Monday 30 June 2014

Alice Through the Zombie Glass book review

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. They're highlighted in red.
This is the second instalment to Gena Showalter's 'White Rabbit Chronicles', picking up where the first one left off.

I know I said it before in my review of the first book, but I really do love the dynamic that the slayers and their friends have. They're just a family looking out for each other and I think that really comes across in this novel.

Yes I'm a huge fan of Gena Showalter, and to this day, I haven't read a book of hers that I have not liked. Her writing is faultless and flows perfectly in this slightly darker and creepier sequel.

Ali is.. infected, for loss of a better word, and she goes through the ringer quite a bit, but I really have grown to love her. Gena has written her character development perfectly.
Ali isn't the scared girl we met in Alice in Zombieland. She's willing to do whatever it takes to keep her friends and here only remaining family safe.. Even if it is from her. I do love me a slightly unhinged character.

On the subject of characters though, Cole.. I was more than slightly disappointed with.
It's like he did a total 180. He hardly acted like the cold stealthy badass I had come to swoon over. He was kind of soppy, and I didn't quite think it gelled with the picture that was painted of him in the first book.

Gavin and Kat are my favourites beside Ali, they both bring some much needed humour to dark situations and give us readers a good laugh.

This book seemed to take a slightly bolder approach than the first. In terms of darker content and language, which I actually appreciated and preferred.

Two things I guessed straight away.
1. Gavin and Cole would have visions.
2. Ethan was the spy - The second he was mention, I knew. Which for some people is annoying, but I didn't find it so, it kept me guessing how he was going to fit into the story.

This book was around 100 pages longer than its predecessor, but I was glad for it, because I enjoyed it much more than the first.

The one thing I wasn't too keen on was this whole battle Ali had with herself.
I was all for it at first and thought it was really interesting.
I could accept that they were wrestling inside of Ali, but when Zombie Alice could separate herself from Ali, and was walking and talking, then snapping back to Ali when she wanted.. it annoyed me a little.
If she was a zombie, why could nobody else see her?
I did like the bits when Ali was looking at her reflections though, seeing Z.A there, it was pretty cool.

It was really interesting and creepy when the girls were kidnapped by Anima. I found those scenes to be my favourite, with Ali's sheer determination not to hurt her friends and to get them out. Even if she had to take some torture.

I read through the entire book in a day and immediately got swept back into this story. I love the characters and the story dearly, so just like the first, I'm giving this book 4 stars.

Sunday 29 June 2014

Beautiful Disaster book review

WARNING: This review contains spoilers, they are highlighted in red.

Underground fights. Vegas. Mobsters. Singing in cafeterias. Puppies. Fires. Parties.
This one of those books that will truly stick with you long after you've read it.

Holy shit was I not ready for this book!
I don't think I've ever been so enthralled with a book in my life!

So it's a basic premise. A good girl meet a bad boy, pretty unoriginal, yet it is so much more than that. This book has shot up into my top ten favourites. I literally sat down, thinking I'd kill an hour or two with a random book I had purchased, then low and behold, I was sucked so deep into this novel that I barely registered anything other than this book. I was so invested that I could not bare to put it down, even for a second.
I read the whole thing in one sitting and already I want to reread it so I keep it all fresh in my mind.

My high praise of this book may confuse some people, as this book has received quite a large amount of bad reviews and comments because of the main male lead.

Me being the slightly twisted person I am, love damaged, hard-edged, abrasive and fragile characters. Not fragile as in a wimp, but as in mental stability. I just find them to be the most fascinating reads.

Yes, I will admit that Travis Maddox is a flawed person, and his tendencies are borderline stalkerish and very erratic, but it is something that I admire about this book. Author Jamie McGuire must have known that not all readers would like such a character, but she wrote it anyway.
I never knew quite how I felt about these two main characters. Every chapter, my opinion would do 180's.
One minute I was praising Travis's actions, then next I was shouting at Abby for making stupid choices and decisions.
This couple were so unique that it made it even better that they were so dysfunctional and co-dependant.
I may not envy their relationship, but man was it so intense.
I can't tell you how refreshing it is read a book that isn't set in high school centred on a couple so overcome by instalove that they would do anything for the other within a day of meeting each other.

