Saturday 30 June 2012

Review of Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Pages: 371
Publisher: St.Martins Press
Released: August 2012 (This was an ARC copy)

Plot: In the community everyone has been chipped to remove the emotions that have destroyed how the world used to be. The Link network controls the population, however there are a few that 'glitch' and Zoe soon realises she is one. However Zoe discovers her 'glitching' has caused her to adapt the power of telekinesis. As Zoe learns more about her powers she meets others who like her have developed certain skills such as Max and Adrien who both grow fond of Zoe. Can Zoe keep her secret from the community though or will it lead to her deactivation and ending.

Good Points:  I liked the use of terminology in the book it really added to the effect of the story and helped allow you to build a better picture of the world Zoe is in.
I thought there were some scenes that had really good description such as the train scene, scenes like this brought the book to life a little and saved it from the first half of the book which I found hard to get into.
The book definitely slowly got better however characters such as Max just annoyed me. Certain elements of the book  though were great like the whole world that the author has created and the overall idea to the plot. The author has in my opinion allowed some  potential spoilers for the future books in this trilogy to be suggested in Glitch and therefore I will definitely check out the next in the series just to see how the story plays out overall.
Also the cover...it's just perfect to the futuristic story.

Bad Points: I really hated the replacement 'curse words' that were used throughout the book such as 'Shunt', 'Godlam'd' and 'Cracking hell' (I know right!!!???!!!). These made-up curses really annoyed me throughout the book, okay yes I understand that it is a YA book and aimed at younger readers but either put them in or just leave them out completely because these made up versions just felt cheesy and irritating to read, even more so by they being added multiple times on some pages! I mean if the author decided to include the line 'Can I look at your genitalia?' then I think a curse word would have been okay too. Also how did Max discover his power if he always see's himself as himself despite projecting?? Slightly confused there...
Everything in the book I thought went a little to quick, the girl basically just ran off with this guy, not even thinking for a second about the family she may be leaving behind and then basically falling in love with a guy after how many hours !?! It was all very Romeo and Juliet.

To Sum Up... Basically I wasn't really that keen on this book, it took me ages to actually get into it mainly due to the plot being paced way too quickly and the reader in my opinion not fully getting a good understanding of the character before all the events take place. I also thought that the constant use of made up curse words pulled me away from the story and just did not work well at all, like I said before, either use them properly but at a minimum or just don't include them at all. Also, another love triangle...really?
If you haven't read any Dystopian fiction before you probably are going to love this book however as someone who has read a  lot of Dystopian books this sadly isn't one of the best one's that I have read though it did get better, so definitely try it out, you never know you might just love it :)

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Review of Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Pages: 384
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pushing the LimitsRelease: July 2012 (This was an ARC copy)

Plot: No one knows what happen to Echo Emerson, not even herself. She walks the halls of her school covered due to the scars on her arms and dreams of just being normal. Noah is the definitely not the guy that Echo or anyone would call normal. Noah's struggling to deal with his own issues, after the death of his parents, a dodgy upbringing in the system and losing his brothers all Noah wants is to try and bring his family back together.
As they try to uncover the parts to they're lives social services doesn't think they should know, will Noah and Echo find what they both set out to find or will they're paths cross and change their opinion of what it is to be 'normal'?

Good Points: Surprisingly I really loved this book. I thought the plot was good and the overall writing was excellent, you really get a grip on the characters and what they're about quickly and I thought the changes in perspective gave an equal insight to both Echo (who's name has really grown on me...) and Noah's lives and their troubled pasts.
I thought the author did a fantastic job in slowly building up tension throughout the story and I found myself wanting to read on and on. Yes, at times I thought the book could get a little too same-y in constantly bringing up the whole idea of wallowing in the past (if you can really even call it that) but this is prevented in my opinion by the range of emotions that you do feel towards the all of the characters. I found myself when reading the book trying to piece together what I would do in that situation and at times I could relate to the characters in a way but at others, during times when the characters surprise you, you still feel that that is what that character would do. The book showcases a range of very human emotions and doesn't shy away from topics that some wouldn't involve in their own plots, I think this is a reason why I loved it so much. This book was no nonsense and just a real book that explored the events that lead to Noah and Echo becoming the people they are.

