Tag: 5 stars

On The Other Side – Carrie Hope Fletcher

August 16, 2016

I am such a huge fan of Carrie, her Youtube channel is one of my absolute favourites, so I was SO happy and relieved that I actually loved this book! Some may think that this opinion is biased, but it honestly isn’t, the story was strong and seriously beautifully written!

This book as had a fair amount of hype (well I heard a lot of hype), but if you don’t know this book is about Evie Snow, after living a long and fulfilling life, Evie peacefully passed away in her sleep. However she finds herself back in her 27 year old body, unable to enter her own heaven. She soon finds out that this is because her soul is too heavy to pass on because of 3 secrets she has kept her whole life that need to be revealed. In order to do this Evie has to relive and revisit her eventful and troubled life.

I think you’ll agree with me that this is a very interesting concept, it had me intrigued before I even opened the first page! I really haven’t read a book like it, and certainly one that was so well structured, that was something that really impressed me about this book, I’ve read books in the past with dual stories/time periods and I always ended up confused. This really wasn’t the case with this book, the backstory beautifully entwined with the current story and was placed at the perfect time to ensure optimum enjoyment for the reader! Also I cannot stress enough how well this book was written, and I’ve read a lot of books both well and poorly written, with this book I noticed Fletchers’ talent within the first paragraph! Everything flowed and each word was perfectly picked so I saw each character and scene so clearly, I love, love, loved it!

There are a few things that I would like clarification on though, this is in no way a criticism but I was slightly unsure as to the time period this book was set in… because I got the sense with Evie’s mother that she was rather Victorian so I pictured her in these Victorian gowns in big Victorian houses, but Evie and various other characters I pictured a lot more modern? There was the odd mention of technology so it must be modern but I can’t get the Victorian images out of my head! Also there was a touch of magic in this book, which I absolutely loved, it gave a new dimension to the story, however most of the story was set in normal life, so I was wondering whether that was genuine magic or if it was meant to be a metaphor? Either way I loved it, I was only wondering…

I really loved the characters in this book, I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers though… Evie was such a strong and refreshing character, I really enjoyed learning more about her and her life, inspirational is a word that comes to mind, although I couldn’t help but draw similarities between Evie and Carrie herself… It’s fair to say that I definitely pictured Carrie as Evie… Then there’s Vincent Winters, oh Vincent, what a gorgeous character, their little love story was equally adorable and tragic, he’s a lovable soul, what else can I say? Finally I’ll mention Eleanor Snow, Evie’s Mother, if there was going to be a ‘villain’ in this story it would be Eleanor Snow. Oh man, but I have to agree I did enjoy hating her! But Carrie if you’re reading this (you’re probably not) but not all people named Eleanor as as vile as Eleanor Snow, there’s one here who adored your book!

All in all, this was a wonderful book, I very much enjoyed it and was totally hooked from the start, I highly recommend it! I’m going to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, a beautiful story that I loved experiencing!

Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

July 12, 2016

I always love it when I’m buying a book and cashier sings its praises, it always makes me want to read the book even more. So this book started off well right from the beginning in Waterstones!

I’m just going to jump right into this, this book is set in the same world as the ‘Shadow and Bone‘ series but is in a different time period, has different characters and is a completely different story. This book is based in the country of Kerch instead of Ravka and follows the rag tag gangs within Kerch but mainly the Crow Club (gang) and it’s most prominent members. This gang gets contacted for a massive mission which is to break into the most well guarded and notorious prison in the Kingdom, The Ice Court and rescue a prisoner. It is clear this is a suicide mission, but with the prize of 30 million Kerch, Kaz and his team cannot resist.

Whilst browsing the shelves, this book intrigued me, mainly because I’d read the Shadow and Bone series, which was good but it wasn’t my favourite. Because of this I really wanted to know what it was like because I did like the world and was interested in learning more about it and exploring new areas and new characters. This book did not disappoint, it was so exciting and intense. The characters were strong with intimate and complex backstories which beautifully intertwined with the story line. I actually preferred this greatly to the Shadow and Bone story, I feel as though the story was a lot stronger and the characters were much more complex and likable.