I loved this couples friendship in the beginning, then I was just on edge as them during the what-if's, then I was telling myself they wasn't right for each other even when I knew they were perfect for each other.
I felt so absorbed by Abby and Travis, that I felt like I was right along side them, experience everything that they were.

Throughout this whole book I was buzzing with barely contained excitement. Every time something even remotely interesting started to happen, my heart would sped up and I would have to rein it in so I could concentrate wholeheartedly.
It's so completely different to anything that I've read before and I loved every part of it.

The bet set up near the beginning was fun and quirky, the underground fights and gambling brought something different, and the Vegas and poker parts made this novel a little darker.
All of it makes a novel so perfect that I am so thankful I picked up.

Even the secondary characters have made their way into my heart. Especially America, she my kind of best friend.

There isn't a love triangle as such, but I feel like poor Parker got the rough end of the stick.

Of course I was trying to work out what Abby's 'dark past' could be. but my god was I not expecting the daughter of a famous poker player who grew up around monsters and could hustle thousands of dollars in just a few short hours. I really did enjoy every curve ball this book threw at me.

Now imagine my extreme excitement when I come to realise that this is actually part of a series, and that the next instalment is written from Travis's perspective.

Without a doubt I'm giving this book 5 stars,
This book has taken the number one spot book so far for 2014

Saturday 28 June 2014

Alice in Zombieland book review

Spoiler Free!
I know I am in no way the first, and neither the last person to assume and hope that this book would be a dark, creepy and twisted version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
The nicely worded title, the cover, and even the blurb, all lead you to believe that this could be the case. Yet instead there's isn't much connecting the two at all. I had set myself up to something completely different to what I actually got.

Once I was over my disappointment though, I quite like the idea and the premise. Though it is a slightly unoriginal structure. Girl goes to new school. Snags the eyes of the bad boy that no one else can get anywhere near. Adventures and breakups ensue. Typical stuff. But that's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. Very much so.

As an avid reader of Gena Showalter's books and writing, (She's my most collected author at 19 novels) then combining that with Zombies. I knew I would be in for a treat.
Can I just mention though, I can't help but feel slightly cheated as Gena's attempt at Zombies. We all assume, undead flesh easters, but this re-imagining is somewhat different to the stereotype.
These 'zombies' are quite similar to ghost, and they don't exactly eat people. More, their spirit or soul, something like that.

Main character Ali surprised me at first. I had expected her to be the wilting flower type, shy and a bit of a wimp. The second she stuck up for herself, my opinion quickly backtracked. Her wit and banter are things I love in a character.

Happily, this is another novel where I love the entire cast of characters. They completely complement each other.
Kat was fantastic and the complete epitome of the perfect best friend. Everyone deserves someone like that in their life.
Yes, Cole is a hotty and major swoonworthy. There is no doubt about that. He's yet another fictional crush of mine. 

The only thing I had a slight problem with is that, at 16, these guys and girls are all out fighting, risking their lives, and getting all these tattoos. I just find it a little unbelievable.

The writing was witty, flowing and compelling, just like I've come to expect and I found myself becoming more and more invested. With so many novels under her belt, I felt that Gena was comfortable in her style, and I think that comes across.

Gena Showalter has written mostly adult books but I feel that this attempt at YA was a successful one.
I already have the next installment, 'Alice through the Zombieglass' and I'm definitely looking forward to reading it.

I'm easily given this book 4 stars and I hope I enjoy that next just as much.

Friday 27 June 2014

June Book Haul



10 books this month, which is more than half of what I brought in May.
I was focusing more on reading books this month rather than buying them, and if you saw my post on choosing books, you'll know why.


  1. Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan
  2. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
  3. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
  4. Scent of Magic - Maria V. Snyder
  5. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
  6. Through the Ever Night - Veronica Rossi
  7. Deception - C.J Redwine
  8. Fury - Elizabeth Miles
  9. Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire
  10. The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Outfit of the Day | 26.06.14



Jeans, - Primark (turned up at the bottom)

Whit short-sleeved top - Primark

Blue jumper - H&M

Lipstick - Rimmel, Kate Moss, 107 

Thursday 26 June 2014

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie review

This review will contain spoilers, only for the pure fact that you should have seen this movie by now, it's even out on DVD. If you haven't seen it... what have you been doing with your life?

