tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90207652699034294002024-03-18T05:01:14.000+02:00All Things AmyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-57216279452119126912015-12-11T13:58:00.000+02:002015-12-11T13:58:44.658+02:00Bye Bye, Blogger<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://allthingsamy.net/" target="_blank">My new blog is up and running</a>!</h3>
<div>
Discovering myself on this little site has been one of the most humbling and wonderful experiences of my life. It provided me with a space to explore my interests and find hope in my future. I will miss it dearly, but the time has come for me to start afresh.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bye, Blogger. It was nice knowing you. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-69263741546244757402015-11-26T07:41:00.000+02:002015-11-26T07:41:36.226+02:00The Wait Is (Almost) Over!This is a lightning-fast update because I have a hair appointment in like eight minutes, and after that my day kind of spirals into a mess of irrelevant and mundane things that still require organisation and attention. Every free second I have will be dedicated to bawling my eyes out because I just finished <i>Everything, Everything</i> by Nicola Yoon and I can't deal. So I figured I'd better post this now, when I'm still dazed and sleepy and half-dressed.<br />
<br />
Dumbest idea ever, but it has to be done.<br />
<br />
I've just finished school <i>forever</i>. It's such a crazy and exciting thought that every time it pops into my head I kind of make this weird squealing noise and jump up and down (there are some forms of excitement that can only be expressed through bizarre movements and noises. I have no shame). Technically, that should mean that I now have endless time to write and read and blog and pretty much just have an awesome time doing what I love, right? Right?<br />
<br />
Yeah, not so much. The next week and a half is going to be crazy. I'm going to the beach for a week with my friends, which may or may not be a totally beautiful and memorable disaster, so I won't be doing much (or any) blogging from now until the 5th of December. After that, I'm doing a writing course for four days (and every time I think about it I do said happy dance all over again).<br />
<br />
All this to say, I've been staring at my planner for about six hours now, and I finally found the perfect date to do my <b>new blog launch</b>, but it's going to be a bit later than I'd initially planned. Sorry.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Save the date: 11 December is the day I move to Wordpress!</h3>
<br />
I'll post a link here, but I'll also be tweeting about it, so watch this space.<br />
<br />
Love you all. Stay safe.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-83904304513086183112015-11-08T18:54:00.000+02:002015-11-08T18:54:31.077+02:00The End Is Nigh<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m supposed to be studying for my Maths
final, but I figured I’d try squeeze in a quick blog because it’s been ages and
I miss it and there’s so much I want to say... but I have like half an hour, so
this is going to be short and crappy. Bear with me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Thankfully, I’m nearing the end of the
<b>Ultimate Year Of Doom</b> – I have five exams left, and two-and-a-half weeks until
I’m finally free from high school. The constant sad violin music floating
around my head is starting to be replaced with Christmas carols and Adele
(she’s everywhere these days), which is way more terrifying than it sounds
because it all kind of blends together and makes me confused as to whether I
should be dancing or dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The worst part about this stage of finals
is that I can almost taste that massive chocolate milkshake I’m going to drink
as soon as I finish my last exam, but it still feels like the end is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so far away</i>. There’s only so much
studying my little brain can take before it curls up and begins
hyperventilating, whimpering about how it needs more coffee and a nap and maybe
an episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Horror Story</i>
or seven... (At this point, all I can watch is horror movies and series because
it feels like I’m in one.)<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Moving right along.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My other, better news is that I’ve made the
decision to move my blog to Wordpress at the end of the year, which is
something that honestly should have happened <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">long</i> ago. Blogger and I are just not compatible. The
obsessive-compulsive side of me needs more control over my site, the way it
looks, and the way people interact with it. My more creative side is also
desperate for a change, so I’ve been spending the last two months or so (when I
was supposed to be studying – my procrastination game is through the roof these
days) designing a brand new webpage. I’m super excited for you guys to see it,
and I’m also really looking forward to a fresh start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The new blog should be up and running in
early December, but I’ll be posting regular updates here and on my latest
Twitter account as soon as I finish finals, so stay posted!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After that it’s going to be kind of crazy
for a while, because I have around seventeen books reviews to post and like a
million blogs that I’ve been mentally drafting ever since I started this
self-imposed blogging hiatus. Also, Christmas candy makes me all excitable and
creative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Anyway... I'll see you guys on the other side. Stay safe. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6HuQZ095SAGP5_S5ZCqdcXHdfgSUkXnWSXuonBpXNTbzHPMrcYNZjZ06XnadEThyphenhyphenybgJyKis8G_BCfKUuCWYn7IxLoDZ5Xrm74RTpydS8qGjjhAdomg7qL9YAqSAdn_j4J-TYrllPUxv/s1600/Flirty-seeya.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6HuQZ095SAGP5_S5ZCqdcXHdfgSUkXnWSXuonBpXNTbzHPMrcYNZjZ06XnadEThyphenhyphenybgJyKis8G_BCfKUuCWYn7IxLoDZ5Xrm74RTpydS8qGjjhAdomg7qL9YAqSAdn_j4J-TYrllPUxv/s1600/Flirty-seeya.gif" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-50800497255534363182015-10-31T15:34:00.001+02:002015-10-31T15:36:42.051+02:00'Exodus in Confluence' by Bryant A. Loney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa1eud3V9M85_sfKdB93l_24J018IPW4Qo8UWJIHyNxfa3RxOFIIDl7pUZBGn06XRQDtHpg0-4U5A2iuLAvUue7x5A7ksbIt51v4cyMm05Jh1HAVwPvA7RRfipCAmmsqwas6hKyLOHOKw/s1600/eBook+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa1eud3V9M85_sfKdB93l_24J018IPW4Qo8UWJIHyNxfa3RxOFIIDl7pUZBGn06XRQDtHpg0-4U5A2iuLAvUue7x5A7ksbIt51v4cyMm05Jh1HAVwPvA7RRfipCAmmsqwas6hKyLOHOKw/s200/eBook+Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Verona Booksellers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN:</b> 978-0-692-24564-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">"NO
PLACE IS EVER GOING TO BE SAFE."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Exodus
in Confluence is a glimpse at what can happen to people when they are put under
truly adverse circumstances -- struggling to hold onto their moral values in
the face of almost certain death. It's a blend of narrative and commentary on
the human condition. It's about people struggling to be human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Five
months into the zombie apocalypse, seventeen-year-old Stephen Hart lived in a
society where rules and humanity had left him for dead. The remaining survivors
clung feverishly to whatever hope remained -- maybe it was a family member, or
a religion, or a destination. But in less than one week, everything changed.
(And so the cycle repeats.)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">A
year later, his ramshackle settlement has been compromised, as evidenced by the
hordes of the undead swarming inside the gates... and Stephen is to blame.
Instead of running, he takes to the airwaves, using the transmission in the
now-abandoned radio station to broadcast his story via speakers to his fleeing
citizens. This way, maybe he won't look like such a total monster.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">With
the clock running out, venture into Stephen's post-apocalyptic world, where
circumstances can make us become something other than ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26811038-exodus-in-confluence?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">From Goodreads.</a>]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When I initially sat down to read Bryant A.
Loney’s novella, I have to admit that I was a little hesitant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally, novellas aren’t really my thing (I
like my books big and complex – anything under two hundred pages leaves me
feeling unfulfilled and grumpy), but I was also concerned that my expectations
of the author had skyrocketed after I read his novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amybouwer.blogspot.co.za/2015/09/to-hear-ocean-sigh-by-bryant-loney.html" target="_blank">To Hear The Ocean Sigh</a></i>. Long story short, I didn’t want to be
disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I needn’t have worried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Loney’s novella is dark, haunting, and
thought provoking. As in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Hear The
Ocean Sigh</i>, I was in awe of the author’s incredible writing style – his
ability to weave such wonderfully gripping stories without sacrificing
eloquence and elegance is quite frankly astounding, especially considering that
he only wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exodus in Confluence</i> at
sixteen. Plot-wise, Loney is a genius, but that’s all I’ll say for fear of
ruining the adrenaline rush that will leave readers reeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But these elements were not even the best
part about Loney’s novella. Lurking beneath his story is a highly insightful
commentary on modern society’s departure from its own humanity, and it’s enough
to send shockwaves through any reader’s system. I loved it, especially because
it serves both as an observation of the futile violence that is obliterating
our world, and as a warning of what is to come if we don’t prevent it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is a phenomenal story that everybody needs to read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>~Thank you to Wes Florentine from Verona
Booksellers for providing me with the opportunity to review this novella.~</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Not really, but you get the idea.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b> 5/5<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recommended to:</b> Anybody and everybody.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If all that wasn’t enough to convince you
that you should read this novella, I have three more reasons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1. It’s amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. It will only take you 90 minutes to
read.</span><br />
<br />
3. <b>Zombies.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-48795958982664820872015-09-20T11:33:00.001+02:002015-09-20T11:36:47.164+02:00'The Raven Boys' by Maggie Stiefvater<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GhECb76zTMpfyjn0b1LHPTvCLIJ43MWH8fj80aHY3AaPgzvOJkMS20b7nl2W8mDpBQbj7tGLLhlMgz0OxjXuILLdy9GK3WAO4LmzNP1Ku3dGdTTDZ6Ih4HPgpY3qf5yjyQ5s7GrtfeNv/s1600/17675462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GhECb76zTMpfyjn0b1LHPTvCLIJ43MWH8fj80aHY3AaPgzvOJkMS20b7nl2W8mDpBQbj7tGLLhlMgz0OxjXuILLdy9GK3WAO4LmzNP1Ku3dGdTTDZ6Ih4HPgpY3qf5yjyQ5s7GrtfeNv/s200/17675462.jpg" width="131" /></a>Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Series:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Raven Cycle</i>, #1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA Fantasy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Scholastic Press<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">ISBN: 9780545424929<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“There
are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve
said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">It is
freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Every
year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead
walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges
from the dark and speaks directly to her.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">His
name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby,
the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys.
Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But
Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it
all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more
than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam,
the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the
fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of
the four, who notices many things but says very little.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">For
as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true
love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life
becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s
not so sure anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">From
Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy
and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability
of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys" target="_blank">From Goodreads</a>]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is the first time I’ve ever dared to
delve into Maggie Steifvater’s world, and I have to say I’m struggling a little
to keep my emotions in check. I have a headache. It feels like all my thoughts
about this book are spilling out of my ears because my brain is
hyperventilating and throwing around furniture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgsJAkVIlsufItyLVRH376GvLJJWcADdBIqPMmbU0A2toaZFk4kERXY89y9UDJzh0t2IboXsE7HlO98K1vQH8_FepBNzjqFd8kDuMELze4XJxOlMS4ykwxhFAwy0AURo-ElHvxyvkQfGh/s1600/large.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgsJAkVIlsufItyLVRH376GvLJJWcADdBIqPMmbU0A2toaZFk4kERXY89y9UDJzh0t2IboXsE7HlO98K1vQH8_FepBNzjqFd8kDuMELze4XJxOlMS4ykwxhFAwy0AURo-ElHvxyvkQfGh/s320/large.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What a marvelous story. Stiefvater’s
writing is magical. There’s really no other way to describe it. Right from the
opening line, Stiefvater began weaving this intricate and electrifying spell that made me dizzy. It
may have started off slowly, drawing on more and more of my energy as the story
built itself up, but ten pages in I was already entranced. By the time I
reached the halfway mark, the world around me felt like it was buzzing with
electricity, but for the life of me I couldn’t draw my eyes away from the
pages. The final few chapters were an explosion – Blue’s world and my own
seemed to shatter into a billion pieces, and then it just… ended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Note to the author: That is not okay. You
broke me. You can’t just drop a bomb like that with such nonchalance, and then
skip happily on to the acknowledgements. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvk-i7KmSgHOLZmvR6G_ymwAUBfJb_7yqUHf_9q4mU-wBGb6SXHFP_Pzy0oJ0TG1lSYDFR_zmrLSgKRg85KRGCAXyqF3dWWAJ2UIP84dyvWl7Frkl7mDzirZtTysZin0icynvcbwe7ExS/s1600/giphy-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvk-i7KmSgHOLZmvR6G_ymwAUBfJb_7yqUHf_9q4mU-wBGb6SXHFP_Pzy0oJ0TG1lSYDFR_zmrLSgKRg85KRGCAXyqF3dWWAJ2UIP84dyvWl7Frkl7mDzirZtTysZin0icynvcbwe7ExS/s320/giphy-2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The only negative point I have to mention
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Raven Boys </i>is with regards
to the characters. While charismatic Gansey and eccentric Blue seemed so enchanting
and otherworldly in the beginning, I couldn’t help but feel a little
disappointed in them by the end. They seemed to become increasingly
two-dimensional as the novel progressed, whereas Adam, Noah and Ronan did the
exact opposite. It was a strange scenario, but I’m sure Stiefvater will rectify
it in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dream Thieves</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Overall, though, this was an incredible
novel. I love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing style, and I can’t wait to read more
of her work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s1600/4+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s400/4+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 4/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Everybody. Everybody.