Bad Points: Okay, Echo's friends, excluding a few are Bitches, pretty much no other way to put it. They are simply awful and I did become a little annoyed at why Echo was still associating herself with these people. However, reading on you reason out Echo's choices and begin to understand that she believes she's lost everything in her life and that one little fragment (her friends) of her past is one of the only things that she has control over and the choice to keep. Yes they are Bitches but as awful as it sounds you can sort of believe it to be true in that this would actually happen.


To Sum Up... Well, like I've already mentioned numerous times throughout this review, I loved it. I loved the raw emotions shown throughout the book for each of the characters and the relationships not only between Noah and Echo but also with their social worker Mrs Collins and each of the pairs friendship groups.
At times yes it could get a little dramatic but isn't every book? So basically you should definitely seek out this book when it comes out in July and I probably know what your'e thinking- but its not paranormal !!!, well no you're right but instead this book is so much more it contains good realistic characters that grow into interesting people that you grow to care for, the story is plotted well and the dialogue is never cheesy or forced and to be honest this book contains a from of magic all on it's own.
So to conclude ... Read this book :D Please x


Sunday 24 June 2012

Existence (Existence trilogy#1) by Abbi Glines

Pages: 194
Existence (Existence Trilogy, #1)Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Released: December 2011

Plot: Pagan Moore has always seen souls wandering around town since she was little but she's ignored them as much as she can knowing that her 'gift' isn't normal. However one day she meets a dead soul watching her at school, except this time he talked to her, something that hasn't happened before. Something about this soul isn't quite right though...will Pagan see this though?

Good Points: Got to admit I really do love the cover (Cover Check-- its that couple again who appear on loads of books together!)
Also, I liked the idea of Pagan, the main character in the book, being able to see souls from the beginning, something she has always been able to do basically, which differs from most teen books where the character discovers their 'ability' and thus being the reason for the big changes in their lives that show in the story. However, if I'm being honest, the author did kind of make out as if Pagan is seeing these 'souls' all the time and to be truthful I didn't read about that many in the first half of the book.
Character-wise I thought Gee was the best, I loved her arrogant cocky behaviour and I thought it brought added humour to the book.
Surprisingly I really loved the ending which is unusual because normally I don't like that type of cliffhanger but this time I did and will definitely check out the next book because of this.


Bad Points: What the heck. Firstly, I know it's cool to put a weird name in books lately but I think this author takes it a little too far, one of the characters is called Leif and the other Dank which I'm almost certain is a street name for Cannabis.  Also, 'typical-book-guy' alert, this book is filled with over dramatised scenes of 'I want you, I must have you! But I can't, I'm too mysterious and brooding to...' which to be honest I'm getting a bit sick and tired of reading about. (I even laughed when she was speaking his song lyrics back to him and mentally announcing how her 'life was now complete').The main character to the book, Pagan isn't much better in my opinion, I didn't really like her character and I thought she was pretty selfish adding also to the whole beginning relationship she starts with Leif which in my mind was just too quick and really unbelievable. 
Another thing that I didn't really like was at times I thought the writing of the book was a little strange, it sort of felt as if parts of the book that should have been there were missing because of the constant end scene- start new scene that kept going on with Pagan waking up to a new day. 

To Sum Up... Basically this book was an easy, quick read that ticks all the romance boxes but in my opinion lacked a great plot and interesting characters that had proper depth to them. I would have liked a stronger portrayal of Pagan and Leif bonding over their after school classes rather than the 'I've always liked you, even though I've never even slightly shown it before' stuff that the book included.
To be honest I don't know what it is about this author but I'm just not really responding to her writing, this is the second book by Abbi Glines that I have read and although I do believe Existence was miles better than The Vincent Boys, it wasn't good enough to change my entire perspective of this particular authors writing. Although I will continue to read books published by this author to see if my opinion changes, but until then I'm not totally impressed.

