Mini Reviews #3

Mini Reviews #3

The books which I shall be giving a little mini review on today are:

- Entangled by Cat Clarke

- The Boy In The Smoke (Shades of London #0.5) by Maureen Johnson

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary.

Published: January 6 2011

Pages: 372 pages (Paperback)(Quercus)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 3 Stars

Book 46/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

This book was a reread for me. Unfortunately the second time round I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first time. I rated this book first 4 Stars but am now changing it to 3. A major problem with this book was that for me I didn't like the main character. Besides this I loved the concept behind this book, It was just the main character and her actions that literally drove me up the wall. I do like Cat Clarke's writing style though and I have her latest book The Lost And The Found sitting on my shelf here at home that I am sure to be diving into soon.

The Boy In The Smoke by Maureen Johnson

(Shades of London #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Ghosts.

Published: February 24 2014

Pages: 86 pages (Paperback)(Hot Key Books)

Read: November 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

Book 50/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

I loved this little novella. I loved reading about our main character Stephen and to see how he became who he was and what his family situation had been like when he was growing up. I also loved the ghost aspect in this story and this little novella even left me so heartbroken for such a short book, but because of this novella, I really can't wait to start and read the Shades of London series!

Book Review - Unbecoming by Jenny Downham

Unbecoming

Author: Jenny Downham

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction. 

Published: September 3 2015

Pages: 437 pages (Paperback) (David Flicking Books)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Three women - three secrets - one heart-stopping story.Katie, seventeen, in love with someone whose identity she can't reveal.Her mother Caroline, uptight, worn out and about to find the past catching up with her.Katie's grandmother, Mary, back with the family after years of mysterious absence and 'capable of anything', despite suffering from Alzheimers.As Katie cares for an elderly woman who brings daily chaos to her life, she finds herself drawn to her. Rules get broken as allegiances shift. Is Mary contagious? Is 'badness' genetic?In confronting the past, Katie is forced to seize the present. As Mary slowly unravels and family secrets are revealed, Katie learns to live and finally dares to love.Funny, sad, honest and wise, Unbecoming is a celebration of life, and learning to honour your own stories.

Book 45/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

Unbecoming is one of those books that are just so beautiful they leave you speechless and want to talk non-stop all at the same time. But what do I say that will do this book justice, that is the question. 

Unbecoming is a book about a teenage girl, Katie and the way her life has changed for the worse all because of something that she did. But then along comes her grandmother who she never even knew was alive and suddenly Katie's eyes open up and a heartwrenching, moving story unfolds from there on involving three generations of women, Katie, her mother Caroline and her grandmother Mary.

This story was just so touching as we piece together the lives of each of the three women and how their lives interweave as the story comes to an end. 

Out of all the characters,  my favourite had to be Mary. I literally fell in love with this woman and her story. But I also loved Katie too and the relationship she had with Mary. Caroline grew on me aswell as did many of the characters that I had bad feelings about at the start.

I am still sitting here at a loss of words. How can I describe how beautiful this book was, how moving, without spoiling anything in the novel. It is really a difficult thing to do so all I'm going to say is, this book was amazing. 

If you liked the novel 'I'll Give You The Sun' by Jandy Nelson then 'Unbecoming' by Jenny Downham is just the novel for you. Pick it up, seriously, you will not regret it and besides that beautiful cover is just calling to you!

Book Review - Asking For It by Louise O' Neill

Asking For It

Author: Louise O' Neill

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Feminism, Mental Health. 

Published: September 3 2015

Pages: 352 pages (Paperback) (Quercus Publishing UK)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

TRIGGER WARNING - RAPE

It's the beginning of the summer in a small town in Ireland. Emma O'Donovan is eighteen years old, beautiful, happy, confident. One night, there's a party. Everyone is there. All eyes are on Emma. The next morning, she wakes on the front porch of her house. She can't remember what happened, she doesn't know how she got there. She doesn't know why she's in pain. But everyone else does. Photographs taken at the party show, in explicit detail, what happened to Emma that night. But sometimes people don't want to believe what is right in front of them, especially when the truth concerns the town's heroes...

Book 44/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

This is one of those books that you just find it so hard to find the right words to say. But I will try my best here.

Asking For It was gripping, moving, devastating and just too much for my heart to handle.

