Molly Looby's Blog, page 13
May 11, 2015
Half Lives - Sara Grant
Blurb
Icie is a typical teenager, until disaster strikes and she must escape to a top-secret military bunker - her only hope of survival.
Hundreds of years later, Beckett leads a community that worships the Great I AM. But Beckett and his beliefs are under attack.
Icie and Beckett must fight to survive - separated by time; connected by a dangerous secret both must protect.
My Review
The first things that struck me when reading Half Lives was the excellent first person narrative voice. Of course I'm a character girl so this was a big win for me. If I like your protagonist's narration, chances are I'll like the book whatever's going on. Icie, in my opinion, was believable and extremely readable. She was funny and sometimes down-right terrified and I think that was a great decision. Not enough of these protagonists thrown into a life-threatening situation react in a perfectly normal way. Icie does.
Unfortunately, Grant made the decision to write Beckett's half in the third person present tense whilst writing Icie in the first person past tense. I know why she's done this. Beckett's story is hundreds of years later so his narrative can be happening right now and if his narrative is happening right now, Icie's can't be. But couldn't she have written them both in the first person?
No.
That's because Beckett's half flips from this person to that person every alternative chapter. I thought this was a shame because I loved Beckett's 'voice' even if it was written in an entirely different style to Icie. However, I didn't like all the other characters that got to narrate. At times I even got bored of them and felt like crying out, "Give me Beckett instead!". I think this also comes down to how much I enjoyed Icie's narration. Most of the other points of view were tiring in comparison to the big and amusing 'voice' of Icie. Because of this, I found I was less likely to pick up the book if I was in Beckett's future. If on Icie though, I couldn't put the book down. It was like some sort of balancing act.
The plot though, I can't fault. I thought it was excellent how their two lives connected and how everything was revealed little bit by little bit. It was very clever and well thought out. I imagine all sorts of planning went into the reveals and time lines of Half Lives.Ìý
What I most loved, other than the narration, was how bizarre I found this story. It was different from most other things I've read but that's why I've given it a high rating. Even though I found some of the narration dragging, I still think it's worth the read if you can put up with Beckett's chapters.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It kept me reading and asking questions.
Would I look up the author? Yes. But I don't much fancy her other YA book so I'll just sit and wait patiently to see if she writes something else I'll be interested in.
Half Lives was bizarre, but in a highly entertaining way.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
Icie is a typical teenager, until disaster strikes and she must escape to a top-secret military bunker - her only hope of survival.
Hundreds of years later, Beckett leads a community that worships the Great I AM. But Beckett and his beliefs are under attack.
Icie and Beckett must fight to survive - separated by time; connected by a dangerous secret both must protect.
My Review
The first things that struck me when reading Half Lives was the excellent first person narrative voice. Of course I'm a character girl so this was a big win for me. If I like your protagonist's narration, chances are I'll like the book whatever's going on. Icie, in my opinion, was believable and extremely readable. She was funny and sometimes down-right terrified and I think that was a great decision. Not enough of these protagonists thrown into a life-threatening situation react in a perfectly normal way. Icie does.
Unfortunately, Grant made the decision to write Beckett's half in the third person present tense whilst writing Icie in the first person past tense. I know why she's done this. Beckett's story is hundreds of years later so his narrative can be happening right now and if his narrative is happening right now, Icie's can't be. But couldn't she have written them both in the first person?
No.
That's because Beckett's half flips from this person to that person every alternative chapter. I thought this was a shame because I loved Beckett's 'voice' even if it was written in an entirely different style to Icie. However, I didn't like all the other characters that got to narrate. At times I even got bored of them and felt like crying out, "Give me Beckett instead!". I think this also comes down to how much I enjoyed Icie's narration. Most of the other points of view were tiring in comparison to the big and amusing 'voice' of Icie. Because of this, I found I was less likely to pick up the book if I was in Beckett's future. If on Icie though, I couldn't put the book down. It was like some sort of balancing act.
The plot though, I can't fault. I thought it was excellent how their two lives connected and how everything was revealed little bit by little bit. It was very clever and well thought out. I imagine all sorts of planning went into the reveals and time lines of Half Lives.Ìý
What I most loved, other than the narration, was how bizarre I found this story. It was different from most other things I've read but that's why I've given it a high rating. Even though I found some of the narration dragging, I still think it's worth the read if you can put up with Beckett's chapters.
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It kept me reading and asking questions.
