audio was only 8 hours (4 on double speed) so i didn't mind giving up my afternoon for it. Im such a advocate for Silveras writing as i love his LGBTQ+ characters and their stories but this really wasn't for me, like at all. It read a bit like Renegades by Marissa Meyer but just not as good. The biggest weakness for me was the sheer lack of world building, there was obviously some good ideas in this book but it just wasn't executed well enough unfortunately. There was SO much going on in this book and i think it would have read so much better if he had stuck to two perspectives instead of adding in side characters with added plots, that would have been an idea for the later books in the trilogy but a bit much for the first book. I really struggled to remember who was who, how they were relevant, what type of magic they had and what faction they belonged to. In all honesty reading should not be that difficult.

#90 Assassins Apprentice

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

My first ever Robin Hobb book! Robin Hobb is pretty prolific in the high fantasy genre and you cant really call yourself a fantasy lover without checking out her work. Ive only really got into adult fantasy in the last few years since reading A Song of Ice and Fire. So when i saw 'Elderlingalong' hosted by Becca and the Books as part of her catch up book club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJz__BP5EdI) i jumped on it, im very excited to read the books along side others and discuss on a live show. The book for March is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy, Assassins Apprentice and the following months will have us finishing this trilogy and moving onto The Liveship Traders trilogy.

Assassins Apprentice i believe is one of her shorter books and was around 400 pages, i listened to the audio book which i believe was 17 hours. The story follows Fitz who is a bastard son of Prince Chivalry who is the next in line to the throne, he is hidden away from view to be raised by the Kings stableman. Fitz soon captures the attention of his grandfather the King, who takes him from the stables and places him in the care of Chade who is the royal assassin. The King informs Chade that he is to watch over and train Fitz to become a 'kingsman' which is another name for the royal assassin.

Fitz has struggled to fit in his entire life and is treated terribly by the royal staff and family, he is treated as 'a bastard' and made to feel worthless pretty much his entire childhood. The book spans from Fitz being a young boy to his teenage years. Fitz attracts a lot of anger from his uncle Regal who views him as an abomination that should never have been born. Fitz has a lot of obstacles that he must overcome and it makes for an interesting read of his journey.

In this world there are two types of magic systems, the first being 'the skill'. The skill is prominent in the Farseer line which is the line Fitz was illegitimately born into, it is a psychic type ability in which you can see places that are outside of yourself, it is a visual skill in that you are able to connect to someone elses mind when they are miles away from you in a telepathic sense if the also carry the skill. Another neat trick the skill allows the bearer to perform is that you can subtly change peoples emotions without them noticing and make them see things that arent actually there. The second magic system is 'the wit', which Fitz possesses. The wit allows the bearer to communicate with animals and is seen by most as unnatural and not a good ability to have. It is also known as beast magic and people have been killed if they are found out as having this type of magic as it is seen as very dangerous. Typically the bearer will bond with a particular animal and will be able to understand and somewhat communicate with the animal.

I must say this is one of the first series ive read that was written in the 90's and it had such a different feel to it, the descriptions are very rich and there isnt a lot of world building, there is so much focus on plot and characters which was unusual to read but also very refreshing. I enjoyed Fitz as a character and really liked seeing his character development from a meek young boy to a logical and intelligent young adult. My only real criticism is that at times it is overly descriptive. The magic systems are the stand out features in this book for me, they are so well done and i struggle to think of better developed magic systems in any of the other fantasy books ive read.

Overall i really enjoyed this story and i cannot wait to see where the rest of the story goes and what antics Fitz gets up to! I am also low key obsessed with these covers,i need them on my shelves!