Friday 22 June 2012

Review of Blood Solstice (Tale of Lunarmorte#3) by Samantha Young

Pages: 272
Blood Solstice (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #3)Publisher: Self-Published on Kindle
Released: October 2011

Plot: The third and final instalment to the Tale of Lunarmorte series see's Caia's continued struggle in the war between the Midnights and the Daylights. Time is running out, truths are revealed and the pack won't ever be the same again when tragedy hits home.
In the long battle between Daylights and Midnights, will Caia be able to save everyone she loves?


Good Points: Loved the book, you definitely see the change Caia makes throughout the series even more in this book. She's still underneath it all the sweet innocent girl that we first met in Moon Spell however you see how the war has changed her and the pack, even more so after the attack on the pack. In this book, like all 3 in the Lunarmorte series we get to enjoy reading the perspective of some of the main characters which is one of the things I really love about Samantha Young's writing as it allows the reader to grow closer to each character and really get a grip on each perspective. I think it would have been nice to see this same perspective from a midnight however I didn't feel any less inclined to support 'Team' Daylight due to Laila.
The characters continue to grow and form relationships with each other and the overall plot to the story is, well, amazing. It had everything I look for in a book - action, cool battles,  a couple of shockers, a bit of romance and some genuinely great characters.

Bad Points: At the end (the 3 years later bit) I've got to admit I did want more on what happens to the characters however I've got to admit I did like how it gave us this tiny insight, although it did make me feel like the ending was just a tiny little bit rushed. But I swear that was it!!
Bring a box of tissue's if you haven't read this book yet :(


To Sum Up... I really enjoyed this series and thought that there was little to fault on any of the books. The characters were well developed as the series progressed and the author allowed you to see a variety of emotions and changes both mentally and physically to most of the characters. There are a couple of 'shocker' moments within the book that definitely keep you reading on accompanied by a huge Beach Battle=COOL.
Another reason that I really do love this authors writing is (I don't know if I've mentioned this before) Young doesn't write the typical teen book, her characters aren't perfect and they don't include that typical book guy that I read so often in teen fiction. The relationships between the characters are developed and we see them through as corny as it sounds the good and the bad times, which I absolutely love because it makes the story more...real, the characters don't 'Swan' around declaring their love for each other in what feels like minutes (that phrase fit more than it should) they actually talk and get to know each other first.
If you haven't read anything by this author yet--Pleeeaaaseeee do as they are awesome and I've run out of friends and family to go on at them about how darn good this author truly is.

Monday 18 June 2012

Review of Hush, Hush (#1) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Pages: 400
Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)Publisher: Simon & Schuster children's
Released:  October 2009

Plot: Nora isn't really keen on any of the boys at school, despite her best friend Vee's insistence, that is until Nora meets Patch. Love at first sight? Patch seems to know everything about Nora, he keeps turning up  everywhere and Nora can't decide whether to run to or from him. Little does Nora know though that Patch is fact a fallen Angel and is here for a reason...

Good Points: When I first read this book I absolutely loved it (I think I even restarted it straight away), I loved the opening chapter -barbie dolls pinned to the board - and the friendship between Nora and Vee and I think one of the main reasons that I liked this book when I first read it was because all that was mainly out at the time was Vampire teen fiction after Twilight and so it was kind of a breath of fresh air (obviously that has now changed).
The idea behind the book was quite cool but ...hmnn, I just don't know any more...

Bad Points: This book does have typical teen book syndrome and Nora's character at times I thought can be a little whiney, heck, let's try psychotic. It is also a little twilight-y, yup they're both biology partners forced to work together along with all the other stuff I've already summed up in the 'typical teen' quote.
The list of bad points could go on and on however I don't really want go all psycho on the book so I'll quit while I'm ahead.

