Intangible (Piercing The Veil, #1) by C.A. Gray
Published: December 1st 2013 by Wunderlust Publishing
Pages: 307

Peter Stewart grew up on a unique version of the Arthurian legends taught him by his father, a harebrained quantum physicist who asserts that anything is possible. But Peter disbelieves anything which cannot be scientifically explained, despite a nagging sense that there is more to the world than meets the eye.

Lily Portman is an orphan with a secret: she can see creatures that are invisible to everyone else. These creatures control every human being she has ever met to varying degrees... until she meets Peter and his father.

When a mysterious stranger stages an accident which nearly costs Peter and Lily their lives, suddenly Lily learns that she is not crazy after all, and Peter discovers the truth of his father’s stories… including the existence of Arthur’s ancient nemesis, one who calls himself the Shadow Lord, and a prophecy with implications so profound that it will alter not only the course of their lives, but potentially the fate of the world.

"The Watchers have been protecting you to the best of our ability all your life, and have been watching for your birth for approximately 1500 years." Then he added pleasantly, "Would you like some coca?"

Thank you Netgalley and Wunderlust Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book!

DNF at 55 %

Intangible is without a doubt, a book that holds great potential. It reminded me a lot of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and therefore it could have been the next big thing in the middle grade genre. Notice the emphasis I now put on 'could have been'. In a way I'm really sorry to say this, but this book was not my cup of tea.

When it comes to a fantasy novel I understand that it's necessary to focus on the world building. In this case, however, the author focused so much on the world, and seemed to have completely forgotten about the rest. Let's start off by saying how little plot there actually was to be found. It constantly involved the characters discussing things that were completely out of topic, shouting at each other, doing research and hearing about the Arthurian legends. It felt way too stretched out and started dragging after a while. I feel like the whole story could have been told in one book instead of stretching it out in order to have a series.

The characters in Intangible are likable, though that's where it ends. I didn't love or feel for any of them, even though there were some that were very interesting and I would have liked to learn more about. Others, on the other hand, were extremely annoying. The protagonist, in particular, was someone I really didn't care about. I've never had a thing for prodigies in books, but when that is combined with a boy who tries to push science into everything and explains everything by means of science. Everyone has a passion, but this went way too far for my enjoyment. After a while I wasn't afraid anymore to skip a few pages just because they were filled with Peter's scientific explanations. It did make Peter's character come across as realistic, which I must consider as a good thing. Also the fact that the author managed to combine fantasy and science is an important reason why so many people seem to like this book so much. Yet honestly, it really didn't do anything for me and became more and more annoying by the page.

The only thing I really did like about this book are the Arthurian legends it is based on. I've always had a weakness for mythology and folklore, and the story of Arthur is not an exception. This was my first read based on these legends, and I just adored that aspect of the book. The idea of an imaginary world which resembles a utopia with a lot of influences from that time made me want to pack my bags and go search for it, if I actually knew where to start looking.

I wanted to like this book so much, mainly because of the Camelot folklore, yet in the end there was nothing left that could possibly hold my attention. I couldn't get into it, and I don't think continuing would have helped. Intangible just did not live up to my expectations. Those reasons all together eventually turned out to be the main reason why I gave up on this book, and I'm sad I did.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Published: May 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 404

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

"We all bear scars. Mine just so happen to be more visible than most."

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Throne of Glass is one of those novels that everyone loves and praises like it's the holy grail. Its hype definitely didn't escape me, even though it took me a long time to actually read it. I blame my huge to-read list for that. I was warned for the love triangle, yet there was still something about this book that made me still want to read it. I think it probably had a lot to do with the premise of a combination of The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. It eventually turned out to be something completely different, yet I found myself enjoying this immensely.

There no doubt about it that the Throne of Glass series is high-fantasy. In these cases there is always a lot of world building needed to have a basis for the story to continue on. After all, there's no story to be told without a setting. Therefore it explains why this book is focused on bringing the world into view, and why I was so lost in it. The world of Erilea is fascinating, and the author definitely did a wonderful job in achieving the wished amount for the series to start with. It has the elements of the ordinary high-fantasy novel, but with other unique touches to it such as the king with an iron hand, the Glass Castle and countries such as Eyllwe make it stand out. The magical places in the world where all the magic is wiped out are appealing, and I wonder whether that will have an impact in the future books. For now, I know that I would love to read more books set in this captivating world.

