Title: Die for Me
Author: Amy Plum
Publisher: Atom
Blurb (from Goodreads): In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.
When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life -- and memoires -- behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way tp survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.
Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant -- an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries - old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realises that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.
What I thought: I've been meaning to get this book for years, and so when I saw it on sale for four euro I just had to get it. I was absolutely enchanted by this book. I loved it. I loved how Amy Plum wrote about Paris, which is one of my favourite cities to read about. The romance had me swooning from start to finish.
Our female protagonist, Kate Mercier, felt very real. She's a girl you could know in real life. I could identify with her personality and her love of books. I loved how she reacted like a normal person would to the challenges she came up against.
I really liked our male protagonist, Vincent. I feel that he was very well written. He's very alluring and sweet and kind, yet mysterious and I wanted to find out more about him and the secrets he was hiding.
The plotline of this book is very good. The book is very well paced. The information about the revenants is spaced out throughout the book so there aren't any information dumps. I hadn't actually read a "zombie" book before, so that was really interesting.
The romance is to die for. I'm happy to say that there isn't any insta - love. It's very well written and I was just... and then I just.... Let me tell you, the feels in this book are unreal.
I'm really excited to continue on with the series. Beyond excited actually. I love it!
Rating: 10/10
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Friday, 8 August 2014
The Life of a Banana by PP Wong
Title: The Life of a Banana
Author: PP Wong
Publisher: Legend Press
Release Date: 1 September 2014
Blurb (from Goodreads): Xing Li is what some Chinese people call a banana - yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Although born and raised in London, she never feels like she fits in. When her mother dies, she moves with her older brother to live with venemous Grandma, strange Uncle Ho and Hollywood actress Auntie Mei. Her only friend is Jay - a mixed raced Jamaican boy with a passion for classical music,
Then Xing Li's life takes an even harsher turn: the school bullying escalates and her uncle requests she assists him in an unthinkable favour. Her happy childhood becomes a distant memory as her new life is infiltrated with the harsh reality of being an ethnic minority.
Consumed by secrets, violence and confusing family relations, Xing Li tries to find hope wherever she can. In order to find her own identity, she must first discover what it means to be both Chinese and British.
What I thought: I adore this book. The plot is excellent, delievering plenty of twists and turns, some of which hit me like a punch in the gut. I always wanted to know more about the lives of the characters and I was interested as to what was going to happen for the entire book.
The characters in this book are brilliant. Our protagonist, Xing Li, just felt so real to me. I wanted to protect her from the horrible things she went through, but there was nothing I could do and I watched as the bullying went from bad to worse and I just felt really sad because even though I know what it feels like to be an outsider at school, I never went through anything like this. It saddens me to think that a lot of people go through this every day. I loved her mispronunciation of the musical greats. Xing Li's voice felt so real and the whole time I was reading this book I felt like I was listening to the voice of a thirteen year old, which was awesome. I loved watching her grow.
I really liked her brother, and he made me laugh through his funny antics and his endearing personality. I cared very much about Auntie Mei and she made me think about the stereotypical roles given to Chinese actors, and how very hard it must be to break down those walls.
Xing Li's Grandmother is a complicated and deeply flawed character who we get to learn more about as the book progresses. I can't say anything more about her, as I don't want to spoil anything.
This book made me think a lot about racism. I fail to understand how people can be rude to others just by the colour of their skin or what nationality they are. It's an absolute disgrace and those people should be very ashamed of themselves. I also thought a lot about stereotype. It was mentioned in this book that if you are part of an ethnic minority in a foreign country, the way you behave affects how people see others of your nationality. For example, if a Chinese person is rude then people will think that all Chinese people are rude. This really struck me and I'm still thinking about it now.
There are a couple of very sensitive issues discussed in this book, and I think that PP Wong handled these issues very well. The bullying in this book was extremely well handled and well written. There was one particular seen that I found very harrowing and I was reading the words with tears in my eyes, making my vision blurry.
This is Xing Li's story, and I loved following her on her journey towards finding herself. I hope that many others will read it too as it is a tale that deserves to be told. I loved it so much. It truly is excellent.
Rating: 10/10. Yeah. This is now the benchmark for the contemporary novels I read.
Author: PP Wong
Publisher: Legend Press
Release Date: 1 September 2014
Blurb (from Goodreads): Xing Li is what some Chinese people call a banana - yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Although born and raised in London, she never feels like she fits in. When her mother dies, she moves with her older brother to live with venemous Grandma, strange Uncle Ho and Hollywood actress Auntie Mei. Her only friend is Jay - a mixed raced Jamaican boy with a passion for classical music,
Then Xing Li's life takes an even harsher turn: the school bullying escalates and her uncle requests she assists him in an unthinkable favour. Her happy childhood becomes a distant memory as her new life is infiltrated with the harsh reality of being an ethnic minority.