And in honor of the first teaser trailer for Mockingjay Part 1 being released, I thought I'd finally review Catching Fire.
 
I won't bore you with the details of how much I love the original source material that is the Hunger Games Trilogy (I loved those books so so much.) There, I said it. But that's not why you're reading. I'm going to give you my honest opinion of the movie sequel, so here goes.

If you've read any of my reviews before, you'll know I have a certain fondness for damaged characters.
And I really like how Katniss isn't quite ok with what she had to do in the arena in the first movie. Her and Peeta suffer from PTSD, (post-traumatic stress disorder) though it centers only on Katniss's struggles.

Of all the book-to-movie adaptations there have been, I feel that the Hunger Games franchise has kept remarkably close and true to its source material. Every scene from the book transitioned so beautifully onto the big screen and the cinematography was absolutely stunning.
Every shot, every angle... it was perfect.
The first half of this stunning film is mostly dull colours and tones. Greys, blues, everything has a cold sort of feeling to it, which I think is in tandem to the districts. Then the second half is full of beautiful and vibrant colours, that I think sets the whole thing off perfectly.
Everything played out exactly how I thought it should have.

This second installment takes on a slightly darker tone to its predecessor, which helps set it apart.
Though some are quick to say that the first half of this movie is slow moving and boring, just because they're are not in an arena, I strongly disagree.
In Catching Fire, we're shown so much more of Suzanne Collins's world (the author of the books, for those who don't know).
Instead of centering only on The Games, you really got to see how the events of the previous film have been received by the rest of Panem, and President Snow in particular.

The cast in this movie is phenomenal.
Each person is so perfect for their character that it is beyond words.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss perfectly, she truly does bring her to life. There was no Jennifer playing Katniss, there was only Katniss.
Her vulnerability and desperation in this film really shows through and I found her performance was magnetic.
I love her two last scenes. In the hovercraft where she attacks Haymitch, then discovering District 12 has been blown to smithereens.
I know that final shot is not quite ingenious, and has been done hundreds of times in movies, but it's a truly fitting end.

Finnick Odair: How can one sum up our beautiful and deadly Finnick.
Played by the lovely Sam Caflin, he steals every scene he's in.
There's such a powerful air about him and especially his character, that you just can't look away.
And man is he an animal with that trident!

As with the previous film, Haymitch is my favourite character.
I just think he brings in the small laughs and brightens every scene he's in. He's quite an oddball, and I do love me some quirky characters.

Now, I must confess that Peeta isn't one of my favourite characters.
It has no reason to do with Josh Hutcherson, who plays our leading male, I can't fault him.
I just don't much care for him. I think he's just dead weight to be honest.

Joanna Mason. One of my favourite fictional characters of all time.
She's absolutely brilliant.

I was lucky enough to see the movie at the cinema, but only just. I am so glad that I did though, because it made my viewing experience that much better.
Even on my 5th time watching it, this movie continues to excite me so much that my heartbeat starts racing and pumping in my ears.

The moment we all (including Katniss) discover that she's going back into the arena, then when Effie draws her name, it's all so heartbreaking.
Having the crowd stay silent was perfect.

The final fifteen minutes in this movie as so tense that even now I'm on the edge of my seat.
You don't know who the good guys are, and what's going to happen.
When Katniss blows the arena, is the nearing hovercraft good or evil?

The pacing in this film, I think, is without fault. 

Can we all just agree on how badass that bit in the training facility is when Katniss strings up the Seneca Crane dummy? I smile like an idiot every time.

I love that one quote with President Snow and Katniss.
'It must be a fragile system, if it can be brought down with a few berries.'

This film will never score below 5 stars from me, no matter how many times I watch it.
It just makes me so much more anxious to see the next part in the series now.
I really do implore people to see it at least once.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Sever book review

The Chemical Garden trilogy has crawled it's way very near to the top of my list of favourite books.

I find the entire setting of it completely fascinating.
A virus that causes women to die at 20 and men to die at 25.
Girls being 'Gathered' and sold as brides or slaves.