Everybody.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Noah twist:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzSjzPfa7Dmwx1uheenBiZTJ1G0zT88cnu-jREa_4ptg4BcCcnpA96tKt9vkyJCjz1rpF_SxnIsts7BTHs8hEt7Xv___NC4YcBL7UWi4ZMtQc0hQeJv_j-8A3i7KpMuJhS60Olhwn3FlE/s1600/tumblr_np64cqGW4L1s2wzrto1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzSjzPfa7Dmwx1uheenBiZTJ1G0zT88cnu-jREa_4ptg4BcCcnpA96tKt9vkyJCjz1rpF_SxnIsts7BTHs8hEt7Xv___NC4YcBL7UWi4ZMtQc0hQeJv_j-8A3i7KpMuJhS60Olhwn3FlE/s320/tumblr_np64cqGW4L1s2wzrto1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well played, Stiefvater.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-73422166799619254862015-09-19T09:00:00.000+02:002015-09-19T13:15:29.779+02:00Why I dislike John Green<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s face it – famous people have a hard
life. Nobody’s really indifferent towards them (myself included), meaning that
they either receive e-mail proposals (rings and all, apparently) or blood-soaked hate mail on a daily
basis. But there are <i>celebrity problems</i>
and then there are<i> bestselling author
problems</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">John Green has <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bestselling author problems</i>. Half the time he’s in the spotlight as one of the
best YA authors of the decade, and then he spends the other half watching teenagers hurl abuse at him for making racist comments, misrepresenting
their generation or just being "downright rude". The poor man can barely carry on
with his job… or, various jobs: hanging around the movie sets for adaptions of
his latest novels, filming YouTube videos with his brother, and writing,
obviously. He’s either seen as the all-holy leader of misfit teens, or a
problematic middle-aged misogynist who must be stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But you’ve seen the heading of this post,
so you already know where I’m going with this. I’ll get on with it, then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>I dislike John Green.</b> Not “hate”. Dislike. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio33nDg_891lFyqqr3xVi5YuOxMml4_8d8PskJFSRDFXhWB4SC0xoqq1Tcyl0IbxckNFiiEpYkt-Ct-4odaRl4LMYXjODIgUFx5zNW_D28gvzcA8h8VH0VfrKFDhi35kmy5fuRAklC5AVU/s1600/tumblr_static_tumblr_inline_mkepkzbzsa1qz4rgp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio33nDg_891lFyqqr3xVi5YuOxMml4_8d8PskJFSRDFXhWB4SC0xoqq1Tcyl0IbxckNFiiEpYkt-Ct-4odaRl4LMYXjODIgUFx5zNW_D28gvzcA8h8VH0VfrKFDhi35kmy5fuRAklC5AVU/s400/tumblr_static_tumblr_inline_mkepkzbzsa1qz4rgp.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I see you making this face right now, but let me explain, <br />okay? Okay. (Maybe okay will be our always.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Don’t get me wrong – I really, really want
to love John Green. I adored <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fault In
Our Stars</i>. I thought it was one of the most beautiful novels I’d ever read
at the time. At fifteen, I just wanted to soak up all the goodness I saw in
that book and radiate it onto other people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But then I grew up, just a teeny tiny bit,
and read some more of his stuff. And cringed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m one of those people who strongly believe
in speaking out against the things that make us uncomfortable. It’s one of the
ways in which we develop strong opinions on topical issues and alert others of the
problems of which we have become aware. But that said, I’m hesitant to use the
word “hate” against somebody like John Green, who really isn’t trying to
destroy anyone’s life for his own personal gain, contrary to popular belief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve read three of Green’s five novels (I’m
still debating whether I should delve into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Will
Grayson, Will Grayson</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">An
Abundance of Katherines</i>) and his short story in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let It Snow</i>. All that to say I’m not exactly an expert on all
things Green. But a few things about him have made me ever so
slightly uncomfortable, which is why I want to address them here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Firstly, I struggle to understand how such
an influential man in the YA world isn’t making more of an effort to redefine
the genre. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fault In Our Stars</i> was
a breakthrough novel, managing to expand Green’s audience past the teens who
read consistently to those who wouldn’t have dared to pick up the book if it
hadn’t been for the success of the film. And Green <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does</i> write very well – his prose is simple and accessible, always
allowing his story to take center stage but with a bit of added flair that a
lot of other authors don’t get right. But <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">his
novels conform to rather than rebel against the restrictions of contemporary YA
fiction</b>, such as the constant presence of romance, attractive characters
and a quirky protagonist. He could redefine YA as we know it with one novella!
Why isn’t he trying?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I also found myself muttering, “Why isn’t
John Green embracing diversity in his novels?” whenever I picked up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking For Alaska </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper Towns</i>. YA is supposed to be
something that you can lose yourself in, regardless of your age, gender, size,
smell, race, religion, hair colour, relationship status, what have you. For
somebody who claims to be an advocate for teenagers wanting to be different,
his representation of characters in novels is extremely limited. Nerdy teenage
boy (usually the protagonist), extremely hot teenage girl (love interest),
comic relief (boy’s best friend)… <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Most
of his characters are attractive, white, heterosexual, middle-class teenagers.</b>
What does this say about everyone else? Where’s the diversity? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Additionally, there’s the way he accidentally
(?) misrepresents things. Key example: feminism in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking For Alaska</i>. Green attempted to represent a badass feminist
character, but unfortunately he failed miserably. Alaska talks a lot about
equality and women’s rights, but somebody who was that desperate for constant
male attention is not exactly the poster-child for girl-power. At times, I also
got the distinct feeling he was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">mocking
feminism</b> through Alaska’s eccentricity, but I hope to every star in the
heavens that I’m just being pedantic, otherwise I might have to introduce the
book to my high-powered shredder, and its remains to a jug of gasoline and a
lighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And then there’s his point about nerdy
girls being a romantic resource and literary device rather than… um… people…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HRVdl2Gk9MxVjBxcBC24SWkYILxmeFHn81EEPd0mfUtr2v8sliVEnT2M8r-abyA9rPIh2i8tZAOt2aQu-7CmF1sfvl29slMkpQvl9a2EjVZuZzGsslfbjBgDZopQ2TuBrTWgDJ57x4HO/s1600/john-green-nerd-girls.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HRVdl2Gk9MxVjBxcBC24SWkYILxmeFHn81EEPd0mfUtr2v8sliVEnT2M8r-abyA9rPIh2i8tZAOt2aQu-7CmF1sfvl29slMkpQvl9a2EjVZuZzGsslfbjBgDZopQ2TuBrTWgDJ57x4HO/s320/john-green-nerd-girls.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">…which made me a little bit nauseous,
because now there are at least a million teenage girls out there thinking it’s
admirable to become a literary device, to turn themselves into somebody like
Alaska or Margo, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">neither of whom are healthy
human beings</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Green also toes the line between <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">accurately representing teenage characters</b>
that smoke and drink and are generally “broken souls” as he defines them, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">encouraging such behavior</b> through his
novels. This is an extremely dangerous way to go, especially considering his
huge audience of younger readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">All that to say, John Green has a lot of
potential to become a super awesome human being and possibly change the world
(or at least the teen reading world). <b>I wanna see him do it.</b> I do not want to
see predictable characters and formulaic storylines in his upcoming novels – I
want him to push the boundaries, I want him to pull another <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fault In Our Stars</i>, but with diverse
characters and a new twist on contemporary YA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Oooooorrr maybe I'm just crazy. What do you guys think? Do you love John Green, but also want to see him push the boundaries a little? Or are you among those who just can't stand him, despite all his good intentions?</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-10866065760755433952015-09-12T22:06:00.000+02:002015-09-12T22:18:03.861+02:00‘To Hear The Ocean Sigh’ by Bryant A. Loney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymr_RRam809s7Y-g14yjNBuPdMqg1tTDXrEARQ0Y54DnLhoEPA2AHj1uLDXJGdUInHpVPXmxEEpcOe2l0oYi2yumm2qAp0BfnPlECTs3UBFiis0TWWIu7IIdKb-pnY-wrOtWcihjagkwF/s1600/toheartheoceansigh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymr_RRam809s7Y-g14yjNBuPdMqg1tTDXrEARQ0Y54DnLhoEPA2AHj1uLDXJGdUInHpVPXmxEEpcOe2l0oYi2yumm2qAp0BfnPlECTs3UBFiis0TWWIu7IIdKb-pnY-wrOtWcihjagkwF/s200/toheartheoceansigh.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Verona Booksellers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN: </b>9780692415528<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Available via </span> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692381112" target="_blank">Amazon</a> (& Kindle), <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-hear-the-ocean-sigh-bryant-a-loney/1121811410" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> (& Nook), <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780692381113" target="_blank">IndieBound</a>, <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/to-hear-the-ocean-sigh" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Bryant_A_Loney_To_Hear_The_Ocean_Sigh?id=omesCAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Jay
Murchison believes he is a nobody at his high school in Oklahoma. Coming from a
conservative family of affordable luxury, Jay has an overwhelming desire to
become something great. After a mysterious girl named Saphnie in North Carolina
mistakenly texts him, an unlikely relationship develops that affects Jay’s
self-perception and influences the rest of his sophomore year. This correspondence
leads him to a group of thrill-seekers who provide a grand departure from the
quiet life Jay is familiar with and eye-opening experiences to witness
first-hand the truth behind the loose morals his fellow classmates have come to
know. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">In a story
filled with injustice, hope, hatred, love, grief, and understanding, readers
will ask themselves what it truly means to hear the ocean sigh and learn of the
dire consequences that come with its responsibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26053936-to-hear-the-ocean-sigh?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">[From Goodreads]</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">I
received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest
review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I was a little bit hesitant to pick up a
coming-of-age novel in my final months of high school. To me, coming-of-age has
always seemed a little too realistic to be enjoyable, if that makes any sense.
When I was fourteen, I didn’t want to read about pimples and popularity
paranoia because I was living it. These days, I’m far happier to pretend those
dark times never happened – I don’t need a book to stir up all those dark
memories I’ve shoved into a bottomless pit in the recesses of my mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Nonetheless, I am so glad I decided to read
this novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Like all coming-of-age novels, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Hear The Ocean Sigh</i> deals with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i> issues that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">real</i> teens face. Unlike most coming-of-age novels, it’s genuine.
Heartfelt. Loney isn’t necessarily using his novel to uplift teens or warp
their struggles into a cringe-worthy comedy – he’s sharing a story that most
teens have either witnessed or experienced firsthand, and he does so without
romanticizing or undermining his characters’ problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I loved most things about this book. It’s
an almost perfect representation of real life in high school, from the
difficulties of identifying personality disorders, depression and broken
backgrounds underneath picture-perfect facades, to the struggle of trying to
fit in when you don’t even know who you’re supposed to be, let alone how you
should get people to like you. The characters were extremely well developed, and
their tendency to irritate the hell out of me was really just a result of them
being so similar to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">actual</i>
sixteen-year-olds. Nobody <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i>
likes you when you’re sixteen – you’re annoying and whiny and care too much
about what other people think about your hair, or whatever. But you’re just
beginning to develop your own opinions, which brings about such delicious
confusion and conflict that it drives everybody crazy. Jay, Lily, Ethan and
Saphne were exactly that: they were real and they were diverse and they were
interesting and they were beautiful in their brokenness. And that was perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Loney’s writing style was also stunning. He
managed to find the ideal balance between simplicity, accessibility and
delicate detail – perfect for a coming-of-age novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I got a bit restless in the last
fifty or so pages on account of the pace slowing down significantly, the ending
completely made up for it. The last few pages were heartbreaking, and all of a
sudden Loney’s style transformed into this fragile and bittersweet masterpiece.
I don’t think I breathed from page 258 until I turned the final page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A wonderful story as moving as it is
unique. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 4/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to: </b>Pretty much all teens in
their awkward phase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Please can more teenagers write
coming-of-age novels like this one? I needed more of this when I was drowning
in angst at fifteen, not endlessly condescending “these are the best years of your
life” novels written by those who've forgotten how confusing it is to be stuck in the in-between phase of old-child. Teens don’t have the benefit of
hindsight (or foresight), so it’s helpful to have a novel written from the
perspective of somebody who still remembers what it feels like to doubt that
life even carries on, let alone gets better. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">~<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thank
you to Wes Florentine from Verona Booksellers for providing me with the
opportunity to review this book.~<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-68340437159904088912015-09-12T09:00:00.000+02:002015-09-12T09:00:03.826+02:00eBooks vs. Audio Books vs. Actual Books<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20Bvi2XdmiRa8JPKsYNk7xoYHzvW7Lp0WgTw1A33bX6Sg0ZOEsOomvQQKlu5IkWkdCY19k4o0mmE3fxY4KCvf-WGB9-MhKStKQx4YEUPscksN8A-MzR3s-t1eHdiKTAKnoZuZM5xFYRfj/s1600/BlogEBOOKS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20Bvi2XdmiRa8JPKsYNk7xoYHzvW7Lp0WgTw1A33bX6Sg0ZOEsOomvQQKlu5IkWkdCY19k4o0mmE3fxY4KCvf-WGB9-MhKStKQx4YEUPscksN8A-MzR3s-t1eHdiKTAKnoZuZM5xFYRfj/s640/BlogEBOOKS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
All readers are well-acquainted with the
struggle of deciding which format is best for their next book bargain. It may seem like
such a shallow problem (they’re all <i>books</i>,
you might say, they all have the same <i>story</i>)
but, speaking from experience, sometimes reading a book in the wrong format
sucks. I once downloaded <i>Miss Peregrine’s
Home For Peculiar Children</i> on my Kindle only to discover that its beautiful
black-and-white photographs wouldn’t show up in the ebook format (many tears
were shed that night). And of course, listening to a book with illustrations
totally defeats the point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A lot of people tend to ask me which format
I recommend, which is dumb, because everybody has a personal preference. Just
because I like mermaids more than unicorns doesn’t mean that unicorns aren’t
badass, right? Right. And all formats have their benefits! I’m not about to
tell anybody that they must only ever read hardback books, because they’ll run
out of money for food and then they’ll literally have to live on words alone.
(This is a serious issue. Guys, please don’t ever eat your books. Contrary to
popular belief, eating a page out of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
5<sup>th</sup> Wave</i> won’t help you survive the apocalypse.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But because I love being an opinionated
reader, I’ll share my thoughts on all three formats without necessarily
choosing the best one. That way I can’t be blamed for ruining somebody’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">eBooks</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ebooks are the best technological invention
of the decade (other than e-readers, obviously, and also those reading lights
you can clip onto your glasses). Do you frequently find yourself seeking
intellectual stimulation whilst aimlessly scrolling through your cellphone in
public? Look no further than an ebook! You can read it on your phone! You can
read it on your tablet, iPad, iPod, Kindle! Even your watch! (All right that
one’s a lie, but one day…) Seriously, ebooks are awesome. They’re cheap,
immediate and image-friendly – no more worries about appearing “nerdy” or
“weird” in public because you’re hauling around a suitcase filled with all your
favourite books, because now you can keep them all in the wondrous digital
cloud!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Downside
of owning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only </i>e-books:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> When we have a solar flare and all our technology gets wiped out, you
won’t be able to read ever again. Sorry. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m</i>
sure as hell not sharing my precious few paperbacks when you’re bored and
looking for a way to escape from the reality of a dystopian world through
contemporary YA fiction. (Ha. That’s so ironic it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">almost</i> an awesome concept. Someone write a book, quickly.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Audio Books</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Up until recently, I flat out refused to
listen to audio books. “I’m a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reader</i>,”
I would argue, “not a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">listener</i>.”
Well, clearly I was missing out. The beauty of an audio book is simple: they
are perfect for multitasking purposes. You can paint your nails, cook dinner,
play rugby, type up an essay, sleep, eat dinner with your family, sit in a
lecture, or even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">read another book</i>,
all whilst listening to your audio book. That’s not to say that you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> – playing rugby while you listen
to a romance novel doesn’t sound all that safe. Imagine if you started <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crying</i> during the match because your
favourite character died? You’d probably be given a red card.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Also, audio books are awesome if you’ve
always wanted to live <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside</i> the
story. You can pretend that the voice is narrating your own story – you can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">become</i> the protagonist. Sure, you might
get yourself sent to an asylum, but you’re Celaena Sardothien, now. You’ll find
a way out, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Downside
of owning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> audio books: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">I’m not going to lie, sometimes the voices get annoying. Not only
because you’re literally <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hearing strange voices
in your head</i> for eight hours at a time or more, but also because sometimes
those voices get annoying. I mean that in the least offensive way possible.