To Sum Up... Yeah okay it is the typical teen book, average-looking, good grades girl falls for bad, broody least we forget mysterious boy and so on... but I think a part of me will always love this book. Sure I've read loads of books since that would beat this book in a 'book battle' but I just don't think I can ignore the fact that this book got me excited to read on the first time I read it (though I was a tad disappointed with the series sequels) listening full volume to Delirium by Ladyhawke which consequently always makes me think of this.
I checked the book out on Goodreads recently and wasn't that surprised to see all of the many negative responses, I must admit my opinion has changed the more I read this book and now I just cannot understand Patch and Nora's relationship and the fact that everything is just quickly explained in the ending and the stupidity levels go through the roof.
However, like always, I encourage you to read the book and make the ultimate conclusion , is it good or bad? 

Sunday 17 June 2012

Review of River Cast (Tale of Lunarmorte #2) by Samantha Young

Pages: 269
River Cast (The Tale of Lunarmorte #2)Publisher: Amazon Kindle (self published)
Released: October 2011

Plot: As Caia is taken to the Centre, she starts to uncover more of her magic and her touch to the Midnights starts to show her that a lot of them don't even like the war and are in fact good. With the Daylights determined to end the war by using Caia to wipe out the Midnights can Caia make the choice between Midnights and Daylights and do the right thing, whatever that is...

Good Points: I loved this book! Samantha Young is fast becoming one of my all time favourite authors and I'm only on her third book. The story is rich in depth and the characters are those to which you can either relate with immediately or reason out their decisions. In this book, the second in the Tale of Lunarmorte series we get to see a lot more of Jaiden's perspective after learning of her telekinetic abilities in the first book, there is also the whole relationship with her and Ryder which is extremely funny because of the ongoing banter between the two.
Alike, the relationship with Caia and Lucien is also developed and you grow infuriated at their stupid blindness of not seeing that they like each other. Meanwhile the war is ongoing, there was a little less action in this book than the first in my opinion but I didn't really care about that (don't get me wrong I love a good fight in a book) but you concentrate on other things such as the Centre where you meet Marita (basically like the leader of the 'good' guys) and the whole maybe evil plotting that she's been up to.

Bad Points: Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved this book but a couple of times I did think it was an  insie-bit same-y as the first book with the whole two 'bad' people convening secretly and wondering who could be the spy in the book (which when you find out was a little predictable) but hey this didn't concentrate the topic of the whole book and there were tons of other exciting stuff going on that kept me reading constantly and ending up finishing the book within hours.

To Sum Up... This author is just Brilliant (capital 'B' for effect)! Her plotting of the story is just perfect and you never seem to get bored at all, there is always something happening that keeps you on edge, but it's not cataclysmic stuff that makes you think 'seriously,where the hell is this book going?' that some books do. The characters are believable and their actions and the relationships formed throughout the book build up, basically they don't just immediately meet and then two days later declare their undying love to each other which is what I really hate in books.
Samantha Young I solute you!

Friday 15 June 2012

Review of Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers, #1)Pages: 352
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: June 2012

Plot: When Samantha get's kissed by the guy who's she's always crushed on she had no idea that she would loose her soul, meet a group of angels and demons and uncover secrets about her past that will change her life forever. Can Bishop, the mysterious angel help get Samantha's soul back or will she choose the darkness that has started to consume her...

Good Points: I quite liked the whole idea of how you lose your soul, I've never heard of that before and I thought it was quite original, especially with the whole Demons and Angels working together thing. Samantha's character was okay, I liked the somewhat strong voice she holds within the book and her good side into helping the homeless and doing her bit but I have to say one of my favourite characters from the book was Kraven, I loved his sarcastic behaviour and at times I thought it brought humour that the book needed.
The love interest Bishop was in my opinion the 'typical book guy', mysterious, good looking and in this book at times a little bit mental.
The pacing of the book was quite good and how it was plotted out however at time I just wanted something a little more exciting to happen to really get me into the story and maybe to uncover a little more.
The cover as well - so pretty : D

Bad Points: Okay there were a couple of things that got me really frustrated with this book. To begin, if I ever hear the word 'special' again I think I'm going to scream. It seemed that this was the answer  to everything at the beginning of the book 'who are you?' - 'I'm special' , 'why can you do this?'- 'I'm Special' AGHHHH! It gets annoying after a while...
Also when I discovered *slight spoiler* that Bishop and Kraven were brothers, I've got to admit it did go straight to my head the whole Vampire Diaries good brother V bad brother thing but it was soon smoothed out so I don't think that can really be called a bad point.

