GUEST REVIEW: All The Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

GENRE: YA

PAGES: 400
PUBLISHER: Penguin
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

All the Bright Places is a compelling and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die. Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?

REVIEW

I have been thinking about how to write this review for a while. I finished this book last night and it has not left my mind since then. I loved this book so much. It was so amazing and it just completely blew me away. People are probably going to kill me for saying this but this book, for me anyway, was like a much better version of The Fault In Our Stars. Don’t kill me just yet. I know that everyone love The Fault In Our Stars, and I do too but you’ve probably never read All The Bright Places so you don’t know that this book isn’t better than it.

The reason I loved this book so much is probably because it affected me so much. I don’t know why but something about this book just changed me. I know that sounds weird but it’s true. As well as breaking my heart into millions of little pieces, it also taught me so much about everything such as life.

Okay, I’m going to try write a normal review now. The characters in this book were honestly the best part about it. Finch was an unusual character that was amazingly portrayed. Despite not being like him, I understood why he was the way he was. I understood the things that he did and why he did them. I wouldn’t say he was one of my favourite male characters but I did really love him in a different way to how I love everyone else. He specifically taught me a lot about life and how we should live life. Violet was unique and different. After going through something so tragic, she is obviously quite scared of living but I loved her because of that. I loved seeing her grow out of her fear and start living her life. Both of the characters felt so real and it’s hard to believe that they are only characters in a book. The romance between them was amazing. It did feel quite insta lovey at the start and slightly stalkerish but I loved it so much despite that.

The writing in this book was just exquisite. The writing in this book just made me fall even more in love with it because it was breathtaking. The writing was stunning. Any sentences I can form will not do the writing in this book justice. You’ll just need to read the book.

The ending of this book broke me. The last 100 pages were just amazing and fabulous, as was the whole book but the last 100 pages were even more so. I just can’t believe that it ended that way. It was just so amazing and fabulous. Everyone needs to read this book now. Stop reading this review and go buy the book so that you can read it. I cannot recommend this book enough. This review definitely did not do it justice. Just go read it now and you’ll see what I mean.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: I Was Here - Gayle Forman

GENRE: YA

PAGES: 288
PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars
 

SUMMARY

This characteristically powerful novel follows eighteen-year-old Cody Reynolds in the months following her best friend's shocking suicide. As Cody numbly searches for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of self-discovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.

 

REVIEW

Let me just start by saying that the blurb I have just given to you is not the blurb that I had previously read. In fact my blurb does not mention anything that happens in the book but instead it just has the note that Meg wrote to Cody. Due to this, I went into the book expecting it to be a YA contemporary novel about a girl trying to find herself after her best friend commits suicide however while this is what it was about, this wasn't the whole book.

One thing I would like to say before I start talking about my feelings towards this book is that I don't think it is suitable for younger readers. It includes quite a few swear words and a very small amount of sexual content. However, the main reason I would not recommend this to younger readers is because of what it is about. It is obviously a book dealing with the subject of suicide. Some of the things in this book are quite eye opening and they could potentially affect people on a deeper level. I cannot tell you what they are because it will slightly spoil a part of the book but only read this book if you are mature enough to be able to deal with a difficult subject.

Cody was a peculiar main character. Obviously having just recently lost her best friend, she was slightly emotionally detached from the reader and because of this you didn't really connect with her as much. At the start she was this angry girl who was being forced to face a life without her best friend. However, as the story went on, she became more real and we got to know her a bit more. We started to feel for her a lot more because we understood why she was feeling the way she was. Her many flaws became more clear but we understood why she did certain things even if they were slightly crazy. As she starts to decrypt the file, we see a different side to Cody and I felt as if we were seeing parts of Meg come out. We were seeing how Meg felt before through what Cody felt then. This also meant that I felt that I knew Meg despite not actually meeting her. I felt an emotional connection to her and I could see why they were so close. This made the story a lot more realistic and it meant that I could feel like I was actually part of the novel and not just reading it.

One thing I need to mention about this book is the romance. Having gone into this book not knowing about a romance, I felt that it was quite natural. Even though as soon as we met Ben, I knew he would be a potential love interest I kept questioning this because of what was revealed. I could not figure out how a relationship between them would work but I loved it. It wasn't a rushed relationship. It felt real and it felt as if it had happened the right way. She did see him as attractive but she never wanted to be with him because of Meg and I loved that. It wasn't any form of love at first sight and they did actually become friends first. The book mainly focuses on the loss of Meg and everything Cody does in order to deal with that and I liked the fact that the romance didn't overshadow this.