Sometimes, I’ll be listening to a book, and the woman reading it will have an
amazing accent. Then instead of focusing on the story, I’ll start trying to
figure out where she’s from, and how I can get her accent (South African
accents suck. We sound like we’ve swallowed ducks that are stuck in our throats
and are speaking in unison with us. I’m always trying to give myself a
nonchalant British accent, and failing miserably, but audio books are helping
me learn).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Paperbacks and Hardbacks</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I know this sounds terrible, but I’m
incredibly vain when it comes to purchasing books. As in, I am perfectly
willing to spend an absolute fortune on a paperback or hardback book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just </i>so that I can admire how beautiful
it looks on my bookshelf. Other bloggers have pointed out that physical copies
also just look way better in their booklr and bookstagram photos, and I say I
have to agree. Trying to arrange a cellphone in an aesthetic position next to a
bunch of flowers just doesn’t give the same vibe as a pretty paperback covered
in autumn leaves or whatever. Then there’s that irreproducible feeling of
getting books in the mail, especially after you’ve been anticipating their
arrival for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">months</i>. And the way a
paperback smells, even when it’s old and dusty and falling to pieces. And the
way you can pile them around you to make an impenetrable fort of literature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Downside
of owning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only </i>physical books: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">People can ask to borrow them, and then you have to come to terms
with the prospect of somebody <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">breaking
the spine</i>, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dogearing the pages</i>.
Or worse, they don’t give it back, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and
then it’s lost forever</i>. These are the things that keep me up at night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>What do you think? Do you prefer listening
to books or reading them? And is it better to keep a physical copy just in case
the apocalypse wipes out your e-reader, or are ebooks just more convenient? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-44664424130518602942015-09-05T20:07:00.000+02:002015-09-05T20:07:48.068+02:00‘The Accident Season’ by Moira Fowley-Doyle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2oJfZwsaumS7GlaPCrFlaabTJ-lwY0rk5WLxUYbzI0TqdwH8IToiQvZy8BBvrhItXaCM0je4hSkqk0rKK0FnlYqZ8gShoKIwAM8gKcuKOUKVgBoKM3O9CsHOLF_kwhyB0HInVF8momE6/s1600/23346358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2oJfZwsaumS7GlaPCrFlaabTJ-lwY0rk5WLxUYbzI0TqdwH8IToiQvZy8BBvrhItXaCM0je4hSkqk0rKK0FnlYqZ8gShoKIwAM8gKcuKOUKVgBoKM3O9CsHOLF_kwhyB0HInVF8momE6/s200/23346358.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Genre: YA, Magical Realism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Publisher: Corgi Childrens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">ISBN: 9780552571302<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">It's
the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises
bloom.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">The
accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as
she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of
many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone.
They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding,
switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the
accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But
why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23346358-the-accident-season?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">From Goodreads</a>]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This novel is flawless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I feel like Moira Fowley-Doyle grabbed my
hand tight and led me through the darkest shadows of myself to rediscover the wild
part of my soul. Reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Accident
Season </i>made me feel alive – it was like she wove a spell through her words
that made me want to read and live recklessly. All at once, I wanted to run
outside and look for the magic in the world, because finishing her novel helped
me to believe it was out there somewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">No other book has made me feel that way in
a very long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Darkness seems to pulse through
Fowley-Doyle’s characters. They are dangerous, they are broken, but they’re
also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so real</i>. They are lost, tearing
up their own lives in a misguided attempt to find their place in the world.
Although Cara narrates the entire novel, I felt as though I knew each and every
character personally, and in part that’s what made this novel so utterly
haunting. Charming, wild Bea who radiates energy and fire; calculating Alice
whose past clutches onto her present; quiet Sam, afraid of himself and hiding
in the shadows; and Cara, who chases after nightmares. And their relationship
is also just brilliant. Despite their striking differences and individual
problems, they never fail to link arms and march on through their pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, and the pain they suffer through… Cara,
Sam, Alice and their mother Melanie become accident-prone every October. Nobody
understands why, but the accident season can be deadly, and this time Bea’s
tarot cards have predicted an outcome even worse than the usual cuts, bruises
and broken bones. Initially, I found this premise enthralling, but the author
weaves in contemporary, mysterious and paranormal features that made my head
spin in the best way possible. I’d never delved into Magical Realism as a genre before,
but it’s delightfully bizarre – a dark and twisted reality is created by
treating magical occurrences as the norm. Cara catches glimpses of her own
imaginings in the real world, but the author writes as though they are actually
there. Paranormal creatures come out to play in the dark of the night, but
while they could simply be metaphors there’s a suggestion they’re real. The
effect is exhilarating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Accident Season </i>becomes a masterpiece because of its author’s writing
style. The experience of reading it was simply intoxicating – I felt like I was
drunk on a magical concoction of sadness and ethereal beauty. The story flowed
as smoothly yet wildly as dancers in a trance. There’s really no other way
to describe it. Fowley-Doyle’s words are raw with emotion, tumbling across the
page recklessly and effortlessly, but simultaneously stunning in its poetic
imagery. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Singed, singe, sing, sang,
song. </i>Our pain is a song. It opens us out and drops pebbles of truth inside
us and then it sews us back up again.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">The
Accident Season</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> is wonderfully weird, with equal
parts creepiness and beauty woven into its storyline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moira Fowley-Doyle’s writing is wildly
addictive, and I can’t wait to read her next novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Readers with a forgotten
dark side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I don’t know how this book doesn’t have a
five-star average rating on Goodreads. It’s one of those novels I’m going to
force all my friends to read. I’ll probably reread a billion times. It’s
absolutely incredible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean, look at this:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US">“Rain falls on the keys like it’s going to
type out its own secrets. I would read them aloud but I don’t speak the
language of the rain. I’m not even sure I can understand the river any more. It
roars on beside me but it doesn’t whisper my secrets back at me, and it doesn’t
call my name. Maybe it never really did.”</span></blockquote>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Just beautiful.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-3812887414081088862015-09-03T18:52:00.000+02:002015-09-03T20:08:41.008+02:00ARC: 'Shattered Blue' by Lauren Bird Horowitz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Gx0uL0pa21BwkOivHHqc4Je939nimsuJsgqsGqy9cLWlPvL-PcpC2nLmbUqqSlIcVZDzHZTLrgUaOquvvwg-9TIg8dn8fkUMM7QSXHtKV6MEwGlnaOxpFa8K6AktG6jRnhBiKAP7reV/s1600/25953603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0Gx0uL0pa21BwkOivHHqc4Je939nimsuJsgqsGqy9cLWlPvL-PcpC2nLmbUqqSlIcVZDzHZTLrgUaOquvvwg-9TIg8dn8fkUMM7QSXHtKV6MEwGlnaOxpFa8K6AktG6jRnhBiKAP7reV/s200/25953603.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA Fantasy<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b>Series:<i> </i></b><i>The Light Trilogy</i>, #1</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Skyskape<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN:</b> 9781503949973<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Release Date: </b>15 September 2015</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">For
Noa and Callum, being together is dangerous, even deadly. From the start,
sixteen-year-old Noa senses that the mysterious transfer student to her
Monterey boarding school is different. Callum unnerves and intrigues her, and
even as she struggles through family tragedy, she’s irresistibly drawn to him.
Soon they are bound by his deepest secret: Callum is Fae, banished from another
world after a loss hauntingly similar to her own.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But
in Noa’s world, Callum needs a special human energy, Light, to survive; his
body steals it through touch—or a kiss. And Callum’s not the only Fae on the
hunt. When Callum is taken, Noa must decide: Will she sacrifice everything to
save him? Even if it means learning their love may not be what she thought?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25953603-shattered-blue?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">From Goodreads</a>]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">I
received an advance reading copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first few pages of this book were like
finding the rabbit hole that leads to Wonderland – tremendously exciting. I was
so blinded by anticipation of what I might find at the end that I didn’t stop
to check that my expectations were realistic. I dove straight in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Then, just like falling through the White
Rabbit’s massive dark hole, it began a downwards spiral. Not in a good way. The
fall was long and boring – until big things, like chairs and tables, started randomly springing up and knocking the wind out of me as I tumbled through
the air with nothing to cling to. And suddenly – BAM – I hit the bottom of
the rabbit hole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But I realised it wasn't Wonderland. Instead, I was sitting in a dark cave with piles of broken climaxes and snapped plot twists
lying all over the place. And there was a funny smell in the air. Like rot and
instalove.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I can understand why so many people love
this novel as much as they do. Horowitz is a lovely writer, and her talent for
world-building is exceptional – I really enjoyed the way she painted a vision
of Aurora, the Fae world, without ever actually having her characters take the reader there. The way she developed Colour Fae and Clear Fae was intriguing, and such a creative twist on the faery legend. I was also mesmerized for the whole of Part One, drinking in
Noa’s beautiful poetry and wanting to linger in her mind forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But when Callum entered the scene, things
seemed to fall apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first issue I had was that Noa
seemed to fall in love with Callum mere seconds after meeting him. They <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">literally</i> had that horrid clichéd moment
where their eyes meet and they fall into some love-trance. Not only that, but
as soon as Noa enters Callum’s presence, she immediately becomes a damsel in
distress. For somebody who showed such potential as a strong, fierce superhero
at the beginning of her story, she really let me down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This wouldn’t have put me off so much,
except that things only got worse as the story progressed. Significantly less
plotting seemed to go into the second half of the book, and then suddenly the
author tore up her entire story at the end as if even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i> didn’t like the explanations she’d come up with in the middle.
Everything was hastily torn apart and thrown back together in a single, clumsy
final chapter, only to be destroyed once again in the epilogue. I had to read
the last two chapters three times before anything made sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I would recommend giving <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shattered Blue</i> a chance, because there
really are some charming aspects to it. But if you get itchy in the presence of
love triangles, shaky plot twists, instalove and weak heroines, beware. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s1600/3+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s400/3+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 3/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Readers of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wings</i> by Aprilynne Pike, and lovers of
badass fairies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Spoiler
Alert.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I don’t hate love triangles. After reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Infernal Devices</i> by Cassandra Clare,
I’ve made my peace with them, because sometimes it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> actually add to the overall feeling of tension and excitement
in a novel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But love triangles between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brothers?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF71Ga_2sSllX1dc8HhQb3Pqqk5pkWclwbpG2qdYTXNoZLVL0OnYs4PwCZhMrDBDrASFyDZz1GICAifK3z_68ipB221mzoS8fo8nt72fopPlrQPle4zpXMdnu83WJ2kZxrfJ9uxqZffLh/s1600/tumblr_inline_ngebrxMSub1shrb8p.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF71Ga_2sSllX1dc8HhQb3Pqqk5pkWclwbpG2qdYTXNoZLVL0OnYs4PwCZhMrDBDrASFyDZz1GICAifK3z_68ipB221mzoS8fo8nt72fopPlrQPle4zpXMdnu83WJ2kZxrfJ9uxqZffLh/s320/tumblr_inline_ngebrxMSub1shrb8p.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That is so not okay. Firstly, if you picked
the older one first but later decide you have feelings for the younger one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tough luck</i>. I don’t care how desperately
in love you are with both of them – you stick by the older one and don't even <i>touch</i> the younger brother, because you
will cause some massive family feud (especially if there are already some
massive unsolved issues regarding unrequited love in that family), which could
potentially result in the end of your world, if you’re Noa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I don’t even want to know who she’s going
to end up with. I can’t deal with that amount of stress in my life right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-24487409140578411492015-09-02T15:45:00.001+02:002015-09-02T15:45:59.522+02:00Six reasons why September is going to slaughter me slowly<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not even 48 hours into September and
I’m already blasting Greenday’s <i>Wake Me
Up When September Ends,</i> resisting the urge to lie on my bedroom floor and
descend into yet another existential crisis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve always hated September, but that stems
from a prepubescent impatience for a) my birthday in October, b) the end of the
school year in December, and c) Christmas – all of which seem horrifically
close but oh so far away when September finally rolls around. Plus, here in
South Africa, September is technically the beginning of spring, but just as
you’re about to pull on your cute flowery dresses and sun hats, a cold front
hits you like that freak snowstorm in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frozen</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Don’t even get me started on the pollen
that can work its way into your very soul and turn your insides to dust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But this September is different. <b>This
September marks the Beginning of the End</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve come up with six reasons why I might
not make it through this month, just in case I suddenly drop out of cyberspace
and then mysteriously reemerge as an extra in the new season of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead</i>. Then at least you’ll
have a list of people to sue (or thank) if I don’t make it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1. I start my last two-and-a-half months of
high school in just under a week. I imagine that this journey will be like that
period just before the apocalypse when the sun blacks out and everybody’s
panicking and waiting to die (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finals</i>),
which is why I’ve now started referring to it as “Darkness Rising”. And stage
one of Darkness Rising (September) is the in-between phase when, even though
buildings are crumbling and people are dying, you’re still expected to go to school and turn in a
gazillion projects (but keep in mind you should be studying for finals, too.