To Sum Up... I liked the book and I thought it was an easy read, it had the beginnings of nearly all the things you would want in a teen paranormal book and I liked the cliffhanger at the end which should be interesting in the next books in the series.
Go read it!!

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Review of League of Strays by L.B Schulman

League of StraysPages: 288
Publisher: copy courtesy of Harlequin Publishing
Released: October 2012 (This is an ARC review)

Plot: Charlotte is the typical good girl, she practices her Viola everyday and obeys her parents every command however all is about to change when she finds a letter in her locker inviting her to join 'The League Of Strays' a mysterious group of loners that band together and serve out revenge to those that have wronged them. However Charlotte soon becomes uncomfortable by what the League is doing but can Kade, the leader of the league change her mind?

Good Points: I liked most of the other characters in the book and I thought there was a nice blend of personalities in the group. At points I liked some of the pop culture references in the book but to finish I think the ending was a little weak, though it did leave room for another book.
The author was successful however in portraying the creepy socio-path that is Kaden, however in my opinion because I hated him from the start it kind of lost the build up that I think the book needed and I think that's why I just didn't sympathise with Charlottes character.


Bad Points: Okay now some things got me a little annoyed within the book if I must be honest, for example the character of Kade who at the beginning of the book is described by Charlotte as 'Kade really likes to research people' *translate* and alarm bells ringing-- STALKER ALERT! This factor seriously creeped me out and I just could not see where this Charlotte character was coming from, I think that's why I just didn't sympathise with her or relate to her within the book at all.
I thought the beginning of the book could have had a little more about Charlotte's life before the whole joining the League thing because it kind of made me hate her character a little and in my opinion sort of rushed the plot too much.
Also there are some questionable expletives here so as I have already seen many may take offence to parts of the book.


To Sum Up... Now I know this book has had quite a lot of hate from people who vowed never to finish the book, but I decided to read it anyhow because I think everyone should read the book for themselves before heading off making decisions. Yes at times in the book I think the author went a little too far but couldn't it be argued that so did Suzanne Collins when she was killing all of those kids in the Hunger Games?
The book was okay overall in my opinion, I didn't especially love it as I thought the ending was a little 'meh' but it was an okay read , ignoring parts to the dialogue that I really don't think a teenager would ever say.
Try it for yourself though, the book is out October 1st.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte #1) by Samantha Young

Pages: 298
Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #1)Publisher: Self Published on Kindle
Released: October 2011


Plot: Caia Ribeiro was taken from her pack when she was just seven years old, 10 years later she has been permitted to re-enter the world of truly belonging to a wolf pack, but Caia isn't so sure.... And for good reason too as she soon uncovers the dark secrets of her past that tore her away from her pack and threaten the choices in her future.
Will Caia accept her future?

Good Points: I really Loved this book and Samantha Young is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors...ever!! The book has good pacing and I really loved how Young intertwined Greek Mythology (which if you didn't know I love ;D) into the plot alongside lycans and witches and vampires and everything...so cool.
Caia's character is really loveable in my opinion, she's kind but she isn't too soft in letting people walk over her and allows her voice to be heard. I thought the whole back story behind her character was really good as well as it helped thicken the story and allow for those 'shocker' moments that everyone loves in a book.
The whole book was just WOW. Every character that was introduced played a part in the book and there are some great action scenes that totally kick ass!!

Bad Points: There isn't anything overly bad with this book that I feel I could put it in the bad points. If I was really pushing for one though it would probably be moments with the whole I'm-Wolf-You-Mine, but what can you say it just goes with the territory I guess....

To Sum Up... This book is great and the price is beyond reasonable (I bought it on Kindle for 77p!) There are some moments within the book that are probably only suitable for an older audience but like I said these are few and apart from that this book is so cool. (goes and buys the rest of them). My collection of Samantha Young novels are quickly piling up. How has this author not been properly published yet!!???!!!