What I really loved about this book was that it was so gripping! Right from the start it was interesting and I kept wanting to know more, there was no faffing they got straight into what the story was about and the main premise of the story. I just wanted to keep reading, but the best thing was that you never really know what was going on, you never knew if the gang are genuinely in trouble of if Kaz Brekker or the gang had something else up their sleeve! Because of this it was literally impossible to predict and I never knew what was happening and the ending was always so up in the air, even two pages from the end!

I don’t want to say too much about the characters because there is a lot you learn about each character and I want to keep that as a surprise. But I will say a tiny bit about the 6 main characters… Firstly there is Kaz Brekker (Dirtyhands) he is very high up in the gang and will do anything for money. Secondly there is Inej, known as The Wraith, she has silent feet and can climb anything. There is also Nina a Corporalki Grisha from Ravka and Matthias from Fierda who was trained to kill Grisha. Finally there is Jesper a good friend of Kaz Brekker but also has a slight glambling problem and Wylan who is always made fun of for being young and inexperienced. The characters were each so unique and different from each other, also each chapter was from a different perspectives so you got to know all of them really well!

I really did love this book, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a bit of excitement in a book. There are so many twists and turns I promise you that you won’t get bored! I’m going to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, I really did love this book and it lined up perfectly for a sequel so I seriously cannot wait for the second book!!

All The Bright Places – Jennifer Niven 

July 3, 2016

I would just like to start this review by saying that I think this is genuinely one of the best books I have ever read! Although I was very hesitant to read this book because of all the hype as I didn’t want to be disappointed. 

I went into this book with such an open mind and it really paid off, it was a beautifully written, heartwarming story that I think will stay with me for a really long time, actually I don’t think I’ll ever get over it! 

I don’t want to describe this book too much because I think it’s best to go into this book somewhat blind. However a brief outline is that the two main characters Finch and Violet meet on the top of the school’s bell tower contemplating suicide. Violet has tragically just lost her sister in a car accident and Finch struggles with various mental health issues. Together they help each other down from the bell tower and as the story progreses so does their friendship. I know thats fairly vague but you’re going to have to trust me on this, it’s amazing. 

This book drew me in straight away! There was no faffing around they got straight to the point. Because of that I just wanted to keep reading and the pages just kept turning, it was almost addictive! 

I loved the characters in this book! Firstly there is Finch (Theodore Finch), he was such an interesting character, but also he could be so much fun to read. He had the best personlity and genuinely had me belly laughing at points. I loved how he treated Violet and made it his mission to help her recover from the accident, which was just adorable, he’s someone I would love as a friend! Then there is Violet who was a happy, ‘normal’ girl before her sister died. When we first meet her she’s unsure of herself and who she is after the accident. Through Finch she learns to come out of herself and grab life by the horns once again! Her story arc is really beautiful. 

This book covered so many serious issues so beautifully. The main issues being suicide, depression and grief. Through the characters of Finch and Violet you really get inside the head of someone who wants to commit suicide and their thought processes. This gives an interesting insight into mental health illnesses but also means you have more understanding and can empathise (the best you can) with possible real life situations in the future. So not only was this book entretaining but you also learn a lot as well. 

This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful and it will always stay with me. I implore you to read this book, I know there is a lot of hype but this book actually deserves it, trust me if it didn’t I would tell you! I’m going to give this a massive 5 out of 5 stars, this is truly deserved and a wonderful, wonderful book, thank you for writing it Jennifer Niven! 

A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J Maas

May 24, 2016

Firstly, I would just like to apologize for how late this review, it took a while to read because here in the UK it is currently exam season so both Amy and I have had our heads stuck in text books instead of reading books… Anyway, wow, I have waited such a long time to read this book, the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, was amazing and I just couldn’t wait to jump back into this world! Although I try not to have high expectations, it just couldn’t be helped with this book, my expectations were sky high, but I am very happy to say that my expectations were met and even surpassed!

For those who don’t know, this is book follows from the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR). This book picks up a couple months after the horrific incidents from ‘Under the Mountain’ in the first book and shows how those events have impacted upon all members of the Spring Court, but especially Feyre and Tamlin. I feel as though readers should go into this book relatively blind, as I did, there is just a lot in the book that could easily be spoiled by mentioning any of the plot. I will try my very best to keep this review spoiler free but I can’t make any promises about not spoiling the first book ACOTAR, if you wish to read that review I will link it HERE.