When? Nobody knows. Find a way to create time). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgmSuQH2BnZbz_bqFctC0KhfL2-B-8GaHZ3eY-aA4zJojzDr9hT-6mvlzr0x9ZyrquSJYeLlGfzOhQud2PnMcv7TGe3Po43zgJuCw2U2B1MSXf_bRxAMXgCiTTt8hSIH99GyDJZQGsSrr/s1600/10_zpspjrtrzz0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgmSuQH2BnZbz_bqFctC0KhfL2-B-8GaHZ3eY-aA4zJojzDr9hT-6mvlzr0x9ZyrquSJYeLlGfzOhQud2PnMcv7TGe3Po43zgJuCw2U2B1MSXf_bRxAMXgCiTTt8hSIH99GyDJZQGsSrr/s320/10_zpspjrtrzz0.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Because I was convinced that some
extra-terrestrial force would somehow prevent my school’s reopening next week,
I’ve barely started any of the assignments I’m supposed to complete. Even now,
when I know I should be working, I’m debating what book I should read once I’ve
posted this blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9aupH5JKVu-MN-akXbNpy3sJ5cxSN7XBuYp6TuLdpZ_IwWiBCSU1s-vWm5ysxdyJ9mQxHU49ozjUSXyvvpT2-RKVIkKtNQjowovv5cSAC8siGC9FHA31UwNIUldnhBFfTgTByymQYsGw/s1600/tumblr_mox8x6Xz8F1sx630lo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9aupH5JKVu-MN-akXbNpy3sJ5cxSN7XBuYp6TuLdpZ_IwWiBCSU1s-vWm5ysxdyJ9mQxHU49ozjUSXyvvpT2-RKVIkKtNQjowovv5cSAC8siGC9FHA31UwNIUldnhBFfTgTByymQYsGw/s320/tumblr_mox8x6Xz8F1sx630lo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">3. That’s another issue. I have so much I
want to read. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I don’t have time for silly
mundane things like schoolwork</i>. I have a pile of fifteen books next to my
bed that I planned to read before the end of the holidays, and then a whole
library of unread ebooks on my Kindle, a couple of ARCs that I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">still </i>haven’t gotten around to reading, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> a bunch of titles I requested on
Netgalley. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RZA9inbEnZMNT07CzR32FAdPHWCfM7j2JF_3rcaSuk_83xy279y9wMY6FUjN8U4TLXzGsju-6JDtZhpTZzzYs0EqdsdqMoKkftyf_eSkYYTdxzy1lWc_0_iKWQMC4jdjmhFFNNajCpM8/s1600/cool.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RZA9inbEnZMNT07CzR32FAdPHWCfM7j2JF_3rcaSuk_83xy279y9wMY6FUjN8U4TLXzGsju-6JDtZhpTZzzYs0EqdsdqMoKkftyf_eSkYYTdxzy1lWc_0_iKWQMC4jdjmhFFNNajCpM8/s320/cool.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">4. To make it worse, yesterday pretty much
every single <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">other</i> book on my TBR
shelf was released, and I’ve had to physically restrain myself from running out
to the nearest bookstore to spend the rest of my dwindling book-funds on them. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everything, Everything </i>by Nicola Yoon, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Queen of Shadows </i>by Sarah J. Maas
(although I still need to catch up on the rest of the series, preferably before
I see any more spoilers online), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Curious Tale of the Inbetween </i>by Lauren DeStephano, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Earthrise </i>by Aprilynne Pike… To those authors, do you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i> me to die?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulM3m7bfeCkDtvAligmbTEwcpT8xglLTOqyDkOsCnZBTO2qkNN0nLCccljVYH3iWTL0Q6jGXyvmbqPZ3ES0fMVWrqMDTpQpUqwWbeVveqE-dzTgCO3FHnXASeSDIjV0gHV1-rc0Eli0sp/s1600/rK2y22Z.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulM3m7bfeCkDtvAligmbTEwcpT8xglLTOqyDkOsCnZBTO2qkNN0nLCccljVYH3iWTL0Q6jGXyvmbqPZ3ES0fMVWrqMDTpQpUqwWbeVveqE-dzTgCO3FHnXASeSDIjV0gHV1-rc0Eli0sp/s320/rK2y22Z.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">5. Four words: final music practical exam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSe0wAvX1LrOcHR2-8TSUKMbHFmn79FftoPFOyPwfqqnOivvO9HiY2wty8_LV5jSA0bBoW1KVsZjeHT_5teK9PP64I9mjMz3xL3jBNO_ANz2_Qh8blDMXKuySzyktUV9IY6_64vYi0fbi/s1600/tumblr_mfjycis02D1rjus0do1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSe0wAvX1LrOcHR2-8TSUKMbHFmn79FftoPFOyPwfqqnOivvO9HiY2wty8_LV5jSA0bBoW1KVsZjeHT_5teK9PP64I9mjMz3xL3jBNO_ANz2_Qh8blDMXKuySzyktUV9IY6_64vYi0fbi/s320/tumblr_mfjycis02D1rjus0do1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, realising I still have no idea what I'm doing after 12 years<br />of piano lessons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">6. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Illuminae</i>
by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman comes out in October, and if anything it’s the
only thing keeping me tied down to this earth at the moment. But it’s also
slowly killing me because I’m so desperate to get my hands on a copy. I refuse
to request it on Netgalley because then I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i>
I won’t get any work done. So I’ll just wait here, dodging spoilers from
bloggers who’ve read the ARC like it’s my job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMJ4uBMW_R2lvEKrb3dsXUr0EvnTNZHsO4WV3K3OpEJzchniCnKtYrk0kN4Fyys60MQJFFkXQSRz2NktnyDVFbNgdloLo2dIEBm5sZU4ZyAZCIoB3E54CCioj6QFQIsP63W5jgJIgmum4/s1600/tumblr_ltdcmumKWy1qii6tmo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMJ4uBMW_R2lvEKrb3dsXUr0EvnTNZHsO4WV3K3OpEJzchniCnKtYrk0kN4Fyys60MQJFFkXQSRz2NktnyDVFbNgdloLo2dIEBm5sZU4ZyAZCIoB3E54CCioj6QFQIsP63W5jgJIgmum4/s320/tumblr_ltdcmumKWy1qii6tmo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But in all seriousness, from next week
onwards I’ll be even less active than usual, so bear with me. I’ll try schedule
a couple of posts so that I don’t completely drop off the grid like last time. In
the meantime, happy reading to the readers, happy blogging to the bloggers, and
to those who don’t do either, happy doing what you do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-44027598865110034012015-08-31T16:11:00.000+02:002015-09-03T20:07:57.396+02:00'Lumiere' by Jacqueline Garlick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOqaWTZKWc4igwYMmilOdtUKkehyTFtu-SB-A8vikF1J5X6gS2Nu0IR5eR52tmy4z6V1ijnVpFcAZAYRhuYS6r9aeOfngfBzBqU2S2MwJ22VSPUNW044OUonlq3h_LiHss6ZihLojBQr_/s1600/19448543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOqaWTZKWc4igwYMmilOdtUKkehyTFtu-SB-A8vikF1J5X6gS2Nu0IR5eR52tmy4z6V1ijnVpFcAZAYRhuYS6r9aeOfngfBzBqU2S2MwJ22VSPUNW044OUonlq3h_LiHss6ZihLojBQr_/s200/19448543.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Series:</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Illumination Paradox</i>, #1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA Steampunk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Amazemo Books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ASIN:</b> B00H9GXS1Q<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">One
determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy
everything. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">After
an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth
sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she
hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her
father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Pursued
by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She
follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her
quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of
his own. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Together,
they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same
prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their
problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19448543-lumi-re?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">From Goodreads</a>]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">I
received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.</span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve never really dared to delve into the
steampunk genre before. Honestly, the idea of a world partially submerged in
history but containing futuristic elements made me feel a little uncomfortable
at first. I imagined authors approaching historical fiction with a dystopian
attitude and clumsily altering the past until it became a huge mess of puzzle
pieces that didn’t fit together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After finishing <i>Lumiere</i>, I want to read
nothing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but </i>YA steampunk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I don’t know if it was Garlick’s hardcore
characters or her attention to detail in plotting one of the most intricate
stories I’ve ever come across that made my heart seize up at several points in
her novel. She doesn’t waste time with convention – her story is unique and
confident in its approach, and executed with style and poise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A particularly powerful aspect of Garlick's novel is the nonchalance with which she allowed her misfit
characters to shine. Each person is marked by some or other imperfection that
forces them onto the outskirts of society, and yet not once do any of them
become slaves to their hardships. Eyelet and Urlick are two of the most
powerful protagonists I’ve ever come across: they are highly intelligent,
independent, determined and downright brilliant. Nothing can hold them back –
not even Eyelet’s seizures or Urlick’s insecurity about his appearance.
Furthermore, Garlick’s secondary characters were just as moving as her two
protagonists. Iris, especially, dodged every stereotype assigned to a character
in her role – she was selfless and loyal, but also stubborn and fierce. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Although the romantic feature of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lumiere</i> wasn’t heart stopping, I found
that it neither detracted from nor added much to the novel, which was actually
a nice change. Too often, an author will fixate on a romantic relationship, and
the story will revolve around the couple’s love for each other. Not that
there’s anything wrong with that, but there’s a point where one has to wonder
how much more meaningful the story would be if the fate of a dystopian world
didn’t rely on the destiny of two people. It gets tiresome. Whilst understated,
Garlick’s romance was far more realistic. The couple worked together to save
the world, but the fate of the world didn’t depend on their love for each other
(if that makes any sense at all).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Lumiere</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> is an enthralling novel, and I can’t wait to read Garlick’s next
installment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s1600/4+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s400/4+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 4/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Lovers of kickass heroines
and beautiful storylines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I fell in love with the cover of this
novel, and the storyline lived up to my skyscraper expectations. I’m holding
back the last star because I feel that the pacing of the novel wasn’t fantastic
– lightning-fast scenes made me dizzy with excitement (in a good way), but then
they were interspersed with passages that moved soooo slllooowwwlllyyy that I
had to consciously force myself not to fall into the habit of skimming. That
was a minor thing, though, and maybe it was just because I was so addicted to
the rush I got in Garlick’s climactic scenes that the calmer scenes seemed
slower than they actually were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-27444899018283888612015-08-25T13:16:00.000+02:002015-08-25T13:18:36.677+02:00'A Court of Thorns and Roses' by Sarah J. Maas<h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBnITAp_wbNPvQ2XXNcfiVwyX13Y_9WUekTVKkr11k3OEPfj0IzX06YGWHvfe4C7CxERk4k6DtMWR6f3XapNBGkYrEh6y-gp6rJhlOXNIjtZ57p2_4fDvO-Yr7M8yo8oKA2XdrDo6o_AI/s1600/16096824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBnITAp_wbNPvQ2XXNcfiVwyX13Y_9WUekTVKkr11k3OEPfj0IzX06YGWHvfe4C7CxERk4k6DtMWR6f3XapNBGkYrEh6y-gp6rJhlOXNIjtZ57p2_4fDvO-Yr7M8yo8oKA2XdrDo6o_AI/s200/16096824.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> YA Fantasy (with a few New Adult
elements)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> Bloomsbury<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN:</b> 9781408857861<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">A
thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J.
Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">When
nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like
creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical
land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not
an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their
world.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">As
she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility
into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told
about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow
grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom
Tamlin—and his world—forever.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Perfect
for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy
and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16096824-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses" target="_blank">[From Goodreads]</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m struggling to find words that will
accurately describe the sheer extent to which this novel destroyed me. I'm broken inside. But I loved
it. I love Sarah J. Maas, and I love everything about her writing – her
characters, her fantasy worlds, her enthralling stories. Honestly, although
I’ve read a few negative reviews, I cannot find a single fault with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Court of Thorns and Roses</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Perhaps this is because I didn’t enter
Maas’s world expecting to read the perfect retelling of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beauty and the Beast</i> – in fact, I almost forgot that it was
supposed to be a retelling until I was about a third of the way through. Maas
loosely winds some elements of the classic tale into her own storyline, but
she’s warped and altered it so much that it is now entirely her own. Strangely
enough, that makes her novel even more appealing to me – I have more interest
in reading a unique tale with subtle recognizable elements than a book relying
on the exact framework of the classic story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One thing I do have to shine the spotlight
on is Maas’s characterization. Sometimes I wonder if the reason that her novels
seem to surpass all other fantasy works is because her heroines are not only
kickass, but entirely human in their flaws and emotions. It’s magical how
characters like Celaena and Fayre will stay in my mind for ages after I’ve
finished reading their stories. I want these women in real life, and I kinda
want to be them, too. (Also, hello Tamlin. Please magically materialise into my life right now.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">A
Court of Thorns and Roses </span></i><span lang="EN-US">is one of the best
fantasy novels I’ve ever read. It ruined me. I fell in love with its smooth,
lyrical words and the way it moved. Then it ripped a hole in my chest and tore
out my heart, lighting it on fire and grinding it to dust before grinning
sheepishly and running away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating: </b>5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Fans of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Throne of Glass</i> and George R. R. Martin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JHDBq_rZ-5e20t-QZJWalK9Gij604W5YJ64viaftihSX5G-Z7XFYekq4jg5lODJ7ObXq_CQjStE8Ty_bANwgrBX0PLdJJnozvVOqhRbJ5g0IZrJbiE6yUjzzbcfHvJ9B2u8TG_nC1HXs/s1600/list-my-feels.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8JHDBq_rZ-5e20t-QZJWalK9Gij604W5YJ64viaftihSX5G-Z7XFYekq4jg5lODJ7ObXq_CQjStE8Ty_bANwgrBX0PLdJJnozvVOqhRbJ5g0IZrJbiE6yUjzzbcfHvJ9B2u8TG_nC1HXs/s320/list-my-feels.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">These are my reactions throughout the novel,
expressed in gifs, because nothing else will accurately portray my emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Buying the book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmwrABmmDDb367g8OODZoferqrWbQwCYcOb1djuwbKFBFo79S3kePtznbnDyimT76qMWBMiBR9xqxzBTREnMZ2xUOr2GP7w4GXRAy0F_DFozh_94wKVYND6iSJMP-3lxjKUWHHOPSG_TM/s1600/Friends1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmwrABmmDDb367g8OODZoferqrWbQwCYcOb1djuwbKFBFo79S3kePtznbnDyimT76qMWBMiBR9xqxzBTREnMZ2xUOr2GP7w4GXRAy0F_DFozh_94wKVYND6iSJMP-3lxjKUWHHOPSG_TM/s320/Friends1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Reading the first page:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fDzgrxSy-e6im1L4nxk0mN7pkuvcAVWAhOnxJvl_r0rTQ1_p3Z5GPodi4FIi2_Tz6fGKHuCTfREfcV7ffIHo-_cHVPQBoQeO13EFGjd6N_ogaDf8UVvRiVidkcCN1x9z8oRi_m4n6gVO/s1600/635737089985795601-656688274_635735610344730053-412615776_excited.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fDzgrxSy-e6im1L4nxk0mN7pkuvcAVWAhOnxJvl_r0rTQ1_p3Z5GPodi4FIi2_Tz6fGKHuCTfREfcV7ffIHo-_cHVPQBoQeO13EFGjd6N_ogaDf8UVvRiVidkcCN1x9z8oRi_m4n6gVO/s320/635737089985795601-656688274_635735610344730053-412615776_excited.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Feyre:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd00lC2CjISafW0g20Yjt9kN4GpGy40sgb6eAkE-i_eYZ_3YSc9o6At_DTpYCKwevXVvTHL0hs9-AeQGI1KBxVD_kfs-onJPOz2C_h9LzOBerUowkmsVgWSH-rEShj13dEybfsYhxLC1K/s1600/Dianna_i_love_you_obviously.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd00lC2CjISafW0g20Yjt9kN4GpGy40sgb6eAkE-i_eYZ_3YSc9o6At_DTpYCKwevXVvTHL0hs9-AeQGI1KBxVD_kfs-onJPOz2C_h9LzOBerUowkmsVgWSH-rEShj13dEybfsYhxLC1K/s320/Dianna_i_love_you_obviously.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Tamlin:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48EARN3-AQ4ovYoevXCDt1q_vD6JS1oec46oVQvteZxlTWsFwl1XNfbgd3gvVC_yTfrmkioJrKCjs57ZggXxIEibvsJXRDH9mtoaV6yyvew1XvNag2LHCebPmfR65dEUopOx3oaRSvyh5/s1600/11449350.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48EARN3-AQ4ovYoevXCDt1q_vD6JS1oec46oVQvteZxlTWsFwl1XNfbgd3gvVC_yTfrmkioJrKCjs57ZggXxIEibvsJXRDH9mtoaV6yyvew1XvNag2LHCebPmfR65dEUopOx3oaRSvyh5/s320/11449350.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Amarantha:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyK8sNo1mNiKvDbhhc-ShkoVHu7wbXLQxgjCmChO1IBHidVzoG8LaO0P2NGaCrwvGKEAguPbZQRaKCVAunHIVOu3qRs-qdlnAA6WMHTWxn5oaHcpQnMBTeg_Dz0JprY-tw5QvuRJExXolM/s1600/tumblr_mh2uj2Sw9t1s42w30o1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyK8sNo1mNiKvDbhhc-ShkoVHu7wbXLQxgjCmChO1IBHidVzoG8LaO0P2NGaCrwvGKEAguPbZQRaKCVAunHIVOu3qRs-qdlnAA6WMHTWxn5oaHcpQnMBTeg_Dz0JprY-tw5QvuRJExXolM/s320/tumblr_mh2uj2Sw9t1s42w30o1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Rhysand:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Towards the end:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">The actual end:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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Realising the sequel comes out in MAY:</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-58137610619726527142015-08-24T20:32:00.000+02:002015-08-24T20:32:21.494+02:00'The Illusionists' by Rosie Thomas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> HarperCollins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN:</b> 9780007512041</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">From
the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">London,
1885<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">As a
turbulent and change-filled century draws to a close, there has never been a
better time to alter your fortune. But for a beautiful young woman of limited
means, Eliza’s choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of
marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets – no matter how determined she is
to forge her own path.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">One
night at a run-down theatre, she meets the charismatic Devil Wix – showman,
master of illusion, fickle friend. Drawn into his circle, Eliza becomes the
catalyst of change for his colleagues – a dwarf, an eccentric engineer, and an
artist – as well as Devil himself. And as Eliza embarks on a dangerous
adventure, she must decide which path to choose, and how far she should go when
she holds all their lives in her hands.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">[From <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25261995-the-illusionists" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>.]</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s quite fitting that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Illusionists</i>, just like an actual
illusion, is entirely not what it seems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Unfortunately, while illusions and magic
acts are generally enjoyable in their unpredictability and twisting of reality,
Rosie Thomas’s novel is not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I picked up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Illusionists</i> expecting to read a thrilling and eccentric novel
surrounding a modern woman’s intrigue with the London’s theatrical world in the
late 1800s. “A dangerous adventure” of a young woman’s journey towards
emancipation through art. That’s what the novel’s synopsis implied, after all.
