Thursday 31 July 2014

Demon Trappers: Forgiven, Jana Oliver review

Spoiler Free
I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to finally be going in blind on this series.
I'd already read the first two books, quite a while ago too. And only recently have a brought the third installment.
I don't know what possessed me to wait such a damned long time. This genre of book is one of my all time favourites!
Demons, Lucifer, short tempered teens. Yay!

Happily, I'm not in any way disappointed with Forbidden.
I was worried I would find this book lacking somewhat, because I already knew what was coming and the tones of each of the first two books.

The one thing that keeps nagging at me though, is that, the fourth book it set up to appear not nearly as connected with Demons than the first three.
That's what it struck me that the Demons had never been the main plot point like I had originally assumed.
Usually the disaster happens while we're with the characters, but in Jana Oliver's world, Demons have been alive and kicking for the same amount of time we have, it's always when a character -mainly Master Stewart- talks about past Demon Trapper adventures that I'm reminded that for everyone else, it isn't a shock. Only to us a the reader as we're trying to pull this world together in our minds.

I do have to say that I was hoping for a little better of a showdown with Simon.
He's mentioned once or twice, nowhere near the amount of presence he had in the first two.

By the end of this novel, I feel like Riley Blackthorn has really come into her own, and grown into an adult.
She's suffered so much in such a short amount of time, she has no way of retaining that innocence from when we first met her, and is forced to come accustomed to the darkness the world can sometimes thrust down upon you.

We see a lot more into the background of Denver Beck in this installment, and I'm grateful for that. I find him to be such an interesting character, and I really can't wait to read how Riley fits into all that, now certain things he had hoped stayed buried are coming back to haunt him.

Again I have to comment on the dialogue. It's just stellar. Some of Riley's lines had me out-loud laughing.
The only downside I can find with the book, or the series in general so far, is that there are quite a few typos. But that's not something that would bring down my opinion of a book. It's just one of those things.

Yes, I loved it.
Yes, I would recommend the series.
And yes, I would totally read all the books over again.
4 stars from me.

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Demon Trappers: Forbidden, Jana Oliver review

This doesn't happen that often, but I found myself liking this installment more than the first one in this series.
Forbidden, continues on directly from where we leave off in Forsaken, Simon is healing, Beck is still an asshat, and Riley is on the search for her dad and the person who reanimated him.
Add on top of that, Riley is trying to figure out the details of the deal she made with Heaven.

Again, Riley Blackthorne goes through it a bit. It seems the girl can't catch a break. Though she thinks she does when her and Ori start becoming closer.
It's just one thing after another that seems to go from bad to worse for Riley.

 The whole thing with the Demon Hunters coming to town really piqued my interest.
We hear what the Trappers think of them throughout the books, and then we finally get to see a slice of what they're like, though because they only pay a small part, I'm hoping they'll be more involved in the next book, 'Forgiven'.

Riley and Beck's friendship is strung pretty tight throughout the whole novel, and at the very end, it seems to snap.

I said in my review of the first book that the language and dialogue was spot on, and it's exactly the same this time around.
Every single conversation and situation, and the characters reactions to those situations seem so real and that is one of the things I love most about this author and series so far.
Nothing is too far-fetched and I feel like I would do exactly the same in the majority of the scenarios that Riley finds herself in.

Simon.. was an asshat.
Beck.. he pushed Riley to far.
Ori.. I knew was trouble from the start (only because I've read the book before).

I'm still rotting for her and Beck though, I really like the idea of them as a couple, though neither have them have admitted it to themselves.

I've finally caught up with what I had already read last year, and when I finished this book, I found myself asking, 'Why the hell did it take me this long to buy the next book' especially with the way it ended.
I'm so happy that I'm going into the next book blind, maybe my review of it will be different because I'll be reading it for the first time.

Like its predecessor, I'm giving this book 4 stars.
This is a series that I know I will enjoy reading and rereading. It's just such an interested concept, filled with colourful characters that you can really relate to. 

Friday 25 July 2014

Forsaken, Jana Oliver book review

This is now my second time reading this book, and I have to say that I think I actually ended up enjoying and appreciating a lot more this time round.

Forsaken, is the first installment of 'The Demon Trappers' and I have to say what a brilliant start it is.
This whole idea of demons existing and are common knowledge, and their being a 'Guild', it all makes for a really cool read.

I admit there isn't much 'world building' as such, but the book doesn't suffer because it. You're so consumed with what's happening with the main character Riley Blackthorn, that you don't really give a damn about anybody else, or the rest of the world for that fact.

The language and dialogue is spot on and sounds true to what I imagine.
As I've said before, I hate books that water down their language, even though we know teenagers do swear.

I will say that I do actually like dual narrative and Riley and Beck.
It keeps things fresh, and the two are both similar and different at the same time.
I like Beck though, he's my type of character... slightly damaged yet cool.
I quite like people with short tempers, and this book supplies that in bucket loads!

Poor Riley seemed to go through such a bad lot in a very short amount of time, and even though I knew what was going to happen next, I was still always rooting for things for turn around for her. She is a beautifully written character, very realistic and relate-able and she has flaws too.