So, on to my opinions! Firstly I really liked how this book really throws you back into the story, there isn’t an awkward re-introduction, things just start happening right from the start which gripped me straight away! This book really quickly became ‘that book’ that I would look forward to reading at the end of the day and it was always such a treat to come back to, especially after a long day of grueling school work! I would also like to add that I am really sad that I’ve finished it, I keep thinking that I will be able to continue the story each night and I’m crushed each time I realise that I’m going to have to wait a whole year before I know what happens next! Grrrr!!

All the main characters return from the first book mainly Feyre, who’s character development is truly fantastic in this book, she grows so much, I was actually really proud of her, especially after all that she had to ordeal under the mountain! Also Tamlin returns (obviously), my opinion of Tamlin was always changing in this book but he’s just as gorgeous as always, especially without that darn mask! Finally there is Rhysand, I’m still totally in love with Rhys, that hasn’t changed from the first book! I just loved how he would always manipulate a situation to be able to pop up and the most awkward times! Haha!

This book really is an emotional roller-coaster and I was either crying, laughing or gasping with shock (oh yes I gasped with shock A LOT!). However I would say that the main plot of the book was a little bit overshadowed with other themes of the book, so I kind of felt that I wasn’t as well informed as I probably could have been when it came to the ending, but this might have been because it was late at night and I was tired and zoning out a bit… The only other criticism is that the book dipped in action in the middle a little bit, but that part was really essential to the story, so although it was a little more dull, it was absolutely necessary!

I would also like to mention that this book is VERY steamy, and when I say steamy I mean adult fiction steamy, there is a lot of sex and adult themes! I looked up the age rating for this book and it said 14-17, but if I am really honest, I wouldn’t want a 14 year old reading those scenes, I know if I read that at 14 I would have… well let’s just say I would have learned a lot…! So if you are on the younger side, perhaps just be prepared? Or maybe wait until you’re older? I obviously don’t want to tell you what you should or shouldn’t read but I just want people to know that it is very graphic in places and is maybe not a book for tweens… Although saying that the scenes worked with the story and were very well written!

In conclusion I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK! The twists and turns were AMAZING and it is unreal how much I want to read the next book. Even though I had a few (very small) criticisms, they didn’t lessen the quality of the book at all! One thing Sarah J Maas is very good at is continuing a story successfully! I’m going to give this book the biggest 5 out of 5 stars, I loved it so much! Lastly I have tried SO hard to keep this review spoiler free as I know not everyone has read it yet, including my co-blogger Amy, so please feel free to leave a comment but please keep it free of spoilers (I know it’s very hard!)

Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare

April 1, 2016

Righty ho, before we get started with this mammoth review (trust me it’s going to be a long one!) I just want to disclaim that the first half of this section will be SPOILER FREE, but after a big warning, the second half will be a SPOILER review because I can’t not talk about what happened, but there will be ample warning so if you haven’t yet read Lady Midnight and don’t want to be spoiled, leave at that point.

OH MY GOODNESS! I am actually so excited to write this review also emotions are still very high so if this review isn’t very coherent I do apologise! So, this Shadowhunter book is set approximately 5 years after the last Mortal Instruments books left off, it follows the lives of Julian Blackthorn and his family and Emma Carstairs in the Los Angeles Institute. This book is an absolute Shadowhunter classic with action, adventure, love and loss, but it’s also a bit of a murder mystery with Emma trying to find out who killed her parents, as we found out in the last Mortal Instruments book.

I was SO excited for this book it’s unreal, anyone who has followed our blog for a while knows that I (Eleanor) adore the Shadowhunter novels, it’s one of my favourite worlds to live in! However, this did mean that I had incredibly high expectations going into this book, which is usually a bad thing for any book. Although this book absolutely did not disappoint, it was everything I was hoping for AND MORE! The characters in this book were so strong, I cared for them so much and felt their pain with them. The characters that I’m going to talk about in this half of the review are going to be Julian and Emma, because I’m so scared of spoiling it for you guys and they are the main characters… Anyway, lets start with Emma, I loved Emma so so much, her character was really quirky and she had some amazing one liners, she kind of reminded me of Jace. She is also an amazing Shadowhunter, she’s an amazing fighter and is so determined, anything she sets her mind to will get done, she’s just a great character! Now onto Julian, oh Juilian, he is another amazing character, he kind of reminded me of a combination of Will and Jem, he’s very thoughtful but he also feels emotions very deeply and you can’t help but feel pain for him! All the characters in this book though are so incredibly written and the emotions you feel for them are so powerful, you just have to appreciate Cassandra Clare’s talent, she is awe inspiring!