Gayle Forman has a lovely way of writing stories that I just adore. Having previously read and loved her If I Stay duology, I had high expectations despite reading Just One Day and not liking it as much. This book definitely did not disappoint. From start to finish, I was engaged and even though I wasn't reading it all the time, I was constantly thinking about what was happening because I wanted to know. There was a slight mystery aspect in this novel because of the encrypted file and that's what I loved. I wanted to know what was in this file. Once we did find out what was in it, I was shocked and I just kept reading. At times, I felt myself getting sucked in like Cody was and when you read the book ,you'll find out why that is really scary. Every part of this novel was full of symbols and hidden meanings and I loved it. Gayle Forman has this way of writing that just completely transforms something ordinary into something that holds a lot of meaning and I absolutely loved that. At times, I was a bit worried about how people would react to what was in the file because it is alarming and it did make me wonder what it can do to people however as you read on, this changes and Gayle Forman dealt with this subject so incredibly well. Forman did what she does best; she wrote about a depressing subject yet also somehow managed to stop you from becoming completely and utterly depressed.

In the end, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was full of emotion, mystery and intrigue. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I was completely and emotionally involved with the characters and the story as a whole. This book comes out in January 2015 and I strongly suggest that you pick this book up if you feel that you can deal with this subject because it will change you slightly. If you haven't picked up If I Stay by Gayle Forman, I also suggest you do that. Thank you for reading this slightly odd review. I just don't know how to put how I feel about this book into words.

 

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: Famous In Love - Rebecca Serle

GENRE: YA Romance
PAGES: 432
PUBLISHER: Macmillan
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

Paige doesn't think she's particularly special, but after getting the starring role in a massive film adaptation of the bestselling Locked trilogy, the rest of the world would disagree. Now she's thrown into the spotlight, and into a world of gossip, rumour and deceit. The only people who know what she's going through are her two male co-stars, and they can't stand the sight of each other. Paige knows it's a mistake to fall in love on the set of a movie, but days of on-screen romance and intensity start to change her mind. The question is, can she keep what happens behind the scenes a secret when the world is watching her every move?

REVIEW

I was immediately drawn to this book because a) I’m a sucker for romance stories and b) it is about a girl who is cast in a major book to movie adaptation. I did actually end up enjoying it as well. Once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down and I kept reading until I finished. Every time I tried to put the book down and go back to sleep, I kept thinking about what was going to happen next so I had to pick it up again. It was fast paced and despite there being no action, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened.

Paige was an interesting main character. Her views about major book to movie adaptations really made me think about how some big actresses may feel about appearing in them e.g. Jennifer Lawrence. She was constantly worried about messing it up or not doing it right for the fans. And when she went out to go sign books, her shock over the screaming fans really made me think about how hard it must be for these stars to deal with screaming fangirls. I am definitely not a screaming fangirl but it made me think about the way people view actresses. Paige found it hard to deal with the major change in her life that acting bought about, despite it being something that she has wanted for her whole life. Basically throughout the whole book ,she was dealing with some sort of issue but I didn’t mind it. I didn’t actually dislike her which is good.

Now here is where it gets complicated. The boys. Rainer was introduced quite early on in the book and we were made to like him and while he was cute and adorable, I was quite skeptical of his actions. He was too good to be true in my opinion and then when Jordan entered, I immediately loved him for some reason. I did end up liking both the boys because Rainer was sweet where as Jordan was brooding. Though I have to say I personally prefer Jordan myself but I do like them both for Paige. Saying that, the one thing I disliked about this book was the ending. I felt that it was rushed and a lot of the big things that we were waiting to happen happened within less than 50 pages. I also didn’t like who she ended up with and the actual ending. I mean, what about the other two movies? Did the fans like the movie? Surely her feelings would change? Also how did the book in the book end? Who did August choose? And another main question came from the beginning. Does she know that she chose the wrong person? I’M SO CONFUSED.

