Thursday 30 May 2013

The Knife of Never Letting Go



Book Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking #1
Date Started: May 27th 2013
Date Completed: May 30th 2013
Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Action, Dystopian, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:

It started slow. And then got interesting. And then it started getting really exciting so I didn't want to put it down. Then it got even better. And then it came to the end and I couldn't bear to leave it there. So I've bought the next one and I'm going to start it right away.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is set on a far away planet that humans have had to escape to in order to survive. The story starts in a small town where Todd is the only male who's still a boy - but his 13th birthday is coming up fast. But there's a strange thing about this town - there are no women. They were all killed off during the war that occurred in the early stages of the planet's invasion. But one day Todd finds a silence - something different to the constant droning Noise of thoughts that surrounds everyone in Prentisstown. When he returns home and his foster fathers start to suddenly pack in a wild desperation, Todd's strange world is turned upside down and he's forced to escape into the wild with something he didn't think existed anymore - a girl.

The writing of this book was obviously aimed at a younger target group than myself, but that didn't make it unreadable as books written for younger readers usually are. I was still able to enjoy the reading and it was reasonably good for a children's book. The words are spelt phonetically which tends to get on my nerves a bit, but the story and characters were good enough to let me forget this for most of the book.

The pace started off very slow. I admit, I was having my doubts near the beginning as to whether I was going to enjoy this book, but actually I'm very glad I kept with it.
I would have preferred the pace to be as fast as it is around the middle for the whole book - rather than slow at the start and then rather fast at the end - but the book didn't suffer too badly for it, and it still engaged me enough to keep reading.

Looking back, not a whole lot happened: the book mainly consists of Todd, Viola and Manchee running from one place to another, thinking their going to be protected and then having to escape after being attacked. Surprisingly, I didn't get bored of this while I was actually reading it, but I do think it would have been better if a more detailed plot line was in place - although for the age group this novel is aimed at, I can see how it would work well.
There were other events that happened in each location, but it didn't have as much of an affect on the protagonists as I would have like. Having said that, I was excited and engaged for the most part of this book, so I can't complain that much.

I fell in love with the characters. There's something about younger heroes in kid's books that just makes me fall in love with them.
I don't usually like the main characters of stories because I feel they're given too much time for the readers to get to know and find flaws in, but Todd is one of the few exceptions to that. His innocence - and lack of it - made him seem very, very real to me. So much so that I felt I knew him by the end of the book. His reactions were so alive, and his growing feelings for Viola were just right to give the subtle implication we were all waiting for.
Viola is also wonderful. She has a speech around three quarters of the way through that I found myself stopping at. It took me a few minutes to realise that she actually sounded like me. That's one of the magical things about books: you read them to know that you aren't the only person that thinks a certain way, but it's rare that you find a character or author that thinks just like you. And in that speech of heres, Viola was that character for me.
Manchee annoyed me at first - as I think he was meant to - but my feelings had certainly grown in time for what Ness had planned. (Sometimes I just hate authors.)
There are a lot of other characters around and about that feature for a short time, that I wished had been in the story longer (e.g. Hildy, Jacob, Ben, Cillian etc). I understand why they didn't, but I don't think it could have hurt to span their involvement for a little longer.

I admire Ness for being realistic about the reactions to death and destruction and loss in a children's book. I think those things are hard to present even in adult books, yet he has succeeded in this novel in a way that's gentle, but still gets the necessary point across - that killing and life isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The end was one of the best cliffhangers I've ever read. Most of the books I read finish on implications of a continued story, and I like that because I don't feel pressured into reading any more. In this case, however, I most definitely feel like I have to finish reading the series because the end was so well orchestrated - and so damn inevitable - that I want to know how it continues on.

(A very good title as well. I usually don't quite understand why certain titles are used - and then sometimes it's just blindingly obvious. But this title was very fitting and intriguing too.)

I would recommend it to any who likes adventures, dystopian, action, romance etc etc. Remember, I wouldn't class this as a Young Adult novel and it's not the most sophisticated thing you're ever going to read. But if you like books that focus on stories and characters, then you should definitely try The Knife of Never Letting Go. And then I'm sure you'll want to read the rest of the series right afterwards. I am.