Instead, I got two emotionally distraught male performers, a wax-modeler (also
male), a psychotic engineer (guess what? Male) and a run-down theatre. Oh, and
featuring as the love interest of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every
single one of the afore-mentioned characters</i> is Eliza – a middle-class
woman who poses as a life model on Tuesdays, and considers herself
“forward-thinking” (she’s not).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi7QkpXIa9a8YzHYhnb1MUhsamGz2yv7lVRowof68uHExaUbiRgLpSdiymKyr-Is_VzG-3hJgkXGRrHsaKZR1qQooGpOyN-di_mAbn2GKhnOfXRrb2iQWIR7vvKfcIcwG014r-5YtWaT8/s1600/8ryVT6n.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKi7QkpXIa9a8YzHYhnb1MUhsamGz2yv7lVRowof68uHExaUbiRgLpSdiymKyr-Is_VzG-3hJgkXGRrHsaKZR1qQooGpOyN-di_mAbn2GKhnOfXRrb2iQWIR7vvKfcIcwG014r-5YtWaT8/s200/8ryVT6n.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Eliza was infuriating – and even more
infuriating was the author’s evident conviction that Eliza was a woman of her
own means. Sure, Eliza did things that were not technically societally
acceptable for her class, but let’s have a little <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> girl power! If you’re going to have a strong female
protagonist and write about her journey towards emancipation, then don’t only
introduce her on page 66! Don’t let her slip backwards into conformity just as
she’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally </i>getting somewhere!
Don’t let the men always overshadow her! Don’t let her become a damsel in
distress just to showcase the courageous virtues of your male characters!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(And yes, I am putting Eliza’s actions into
the context that she was a woman in London in 1885. Come on. Loosen your corset
a little, at least, Miss Eliza.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On top of all of this, I was also astounded
to note that Thomas switched perceptions between her characters as if even she
didn’t know who she was supposed to be writing about. One moment I would be in
Eliza’s head, but then the next moment Devil’s outlook would take over without
warning. That’s the danger with writing in third-person perspective – you have
to be so careful about switching between characters and throwing the reader all
over the place. And Thomas fell right into that trap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Around two-thirds of the way through, I
couldn’t take it any more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMJAS2Qp2IihwVqBt1PN-eS6Jgg6Mdt9nnj6apJqu94XxtS8EdW5R5SSJNFAiga-8rBZXXDWVUBi6EkxlQqsfqlpZW4g-14vi_50BnHxwWhqUuvLDUD0qmrROisoOXncfUtNsHECuPVU3/s1600/tumblr_lp9od7etpr1qbidkjo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMJAS2Qp2IihwVqBt1PN-eS6Jgg6Mdt9nnj6apJqu94XxtS8EdW5R5SSJNFAiga-8rBZXXDWVUBi6EkxlQqsfqlpZW4g-14vi_50BnHxwWhqUuvLDUD0qmrROisoOXncfUtNsHECuPVU3/s320/tumblr_lp9od7etpr1qbidkjo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But I persevered, because I’d already
struggled through 380 pages. I could handle two hundred more. (I’d just like to
point out that a novel this long-winded could definitely have been cut down by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at least</i> two hundred pages.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Then I got to page 454, and my face did this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFgZp72nS1TOEYcveHTLATAjfE0C-_P0FYpEsTxasMeDRIRG-7RLBiKTY1ZS3arznLLkyHSN4I_Px_-90-wWAIcUuh-q4D7a_-TrIH1uY2m2UcvFmnykuisBrb99jr5ZysHMgGoHe6-Yt/s1600/v5zgwz.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFgZp72nS1TOEYcveHTLATAjfE0C-_P0FYpEsTxasMeDRIRG-7RLBiKTY1ZS3arznLLkyHSN4I_Px_-90-wWAIcUuh-q4D7a_-TrIH1uY2m2UcvFmnykuisBrb99jr5ZysHMgGoHe6-Yt/s320/v5zgwz.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At which point I decided Eliza was not
worth my efforts (I’d screamed at her for just about the entire novel), and
that my hope for humanity had diminished by a further eighty percent or so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What a waste of good ideas. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Illusionists </i>had so much potential,
and it really was quite upsetting to see it spiral towards inadequacy, then below that to distastefulness.
Additionally, Thomas has a truly beautiful style. It’s a pity she threw it
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZJUcc0N6Vq9tjoX12v8MiBy_55spbaWDQpgmJNFpGit6OMK08frY8EQQAgb-zSKDMDQ8hqfhqapt0Iyk7s0dC6eztkk8TxKc-5Tl8g8xR35aOZEIOaWqkye8qQvAaueR_zutAkca-1gx/s1600/2+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZJUcc0N6Vq9tjoX12v8MiBy_55spbaWDQpgmJNFpGit6OMK08frY8EQQAgb-zSKDMDQ8hqfhqapt0Iyk7s0dC6eztkk8TxKc-5Tl8g8xR35aOZEIOaWqkye8qQvAaueR_zutAkca-1gx/s400/2+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating: </b>A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very generous </i>2/5 because it started off relatively well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> Real illusionists who want
spare paper to use as kindling in their arson tricks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m putting the <b>spoiler</b> in this section,
because I have to acknowledge the event that takes place on page 454. If you’re
going to read the novel (although, why?) don’t read on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Okay. From around page 300, there are zero
climactic points in the novel apart from the event that occurs in the very last
pages, which might have been tragic had I not lost the ability to care by then.
The only time I had a change in emotion large enough to constitute a reaction
was from pages 454 to 459, and that reaction was to throw the stupid book at
the wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In this period, Eliza finds out that her
husband, Devil, has been sleeping with another performer because he feels like she’s pushing
him away (she is – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but only because she’s
just given birth to his baby</i>). She threatens to cut off a key part of his
anatomy (at which point I got excited because she was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally </i>showing some initiative). But then they have furious animal
sex and she forgives him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">How is this a portrait of a self-governing
intellectual, who aims to forge her own path? To me, it seems like a fragile collection of dangerous emotions desperate for male attention – entirely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> the image of a modern woman, even for Eliza’s time. Come on,
Thomas. Step up your game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-6890561902300963422015-08-20T23:04:00.002+02:002015-08-22T12:51:15.165+02:00My August TBR Shelf<div class="MsoNormal">
Holidays are finally here! Well, kind of.
Final exams are just around the corner, but I’ve deduced that studying and
completing projects <i>must</i> be
interspersed with loads of reading if I’m to keep a tight, albeit clammy and desperate,
grip on my sanity until the end of the year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, school has deprived me of the chance
to read as much as I would have liked this year, so I’m having severe
withdrawal symptoms. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZURdTY2bunaKIdnetFpgd4hDDA-YJXDn3pIzmBsmD77dM1cFd4z0t_HFYdHqRQHJiCZBfSnRjPAfEHS1s_waNz1WNhkbDaKAWJ2XUy5H-h2mEg0Y7bMRAkRl-OXP-vegijFVJXvBHUwl/s1600/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZURdTY2bunaKIdnetFpgd4hDDA-YJXDn3pIzmBsmD77dM1cFd4z0t_HFYdHqRQHJiCZBfSnRjPAfEHS1s_waNz1WNhkbDaKAWJ2XUy5H-h2mEg0Y7bMRAkRl-OXP-vegijFVJXvBHUwl/s400/giphy.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My steadily-growing To Be Read shelf is a
constant source of anxiety and anticipation for me – I love compiling it, but I
struggle to stick to it. I’m constantly buying books and leaving them in piles
around my bedroom in the hopes that tripping over them will inspire me to read
what I already have instead of running off to the library. Then there’s my
Goodreads TBR shelf, with about 50 books (after I cut it down from 278) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of which I own none… yet</i>. It gets worse.
I’ve started taking pictures of books I plan on buying when I’m no longer broke
from buying other books, which sit in a pile on my bedroom floor. Do you see
the vicious cycle here?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes, I plan on reading them all. Before you lecture me on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unrealistic expectations</i>, I will remind
you of the power of sheer determination that triggered my 25 books in 25 days
challenge at the end of last year to meet my reading goal. Which was extremely successful, even if I did almost die from forgetting to tend to secondary needs, like food and sleep.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But I’ve limited my August TBR list to nine books, seeing as we're already halfway through the month and anything more might drive me
crazy. Hopefully by posting it here I might have the slightest incentive to
stick to it this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges-khx6c3MF5mWVgTzYpApGKncB2AfVoC7pHHPKTCg4SauAtM1ASMmgGqGGZFqtMzNlFre7xW7Al6AWsYTJwx44heusNW33_kCOlkFkZgdJwl7Loj3k7qsnLB1iG03ILvui3HGp6XV0xB/s1600/19708606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEges-khx6c3MF5mWVgTzYpApGKncB2AfVoC7pHHPKTCg4SauAtM1ASMmgGqGGZFqtMzNlFre7xW7Al6AWsYTJwx44heusNW33_kCOlkFkZgdJwl7Loj3k7qsnLB1iG03ILvui3HGp6XV0xB/s200/19708606.jpg" width="130" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19708606-the-illusionists?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">#1: <i>The Illusionists </i>by Rosie Thomas</a></span></h3>
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Magicians, illusions, art, adventures and a headstrong female protagonist? Sign me up. </div>
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I may or may not have bought this book solely because I read the sentence, "But for a beautiful young woman of limited means, Eliza's choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets - no matter how determined she is to forge her own path," and was immediately hopeful that Thomas might explore gender roles in the late 1800s just a little bit. I can't wait to see how Eliza's story unfolds.</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblBDS_v_YbDMwonYtspnO8YLUsXfupbZhayEiqikZlot84LWZ39GXUYgShKhAwlFg3wxyLVKq2mkCbckCg5HcIEBQLlahQNRVSd6gi9IU783Mp1U6kXCs1ccLxUCM2QliJnTu7qQLIInj/s1600/17167166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblBDS_v_YbDMwonYtspnO8YLUsXfupbZhayEiqikZlot84LWZ39GXUYgShKhAwlFg3wxyLVKq2mkCbckCg5HcIEBQLlahQNRVSd6gi9IU783Mp1U6kXCs1ccLxUCM2QliJnTu7qQLIInj/s200/17167166.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167166-crown-of-midnight?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">#2: <i>Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) </i>by Sarah J. Maas</a></h3>
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I banned myself from reading the rest of the <i>Throne of Glass</i> series during the term because I know I simply do not have the willpower to do homework when there's a Sarah J. Maas book sitting on my Kindle. But now it's time. *Cackles*</div>
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If you haven't read <i>Throne of Glass</i>, do it now. It will ruin your life, but it's totally worth it.</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU29fCuqP2lhOlDLvzuEAh4zre4PMugtP8hu3oerG4NIwlN12pHjIu-UGl_3FC2qhjgQGdGOrnzxv-401vRSelqyPFH4ARVmR-WgUt0ARJlhOLj7nJBlqTl3dClJWdc7f0LM-nknmzZV66/s1600/25722634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU29fCuqP2lhOlDLvzuEAh4zre4PMugtP8hu3oerG4NIwlN12pHjIu-UGl_3FC2qhjgQGdGOrnzxv-401vRSelqyPFH4ARVmR-WgUt0ARJlhOLj7nJBlqTl3dClJWdc7f0LM-nknmzZV66/s200/25722634.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25722634-the-dust-that-falls-from-dreams?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">#3: <i>The Dust That Falls From Dreams </i>by Louis de Bernieres</a></h3>
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Louis de Bernieres is possibly one of my favourite authors of all time. He's just one of those phenomenal, witty, downright odd but strangely endearing writers that you'll stumble upon totally by accident, and immediately fall in love with. Although experience has told me to expect equal parts beauty, laughter and tears, I'm a little worried - World War One love story doesn't exactly promise happy endings. I'd better stock up on tissues.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkcRTDbm0luRK5Jicu4TyNPv2xyWQ8Eh6KNvNfbn1SxJtkPo68tiILiSWnBTbKT3jZHk0x4RIpUCNsjp39qXisQu4tCW6qGHKxLhAZl0HWNMWi5T2EywWyA496HiGhqC3FV2m9TkVZARJ/s1600/9591398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkcRTDbm0luRK5Jicu4TyNPv2xyWQ8Eh6KNvNfbn1SxJtkPo68tiILiSWnBTbKT3jZHk0x4RIpUCNsjp39qXisQu4tCW6qGHKxLhAZl0HWNMWi5T2EywWyA496HiGhqC3FV2m9TkVZARJ/s200/9591398.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9591398-the-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairyland-in-a-ship-of-her-own-making" target="_blank">#4: <i>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) </i>by Catherynne M. Valente</a></h3>
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I can only assume that this is a YA novel from the reviews I've read on Goodreads, but apart from that all I know is that it looks wonderfully weird. Like the book love child of <i>Alice in Wonderland </i>and <i>Peter Pan</i>. Plus, fairies. (<i>AND there's a DRAGON on the cover?? Yes, please.)</i></div>
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To put it mildly, I have high expectations.</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkQxX5wrO6HFGRpyjqdS90Ymu7FmhQvFUgbODAoJc5aJiwqaN4C_2KcftVI7sdGih_QUHUGVGudoWTNimE_H1ZRS6fmNLurIldljVCzc_qUdSm3aFhlBkybpdDgxDS-NNTYQnym3B8FMu/s1600/18143977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkQxX5wrO6HFGRpyjqdS90Ymu7FmhQvFUgbODAoJc5aJiwqaN4C_2KcftVI7sdGih_QUHUGVGudoWTNimE_H1ZRS6fmNLurIldljVCzc_qUdSm3aFhlBkybpdDgxDS-NNTYQnym3B8FMu/s200/18143977.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18143977-all-the-light-we-cannot-see" target="_blank">#5: <i>All The Light We Cannot See </i>by Anthony Doerr</a></h3>
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This novel has so many awards it's a little intimidating, so naturally I'm itching to see what all the fuss is about. But then again, I'm a little weary of books that seem heartbreaking from the very outset (even the title is melancholy). I'm an emotional wreck as it is - I don't need to be crying over even more fictional characters.</div>
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I keep trying to make up excuses, but I'm actually desperate to read <i>All The Light We Cannot See.</i></div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAjNTT75xE16ePFToXB_aTIraAP87UcXx0SLCBZZwVxSKFMmx7yiDKXmLjQDR5iEq_0vTw7gOELk9aUX-dB29Tqvuvkt_xveoiKLbMLdXCpHDXEBkNxDyf4R1MMaSetTsJPKD1ZDBTjz6/s1600/16069030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAjNTT75xE16ePFToXB_aTIraAP87UcXx0SLCBZZwVxSKFMmx7yiDKXmLjQDR5iEq_0vTw7gOELk9aUX-dB29Tqvuvkt_xveoiKLbMLdXCpHDXEBkNxDyf4R1MMaSetTsJPKD1ZDBTjz6/s200/16069030.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16069030-the-winner-s-curse" target="_blank">#6: <i>The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1) </i>by Marie Rutkoski</a></h3>
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"The gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart." Intriguing... </div>
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<br /></div>
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Also, do I detect feminist undertones in the stereotypical YA role reversal with the woman in a more powerful position than her male counterpart? (Please say yes. You know I love it when you undermine traditional gender roles and power play.)</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg2K9fLPynZtxtQYPBRtgMWduCjrgkTUUU0zFk7_aGCpgn4YMz0daF4L7UjkCgQmM1SkXpT_W3DgMu3PXLycRmEhWRon9mfa_qH_z5dIHN8csO8wuyadQoBLmwJFp_vq0a-uEX98KK6tm/s1600/20560137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXg2K9fLPynZtxtQYPBRtgMWduCjrgkTUUU0zFk7_aGCpgn4YMz0daF4L7UjkCgQmM1SkXpT_W3DgMu3PXLycRmEhWRon9mfa_qH_z5dIHN8csO8wuyadQoBLmwJFp_vq0a-uEX98KK6tm/s200/20560137.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20560137-an-ember-in-the-ashes" target="_blank">#7: <i>An Ember in the Ashes </i>by Sabaa Tahir</a></h3>
<div>