The beautiful world of Erilea set aside, the issues I have with this book are still here and unfortunately, need to be written about. One of the less important issues had to be the romance, more specific the love triangle. Let me put the idea of me hating these triangles aside, because I don't. My thing with love triangles has a lot to do with the involvement of two people who fight to eventually win the heart of the person they both love. Because of the two people, involved, there always has to be one who tastes defeat. (Except for that one particular trilogy I read but I'm not going to mention because of spoilers.) Besides that, I really don't mind. I actually like what might happen concerning the romance. For now, I know that I root for Chaolaena although I'm very uncertain of their chances. Maybe this is the sort of the triangle where it's already obvious from the first book who the protagonist is going to end up with, and I would seriously hate it to be like that. I feel like Chaol needs to have his shot just because the poor thing deserves to, and because Dorlaena have absolutely no chemistry and their relationship feels way too forced.

An issue that actually did matter the most to me was Celaena's character. I have to admit that the first mentions of her thirst to kill and viciousness made the impression that she was a character I would love. It seemed like she wasn't afraid to kill and use everything she had in her to accomplish what she wanted. All those impressions I first got of her still remain the same, there's no doubt about that. What also became clear when I progressed with the book, were the references to how skilled Celaena is. It would have been okay, if I actually saw more of that. Because she had to keep an eye open and she couldn't show her real self until the very end. I know that I'll get to see much more of that in the sequel, but for now, it annoyed me more than I would have liked to, and made Celaena resemble to a Mary Sue.

Other characters in this book already seem to have a special place in my heart. Both Chaol and Dorian have personalities and backgrounds that I'd love to see more of in the future, but especially Nehemia is a character I first hated when she made her introduction. Call me mad, but I had several prejudices regarding her character and her actions, that in the end all turned out to be false. Throughout the book and against my prejudices back then, I kind of started to like her. There was something about her that was fascinating, and the growing friendship between her and Celaena is fun to read. I hope to see more of her in the future books.

While the world in Throne of Glass is extraordinary, the plot didn't seem like it. In my opinion it's a combination of things I've seen before. For some reason, the other Champions disappearing in a so-called mysterious way reminded me too much of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I don't know where I ever got the comparison, yet once I had it in mind it was impossible to put that thought aside. The plot itself was way too predictable for my taste. I first didn't want to believe myself because if it actually would turn out to be true, then it would be way too obvious. There had to be some kind of trap, to make us think that it was someone when it actually was someone else and there would be a big plot twist, etc. Unfortunately, nothing happened. It turned out to be the person everyone suspected all along. However, once the killer showed its true colours, it all started adding up to create an epic climax at the end of the book. If there's one thing for sure, the climax didn't fail to keep me on the edge of my seat and force back possible tears.

Even with the several issues I found myself having while reading Throne of Glass, I still wonder how I was capable of enjoying this to the fullest. Maybe it was because I was so invested in the world, the characters and the story that I didn't have the time to order my thoughts properly. I'm interested where the story, and the romance, might be heading. All I know is that I stand with Chaol and that I will be picking up the sequel, Crown of Midnight, very soon!

I'm proud to announce that I was among the few people to discover 'The Body Electric' before its cover, or full blurb. I've never read something of Beth Revis, yet for some reason this book caught my attention, so I quickly added it to my to-read books on Goodreads. It's known that the cover was going to be released on the first of August, so that's kind of the reason I'm writing something different today. To spread the word of a new book with possibly lots of potential: The Body Electric by Beth Revis, which will be released October 2014.

     Blade Runner meets Total Recall in this exciting new sci fi adventure!
     The future world is at peace.

     Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s      
     dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their 
     happy memories.

     But not all is at it seems.

     Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot 
     trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—
     and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in 
     love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…

     Someone’s altered her memory.

     Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She 
     is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has 
     been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.

     So who can she trust?

Nothing can surpass the beauty of the original 'Across the Universe' covers, but I really like the sight of this one. The fact that the title is set on the girl's head probably has something to do with her unique gift, as that the background refers to the futuristic and high-tech setting. The same goes for the portraits of the two main characters, Ella and Jack. The symbolic meaning of those two portraits, however, is something that I still haven't figured out yet.

To round it up, here are some facts you probably need to know before reading:

1. This book is written between contracted ones and is going to be self-published.
2. There will be both print and e-editions available.
3. It doesn't take place in America.
4. Ella Shepherd's name comes from the title of Beth Revis's favourite Philip K. Dick.
5. Amy and Elder, the two main characters of the 'Across the Universe' trilogy, are not in this book. Yet if you look closely, you'll see some hints of their story.
6. Jack was named after Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who.
7. This book is a standalone, so don't worry about a possible cliffhanger.

Click here to view 'The Body Electric' on Goodreads.

Sources:
http://bethrevis.tumblr.com/post/93026278407/remember-those-amazing-portraits-of-amy-and-elder
http://bethrevis.blogspot.be/2014/07/announcing-new-book.html