Tag: YA

Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

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how i live nowHow I Love Now by Meg Rosoff
Genre: Apocalyptic, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 194
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I wanted to read this book for ages. It wasn’t until after I watched the movie, starring Saoirse Ronan, that I really wanted to read it. I’m not going to talk about the differences between the movie and the film, as I don’t want to spoil anyone but if you’re interested in a ‘based on’ movie, instead of a very faithful adaptation, then definitely watch the movie!

So, the premise of this book is that a girl called Daisy is shipped off to the UK to live with her rag-tag cousins because of family conflicts. (More accurately step family conflicts.) The cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaac and Piper (Rosoff had to choose the most unusual names for the family!) have been living without adult supervision for a while because their mother is an important figure in the war circuit. It just so happens that Daisy’s UK excursion happens the same time World War 3 does. Go figure.

I really enjoyed the first…third of the book where we got to know the relationships between the characters, and what role they all played in keeping the family alive and together. A romantic relationship forms between Daisy and Edmond (which, if read into, is weird, but Game of Thrones is weirder) and Piper is a little cutie. The cousins easily accept Daisy into their clan and they have a jolly old time together in pre-war country Britain, running around in field and swimming in lakes.

But happiness doesn’t last forever. Obviously, something bad was going to happen. Five kids couldn’t live without adults without someone noticing. So, the five get split up, girls and boys separated and evacuated across the country. Daisy and Piper struggle to acclimatise to their new environment, however, I think they both deal with it pretty well. Not a lot of terrible things happen to them, except witnessing some guy getting his face blown off.How-I-Live-Now-DVD Oh, now it seems the war is serious.

One thing I will say for the film is that it is all much more dramatic. The book could potentially be described as slow paced (and it did take me a while to read, despite in being just over 200 pages) but there is always something going on. I think the book improved once Piper and Daisy were on the move, trying to return to their country paradise. Our survival seemed realistic (although I haven’t had to live in the woods for days), as did their chances of returning home.

I like Part Two of the novel, which offered some closure and a conclusion to the story, ending with ‘that’s how I live now’, so you really understood where the title came from! All the characters had personality and everything felt somewhat resolved with as little heartbreak as possible. For a debut novel, it was fantastic. I would definitely read this again, which is the highest of praises. Overall, I’d give this book 4 stars, the fifth star removed as I was expected more, but that’s what comes with watching the movie first!

Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

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Days of B916WD5AWqbL._SL1500_lood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Little Brown Books
Pages: 513
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book has been sitting on my shelf for the longest time, even though I absolutely loved the first book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I’d put it on my Autumn TBR, however, so it needed to be read this month – which meant I had to read a 500+ page book after reading as many under 250 page novels as I could!

There was just as much mystery and plot twists in the sequel as the first book, which I was surprised abut, because I didn’t think there could be any more surprises. I’d say that Days of Blood and Starlight definitely isn’t your typical sequel, it was just as thought-out and just as gripping, and I only have high hopes for the final instalment. I’d say that although there were slow sections, they would seemlessly link into the faster paced action-scenes that mean I literally could not put the book down, even though it took some considerable deliberation to actually pick up the book in the first place.

Laini Taylor has a way of transporting the reader into an entiely different world. There are fantastical elements, but nothing is hard to believe and I absolutely love how different the world of the chimera is to anything I’ve ever read before. The world building is incredible, and the characters are beautifully written, so much so that it’s hard to say anything bad about it!

Karou is one of my favourite characters, and her relationship is Akiva is so complex. My heart was ripped in two in Days of Blood and Starlight, thanks to where the relationship cut off in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I was left wanting a lot more, but I think considering the circumstances that the ‘yes-no-maybe’ attitudes that Karou had were appropriate and understandable. For once I actually enjoyed the deliberation. What I loved most is that, whereas Karou is questioning, Akiva is not. He is completely resolute in his feelings, and it was refreshing to read such a devoted point of view.

I loved how well the third person work with the storyline. Reading Days of Blood and Strarlight is like being transported into a different world, and the third person perspective means that we can jump between the different viewpoints. At first I was sad that it wasn’t just Akiva and Karou, but I really loved the Zuzanna and Mik POVs as I definitely did not want to lose them. Also the minor characters’ perspectives were relevant, although at first it seemed like we were with them for no reason.