I have only heard good things about this book. If it's as dark, enticing and infuriating as it seems, I might need a therapist after reading it. </div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSHPOpuoLglZMOt8ytG3EwNC3lnEuRhspKiHANnhacfYMTODYJDIsQnVMDmXEKBuBNsRnnhUPXh8mZCXQ_3ooMAkaIuFgOK4GCtO8ViDVniIA8AGaMxmnzi1ZA-c69AQgT2Zzv0WPwhCJ/s1600/23437156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSHPOpuoLglZMOt8ytG3EwNC3lnEuRhspKiHANnhacfYMTODYJDIsQnVMDmXEKBuBNsRnnhUPXh8mZCXQ_3ooMAkaIuFgOK4GCtO8ViDVniIA8AGaMxmnzi1ZA-c69AQgT2Zzv0WPwhCJ/s200/23437156.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437156-six-of-crows" target="_blank">#8: <i>Six of Crows </i>by Leigh Bardugo</a></h3>
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"Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist." Every time I read the blurb of this novel, I want to jump up and down and squeal because it makes me <i>so excited</i>. And the cover is so beautiful (as shallow as that sounds, it'll look so good on my bookshelf once I'm finished reading it, provided I can get my hands on a physical copy before I cave in to the anticipation and buy it on Kindle).</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq081lA6qU5YynWBaOlS3Cw7IboHuE5fTh-xr_5GTL6kj0UPVCNYF_kJtTjJtWm8z9nDihlUCrcylTzTIzx1bfZXvEZsd0dL6vi7NxxkhL5ZH9gWuPYongQxF-vzF4_lRAIotNk-u_2zRn/s1600/18079775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq081lA6qU5YynWBaOlS3Cw7IboHuE5fTh-xr_5GTL6kj0UPVCNYF_kJtTjJtWm8z9nDihlUCrcylTzTIzx1bfZXvEZsd0dL6vi7NxxkhL5ZH9gWuPYongQxF-vzF4_lRAIotNk-u_2zRn/s200/18079775.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079775-the-secret-of-magic?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">#9: <i>The Secret of Magic </i>by Deborah Johnson</a></h3>
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"<i>The Secret of Magic </i>brilliantly explores the power of stories and those who tell them." This novel looks absolutely phenomenal, and its setting (Mississippi right at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement) is already sending shivers down my spine. I've had the book for a while now, and every time I glance at it on my nightstand it seems to taunt me, so hopefully it's as well-written as some Goodreads reviews promise.</div>
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Okay. I should probably <i>actually go read now</i>. Here's to hoping I'm still vaguely sane and emotionally stable by the time I've worked my way through this list. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-50922248745085958482015-08-17T17:04:00.004+02:002015-08-22T12:51:44.245+02:00‘Church of Marvels’ by Leslie Parry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgVyU89eEXmUNjfn67UVH0eknlWwQQe5lRXx_oJ9Ct7Lv_CxjaZZ3SuFnzBhOxAVyjIEObeZdz8lENJYxGuj0gscsu_OJGzQyCaB1x4-4l4s4TaREMLP-y_ppXp6lMISfPUFBxVKPQzjM/s1600/23590722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgVyU89eEXmUNjfn67UVH0eknlWwQQe5lRXx_oJ9Ct7Lv_CxjaZZ3SuFnzBhOxAVyjIEObeZdz8lENJYxGuj0gscsu_OJGzQyCaB1x4-4l4s4TaREMLP-y_ppXp6lMISfPUFBxVKPQzjM/s200/23590722.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Genre:</b> Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Publisher:</b> HarperAvenue</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>ISBN:</b> 0062367552<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23590722-church-of-marvels" target="_blank">View on Goodreads.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>New York, 1895. Sylvan Threadgill, a night
soiler cleaning out the privies behind the tenement houses, finds an abandoned
newborn baby in the muck. An orphan himself, Sylvan rescues the child,
determined to find where she belongs. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Odile Church and her beautiful sister,
Belle, were raised amid the applause and magical pageantry of The Church of
Marvels, their mother’s spectacular Coney Island sideshow. But the Church has
burnt to the ground, their mother dead in its ashes. Now Belle, the family’s
star, has vanished into the bowels of Manhattan, leaving Odile alone and
desperate to find her.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>A young woman named Alphie awakens to find
herself trapped across the river in Blackwell’s Lunatic Asylum—sure that her
imprisonment is a ruse by her husband’s vile, overbearing mother. On the ward
she meets another young woman of ethereal beauty who does not speak, a girl
with an extraordinary talent that might save them both.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>As these strangers’ lives become
increasingly connected, their stories and secrets unfold. Moving from the Coney
Island seashore to the tenement-studded streets of the Lower East Side, a
spectacular human circus to a brutal, terrifying asylum, Church of Marvels
takes readers back to turn-of-the-century New York—a city of hardship and
dreams, love and loneliness, hope and danger. In magnetic, luminous prose,
Leslie Parry offers a richly atmospheric vision of the past in a narrative of
astonishing beauty, full of wondrous enchantments-a marvelous debut that will
leave readers breathless.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">Part of me wants to ramble on and on about
what a wonderful piece of literature this is. Every miniature aspect of the
novel is crafted with the detail and care of a genius creating her most
phenomenal masterpiece, and the end result is extraordinary. I was constantly
caught between an urgent need to devour every morsel of the story, and an
overwhelming desire to savor every twist and turn of the plot, committing to
memory each character so that I could revisit their stories in my mind over and
over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The other part of me wants to throw myself
off a building, because Parry’s plot twists are toxic. My nerves are fried, and
I have exhausted my body’s capacity for emotional attachment to anything. I
cannot count the number of times I had to close the book, put it aside (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very carefully</i>) and take a long, long
walk just to catch my breath and calm down. My heart was racing that fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I can’t bring myself to say anything more,
because I might collapse into a puddle of tears about the sheer depth of my
love and hatred for this novel. Love because it changed my life, and hatred
because it destroyed it, too. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to:</b> fans of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Night Circus</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Palace of Curiosities</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frog
Music</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Just to put it all in perspective, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Church of Marvels</i> makes me want to
change all my other five-star ratings four stars.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14378061/?claim=r8yjcgyhqag">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-52330924676706715232015-08-09T14:13:00.000+02:002015-08-18T18:36:36.219+02:00‘Black Ice’ by Becca Fitzpatrick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7_DV-auCBPZEvZC78vvJg-uCvg5aQiz_EznaM842MUKy-4_GqtFU0C8ruz0YW_ykMk5x87SRPWNFOZzddFFRSnWd4h6xROxHFlO-tjkSWVAI34jI5-7R6iiEroFmaAtlR7Rk7d1v023c/s1600/21943246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7_DV-auCBPZEvZC78vvJg-uCvg5aQiz_EznaM842MUKy-4_GqtFU0C8ruz0YW_ykMk5x87SRPWNFOZzddFFRSnWd4h6xROxHFlO-tjkSWVAI34jI5-7R6iiEroFmaAtlR7Rk7d1v023c/s200/21943246.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> YA Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Publisher:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Simon & Schuster<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">ISBN:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 9781471118166<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21943246-black-ice?from_search=true&search_version=service" target="_blank">View on Goodreads</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Britt
Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but isn’t prepared when a
violent storm leaves her and her best friend Korbie stranded. Seeking shelter
in a secluded cabin, they find two handsome rescuers. Or so they think.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">In
exchange for her life, Britt must set out into the cold and snow to lead the
men to safety. But during the harrowing journey in the wilderness, one of the
men, Mason, starts to show an interest in Britt that seems more romantic than
sinister. Can she really trust him? Her life depends on the answer.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">How good is a book, really, if you don’t
read it in one sitting?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That was what I did with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Ice</i>. I know I often say a book was
so good I read it in one sitting, but that usually entails at least one or two
breaks for tea, a quick Twitter or Instagram session and maybe a sandwich
halfway. No, this time I mean I got into my bed at 6pm last night and I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did not get out of that bed</i> until I
turned the last page at 11pm and started wandering around my house to find my
sister and yell at her for putting me through such emotional trauma (it’s her
book – she handed it to me wordlessly last night and shook her head before
turning away. I should have known).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Becca Fitzpatrick holds a special place in
my heart for her <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hush, Hush </i>series.
It was one of the first series that I ever legitimately fangirled over with my
friends (at age fifteen), and spurred off an ongoing obsession with
supernatural YA novels that led me to my other favourites. I’ll admit I’ve been
waiting a while for her to release something new, but I was a little worried
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Ice</i>. It looked so
different to her other books – what if I was disappointed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ha. I’ll bet you Fitzpatrick and her editor laughed for about an hour about how much of a “shock and awe” factor
this novel would have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Black
Ice </span></i><span lang="EN-US">is phenomenal. The storyline was sharp, deadly
and expertly plotted. Fitzpatrick’s writing is dark and compelling – evidently
the work of a YA master, whose writing takes you on a roller coaster ride of
emotions, but you’ll hardly notice how fast your heart is beating because
you’re too stuck in the story. And the characters… exceptional. Fitzpatrick
builds a hero out of a stereotypical teenage girl, slowly giving her depth and
independence until she breaks herself out of the mold she was confined to by
the men surrounding her. It was inspiring to watch (read). Every character was
more complex than they first appeared, and the way the author altered them
through plot twists and climactic disasters had a mind-blowing effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Becca Fitzpatrick, you are amazing. Please
write many more books, even if each one I read destroys another fraction of my
sanity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s1600/4+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk3WBJwjNG9afgZml7NqjzeMkiPfykc37zEsDI4al4E_0yzwxK_WG-WRSYyoLbTtbeUKFCziNJGx-O8KAt2XICSS8uAq9e_VV1jkeZTF5rS_TcBA8HyXrgdsAz7yLEAuWo3gjuTUW64J2/s400/4+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 4/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Recommended
to:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Fans of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hush,
Hush</i>, and everyone else.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">(Just a note: I agree with other reviews that say Black Ice isn't realistic - that it's way too far-fetched, actually - but I don't think Fitzpatrick's intention is to write about real-life experiences. Sure, it's a dangerous way to go, and I agree that the romance was very problematic. But when I was caught up in the story, it was easy for me to put those things aside and enjoy her writing - although I definitely think I should revisit some aspects with a more critical eye. I stick by my review, but I think it's important to read other opinions before you delve into this novel. It's not for everyone.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I think it’s important to take another
second to appreciate Becca Fitzpatrick’s writing style, because it really is
among the best in YA charts at the moment. She writes exceptionally, and I’m
not sure that others have truly noticed that, because at first I didn’t. Her
story is often so gripping that it’s easy to overlook just how well she’s
telling it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fitzpatrick’s style is so accessible. I
think it’s truly admirable that she always allows her story to shine through
her writing (not the other way around) and her novels flourish because of it.
She’s not patronizing or condescending; she doesn’t try to confuse her readers
with elaborate sentences or flowery descriptive passages, yet it’s clear that
she’s an excellent writer. That’s the way YA should be written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-31161319113445453022015-08-09T14:08:00.000+02:002015-08-18T18:36:55.064+02:00‘Under Different Stars’ by Amy A. Bartol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tdzgvLVlBEmQrTRr5lt1be6Q8JCmfa__Wiq90Ewgr-Bcwb1okIQqYEJparpa5PvKmqCkNriVYCDFTl2wO6KNM7scVCR7sAF2927AHJIPr34BjAAvtGsHfV8S0iir0NHr1KUeoOiw8i3F/s1600/19504931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tdzgvLVlBEmQrTRr5lt1be6Q8JCmfa__Wiq90Ewgr-Bcwb1okIQqYEJparpa5PvKmqCkNriVYCDFTl2wO6KNM7scVCR7sAF2927AHJIPr34BjAAvtGsHfV8S0iir0NHr1KUeoOiw8i3F/s200/19504931.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> YA Fiction/Fantasy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Format:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Audible book<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Producer:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Brilliance Audio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19504931-under-different-stars" target="_blank">View on Goodreads</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></i></div>
<i><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?</span></i><br />
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When I first downloaded <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under Different Stars</i>, it was with the
intention of having something barely entertaining to do on the long drive down
to the beach. Basically, I wanted a book that would keep my mind off the horribly
gross eight-hour car trip, and maybe have the added bonus of putting me to sleep.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Was I entertained? Definitely. Did I go to
sleep at all in the 9 hours it took to finish the book? Maybe once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I can’t really figure out why I enjoyed
Bartol’s novel. Maybe it was because it exceeded my pretty limited
expectations? Maybe because the storyline at its core was cute and original? Or maybe (probably) because it involved three of my
favourite things: a strong protagonist, super hot unearthly beings and new
insults that other non-readers won’t understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The characters and storyline in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under Different Stars </i>are definitely
among its most appealing qualities. Although I sometimes found Kricket mildly
annoying, I did admire her as a protagonist: she’s intellectual, independent
and turns out to be invaluable to her male counterparts. A part of me did
reason that the writer shouldn’t have felt the need to make her stunningly
attractive to every single male character in the novel on top of all her other
qualities (making her pretty much perfect), but that’s probably just me being
argumentative. It also turned out that her beauty played a rather large role in
the storyline towards the end of the novel (think Helen of Troy on steroids).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, and of course there’s Trey – the
brooding, calculating hero who could easily join the ranks of Jace, Damon and
Patch. They should actually form a club or something where they discuss
weaponry and complain about how difficult it is to admit their love for
stunningly attractive, infuriatingly stubborn heroines. On second thought, that
might not be such a good idea due to the fact that Damon and Trey, both among
the buff unearthly type with dark hair, call their love interests “Kitten”.
