Vanishing girls - Review

Vanishing girls by Lauren Oliver 

What's it about?

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

My review

Vanishing girls is a compelling and gripping thriller that you won't be able to put down.

I'm not sure at what point I got hooked into Vanishing girls while I was reading it, I just remember not being able to stop. I knew I was reading a good book, that I had to find out what was going on, and by the end, my mind was blown.

The pacing throughout the book is so subtle that you don't even notice it picking up until you realise you're on the edge of your seat, white knuckling the book. The story and the characters both keep you wrapped up tight until you reach the last page in the early hours of the morning, at least, that's what happened to me.

I really can't fault this book, Nick and Dara were both complex and completely different characters with enough personality to make you care about them and want to learn more about their lives, thoughts and feelings.

As far as YA thrillers go, this is easily one of the best I've read and I would wholly recommend it  to fans of the genre or anyone looking to get into it.

Faceless - Review

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel

Available now

When Maisie is struck by lightning, her face is partially destroyed. She's lucky enough to get a face transplant, but how do you live your life when you can't even recognize yourself anymore? She was a runner, a girlfriend, a good student ...a normal girl. Now, after a single freak accident, all that has changed. As Maisie discovers how much her looks did and didn't shape her relationship to the world, she has to redefine her own identity, and figure out what 'lucky' really means.

My review

Faceless is the emotional journey of a young girl after a freak accident that leaves her disfigured. While lucky to have survived she literally has a new face and is left questioning how much she cares about her appearance , paranoid about how others will see her and is trying hard to figure out who she is now, something that is already hard enough for a teenage girl in normal circumstances.

I really felt that Sheinmal didn't hold back on the details, everything was described well, the physical as well as the emotional, so I could get a real understanding of what of Maisie was going through. It' s also clear she did her homework in regards to the procedures Maisie goes through and everything her recovery involves as it wasn't all just glossed over, her surgeries and medicines were explained in a way that wasn't completely simplistic but so the reader could understand without feeling stupid.

This is not the first novel I've read by this author and if you're familiar with her work then you'll already know how well she paints a scene, her writing is beautiful and precise and will get you straight into the head of the protagonist.

Faceless is certainly a book I would recommend, its a touching story of a girls journey after an almost fatal accident changes her life dramatically and will leave you with a better understanding of what its like for people like her.

An ember in the ashes - Review

An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Available 4th June 2015

harpercollins.co.uk 

What's it about?

What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution?

For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. Born as a Scholar, she’s never had much of a choice.

For Elias it’s the opposite. He has seen too much on his path to becoming a Mask, one of the Empire’s elite soldiers. With the Masks’ help the Empire has conquered a continent and enslaved thousands, all in the name of power.

When Laia’s brother is taken she must force herself to help the Resistance, the only people who have a chance of saving him. She must spy on the Commandant, ruthless overseer of Blackcliff Academy. Blackcliff is the training ground for Masks and the very place that Elias is planning to escape. If he succeeds, he will be named deserter. If found, the punishment will be death.

But once Laia and Elias meet, they will find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

In the ashes of a broken world one person can make a difference. One voice in the dark can be heard. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself.

My review

An ember in the ashes, for me was one of those books that had been so hyped up that I went in with my expectations way too high and came out the other end underwhelmed. While it is a good book, I found it had a slow start and just wasn't as exciting as I'd been expecting.

The description and title give the impression that something small one of the characters does sparks a revolution and while this is kind of true, its not until the end, the rest of the book feels like more of a build up, except its a standalone novel which has left me confused. With the steady build up of tension and an ending left pretty open, it seems perfect for a second book, a second book I would definitely read.

Because while I didn't enjoy this book as much as I'd hoped, it's clear the author is very talented, she's done an amazing job of building an intricate and believable world. There's a class system that can be identified with, complex characters, just a hint of magic to give it a fantasy side and some scary bad guys. An ember in the ashes ticks all the boxes for an epic fantasy and sets the scene for so many further adventures.

Told from both the point of views of Laia, a scholar girl and Elias, an elite soldier in training we get to see how the world works from both ends of the spectrum, and then see how they end up coming together. It worked well and I felt both characters had completely different voices and were likeable. I liked how they both go through personal growth which is what brings them to the conclusion of the book. Laia is determined despite everything she goes through, her strength is really tested. Elias on the other hand has his morals tested and has to decide if he wants to stand up for and maybe even die for what he believes is right.
It's well written and I certainly won't be saying no to more books by this author in the future, because next time I'll know exactly what to expect.