Consumed by secrets, violence and confusing family relations, Xing Li tries to find hope wherever she can. In order to find her own identity, she must first discover what it means to be both Chinese and British.
What I thought: I adore this book. The plot is excellent, delievering plenty of twists and turns, some of which hit me like a punch in the gut. I always wanted to know more about the lives of the characters and I was interested as to what was going to happen for the entire book.
The characters in this book are brilliant. Our protagonist, Xing Li, just felt so real to me. I wanted to protect her from the horrible things she went through, but there was nothing I could do and I watched as the bullying went from bad to worse and I just felt really sad because even though I know what it feels like to be an outsider at school, I never went through anything like this. It saddens me to think that a lot of people go through this every day. I loved her mispronunciation of the musical greats. Xing Li's voice felt so real and the whole time I was reading this book I felt like I was listening to the voice of a thirteen year old, which was awesome. I loved watching her grow.
I really liked her brother, and he made me laugh through his funny antics and his endearing personality. I cared very much about Auntie Mei and she made me think about the stereotypical roles given to Chinese actors, and how very hard it must be to break down those walls.
Xing Li's Grandmother is a complicated and deeply flawed character who we get to learn more about as the book progresses. I can't say anything more about her, as I don't want to spoil anything.
This book made me think a lot about racism. I fail to understand how people can be rude to others just by the colour of their skin or what nationality they are. It's an absolute disgrace and those people should be very ashamed of themselves. I also thought a lot about stereotype. It was mentioned in this book that if you are part of an ethnic minority in a foreign country, the way you behave affects how people see others of your nationality. For example, if a Chinese person is rude then people will think that all Chinese people are rude. This really struck me and I'm still thinking about it now.
There are a couple of very sensitive issues discussed in this book, and I think that PP Wong handled these issues very well. The bullying in this book was extremely well handled and well written. There was one particular seen that I found very harrowing and I was reading the words with tears in my eyes, making my vision blurry.
This is Xing Li's story, and I loved following her on her journey towards finding herself. I hope that many others will read it too as it is a tale that deserves to be told. I loved it so much. It truly is excellent.
Rating: 10/10. Yeah. This is now the benchmark for the contemporary novels I read.
Monday, 4 August 2014
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Title: The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: MIRA Books
Blurb (from Goodreads): Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Megan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guesses the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
What I thought: I didn't really know what to expect from this book, as the last time I read a book about faeries, I was nine years old. However, I fell in love with this book.
The Iron King reminds me of one of my favourite books, City of Bones by the brilliant Cassandra Clare. In both books, a teenage girl discovers that the world is not like she thought it was and goes on a quest to save a kidnapped relative from a sinister villain. I had the same feeling reading this book as I did when I read City of Bones. That feeling of excitement and magic and just being so caught up in the world that it's all you want to talk about and all that you want to read about.
The main character in this book, Meghan Chase, is very well written. She's very believable. Her "voice" sounds exactly like that of a sixteen year old girl. She's the kind of girl that I'd be friends with. She's brave, kind, smart and honest. Although some of her decisions annoyed me at times, I couldn't help but care about her.
Then we have her best friend, Robbie or "Puck", her loyal sidekick who looks out for her, and by my best guess, want to be more than just friends.
Then we have the lovely Prince Ash. Oh, Ash, how I adore thee, even though you did make some questionable decisions. He's charming and sweet, yet he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. He's very mysterious and I really want to learn more about him as the series goes on.
Then we have Grimalkin, the Caith Sith who helps you out if you give him a favour in return. I loved him. I thought he was funny and added a lot of lightness and humour to the book.
And last but not least in my character introduction, we have Meghan's little half brother Ethan, who is adorable and so cute. Awww. He's the one that Meghan has to rescue after he's kidnapped and taken to faeryland.
The plotline of this book is very enjoyable, although there isn't that many twists and turns. It's still great.
I loved the world that Julie Kagawa created in this book. I knew a few things about the faery court from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments, but I really enjoyed reading about it in greater detail and it was really interesting to me.
As you can see, I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to get the next book, The Iron Daughter.
Rating: 9/10
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: MIRA Books
Blurb (from Goodreads): Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Megan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guesses the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
What I thought: I didn't really know what to expect from this book, as the last time I read a book about faeries, I was nine years old. However, I fell in love with this book.