Never the less I really enjoyed the book as a whole so I’d probably give it about an 85% so 4 out of 5 stars. It is enjoyable and I do recommend you pick it up when it is released. That’s all from me today. Thanks for reading and see you soon.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: My True Love Gave To Me - Various

GENRE: Anthology
PAGES: 368
PUBLISHER: Macmillan
FORMAT: Hardback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

A collection of joyful festive stories that will keep you warm during the cold winter months On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ...This beautiful collection features twelve gorgeously romantic stories set during the festive period, by some of the most talented and exciting YA authors writing today. The stories are filled with the magic of first love and the magic of the holidays. This hardback edition features a ribbon marker and pink sprayed edges, and is the perfect gift. Includes: Ally Carter Holly Black Laini Taylor Rainbow Rowell Matt de la Pena David Levithan Stephanie Perkins Kiersten White Kelly Link Jenny Han Gayle Forman Myra McEntire.

REVIEW

Hey! Today I’m going to review a book that was probably one of my most anticipated releases of the year and that is My True Love Love Gave To Me. Why was I so excited for this book? Well first off it’s a selection of 12 winter romances and if you know me at all, then you know that I am a sucker for romance stories. The main reason I was so excited for this book was because of the amazing authors involved in it. It is all edited by Stephanie Perkins, who I absolutely adore, and it includes stories by Rainbow Rowell(EEP!!!),Jenny Han, David Levithan, Gayle Forman. As well as this it included some authors who I’ve never read anything by but I have heard nothing but good things about and these are Laini Taylor, Kiersten White, Holly Black, Ally Carter. It also included some stories by some authors that I’ve never even heard of such as Matt De La Pena, Kelly Link and Myra McIntyre. So I think it’s fair to say that I had very high expectations going into this book and it did not disappoint! While I didn’t enjoy some of the stories that much, most of them were amazing and I loved them all. I have been trying to figure out how to structure this review for quite a while now and I’ve decided to do a mini review for each story and rate each one seperately. Let’s get started.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell

The book started off with Rainbow Rowell’s story so I was immediately in love. Rainbow Rowell’s story was about two friends called Noel and Mags and it was structured in a similar way to One Day by David Nicholls. Every mini chapter was set on New Year’s Eve, exactly a year later. I honestly fell in love with this story. Rainbow Rowell has this thing where she can make you fall in love with characters really easily but I didn’t expect to fall in love with them so much in a short story. Noel was outgoing whereas Mags was somewhat shy and I loved the contrast between them. I am officially under the impression that everything Rainbow Rowell writes is pure gold. This was probably my favourite story in the whole book and I’ve already reread it about 3 times. Overall this story obviously got 5 out of 5 stars.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

Well this one was slightly disappointing. First of all a little sidenote, I was under the impression that these would be 12 winter romances that were set in our world. However, this story had some supernatural element to it, I think. I finished this story almost a week ago and I’m still not quite sure what happened in it. I really didn’t understand it at all. The main protagonist, Miranda, wasn’t anything special. I didn’t really feel anything towards her. I didn’t like her but I didn’t dislike her. She was just there. And I felt similarly about the other characters. I think it might have been the writing but I’m not sure.I have never read any of her novels but I don’t think I will be. I just didn’t feel anything while reading it and that really disappointed me. I can’t give this story higher than 2 out of 5 stars but I feel really bad about it.

What even happened in that story? I still don’t even know.

GUEST REVIEW: In A Handful Of Dust - Mindy McGinnis

GENRE: Futuristic/Dystopia
PAGES: 384
PUBLISHER: Harper360
FORMAT: Paperback
RATING: 4 Stars

Read Sofia's review of the first book, Not A Drop To Drink.

This book is not currently available through Waterstones. Expected publication: 23rd September 2014.

SUMMARY

The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

REVIEW

After finishing Not a Drop to Drink, I immediately asked YABirmingham if they had a proof copy of the sequel and they did! Unfortunately for some reason, I was busy when I first got it so I only just got to reading it last week. Yes, it took me over a week to finish it but that is simply because I’ve been busy. This was a great sequel to a fabulous book and I can’t wait for any future books by Mindy McGinnis.