Image Source: http://i.imgur.com/kjvq6.jpg

The New Hunger



Book Title: The New Hunger
Author: Isaac Marion
Series: Warm Bodies #0.5
Date Started: May 27th 2013
Date Completed: May 30th 2013
Genres: Thriller, Dystopian, Action
Rating: Four stars
Review:

I enjoyed Warm Bodies, but I enjoyed this prequel more. I'm not sure whether that's because the story was focused on different people, or whether it was more maturely written or if I just liked the story more. But I definitely found this more interesting that the actual novel.

The New Hunger is the prequel to Warm Bodies, and sows the seeds of how protagonists Julie, Nora and R come into being the characters they are when the main novel begins. Set a few years earlier, each character starts off on their own and shows each individual journey and how their paths crossed over in a tragic set of events to join them together.

I can't remember whether Warm Bodies was written in the present text like this story (I think it might have been) but I did find the choice of style interesting. You don't find many books that let stories unfold as if they're happening as you read, and I still can't decide if I like the uniqueness or not.
Marion's writing style is very mature and I like the way he writes things not from a person's direct point of view, but still finds a way to represent their emotions and thoughts in the text.

Like I said before, I enjoyed this story more than the actual novel. I did like the actual novel, but I felt it was quite slow moving. The great thing about this novella is there's action almost all the time, and the story is clearly progressing at a steady pace throughout the chapters. The events were also a lot more exciting in my mind.
I was impressed that Marion was able to create a new story within the odd 160 pages (also an impressive amount of effort for a short novella) - whereas most short stories tend to struggle with creating an engaging plot. Since I already knew the main characters I had a vague idea of what happened to them before Warm Bodies, and I felt this did steal away the main climax for the book - although it was still very well presented and it did make me stop for a second to mourn that fictional tragedy.

Julie's character annoyed me a little bit in Warm Bodies - not enough to make me stop reading or hate her, just enough to make me frown every now and then. However, I feel this story made me understand her a little more, and in a way I almost wish I could have read this before the main book.
I suspected the zombie was R right from the beginning, although it did take a while for my theory to be proven. (I'm quite paranoid that I'm completely wrong now, but there you go.) I admit, his inclusion did make me wonder why none of the humans recognised him in the main book, but I'm sure logic can find a way around that.
Nora was my favourite character in Warm Bodies, so I was so relieved when I found out that The New Hunger included her a lot. I really liked her chapters - she's the most believable character in the story and I just generally enjoy her attitude and personality.
Addis is also adorable.

The pace was constantly continuous, which startled me a little since I found Warm Bodies lacking for speed in some places, and overdoing it in others. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book, and I can see how Isaac Marion has learnt from his first novel. I hope the upcoming sequel to Warm Bodies will be even better.

I would recommend the book to anyone who likes dystopian and action thrillers. If you also like romance, you'd probably like Warm Bodies too. It doesn't matter which order you read these two stories in, although I think I would have preferred to read this first, so that I had some background knowledge for the main novel.

Image Source: http://cs417321.vk.me/v417321491/2b72/5qxmJsbG42A.jpg

Monday 27 May 2013

Days of Blood and Starlight



Book Title: Days of Blood and Starlight
Author: Laini Tayor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Date Started: May 25th 2013
Date Completed: May 27th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Thriller, Romance, Adventure, Action
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I think this is the first review in which I've actually been at a complete loss for words. The prequel to this novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, is officially my favourite book. Days of Blood and Starlight wasn't quite as good - but to be honest, what could beat the first book? - but it was still epic. I just don't know how to do it justice in words.


This book takes place a short while after the end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This time we follow both Karou and Akiva's stories as they fight on separate sides of the same war against the angels and the chimaera. Kaour is once again in the evil clutches of The White Wolf, whereas Akiva is struggling to find mercy for those he has been ordered to kill by the Emperor. Both face their own problems, but fate might decide to bring them together. Or it might not.

The writing was once again beautiful. What I love about Taylor's writing is that it isn't hard reading - I can get through each page reasonably quickly - yet it still has the magical quality of bringing the story to life in your mind. There are similar authors like Cornelia Funke and Philip Pullman that I feel do the same, but Laini Taylor manages it in such an effortless way that everything flows a lot more naturally and easily so that I don't have to concentrate on what's being said to get the vivid images in my mind.
The best way to describe her style is the maturity of an adult writer, with the imagination of a child - combined with the knowledge and curiosity of a teenager. (I'm sure someone can think of a much better description, but there you go.)