Cringe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In any case, Bartol’s delicate writing style
and good plotting helped me to overlook some of her more clichéd and
predictable moments. The story itself is lovely – lighthearted at some
points, but involving the perfect touches of drama, action, romance and tension
to make up a relatively good YA novel. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s1600/3+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s400/3+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 3 stars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Recommended
to:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Fans of JLA’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lux</i> series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I just have to mention the romantic aspect
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under Different Stars</i> in this
section, because although it didn’t make me dislike the story significantly,
I’m noticing the same issue pop up in several other YA stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">To both authors and readers of YA: a hero
does not have to be buff and tall in order for him to be attractive. A heroine
does not have to look like a Barbie in order for her to be beautiful. Also,
funnily enough, sullenness, grumpiness, gruffness and even outright rudeness
shouldn’t be surefire signs that a guy’s madly in love with you. If anything,
they should be warning signs that you shouldn’t enter a relationship with
somebody whose emotional state makes you feel uneasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-15730691939332106792015-08-01T22:13:00.001+02:002015-08-22T12:52:29.140+02:00'Looking for Alaska' by John Green<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJk1G0L-OjkYHKqk9rOkgWgK4aY3XSObpIBKTjEHugtU-6sFOzlM4SzfXa1UK_w6aXeBRRtcgLeBYFZax0-rCN4NpsqzNB3NnS3eoYIrcrwA6IPnLh1f3QRTsFzLGMnVsHBYKnKxs0oXa5/s1600/99561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJk1G0L-OjkYHKqk9rOkgWgK4aY3XSObpIBKTjEHugtU-6sFOzlM4SzfXa1UK_w6aXeBRRtcgLeBYFZax0-rCN4NpsqzNB3NnS3eoYIrcrwA6IPnLh1f3QRTsFzLGMnVsHBYKnKxs0oXa5/s200/99561.jpg" width="132" /></a>Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> YA fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Publisher:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Harper Collins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">ISBN:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 9780007424832<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska" target="_blank">View on Goodreads.</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“In
the dark beside me, she smelled of sweat and sunshine and vanilla, and on that
thin-mooned night I could see little more than her silhouette, but even in the
dark, I could see her eyes – fierce emeralds. And not just beautiful, but hot
too.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Alaska
Young. Gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, screwed up – and utterly fascinating.
Miles Halter could not be more in love with her. But when tragedy strikes,
Miles discovers the value and the pain of living and loving unconditionally.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Nothing
will ever be the same.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I found this novel problematic, and it took
me a while to figure it out, but I think I’ve finally got it. I just didn’t
have that magical <i>FWUSH</i> moment when my mind was suddenly just overcome by the
story and I was trapped in Miles’s world. I felt detached the whole time, and
that was due to the part of me that just kept repeating, “Nope, nope, nope,
nope, nope,” because there were so many things that I just couldn’t look
past in favor of enjoying the storyline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And forgive me for this, because after
reading a couple of other reviews, it seems like the majority of people loved
it. So maybe it is just me, but I really feel that I need to draw attention to
a few major issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Okay, so let me just get out there and say
that, to me, it felt like John Green had made up a list of all the things he
needed in order to write a bestselling novel, and then systematically checked
off the necessities. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nerdy protagonist
with an endearing habit? Check. Stunningly beautiful, yet horribly damaged,
tragic heroine? Check. Arrogant and amusing sidekick? Check. Alcohol abuse?
Check. Plot twist regarding said heroine’s tragic mishap? Check.</i> Obviously
he wouldn’t do that intentionally (I hope), but there seemed to be
significantly less thought given to the way in which the story unfolded, the
life decisions his characters made, or what he was ultimately encouraging his
teen readers to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Like, hey, you wanna be the real life equivalent
of Alaska? (Although, WHY?) Sure, you’re smart and conventionally pretty, but you’ll need a
dangerous drinking habit and dark mood swings if you wanna attract innocent,
yet also attractive, nerds like Miles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Speaking of Alaska – I hated her so much
that I often felt the need to rip up the book and burn it just so that her
toxic presence couldn’t seep out of the pages. She was far too perfect – and by
that I mean that John Green had tried to make her as attractive and inoffensive
as possible whilst simultaneously creating a female that all teenage boys could
feature in their sexual fantasies. You only have to look at the blurb and a
couple of quotes: not only is she extremely intelligent (“I may die young,” she
said, “but at least I’ll die smart.”) and a feminist (“DO NOT OBJECTIFY WOMEN’S
BODIES!” Alaska shouted) and an avid reader (“I’m <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">going</i> to read them all.”), but she’s also “petite (but, God,
curvy)” and consequently “the hottest girl in all of human history.” And then
of course there’s the mandatory emotional damage, excessive drinking and
smoking habits, and “unpredictability” – her fatal flaws that make her all the
more endearing to Miles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">See? On the surface, Alaska is the girl
that every boy wants. Her emotional instability is supposed to give her depth,
but it just makes her simultaneously pitiful and hopelessly dislikeable. She
consistently emotionally blackmails all of her friends into ruining their lives
for her mere entertainment, and they continue to follow her like lost puppies
in the aftermath of her predictable tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ultimately, Green’s highly acclaimed novel
is pretty damn ordinary. A decent storyline is buried right at the core if you
can overlook all the problematic elements that build up to a horribly
dissatisfactory ending in which nothing is resolved at all. Arguably, it had
its moments, and was witty and cute at the times I didn’t catch myself
cringing. So I’ll be fair in my rating and give it a solid “it didn’t suck <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> much” three stars. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s1600/3+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmiXIPXtysYTK1gpRIszDO1wzlsbc0NG2EpvTfAmloCfYZm41IUMEBtZYDRdeD6rL7bdqxWeGHt4t4KiKCgreqab28qLcX4eqjebv_cFHJ3BZP4TgE_kvJ92Vdtc9tHOCDd3vRRJDbeVE/s400/3+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating: </b>3/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to: </b>People who can shut off the
little voices in their heads that whine about ethics and stereotypes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper
Towns</i> before I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking for
Alaska</i>, but throughout the latter I couldn’t shake the feeling that
something felt eerily familiar. Then it hit me. Margo Roth Spiegelman and
Quentin Jacobsen are the oil paintings based on the carbon sketches of Alaska
Young and Miles Halter. Even their stories are vaguely similar: geeky teenage
boy chases after unattainable, unpredictable, hopelessly hot teenage girl until
she finally kisses him. Once. And then that’s it for them. (Well, to be fair in
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper Towns</i> the kiss signals the end
of their story, and in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking for Alaska</i>…
um… no spoilers.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Also check this out:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131313; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“That didn’t happen, of course.
Things never happened the way I imagined them.” – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking for Alaska</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131313; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“Nothing ever happens like you
imagine it will.” – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper Towns</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131313; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s like John Green liked the idea
so much that it stuck in his head from 2006 until he wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper Towns</i>. That’s pretty cool. Consider it labeled as a mere
coincidence (even though I kinda want to use it as proof that he based <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paper Towns </i>off the same ideals,
characters and basic plot as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking for
Alaska</i>, but that would be a bit too judgmental).</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoqV3lXIur2O4qRQqmTcOe1XNaEPVSrm8yable9YHNN3eothXysZMLe26F3NRj-i9tkWM4Isbtm_RIFkhCyrij1xmkcVmLHc9hjO12xwEBmgrkFDC5aXnHlF7BMgtuLw5fNa_Wh6OZ_m8/s1600/Looking+for+Alaska.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoqV3lXIur2O4qRQqmTcOe1XNaEPVSrm8yable9YHNN3eothXysZMLe26F3NRj-i9tkWM4Isbtm_RIFkhCyrij1xmkcVmLHc9hjO12xwEBmgrkFDC5aXnHlF7BMgtuLw5fNa_Wh6OZ_m8/s400/Looking+for+Alaska.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{blog.nathanbransford.com}</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131313; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-41975381002483590682015-07-29T21:29:00.000+02:002015-08-22T12:54:03.877+02:00‘The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks’ by E. Lockhart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MMaJHRCPT9gs3WrbK3R-wxfsyghnUrkm3YfkFlQfmZ1mo8P99LIxg9buUghssC2GZvIN9t2jeR8h7MYOyW8_xHA0whTsVzk5sqmqO42bpMMm6jNgVH6cc97osLNiEAkDJ3BiQXcRs_TS/s1600/1629601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MMaJHRCPT9gs3WrbK3R-wxfsyghnUrkm3YfkFlQfmZ1mo8P99LIxg9buUghssC2GZvIN9t2jeR8h7MYOyW8_xHA0whTsVzk5sqmqO42bpMMm6jNgVH6cc97osLNiEAkDJ3BiQXcRs_TS/s200/1629601.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> YA Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Publisher:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Hot Key Books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">ISBN:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 9781471404405<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1629601.The_Disreputable_History_of_Frankie_Landau_Banks" target="_blank">View on Goodreads.</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Frankie
Landau-Banks attends one of the most privileged schools in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">She
is popular, cute and funny.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Her
main preoccupation is the gorgeous Matthew Livingston.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But
that’s not all there is to Frankie.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">She’s
also smart.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Then
Frankie discovers Matthew has been keeping secrets from her.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">What
will she do to get even? How far will she go?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">It’s up
to Frankie…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I started reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</i> with relatively
low expectations. I’d been looking for a lighthearted, mildly entertaining
novel to help my brain recover from PESD (Post Exam Stress Disorder) and stumbled
across the paperback on my sister’s bookshelf. Funnily enough, I didn’t even
register that it was by E. Lockhart until I was about ten pages in, and by then
I’d already kissed the rest of my plans for the day goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I should’ve learned from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We Were Liars </i>that one should never
underestimate E. Lockhart’s ability to turn a seemingly ordinary teen love
story into a novel that can practically rip the entire world to shreds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There’s so much I want to say, but I’ll try
and limit it to two main points:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1. The story, in isolation, is brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At first glance, Lockhart’s novel seems
like yet another story about a teenage girl’s jealousy-driven revenge rampage
on her lying boyfriend, in which she cuts holes in his favourite T-shirts and
basically acts like Taylor Swift in her Blank Space music video. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Yeah, it has absolutely nothing to do with
that. Replace the emotional wreck of a teenage drama queen with an ambitious
mastermind, and then throw in some genius pranks, infiltration and a secret
society of pompous teenage boys. Then wrap it all up in a beautiful little
package of expert plotting and an inimitable narrative style, and you get a
breathtaking novel that deserves every award it’s won.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2. Lockhart’s subtle social commentaries
made my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The dark little commentaries in this novel
are pure perfection. And if there’s one thing I absolutely love in a YA novel
directed at middle to upper class teenage girls, it’s a social commentary that
will make them <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">think</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In this case, Lockhart deals with feminism
and patriarchy in a predominantly white upper-class setting, but she writes
about it in such a way that younger girls might finally be able to understand
the reasoning behind feminist attitudes. Frankie, at fifteen, questions the
sexist attitudes and double standards at her school. For her, it’s not enough
to combat male power (like the all-boys secret society) with attempts to
establish all-female power – she wants to infiltrate sexist institutions and
demolish them from within. She questions and challenges the way in which boys
see her, because she doesn’t want to have to pretend to be an air-headed piece
of arm-candy just because she’s a woman. But then Frankie begins to act, and
the results are as inspiring as they are destructive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">E. Lockhart is steadily emerging as a
prominent YA author, and rightfully so. Evidently, she has something to say
through her novels (which are essentially some of the most well-written YA
books on the shelves right now) and I, for one, am beyond prepared to listen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Recommended
to:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> All teenage girls and boys everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This quote is probably going to become my
new mantra:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN-US">“It is better to be alone, she figures,
than to be with someone who can’t see who you are. It is better to lead than to
follow. It is better to speak up than stay silent. It is better to open doors
than to shut them on people.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">She will not be simple and sweet. She will
not be who people tell her she should be. That Bunny Rabbit is dead.”</span></blockquote>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-8409005547100914922015-07-29T11:38:00.001+02:002015-08-18T18:38:11.828+02:00'Uprooted' by Naomi Novik<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEsnOy391tK_Rj_GnMbirM0NEm-lHvPi9kcZ0KeUtcje1q2ywljup0YLe_6RB6UNtOK4mSCdDmckm8MaCgUMJJkbITHrvdswNFaL9gHkqw2rbuVN3oVUY7VyhcOtvXkwzfnSWaeNxuN2V/s1600/uprooted-naomi-novik-us1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEsnOy391tK_Rj_GnMbirM0NEm-lHvPi9kcZ0KeUtcje1q2ywljup0YLe_6RB6UNtOK4mSCdDmckm8MaCgUMJJkbITHrvdswNFaL9gHkqw2rbuVN3oVUY7VyhcOtvXkwzfnSWaeNxuN2V/s200/uprooted-naomi-novik-us1.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
<h3>
Book details</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> YA Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Publisher:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> PAN Macmillan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">ISBN:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> 9781447298304<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22544764-uprooted" target="_blank">View on Goodreads.</a></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Synopsis:</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Agnieszka
loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining
river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power,
and its shadow lies over her life.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Her
people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard known only as the Dragon to keep the
Wood’s powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young
woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible
as being lost to the Wood.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">The
next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows –
everyone knows – that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave
Kasia – all the things Agnieszka isn’t – and her dearest friend in the world.