Friday 8 June 2012

Frey (The Frey Saga#1) by Melissa Wright

Pages: 243
Publisher: Kindle Edtion (self published)
Frey (The Frey Saga, #1)Released: July 2011


Plot: Frey is an Elf who lives in a small village with her Aunt after the death of her mother. Unaware that she has been bounded to prevent her from using her magic, however something unbinds her and Frey soon finds herself on the run with a group of strangers and the mysterious Chevelle, her watcher, from the council who bounded her from the first place. Will Frey be able to control her dark magic though or will she find she was better off bound in the first place?

Good Points: I really do love the cover and it was one of the aspects that drew me into reading the book. I thought the second half of the book was better than the first half in developing the characters a little more and I liked the general idea of having the diary to accompany the story. I thought the plot was okay however I thought at times there was something missing that made me think this book was 'good' instead of 'great'.
However I have to admit that I did think the ending was super and had a certain Lord of the Rings quality to it which I liked, so therefore I will be looking out for the next books by Melissa Wright.


Bad Points: I just felt that this book needed more dialogue and interaction between the char caters especially in the first half of the book. I just thought that after a while, especially whilst they were making their journey that Frey doesn't ask many questions and it sort of dragged out. Also I think the author missed the vital opportunity to allow the reader to really get to know the characters personalities at that point. Even a little something would have been better. Also before reading the book I looked on Kindle Character list and I thought the way how some characters were referred to such as Steed as 'Hilarious' didn't really match the character in the book and so I was a little disappointed as it wasn't what I had expected.(maybe that's just me though?)

To Sum Up... I'm still unsure about this book. I could see elements to the book that were really good however a lot of the time I felt as if there was just something missing from what I was reading. I think the plot needed a little tweaking and maybe more dialogue between the characters to make things a little more interesting and I thought it was just a little too fast paced as at times I did kind of get bored of the long narrative passages of Freys character constantly questioning herself and missed some of the things that were going on.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Review of Slumber by Samantha Young

Slumber (The Fade, #1)Pages: 350
Publisher: Create Space
Released: May 2011

Plot: Nineteen year old Rogan has a shaded past, after her family was killed she was sent to live with the Princezna Hayden who becomes her closest friend. However, one day Hayden falls into a deep sleep and the only way to bring her back is for Rogan to use her magic to seek out a plant that can revive her ( an important quest not only because of their close relationship but also because of the magic Hayden has to keep peace throughout the lands). Rogan immediately accepts the challenge however is escorted into the deep dangerous mountains with a large group of armed guards that are led by the Captain of the Royal Guard, Wolfe Stovia who Rogan detests as the son of the man who killed her family.
However Rogan soon realises all is not as it seems and her feelings towards Wolfe begin to change. Has Rogan fallen for the enemy she swore she would always have?

Good Points: Holey-moley how have I not found this author before. I came across Slumber when browsing on Amazon and thought I'd give it a chance and I'm so glad I did. This book is amazing, it sort of reminded me of a Maria V.Snyder novel which is always good and I just loved the characters and the world Young has created. Rogan's character is outspoken and strong yet she cares deeply for her friends and will do anything for them as the plot has already outlined. I loved the banter between herself and Wolfe and yes, you can immediately see where her rocky relationship is heading but who cares? Wolfe and Rogan were meant to be (The little romantic in me sighs).
 Rogan on her journey to find the plant that will save her friends life meets a variety of characters, my favourite being L who has a similar fierceness to her own. I loved how you got to see the friendship quickly develop and at times in the book I was taken aback by the reality of the situation and events such as the mountain man which were written spookily well, keeping me on the edge of my seat!


Bad Points: At first I was a little worried because of all of the unique names to everything and it kind of made me feel as if the author was giving you a crash course on the lands and the people a little too quickly as it was a lot to take in.  However once you get your'e bearings on everything you start to concentrate on the plot which I thought was well paced.