Overall, I can not wait until the final book in the series to come out in paperback, and I can’t believe I have to wait until March! Karou’s story is definitely one that I would recommend to any one.  Even if you’re not the biggest fantasy fan, you absolutely have to read the series for the amazing writing!

 

Review: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

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Sapphire Blue bsapphire bluey Kerstin Gier
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Historical, Contemporary
Published by: Square Fish
Pages: 354
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Ruby Red (#1)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Because I was so involved with ‘Ruby Red’, I just had to read the next book, ‘Sapphire Blue’, straight away! This, again, took me about a day to read for similar reasons as the first book  – just so much happens!

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first, however, and here’s why: the romance. Gwen and Gideon were suddenly the loves of each other’s lives. It all seemed a bit sudden, seeing as Gideon thought that Gwen was annoying and immature to start with. The story line remained quite down to earth, in the case of Gwen getting jealous of Gideon being with Charlotte, which made me realise this isn’t just a book about time travel; it’s also about teenagers.

Some of the things Gwen moped about seemed a little melodramatic for the situation, but you could tell that she’d definitely gotten more confident with her role as a time traveller. Lesley, possibly my favourite character, didn’t have as big a role to play, which was upsetting, but the addition of Gwen’s gargoyle demon ghost thing made up for the loss of Lesley’s humour.

I really loved how little things from ‘Ruby Red’ were explained. As I said in my previous review, Gwen could see and talk to ghosts. She is also linked to the raven, as all time travellers are linked to an animal. Ravens themselves are birds that bridge the gap between life and death (duh, I should have guessed because of Vampire Academy!) so that explains why she has these supernatural powers! Everything became relevant, at least, which now improves my thoughts on ‘Ruby Red’.

I don’t think I understood why this book was called ‘Sapphire Blue’. Lucy, the lost, rogue time traveller, is the sapphire, but she wasn’t a main staple of the plot. Gwen and Gideon were the carbohydrates of the book, whereas Lucy and her partner Paul were more….the dairy. Not as present. Not as necessary. Did Gwen even wear a blue dress? I was expecting a little nod to the first book, where Gwen spots her older self kissing someone at a Rococo ball, but that didn’t happen.

Similar to its predecessor, this book ended at a point where you were desperate to know more. A revelation had been made about Gideon’s and Gwen’s relationship, which kind of explained the instant romance, so I’m looking forward to how their story unfolds in the third and final book.

I’m hoping for a big showdown between the time travels and the maybe-evil Count. Fingers crossed.

Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars, because I enjoyed it, but not as much as the first book. The plot didn’t have as much excitement and some of Gwen’s personality traits grated on my nerves. I have high hopes for finale of this series – it may make the favourites shelf!

Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

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Ruby Rruby reded by Kerstin Gier
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Historical, Contemporary
Published by: Square Fish
Pages: 322
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★
Series: Sapphire Blue (#2)
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I didn’t go into this book with high expectations because Bee didn’t immensely enjoy this book. However, due to my love of ‘Under the Never Sky’, I realise we have quite different opinions!

‘Ruby Red’ caught me completely by surprise. I didn’t know what to expect, with the time travel element and all the other lore that went into this novel, like the gemstones, the birds and the musical notes. I thought it would be all too bitty. However, I was completely wrong. I fell in love!

This book does not stop. There is always something going on, whether for a chapter or a paragraph, this book was full of content – hence why I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day. Even though the chapters are long, which normally puts me off a book, I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what would happen next.

The characters are loveable. I really liked the fact that Gwen, the main character, had told Lesley, her best friend, about being a time traveller. It completely cut out the cliched ‘you’ve been lying to me, betrayal of trust’ storyline that I’ve read all too many times. Lesley was quirky and realistic – wouldn’t you Google search everything your friend dug up about the eighteenth century?

There were so many little things that I can’t wait to be elaborated on in the next two books. Like the possible rivalry between Charlotte, who was supposed to be the next time traveller, and Gwen, who turned out to be the real time traveller. Or the magic element. Or Gwen being able to see ghosts! Like I said, this book is choc-a-block with cool things.