Let's talk characters.
I'll start by talking about Rhine.
She's an incredibly brave girl, and in the first two novels, she goes an extreme amount, only to end up again in the evil clutches of Housemaster Vaughn - Though in this final installment, we find ourselves questioning our opinions of him slightly.
She's a character I can really believe in. All she wants to do is be reunited with her family, though everything that she's done to get to that point has demanded extreme effort.

Rowan: I find it very hard to believe that Rhine what not tell her brother of all the atrocities to Vaughn was responsible for. Especially the second it appears the two of them seemed to be allies. It didn't really seem to take to much to Rowan, I would have like more character depth to him, considering he's the whole reason Rhine refused to kept a prisoner wife.

Cecily: At first the stupid girl who didn't really understand the world she was in. But by this book, she really does come into her own and I grew to very much like her character.

Reed: Maybe the greatest thing about this entire book.

Gabriel: Well is there any point even mentioning him?

Linden: I felt somewhat warmer to him as he began to see his father for who he truly was. I was deeply saddened by fate actually.

Can I just say that I really liked the small parts where Madame and her carnival reemerged. I found that whole thing so peculiar and interesting. 

Character relationships become so twisted and interweaved that I truly had no idea where this book would be going, and I enjoy when I'm constantly being pushed to think of new options.  

Though this series is Lauren DeStefano's first published works, I found her first two books to be mesmerizing, and yet I found this one somewhat lacking what I had felt while reading the previous installments.

I am satisfied with the ended to this trilogy, but I feel like so much more could have been done to make it a truly epic end.
Part of what I really loved about Wither, the first in the series, is Rhine complete desperation to get away, but I found that she didn't really take much charge in this one and followed along with what everyone else wanted.

It actually grieves me to say that I'm giving this book 3 stars. I had ridiculously high hopes for Sever, and feel I've been left with only a half a story.

Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

I came across this fun tag whilst surfing the side of YouTube called booktube, and it seemed so fun and silly that I had to do it myself, even if I am a little late to the party.
So here, sit back and enjoy!


Tuesday 24 June 2014

Choosing a book to read

 Choosing the next book I read is like the bane of my existence. I hate doing it because there is so much to choose from, but that not the only factor.
I always consider how many are in the series, how many of said series that I own, have a I read something similar recently? Not forgetting the list that I actually wrote myself here.
There is a whole heap of questions and criteria.

I did a bit of rearranging the other day, a habit of mine that I allow myself to do regularly, even when there isn't anything to gain by it and I end of switching it back anyway. It's therapeutic for me.

So whilst doing my bi-weekly rearrangement, I though I'd pile up all the books I had read, and then stack my TBR pile too.
This was the end result


The above two picture are of all the books that I have read on my shelves.
The two below is my TBR pile.
 
If that isn't quite daunting, then I don't know what is.
The problem is that I'm buying books quicker than I'm reading them.
Though the scale isn't as outweighed as it looks. 
There's about 160 read, and then about 175 to be read.
So after staring blankly at my shelves for some time, I narrowed it down to just 8, and here were my choices.


I even roped family members into helping my decide, and coincidently, they all chose the same one, but I wasn't much feeling it because I only had two of the three in the series, and I knew  wouldn't be getting the third for a while, so I eventually went for Sever by Lauren DeStefano.



Monday 23 June 2014

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown book review

* Spoiler Free
I'll be honest with the fact that the only reason I really brought this book, is because it was cheap.
Reactions to The Coldest Girl in Coldtown have been quite varied, and because of that, I placed it quite literally at the bottom of my TBR pile.

Once I read the synopsis properly though, instead of the blurb of only a sentence or two, it actually sounded like the kind of novel that I would enjoy.

Vampirism has spread like an epidemic, and to try stop the spread, whole cities have been walled in, being called 'Coldtowns' with all types of people going there and living there. Vampires delivered by bounty hunters, infected humans and vampire wannabes.
Tana finds herself in the situation where she might be infected, and her safest bet is to go to the nearest Coldtown, but she's not just travelling by herself. She finds herself in the company of an ex-boyfriend, a slightly insane vampire, and some vampire wannabe twins.

