Tag: book review

Review: Amy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern

Published on by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

amy and matthewAmy and Matthew by Cammie McGovern
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Published by: Macmillan
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book was like a breath of fresh air. Dealing with disability and mental illness, ‘Amy and Matthew’ ticks a lot of diversity boxes, and gains some originality points, as I’ve never read something that covers these issues. So, ‘Amy and Matthew’, I didn’t have a problem with. However, the fact it’s subtitled as ‘A Love Story’ is where things started to get a little tricky.

Characters
The first twenty percent of the book, we are introduced to the lives of our protagonists, written in 3rd person so we can experience their lives separately, as well as together. Amy has cerebral palsy and Matthew has (to begin with) undiagnosed OCD. They have to deal with the stresses of over-active and absent parents, along with trying to survive senior year. Amy wants to make some friends, which includes Matthew. They hang out and slowly, they fall in love. Except, neither character can overtly say they’re in love and if they do, each character seems to be in a different place in the relationship.
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Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Published on by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

14290364Champion by Marie Lu
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 400
Format: e-book
Rating:★★★★
Series: Legend (#1) | Prodigy (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I have started and completed this series in the space of four days, and now that it’s over I can feel the post-series depression settling in. Legend was my first 5 star review of the year, and now when anybody asks me what my favourite books are this series will definitely be in the roll-call. Champion was a bittersweet ending to this incredible series. It was fast paced and the plot was just as intricately woven as it’s predecessors. Marie Lu really had written something special.  Continue reading “Review: Champion by Marie Lu” →

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

13414446Prodigy by Marie Lu
Genre: Dystopian, Action, Sci-Fi
Published by: Speak
Pages: 370
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★.5
Series: Legend (#1) | Champion (#3)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Prodigy is just as action packed as its predecessor, with added heart-wrenching moments! Day and June’s story continues in this epic sequel that takes place right after the end of Legend. I can’t seem to get enough of this series. If I’m not in the middle of reading the next book then I’m looking at fan art or reading as many raving reviews as I can. This series is amazing, and Prodigy did not disappoint as a sequel, even though you often find “second-book syndrome” in trilogies Prodigy didn’t feel like it was written solely with the purpose to get to the end.

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Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Published on by Heart Full Of Books5 Comments

15753977Legend by Marie Lu
Genre: Dystopian, Action, Sci-Fi
Published by: Speak
Pages: 305
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: Prodigy (#2) | Champion (#3)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I haven’t given a five star review in what feels like forever, but I can say with absolute certainty that Legend is a five star book. The action never stops, and it’s the perfect mix of everything good about dystopian fiction. It was thrilling and fast-paced, I loved the characters, and the Oh No! and WHAT? moments. Legend had me on the edge of my seat. I was literally unable to put it down. I may even go as far as today Legend is the best book I have read so far this year.

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Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Published on by Heart Full Of Books5 Comments

8709527Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Genre: Paranormal (Vampires), Romance
Published by: Razorbill
Pages: 421
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Series: The Golden Lily (#2) | The Indigo Spell (#3) | The Fiery Heart (#4) | Silver Shadows (#5) | The Ruby Circle (#6)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I am so unbelievably happy to be back in the world of the damphir and Moroi! Not to mention the Alchemists, which is the category that protagonist Sydney falls into. So there might not be any Rose and Lissa, but fans of the Vampire Academy series are bound to love this new spin-off series just as much – I know I did!

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Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

15797745Starters by Lissa Price
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published by: Corgi
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Starters is incredibly fast paced, and if I’m honest, rather confusing to begin with. We’re thrown straight into the world and the story picks up with Callie, the protagonist, visiting a ‘body bank.’ I thought this book was going to be a lot more sci-fi than it actually was. Starters focussed more on character relationships, which meant it took quite a while for the plot to pick up.

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Review: Geek Girl – All That Glitters by Holly Smale

Published on by Heart Full Of Books3 Comments

all that glittersGeek Girl: All That Glitters by Holly Smale
Genre: Contemporary, Humour
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 430
Format: ARC E-Book
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

The fourth book in the Geek Girl series maintained the same level of humour and fun that the other three books in the series uphold! ‘All That Glitters’ took Harriet on a new adventure: being a Sixth Form student! (Such a nice change from the plethora of secondary school settings out there!)

Harriet’s venture into sixth form shouldn’t dissuade a younger reader from continuing the series – she’s still the same geeky, bubbly girl she was in secondary. Although, we were expecting Harriet’s voice to mature as she became a young adult, we’re sure this will happen in the subsequent books, as she went through some major character development by the end of the book.

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Review: Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Published on by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

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

Published on by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

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 Rain by Virginia Bergin

Published on by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

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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