Once I had finished this book, I tried to think back to what the main plot actually was, and the question actually stumped a little. Is there one? There is a bunch of smaller plot points to be followed up in later novels, but as for a big main one, you find out the same time that Riley does, and even then it's not until one of the last couple of pages. I kind of liked that though, it gives you a chance to really get a feel for the characters and their situations and surroundings.

I'm definitely looking forward to starting the next one, 'Forbidden' even though I've read that one too, but I feel more excited this time around.
I give this book 4 stars!

Casual Curls Hair Tutorial


So I’ve gone and uploaded a hair tutorial video on my YouTube channel.
I've only done one before this, so I do hope it is easy to follow and that I'm not a complete bumbling idiot.

This is my go to hairstyle for occasions and events that need just that little more than just your normal hairstyle.

I would say it's perfect for dates, dinner parties, BBQ, that kind of thing.
But then you can also change it up a bit and do a lot of different things to make it more elegant or casual.

It's a very diverse hairstyle that really doesn't take much effort or time at all.

Wednesday 23 July 2014

TBR Jar


This picture right here is of my recently filled To Be Read jar.
I've been wanting to make one for a while but I just never got round to it..
Then on a trip back from an IKEA where I bought this little jar, I thought what better way to use it than for my much desired TBR Jar.

It took me over an hour to write down all the names of the books that I haven't yet read on my shelves, which is way over 100 by the way, and then cut them all out.
I think I lost a couple of them on the way too, but alas, I'm sure I'll read whatever books they were eventually.

The books I've pulled out so far are:

  1. Maximum Rise: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson - fifty pages in.
  2. Forsaken by Jana Oliver - halfway through.
  3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - not yet started
Which are all kind of big books, I'm especially daunted starting the LotR one,
and...
  1. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - completed, review here.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares review


This is a book that has been floating around a lot of my recommendation pages, but I had never really given it the time to see if it was actually a book that I would like and enjoy reading.
Then on one of my - increasingly more frequent - adventures where I go gallivanting around the local charity shops and book shops, I stumbled across this book.
It's a lot smaller that I would have expected, but the premise did sound rather enticing. What is better than being a book lover, and reading about other book lovers?

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, is a quick and easy read. One sitting is all that was really needed, and I do have to say that I really grew to love the whole idea of the story.
I haven't read any other books by either of these authors, but I am definitely feeling like I should now.
On a writing level alone, this book has become one of my favourites. The words are just like magic. It was perfection.

This book is a perfect companion to keep with you. Like, planes or train, breaks at work, or just sitting outside in the garden. It's fun and whimsical and a joy to read.

As I've stated before, I do quite like ambiguous endings, especially when they are done right. With this book though, I'm not quite sure it was the best ending. I think I would have liked to see Dash and Lily as an actual couple, or at least getting together. Because after finishing the last sentence, I couldn't help think.. well maybe they don't actually become a couple and the whole notebook thing was for nothing.

The only other fault I could really find is that I didn't seem to be that invested in the characters. They seemed real enough, but I just felt there was something lacking. My guess is that this opinion comes from me feeling that there wasn't enough exposition on the characters. I felt quite distant from them. There wasn't enough of them as actual people to help solidify their images in my mind.

I guess what I'm really trying to see is that I just would have preferred a little bit of a bigger book. The ending can stay, I just want to know a little more about Dash and Lily.

In all, I'm giving this book a slightly disappointed 3 stars.

Sunday 6 July 2014

June Wrap-up


I made a respectful dent in my TBR pile in June, I actually managed to read a total of 11 books, which I'm very pleased about.

Here's a link to my Book and Movie review page, so you can read what I really felt about all these books.


I know I won't be able to match that number this month because I'm working a lot this month, I suppose I'll be lucky to finish about 4, but let's hope I can make that number.


Friday 4 July 2014

Walking Disaster review

When I fist heard about this book, I was thrilled to find out that I would be seeing more of my two new favourite characters, Abby and Travis, going through a different adventure in their lives together..
Then on further inspection, I realized that this book was actually a retelling of 'Beautiful Disaster', but from Travis's point of view instead. And you know what, I was even more excited about that.

If you've read my review of 'Beautiful Disaster' then you'll know I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with these characters. The seemed to bring out both the best and worst in each other..
But in this version of the events, I found myself disliking Abby a lot more than I had when reading it from her narrative, and supporting Travis in his actions. 

There is so much realism in the book and it's a reason why I love it.
I really do believe this story. Expect maybe the Mobsters and Vegas bits.
But everything else is so spot on. The college setting. Friends being involved in your fights with your boyfriend. It just all comes together amazingly.

This books had so much potential to be my perfect book.
I was really hoping that things would be hectic and erratic just like Travis, but it didn't quite seem to work out that way. Travis Maddox just seemed like your average love struck teen in this book, and not what I had hoped for.

I'm not sure if my slight lack of enthusiasm is due to only just reading 'Beautiful Disaster' and moving straight onto this knowing the ins and outs of the story already,
Or, that I just didn't find the event that I found so hypnotic as good coming from Travis.

On more of a glum note that I had hoped for, I give this book 3.5 maybe 4 stars.