I've always been a fan of the dark, creepy, decadent and gritty things. Be it people, movies, places or books. I find them quite fascinating, so this book was right up my alley really.
I also have a very soft spot for damaged characters. Que a sexy vamp who's a little crazy and I was lapping this book up.

On the cover, it's quoted that this book is like True Blood for teens.
And I can see why people mention its similarities, but there isn't enough resemblance that you could really compare the two, which I was glad of.

Just because this novel is a stand-alone, it in no way lacks the development that would usually have happened throughout a series of books.

The world building for perfect, giving us introspection on both Tana and Gavriel.
I didn't feel like information was being dumping on me to make up for the lack of a sequel, and the whole thing flowed brilliantly.

This novel certainly lived up to what I was hoping for in the premise and I really was surprised by how much I loved and enjoy this book.

The buzz around the media, the Coldtown's and the shows emanating from them, relate to our obsessions with our own reality television, and how we wish the live the same lives as they, which made this book even more enjoyable and relatable.

 All the characters are perfect in their own way, and a very diverse bunch.
Tana is incredibly brave, but it is a reckless kind of brave, with a bunch of desperation thrown in there too. It's that, that a lot of people dislike, saying that she just willingly runs into danger without thinking of the consequences.
But I think it makes Tana that much more interesting. She does what needs doing.

I really loved Aidan and Tana's relationship. It was so different and interesting. How they tested each other constantly and the games they played. 

Ambiguous endings aren't always the best option, but The Coldest Girl in Coldtown shows us exactly how it should be done. This whole book is an example of how to do a stand-alone properly.

I leave this book being completely satisfied, and slightly sad that it is only a stand alone.

I easily and very gladly give this book 5 stars.
I'm find it hard to understand what people are disliking about it.
This novel is original, with diverse characters and an incredible setting.

Thursday 19 June 2014

Daughter of Smoke and Bone book review

Let start with saying that this book was very interesting.
Now that can be taken in both a negative and positive way. And in my opinion, I think it means both for this book.

This book is so very fantastical, that I don't really think I was prepared for it to get quite so wondrous.
On a magical and fantasy level, this book starts off slowly with normal teenage troubles and boyfriend drama.
The parts with Karour and Kaz, were normal and relatable, and kind of fun to read. 
Then the wishing came into play, and that I could easily deal with that, then from there, it got weird.

I kept myself completely spoiler free for this book, so I really had no clue what I was heading into, but I certainly hadn't expected any of that.

There is so much information to take in that at times it can be a little overwhelming.
Chimera, Seraphim, resurrection, magic, wishbones, hamsas, splices of animals put together, teeth. It's a lot to take in.
I admit that I found it a little challenging to conjure up an image of most people. Brimstone, Twiga, Kishmish, Thiago.
But once you do finally understand the lingo, and the terms, than I found myself whizzing through this book.

A strange thing happened. As usual I sat up in bed reading, and when tired, I tucked my bookmark in and went to sleep.
Then the next day when I had a spare minute to read, I found myself shocked at much I had read, and that I was only fifty pages from the end without even realizing it. This book completely snuck up on me.

This story is written so beautifully, and the narrative is perfect. There isn't a single fault in the storytelling.
Even when the timeline is switching back and forward between characters and worlds, it's all so well written that you follow along effortlessly.

Let's talk characters.
Karour: She was brilliant. One of the best characters I've ever read. She was just so real. Her sarcasm and witty remarks were spot on. She's just a girl trying to live with the life that she has been dealt. Her tough attitude went hand in hand with her fear of being alone and not belonging. It all just made her so much more human. I was routing for her the whole time and wanted her to get exactly what she wanted.

Akiva: The strong, boulder like, angel boy. He was pretty much described as perfection incarnate, looks wise anyway. We see him first as an enemy; a man who doesn't feel. But as we get to know him more, we realize the reasoning behind his mannerisms and attitude.
I didn't like it when he cried though, it just didn't seem quite right with the image I had painted of him in my mind.

I completely favor Karou over Madrigal, though I know they are one and the same person . I just find it harder to relate to someone who has bat wings and gazelle legs, you know?
I much preferred reading about Akiva and Karou, then Akiva and Madrigal. 