Would I look up the author? Yes. But I don't much fancy her other YA book so I'll just sit and wait patiently to see if she writes something else I'll be interested in.
Half Lives was bizarre, but in a highly entertaining way.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
April 29, 2015
Impossible - Nancy Werlin
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
If you want my opinion . . .
Impossible is the story of Lucy, a girl whose family is cursed. She has to try and break the curse. That's it.
My Review
But it's actually more terrible than the description I gave it. I haven't read a book I've disliked this much since The Awakening but at least that had vampires in it. This book really had nothing going on.
By the first page I knew I would hate the entire thing. There were just so many commas and far too many adverbs. If you know me, you know my hatred of adverbs. But it wasn't just the technical way it was written, I also felt a distance between myself and the protagonist, Lucy. It was the way Werlin went about her third person. I'm not having a go at third person here, sometimes it can be just as personal as the first person, my favourite example is the GONE series by Michael Grant, but I don't think Werlin understood what her readers needed from her when she put Lucy to page. After just one page, my expectations had plummeted and there they stayed.
When I got to chapter two I was fuming about the adverbs. The situation just seemed to get worse and worse. Let me explain for those of you who've never heard me drone on about it before. Adverbs suck power from writing. Don't say, 'stepped quietly', for example, say 'crept'. Use a stronger verb, please! Adverbs are lazy and sound ridiculous after a while. Here are some examples from Impossible.: 'suddenly', 'abruptly', 'promptly', 'predictably', 'pathetically', 'appealingly', and my personal favourite: 'ostentatiously'. You've got to be kidding, right?
But wait! There's more! Not only were adverbs on every single page, multiple in fact. Sometimes they were used next to each other; 'gravely, decisively', 'respectfully, attentively', and this one was used two sentences in a row; 'slowly, cautiously'. If that's not lazy, sloppy writing, I don't know what is.
Getting over my aversion to adverbs was impossible but there was more to hate in this book than just this. Lucy's internal monologue grated on me fast. She didn't seem to trust herself even a small bit. I wanted some strength from her, even just a little. Despite being told she was 'fearless' and 'strong', I saw no evidence of it.
The rest of the characters were a bit bizarre. They were realistic up to a point but just oh so boring. Their personalities were lacking. There wasn't one interesting character in the whole thing.Ìý
There were random bits of specific description about everyone moving around, picking stuff up and putting it down again and I wondered if Werlin had to reach a certain number of words. There was so much stuff still in the book that I would've cut after one draft. I don't know who Werlin's editor was but it's safe to say I would've turned this book into something exciting. Impossible was just dull, there's nothing else I can say.
I don't care if I'm being picky and too harsh here but what's with the title? Impossible? Is that the best they could come up with? There were so many other options they could've gone for. What possessed them to go with this?
After chapter ten I started skimming because I wanted the ordeal over with. The more the book went on, the angrier I became. At one point I threw it to the other end of the sofa. Because how come this drivel was published?
Evaluation
Overall 2/10
Would I recommend it? No. There was nothing I enjoyed about this book.
Would I look up the author? No. I couldn't bear it.
Impossible was, in a word, dull.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
If you want my opinion . . .
Impossible is the story of Lucy, a girl whose family is cursed. She has to try and break the curse. That's it.
My Review
But it's actually more terrible than the description I gave it. I haven't read a book I've disliked this much since The Awakening but at least that had vampires in it. This book really had nothing going on.
By the first page I knew I would hate the entire thing. There were just so many commas and far too many adverbs. If you know me, you know my hatred of adverbs. But it wasn't just the technical way it was written, I also felt a distance between myself and the protagonist, Lucy. It was the way Werlin went about her third person. I'm not having a go at third person here, sometimes it can be just as personal as the first person, my favourite example is the GONE series by Michael Grant, but I don't think Werlin understood what her readers needed from her when she put Lucy to page. After just one page, my expectations had plummeted and there they stayed.
When I got to chapter two I was fuming about the adverbs. The situation just seemed to get worse and worse. Let me explain for those of you who've never heard me drone on about it before. Adverbs suck power from writing. Don't say, 'stepped quietly', for example, say 'crept'. Use a stronger verb, please! Adverbs are lazy and sound ridiculous after a while. Here are some examples from Impossible.: 'suddenly', 'abruptly', 'promptly', 'predictably', 'pathetically', 'appealingly', and my personal favourite: 'ostentatiously'. You've got to be kidding, right?