To Sum Up... I cannot recommend this book enough. It is soooooo good. I am really looking forward to the next instalment which I just Googled and has not been dated for a release yet (Noooooo). But seriously I cannot wait to read another book by this fabulous author, I think you can gather this simply from the amount of o's I have in this bit of the review!

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Review of The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Pages: 260
Publisher: Self- published by Abbi Glines
The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys, #1)Released: October 2011

Plot: Ashton Gray is the good girl, the daughter of the towns preacher and the girlfriend of the sweet Sawyer on of the two Vincent boys that she was best friends with for most of her childhood however when Sawyer goes away camping with his family Ash starts to spend time with the now bad boy of the town Beau Vincent, Sawyers cousin. Beau has always liked Ash and now he has the chance to steal her away but will his love for his cousin outweigh his love for the girl he's always wanted?

Good Points: I liked the cover which was one of the reasons I thought to read the book, it's very summer-y and I liked the idea of getting to see the different characters perspectives which was quite refreshing. At first I really liked the book however as it developed my opinions changed. I wanted to love the book but I just couldn't and found it difficult to even finish because of parts that kept getting me really annoyed.

Bad Points: Oh my word, is that girl annoying or what. After her granna dies she basically uses this as an excuse to sleep with her boyfriends cousin whom okay yes she's known for ages but apparently has only just now realised she likes because she, and I quote was 'bored because Sawyer (her supposedly long term boyfriend) is away'. Nice.
Also I hated the way that Beau was portrayed, the author made it out as if there was a deep love between the pair when it was just sexual chemistry and I think at nearly every opportunity Beau just analysed Ash on what she was wearing or how short her skirt was. And the whole plot was just no, the idea of the poor preachers daughter having to hide her 'bad' side and be good but then falling for the bad boy of the town was just predictable and I hated how Ash's character swanned around the place as if she was better than that Nicole girl when to be honest Ash is more of a, excuse my language, hoe than she is.

To Sum Up... Like always I recommend you to read the book yourself but honestly I wouldn't place this at the top of your list unless you like this sort of thing. Also be warned there is a couple of typo errors within it and I got quite annoyed at the whole possessiveness thing the book has going on.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Review of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 560
City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Released: May 2012

Plot: The fifth installant in Cassandra Clare's internationally best-selling series The Mortal Instruments see's Clary and the rest of the 'gang' on their search for Sebastian and Jace who after Lilith was destroyed by Simon have disappeared and become untraceable. With the clave putting the search for Jace on hold, Clary takes matters in her own hands and soon discovers that Jace is not the person she once knew, he is now fatefully linked with Sebastian, the son of valentine and her brother who has some very big plans in store.
 But with the knowledge that you cannot harm one without the other bearing the same, will they be able to save Jace and win the battle between heaven and hell or will it turn into something much bigger than even they can handle?

Good Points: Cassandra Clare you Rock! I loved this book (no surprise there), Clare has this amazing capacity to keep you interested and gob-smacked throughout the book and I found myself grinning like a mad Cheshire cat every time some reference came to the Infernal Devices.
 I have to admit I was a little worried when I realised where the story was going and thought that the book would lose it's charm because of Jace not being there, but I was so wrong. Relationships in my opinion build even stronger in this book and at times I even  felt a little sorry for Sebastian, and then I had to consciously  remind myself he is an evil-doer 'trying to take over the world!!!!' ( A little Pinky and the Brain moment there).
 Also I think you just have to love a book that contains the line 'A call to battle' somewhere in it because you just know that there is going to be some serious butt-kicking soon. In this book I also started to think more about Simon's character which was nice, the first opening chapter being about Simon's now quite frankly shattered relationship with his mother and how he is dealing with this and telling his sister. Alike, this closer in depth look into the characters is copied with the likes of Jordan and Miai, Simon and Isabelle and Magnus and Alec as they struggle to cope with Magnus's immortality.

Bad Points: Like I've already said I was a little worried about where the story was going, but I was quickly zapped down for ever believing that Cassandra Clare would not write a great book. However, the incest thing, again, a little gross.