The sequel follows another character who appears in Not a Drop to Drink and that is Lucy. I loved reading from Lucy’s point of view because she’s quite different from Lynn. She didn’t feel threatened by everything and everyone like Lynn did. She was a great protagonist and I definitely preferred her POV, compared to Lynn’s. Lucy was strong(not quite as strong as Lynn was) but she was trusting and kind and she didn’t feel the need to kill everything that came in her way.

The start of this book I found to be quite slow and confusing due to what was happening. We are thrown back into the world despite missing years of their lives since this one takes place quite a while after the first one ended.It deals with illnesses and medicine and gives a lot of biology related facts that just went over my head(I strongly dislike biology). However, once the actual story started, it really picked up and I found it addictive. What I love about these books is the writing. Mindy McGinnis’ writing is stunningly beautiful and it keeps you captivated when you’re reading. I was worried slightly when I found out there was a companion novel to Not a Drop to Drink because I loved Not a Drop to Drink as a standalone and usually sequels aren’t as good. However Mindy McGinnis proved me wrong because this book was just as good as Not a Drop to Drink, if not slightly better. I came out of this book wondering why I couldn’t write like her because her writing is one of my favourites to read and I shall be definitely be picking up her future books.

The thing that stopped this book from becoming a 5 star read was the supporting characters. Stebbs wasn’t around for most of the book and he was one of my favourite characters in the first book. As for the new characters we meet, I didn’t particularly like any of them for some reason. We didn’t stick with one character long enough to grow an attachment to someone and when I did start liking someone, they left. However I did really enjoy Fletcher and I thought he was an interesting character. I’d love to have a whole book about his story because there was a lot more to him than we got to see.

Another amazing part of this book is the plot. I can’t tell you what happens because that would be spoilery but you will find it hard to guess what happens in this book. There were so many twists that you couldn’t predict. It was so unpredictable which added to the fact that it was fast paced to make a captivating and addictive read. I wish I could talk about certain things that happened within the novel but alas spoilers.

Whenever anything weird and shocking happened, this was basically me.

I really hope Mindy McGinnis writes more within this world because it is such a unique world that I love to read about. After that ending, I can expect that there may be more books in this series if this one does well so definitely go buy it when it’s out on the 23rd September. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend it.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson

GENRE: Contemporary/Romance
PAGES: 352
PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 3.5 Stars

SUMMARY

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move all the way across the country and needs Amy to drive their car from California to the East Coast. There's just one problem: since the death of her father, Amy hasn't been able to get behind the wheel of a car. Enter Roger, the son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute...and dealing with some baggage of his own. Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father's death were not part of Amy's plans for the road trip. But then neither was driving on the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado Mountains, visiting diners, dingy motels and Graceland. But as they drive, and she grows closer to Roger, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you need the most - - and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

REVIEW

When I went to buy Isla, I saw that it was one buy one get one half price and I just couldn’t pass that up so I decided to finally purchase Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour since everyone raves about it. The original UK cover was just horrendous but they recently re-released the book with the US cover so I finally bought it. So after finishing Isla, I started reading Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour and I really enjoyed it. I finished it yesterday when I just spent the majority of the day sitting in bed reading it.So here I am, attempting to write a review of it. I always find it hard to write reviews of contemporaries, especially romances. So this review will probably be a bit all over the place and will definitely not be my best review but let’s go anyway. 

Let me just start by clarifiying something; this is most definitely not a lighthearted contemporary romance. I went into this book thinking that it would be for some reason but it wasn’t. Even though the synopsis suggests a cute romance story, it really isn’t that and I was disappointed because of that. This book mainly focuses on Amy as she starts learning to live her life again, after her father’s death. And while I found it incredibly interesting and moving, this wasn’t what I was expecting it to be like which contributed to my slight disasppoint in the book.

Amy was quite annoying at that start. I guess I can’t really judge how she acts because I’ve never been through the death of a close family member but I thought that she had been a bit too down in the dumps at the start. It makes sense since she felt like she was to blame but it didn’t make for a good protagonist. However as the book went along and she learned that she needs to start opening herself up and stop kicking herself for something that happened in the past, I really enjoyed her as a character.

Roger himself wasn’t that fabulous. He spent 95% of the book obsessing over an ex girlfriend and I just grew to be sick and tired of him. He also wasn’t impulsive or amazing as the synopsis suggested. I honestly expected someone completely arrogant yet lovable and he wasn’t anything like that. I was slightly disappointed with Roger.