But wait! There's more! Not only were adverbs on every single page, multiple in fact. Sometimes they were used next to each other; 'gravely, decisively', 'respectfully, attentively', and this one was used two sentences in a row; 'slowly, cautiously'. If that's not lazy, sloppy writing, I don't know what is.
Getting over my aversion to adverbs was impossible but there was more to hate in this book than just this. Lucy's internal monologue grated on me fast. She didn't seem to trust herself even a small bit. I wanted some strength from her, even just a little. Despite being told she was 'fearless' and 'strong', I saw no evidence of it.
The rest of the characters were a bit bizarre. They were realistic up to a point but just oh so boring. Their personalities were lacking. There wasn't one interesting character in the whole thing.Ìý
There were random bits of specific description about everyone moving around, picking stuff up and putting it down again and I wondered if Werlin had to reach a certain number of words. There was so much stuff still in the book that I would've cut after one draft. I don't know who Werlin's editor was but it's safe to say I would've turned this book into something exciting. Impossible was just dull, there's nothing else I can say.
I don't care if I'm being picky and too harsh here but what's with the title? Impossible? Is that the best they could come up with? There were so many other options they could've gone for. What possessed them to go with this?
After chapter ten I started skimming because I wanted the ordeal over with. The more the book went on, the angrier I became. At one point I threw it to the other end of the sofa. Because how come this drivel was published?
Evaluation
Overall 2/10
Would I recommend it? No. There was nothing I enjoyed about this book.
Would I look up the author? No. I couldn't bear it.
Impossible was, in a word, dull.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
April 21, 2015
The Passage - Justin Cronin
Blurb
Amy Harper Bellafonte is six years old and her mother thinks she's the most important person in the whole world. She is. Anthony Carter doesn't think he could ever be in a worse place than Death Row. He's wrong. FBI agent Brad Wolgast thinks something beyond imagination is coming. It is.
Unaware of each other's existence but bound together in ways none of them could ever have imagined, they are about to embark on a journey. An epic journey that will take them through a world transformed by man's darkest dreams, to the very heart of what it means to be human. And beyond.
Because something is coming. A tidal wave of darkness ready to engulf the world. And Amy is the only person who can stop it.
My Review
I have to say first of The Passage that it's a huge commitment. But once committed, there's no turning back. The book is mammoth - 950 pages - and it took me four weeks to read it. And I'm a fast reader. But it was worth every minute I put into it.
The Passage had been on my shelf for a couple of years and I've always been terrified to pick it up based on its hugeness. But I thought, I'm ahead of my book target this year. (At this point I'd read 9 books in 6 weeks - but quite a few of them were my own books) So I could afford a few weeks of not finishing a book.
What struck me first was how different The Passage was from books I normally read. Those of you who read this blog regularly or know me, know that I read teen fiction almost exclusively. But since discovering this book a few years earlier, I knew I wanted to break my usual genre. Though nothing like anything I'd ever read, I fell into The Passage with ease. The narrative was complexly woven and I wanted to keep reading to find out how these characters fit together.
At first I thought it'd be difficult to separate all the characters from one another because the whole thing's so wildly ambitious, but it was surprisingly easy - not trouble free, but most of the time I knew exactly who everyone was and how they were related to everyone else.
All the characters, be them huge major characters like Amy or tiny minor characters, felt so whole, round, and real, I was blown away. It really felt like every single character had a story. And what's more, the story was relevant. Nothing was irrelevant in the whole book. I ate it up. Everything. As it went on I just fell further in love with it.
Masterfully crafted and filled with action, I only have one more thing to say about The Passage. Jane Austen has never been more correct. "If a book is well written I always find it too short."Â At 950 pages, the longest book I've ever read, this is still true of The Passage. I just didn't want it to end.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It was just incredible on so many levels I don't know how I wouldn't.
Would I look up the author? Yes. But I don't fancy the sequel to The Passage. I'm happy with the ending I was given in book one.
The Passage was an incredible journey I didn't want to end.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
Amy Harper Bellafonte is six years old and her mother thinks she's the most important person in the whole world. She is. Anthony Carter doesn't think he could ever be in a worse place than Death Row. He's wrong. FBI agent Brad Wolgast thinks something beyond imagination is coming. It is.
Unaware of each other's existence but bound together in ways none of them could ever have imagined, they are about to embark on a journey. An epic journey that will take them through a world transformed by man's darkest dreams, to the very heart of what it means to be human. And beyond.