To Sum Up... Basically this book was so worth the wait and I am literally shaking with excitement for the next one and least I forget the Infernal Devices finale The Clockwork Princess (OMGoodness!!!). Clare was lovely and friendly in real life when I got the chance to meet her at a signing last week and I was so excited to read her latest volume which did not let me down.
 I loved the cool if somewhat geeky references throughout the book and I was laughing my head off when Cassandra Clare pretty much sums up the Kings Of Leon song ' My Sex is on Fire' (quite literally) towards the end of the book.

City of Lost Souls also got me coming up with loads of different theories of what is going to happen and the links between this series and its prequel.
So if you have any Theories you would love to share comment below and I will be doing a post soon (I think) containing all my theories!!

Monday 4 June 2012

'The Big 3' Authors (In my opinion)

I though today I would concentrate on books that I don't think I could live without but there were so many that I decided I should try (and trust me it was really difficult) to refine my list to 3 authors or 'The Big 3' as I shall now forever call them, who in my opinion are the authors that have wow'd me the most and managed to do this consecutively throughout their series's.


                      So without further ado I give you The Big Three!!                               
1. Cassandra Clare
Okay, first up is Cassandra Clare, I got on the Clare fan train quite a while back when her first book in The Mortal instruments series came out and I was like OMGosh, these books in my opinion are just amazing, they have a great and least I say original plot that contain characters that just blow your mind, they're funny, filled with action and contain moments that will leave you so shocked you feel you've been electrocuted, am I exaggerating a little? When I heard Clare's first series would not only be extended into 3 further books but also a prequel series set in Victorian England, man was I excited. In my opinion Clare's writing even more so in the prequel series creates a world that bursts with life and characters that you genuinely grow to love.
I have also had the opportunity to meet Cassandra Clare in person at one of her book signings and its nice to see that she is as great as the characters she writes!!
So I plead with you, beg you even to go and read these books if you haven't already.


2. J.K Rowling

Second on the list and quite an obvious choice is J.K.Rowling! One of the best authors of all time in my mind, who managed to keep people entertained throughout 7 brilliant books and at the same time contain one of the best kept secrets in book history to herself for so long. Harry Potter has reached millions of people all over the world either by  the books or the films or heck even the millions of fan based products created every year! I am more than proud to add J.K Rowling as the only British author to 'The Big Three' and I don't think that I will ever forget these books that made up my childhood.
And of course, you've gotta love her for bringing Dobby into this world :D


3. Suzanne Collins
The final member of 'The Big Three' is Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games. Again, I was early to jump on the fan wagon for this one too and am I proud of it, hell yeah! I remember when I first read The Hunger Games, I don't think I shut up about it for days, I wanted everyone I knew to read it, I was just so blown away by the character of Katniss Everdeen that I thought everybody needed to know who she was too. Have my opinions changed? The answer is simple no, sure more people know about Katniss now and the gruesome Hunger Games that left me hanging off every word Collins wrote but I have not stopped persuading people to read these books. Collins was also the main author in my opinion who got me obsessed with Dystopian fiction and quite frankly I'm glad she did, since then I have found bundles of brilliant books that I would never have thought to read before, so thank you.


These authors have all aided me in my love of books and are series's that I think I will continue to read alongside books that I haven't discovered yet and which have yet to be written when I'm an old lady.
Okay, yes, maybe my choice in The Big Three some might call predictable however I honestly do believe these authors are the greats of this generation and shouldn't they get credit for this even if it is only my opinion?


                          Facts about these authors...
-All 3 Authors are international best sellers who have all been on the New York Times Best sellers list.


-Suzanne Collins has apparently written 29 of the 100 most highlighted passages on kindle e-books.


-All of the authors books have or in the making of being adapted into films.


-The Harry Potter series is estimated in value at around £7 billion.


-Cassandra Clare also wrote fan-fiction for Harry Potter (The Draco Trilogy) and for Lord of the Rings (The Very Secret Diaries)


- The Harry Potter series consists of 4,195 glorious pages!!


For any further facts about the authors and their series's  that you think everyone must know please comment!!


P.s. I don't own any of the photographs (except the Dobby drawing because I did that), so rights to them.

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