The romance itself wasn’t all that great. There was no suggestion that Roger had any feelings for Amy at all throughout the book but suddenly they were just together. There was no progression to falling in love and recognizing that they like each other. It wasn’t a swoon worthy relationship and it didn’t make me feel any feelings. The book also ended somewhat openly and that irritated me. I’m fine with open endings but not this sort of open ending. How do they figure it all out? It doesn’t always just work out perfectly.

I understand that if you’ve read this whole review, you probably think I hated this book. I didn’t. I enjoyed it. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be and it didn’t make me feel anything. It was a good book to read in between other books but it really didn’t live up to it’s hype. I gave this book 3 stars on goodreads but it is closer to 3.5. I did quite enjoy it and if you go into this book expecting it to be more of a coming of age story, you will like it a lot more.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: Silver Shadows - Richelle Mead

GENRE: Dark Fantasy
PAGES: 400
PUBLISHER: Penguin
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists. Now, in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him...Their worst fears now a chilling reality; Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour.

REVIEWSo when Silver Shadows came out, I started fangirling slightly about the fact that I will finally be able to read this book after waiting months for it. I had to wait an extra day to get my hands on it and I didn’t really get to read it until yesterday because I have been quite busy over the last couple of days however when I did get into it, I couldn’t stop reading. I literally sat down for two hours and just read. If you’re unaware of what Silver Shadows is, it is the 5th book in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead which is a spin off series of Vampire Academy. I can’t tell you what Silver Shadows is about because I can’t even tell you what Bloodlines is about without spoiling Vampire Academy for you but know this, both of these two series are amazing despite the terrible names and covers. You should definitely go read the Vampire Academy series because it is honestly one of my favourite series.

Silver Shadows is most likely my favourite one in the series so far. This one is in duel POV which made me love it a bit more. As many people know Adrian is one of my top 10 bookish boyfriends(check out the list here) so seeing his POV was honestly amazing. I loved reading from his perspective because Sydney can get slightly annoying at times. The last half of the book was full of action which I loved but I also loved the first half. The first half was where we got to see the characters deal with some pretty difficult things especially Sydney(I’m trying so hard not to spoil the series for you!) and this was interesting to see just how strong willed these characters are. The plot of this book was intriguing and I kept wanting to read more of it.

Sydney has really grown over the books and I love that. At the start of the series, she’s quite uptight and reserved and a lot of people don’t like that. None of my friends have made it past Bloodlines because they really don’t like Sydney but they don’t release how much growth she goes through as a character. In this book, we really see just how much she’s changed and what she’d do to save those she loved. You really learn to respect Sydney a lot more in this book and she may even be one of my top 10 female protagonists now(I’ll make a list of them really soon). I honestly can’t wait to see just how amazing she’ll be in the final book in the series.

Oh Adrian in this book was honestly so perfect. The first half of the book made me upset because Adrian was in so much pain and I couldn’t take it but as the book goes on and he cheers up, I just kept smiling. Happy Adrian makes a happy Sofia. I love Adrian as a character and I can’t wait to read more about him in the next one. Adrian and Sydney in this book were so cute and I was just so happy for them. Throughout the whole book I went through a lot of emotions because of them. Definitely one of my main ships. I love them so much.

This was basically me throughout the book.

The thing that is making me sad right now is the fact that there is only one book left in this series. It comes out next year but there’s only one left. I don’t wait this series to end.

There’s only one left

I really hope that Richelle Mead decides to carry on writing in the Vampire Academy world because I am honestly not done with any of these characters especially Adrian. Adrian needs to be in more books because I need more of him. I’m excited for The Ruby Circle even though it’s coming out in February 2015! I need this book ASAP especially after that cliff hanger ending.

This review is all over the place because I found it hard to write a non-spoilery review of it because so much happened that I wanted to talk about. Also because I had to be careful not to spoil the rest of the series. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: Not A Drop To Drink - Mindy McGinnis

GENRE: Dystopa/Futuristic
PAGES: 352
PUBLISHER: Harper360
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

This book will be published 25/09/14. Preorder now in store.

SUMMARY

Teenage Lynn has been taught to defend her pond against every threat: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty--or doesn't leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. But when strangers appear, the mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won't stop until they get it. . . .