Another thing I really love about this book is that it touches on so many real issues in life, things like young carers, body image, learning difficulties like Autism and mental health issues. The book in no way focused on these issues but they were always in the background and were hinted at, because of this, it never felt like they were being thrown in your face. They were subtly obvious, which I thought was incredibly clever, it must have been hard to obtain that balance.

Finally, for this section at least, I want to talk about the pace of this book, because this isn’t the first or even the second shadowhunter book, it wasn’t necessary for there to be so much description about the world. The story jumped straight into the plot, why they where there and what they were doing. This made the book feel a lot faster paced without having to stop for extra description and the pages just kept turning!!

Well that’s it for the non spoiler section of the review, I truly, truly LOVED this book, so please if you’re a fan of this world I implore you to read this, it is incredible! For that reason I’m going to award it a massive 5/5 stars! If you have read the book and wish to read on then please do, I will be talking about some of the events in the book and my thoughts on them. If you don’t want to be spoiled then please click off now, I really don’t want the responsibility of you being spoiled because that is literally a crime!

 

 

!!**SPOILERS AHEAD** **SPOILERS AHEAD**!!

 

 

HOLY SMOKES! Okay, in this section, I’m just going to give a run down on what I thought were the best/most shocking/ most emotional moments of the book, I will also give my opinions on them and what I was thinking when I was reading them!

First of all let’s talk about the forbidden love story between Emma and Julian. I honestly don’t think I have ever shipped a couple so hard, but it was also so painful because at the back of my mind I knew they could never be together because of their Parabatai bond, but you know what, that didn’t stop my feelings and all I want is for them to be happily in love with no limits! What was also interesting is that they didn’t really declare their love for each other until about 400 pages in, so all this time we’re building up to them eventually being together which just builds the emotion even more, and made me ship them even more, well played Cassandra Clare! But lets talk about that beach scene! HOT DAMN! At first I didn’t think they actually went all the way, because in The Mortal Instruments, it took like 5 books for Jace and Clary to finally have sex. It only really dawned on me that Emma and Julian had sex when Julian was talking about contraceptive runes and stuff and I was like “OH, OH! THEY DID IT!” and it just made me so happy! Although, I’m not gunna lie, the last couple pages when Emma was trying to ‘break Julian’s heart’ because of the repercussions of Parabatai falling in love LITERALLY KILLED ME. I know it was necessary because I don’t want Julian and Emma to get all power hungry and destroy their family, but jeeeze, those pages were so hard to read!

On to the next thing, Mark. I was SO HAPPY that Mark was in this book, he added another dimension to the whole story. He was such a good character as well, he was so childlike because he had essentially been indoctrinated into faerie. He also turned out to be incredibly loyal to his family and eventually, we saw a cheeky side to him, especially in the last line of the whole book when he said ‘Why lie’. I took this as Mark wanting to ‘do stuff’ with Emma, so they didn’t have to lie to Julian and the rest of the family. This was so cheeky, I was a little dumbfounded by this as first as I didn’t really see Mark as that kind of character, but once it sunk in I thought it was funny and quirky and just showed how Mark had developed throughout the book.

Okay, now let’s talk about the main plot and plot twist of this book. I loved the whole murder mystery element to this book. I was totally involved in the plot, and I’ll be honest I had no clue who The Guardian was, I had a sneaky feeling that maybe it was Dianna but I wasn’t 100% sure. So when we found out it was Malcolm was completely knocked for six! Initially I really liked Malcolm, he was funny and intelligent, and I was like YES ANOTHER MAGNUS! But noooooo no no no! The little git, I felt genuine fear when he took Tavvy, holy moley! But I was glad Emma finally had closure on who killed her parents all those years ago and no one I cared about died, I was so pleased and thankful that Cassandra Clare didn’t kill anyone!