Bee did say that there was some romance that came flying out of nowhere. I do have to agree that the romantic feelings between Gwen and Gideon, her male counterpart, were slightly forced, however romance really didn’t contribute much to the plot of this book. It was purely action and adventure…you know through time and space.

I thought it was especially nice to have the book set in England, despite being originally written in German. I love it when I can recognise locations in novels! The translation aspect of the book was almost flawless, with only a few irregular word phrasings, on the other hand, if it didn’t tell you on the end pages that this book was translated, I never would have known.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars, because I loved it, but 5 out of 5 stars seems like a stretch. This book isn’t ‘Mark of Athena’, after all. However, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes historical fiction, Cassandra Clare style, and those that want a quick, fun read!

Shakespeare and YA

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Last month, as it is now November (arghh! Nanowrimo!) we decided to dedicate our reading time to the many plays of Shakespeare. This was mostly because we’d have to study a lot of Shakespeare at University, and it would be great to at least know what we were reading before hand, however, own decision to read Good Old Will’s masterpieces also stems from our love of….’Ten Things I Hate About You’.

10 Things‘Ten Things I Hate About You’ is a 1999 cinematic treasure, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles. Not only is it brilliant film on its own – it is also an adaptation of ‘Taming of The Shrew’ by Shakespeare. The plot consisted of a guy trying to woo a girl so that other guys can date her younger  sister, who can’t date until her older sister does. I think Shakespeare might have invented the phrase ‘cruel to be kind’, which is a very prominent theme throughout this tale. If you haven’t read the play – read it. If you haven’t seen the movie – watch it, because there’s nothing better than Shakespeare in a modern setting.

This was attempted by the 1996 adaptation of ‘Romeo + Juliet’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. However, unlike ‘Ten Things..’ this movie still uses the iambic pentameter of the original play. Romeo and Juliet is not my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays. In fact, it’s probably my least favourite, because it’s a very early example of instant-romance and there’s nothing worse than that. Much Ado

However, if we’re discussing 1990s Shakespeare movies, let’s not leave out the beautiful 1993 version of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, my favourite Shakespeare play. Yes, Keanu Reeves is about 18 years old in this movie (and looks hella fine) but otherwise, it just consists of Hogwarts teachers, mucking about in an Italian villa. Excellent.

We also read the lesser known ‘As You Like It’, as introduced to us in ‘Just One Day’ by Gayle Forman. It was alright. Yeah. But, after watching about ten minutes of the 2006 movie ‘She’s the Man’, based on ‘Twelfth Night’, and then reading the play, I was getting bored of the old ‘I’ll-dress-up-as-a-man’ plot line. (Classic Wills.) And, apparently, Olivia from my beloved ‘Lemonade Mouth’ was named after Olivia from Twelfth Night, so I suddenly understand all the references! 

Finally, let’s end with ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. My knowledge of this play, prior to reading it, was given to me by the blessed Sprouse twins in ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’ (probably the best show to come out of Disney.) After reading the play, I was pleasantly surprised by how accurate the episode was in depicting the plot, with addition of a 13 year old Selena Gomez.

All in all, Shakespeare had managed to trickle into our books, our films and our everyday lives. We’ve both loved getting to read some of his most well known plays and hope to continue exploiting our school library’s endless supply of his work. My last word on the topic is: if you think you don’t like Shakespeare, just because you read it at school, read it for pleasure and then make your judgement, because I know I will be falling back on ‘Much Ado..’ when I’m feeling sad to cheer me up again.

 

 

Review: A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

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A World WithoA-World-without-Princesut Princes by Soman Chainani
Genre: Fairy-tale Retelling, Middle-Grade
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 443
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I absolutely adore fairy tales – especially retellings, hence why I’m  devoting six months of my life to studying them for my EPQ. So, when I discovered ‘The School for Good and Evil’, there was no way I was going to leave the store without it (and the covers are the most beautiful thing, like, forever after.)

