Tag Archives: Black Ice

[REVIEW] Black Ice – Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Ice
Simon & Schuster (US, UK, CA, & AU: 7th October 2014)
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Q. Who says the following in this novel? “…back when I had my chance, I would have kept her alive long enough to make sure you were present when I slit her throat.”
A. The guy the female lead loves, happily ever after.

That should help you decide if this romantic suspense is right for you.

This is a novel about sexism, whether internalised or otherwise. The women rely on men rescuing them. The men are full of violence and vengeance.

Britt is locked out of the lodge in the cold, on her own:

Q. How does Britt light a fire?
A. Using matches a man left outside.

Q. How does Britt get back inside the lodge?
A. By entering through a window that earlier a man broke in through and had cleared away all the glass before Britt came to it.

Britt chooses vacation spots based on where a guy she fancies will be, even in the epilogue set a year later.

The story pretends to be about the gaining of female independence, but it’s actually about falling in love with a criminal a girl aids and abets. The guy whom Britt loves, happily ever after? He holds a gun to Britt’s head within just thirty pages of the novel’s end.

The author writes the story’s snowy setting well, but anything relating to humans and their interpersonal relationships is just not good.

7th October 2014 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Naturals (The Naturals, Book 1)
Disney-Hyperion (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn’t realise is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides – especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Rachel Cohn
Emergent (Beta, Book 2)
Disney-Hyperion (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Zhara, the First. Elysia, her clone. On the surface, they are identical. But looks can be deceiving. When Zhara plays, she plays to win. She thought she had escaped the horrors of Doctor Lusardi’s cloning compound. But the nightmare is just beginning. Elysia has taken everything from Zhara – a softer, prettier version of herself and an inescapable reminder of all she’s failed at in her life. Now the man Zhara loves has replaced her with Elysia. Zhara will get her clone out of the way, no matter the cost. Elysia has finally learned the truth: she has a soul. Her First is alive. She knows it hurts Zhara to see her with Alexander, but she can’t give him up. The genetically-perfected Aquine has chosen as her as his life mate, and their days together are limited. Elysia can’t remain in the Rave Caves off the shores of Denesme forever. Revolution is brewing on the island paradise. Hundreds of soulless clones remain imprisoned like Elysia once was, slaves to the whims of their owners – wealthy human inhabitants of the island. As a group of clones and humans, led by Alexander, plot an insurrection that will turn Denesme’s world upside down, Elysia knows her place is fighting by his side.

Rinda Elliott
Blood of an Ancient (Beri O’Dell, Book 2)
Samhain (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Beri O’Dell is on a mission. She has to rip back into a hell dimension fast, but needs two things first – the blood of an ancient and a fix for her friend Blythe’s magic, which careened out of control after the battle with the Dweller. Finding ancient blood isn’t easy when the old ones are rare and unwilling to donate. She needs to find Blythe’s former mentor…except the woman has lost her mind and joined a travelling band of singing witches. That’s not the only magical monkey on her back. Nikolos is imprisoned, and after a screwed-up spell lets her witness the horror that has become his life, her fear for him grows by the day. Now there’s another problem – a powerful being unleashed during the battle with the Dweller likes her gluttonous new existence, and will kill anyone who threatens it. But Beri has a few tricks up her costumed sleeve, even if it means mining the darkness of her soul to set everything right…and get Nikolos back in her arms.

Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Ice
Simon & Schuster (US, UK, CA, & AU: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Britt Pfeiffer has never been that adventurous, but that’s about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trekking trip with her. But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, where they find two knights in shining armour. Or so they think. Britt quickly realises that the girls need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, she is forced to guide the boys down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to escape with her life is to pretend she is on their side. But is gorgeous, sexy Mason an enemy or an ally? Tension mounts, and it’s only a matter of time before things turn deadly…

Mira Grant
Parasite (Parasitology, Book 1)
Hachette Little, Brown Orbit (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite – a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system – even secretes designer drugs. It’s been successful beyond the scientists’ wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them. But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives…and will do anything to get them.