I started this book, groaning to the fact that Emma was one of 'those girls'. We all know what I'm talking about here. She was beautiful, popular, smart and under it all she a condescending, two-faced bitch (excuse me for my language) but it's true. The whole start of this book was seeing Emma for who she was, which was far from pretty. Even the relationships she had, with family and friends were far from ideal and ones that most people would do anything to get out of. Emma O' Donovan was not a character to be liked. 

And then everything changes. Emma is practically gang raped at a party and everyone has seen the pictures. Emma becomes a social outcast for something that wasn't her fault. She becomes hated for something she didn't do. She becomes nothing for blaming the star boys of the town and it is sickening. 

For the rest of this heartwrenching book we see what Emma becomes, we see what happens afterwards. And it is devastating. 

Asking For It is unique and real in the way that everything doesn't close up nicely. There's no nice ribbon to wrap up this book at the end. There's no hope, not really. There is just surviving. That is all. In my opinion, the ending of this book was perfect because it was so real and raw. 

Asking For It doesn't soften the topic of rape but brings it into the light with such a raw and powerful novel. And this was needed. It was needed a long time ago and finally it is here. This is a book that is needed in the education system, it's needed in schools and colleges and well it's needed everywhere really and it is a book that everyone should read, young, old, boys and girls.

And most importantly it sends the message that no matter what way a person acts, dresses or anything, they are not asking for it! No one is asking to be raped. 

Wishlist Wednesday #11

Wishlist Wednesday #11

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Pen to Paper. This meme is where you showcase one book that is on your wishlist and that you can't wait to get off your wishlist and into your hands.

On my Wishlist Wednesday today is....

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Sticking with the Brandon Sanderson theme, I also added a second series of his onto my wishlist and that is the Reckoners series which starts with Steelheart. I was so intrigued with the premise of this book that I just added it straight away even though its probably the least one I've heard of from Brandon Sanderson in my little book community. But one that I definitely want to read. 

Have you read this book?? 
Is it on your wishlist??

What have you got on your wishlist??

Book Review - The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

The Wolf Wilder

Author: Katherine Rundell

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure.  

Published: September 9 2015

Pages: 319 pages (Paperback) (Bloomsbury Children's)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans.

When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.

Book 43/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

The Wolf Wilder is a middle grade novel. It had your very young protagonist,  your not complicated, straight forward plot and your simple writing. As a whole novel it was simple and I enjoyed it for that. Don't laugh at me here but while I was reading this book, it was like I was a young kid again. I was reading this book through the eyes of a child and I enjoyed it immensely. 

As an animal lover, I was intrigued by the promise of wolves in this book. I would have liked to have seen more on the wolf side though as the plot is essentially set around a different topic and the wolves are just there, but not, if you get what I mean. I would have loved to see more of the wilding process, maybe a glimpse from start to finish or even just to see some wolves who were wild again but alas, that was not the case. In fairness though, we get to see a great relationship of five wolves in this story and I fell in love with them quickly. Another downside of the wolves in this story was that they weren't behaving quite realistically, but this I believe is how the author wanted to write the wolves for the story after all it is fiction and a fantasy.

But looking past those minor details I really fell in love with the wolf characters in this book, so much so that it made me cry and on finishing this book left that slight aching in my chest, a bittersweet feeling you could call it. I also really enjoyed the human characters too. Feo was a great character for a middle grade book. She was strong, headstrong, stubborn, kind and naive all rolled into one. Everything that made for a good story. As were all the other kids shown in this book. 

Of course as I said the story was quite simple. It had your obvious bad and good guys and a band of kids that group together to defy the adults and not need them for action. It had a single problem to solve and that was it. It was a great middle grade story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll be sure to be reading this to my little brother too. 

One big part I forgot to mention was the illustrations. My, my! They were gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! And they added such greatness and entertainment to the story aswell. Below are some of my favourite illustrations from this book. 

Overall I really enjoyed this middle grade book. I though more could have been expanded in this book, wolf wise, but I loved the characters, the wolves and the simplicity behind this book. The cover and the illustrations in this book are just perfect as well. 

Wishlist Wednesday #10

Wishlist Wednesday #10

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Pen to Paper. This meme is where you showcase one book that is on your wishlist and that you can't wait to get off your wishlist and into your hands.