I devoured the first book extremely quickly and was hungry for more, more, more of Agatha and Sophie’s tale, so I couldn’t be more delighted with the sequel ‘A World Without Princes’ when I got the chance to read it.

‘A World Without Princes’ is about how the School for Good and Evil changed once Sophie and Agatha escaped the Endless Woods and got their assumed ‘happy ending’, with Agatha choosing friendship over the love of Prince Tedros. The two girls proved that happy endings could be achieved without princes (not like you didn’t get that from the title or anything) so it seems the fairy tale world changed the past, present and future to reflect this new feminist movement.

However, Agatha understands better than anyone that a world without princes isn’t that great, and not just for the selfish reason that she wants true love’s kiss (it’s the most powerful magic of all, you know.) I like to think of this book as a social commentary on the disadvantages of ‘man-hating’ feminism and how actions can be misinterpreted. This book definitely took the patriarchal rivalry thing to a whole new level: to the death!

Agatha and Sophie face many moral problems throughout this book. Is Sophie Evil? Is Sophie Good? Does Sophie still love Tedros? Mostly, it’s Agatha worrying about Sophie’s intentions, because the first book in the series proved that we shouldn’t always trust the sugary-pink princess. Yet, I really loved how tormented Agatha was over Sophie’s true being (gosh, that sounded Evil – I’m Good, I swear…OK now I sound like Sophie.)

Although Sophie may be walking a fine line between Good and Evil, she always tries to be Good in her heart. This is what makes her my favourite of the pairing, just because you never know which of her natures is going to pull her next action.

One thing I can say about this novel is the FRICKIN’ PLOT TWISTS, MAN! I swear for the last fifty pages, I had no idea how Agatha and Sophie’s story was going to end. I was, and I kid you not, literally on the edge of my seat (furnished with a Sleeping Beauty pillow) with anticipation. Was Agatha going to choose Tedros or Sophie? Was Sophie going to becoming an evil hag-witch-monster?  What was going to happen to the School Master, or the genuinely evil Dean? WOULD THERE EVER BE A HAPPILY EVER AFTER?!

Well, the answer to that is no. Soman Chainani ended the novel with THE EN. THE EN!! If anything, this makes me incredibly happy, because it means Agatha and Sophie’s story isn’t over. I mean, surely, their story can’t end where it did! Agatha and Sophie were the epitome of friendship, ignoring their differences, the perfect pair. I CANNOT deal with this being ruined by some blond King Arthur wannabe. Ugh.

Summer 2015 needs to get here sooner. I NEED the next book as much as Agatha and Sophie need the Storian to finish writing THE END to their story. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars, because I did find some parts repetitive which irritated me slightly, but generally this was the perfect sequel to a brilliant fairy tale with a twist.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

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If I Sta4374400y by Gayle Forman
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Speak
Pages: 201
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Series: Where She Went (#2) 
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I really need to take a break from reading sad books, because the number of books I have cried at has significantly increased in the past month. When you’re doing a lot of coursework and essay writing for school, short books are your friend, ergo I read If I Stay. I nabbed this book off of Sarah the last time I went to her house, and she said that she ‘enjoyed’ it. I can’t quite remember whether the word – if you could count it as such – ‘meh’ but that’s probably the noise I would use to describe If I Stay.

I enjoyed it, but it was also just a bit ‘well yeah, okay.’ It could have been shorter, because I felt the middle was slightly repetitive, but the emotions were well written and I did enjoy it. Any book that can make me cry I have to have enjoyed at some point, otherwise there would be no juxtaposition.

Mia was a likeable character, I guess you could say I felt like I knew her, however I’m not a very musical person which, although it didn’t detract from the story, I wasn’t always aware of the significance of the references. Thank you Gayle Forman for the ‘Behind the Music’ explanation-y bits at the back. I can say, that if you do enjoy music, or are a skilled musician yourself, then you will probably find it a lot easier to connect to Mia and the other characters. That isn’t to say that I couldn’t connect with the characters, because I really liked the parents. It thought they were wacky and fun, and their death – not a spoiler – was hard hitting, and really made me understand why the whole ‘if I stay’ argument was such a debated one.