The Iron King reminds me of one of my favourite books, City of Bones by the brilliant Cassandra Clare. In both books, a teenage girl discovers that the world is not like she thought it was and goes on a quest to save a kidnapped relative from a sinister villain. I had the same feeling reading this book as I did when I read City of Bones. That feeling of excitement and magic and just being so caught up in the world that it's all you want to talk about and all that you want to read about.
The main character in this book, Meghan Chase, is very well written. She's very believable. Her "voice" sounds exactly like that of a sixteen year old girl. She's the kind of girl that I'd be friends with. She's brave, kind, smart and honest. Although some of her decisions annoyed me at times, I couldn't help but care about her.
Then we have her best friend, Robbie or "Puck", her loyal sidekick who looks out for her, and by my best guess, want to be more than just friends.
Then we have the lovely Prince Ash. Oh, Ash, how I adore thee, even though you did make some questionable decisions. He's charming and sweet, yet he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. He's very mysterious and I really want to learn more about him as the series goes on.
Then we have Grimalkin, the Caith Sith who helps you out if you give him a favour in return. I loved him. I thought he was funny and added a lot of lightness and humour to the book.
And last but not least in my character introduction, we have Meghan's little half brother Ethan, who is adorable and so cute. Awww. He's the one that Meghan has to rescue after he's kidnapped and taken to faeryland.
The plotline of this book is very enjoyable, although there isn't that many twists and turns. It's still great.
I loved the world that Julie Kagawa created in this book. I knew a few things about the faery court from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments, but I really enjoyed reading about it in greater detail and it was really interesting to me.
As you can see, I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to get the next book, The Iron Daughter.
Rating: 9/10
Saturday, 2 August 2014
The Girl Who Walked On Air by Emma Carroll
Title: The Girl Who Walked On Air
Author: Emma Carroll
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Release Date: August 7th 2014
Blurb (from Goodreads): Abandoned as a baby at Chipchase's Travelling Circus, Louie dreams of becoming a "Showstopper". Yet Mr Chipcase only lets her sell tickets. No Death - Defying stunts for her. So in secret, Louie practices her act - the tightrope - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked On Air. All she needs is to be given the chance to shine.
One night a terrible accident occurs. Now the circus needs Louie's help, and with rival show Wellbeloved's stealing their crowds, Mr Chipchase needs a showstopper - fast.
Against his better judgement, he lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform in America. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus ...
Fans of Frost Hollow will love this epic adventure, where courage takes many different forms.
What I thought: I enjoyed reading this. I haven't read a book set in the Victorian times in a long while, so it was nice to go back there again.
It took me a while to warm up to the main character, thirteen - year - old - Louie, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading the story from her narrative. Certain aspects of her personality, such as her bravery and her attitude, reminded be of Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker, who I liked reading about when I was younger. I really enjoyed reading about Louie's friendship with Gabriel. I thought that it was sweet and true.
The plotline of this book is good, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I was always wondering what would happen next and I was eager to learn more about Louie's past.
As much as we've all wondered what it would be like to drop everything and run away with the circus, this book shows us that it's not all fun and games, and that there is a darker side to it which I never really thought about that much before reading this book.
One negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that I don't think that it dealt with some sensitive issues, such as loss, that well as I don't think it showed the effect that these issues had on the characters.
Overall, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone between the ages of 9 - 12.
Rating: 7.5/10
Author: Emma Carroll
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Release Date: August 7th 2014
Blurb (from Goodreads): Abandoned as a baby at Chipchase's Travelling Circus, Louie dreams of becoming a "Showstopper". Yet Mr Chipcase only lets her sell tickets. No Death - Defying stunts for her. So in secret, Louie practices her act - the tightrope - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked On Air. All she needs is to be given the chance to shine.
One night a terrible accident occurs. Now the circus needs Louie's help, and with rival show Wellbeloved's stealing their crowds, Mr Chipchase needs a showstopper - fast.
Against his better judgement, he lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform in America. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie's bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus ...
Fans of Frost Hollow will love this epic adventure, where courage takes many different forms.
What I thought: I enjoyed reading this. I haven't read a book set in the Victorian times in a long while, so it was nice to go back there again.
It took me a while to warm up to the main character, thirteen - year - old - Louie, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading the story from her narrative. Certain aspects of her personality, such as her bravery and her attitude, reminded be of Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker, who I liked reading about when I was younger. I really enjoyed reading about Louie's friendship with Gabriel. I thought that it was sweet and true.
The plotline of this book is good, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I was always wondering what would happen next and I was eager to learn more about Louie's past.
As much as we've all wondered what it would be like to drop everything and run away with the circus, this book shows us that it's not all fun and games, and that there is a darker side to it which I never really thought about that much before reading this book.
