The Destiny of Men and Beasts

Tiger's Destiny - Colleen Houck
Available Now - This is the final in an epic 4 part series so jump on board now!!

This is a series that has had it all! Princes who turn into tigers, Goddesses that come to life and a whole horde of magical beings - a Kraken, dragons, mermaids, fairies, phoenix and even a mega shark (? strange I know). Throughout it all and at the stories core has been a tremulous love triangle and 3 characters that have become very close to my heart.

Kelsey Hayes started the quest to save her beloved tigers what feels like a long time ago but in the series spans roughly 2 years - two brother Princes that in the distant past were cursed to live as tigers. Together they face unnatural dangers and challenges that push them to their limits, forming an unbreakable bond between them. As all the pieces of this tapestry are woven together and ancient secrets are finally revealed they discover that their shared destiny is to fight far greater war than they ever bargained for...more than just their lives as men hangs in the balance.

Colleen's writing style still feels a little raw but her characters more than make up for it and the poem that she crafted as the novel opening inspires you to see the amazing writer she is becoming, here's a little taste for you :)

"Does rising Phoenix thank his sire

For embers black that gave him birth?

Does he too know his fate is fire?

Can he enjoy his time on Earth?"

Interested in this series? want to know more? here is my review for books 1 & 2

Get ready for a revolution!

Viral Nation - Shaunta Grimes
Available Now!

Whatever I expected when I picked this up, being yet another post apocalyptic/angsty teen romance/revolutionary dystopian thriller etc etc it certainly wasn't what I got - what I did find was an enjoyably layered story with interesting yet flawed characters, each with their own terrible back stories and strengths to suit.

The opening prologue packs a massive punch and sets the scene perfectly - showing us a lovely young family on the brink of tragedy. After all of the worlds problems have come to a head the straw that breaks the camels back is a virus and it hits Reno the same week that our little family are welcoming a new addition. Chapter 1 and we have fast tracked 16 years into the future and to a society of survivors indebted to a daily suppressant inoculation and the company of Waverly and Stead who brought it to them. The population of America has been at least halved and each city has been walled in (for its own protection..) its enclosed inhabitants focused purely on getting by, shell shocked from loosing so many and so much.

An aspect I love about this book is the heroine - not your cookie cut out strong and silent type that doesn't care that she isn't the most gorgeous of them all yet turns out to be... no, Clover Donovan is a high functioning Autistic. To Clover this means she has trouble reading people or empathising with them, large crowds and noisy areas provide large levels of anxiety and when anxious (which is a lot of the time) she will rock, flutter her arms or in severe cases smack herself in the head. To help her focus she has a bulldog named Mango - a service dog who senses her tension and will lean on her, applying pressure to her legs that she needs to get her out of her head.

I found reading from Clover's perspective fascinating and her character unique. Her Autism plays a very particular role in the story and it makes me wonder if down the track a link between the 'suppressant' and Autism will be explored…there is so much going on throughout this novel, most of which I haven't even touched on for you and I'm very much looking forward to uncovering some mysteries in book 2!