On my Wishlist Wednesday today is....

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?

In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage - Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

This is another extremely hyped book in the book world and after questioning on whether to follow this hype or not I've decided to add this book to my wishlist! I want to see what the hype is about and whether I'll fall head over heels for this book and this author like everyone else :P Plus look at those covers!! And they all match!

Have you read this book?? 
Is it on your wishlist??

What have you got on your wishlist??

Top Ten Tuesday #23

Top Ten Tuesday #23

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.

These are debuts books by debut authors that I just loved and cannot wait for their next novel to release!

1. Leslye Walton
I loved Leslye Walton's The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender and cannot wait to hear about her next book and of course read it!

2. Dawn Kurtagich
I devoured Dawn's debut, The Dead House and have just heard about her next novel, The Creeper Man which releases July 2016!


3. Stephanie Tromly
I fell in love with Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine and I really can't wait for the sequel!! 

4. Cristin Terrill
Cristin Terill is the author of All Our Yesterdays which I absolutely loved and I cannot wait for the next novel she writes. There's been nothing said at the minute but I'll hope.


And that's it! All the other authors I've read have already released Sophomore novels and completed series so yup :P
What was on you Top Ten Tuesday?

October 2015

October 2015 Book Haul / Wrap Up

October was just a great month in general, what with all the spookiness, great book releases and of course I went to my first ever book convention! Yay! So let me tell you all about my October!

October 2015 Book Haul

This month I bought quite a few books but as well as that I received some free books from the DeptCon1 YA Convention too!

• Asking For It by Louise O' Neill
• Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
• The Accident Season by Moira Fowley Doyle
• The Lost And The Found by Cat Clarke
• Vendetta by Catherine Doyle
• Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
• The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting by Holly Bourne
• Soulmates by Holly Bourne
• Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
• Thirteen by Tom Hoyle
• Hour Of The Bees by Lindsay Eagar
• Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
• Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Asking For It. Asking For It is Louise O' Neill's new YA book. I got this because I was going to be meeting Louise O' Neill at DeptCon1.

Unbecoming. This is Jenny Downham's new release and I got this because well it had a fabulous cover, fabulous storyline and because I was going to be meeting Jandy Nelson at DeptCon1 too.

The Accident Season. I got this spooky book for Halloween time but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Moira Fowley Doyle was also at DeptCon1!

The Lost And The Found. This is a release by Cat Clarke with a very, very interesting premise that I just had to pick it up. I love the cover too and Cat Clarke was at DeptCon1 too.

Vendetta. A first book in a series by Catherine Doyle. I was really intrigued by the Romeo and Juliet and mafia aspect of this book, so I picked it up!. Catherine Doyle was also at DeptCon1!

Am I Normal Yet?. A first book in The Normal Series by Holly Bourne. I have just been very interested in contemporary / reaistic fiction that have a darker side lately whether it deals with violence, abuse or illness. Holly Bourne was also at DeptCon1.

The Manifesto On How To Be Interesting. I heard Holly Bourne talk on her panel and just had to pick up all her books then and there.

Soulmates. Holly Bourne's debut. I picked this up after hearing her speak on her panel!.




Not If I See You First. This book is an arc and is set to release next year. I got this free in the DeptCon1 goodie bag.

Thirteen. I also got this book free in the DeptCon1 goodie bag.

Hour Of The Bees. Another arc which I got in the DeptCon1 goodie bag. I believe this releases in March 2016 and is a middle grade novel.

Flawed. This came as a manuscript in my DeptCon1 goodie bag. Yay!! And this is Cecilia Ahern's first YA novel.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. This book was just sitting there pretty in the bookshop and I just had to pick it up after all the good things I'd been hearing.

Illuminae. One of my most anticipated reads of 2015! Just had to get this. And it wasn't even on the shelves when I went in... I asked and they had it in the back to be put out the following day but I still got one.

Six Of Crows. Do I need to explain my reasoning for getting this book... I think not.

October 2015 Wrap Up

I read so many good books in October!

What Was Read:

• The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo (5 Stars)
• The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (5 Stars)
• The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo (4 Stars)
• The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell (4 Stars)
• Asking For It by Louise O' Neill (5 Stars)
• Unbecoming by Jenny Downham (5 Stars)
• Entangled by Cat Clarke (3 Stars)

(Reviews should be posted soon)

Defeating My TBR Progress!!