It was also nice to see just a little bit more into the mystery that is Brimstone, and his relationship between Madrigal.

My overall opinion on this book is shrouded in question marks.
On the one hand, I enjoyed the writing style so much, I was willing to overlook the overload of information.
Then on the other, I was wasn't as riveted as much as I wanted to be with such a cool and original plot.

I'm completely in two minds about it.
I don't think it warrants a low rating of 3 stars, but then I don't think it quite deserves 4 stars.
So it guess we'll go down the middle of the two, and I'll give this book 3.5 stars.

I do think that Laini Taylor should be incredibly proud of the novel that she has written.

Sunday 15 June 2014

Primark and H&M Haul

I've uploaded a video of all the goodies I brought on a recent shopping trip in town..



Click here if you can't see the video.
Link to my channel.. DaisDaily

Details..
White Crop Top - £2
Black Crop Top - £2
Black Vest - £4
Denim Shorts - £10
Blue Shorts - £5

Epic Weekend Crop Top - £3.99
Blondie Dress - £14.99

The 5th Wave Book Review

WARNING: Spoilers are marked in red highlights.
 
I finished Rick Yancey's, The 5th Wave in the early hours of the morning last night. 4:32am to be exact.

I'm not quite sure how to write about this book.
It was so different from anything that I've read/ for a long time.

I will say that I absolutely loved Rick Yancey's writing style. It was so engaging and funny, and totally not what I was expecting. I do admit though, that I was thrown slightly when the narrative changed. I thought I was going to get a little lost and confused but it was all made very clear who the narrator was.

As I'm sure most people would agree, Cassie's point-of-view was by far my favourite. Her sarcasm was brilliant, and I loved her attitude to everything. She had me smiling through my teeth at some of the things she said.
“What were they thinking? 'It's an alien apocalypse! Quick, grab the beer!” 
“I don't move. I wait behind my log, terrified. Over the past ten minutes, it's become such a dear friend, I consider naming it: Howard, my pet log.”
She is smart, resourceful and levelheaded. She endures and overcomes.
Providing you could get her to even marginally trust you, I believe you would survive a hell of a lot longer with her by your side.
She has easily become one of my favourite badass characters.

A small portion of these aliens in the novel take on a similar role to those invading Souls in The Host by Stephanie Meyer. In the form that they are inserted into a human.

The 5th Wave. It's an intense and brilliant way to wipe out the rest of the human population. Genius really

This book had me second guessing and being paranoid about all the assumptions that I'd made so far.
When we first are introduced to Evan, I was convinced he was the shooter, but then, they way he was with her made me rethink that.
Also, Vosch. At first, I was adamant he was the bad guy, but then once you've switched to Zombie's pov, you can't help but question if he was only doing what had to be done. 
Rick Yancey does a brilliant job at making you second-guess the motives of everyone and I just had to keep reading.

Every single character in the book, I love.
Ringer, with her cold indifference.
Cassie's Dad, with his theories and positive outlook.
Vosch, the perfect bad guy.
Evan, the perfect stalker.
Sammy, someone you fell in love with and wanted to keep safe yourself.
And of course, who could forget Bear?
Every time Cassie talked to Bear, I was laughing.

The only downside I could really pick up on, was that sometimes, the pacing could seem a little slow. It in no way made me want to stop reading, but I didn't feel quite as enthralled as I wanted to be in the middle.

Also, I'd like to point out, that I was so glad of the swearing in this book.
I hate it when authors are like.. ' I swore under my breath.'
Let be honest here, what like.. 80% of the teenager population swear, especially in shitty situations. It was refreshing.

Now let's talk about Ben/Zombie.
He was brilliant. I took a little time for me to warm up to him really, but the second he stood up for Nugget, that pretty much sealed the deal for me.
Seeing the camp from his pov was really insightful. I was glad Rick Yancey had decided to split the narrative.

That awkward scene towards the end. With Zombie, Cassie and Evan in the execution room. I was laughing so hard.
It's really nice to see the two of them come full circle sort of. Cassie and Ben, I mean.
Can we all agree on how badass both those characters were too, when storming the base and trying to rescue Sammy?