Never before have I read a plot that has so much going on all the time, yet only revolving around a few characters in a restricted variety of locations. The story was changing every other chapter, and not in a way that overwhelmed me with information - which is quite an achievement.
Furthermore, I've never read a description of a war that seems to accurate and yet engaging. The different sides were definitely a very clever idea and portrayed the war in a fabulous way.
It was also very symbolic, since every time someone on the angels side did something stupid, the same happened on the revenants'. It very cleared showed how war can become meaningless from its initial origins.

I have to say, it was a shame that the main protagonists have very little time together, but that fitted in with the story. And once again, I would like to award the realism of the actions of Akiva and Karou. Usually in a book like this, when one half of a couple does something terrible, the other half gets annoyed and then comes crawling back within the space of a few hours. Not with Karou. No. She's far too stubborn. And realistic.

The characters were better than ever. Karou is wonderful: she's one of those characters who you know has done wrong, but that's what makes her so appealing - you can relate to her. And she's a brilliant hero, even though she may not be out in the battlefield, she's changing the world from the confines the Wolf keeps her in.
And Akiva; just as amazing and equally heartbreaking in everything he does. It's all very well having twilight-esque male interests that declare their mad love and have a stalking nature, but it's even better when you get a hero that might be caught up in a girl, but respects her choices and then focuses on helping humanity whilst pining over her. Again, someone can think of a much better description, I'm sure.
The White Wolf is a fantastic villain; there wasn't really an evil figure in the first book, but the introduction of Thiago in this sequel was perfect. He was threatening enough at his mentions in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but he's even more intimidating in the flesh - or fur.
I'm glad we got to see more of Akiva's siblings, Liraz and Hazael - I liked their characters in the first book, but they didn't get a lot of time in the plot. They featured quite a bit in Days of Blood and Starlight, which I was happy about.
Ziri was a brilliant addition to the cast. I'm not usually a fan of love-triangles, but actually it kind of worked well here - and Taylor didn't allow it to dominate the plot.
Zuzana is even more of a legend than before, and her and Mik are a great distraction from the magical world and add the much needed humour to release the book from being very dark and serious.
That's a lot of characters actually. Wow. Well handled.

The thing I love the most is that the book is centered around the fantasy and it's worldly matters - not the romance. Yet there is still a good amount in there to keep it interesting. And, instead of becoming a very dark and serious book, the humour woven in to the whole story makes it a lot brighter, but still allows everything to be taken seriously. (I always think that's a hard thing to do; the balance of comedy and drama are really hard to keep equal. But if it's managed it's amazingly effective.)

That cliff hanger, though. Wow. Pure genius. You can already tell the last book is going to be just pure awesomeness with a large dose of epic on the side. But now I have to wait until 2014. Why would you do that?

I would recommend it to everyone. Like I said, I preferred the first book, but Days of Blood and Starlight is still at the very top of my favourites list. It has fantasy, drama, action, thrills, humour, romance and everything in between. The writing isn't too hard but the mastery of the presentation is perfect. Just read it - read Daughter of Smoke and Bone first, though. It might not make much sense otherwise.

Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sx_1qGyJHVQ/URvsxSPplGI/AAAAAAAAJmg/
IprUmKY_trs/s1600/Days+of+Blood+&+Starlight+UK.jpg

Saturday 25 May 2013

The Book of Lost Things



Book Title: The Book of Lost Things
Author: John Connolly
Date Started: May 20th 2013
Date Completed: May 25th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery
Rating: Four stars
Review:

This book mainly reminded me of my childhood. It's a charming story with beautiful writing and it's just a lovely, lovely book.

During the beginning of World War Two, a little boy named David loses his mother. As David comes to terms with this lose, his father remarries and has another son. Typically, David is none too happy about this, but when he suddenly finds himself transported to another world that seems to be build around the fairytales he reads, he discovers that actually hate and jealously can be very dangerous things for both himself and his new family.

This is not a Young Adult book, and therefore the writing is slightly more sophisticated than the common novels I read. however it was just as wonderful as Cornelia Funke's writing, and managed to keep my attention, despite the slow progress I made.