Amelia Kahaney
The Invisible (Brokenhearted, Book 2)
HarperCollins Teen (US & CA: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

After a perilous accident that literally stopped her heart, Anthem Fleet was left with a jagged scar down the front of her chest – and a strength she is still learning to control. Her new powers helped her avenge the death of the boy she loved and led her deep into Bedlam City’s dark underbelly, where she fought a network of shadowy criminals. But Anthem doesn’t want to be the crime-fighting vigilante that Bedlam needs. She just wants to go to school, practice ballet, and help nurse Ford, her friend and partner, back to health. But when a mysterious group called the Invisible starts attacking the privileged North Siders, Anthem’s whole world is thrown into chaos. Invisible’s threats seem like harmless pranks at first, but as their demands escalate, people start to die. Now Anthem must step up and be the hero that the city needs, or Bedlam will fall…once and for all.

Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
This Night So Dark (Starbound, short story)
Disney-Hyperion (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US)

Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed.

Marie Lu
The Young Elites
Penguin G. P. Putnam’s Sons (US: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumoured to possess more than just scars – they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fight a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

Jessica Verday
The Beautiful and the Damned
Simon Pulse (US & CA: 7th October 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Cyn Hargrave is on the run, but she can’t escape her dark past. The brother of her murdered boyfriend is convinced she’s the killer – and now he’s tracked her down. Cyn has only one person to turn to, and she can’t stand him. Avian knows the evil that lives inside of Cyn, but he’s still compelled to help her. As the thirteenth Revenant, he’s scorned by Heaven and unwanted by Hell, so he understands what it’s like to be a part of two worlds and not fit into either. Together they will need to deal with the danger that follows her – and the danger inside of her – before one of them destroys her.

October 2014 Releases

Done with September 2014 Releases? Here are October 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist. NOTE: The images and formatting don’t show up properly through Feedly, so click the title of this post to view it on WordPress.

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7 New Covers (Brust & White, Cantor, Fitzpatrick, Frost, Grant, Hopkins, Reilly)

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Now Available for US Pre-Order

Josephine Angelini: TRIAL BY FIRE: 2nd September 2014: Buy (US)
Lenore Appelhans: CHASING BEFORE: 26th August 2014: Buy (US)
Megan Crewe: EARTH & SKY: 28th October 2014: Buy (US)
Bailey Cunningham: PATH OF SMOKE: 29th July 2014: Buy (US)
Claire Delacroix: ABYSS: Buy (US)
Christina Farley: SILVERN: 23rd September 2014: Buy (US)
Becca Fitzpatrick: BLACK ICE: 7th October 2014: Buy (US)
Stefanie Gaither: FALL THE SHADOW: 16th September 2014: Buy (US)
Teri Hall: THE CORRIDOR: Buy (US)
Erica Hayes et al: MY BLOODY VALENTINE: Buy (US)
Colleen Hoover: FINDING CINDERELLA (paperback): 18th March 2014: Buy (US)
Caitlin Kittredge: BLACK DOG: 28th October 2014: Buy (US)
Karsten Knight: AFTERGLOW (paperback): 4th November 2014: Buy (US)
R. C. Lewis: STITCHING SNOW: 14th October 2014: Buy (US)
Kelly Meade: GRAY BISHOP: 21st October 2014: Buy (US)
Tara Moss: THE FICTIONAL WOMAN: 1st June 2014: Buy (US)
Dani Worth: ORIGIN: 8th April 2014: Buy (US)

Now Available for US Pre-Order

S. A. Bodeen: THE FALLOUT (paperback): 30th September 2014: Buy (US)
Jessica Brody: UNDISCOVERED: 14th February 2014: Buy (US)
Amy Rose Capetta: ENTANGLED (paperback): 4th November 2014: Buy (US)
Becca Fitzpatrick: BLACK ICE (Kindle Edition): 7th October 2014: Buy (US)
Amelia Kahaney: THE INVISIBLE: 7th October 2014: Buy (US)
Kass Morgan: DAY 21: 2nd September 2014: Buy (US)
Caragh M. O’Brien: SLEEP NO MORE: 16th September 2014: Buy (US)
Cristin Terrill: as-yet-untitled 2nd novel: 2nd September 2014: Buy (US)
Kat Zhang: ONCE WE WERE (paperback): 16th September 2014: Buy (US)
Kat Zhang: ECHOES OF US: 16th September 2014: Buy (US)