So ya, I went through my shelves again and even though I got a ton of new books this month, my TBR is at 97 books! I'm below 100!!! :D Never did I ever think that I would see this day.

Other News:

Currently Reading:

I've been in this state of starting all these new books and not finishing any so here's what I have shelved as currently reading at the moment.

1. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
2. The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
3. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
4. Talon by Julie Kagawa
5. Rumours by Anna Godbersen
6. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
7. Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
8. The Boy In The Smoke by Maureen Johnson
9. The Accident Season by Moira Fowley Doyle
10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Book Reviews this month: 
I have been catching up on my reviews. Thankfully! Still have a bit to go, but less than what was there anyway.. 

- Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick

- Cress by Marissa Meyer

- One by Sarah Crossan

- The Infinite by Lori M. Lee

- The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

- Divine Intervention by Edward Davies
- Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

I was at my first ever YA book Convention!!:
- DeptCon1 (expect this post soon!!)

And lastly, memes, I only did one this month:
Best of the Bunch -
October 2015 - The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

And that is it for my wrap up and book haul!!

How was your spooky October??

Best of the Bunch #5 - October 2015

Best of the Bunch #5 - October 2015

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted over at A Cocoon of Books. What it is is that you give the Best of the Bunch award to one book which you have read in that month.

I only some really amazing books did month! I mean, super amazing. I read a total of 7 books and 4 of them I rated 5 Stars, those four were:
- The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo (Short Novella)
- The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich (Halloween Read)
- Asking For It by Louise O' Neill (Issue Book)
- Unbecoming by Jenny Downham (Just Beautiful!)

So it is actually really hard to choose, especially from the last three listed there. But I'm going to go for the Halloween Read, seeing an all it was October!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . 

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Such a haunting read for Halloween. I loved it! It even kept me up at night, it was just so good! Anyway if you want to know more of my thoughts on this book, check out my review here!

What was your Best of The Bunch for the month of October?? :)

Book Review - The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

The Dead House

Author: Dawn Kurtagich

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal.  

Published: August 6 2015

Pages: 440 pages (Paperback) (Orion Children's Books)

Read: October 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . 

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?

Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE is one of those very special books that finds all the dark places in your imagination, and haunts you long after you've finished reading.

Book 41/60 - 2015 Goodreads Reading Challenge

The Dead House is Dawn Kurtagich's first debut novel. It is a horror / psychological thriller based on two girls and a tradegy of a part of their school buring down, killing a number of people.

I picked up this book as soon as I saw it on the shelves of one of my local bookstores because I wanted to read this spooky, thriller filled book around the time of Halloween and even though I read it at the start of October, it still kept me up at night!

The aspect of this book that I loved the most and what I found to be the most unique about this book was that the story was told through a police evidence folder. This story was told through Kaitlyn and Carly's diaries, through interviews and video recordings, through mental assesments and meetings with psychiatrists and it was just such an amazing way to put a story together. The story does jump from before to after a few times and the first time I have to admit, made me confused, but confusion is a part of reading this book. WTF is a part of reading this book. 

And I loved it. I loved Dawn Kurtagich's writing style for this novel. I loved the way she was completely descriptive in everything she write so that you could actually imagine every detail in this book (which scared the living crap out of me sometimes and had me startling myself awake at night!)

The characters in this book were so deep aswell. They were all so different too and it was easy to connect with them through Kaitlyn. But even though I suspected bad things would happen in this book and not to get attached to characters, I did and I was left heartbroken, sad, betrayed, and every other feeling imaginable. But it was still just so good!

Then the ending arrived and it still leaves you hanging in a small bit of a mystery. This book leaves the reader imagine what happens at that last event, whether you want a nice, bittersweet ending or one that is a complete turmoil, it is up to your own mind. Me being me, I finished and was like hell on earth and imagined the worst thing possible. 

Do I have to say this again?? I loved this book! And I would recommend it to everyone I meet! It's gripping, absolutely addicting and surprisingly really easy to read through too, so guys I'm leaving it with this - if you have this book on your TBR, read it and Beware! The Dead House!.

P.S I just found out last night that Dawn Kurtagich has a second novel due for release in July 2016 called The Creeper Man!! Definitely one I shall be reading when it releases!