The story was very good. I expected something a little more complex, but the simplicity of the story reflected it's origins and actually increased the charm of the book. I would have preferred for certain parts to have gone on for longer (I really liked Roland and he was in very little of it) so that we could have gone deeper into the plot and characters, but there isn't anything especially disappointing because of this.
The Book of Lost Things is one of those books that is very like lots of little stories woven into one with a smaller underling plot throughout. I, personally, like links to different parts of books and stories, which was not included - however I still enjoyed it.

The thing I especially liked was that Connolly put his own twist on the traditional stories so that the typical fairytale story of the book was different enough to avoid boring readers who may have experienced similar works before.

The War was featured a little bit, but not too much. I'm still not sure whether I approve of that or not: when the War was mentioned and involved it added to the story a great deal. Maybe Connolly decided not to include it more so that it didn't distract from the main story, or maybe he just decided not to use it. I don't know, but maybe the events in David's world could have added more detail to the novel.

David was a brilliant protagonist. I'm usually dubious about younger heroes, since they're often portrayed as something unlikely for their age, but David was very real to me and acted how I would expect an 11 year old to act - yet he still managed to be the hero of the story.
I really wish Roland had been around for longer. Roland was a brilliant character and I really would have liked to be able to get deeper into his relationship with Raphael.
I felt that with a lot of the characters: the Woodsman, the Huntress, Anna etc. I felt that they had very short roles that could have been prolonged so that we could have learnt more about them. (The reason I'm so harsh about the lack of their time in the book is that I loved these creations so much I wished there was more of them - that's a positive thing!)
I also would have liked to learn something about the Crooked Man's past. That would be very interesting.

The end killed me.
I hate happy endings. I find them unrealistic and I get the impression that the book stops being for the reader, and ends well so that the author can get something out of it.
But for once, I am content with this happy ending. Although, you can argue that it isn't a very happy ending. But it was very touching and I almost cried - almost.

The one problem I had with this book was that the consistency of information was extremely varied throughout the story: I felt like at the beginning the story was very simple - not necessarily a bad thing - but then a large amount of information and past was crammed into the last 50 or so pages. If this had been required due to the story, I wouldn't have minded much, but I feel like certain parts could have been included earlier on in the story so that things made more sense quicker.
I also became a little overwhelmed near the end, so that the climax and action was lost in the sea of new information I was given.

The other thing I loved about the book is that it has over 100 pages of extras at the back (so the actual story is only 348 pages long!) John Connolly decided to feature all the original tales that influenced and inspired his writing, however he adapted them and why. I really enjoyed this part since, having been brought up on fairytales, I understand a great deal of Connolly's reasoning for including aspects of the folktales.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and fairytales. It's a lovely book that put a smile on my face, despite the lack of in-depth knowledge we gain from it. The writing is a little harder than normal, but it still isn't difficult. It's just a lovely book that was a nice break from the serious fiction I usually read.

Image Source: https://www.palmertrinity.org/ftpimages/
241/photo/large_photo28639_191181.jpg

Monday 20 May 2013

Inkspell



Book Title: Inkspell
Author: Cornelia Funke
Series: Inkworld #2
Date Started: May 13th 2013
Date Completed: May 20th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Adventure
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to read this sequel. I read Inkheart years ago and I fell in love with the story, the ideas, the characters, the description - everything. And yet I haven't until now, actually decided to read on. One of my biggest mistakes.

Set a year after the events of Inkheart, we continue on the stories of Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger, Elinor, Farid, Resa and Fenoglio. Dustfinger finally finds someone to read him back into the glorious world of Inkheart and back to his family, but danger has come again as Basta reappears after his master's death. Meggie is forced to read herself and Farid into the magical world, and are soon followed by her parents. With everyone lost in the Inkworld - and Elinor held hostage back home - it becomes a dangerous game of hide and seek for the protagonists as they avoid the evil characters or Fenoglio's world at all costs. But the Inkworld has plans of its own for how things will play out.

The writing is just beautiful. One of the main ideas of the story is that the worlds in books are real if you have the talent to read yourself or someone/something in or out. But I don't need to have a silver tongue - the pure magical quality of the words used are enough to make me live the story, as well as read it. I can feel the wind on my face, and hear the fairies chattering in the forests; I can literally see the Black Prince's bear in front of me; hear the words Dustfinger whispers to the fire to make it do his bidding. I can smell the spices in Ombra and taste the herb bread in Minerva's kitchen. Everything is so wonderfully vivid, it's the only book I've read where I know I am actually there, living through the events with them. It's magical. Truly magical.