And on a last and final note.
The fact that this book mentions the word 'fangirling' pretty much made up my mind then and there that this was going to be a great book.

I wanted to be able to give this book five stars, I really did want to love it, and I did, just not as much as I was hoping.
So overall, I'm giving this book four stars.
I'll be waiting nervously at home scouring the internet to find the next installment The Infinite Sea for as little money as possible.

Sunday 8 June 2014

Insurgent Book Review

* Anything that is highlighted is considered a spoiler, 
so don't read those bits if you haven't read this book yet.

Holy shit this book was amazing!

I know a lot of middle books, second books and sequels struggle to live up to the first or original, but in Insurgent's case, I feel like that thought didn't even enter my mind.

In my opinion, Insurgent surpasses Divergent.
The was quite a bit to take in when beginning this series, and in the second one, you already know the important stuff so you are able to focus more on the story, and I feel like Veronica Roth has done the same while writing.

I love how she shows us that Tris is not ok with what she has had to do.
Just because she is Dauntless and Divergent, doesn't mean she thinks she should feel any less guilt.
But didn't she kill countless other Dauntless too?
But anyway, I have a certain fondness for slightly damaged characters. I like reading about people's struggles with themselves.

This book doesn't focus on Tris and Four/Tobias's relationship much, but I like it that way. How they are still together, though they know the other is keeping secrets, but they put all the behind them and focus on what happening instead.

Can I just say? The Factionless, I didn't see any of that coming. Four's mother, and what she wanted to achieve?

Tris goes through so much in this book. She's trying to deal with a whole boat load of grief and guilt and so much more on top of that.
Freely handing herself over to the Euridite and surrendering her fate to being tested on and studied by Janine, I loved those scenes, I was just as curious as Tris about her Divergent brain.

I was literally taking this book everywhere with me, just hoping on the off chance that I got even thirty seconds to sit and read it.
It is not very often that I can say that I was truly, truly, hooked by a book, but this one exceeded my expectations on every level.

Another of my favourite parts are when Tris and Four/Tobias are being questioned under the truth serum. That was pretty cool and I really enjoyed reading that.

Oh and I just want to mention quickly. I know that it is quite understandable and that, but Tris seems to cry an awful amount in this book. I don't see it as a bad thing, just something I noticed.

I kept coming back to what was beyond the fence in this book. And if you've finished this book, then you're already quite clued in.
But before it is even mentioned in this book I was curious. I kept thinking that there had to be something and that surely it would be mentioned. And every time it was even slightly hinted at, I was leaning forward trying equally as hard to to take everything in but reading as fast as I could to find out.

Another thing about this book that I enjoyed, is that you got to see and know a little more about the factions. I enjoyed the little time spent in the Amity faction. That comment made about not eating the bread made me giggle a little.

This book has no doubt made it into the list of best books I read. All I hope now, is that Allegiant continues the bar of excellence that both Divergent and Insurgent has created. Veronica Roth hasn't put one foot wrong in my opinion. This book was amazing!

I be lying if I said this book deserved anything less four stars. Because it deserves 5*, and I'm sure most people agree with me.
I couldn't find fault with this novel, I really couldn't.
I'm so excited to move onto the final installment of this trilogy, and I think Veronica Roth deserves every bit of praise that she gets.

Friday 6 June 2014

May Book Haul


I've gone and uploaded another book haul. This one with all the books that I brought in May.
This is my biggest book haul so far, with a total of 22 books.

I finally got to get some books that I've been wanting for a while now. Like, The 5th Wave, The Fault In Our Star and the Divergent trilogy.


I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel.

I've finished the Hush Hush series already, and I've managed to read through the first book in the Divergent trilogy already and I've written a review on both of those.
I'm halfway through Insurgent and I'm loving it of course.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Divergent Book Review

*Spoiler Free
The first book the in the Divergent trilogy was published in 2011/2012, depending on which edition you have.
Since then, the books have completely blown up. The series is just as famous as The Hunger Games.