And there is no way to save her.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">But
no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it
is not Kasia he will take with him.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Review:</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I love fairy tales. I love the timeless
magic that seems to flow through every word, right from the fateful ‘Once upon
a time’. I love the originals, with their gruesome, tragic endings, and the way
the old words sound when they’re read aloud. I love the Disney remakes, and the
dumbed-down, less explicit versions for children that focus on the beauty of
magic rather than the darkness behind it. But I suppose my greatest downfall is
that, above all else, I am addicted to modern retellings of the classics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m serious. I’ll see a new novel in the
bookstore with anything resembling a tower or a dragon on it and I’ll probably
buy it without even looking at the blurb. And more often than not, it turns out
to be yet another Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White retelling that’s
about as original and unique as a cheap souvenir from a gift shop in Disney
World. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cinder</i> by Marissa Meyer is
one of the few exceptions.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But then there’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uprooted</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Nothing I’ve ever read before could’ve
prepared me for the magic that seemed to seep out of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uprooted</i> every time I opened it. It would take no more than a
couple of sentences to entirely sweep me out of my own world into Agnieszka’s
small village – at times I could feel the threatening corruption of the Wood,
or the cold grasp of the Dragon on my arms. Novik’s story in not merely about
magic, it fashions a magic of its own that grows through your mind like
climbing green vines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I think what makes Agnieszka’s story so
refreshing is that it isn’t based on any one of the typical (almost
stereotypical) fairy tales. In fact, it isn’t based on a Western story at all. Novik
weaves in characters and symbols from the Polish tales her mother told her as
a child, but they never take center stage in the novel – Agnieszka’s story is
entirely unique, which is startling because it seems so ancient and timeless in
its dark, detailed magic and monsters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
there are the characters. Gone are the heroic, spotless princes, the beautiful
young maidens and the all-knowing wizards who typically steal the spotlight in
all tales, both old and new. I think that’s awesome. I think it’s really,
really wonderful that Novik’s protagonist is covered in dirt and dust half the
time, and that her love interest isn’t typically handsome. I love that the
princes shatter the stereotype of heroic valiance, and are rather portrayed as
cruel, self-serving and ultimately quite stupid. Oh, and back to Agnieszka: I
think it’s epic that she doesn’t rely on beauty or wit or grace to save
herself. She manages to remain a smart village girl, in appearance and otherwise,
throughout the novel, and she still kicks ass. That’s the type of message I
like to see in fairy tales – it doesn’t always have to be the perfect,
beautiful village girl that becomes the heroine of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There’s still so much more I’d love to praise
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Uprooted</i>, but I think you get
the picture. It’s a stunning novel, and wildly underrated at that. It’ll
probably ruin your life for the few days you spend with your nose stuck in its
pages, but it’s totally worth it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s1600/5+star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_DJRHnBCSRAK0GYgdpnHOw73u7ctlEOUXcXJHSBtvfdQjw_3woNKG8ocCgQAtcy1I42JvGoGSB8SfC76VPjjv4nc4dztGC8K5Ao3L4vhyVnTl0R_ifSfsKB2IEJ1VaUF8Q6-nB_3eMfl/s400/5+star.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Rating:</b> 5/5 stars</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Recommended to: </b>Fans of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cinder</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mercy</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entwined</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Jewel</i>, and even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mortal Instruments </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry
Potter</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">The Last Word</span></h3>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But even if you don’t like fairy tales look
at this stunning cover! (It even matches my scarf #winning.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x8KC8k72BKeWcWLbAC4SPIs95JCqntdf-do6yXwHoRT3byXnHJ-DP1HRNx_cCP0S5VsWTLjRM6EMLmd2DyCZ89JPHqDTJ23efBdNRVL3QbeFLD8cTus1-QYxNSDmt2_1SVnVBhyRQslD/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1x8KC8k72BKeWcWLbAC4SPIs95JCqntdf-do6yXwHoRT3byXnHJ-DP1HRNx_cCP0S5VsWTLjRM6EMLmd2DyCZ89JPHqDTJ23efBdNRVL3QbeFLD8cTus1-QYxNSDmt2_1SVnVBhyRQslD/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-26216262613738602922015-07-25T18:02:00.000+02:002015-08-18T18:38:59.044+02:00'The Jewel' by Amy Ewing<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_utR9g2zCRibVpZBmg66xgvZFb3KRRLxjQ6rWL1NjQzOO9DtvgdgrQxHkj9xr4NtIBYkdZIAfA9oDuCAgCwmV0vVNOrj3iCI0x4rgvHlrrdzhvh6-ooNteL-tq512SkTBqx9Th9rTe2d/s1600/1016889_894880200523634_5203721249386374186_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_utR9g2zCRibVpZBmg66xgvZFb3KRRLxjQ6rWL1NjQzOO9DtvgdgrQxHkj9xr4NtIBYkdZIAfA9oDuCAgCwmV0vVNOrj3iCI0x4rgvHlrrdzhvh6-ooNteL-tq512SkTBqx9Th9rTe2d/s200/1016889_894880200523634_5203721249386374186_n.jpg" width="129" /></a>Date finished: 1 December 2014</h3>
<h3>
Rating: 4/5</h3>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Enchanting and enthralling, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Jewel</i> is a perfect fit for fans of DeStephano’s
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chemical Garden </i>series. Ewing brings
a fresh twist to the world of Young Adult fiction with elements of fantasy,
scandal, love and glamorous politics. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Jewel</i> holds a haunting story that will remain in the back of its readers’
minds for years, or at least until the sequel is published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In the Jewel, the center of society
reserved for the elite, royal bloodlines are preserved by chemical conception.
Stripped of her identity and auctioned off as a surrogate to the Duchess of the
Lake, Violet Lasting is destined to carry the child of a woman she despises.
Increased exposure to the scandal and politics of the Jewel shows Violet that
she’s simply a pawn in the Duchess’s scheme to secure the throne. But with her
sanity threatening to evaporate completely, Violet finds salvation in another
captive, who might also be her demise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Whilst captivating and heartbreaking,
Violet’s story also explores several important issues emerging in today’s
society. A wonderful read. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This review was also posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebluestockingreview/notes" target="_blank">The Bluestocking Review</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(So I've done three reviews - with three more to come - for The Bluestocking Review now, and I just realised that I completely forgot to post them here! That's why they're all dated half a year ago... Totally moronic move, I know. But I have at least three more reviews on hold that I'll be posting in the next few weeks, so stay posted.)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-10982267680380852792015-07-25T17:51:00.002+02:002015-07-25T17:51:54.022+02:00'Trigger Warning' by Neil Gaiman<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Date finished: 19 April 2015</span></h3>
<h3>
Rating: 5/5</h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">It cannot be disputed that Neil Gaiman is
among the finest fantasy writers of this generation. His latest compilation of
short stories is evidence enough of his skill in weaving wonderfully weird and
disturbing fairy-tales for adults that will remain embedded in the back of his
readers’ minds forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Trigger
Warning</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> is not for the lighthearted. Its strange
and often wildly unnerving contents are intended to provoke feelings in the
reader that trigger strong emotional responses. We are continuously confronted
with stories that contain death, tears, pain and helplessness – even the
occasional happy ending. We are invited to explore the deepest contents of our
imaginations, awaken the monsters of the past and face them courageously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The craft of writing short stories is not
an easy one. To write short stories that leave such a lasting impact on
readers, and then to succeed in selling them despite this, should be close to
impossible. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trigger Warning</i> exceeds
all expectations, and provides an intriguing and terrifying glimpse into the
mind of a fantasy genius. I highly recommend reading Gaiman’s works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
This review was also posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebluestockingreview/notes" target="_blank">The Bluestocking Review</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-35870655778777908022015-07-25T17:48:00.001+02:002015-07-25T17:49:20.258+02:00'The Last Leaves Falling' by Sarah Benwell<h3>
Date finished: 19 April 2015</h3>
<h3>
Rating: 1/5</h3>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">The
Last Leaves Falling</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> is a striking novel that
demands careful consideration of serious issues by its reader. Sora, a Japanese
teenager with huge dreams, struggles to find friendship and courage in his
struggle with ALS. Unfortunately, there are elements that did not sit well with
me, and I constantly found myself questioning what exactly the author was
trying to convey to her readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Although Benwell’s writing style and
simplistic plot are far more suited to readers in their early teens, Sora’s
opinions on death, suicide and his struggle against ALS are not entirely appropriate
for younger readers. Overall, there is a dark underlying tone of helplessness
and tragedy that, instead of challenging its readers, seems to advertise
suicide as a courageous and noble death. Teenagers would be safer reading
novels with darker content that present a more stable view on life, especially
when suicide and self-harm are becoming increasingly prominent among
adolescents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This incompatibility of the storyline,
teenage characters and main themes resulted in a confusing and overwhelming
story that left me feeling ill at ease. This book is not worth the wasted time
or emotional energy it demands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This review was also posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebluestockingreview/notes" target="_blank">The Bluestocking Review</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14803565062695200192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020765269903429400.post-26401478908601025572015-07-01T19:07:00.001+02:002015-08-22T12:54:52.961+02:00How reading can help you escape awkward social situations<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Shoutout to all my fellow anti-social
teenage ninjas. Never again will you have to face the scary outside world
unarmed – I’ve finally come up with the solutions to all your social struggles.
(Pfft, from research… totally not from my own experiences.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Yes, this is yet another blog about why
books are awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AzqKMJ7_i18Ck6Ow211pYYZt94ys-1IbrBzZnGU1wY9ZpwsgpYnDqnxA0zW-4iYYzeq9wbmXC0VbBa7DIW3jH378mTfS3xV6FXz_hTdlPMzJE3ePp6DqKXtOcp7g3Eem5STZoC9C0GeW/s1600/81020121411478102012034884.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AzqKMJ7_i18Ck6Ow211pYYZt94ys-1IbrBzZnGU1wY9ZpwsgpYnDqnxA0zW-4iYYzeq9wbmXC0VbBa7DIW3jH378mTfS3xV6FXz_hTdlPMzJE3ePp6DqKXtOcp7g3Eem5STZoC9C0GeW/s320/81020121411478102012034884.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And yes, to all the other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sociable</i> people reading this blog, this
is a ruse to get you to take up reading. Please. For the sake of all the readers
who have to listen to you use the same fifteen words over and over again (just
a suggestion – there are about 900 better words to use than “cool” and “jol”,
all of which can be discovered through the magical world of *insert rainbows* <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">literature</i>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Note: The obvious solution to all of these problems is just to stay at home and read... but my therapist tells me that staying at home for my entire life and avoiding socialisation at all costs will result in me never getting a "proper job" to pay for my expensive reading habits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Social Struggle #1: The “how-much-longer-do-I-have-to-sit-here-and-look-like-a-total-loner-before-she-shows-up”
Restaurant Endeavor</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We’ve all been there. You agreed to meet
your friend at Tasha’s at 19:30. She’s fifteen minutes late, and you have to
sit at a table alone with nothing to do because you’re all out of data on your
cellphone, so you can’t scroll aimlessly through social media and pretend you
have a life. People are casting suspicious glances your way, perhaps wondering
if you’re some sort of terrorist waiting for the perfect moment to blow
yourself up, or even a homicidal maniac, eating dinner as a recluse whilst you
carefully select your next victim. The waiter thinks you’ve been stood up – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what a loser</i>. You can practically feel
the cold judgment pricking at your skin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Ideal outcome:</b> You don’t look like a total
hermit staring at the wallpaper or scrolling though your camera roll until she
arrives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Solution:</b> Download the Kindle app on your
phone before you go out, and then buy an e-book. This way, when you’re sitting
all alone at the table, you can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pretend</i>
to be doing something socially acceptable like scrolling through Twitter, but
you’re <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">actually</i> reading a damn good
book without facing judgment for being “antisocial”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Social Struggle #2: The
“why-do-I-always-forget-to-bring-a-rape-whistle-to-these-things” Party Expedition</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Your friends have dragged you out to some
ridiculous social gathering and some weirdo has approached you to “chat”. Let’s
be honest, after about three hours at somebody’s house party, the only people
actually having fun are those who are either passed out or hopelessly
intoxicated. It’s cold outside, but inside smells like sweat and weed and
booze, and your legs are aching because there’s not a single place to sit that
hasn’t been baptized in vodka. The last thing you want to do is engage in a
conversation with somebody who starts off on the predictable, red-alert note
of: “Aw, you don’t look like you’re having too much fun, babe.” Forced, polite
conversation only makes it worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Ideal outcome:</b> 1. He leaves. 2. You get to
go home without offending anybody.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Solution:</b> Start quoting some random, verbose, intellectual novel in short bursts of prose. (Try go for the least clichéd quotes, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">avoid declarations of love at all costs</i>.
Societal commentaries are a safe bet – they use big, confusing words.) Giggle
at random intervals, but otherwise keep a deadpan tone and a straight face. If
he still hasn’t left when you run out of quotes, stumble away quickly, as if you’re
just as drunk as the girl hanging over the speaker. Call a cab. Leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BAS5o0MIQj_3YnLInbtvi9hEexIxztnlW8J3AD2CTafm_tZgfI0G_ArR5QHOdWCg-2zy7UrEtntNey1iNYKbr9PpOgJXOwQeeYMabRgmW8CZBTrtKGZgrlUYf2E2nF-DdqF_ZKRCRy24/s1600/c647cdbb93abb27ca3d9fb7c4c41bc81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BAS5o0MIQj_3YnLInbtvi9hEexIxztnlW8J3AD2CTafm_tZgfI0G_ArR5QHOdWCg-2zy7UrEtntNey1iNYKbr9PpOgJXOwQeeYMabRgmW8CZBTrtKGZgrlUYf2E2nF-DdqF_ZKRCRy24/s320/c647cdbb93abb27ca3d9fb7c4c41bc81.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ulysses is full of confusing, intellectual... stuff. Perfect for all<br />
your anti-social escape-route needs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(This method is so much more fun than just
yelling, “OH MY GOD, LEAVE.” And so much more humane.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Social Struggle #3: The
“if-one-more-person-tells-me-how-much-I’ve-grown-I’m-going-to-start-throwing-things”
Family Reunion</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Family reunions are unbearable, especially because
everybody there feels as though they have the right to comment on your
lifestyle choices because of a combination of excess “family spirit” and too
much red wine. For example, almost every time we have extended-family
gatherings, somebody feels that it’s necessary to somehow comment on how my
choice of university for next year has what they refer to as a “bad rep”:
“Better make sure your liver’s ready, love! Ha-ha!” or, “Oh… that’s nice…
Aren’t your parents worried you’ll turn into a hippie?” or even, “You know what
pot is? Just don’t smoke anything anyone gives you. I heard there’s a drug gang
in that area.” Um. Thanks. So, just because I’m going to university
automatically makes me a drug addict, a hippie and an alcoholic. Glad to know my family's so well-educated on stereotyping and generalisations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Ideal outcomes:</b> 1. Shut everybody up for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just a few minutes</i>. 2. Give them
something to talk about at the next reunion – to which you will not be invited
if it all goes according to plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Solution:</b> There’s always at least one other
person in the family who’s vaguely similar to you – that is, they also wish
they were in bed with a book, and it shows. I have three: father, sister, and
uncle. If you don’t have a significant other to talk to, just talk to yourself.
This solution involves roleplaying, which under any other circumstances I am
completely and utterly opposed to, so don’t @ me about it. Prepare a scene
beforehand in which you and your partner-in-crime pretend to be two characters
from a book you’ve both read. (Preferably something extremely weird and
wonderful, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> or even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> – we’re going for a
shock-and-awe kind of response.) Include actual dialogue, but feel free to be
creative. Recite your lines loudly and dramatically, responding aggressively
when your mom tries to laugh it off and tells you to “stop playing around”.
Hopefully, you’ll eventually be escorted off the property by an extremely
annoyed (but secretly relieved) parent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p>Alternatively, buy a bunch of c</o:p></span>lichéd T-shirts and wear them out in public. This way, you can simultaneously warn people against talking to you, and apologise for your anti-social-ness without even having to open your mouth!</b></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">This blog went places I never expected it
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