Find the author
Website
Twitter
Tumblr
Goodreads

The territory - Review

The territory by Sarah GovettAvailable now
fireflypress.co.uk 

What's it about?Limited Space requires Limited Numbers
The year is 2059. Noa Blake is just another normal 15 year old. Except in the Territory normal isn’t normal. The richest children can download information and bypass the need to study. In a flooded world of dwindling resources, Noa and the other ‘Norms’ have their work cut out to compete. And competing is everything – anybody who fails the TAA exam at 15 will be shipped off to the disease-ridden Wetlands, to a life of misery, if not certain death.
But how to focus when your heart is being torn in two directions at once?

My review

The Territory was an interesting read which really explores a lot of thought provoking subjects. Like how far can a government go before anyone will truly oppose it? When there just isn't enough to go around, what's really the fairest way to decide who deserves it? In The territory where Noa lives all children are tested at the age of fifteen and only the ones who pass are considered smart enough to be a credit to society and can stay. The kids that fail are sent out into the wetlands, which everyone knows is pretty much a death sentence.
First of all, just imagine the stress of that for a fifteen year old, one test will literally determine your future, It really plays on the reality of the pressure that is put on kids to do well in school.
While The territory had an interesting subject and an obviously well thought out setting, I think I would've enjoyed it more if Noa had been slightly more grown up.
I did like Noa for the most part, but sometimes she can be a typical immature fifteen year old, however she's not stupid, she sees and understands more than the adults in her life realise. I liked that she asked a lot of questions about how things are run and had her ideas of what would be better, she's actually very clever.
As the story goes on, it becomes more intense and there's some shocks in there too, by the end, I wasn't sure what was going to happen.
I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre and will be looking forward to book two.

Find the author
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Hook's daughter - Review

Hook's daughter by Heidi Schulz

Available now

doublecluck.co.uk 

What's it about?

It's not easy being the daughter of Captain Hook. Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of following in his footsteps - but her grandfather sends her to finishing school instead. When her father meets his unfortunate end, Jocelyn sails to Neverland to avenge his death. But she hadn't bargained on ticking crocodiles, lazy pirates and a troublemaking boy called Peter Pan.

My review

I'll be honest, the first chapters of Hook's daughter, well, they kind of bored me. I knew from the synopsis that she would be going to Neverland, so I was just waiting for her to get there and for her adventure to begin. Don't get me wrong, its good that the author took the time to set up the story and let us 'meet' Jocelyn properly but I really just wanted to get to the fun part and also see the authors take on Neverland and what new, if anything, she could add to this world that's been retold and reimagined so many times already.
That being said, once jocelyn's journey did begin, the book became harder to put dowm, its not just filled with magic but written magically too, it makes you feel like anything is possible and that the strange place of Neverland could be a real place, you just have to be in on the secret of how to get there.
In such a short book we still manage to meet the pirates, of course!, the Indians, the mermaids, the crocodile, the lost boys and Tinkerbell and of course the boy himself, Peter Pan. However it didn't feel like it had all been tightly packed in a smashed together, the story has a real flow to it and each encounter feels natural to the story.
Jocelyn herself was an interesting character, though she may not be completely grown up by the end, she certainly learns some lessons about friendship, love and loyalty and that being completely rebellious will only get you so far in life.
Overall, it was a fun book with a new perspective on Peter Pan and I would recommend it to all.

Find the author
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram
Goodreads

The blood of Olympus - Review

The blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Heroes of Oylmpus book five.

Available now

penguin.co.uk 

What's it about?

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaia. Her giants have risen—all of them, and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaia plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake. The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps. The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaia's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

My review

What I loved most about the Heroes of Olympus series was the closer connection we got with the characters during the series and really seeing them grow up, it was something I never realised was missing from the original Percy Jackson series until I read this. Each book is told from multiple narratives from all seven characters in turn, all of whom are very different but come together to make a perfect band of misfits discovering themselves and forging forever friendships.
As well as a great story, these books also teach the importance of friendship, relationships and being yourself which are always great lessons for younger children, and sometimes even adults!
Although The blood of Olympus wasn't quite the explosive ending I was expecting, I still really enjoyed it. Everything was wrapped up nicely and I was genuinely happy with everyone's endings, the ones that were expected and the ones that weren't. And perhaps I'm the only one that may think this but I would love to see Nico get his own series as I feel like we've still only scratched the surface with who he is.
I'm so sad to say goodbye to the gang but I can't wait for Riordan's new series based around Norse mythology to start later in the year and in the meantime, there's the new Percy Jackson/Carter Kane crossover to look forward to!