REVIEW

Recently, I received a copy of Not A Drop to Drink and I couldn’t have been more excited to read it. Ever since I heard about this book last year, I was so excited to read it but I never ending up getting my hands on it. But now I have one and I’ve read it. I absolutely did adore this book.

This is a great dystopian novel that is just simply a story of survival. What I did love about this story was that it was just about a girl who was doing whatever she can to survive. When I first started reading this book, it took me a while to get into it but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading because it was a fast paced dystopian novel. I have missed reading fast paced dystopians so this one was amazing.

I think Lynn was a great main character. She was strong and she knew what she had to do in order to survive. She did grow throughout that book as she started off as a very lonely and isolated character but she grew to let people in. However she didn’t lose her essential desire to survive. She didn’t let people do things for her, even at the end as she is a very independant person who likes to be in control. However, when she first comes across the other characters and starts talking to them you realize just how much she doesn’t know. Living with her mother in an isolated house for her whole life meant that she wasn’t aware of things that we all know such as flirting or sarcasm. This made her a very weird person around others as she didn’t understand fully. I still did really enjoy Lynn as a character and I think in the second book, I will like her more.

Whenever Lynn would talk to anyone throughout the book this gif ran through my mind(and not just because it has Dylan O’Brien)

Most of the side characters were good too. I loved Stebbs, Lucy and Eli. I feel like they all bought out a new side to Lynn and they did change her quite a lot. Stebbs made her open up and let people in because he convinced her that she needs to start talking to other people. Lucy made her realise just how much she enjoys the company of others and how she can still take care of others while protecting herself. Eli just changed her and made her better because he helped teach her new things that she wasn’t aware of and he taught her how to love. I really didn’t understand Neva and I didn’t like her character at all.Even after what she did at the end, I didn’t like her. The final side character that appeared was Vera. However, she only appeared about 80% through the book and I hardly got to know her but for now I like her.

This is only a four star read because at the start, I found it to be quite slow until the thing happened that completely changed the book as a whole as well as the pacing of the book. It is also only four stars because I felt as if the ending of this book was too rushed. If this book was slightly longer and the ending was spread out over possibly 100 more pages, I would have enjoyed it a lot more and possibly have given it 5 stars. I also really didn’t like the thing that happened to a character at the end. Why did that have to happen? I felt as if it was unnecessary and the response to what happened was too quick to really appreciate why it happened.

When that thing happened at the end, I didn’t feel overwhelmed with sadness. This was basically me when it happened.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I am very excited to get my hands on the second one and read it as soon as possible. Thank you for reading and see you soon with another post.

- Sofia.

GUEST REVIEW: Boy21 - Matthew Quick

PAGES: 288
PUBLISHER: Headline
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in gray, broken Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish Mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, he takes care of his disabled grandfather, and at school he’s called “White Rabbit”, the only white kid on the varsity basketball team. He’s always dreamed of getting out somehow with his girlfriend, Erin. But until then, when he puts on his number 21, everything seems to make sense.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. A former teen basketball phenom from a privileged home, his life has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he now answers only to the name Boy21—his former jersey number—and has an unusual obsession with outer space.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21” may turn out to be the answer they both need.

REVIEW

Recently, I was lucky enough to read Boy21 by Matthew Quick and I loved it. This book is set to be released on the 19th June and I recieved it via headline and bookbridgr so thank you very much. This book follows Finley, who doesn’t live a perfect life. His home life and his past aren’t the best and he lives in a terrible neighbourhood. But he keeps going because of his girlfriend Erin and his love for basketball. Then a guy called Russ arrives in his life and he’s a bit strange. He answers only to Boy21 and he claims to be from outer space. Russ is also one of the best high-school basketball players in the country and could easily take Finley’s place on the team. However against the odds, Russ and Finley become friends and they help each other out when dealing with their pasts and their futures. I honestly really loved this book as a whole and I really recommend it.

This is the second Matthew Quick novel I’ve read, the first being Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (click here to read my review of it) and I absolutely love his writing. Matthew Quick deals with a lot of big issues in his novels and even though they are dark and intense subjects, he still makes you laugh a lot. His writing makes you want to keep reading, which hardly happens for me when it comes to contemporary novels. I really want to read his other books now and there is a chance he could make it on to my list of favourite authors.