Adam is the love interest, and I thought he was okay. I didn’t fall in love with him like I did Étienne St. Clair or Dimitri Belikov of Jace Wayland (my favourites in reverse order) but he seemed like a nice enough guy, and I thoroughly enjoyed his attempts to get into the ICU. Kim was the best friend and I enjoyed her character, and hers and Mia’s backstory, it was believable and fun. My favourite character? Gramps. Hands down it was the grandad, because almost everything he said to the comatose Mia made me cry. He was so sweet, and so understanding, and it was nice to see some grandparents in YA. They’re not often there, so it was very refreshing.

One thing that slightly annoyed me about If I Stay was the structure. The significant information that isn’t relative to Mia’s medical condition is told entirely through flashbacks and backstories. I’m not the biggest fan of this format, unless it’s written by Morgan Matson. Gayle Forman handled it well, but by biggest problem was that I didn’t like them equally. I was happy when we were in the present, and I was happy when we were in the past. What I didn’t like was the chopping and changing, which led to ‘I don’t want to be in a seven-years-ago flashback! What’s happening to Mia’s brother now!’ or something along those lines. I felt like we were ripped away from present Mia, just so she could tell us an anecdote that I considered to be less important to her current situation. I already liked Adam, Kim and her family because of their reactions to Mia’s being in hospital, and in the beginning I liked the novelty of being through into the life of a family of which I had no context.

Overall, I gave If I Stay three out of five stars, because I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it.

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

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Second Chance S12296601ummer by Morgan Matson
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 468
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I love Morgan Matson’s writing style. I will put that out there to begin with, and I strongly suggest that if you are yet to read any of her works, then start with Amy and Roger so that you can enjoy the true joys of cameo mentions. Unfortunately I read her novels out of sequence so I missed the little gem that is Amy and her boyfriend’s (squeal) mention.

I don’t know why, but I didn’t have high hopes for Second Chance Summer, and all I can say in response to past Bee is ‘WHY?’ I think it was mostly because the blurb makes a truly beautiful story sound cliche, when it wasn’t. It so wasn’t.

What I wasn’t expecting from Second Chance Summer was cancer. What did her dad have? Cancer. The terminal kind. I thought I would be prepared for his death, because the whole summer trip is prefaced in the very first chapter that her dad only has three months to live – it’s not a spoiler, it really isn’t – but I was wholly unprepared for it to actually happen. I legitimately cried for the entirety of the last fifty pages. There were sad tears, there were happy tears, and my were there a lot of them. The only problem I had was that Taylor, our main character, didn’t know when to say ‘I love you’ to her father, and I was shouting at her ‘You don’t need a reason to say it! There is no wrong time to tell someone you love them’ and because of this the ending was even more poignant.

But I’m getting  ahead of myself. Let’s talk about Taylor. Taylor, Emily and Amy. I would like all three of them to be my best friends. Taylor is lovely, even though she has a propensity from running away from her feelings, and from bad things. Which is a problem when she has such a wonderful love interest, Henry. Henry is outdoorsy, but vulnerable and, let’s face it, pretty much perfect. Their relationship is tense, because Taylor ran away at a crucial moment in their past. Like in Morgan Matson’s other novels, backstories are interspersed throughout, but nothing feels forced, everything is gently woven together so that the reader can begin to fit the pieces together. Normally, I’m not a big fan of backstories, but Morgan Matson somehow makes them work AND feel natural.

I loved reading about the Taylor’s progression. She’s back at her old holiday home after being away from five years, and she had to reignite the friendships she once had with pretty much everyone. Character development is also another thing Morgan Matson does excellently. Every time Taylor overcame a previous anxiety or regained a relationship with someone from her previous time at the Lake, I was so happy, and kept me reading. I  did not want to put this book down.

I also loved the minor love story arcs, like Lucy’s and Taylor’s brother’s they complimented the main love story and…there are no words to describe how amazing this book is. No words. I feel like I could spiel about Second Chance Summer for the next five hours, going into every plot point, but this is a review, not a five thousand word essay. To sum up, I gave SCS five stars, because it seriously deserves them.

Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

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The Darkest MindsThe Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Genre: Supernatural, Apocalyptic
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 488
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

So, we had two copies of this book, and this normally means that we love the book so much, we just can’t share it. Let me tell you now that the fate of the second book is not looking good and does not at all parallel that of the second copy of ‘Fangirl’ by Rainbow Rowell and ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ by Stephanie Perkins.

We’ve had the first book on the shelves for a while. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book a while ago, but we let it die down before we decided to read it. Then, the third and final book in the series, Into the Afterlight, came out a few days ago, and suddenly everyone’s ravenously reading this series like a slice of fresh cake.

I was not impressed.

The premise sounded good. The title was intriguing. I thought it was going to be so much more than it was, when really all the book amounted to was a waste of 488 pages. The journey the main character goes through is circular and ridiculous, leading me to question why I invested the time into reading something I didn’t enjoy.

Ruby, as a main character, held all of the tropes of a protagonist I do not like. Number One being that she was adamant she was a ‘monster’ because of her powers. Number Two being that she was victim of an instant romance that hit you in the face like a bus (and was just as unwelcome.) She had a case of I-only-develop-a-personality-200-pages-in syndrome that did nothing but demotivate me from finishing this book.

How did I do it, you ask? I don’t know.

I had a number of problems with this book, like the irrational pacing and the insta-love but nothing annoyed me more than the dimensions of the Black Betty van. From the description (which is lengthly to say the least) this van is at least the size of a bungalow. Somehow the people in the front seat couldn’t see Ruby hidden in the back seat, because the back seat acted as a living-room-bedroom that was six metres long.

I didn’t understand what was happening a lot of the time because the important and fast paced scenes were so short and underdeveloped. I didn’t understand the use of the ‘fade-to-black’ technique that left the reader guessing whether Ruby was sexually harassed by this jerky expletive guy. I certainly didn’t understand why Zu, one of the main characters, had to leave, or the fate of Chubs, another of the main four.

And, talking of the jerky expletive guy, I completely saw his plot twist a mile off. DO NOT TRUST anyone but yourself is the advice I would give to any dystopian novel participant.

As I can’t think of anything I particularly liked about this book, I’m going to leave the review there, because my hate fire is too stoked to continue. HOWEVER, part of me wants to know how this series could possibly progress, so if I subject myself to that, I’ll be sure to let you know of my opinion. Overall, I give this book 1.5 stars, redeemed by the shopping sequence and the traumatising back story that was the only event in the book that made me feel any emotion but irritation.

Review: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

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NIN2Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: Knopf Books
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I picked up Nick and Norah mostly because it was only 188 pages long, and I needed a quick read to get that satisfaction of actually reading something. And I was pleasantly surprised! I wanted something light and fun that I could just pick up and put down. I needed good writing to make up for some of the most recent books I have read that I have not enjoyed, and I thought Nick and Norah was a safe bet.

I got way more than I anticipated. I was hooked from the first page. Nick was probably my favourite out of the two because Leviathan’s writing style was so poetic and beautiful. Everything was so circular and clever and I loved every minute. Norah’s perspective was also really wonderful, and I liked how free and teenager-y the dialogue was. I believed that the characters were real people. There was swearing, there was sexual references, and it felt real. Nothing about this book glamorised teenage-hood, and that was partly what made this books so enjoyable.

I liked that it was just about these two characters who were so unique, but also so similar. There was quite a cast of characters, but they felt like they were significant, not just written for the sake of being written. The plot was very simple – two teenagers who spend a day together, and try and get to know each other whilst also trying to get over someone else – but it was executed well.

I wasn’t really a fan of everything Norah said, and sometimes their conversations seemed a little forced, but I suppose they were meant to. What I can’t believe, most of all, is that this book was written in 2006 and yet I’ve barely heard anything about it! I known they made a movie adaptation, but after watching the trailer and thinking “that’s not how it goes!” I don’t think I’ll be watching it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist  and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick read that will make them laugh and get lost in the story. I think I’ll give the book 3.5 stars, because I did enjoy it, but the middle dragged on a bit and I think the resolution could almost have come a lot earlier in the story line. But it was only 188 pages, so I can’t complain too much!