Find the author
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

Monsters love underpants - Review

Monsters love underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

Available now

What's it about?

Underpants are monstrously funny in this playful picture book from the team that brought you Dinosaurs Love Underpants and Pirates Love Underpants.

Monsters around the world have different ways to scare, but they all share a love for zany underpants! Every Saturday night, you will find them in a secret cave, showing off their pants as they dance the Monster Bop, but they have to make it home before the sun comes up. After all, who would be scared of monsters in pants that were stripped and dotted?

Our review

As with the rest of the books in this series, the kids really enjoyed it. It's bright and colourful and funny. I always prefer a book I can enjoy too when I'm reading to my children at bedtime because then we all have a good time and this fits into that category, I was giggling right alongside them as we turned the pages.
The illustrations are fun and stand out in such vivid colours that there's plenty to look at for all ages.
If you haven't guessed or aren't familiar with this series, then the book is about the love monsters have for underpants and when they like to wear them but that its a secret as they don't think we'd find them particularly scary if we saw them parading about in their pants and knickers.
It's short and rhymes making in very enjoyable and one that can be read over and over again as I'm sure it will be in my household, just like the rest of our collection.

Find the author

Website
Blog
Twitter

Looking for Alaska - Review

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Available now

harpercollins.co.uk 

What's it about?

Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. It is poignant, funny, heartbreaking and compelling.

My review

Considering Looking for Alaska was first published ten years ago, it seems a bit late in the day to posting a review right? lol. However, it just so happens that I read it at the start of the year, when it was Alaska day and then a few days later a beautiful surprise 10th anniversary edition arrived through my letterbox and so how could I not express my feelings for a book I thoroughly enjoyed? The answer is that I couldn't of course.

Looking for Alaska actually started off kind of slow to me, I liked Miles but I wasn't a big fan of Alaska herself, and I still wasn't by the end, but it's a compelling story and Miles gives good narrative.

This is (at least partly) a story of unrequited love, something I think most of us have felt at some time and can relate to. Miles is such a nice, sweet guy and he falls hard for Alaska. Alaska on the other hand is very flaky and self centred, I'm not entirely sure what he saw in her beyond her looks, I think perhaps that he just wanted to 'fix' her and look after her.

Romantically, Miles and Alaska never would've worked but I think she, unintentionally, gives him something more than that, there's definitely a life lesson in this story for Miles as he tries to uncover the mystery that is Alaska he actually learns a lot about himself and the world, he grows up, he feels and he faces some hard times. It was these points that really made the book brilliant for me.

Looking for Alaska was a thought provoking and beautiful read, it'll make you stop and think and feel and then feel some more.

Find the author

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Goodreads

Captive - Review

Captive by A.J. Grainger

Available 29th january 2015

simonandschuster.com 

What's it about?

I open my eyes. The cell is flooded with sunlight; the window is a slice of pale blue. Dust particles dance in the sparkling light, pirouetting in a golden line from the window to the opposite wall of the cell, where they seem to converge into shapes. It is like looking into a kaleidoscope. 

Dad isn't here. No one is, but me.

Robyn Knollys-Green is an A-list celebrity, famous for being the daughter of one of the world's most powerful men. But not even the paparazzi can find her now.

Robyn begins to realise that she is trapped in a complicated web of global corruption and deceit - and that the strange, melancholy boy who has been tasked with guarding her might not be an enemy after all...

My review

I read Captive two months ago and then totally forgot to write my review! Luckily it was a good enough book to stick with me so that I can still remember enough to put some thoughts together about it for you.
For starters it felt very realistic and I flew through the pages, reading it in just a couple of days. It could've been a lot more in depth and complicated but I liked that it wasn't, Captive is more about Robyn's isolation than it is about politics, it's about her feelings as she discovers secrets she's not sure she wants to know and meets a boy in a highly unlikely situation.
As the story is told from Robyn's point of view, when she is held captive we feel held captive with her because we know as much as she does about what is going on in the outside world, which is nothing. We're locked in a room right alongside Robyn and only know what our kidnappers are telling us with no idea if it's the truth or not.
As a reader, I felt you really get to feel the solitude and confusion Robyn feels as the book progresses, which was explored well within the writing.
Robyn was a strong willed character and very likable, okay it wasn't the best love story in the world but that's not why I picked up this book anyway, I read it for the psychological and thriller aspects of the books, and on those points, it delivers, And considering the love story was developed under intense circumstances, I still think it was handled very well, I'd like to have seen more of what happened after.
After reading Captive I'd be interested in reading more by this author for sure, its a great debut set at a satisfying pace, and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from her.