Some of the new characters were amazing, I loved Christina, Perfect Diego and the whole Blackthorn family, I also had so much respect for Julian and all he’s done for his siblings, effectively becoming a single parent at 12 years old! But most importantly I was so intrigued by Kit, I couldn’t get my head around who this boy was, especially as as he effectively starts off the whole series! I knew he was important but I just couldn’t figure out why, so when we found out he was a Herondale I was like “WHOA WHOA WHOA! WHAT THE F*CK!” Cassandra Clare is so clever because even though I thought the main plots were out of the way, something else comes flying out of the woodwork!

I am SO excited about the next book, even though it’s going to be so painful to read with the whole forbidden love thing! But this series has completely sucked me in and I just can’t wait! If you’ve stuck with me through this whole review, well done because insanely long (1500 words!) but also thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I did, and also please be considerate in the comments for people who haven’t read the book and keep the spoilers to a minimum! Thank You!

 

Girl Online: On Tour – Zoe Sugg

October 28, 2015

I firstly have to apologise to my parents who, I think, were going to buy this book for me for Christmas, ooopps… I couldn’t wait that long, I had to pre-order it, so I got it on the day it was released and I have absolutely no regrets, it was fantastic!

For those who don’t know, this is the second instalment of books written by highly successful Youtuber Zoe Sugg or ‘Zoella’. The first book was just so cute and I loved it so much I believe I finished it in a day! If you haven’t read the first book I would suggest reading my previous blog post for Girl Online which I will link HERE because I don’t want to spoil anything that happens in the first book! Anyways, this book continues Penny and Noah’s story as their relationship blossoms as does Noah’s music career. At the end of Penny’s GCSE exams Noah invites her onto his European tour as he is the opening act for famous band The Sketch, and with two whole weeks with her “Rock-God” boyfriend and the perfect way to end the evil that is the exam period, of course Penny says yes!

This is just such a lovely feel good book, it’s been a while since I read a good contemporary book so it was so nice to be thrown back into such a happy story where I just wish I could have been a part of somehow! In my notes I have described it as like a cosy blanket as it just makes you feel all warm and cosy with its cuteness and adorable moments where you can’t help but just squeal a little bit and flap your hands because you can’t handle the adorableness of it! I’m starting to word vomit a bit but this is what this book does to you!

The characters in this book are just fab! I LOVED some of the new characters like Larry the security guard and Leah, they were just so good with Penny and they had such a lovely, friendly relationship with Penny and of course Elliot remains fabulous, I just loved it! Also the character of Penny was such a good narrator, a relatable normal girl thrown into an extra-ordinary situation, just fab! Now onto Noah, what girl wouldn’t love Noah? His romantic gestures would have anyone swooning! However, I have to admit, some of the things he did I was wanted to slap him and yell “WAKE UP!” because he could be a little clueless at times!

Although this book was quite predicable, I found myself predicting most of the things that were going to happen, but in a way I didn’t mind that because there is something fun about trying to figure out what’s going to happen and when I was right I made a smug face and felt like an intelligent detective! However there were somethings that I was VERY wrong about which I also sincerely enjoyed because the surprise of being wrong is even better and I genuinely wasn’t expecting it and to be honest it did give me a little shock! (Although I’m fairly sure the more intelligent folks would have figured it out but I certainly didn’t!).

I truly enjoyed this book and I felt that it was a good continuation of the story! I also really hope that there will be a third book because I need more Penny and Noah in my life! I’m going to give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because of my sheer enjoyment of the story. Good job Zoe!

Queen Of Shadows – Sarah J Maas

October 7, 2015

Spoilers ahead! Sorry we couldn’t contain ourselves!! And also apologies for the capital letters and thousands of exclamation marks!! We both just loved this book so much!!

Amy’s Review:

Words can’t describe all the emotions I feel for this book; it blew me away. Sarah J Maas is the queen of fantasy and has created a book filled with so much action, emotion and just pure amazingness!!!

Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen returns back to Rifthold for vengeance and to face her past and future. As she tries to save the ones she loves she must also save her kingdom by freeing magic once and for all. With the help of her friends Aelin embarks on a dangerous and dramatic adventure whilst uncovering dangerous and life changing secrets.