Finley was a great main character. He had issues yet I loved that about him. He never annoyed me or irritated me. I understood all of his decisions and I really sympathized with him. Russ was also a great character. He was odd and unusual and I didn’t understand him at first but as we got to know more about him, I really did care for him a lot. Their friendship was absolutely beautiful and reminded me a lot of Sam and Davey’s friendship in Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman, which was my favourite book when I was younger. I also really loved most of the secondary characters including Erin, Coach and Wes.

I loved the whole Harry Potter book club thing that Wes, Russ and Finley started. They mentioned Harry Potter in the second half of the novel to compare their lives and I loved that. When they talked about escaping, they said that they were going to Hogwarts. Hogwarts had always been some what of an escape for me and I loved that a lot.

As I said earlier, Matthew Quick touches on a lot of dark subjects and issues in this book but I won’t tell you what they are because it’s best to not know what they are. Even though they were dark subjects, I still felt myself laughing and smiling throughout the book which is a unique thing that Matthew Quick can do. I honestly recommend this book to everyone as well as Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock because the writing is superb. This book is a solid 4.5 stars for me and the only thing that stopped me from giving it 5 stars was the ending. I really did love the ending, but I wanted more! I wanted to know what happens afterwards! This is a definitely a book that you should all be going out and buying on the 19th June because its fabulous. I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes from this book because I don’t know why but this quote really stuck out for me:

“You don’t always get to pick the role you’e going to play in life, but it’s good to play whatever role you got the best way you can.”

Thanks for reading and definitely go get this book as soon as possible.

- Sofia.
(fifisofa.wordpress.com)

GUEST REVIEW: Never Ending - Martyn Bedford

PAGES: 320
PUBLISHER: Walker Books
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

How can she live with what she did? Shiv's best mate, her younger brother, Declan, died while their family were on holiday in Greece. Shiv doesn't know how to live any more - she can only feel self-hatred; she is tormented by guilt. Now she finds herself at the Korsakoff Clinic, with five other teens and young adults who are undergoing a most unorthodox therapy, which is often painful. But this is Shiv's last chance - the clinic must help her find a way to live again. But first, their methods will make her face what really happened to her brother.

REVIEW

Recently, I was lucky enough to read Never Ending by Martyn Bedford and I’ve already finished it even though I only started it on Saturday. This book follows our main character called Shiv who is tormented by her brother’s death on their family holiday to Greece. She believes that she was the cause of his death so she is checked into the Korsakoff Clinic which has unconventional therapy techniques. This book was absolutely amazing and I just loved it. Let’s get into the review.

Shiv was a good main character. She is tormented by guilt and she does a lot of crazy things throughout the whole book. I felt a lot of sympathy towards her because she had experienced such a traumatic events. The things she had to deal with at the clinic were very tough. I honestly wouldn’t be able to deal with that if I was in her circumstances.

We were learning about her brother’s death and the events that were leading up to along the novel as some chapters were set during the trip. I loved these chapters but I got slightly frustrated. When something slightly cliffhangery happened at these chapters then we would jump back to her time at the clinic and I would want to know what happened next in the other chapters. Also, we had to wait until about three quarters into the book to find out how the brother actually died and it was very annoying but it made me keep reading.

All the characters in this novel were very well developed even the ones we weren’t meant to like. I loved Declan, Caron, Nikos, Mikey and even Dr Pollard. I really loved all of them and the development that each of these go through throughout the whole book was fabulous.

The settings of this book were fabulous. Kryritos and the Korsakoff were both so interesting to read about and I found myself wanting to read both. Sometimes in the book, I wanted to go back to the other setting but for most of it I loved the setttings we were in. The way that Bedford writes it keeps you intrigued even though not much really happens for quite a lot of the start, since she is just starting at the clinic.

The readers get to know Shiv before and after her brother’s death and we all get to know Declan as a character as well which was amazing. I really learned to love him as a character and when we actually read his death I felt very sad about it even though I knew it was coming. It was great to see a teenager who had a very close relationship with her brother because in YA you don’t see that much. Their relationship was great and at times it actually reminded me of my relationship with my brother.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone especially teenagers because you don’t find a book about this topic in YA much. I think most teenagers need to know how to live with grief and guilt and this book can help you to understand them. I gave this book 4.75 stars and I really do recommend it to you all. You all need to read this book, seriously.