Find the author
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr

Goodreads

Liquorice book cover - Review

Executive book cover 

But, what is it?The stylish Bagabook book cover comes in a variety of patterns and colours and also comes with a range of matching products than can be purchased separately.
It comes with a Unique Inner Support to fit a variety of book sizes of paperback and hardback, also diaries and note pads and a magnetic clasp. Other features include a hand strap, integrated bookmark, pen holder, travelcard and ticket slot and a concealed zipped pocket ideal for mobile phones and valuables.

Measures: 17.5 cm (6.9") L x 22 cm (8.7") W x upto 6 cm (2.4") depth depending on thickness of book.

My review

This book cover is a handy little accessory to have around. I pretty much always have a book with me when I go out but, as many book lovers will know, having them in my shoulder bag along with my purse, keys, lipstick and other bits of rubbish that are in the depths of my bag, some of my books have gotten bent and battered and even ripped in, sad times right! So why its taken until now for someone to create this, I have no idea! Unfortunately its a bit too small to fit a tall hardback into it, so a range of sizes would be awesome, but its great for a paperback or smaller hardback. I was worried about having to bend and stretch my book to get it into the case initially but actually the case is pretty flexible so I didn't have any trouble and I was able to read my book just fine with the cover on.

I also like the built in bookmark that can be tucked under at the bottom so there's never any fear of it falling out and it doesn't dangle out the bottom either.

And if you enjoy taking notes when reading, there's a penholder and a pocket in the back where you could easily fit some notecards or a small notebook so you'll always have them to hand.

In my opinion is a must for any book lover, its perfect for protecting those precious paperbacks and keeping your little book tools in one place.

Still not convinced? Here's a LINK to the whole collection and enter the code BH020 for 20% off and be sure to check out the matching scarves, tote bags and iPad cases.

Find Bagabook

website

Newsletter

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Google+

Briar rose - Review

Briar rose by Jana OliverAvailable now 

What's it about?For Briar Rose, life is anything but a fairy tale. She's stuck in a small town in deepest Georgia with parents who won't let her out of their sight, a bunch of small-minded, gossiping neighbours and an evil ex who's spreading nasty rumours about what she may or may not have done in the back of his car. She's tired of it all, so when, on her sixteenth birthday, her parents tell her that she is cursed and will go to sleep for a hundred years when the clock strikes midnight, she's actually kind of glad to leave it all behind. She says her goodbyes, lies down, and closes her eyes . . . And then she wakes up. Cold, alone and in the middle of the darkest, most twisted fairy tale she could ever have dreamed of. Now Briar must fight her way out of the story that has been created for her, but she can't do it alone. She never believed in handsome princes, but now she's met one her only chance is to put her life in his hands, or there will be no happy ever after and no waking up.

My review

Picking up Briar rose, I wasn't sure what to expect from this modern day retelling of Sleeping beauty, I questioned how the fairy tale would fit into our world, but I needn't have worried because Oliver did a great job of making it seem believable.

Only a small portion is set in the present in Georgia, while the rest is set in Briar's dream, when, instead of dying she awakens in a literal fairy tale and must find a way to fight her way out if she wants to live.

I really loved this mix of reality and fairy tale, it gave the story a ring of truth and gave it all a magical feeling, while also being a completely new take on a classic story.

This is my first book by Jana Oliver and I found her writing to be on point throughout, the world building was great and imaginative, while still leaving room for me to daydream about how it looked as well.

I liked the characters and the back story and was pleasantly surprised at some twists that I hadn't been expecting and at Oliver's own little add ons to the story.

So, if you like your fairy tales dark and scary then I would recommend picking up Briar rose right away, its a great book set in a richly imagined world with some wonderful characters.

Find the author

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Blog tour: SeaRISE; Character book review of The time machine

The Time Machine by H G Wells

Review by Donald Ferguson, St Kilda, Scotland, 8th December 1918



It was H G Wells and not Jules Vernes who wrote The Time Machine in 1895, just over a decade before I was born. For some reason I get those two authors mixed up. It’s a story about a man who builds a machine that can take him to the future. I was in the middle of reading it when something very strange happened, so strange in fact, that it’s taken me quite a while to get round to finishing the book.
The Time Traveller in Wells’ story goes to a distant time in the future when there are two kinds of odd-looking humans on the Earth – the Eloi and the Morlocks. He rescues an Eloi girl called Weena, but as they are escaping they get caught up in a forest fire. Later when he gets back to his house in Richmond in Surrey in his own time, he proves to his friends he has been gone for ages in the future (even though he was only missing for 3 hours) by showing them two flowers that Weena had put in his pocket. But if you think that’s strange, then my story is even stranger.