The plot was perfect. It was well paced and when I say there was action behind every page, I meant it! So many secrets were also revealed about almost every character which just made me scream with excitement or gasp in horror and shock. It was so dramatic, exciting and such an enjoyable read with so much going on!

Aelin is always a wonderful character to read about and with her you never know what to expect. I loved how she would sneakily do her own thing without telling the reader or the other characters so when it was revealed you felt you were right there with the other characters. She is still the ass-kicking, sassy and strong woman she’s always been and it was nice to see her develop more as a character, friend and Queen. I was so pleased when Aelin and Manon finally met, I had a little fit in my seat when I read it!! And it was so badass because they are such strong and powerful characters!

Sarah J Maas alway does a good job at creating and portraying the beautiful men in her books and Queen of Shadows wasn’t an exception. All of them are just perfect; they’re badass but kind and powerful yet gentle. At the beginning of the book, I was a little disappointed with Chaol at the but as we carried on he began to chill a bit. It was then ending though for Chaol that got me but I won’t give anything away! 

But when Rowan rucked up on the scene I nearly lost myself (again). I think I actually screamed. His relationship with Aelin is always a delight to read as one minute they all romantic with each other and the next they’re at each others throats with their humorous banter. I also loved his character development and how he slowly began to open up to Aelin and confess his feelings! Ahhh! Also Aelins relationship with Aedion was just so cute and I was overjoyed when they were finally reunited. The bromance between Aedion and Rowan again is something I really enjoyed and certainly want to see more of.

Throughout this series I have become so emotionally attached to these characters and the last few chapter I was a wreck. My heart was beating so fast and I was sensitive ball of emotion that could have exploded at any minute and that is what I loved about this book is that it made me feel like that.

This book has left me with so many new and exciting ships!!! I wasn’t totally with the whole Rowena ship but after this book I am the captain of that ship and 100% supporting it. Two other ships that were hinted in the book, were between Lysandra and Aedion and between Manon and Dorian! In my eyes these relationships could totally work and I hope they develop in the next book! However it is the relationship with Chaol and Nesryn, I’m a little unsure of and it’s probably because I have a huge fictional crush on Chaol and I think me and him would be a way better ship! But aside from that they are perfect! God, It’s all just so cute and lovely!!

I was so glad that I read the ‘Assassins Blade’ before hand as a lot of characters and references were made from the prequel so if your planning on reading it read the ‘Assassins Blade’ first. I loved that Lysandra came back but as a nicer and more mature character and I enjoyed learning about her past and secrets! If you know what I mean?! My whole opinion of her has changed dramatically and she is now one of my favourite characters who I hope returns in the next book!

Overall, I think it is clear to say I rate this book 100/5 stars it was just pure amazingness and now my favourite in the series. It was filled with action, adventure and a lot of emotions! Please just give me book 5 now! If you haven’t yet read the ‘Throne of Glass Series’ I HIGHLY recommend you do as it is a wonderful YA Fantasy which never leaves a dull moment!

Eleanor’s Review:

HOLY SHIT! IT’S GOING TO BE HARD TO DO THIS ENTIRE REVIEW WITH CONSTANT CAPITALS! However I will refrain myself! I don’t know what Amy has already written, although I know she wrote a lot, so I apologise if our reviews overlap because I am aware (from a very excited phone) that we have very similar opinions!
I’m certain Amy has already explained that this is the fourth book in the throne of glass series and has already written an overview so I’m just going to jump right into my opinion!

AHHHHHHHHAHHHHAHHHHHH!!!!!!! THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING! If I wasn’t at school I would have easily read this book within two days even though it is absolutely HUGE! I didn’t read the first three books that long ago so I luckily didn’t have much of a wait for this new book (I waited about a month) so I think it’s fair to say that I’m going to have a very hard time waiting for the fifth book!

Right, this book completely upped the stakes, new characters were added who I LOVED, and characters who we already know were developed and just got more and more amazing! Let’s start with Aelin… she just got so SASSY! Some of the things she did and her little schemes and plans were just beautifully crafted and were just so clever! At first I was confused as we didn’t really know what she was doing because we found out when the other characters found out, but that made the emphasis on the moment when we do find out all the more special and rewarding! She is such a good leader and has grown so much as a character, I think I’m actually quite proud of her!
On to Rowan, WHAT A HUNK! I SHIP AELIN AND ROWAN SO MUCH IT HURTS! He is just so loyal and amazing and I have created literally the perfect torso for him in my mind it’s unreal!!!!

