Tag: 4 stars

Review: The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood

Published on by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

Born Wicked, Star Cursed, Sisters’ Fate by Jessica Spotswood
Genre: Supernatural (Witches), Romance. Sisters = buzzword
Published by: Speak. Pages: 352, 384, 368 respectively
Rating: ★★★★

This series has quickly become one of my absolute favourites. It’s the story of three sisters who are all witches in a society where if you’re rumoured to be a witch you’re either imprisoned or hanged. There’s also a prophecy that claims one of the sisters will either be the undoing of witches or will help them rise. I loved the drama and the the way every single relationship is written! For a series that was recommended to me by a friend in my Lit class almost four years ago, I’m surprised I didn’t pick it up sooner, because it’s really not one to be missed!

(Warning: As I’m going to be discussing all three books in one post, you might find the reviews of books 2 and 3 spoiler-y since I’ll be noting how the plot progresses.)

Continue reading “Review: The Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood” →

Review: Kids of Appetite by David Arnold

Published on by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

29341439Kids of Appetite by David Arnold
Genre: Contemporary, Coming of Age
Published by: Headline
Pages: 352
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★
More by this author: Mosquitoland
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was so pumped when I saw David Arnold had a new book out this year! I read Mosquitoland around the same time I read Becky Albertali’s debut and Maddie read Jeff Zentner’s debut. So this time was pretty great for discovering new authors. I fell in love with David Arnold’s writing style IMMEDIATELY, even if I didn’t enjoy the story as much. Kids of Appetite had the perfect mix of witty narrative and FULL-ON plot. I was all about these kids from chapter one and am delighted to say that this author’s books are just getting better and better!

Continue reading “Review: Kids of Appetite by David Arnold” →

Series Review: The Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Cherry Crush, Marshmallow Skye, Summer’s Dream, Coco Caramel, Sweet Honey, Fortune Cookie
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Romance | Published by: Puffin
Pages: 272, 304, 288, 304, 304, 288 | Format: Hardback | Rating: ★★★★

The Chocolate Box series is one of my favourite middle grade series. I remember when Cherry Crush was being teased on Cathy Cassidy’s website and getting so excited at the idea that she was going to be writing a series about sisters! I also remember in 2010 (when I was 12-13) thinking, ‘oh my goodness, I’m going to be 18 by the time I finish this series!’ (Though I was 19 in the end because she added a half-brother to the mix which bumped the series up to six.) I stopped reading when Summer’s Dream came out…I’m not entirely sure why… but it felt like finally the right time to complete my Cathy Cassidy reading experience! I’m so glad I did, because it’s chocolatey and beautiful.

Continue reading “Series Review: The Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy” →

Review: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

28671039Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 400
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★
More: All The Bright Places
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Holding Up The Universe was definitely a book I was tentative to read. After really not liking All The Bright Places and seeing the kind of horrific first blurb this book had on Goodreads, it felt like a bad choice of reading material. BUT, second chances are always deserved and Netgalley did a much better job of summarising the plot without any negative connotations. So, let’s talk about it!

Continue reading “Review: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven” →

Review: We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

25124140We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
Genre: Contemporary, Family-Orientated
Published by: Anderson Press
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

We Are All Made of Molecules is a two perspectives story. There’s Stewart, who recently lost his mum and whose dad is moving in with his new partner, Ashley’s mum. Ashley is struggling with her own new situation as her dad came out as gay and is now living in the annex at the bottom of the garden. It’s a beautiful story of a blended family, full of rich characters and really touching moments.

Continue reading “Review: We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen” →

Review: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Published on by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

15937108Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Genre: Contemporary, Middle-Grade
Published by: Puffin Books
Pages: 380
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★

I’ve seen this book in quite a few libraries recently, and I never bothered to pick it up until now because the cover seemed a little odd, and I thought because it was middle-grade that I wouldn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I should know better than to judge a book by its cover, because Counting By 7s is a story I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

Continue reading “Review: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan” →

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

234034021A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Titan Books
Pages: 386
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★
Series: A Gathering of Shadows (#2)

Oh goodness. This book was AMAZING. *round of applause* THIS is what fantasy is SUPPOSE TO READ LIKE. No flimsy faux-badass girls, but an actual bad-ass girl. Lila and Kell will steal your heart and once you read A Darker Shade Of Magic you will never want to go on adventures with any one else. I read a chapter sample thing ages ago, but couldn’t really get into it. Now I’ve read the full book I realise that’s because there’s so much world building and gradual character introductions that it does take some dedication before you can really get into it, but if you stick with it you will get out what you put in!

This is not the kind of book you can read quickly, it’s the kind that needs to be savoured and loved till the final page and beyond.

Continue reading “Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab” →

Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

rosesocietyThe Rose Society by Marie Lu
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Series: The Young Elites (#1)

Wow. Just wow. I read The Young Elites earlier on in the year and wasn’t completely sold on it, but I was still pumped to see how the story progressed. Can I just say I loved it? Is that enough? Of course not! So let’s go into some of the more finer details as to why I thought The Rose Society was better than The Young Elites. That’s right, no second book syndrome here, folks.

Continue reading “Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu” →

Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

Published on by Heart Full Of Books2 Comments

24917415Paperweight by Meg Haston
Genre: Contemporary with Mental Illness
Published by: Hot Key Books
Pages: 287
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★

Paperweight follows Stevie who is admitted to a rehab centre for eating disorders. Twenty seven days after she arrives it will be the first anniversary of her brother’s death, and to honour his memory, because she feels entirely responsible, she wants to kills herself. Heavy stuff, right? (Trigger warnings: self-harm, eating disorders, volatile relationships, manic-pixie-dream-girl.)

I’ve never read anything about eating disorders before and, if I’m being 100% honest, the topic scares me. I had the opportunity to review Paperweight when it first came out, but I declines thinking that because the subject matter wasn’t for me, I wouldn’t enjoy the story. I WAS WRONG. So wrong that it needs to be capitalised, underlined, and in a different colour.   Continue reading “Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston” →

Review: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

25907472Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Genre: Historical
Published by: Orion Children’s Books
Pages: 390
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. Like, seriously. Wow. Wolf By Wolf has to be one of the best books I read in January. I was hooked from the very beginning, and I have a feeling that Yael will quickly become one of my favourite heroines. Luckily for me, this is going to be a trilogy – even though I do have some concerns about where this could go – so we’ll be seeing more of Yael soon! If you haven’t heard of this book, it’s about Yael who is a skin-shifter, after being experimented on in a concentration-camp-like environment, and as part of the rebellion against the Nazi regime, she is going to adopt Adele Wolf motocross champion’s identity and try to win the race from Germany to Japan, because it will give her the perfect opportunity to kill Hitler. If you don’t think that sounds like a crazy wild time, definitely worth a read, then I don’t know does!

Continue reading “Review: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin” →