- Sofia.

(https://fifisofa.wordpress.com/2014/0)

GUEST REVIEW: City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare

PAGES:
PUBLISHER: Walker Books
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian - but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance - Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final instalment of the Mortal Instruments series?

REVIEW

Yes, it’s a review for City of Heavenly Fire. The book is finally here. I’ve waited so long for this day and I’ve read it all. I have so much to say about this book and honestly I can’t write a non-spoilery review for this book because I need to discuss everything in this book. So if you haven’t read the whole Mortal Instruments series and the whole Infernal Devices trilogy, here’s where you leave. But seriously read Cassandra Clares’ books because they are absolutely fabulous and they improve a lot. Don’t give up after City of Bones, they improved so much. Now go if you haven’t read it because so many spoilers. This review is going to be all over the place because there is so much to talk about.

If you’re here, I’m guessing you’ve survived City of Heavenly Fire. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t a bloodbath as she had let on. I had waited so long for this book as I read City of Lost Souls back in 2012 and honestly it was a big wait. This isn’t one of my favourite series and it does really annoy me but I really wanted to know what happened. I had to wait an extra day as it came out an extra day in the UK and then when I went to go pick it up first thing, the order hadn’t come and I had to wait an extra 3 hours! Having to waste time in town for 3 hours and wait for the book was just painful. Then when I came home, I couldn’t read it because my brother became ill and I had to look after him. I read it slowly but I got through it. Now lets start with the review because I have a lot to discuss.

BE WARNED, THERE ARE SPOILERS! Click through if you've already finished the book.

- Sofia.

(http://fifisofa.wordpress.com/)

GUEST REVIEW: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock - Matthew Quick

PAGES: 288
PUBLISHER: Headline
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 4 Stars

SUMMARY

How would you spend your birthday if you knew it would be your last? Eighteen-year-old Leonard Peacock knows exactly what he'll do. He'll say goodbye. Not to his mum - who he calls Linda because it annoys her - who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. Nor to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing the unthinkable. But to his four friends: a Humphrey-Bogart-obsessed neighbour, a teenage violin virtuoso, a pastor's daughter and a teacher. Most of the time, Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not. He wants to thank them, and say goodbye.

REVIEW

Hey guys! Today, I’m going to be reviewing Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. This was the first Matthew Quick book I read but I absolutely adored it! I will definitely be picking up The Silver Linings Playbook as soon as I can. Now let’s start with the overall non-spoiler review.

Going into this book after having read the summary, I was expecting it to be very depressing and at parts it was. However, the book as a whole was funny. Leonard was an amazing narrator with a lot of character and I really cared for him. This book focused on him and I loved that. It was weird to be in the mind of someone who wanted to commit suicide but I feel like this book made me more aware of the issue and made me aware that what I can do can affect someone a lot and I hope I never be mean to anyone in the way that some of the classmates were to Leonard. The supporting characters weren’t as well developed however except for Lauren and Herr Silverman. I wish we would have seen more of Walt or Baback. I also wish that we would have got to seen his mother a little bit more, I would have liked to see them happy at the end.

This book deals with a lot of major issues that we are all aware of but try to hide and I loved that. We try to disguise all the problems that teenagers go through but this book handled them straight on. This allowed us to see these issues first hand and in some way, feel what it’s like to go through them. It allowed us to see why people want to commit suicide and what happens to people who go through traumatizing events. Matthew Quick write brilliantly and it felt as if he really knew about the subjects in hisbook.The thing about this book is that Leonard is doing something that none of us really like and we don’t like to know about it but when you’re in his head, you can see where he’s coming from and why he wants to do that. It’s a scary thought but you start to understand why people commit suicide.

This book was slow to start with and I found the writing style to be odd to start with. The book had footnotes! Having read mainly YA, I’ve never really come across footnotes in books that I read for pleasure. Once you get into the book, however it will grip you and you will fall in love with Matthew Quick’s writing. I sure did!

Overall, I’d give this book 4 stars as I did really enjoy it but I just can’t bring myself to give it 5 stars, because it wasn’t one of my absolute favourites. I do however recommend it to anyone and everyone! This book will really help you to understand the problems many young teenagers go through.

- Sofia.

http://fifisofa.wordpress.com/