Aedion… I just love the relationship between Aelin and Aedion, there is so much banter and there is an instant brotherly sisterly relationship as soon as their characters meet and it’s just so perfect I can’t describe. I don’t want to go on and on about different characters but I also LOVE Manon she is so BADASS! Also there are new characters like Elide who you just can’t help but love!

Okay, onwards! Sometimes the story was too intricate and complicated that I occasionally lost a thread which I would eventually pick back up but it did leave me a bit baffled sometimes. But that is purely because I was probably being a bit dozy and wasn’t paying full attention as I did read this book whilst falling asleep!
Also I don’t know how Maas did it, but she managed to make me emotional about a character I haven’t even met (because I haven’t yet read Assassin’s Blade). I don’t want to spoil it but there is a moment when Aelin visits a certain grave… I was so close to tears! Her writing is just so beautiful, I truly marvel how she can literally make you laugh and cry on the same page!

I’m so excited I don’t know what to say! I only finished the book about an hour ago so this is my raw reaction! I’m going to award this an easy 5 out of 5 stars if you’ve read the first three books then this book is an absolute MUST! PLEASE READ IT I’M BEGGING YOU!

Apologies for such a long review but we both had a lot to say!

Endgame: The Calling – James Frey

September 11, 2015

Oooo I did enjoy this book, it was so exciting and intense, even though I started back at school and have less time, I still wizzed through it!

The story of this book is quite difficult to describe but I’m going to try my best…it’s about the events leading up to the end of the world, the fate of the world and the decision on who lives is decided through Endgame which is a game played by the direct descendants of the original ‘lines’ of the first humans on earth, all of whom are aged between 13-20. For example there are players from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania ect. These players have been trained since birth to play in Endgame but nobody knows when the game will be activated, it has been the same way for thousands of years. There can only be one winner of Endgame, all the other players will die. The player who wins will secure the survival of their entire ‘line’ during the impending apocalypse, so no pressure…

This book had a very Hunger Games feel to it, but in my opinion it was even more exciting as there is more to play for and there is action right from the beginning. As soon as you start this book you’re thrown into the crazy world of Endgame as it is being activated, things explode and people die in the first chapter, I don’t think I have ever been so hooked by a book before!

One thing that I really loved about this book is all the different perspectives, there are chapters in the perspective of all the players of Endgame. This makes the story really exciting because it’s like a new story every chapter from a different person in a different country. However they are all cleverly linked with the different clues that they know and their ultimate goal. Although it did take a while to get used to all the different perspectives because I kept forgetting who each person was and where they were from, but after a few chapters with them and you learn more about their characters it was easier to remember. Also, there was never a character that I didn’t want to know about or to find out more of what they were doing because they were all doing such cool things, but there were a few that I was cheering along more than others…

I think the characters are one of the best things about this book, I don’t want to describe any because I think, if you read it, you should form your own individual opinions on the different characters because any of them could be your favourite… well except for the real dick heads that don’t even deserve to be named… All the characters are all really feisty and badass, but also brave and (some are) kind.

The ending was so up in the air, I had no clue what would happen! It was a little bit sad but not enough to make me cry (if you know what I mean), but if you cry easily then perhaps keep some tissues on standby, because I’m sure someone has cried at this ending in the past… Although as I was getting towards the end of this book I realised that there wasn’t enough pages for Endgame to finish completely… which is a little annoying because I really want to know who wins!! I guess I’ll just go and get the second book… The ending was also quite confusing, not all of my questions were answered which kind of annoyed me, but I suppose it’s just another excuse to buy the sequel!

I really LOVED this book! If you enjoy things like the Hunger Games then you will love this book! It is packed will intense action and cryptic riddles that I had no hope of solving! I’m going to award this book a 5 out of 5 stars, a cracking read!

Every Day – David Levithan

August 25, 2015

I WISH I HAD READ THIS SOONER! This book has literally been sitting on my bedside table for about six months just gathering dust, then there was me saying, ‘yeah I’ll read it eventually’ but it took a holiday to make me actually read it, so if you were in the same position as I was PLEASE READ IT!!

