The 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.
There’s nothing better than reading a book where the protagonist is surrounded by a great group of friends – friends that support them in whatever they do but also challenge them to do things they wouldn’t be able to do alone. Here are our top five picks for friendship groups we’d love to be a part of!
1. Emily, Frank, Dawn and Collins from ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’
What was brilliant about this friendship was that it only really culminated over the summer. As readers, we got to experience Emily discovering new friends, whilst still surviving Sloane’s absence. This book is the perfect example of friendship – if everyone is willing to skinny-dip, then you know you’re friends for life!
2. Cammie, Bex, Liz and Macy from ‘The Gallagher Girls’
All four friends bring something distinctly different to this group; Bex has her beauty, Liz has her brains and Macy has her daring personality (not to mention her father’s money!) Again, if someone is willing to bug the house of the guy you like, there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for you!
3. Harry, Ron and Hermione from ‘Harry Potter’
There’s no way this golden trio couldn’t be mentioned! I loved watching their friendship grow as the series progressed and how supportive Ron and Hermione were of Harry, even when he was being a little bit of a douche-canoe. They’re consistent dedication to helping each other, and the rest of the magical universe for that matter, should be admired.
4. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank and Hazel from ‘Heroes of Olympus’
Why I loved ‘Mark of Athena’ the most out of the whole series was the friendship and teamwork that arose from the seven halfbloods living in the Argo II. Each character could easily mix with any of the other six. Although, if I was to join this group, I might end up feeling like the ninth wheel (as Leo is already spoken for.) Rick really seems to care about his characters finding love. Aww!
5. Cinder, Iko, Scarlett, Wolf, Cress and Thorne from ‘The Lunar Chronicles’
Again, a similar problem would arise from being part of this friendship group – everyone’s part of a couple! (Don’t tell me Cress and Thorne aren’t a proper thing yet. Just wait for ‘Winter’ and I know they WILL be!) What’s special about this group is the diversity, in both gender, age and ability…..and the degree to which they can be classified as human, of course. Cress is a cutie, Scarlett is kick-ass and I bet Thorne would be able to keep everyone entertained, even if the world is being crippled by disease.
Every 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!
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages:
Format: Hardback
Series: The Lost Hero (#1) | The Son of Neptune (#2) | The Mark of Athena (#3) | The Blood of Olympus (#5)
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon
The cliffhanger at the end of Mark of Athena meant that I absolutely had to continue with the series straight away! I was surprised at how long Percy and Annabeth spent in Tartarus, as I’ve leaned that my favourite sections are when everyone is together. TOGETHER, RICK. Nonetheless, House of Hades was another wonderful sequel – action packed, with just enough romance to satisfy YA readers.
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Why is it that whenever espionage is involved, YA covers resort to the cliche of sunglasses? If you think about it, sunglasses aren’t a great disguise. You’ve still got the same stature, hair colour, smile…what is it about sunglasses that makes people feel like spies?
First, we have the ‘Heist Society’ series by Ally Carter – this was my first experience of sunglass-overload. But sure, the sunglasses are being used to reflect the things Kat is trying to steal, so overall, it’s a pretty, succinct cover. But this leads me to think that any similar cover is a parody!
Which brings me on to the ‘Jessica Cole’ series by Sarah Sky. I haven’t read this series, but am definitely looking into getting these books – it seems like an original concept to combine fashion with espionage and delete the boarding school entirely. Does it have a ‘Totally Spies’ feel about it? So what isn’t original? … THE SUNGLASSES!
And finally, what about the ‘St Jude’s Academy’ books by Lucy Carver? So, there is a boarding school, but this time, murder is involved. We’ve got thieves, spies and detectives, who all have one thing in common: their choice of eye-wear. Props to ‘Killing You Softly’ for splashing out on the heart-shaped lenses.
Are there any other sunglasses covers out there that I’m missing? Preferably ones that grip the glasses, or emphasise nail polish colours! I love reading spy books, and other types of book within that genre of under-cover work, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes the similarities in covers makes it harder to pick out a book that seems original, if they don’t stand out from the crowd!
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Puffin
Pages: 500
Format: Hardback
Review: ★★★★
Series: The Lost Hero (#1) | The Son of Neptune (#2) | The Mark of Athena (#3) | The House of Hades (#4)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon
I have mixed feelings about this ending. That’s probably to do with the nature of it being an ending. It’s hard to say goodbye to characters that I’ve really got to love over the past month, where I’ve tried to blitz my way through the series. Okay, so yes, I was slightly disappointed that Percy and Annabeth didn’t get a perspective – neither did Frank and Hazel! – and I can see why those that read BoO when it was a new release would have found this particularly devastating. Maybe it was because I was prepped for this lack of Percabeth that I didn’t feel too remorseful when they didn’t pop up after a Jason chapter. But what I also appreciate is that I wouldn’t have had the series end any other way. It started with Jason, Piper and Leo, so it should end with Jason, Piper and Leo. But, you know, with the odd bit of Reyna and Nice thrown in for good measure.
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Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Genre: Supernatural, Historical Fiction
Published by: Quirk Books
Pages: 400
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★
Series: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon
Hollow City is the second instalment to the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, and it follows seamlessly on from the first book, with the same blend of fiction, real-life events, and of course, the photography. I thought this was an engaging sequel, but it was slow paced and dragged out in some places and so I didn’t think it was either better or worse than the first book.
A 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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We 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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Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson
Genre: Thriller, Action, Romance, Contemporary
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 320
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon
I’d previously read The Sound by Sarah Alderson, so when I saw Conspiracy Girl on NetGalley I thought, “Why not?” However, it’s safe to say that I haven’t found my new favourite Sarah Alderson, and I even found the ending a little predictable given the plot twists in The Sound. It had the same basic structure: conspiracy, bad boy love interest, the ‘big’ reveal – none of that was problematic, it was just that I felt I’d read the book before.
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