One negative thing that I would have to say about this book is that I don't think that it dealt with some sensitive issues, such as loss, that well as I don't think it showed the effect that these issues had on the characters.
Overall, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone between the ages of 9 - 12.
Rating: 7.5/10
Friday, 1 August 2014
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Puffin
Blurb (from Amazon): Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second - class citizen with a mysterious past, revild by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.
What I thought: I'd heard a lot of great things about this book on Booktube, so I was delighted when I found it in my local library the other day. After World War IV, the world is stuck by a fatal plague and on the verge of all - out war. Cyborgs, who are seen as lesser than humans, are drafted in to try and find a cure to this deadly disease.
I loved the main character Cinder. I loved her bravery. I adored the love that she had for those close to her. She is very concerned about her cyborg parts as they make her different, which reminded me of the insecurities that we all have about ourselves. She always tried to do the right thing, sometimes at the expense of her own safety and well - being.
Prince Kai was awesome. He reminded me a lot of Dorian from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Mass, which is a huge compliment, as Dorian is one of my favourite characters in that series.
This novel is a retelling of Cinderella, and it's done brilliantly. At the start of each segment, or "book", is has excerpts from the fairytale. This isn't the story you remember, and there are many other elements of the book apart from the retelling.
I thought that the plotline of the book was quite predictable, and at times I felt like screaming the answers which seemed so obvious to me at Cinder. However, the book is still really good, and it's saying something that even though I knew what was going to happen, I kept reading for the sheer joy of it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Puffin
Blurb (from Amazon): Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second - class citizen with a mysterious past, revild by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the centre of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.
What I thought: I'd heard a lot of great things about this book on Booktube, so I was delighted when I found it in my local library the other day. After World War IV, the world is stuck by a fatal plague and on the verge of all - out war. Cyborgs, who are seen as lesser than humans, are drafted in to try and find a cure to this deadly disease.
I loved the main character Cinder. I loved her bravery. I adored the love that she had for those close to her. She is very concerned about her cyborg parts as they make her different, which reminded me of the insecurities that we all have about ourselves. She always tried to do the right thing, sometimes at the expense of her own safety and well - being.
Prince Kai was awesome. He reminded me a lot of Dorian from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Mass, which is a huge compliment, as Dorian is one of my favourite characters in that series.
This novel is a retelling of Cinderella, and it's done brilliantly. At the start of each segment, or "book", is has excerpts from the fairytale. This isn't the story you remember, and there are many other elements of the book apart from the retelling.
I thought that the plotline of the book was quite predictable, and at times I felt like screaming the answers which seemed so obvious to me at Cinder. However, the book is still really good, and it's saying something that even though I knew what was going to happen, I kept reading for the sheer joy of it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Title: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Random House UK
The blurb (from Amazon): Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase - packed, planned and ordered. Then on the last day of her three - week - post - graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free - spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she's not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. The uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson's life.
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the "accidents" of faith, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost... and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.
What I thought: I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it in a few hours, which is always a good sign. I really identified with the main character, Allyson. I found that I had a lot in common with her, and her character development in this book is excellent. I loved watching her grow. Willem, the alluring boy she meets while visiting England captivated me with his personality and his sweet disposition, and also his love for chocolate and bread.
The writing in this book is beautiful. I love reading about foreign cities, and I now find myself wanting to go to Paris as I was so enchanted by Gayle Forman's writing about it.
You never expect much of a plotline in contemporary novels as they're mostly about the characters, but I loved the plotline of this book. The idea of fearlessly going to Paris for a day with someone you just met seems fun and exhillerating.
This book really is truly brilliant. I love it.
Rating: 9/10
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Random House UK
The blurb (from Amazon): Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase - packed, planned and ordered. Then on the last day of her three - week - post - graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free - spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she's not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. The uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson's life.
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the "accidents" of faith, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost... and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.
What I thought: I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it in a few hours, which is always a good sign. I really identified with the main character, Allyson. I found that I had a lot in common with her, and her character development in this book is excellent. I loved watching her grow. Willem, the alluring boy she meets while visiting England captivated me with his personality and his sweet disposition, and also his love for chocolate and bread.
The writing in this book is beautiful. I love reading about foreign cities, and I now find myself wanting to go to Paris as I was so enchanted by Gayle Forman's writing about it.
You never expect much of a plotline in contemporary novels as they're mostly about the characters, but I loved the plotline of this book. The idea of fearlessly going to Paris for a day with someone you just met seems fun and exhillerating.
This book really is truly brilliant. I love it.
Rating: 9/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)