This book is about A. A wakes up in a different body each day, a different face, different family, different story. A had the same set of rules his/her whole life, stick to the status quo, don’t alter this person’s life too much. That is until he/she wakes up in the body of Justin a normal guy who doesn’t really care much about anything. However Justin has a girlfriend named Rhiannon, although A is only in Justin’s body for 24 hours, Rhiannon makes quite the impact. From then on A does everything he/she can to see Rhiannon again but being in a different body each day could make things slightly problematic.

Now you’ll notice this book is rather different from other books, mainly because the main protagonist doesn’t have a definite gender, A can be male or female, to him/her there is no difference. I guess A has a point but I couldn’t help but see A as more male than female, it was more of a subconscious decision than a conscious one… Nonetheless, the gender ‘merge’ for A was really refreshing and new that really suits the 21st century especially with all the new progress the LGBT community has created, trying to emphasise the fact that male or female, gender shouldn’t matter and shouldn’t hold as many restraints as it, unfortunately, does. I think some people could learn a thing or two from this book.

This book was very different from anything I have ever read before and in some aspects it’s very hard to relate to because it’s quite difficult to understand A’s position (for obvious reasons). Yet there are also very familiar parts that are relatable for many of us, mainly being young and having to deal with teenage issues. One moment you only feel sympathy for A but then without really realising it you start to feel empathy instead.

One thing I loved about this book was that it was so diverse, each chapter was a new person with a completely different story; you could never get bored. One chapter A is a popular jock, and the next chapter A could be a vulnerable, suicidal girl it was like reading a new book each chapter. Never have I read a book where I get to experience so many stories and so many points of view, I loved it. Because of its diversity this book became rather difficult to predict, I never knew who A would be next or what he/she would have to experience, I also had no idea how it would end. I’m not going to lie, the ending tricked me, I was not expecting what happened, but I loved it! It was fab! But one thing I would LOVE is a sequel?? Is there a sequel because if there is I would be all over that! I’m going to award this book a 5 out of 5 stars, I loved this book; it was full of everything a good book should contain!

Rebell Belle – Rachel Hawkins

July 26, 2015

Perfection. Is the only word to describe this book as it was funny, heartfelt, adorable and exciting with it’s action packed storyline. The range of characters was also something I really enjoyed, especially Harper and David!

Harper Price, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance leaves her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts and with these powers she’s been given the task to protect her least favourite person; David Stark.

Harper is your perfect southern belle. She’s head of nearly every group at school, homecoming queen and has a gorgeous boyfriend but when the Paladin powers kick in her world is turned upside-down. In my opinion, Harper was a brilliant character who made me laugh constantly. Her reaction to her powers was priceless. I loved the fact she was a total badass but also at the same time she was still really girly. This just shows that even the girly blondes can still kick some ass from time to time!

And then there’s David. He’s quirky, smart and can’t stand Harper. But as the book goes on, this begins to change a lot! He challenges her and keeps her on her toes, so I found Harper to be more engaging when they were together.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot more action than expected but at the same time it was still really girly and romantic. From the very first page we are thrown straight into the middle of it, which then kept me hooked for the rest of the novel. Within a few pages or so, Harper gains her “powers” and new status as a Paladin. David also quickly finds out that he’s extraordinary. I was relieved that everyone was on the same page, sooner rather than later, because this story would have dragged if Harper continually had to hide her mission while protecting David. The balance of romance and  action was also fab, it always entertaining whether it was when Harper was kicking ass or having cheesy romantic moment!

The humour in this book was brilliant, I think it was my favourite part; it was just so funny. Harper is absolutely hilarious and she has little quips that would just make me burst out laughing. I loved that while she would be beating someone up, she would also having you smiling and laughing. It makes for a really fun book. The banter between David and Harper was again something I really enjoyed and it was easy to see the chemistry between them even though they will do anything to deny it. They are a lot alike and working together starts to show this. I loved them together.

Overall, this book was adorable, funny and so romantic as well as action packed and totally badass! I highly recommend this to all those who love a good contemporary with a twist and I easily rate this a 5/5 stars.