Tag: book review

Review: You Don’t Know Me by Sophia Bennett

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17205536You Don’t Know Me by Sophia Bennett
Genre: Contemporary, Fame
Published by: Chicken House
Pages: 340
Format: Library Book
Rating: ★★★

My guilty pleasure reads usually have celebrities or the rise to fame in them. I picked up You Don’t Know Me thinking it was going to be a cookie cutter version of this trope; the classic ‘girl turns into something she’s not because of record label pressure’ kind of thing. While it did fulfil the stereotype to a certain degree, I was really surprised by how it defied my expectations. It covered body shaming, cyberbullying and being misunderstood way more than fame, and I’m so pleased it did.  Continue reading “Review: You Don’t Know Me by Sophia Bennett” →

Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

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26074181The Crown by Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published by: HarperTeen
Pages: 279
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: The Selection (#1) | The Elite (#2) | The One (#3) | The Heir (#4)

After previously disliking The Heir, we were convinced that we weren’t going to enjoy The Crown. The Selection trilogy was incredible, and we were never entirely convinced that it needed to be continued. However, The Crown offers the most perfect conclusion…in some ways. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read these two spin-off books, but if you read The Heir then be assured that The Crown resolves the story. So, for this review, I thought I would do something a little different! A Pros and Cons list – how exciting!

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Review: Soldier by Julie Kagawa

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17342750Soldier by Julie Kagawa
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Mira Ink
Pages: 380
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Talon (#1) | Rogue (#2)

The third instalment in the Talon saga and, surprisingly, I liked it the most out of all the books in this series so far. I don’t know what it is, but these books sort of creep on me. They’re fun and unexpected. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far then I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with Soldier. (Unless, like me, your favourite character is Dante…)

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Review: Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski

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april2Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Contemporary, Magical-Realism
Published by: Hachette Children’s Group
Pages: 288
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Series: Don’t Even Think About It (#1)

Think Twice takes place two years after the class got telepathy, except…now they’re starting to lose it! It starts small, and suddenly the group have to question what really means more in life: the powers or each other? Losing power is a bigger problem for some, but we still get a glimpse into each Espie’s life and how things have changed for them, no matter how small. I didn’t realise this was going to be a duology but Think Twice is a pretty staple conclusion to the story, even if it did feel more character driven than plot driven.

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Review: Unrivalled by Alyson Noël

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29325755Unrivalled by Alyson Noël
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: MIRAInk
Pages: 368
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never read an Alyson Noël book before, so I was super intrigued about her writing. Also, one of the main characters is called Madison, so we share a name and I always find that hilarious. (Somehow my name is always used for the snooty mean girl, and I wanted to see what stereotypes were placed on my name in this instance!)

I was most sold on this book by the comparison to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, but I wasn’t really getting those vibes while reading. The blurb promised that Madison would ho missing, but this didn’t happen until 75% through and everything before that was lacking the level of drama I expected when compared to the TV shows above. Continue reading “Review: Unrivalled by Alyson Noël” →

Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest

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20958632The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Genre: Magical Realism, Faerie
Published by: Indigo
Pages: 352
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★★★

I have previously disliked Holly Black’s work. I haven’t been impressed by the Magisterium series she’s been co-writing with Cassandra Clare, and Maddie didn’t enjoy The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I read Tithe in 2012 and absolutely hated it, but not after reading Black’s latest faerie story, I think it’s about time I gave it a second chance. The Darkest Part of the Forest is almost like a gender-bend faerie version of Snow White. It starts with a horned boy in a glass coffin that no one’s been able to open. The coffins sits in the middle of the forest where teens regularly go to party. Hazel and her  brother Ben are inextricably linked with the faerie world, and in their youth were obsessed with their prince in the coffin; they adored playing knights and hunting evil faeries. From the first page I was hooked.

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Review: Night School by C. J. Daugherty

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12576579Night School by C. J. Daugherty
Genre: Contemporary, Boarding School
Published by: Atom
Pages: 454
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★

First of all I should mention, that I really wanted to LOVE this book. I met C.J.Daugherty a few weeks ago and what she was saying about the progression of her characters got me so PUMPED to read it. Even though I already knew that the biggest complaint about Night School was the amount of times that Allie gets saved by one of the male protagonists – which is a lot – I was still surprised by it. C. J. said that Allie realising that she could be the one to save herself became one of the biggest internal arcs of the story and I thought that sounded exactly like something I would enjoy. That, and it’s a boarding school setting. I love those! Unfortunately, every time I cringed or eye-rolled I had to knock off a point from each star, so my overall rating is lowlowlow.

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Review: The Lost and the Found

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20685157The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Crime (?)
Published by: Quercus
Pages: 441
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

The Lost and the Found has been on my radar for a while. It follows Faith thirteen years after her adopted sister Laurel was abducted and suddenly reappears. Laurel is thrust back into her family life and it’s a lot to adjust to. Meanwhile, Faith is struggling with her older sister’s return as what little attention she got from her parents before is completely non-existent now that Laurel’s back. Last year I read If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch, which is about sisters who are returned to civilisation after growing up in the woods. It has a similar tone and the same mysterious and volatile tone that I really loved from Murdoch’s book and overall, I’m pleased I was immersed in the harrowing tale of the Logan family.

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Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

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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: Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison

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26270886Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
Genre: Contemporary, UKYA
Published by: Chicken House
Pages: 268
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5

After reading Lobsters some time last year, and enjoying the experience of reading more UKYA, I was more than happy to pick up this duo’s latest book, Never Evers. I have a soft spot for books that take place over a school trip, and books with celebrities, so basically all of the blurb appealed to me! I can say, whole-heartedly, that I enjoyed this book much more than the debut, so let’s discuss… Continue reading “Review: Never Evers by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison” →