Such a plot has never been seen or thought of before. So original and engaging - and plausible! Everything made sense, but was still exciting enough to keep me interested.
The story went through so many twists and turns that I, looking back on it, am surprised that it all worked together so well. Funke obviously spent a lot of time planning how everything was going to turn out and perfecting it before she wrote - something that I respect as I know it takes a lot of discipline and patience to do.

Even in Inkheart, I fell in love with Cornelia Funke's characters, but my feelings for them grew much more this time. Kind of typical considering she chose to break my heart at the end.
Dustfinger is and always will be my favourite character: he is the best hero there ever was. He may have made mistakes in the past, but it makes him realistic and perfect and wonderful and he is my favourite character ever.
I also love Farid and Meggie. I didn't expect them to become a couple, if I'm honest, but they work so well together and I felt I got to know Farid's character a little more (I'm still curious as to know whether there actually is a character in Arabian Nights called Farid...)
Mo is very dashing, but I felt he wasn't in this book as much as the first one, which made me a little bit sad. But he was still brilliant in the parts he was in.
Roxanne was a new character I approve of. I don't usually like new characters, and since I already loved Dustfinger so much, a lot could have gone wrong to make me hate Roxanne. But actually she was very good and I am impressed.

Like I've already said, I felt like I was in the world as I read it. And I'm not unhappy about that. In the book, Meggie and Mo and Dustfinger and Farid and Resa - basically everyone but Elinor and Darius - get to go into the book for one reason or another. There's a whole part about how everyone longs to live in the world of one of their favourite books - and then more about how, if you think about it, most of the worlds aren't that nice places to be (e.g. war-ridden, very poor, not a whole lot there, full of death etc etc). And I completely agree with Mo's reasoning.
On the other hand, I - like Meggie and Elinor and Fenoglio and Dustfinger - would do an awful lot to be transported into the Inkworld. It sounds beautiful. The Wayless World and the bustling streets of Ombra, even the silver towards of the Castle of Night. I know everyone gets attacked and people get hanged and there's never any food to go around and the Adderhead is a tyrant, but just to spend one night with the strolling players. It would be a dream come true.

The end battle was brilliant. Just when you think everything's going to be fine, there's still that nagging feeling at the back of your mind. And then it happens all so suddenly that you have to read it a couple of times to get it into your head. And this book ruined my life, I swear. If I hadn't been in class when I read it, I would have cried my eyes out. Luckily, I had the distraction of Macbeth analysis to take my mind off the blow. It didn't help much, mind you.

I recommend this book to everyone. Fantasy, romance, mystery, action, anything. It's just beautiful. I would read the first book first, if I were you. But to be honest, you could probably gather enough knowledge about their past by reading this book. Also, I prefer Inkspell to Inkheart - mainly because I think the imagery has a lot more opportunity in this book. I love Inkheart, don't get me wrong. But the Inkworld is nothing compared to ours.

Image Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_W1QqG4cpBZs/S2VONx77WkI/
AAAAAAAAGl8/CySYhAc3_3I/s400/Inkspell.jpg

Monday 13 May 2013

City of Glass



Book Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #3
Date Started: May 9th 2013
Date Completed: May 12th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Action
Rating: Five stars
Review:

This series just gets better and better. I didn't think you could get a more detailed story out of a Young Adult book after the last novel, but I was happily proven very, very wrong.

Pretty much immediately following on from City of Ashes, we follow Clary and Jace and Simon (etc etc.)'s story as they continue with their struggles against Valentine. After deciding to take matters into the Clave's hand, they plan to go to Idris to raise the issue of Valentine and the mystery of awaking Clary's mother. But when the group are attacked by the portal, Simon gets dragged along for the ride and the Morgensten family tree seems to become a lot more intricate than either Clary or Jace first thought.

The writing was brilliant as always. I have a feeling it's improved since the first book, but as I've been going through I haven't really noticed any particular changes. But I can definitely get more into the text now. Maybe that's because of the detail of the plot or how attached I am to the characters. I don't know.

The plot was amazing. Again. Like I've already said, I was really surprised at how deep the plot went and how many different layers were added on top. You can really tell how much thought Clare put into how everything was going to work out. I usually don't like lots of characters being added in because it can be really distracting and unnecessary, but I felt that the new characters in this book really added to the story and gave it that extra something.

Brilliant plot twist. I had been partly spoiled, but I still had to stop and stare at the page for a second when I'd read it. I did see Sebastian's role coming though. I was proud I worked that out. Although it was pretty obvious.

Apart with Reckless, Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Skulduggery Pleasant, I don't think I've ever been so attached to a group of characters. What I really love is the diversity of personalities and how Cassandra Clare isn't afraid to show their dark sides.
Simon's still my favourite character, and I was really happy in this book that he's starting to get his own freedom and willpower. I've been waiting for that for a while.
Jace is wonderful as always.
Although Clary was never a damsel-in-distress type of character, she's really starting to prove it now.
Izzy is brilliant.
Alec and Magnus are my OTP. Magnus was brilliant in this book. He really was.
And I love Sebastian. New character who's future got spoiled for me. I was most annoyed.

Idris is wonderful. I always think, if you've mentioned some magical city for a while in books, it's extremely hard to do it justice when you actually present it to the reader. But the Glass City was everything I imagined - although I do miss Brooklyn.

What I can see developing in the series - and what I really love actually - is that the story no longer revolves around Clary. I would still say she is probably the main protagonist, and the deeper plotline is still about her. But we're following other people's journeys, as well. A lot of this book focuses on Simon's experience of Idris, and Jace has a large part to himself too. Even Isabelle and Alec have their solo chapters. I feel like I'm getting to know a lot more people instead of just Clary. I think it takes courage to do that. But Clare's pulled it off amazingly well.

And finally. Why would you do that? Why would you kill him? It's not fair and I cried (inside) at his funereal. (Guess you guys will just have to read it to find out what I'm talking about.)
But you did create that lovely plot twist. That I think everyone loves you for. But still. Why.

Recommended to anyone who likes fantasy, action, romance - all the typical Young Adult stuff, but to a much higher quality. I was recommend reading the first books before you move on to this, as I doubt a lot of it would make much sense otherwise. But they get better, just keep that in mind.

Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9GaHuvr5HDU/TpEc7
mHi8nI/AAAAAAAAAU0/3iHERAx9kIk/s1600/cityofglass.jpg

Thursday 9 May 2013

If I Should Die


Book Title: If I Should Die
Author: Amy Plum
Series: Die for Me #3
Date Started: May 7th 2013
Date Completed: May 9th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Action
Rating: Four stars
Review:

Despite the fact that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the second (and first) book in the trilogy, this was a good ending to the Die for Me sequence. And it's obvious to see the skills Amy Plum has picked up through her growing experience of novel writing.

If I Should Die follows directly on from Until I Die (the previous episode in the series) and details how Kate must complete the task of bringing the one she loves back to her. After the dramatic (and quite frankly, impressive) choice of ending for the last book, a great deal has been built on top of the plot line to create the deeper and more thrilling end to Kate and Vincent's story.

Looking back at the first book, the writing has improved an astonishing amount. I've never found Plum's writing at all challenging or overly engaging since the writing style is reasonably simple and the techniques standard.
Yet, in this book Amy Plum has progressed so much from her early works, and I found the text a lot more engaging and interesting to read, as well as the actual story.

Like I first said, I didn't enjoy it as much as the second and first books. This was mainly to do with storyline. Due to the direction the story took, it was very hard to create a story that was similar to the earlier books, which is a good thing - I sometimes find authors get lazy and either repeat or copy stories from various places. This was original.
However, I felt like Plum found herself constricted in what she could do and it therefore resulted in the rejection of a lot of key characters - or rather characters I thought were key and I enjoyed reading.

Continuing on from my point above, I was distraught to find that pretty much all of the characters I particularly enjoyed reading weren't included as much as I'd hoped for various reasons. I can understand how taking Jules out of the picture fitted with the story, but I felt like his character was needed to stop the main relationship from becoming over-done and as another sub-plot.
(If you've read the book, you'll know what I mean when I say I'm very disappointed that element of the books was left completely untied and open. (But I also don't want a follow-up book to resolve it, because I think Plum's run out of plot lines.))

Kate's character has developed a lot through being the protagonist, but I feel like she could have stood up for herself a little more in this book. In Until I Die she was kiss-ass, and although she is in this too, I feel like we didn't see the sarky, demanding side of her until right at the very end. Unfortunately,
Vincent no longer seems that real to me. There is a part, around the middle/two thirds of the way through, where he loses his temper and we see a different side of him. But apart from that, his character doesn't have an awful lot of depth. He would be the perfect boyfriend - I grant that. But I tend to prefer real to perfect.

I am very glad that realism was used and not everyone survived the entire book. I hate it when authors keep all their characters alive - I admire and much prefer books that take risks and end up killing large characters off in order to create a reaction from the reader. It shows maturity, and also demonstrates how Amy Plum has matured as a writer, since I highly doubt she would have taken such a risk in earlier books.

Finally, the plot. The plot was good. Like I said earlier, I felt like Plum was constricted to what she could do because of particular people not being involved. There are also several things I would have preferred to be elaborated on and there are elements of the story I would have liked to be resolved or explained. Having said that, I was impressed at the amount of twists and turns the plot went down. There weren't many parts that were unexpected, but a there's definitely a lot more freedom in the character's stories and their characters, which partly made up for the lack of quality people.
And the final battle met my standards of action requirement. Which - note - are high. (I read a lot of action/thrillers.)

The Die for Me series is one of those series' you have to read in order to understand what's going on and to not ruin the plot. So, if you like the sound of this - I have to admit I've made it seem like I didn't enjoy this book. I did. I enjoyed it a lot. I just got a bit enthusiastic here explaining why I preferred the others - then go check out Die for Me by Amy Plum.
Recommended to anyone who enjoys romance - mainly - but also fantasy and (as I was pleased to see) action. Read the first novels first, but you should check them out if you want an easy read with likeable characters.

Image Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ijSLaASNUZM/UIloJtJk05I/AAAAAAAAMBA/
A5eyhK8Kv4o/s1600/If+I+Should+Die+-+Amy+Plum.jpg

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Starting Out.

Okay then. So this is what I do when I'm ill: I take a couple of hours to create a book blog apparently.
So first of all, hi. I'm Daisy. 15 years old. Bookworm etc etc. My dream is to be a director, but I'm also focusing on becoming a graphic designer too.
This blog will shortly have really rough book reviews on it, that you can read if you like.
I mostly read Young Adult fiction, but there's a bit of variety.
For the moment, the posts I'll be making will be copied from my account on Goodreads. I'm not going to copy all of them, but the earlier ones are worse than my more recent reviews, since I was only starting out with reviewing books. So apologies for that. But I hope you enjoy.
Please leave me a comment with feedback, I'd really appreciate it x

Monday 6 May 2013

A Discovery of Witches


Book Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Series: All Souls Trilogy #1
Date Started: May 3rd 2013
Date Completed: May 6th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I liked this book. I loved this book through to around 500 pages and then I loved it again at the end. But it turned a little bit too typical for about 100 pages, but I still really enjoyed it and it's the best romance novel I've ever read (as in books based around a romance plot, which (if you read my reviews) you know isn't really my sort of thing).

A Discovery of Witches begins in Oxford, following the story of Diana Bishop - a witch who avoids using her gifts since her parents were murdered years before. Diana is a historian and spends the majority of her time inspecting old manuscripts for lectures she can give her students later in the term. But when Diana breaks the magical seal on a manuscript that's been lost for decades by accident, she starts to find herself stalked by all kinds of creatures from the magical world - other witches, vampires and daemons. When events start circling her, Diana is forced to put her trust in a creature she has been warned about her entire life.

I loved the writing. It's a bit harder than the usual books I read, probably because the novel is aimed more strongly at adults than my age. But it wasn't hard enough to deter me from finishing the book. I really loved all the descriptions and the imagery created with such little information was staggering.
I really admire Harkness for including panic attacks in Diana's character, since it's something that I feel is quite hard to understand and empathise with if you don't suffer from them yourself. But they were brilliantly described in here, and she didn't leave out the after effects too. (Which leads me to suspect the author suffers from them?) I also thought it worked with the story - rather than putting it in there because she could.

I approve of the pacing for the book. We jump literally straight into the plot, even though there may not be much action for a while. A friend told me this book took a while to get into, and I understand her reasoning, but actually I enjoyed it right from the start. Even though there wasn't anything big going on, I really enjoyed the smaller parts and the realism.