Even through all the hype around the series, I still didn't give in and buy it.
Not because I didn't want to read a book that was surrounded by so much hype. It was just for the simple fact that I was waiting until I could find the books cheap enough.
And in May 2014, I finally brought all three books together for £9.99.
What can I say? I'm a huge cheapskate.

As of the 4th of June, I have finally read the first book. And I'm sure it is no surprise when I say that I absolutely loved it!

The whole world and its story are so original. I haven't read any dystopia recently that has quite set itself apart like this one.
The idea that people are divided by factions is very intriguing, I like the idea that people are have to choose what kind of person they are going to be for the rest of their life.

I have to admit at first, in the first few chapters, I was slightly confused by which faction was which. I kept finding myself flicking back a few pages to make sure I was getting it right. But after a couple more chapters, I no longer had the problem.
By the middle of the book, I could identify the characteristics of each faction and the colour they are usually represented by.

Moving on to the main faction that we come love: Dauntless
I loved everything about this faction.
How everybody thought they were crazy, even Tris. But that's before we get to see what they are really about.
And although I obviously don't agree with some of the rules and regulations that Eric puts in place, I found myself hoping that if I were to choose a faction, that I would have chosen Dauntless too.
Their sense of comradely was amazing to read and I loved how they were completely serious but also saw the fun side of being Dauntless.

There really wasn't one thing that I could pick out that brings this book down.
The pacing is perfect and I found myself really invested in what happened to Tris. 
I also found the idea of fear landscapes really interesting and cool. How to prepare themselves, Dauntless experience their own fears, to help control them.
Putting down this book for anything less than an emergency wasn't possible. I glued from start to finish.

Lets just throw this out there..
Of course I am completely infatuated with Four. Who isn't? He was cold and sometimes brutal, but caring too. SWOOOOOON.

A definite 5* rating from me.
I've started the second book in the series, Insurgent already.

Monday 2 June 2014

Finally Finishing Finale

I've finally done it. I've finished Becca Fitzpatrick's, Hush Hush, series.

I wonder why it took me so long to finish this series because I really did quite enjoy it.
I know that opinions can be quite divided on this series, but I think the majority thought it was ok. I'm not entirely sure where to place myself exactly.

The storyline through all four books was continuously engaging, in my opinion, and I really did grow to like Nora.
But that's not to say that the books are without faults.

What happened to Nora taking iron pills? After the first book, it's never mentioned again.
Nora seemed to take becoming a Nephilim quite easily too, I'd have been freaking out. She also takes killing her biological father surprisingly well. She never even mentions that she feels guilty.

Was I the only one to think that the plot in Finale seemed.. a little rushed? Doesn't the whole book cover just over two weeks? And things had a convenient way of sorting themselves out.

I would have loved to find out a bit more on the actually angel race. Maybe a passage or two from Patch about their history would have been cool.
And on the lines of Patch. Do we actually ever get to know him.
It is never really touched upon what Patch was like for the hundreds of years before he ever stalked Nora.

I do have to say that I preferred Nora's attitude in the final installment. She grew a much needed backbone and actually fought instead of just running away.
Oh and can I just say, if Patch is like a thousand or whatever? Surely a newly made Nephil wouldn't be able to 'mind-trick' him?
Also, why is it never explained why Nora seems to have an uncanny way with mind-tricks?

I do have to give it to Fitzpatrick though, she created some stellar secondary characters.
Vee, she was a hilarious best friend to Nora, and I enjoyed every part that she was in.
Marcie, a cold and calculating bitch was quite refreshing. Showing us that not everything in Nora's life is supernatural.
I very much liked Scott and Dante's characters too.
Scott, because he seemed like the kind of guy that I would get along great with,
and Dante, he just seemed kind of badass.
I liked the character of Rixon too, and his short little cameo in the last few pages.

I think Silence, is my favourite book, Nora having no memory was quite cool to read.

I know I seem to have listed quite a few bad qualities about these books, but this review is based on the whole series. I really did like these books, and what I thought of Hush Hush, and its sequels will without a doubt make me read more of Becca Fitzpatrick's books.

Overall out of five, I think I'll give this series a 3.5* maybe even 4*
I enjoyed it more than I didn't, and I will definitely reread the series. It's not quite a favourite, but it is certainly up their in the better half of my bookcases.