One day in May this year, when the war was still raging, I spotted two girls down on the beach. They seemed to emerge from a large black cube that I’d never seen before. It turned out the younger girl was called Alice, who said she was also from St Kilda, but 100 years into the future, and the older girl was actually a lady called Karla Ingermann, who is the Seabean’s (that’s the name of the black cube) inventor from Germany. They had a blue parrot with them too. My mum, Dora Ferguson, who is our teacher, was worried about it all, but I was very excited to meet some people from the future. Alice wore very strange clothes – Wellington boots with flowers on them, and a sweater that was made of a strange material patterned with rainbow-coloured stripes. She showed us inside the Seabean, and told us that she could command it to go anywhere. It was just bright white inside until Alice started singing an old Scottish sea shanty and then the Seabean started to display moving pictures of a sea voyage and you could hear the seagulls crying and everything. It was incredible! I persuaded my mother to let us go back in time like Alice had done, and in just a few moments we found ourselves at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851! There were elm trees growing inside a vast glass building, and the parrot who was called Spix flew up into the branches and then Alice picked up a seed that had dropped from one of the trees. We accidentally left the parrot behind, which was a shame, but Alice still had the seed in her pocket, just like the Time Traveller in Wells’ story.

When we arrived back on St Kilda, at first it was the right place but the wrong time – instead of 1918 it was still 1851, and Alice realized she had made a mistake. However, when we finally arrived in 1918, our island was being attacked by a German U-boat. It was all very frightening. Alice and Karla were taken prisoner because the islanders thought they were spies. It’s a long story, but eventually I helped Alice to escape back to her time in the Seabean and she gave me the elm seed as a goodbye present. Now Karla has disappeared too. I still don’t know if she managed to find another Seabean, but now I wish that instead of going to the past I had gone with Alice to the future, like the time traveller in The Time Machine. I’d like to know what the future is like in 2018
where she came from, and be able to tell her I planted the elm tree seed and that it’s started to grow.



Donald Ferguson features in SeaWAR, the prequel to SeaRISE by Sarah Holding.

SeaRISE by Sarah Holding

SeaBEAN Book three

In the thrilling final part of The SeaBEAN Trilogy, Alice and her five classmates are - for reasons they have yet to discover - abducted to 2118 in the C-Bean, their time-travel device, only to find the world is a difficult and alienating place. 

How will they survive their terrifying ordeal? Who can help them figure out a way to get back to their own time? Will they escape before their captor Commander Hadron catches up with them? Who is he anyway and what's his connection to the mysterious Dr Foster? 

Unsettled by the devastation they find everywhere in the future and armed with new knowledge about the C-Bean's ultimate purpose, Alice and Co scour the planet, confronting many challenges in pursuit of answers to their questions. But can they figure out a way to restore the Earth's delicate ecological balance for good?

Find the author
Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter

I was here - Review

I was here by Gayle Forman

Available 29th Jan 2014

simonandschuster.co.uk 

What's it about?

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything - so how was there no warning?

But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington.

About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open - until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

My review

I was here is a sometimes sad but overall heartening story. While it explores the delicate subject of suicide, its just as much about Cody's journey in discovering just who she is and finding love in a very unexpected place.

As Cody follows the trail to find out just what was going on with her best friend in the time leading up to her suicide she feels a range of emotions which are bought forth really well in Forman's wonderful writing.

She's understandably shocked to find out just how Meg was feeling and the things she never told her that she ends up forced to question her own feelings towards life and even thinks about suicide in ways she never imagined she would have before her best friend did it.

Cody also feels a lot of confusion as she tries to match up her memories of Meg to the person she is hearing about from people she's never met before and even from people she's known a long time. It's definitely a hard time for Cody as she blames herself, blames others for what happened until coming to an eventual acceptance and some kind of closure.

Not only is this a wonderful story, it feels truthful and would be thought provoking to anyone who knows little about suicide not to mention creating a little awareness to the dark side of the internet.

Just like previous novels from Gayle Forman, I was here did not disappoint me and I don't think it will disappoint other fans of her books.

Find the author

Website

Tumblr

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads