Category: Reviews by Maddie

Review: Extras by Scott Westerfeld

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extrasExtras by Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure
Published by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 417
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book takes place three years after ‘Specials’ in a completely different city. ‘Extras’ is based on a world where reputation is everything. In a Tumblr-esque way, resident ‘kick’ and ‘re-kick’ news stories in order to gain popularity. The more popular you are, the higher your rank and the more privileges you earn as a result. Out of the one million citizens, to be considered famous, you need a ranking of at least 1,000 or above.

It’s too bad that our protagonist, Aya, is about 450,000. ‘Extras’ follows Aya quest for fame and how far the fifteen-year-old will go in order to come out on top.

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Review: The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

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uglies seriesThe Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure
Published by: Simon Pulse
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

A sticker on the Uglies series reads,  ‘Before the Hunger Games there was….’ This is one of my pet peeves, which probably deserves a post by itself. The idea that there were dystopian books before ‘The Hunger Games’ rose to popularity seems to astound people.

The concept of this series is all people are born ugly. When they turn sixteen, they become pretty, through surgery and genetic implants. It was interesting to read a book that discussed beauty and how its presented in a way that didn’t seem glaringly obvious. When you pick up this book, you’re not bombarded with a social agenda to redefine beauty. Tally, the protagonist, just wants to be pretty. Shay, her best friend, doesn’t.

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Review: The Storm by Virginia Bergin

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the stormThe Storm by Virginia Bergin
Genre: Apocalyptic
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 304
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★
Series: The Rain (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I’d didn’t quite realise that this book was set 3 MONTHS after the first book. Ruby managed to survive on her own for 3 MONTHS? It must be easier than I thought! But, I began to warm up to Ruby. She was more comfortable in her situation and not so whiny. It’s fair to say that she went through some character development for her personality, but her actions sure didn’t change.

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Review: The Rain by Virginia Bergin

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the rainThe Rain by Virginia Bergin
Genre: Apocalyptic
Published by: Macmillan
Pages: 384
Format: E-Book
Ratings: ★★.5
Series: The Storm (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The Rain certainly had an interesting concept. Set in the southwest of England, where rain is abundant and constant, rainwater is contaminated with an alien organism that kills if touched. Excellent! But a great concept cannot fuel interest for over 300 pages….so I had a few problems.

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Review: Every Day by David Levithan

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every dayEvery Day by David Levithan
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Published by: Electric Monkey – Egmont
Pages: 371
Rating: ★★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Every Day’ was an impulse read. The cover is orange. Orange is my favourite colour – what better reason is there for picking up a book? I didn’t know much about David Levithan’s writing style when he flew solo, having only read his work in collaboration with Rachel Cohn, but I can say, without doubt, I enjoyed this stand-alone the best!

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Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

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16096824A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 400
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

We will preface this review by saying that we were really excited to read a A Court of Thorns and Roses, because we knew that it was a cross over of a Beauty and the Beast retelling and faery fiction, and unfortunately hype can sometimes heighten expectations, which can be a bad thing. Something we weren’t expecting was how easily this book fits into the New Adult genre so is definitely unsuitable for younger readers that may just want to read whatever else Sarah J. Maas has written.

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Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

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we all looked upWe All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
Genre: Contemporary, Apocalypse
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 384
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

When I first read the blurb, it sounded like a mixture of ‘The Breakfast Club’ and ‘Earth to Echo’, two of my very favourite movies. I started reading it right away, and was surprised with the end result! It met my expectations, but took a slightly different turn with its content.

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Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

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blue lily lily blueBlue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adventure, Supernatural
Published by: Scholastic Press
Pages: 391
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

For once with this series, I feel I know what’s going on! I decided to pick up ‘Blue Lily, Lily Blue’ quickly after ‘The Dream Thieves’ so the plot didn’t go missing while my head was filled with so many other stories.
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Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

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the retribution of mara dyerThe Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 470
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (#1) | The Evolution of Mara Dyer (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This was probably my favourite book in the trilogy. It started out gross. I never thought I’d get to read about someone cutting out another person’s eye. (You can guess I haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire!) Mara is no longer just troubled but bordering on insane. Everything that’s happening to her is unbelievable and that’s why it’s so interesting to read.

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Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

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evolution of mara dyerThe Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 528
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (#1) | The Retribution of Mara Dyer (#3)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

If I thought the first book was serious, then this took Mara’s story to a whole new level. It’s difficult to write reviews about this series because if I say too much then the whole thing will be spoiled, and I think this is the perfect book series to go into knowing nothing about them, in order to really appreciate the plot twists and darkness.

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