I love the characters. It scared me a little bit how similar I was to Diana (I look like her, I think like her, we have the same interests, do the same hobbies, have the same conditions etc (although admittedly, my parents weren't murdered in Nigeria when I was 7, but you get my point)) but I found that actually aided the story because I was able to relate to the protagonist more.
Matthew's cool. To be honest, I've read better male-interests, but there's nothing wrong with him and his chemistry with Diana was good.
But Marcus - oh Marcus. Marcus is awesome, perfect, amazing, brilliant. Marcus is by far my favourite character. I suppose he would be the geeky one in the love triangle if this was a typical love story - but thankfully it's not because that would be really weird (if you've read the book you'll understand).

The detail of the history of magic and everything else was astounding. You can tell the author sat down for a good long while and considered how everything was going to work out and how everything came to be. And that is a hard thing to do - I know from experience. I initially wasn't going to include this paragraph, but I feel that actually it deserves to be said.

The plot line was interesting and, for the most part, original. I was slightly disappointed after having read around 500 pages to get to a part that was so like Twilight, I was frankly surprised it wasn't based off that series. When I first started reading this book, I called it Twilight for adults. I had no idea how right I was. Luckily, it picked up again by the end again and I was left really liking it.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes romance, and also fantasy. You may find it takes a while to get into, but I liked it right from the start (although the first chapter is a bit hard going). This is the biggest book I've read this year and it took me about three days - that's how much I liked it. Definitely check it out.

Image Source: http://cdni.condenast.co.uk/320x480/d_f/
Discovery_Of_Witches_gl_30s_320x480.jpg

Thursday 2 May 2013

Gone


Book Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
Series: Gone #1
Date Started: April 28th 2013
Date Completed: March 2nd 2013
Genres: Dystopian, Thriller, Romance, Adventure, Mystery
Rating: Two stars
Review:

I tend to rate books at three or above - for the reason that, even if I didn't like them, I could see how other people from the target audience could enjoy reading them. I don't know if I mistook the age-range for this book extremely drastically or it simply wasn't very good, but I was disappointed to find I was relieved when I got to the end.

The novel is about a band of kids trapped inside a sphere that cordons them off from the rest of the world - and everyone over the age of fourteen has disappeared. The story revolves around a character named Sam and how he tries to handle this new, dangerous world of psychotic teenagers and speaking coyotes.

I think the idea was really, really good. The main problem was that the plot and the way it develops would definitely work for a Young Adult book - everything's in there: the danger, the violence, the thrill etc. But firstly, the writing style if a lot easier and 'younger' than I would have expected, and that was the first thing to put me off the book.
And secondly, the age of the characters is just too low. I understand that the no-older then fourteen kids needs to work with the storyline and context, but it clashes too much - when it comes down to it, fourteen-year-olds don't do the things that they do in this book. Or at the very least they'd struggle with it more.
But the issue with the point above is that I can see Michael Grant has tried to include these in, but it's becomes a bit of a cycle for the first 2/3 of the book. It wasn't until quite a bit later on in the novel that I actually found myself reading something other than another one of the kids losing it because everything's going wrong. I understand why that was included, and I agree that it needs to be. But I think it could have happened in a way that maybe didn't put me off the book by the time something good actually happened.

However, I did like some things in this book. The characters, for one.
Sam is a very good hero, the typical kind of protagonist, but he was good enough to force me to read the whole thing. He's kind of like a little puppy dog, cute-wise, which I'm not sure was what Grant was going for, but it'll do I suppose.
And Astrid is amazing. I can relate to Astrid a lot...and I ship them, okay.
I also have a lot of respect for Grant since he involved some more real and harder issues in the book, such as with Mary (I won't say what).

When it comes down to it, I think that the book just tries to incorporate too many ideas into one (superpowers, being abandoned, dictatorships, mystery solving, romance) and it was just a little bit too much to cope with. Furthermore, I think the writing needed to be more mature and the target audience raised. I read this book because I really like the sound of it - I just wish it had been a more adult book. But then again that is my bad for mistaking it.

The reason I gave it two stars, rather than three (which is what I usually do for a book I don't really like) is because I think, rather than my opinion conflicting with the rating, the actual novel is a little flawed. I'm kind of gutted because I think it could have been really, really good. Oh well.

I would recommend it to younger readers, as I think you will actually quite like it. If you do decide to read it, stick to it, because things do actually pick up at the end.
I'm not saying this book is the worst book I've ever read - I've read much worse. It just wasn't the best.



Image Source: http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111207165345/
gone/images/6/65/GONE_UK_COVER.jpg