Because something is coming. A tidal wave of darkness ready to engulf the world. And Amy is the only person who can stop it.
My Review
I have to say first of The Passage that it's a huge commitment. But once committed, there's no turning back. The book is mammoth - 950 pages - and it took me four weeks to read it. And I'm a fast reader. But it was worth every minute I put into it.
The Passage had been on my shelf for a couple of years and I've always been terrified to pick it up based on its hugeness. But I thought, I'm ahead of my book target this year. (At this point I'd read 9 books in 6 weeks - but quite a few of them were my own books) So I could afford a few weeks of not finishing a book.
What struck me first was how different The Passage was from books I normally read. Those of you who read this blog regularly or know me, know that I read teen fiction almost exclusively. But since discovering this book a few years earlier, I knew I wanted to break my usual genre. Though nothing like anything I'd ever read, I fell into The Passage with ease. The narrative was complexly woven and I wanted to keep reading to find out how these characters fit together.
At first I thought it'd be difficult to separate all the characters from one another because the whole thing's so wildly ambitious, but it was surprisingly easy - not trouble free, but most of the time I knew exactly who everyone was and how they were related to everyone else.
All the characters, be them huge major characters like Amy or tiny minor characters, felt so whole, round, and real, I was blown away. It really felt like every single character had a story. And what's more, the story was relevant. Nothing was irrelevant in the whole book. I ate it up. Everything. As it went on I just fell further in love with it.
Masterfully crafted and filled with action, I only have one more thing to say about The Passage. Jane Austen has never been more correct. "If a book is well written I always find it too short."Â At 950 pages, the longest book I've ever read, this is still true of The Passage. I just didn't want it to end.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. It was just incredible on so many levels I don't know how I wouldn't.
Would I look up the author? Yes. But I don't fancy the sequel to The Passage. I'm happy with the ending I was given in book one.
The Passage was an incredible journey I didn't want to end.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
April 15, 2015
Promise Not To Tell - Jennifer McMahon
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
Kate Cypher's back in her home town to care for her sick mother but when there's news of a young girl's murder, all she can think about is Del, her best friend who was murdered when they were children. Murdered in the exact same way as the girl.
Kate's determined to dig up old secrets about her home town and realises there's more going on than she ever suspected.
My Review
I was a little sceptical upon picking this up because it had crime and mystery written all over it. I'm not a fan of mysteries and I never have been but I decided I would give this book a go regardless. Now, having read it in only five sittings, I am so glad I did.
Promise Not To Tell stars off with a prologue in the third person, following Opal, a young girl telling ghost stories around a campfire with her friends. In my opinion this was the perfect way to introduce Del, The Potato Girl, who had become her own ghost story thirty years after her murder. It threw me into this small town and the people who lived there. I have a hatred for prologues because I think they're unnecessary and not as arty as people think but this time it was used as an excellent tool. Why can't all prologues be like this?
When Kate took over the narrative in first person I had so many questions about Del and about who killed her that I turned pages and pages, eager for any scrap of information. It's safe to say I got sucked into this book at chapter one.
I don't have much else to say other than I was obsessed with this book for the short number of days I was reading it. If I wasn't reading it, I wanted to or was thinking about it. And for a girl who doesn't like mysteries, I think that's a win for McMahon and says a lot about her skill. The whole thing was so masterfully done and kept me guessing right until the end.
The only possible critique I can give is that it took a few chapters to want to follow Kate, the protagonist. To say she was likeable would be a push but after a while I certainly wanted to follow her story. But to make up for this, I was fascinated by Del and that kept me reading at the beginning.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. I was totally surprised by the complexity of this book.
Would I look up the author? Yes. There are a lot of similar stories based on murders and such that I may or may not get round to reading considering this isn't my favourite genre.
Promise Not To Tell was masterfully crafted and kept me guessing right until the end.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
Kate Cypher's back in her home town to care for her sick mother but when there's news of a young girl's murder, all she can think about is Del, her best friend who was murdered when they were children. Murdered in the exact same way as the girl.
Kate's determined to dig up old secrets about her home town and realises there's more going on than she ever suspected.
My Review
I was a little sceptical upon picking this up because it had crime and mystery written all over it. I'm not a fan of mysteries and I never have been but I decided I would give this book a go regardless. Now, having read it in only five sittings, I am so glad I did.
Promise Not To Tell stars off with a prologue in the third person, following Opal, a young girl telling ghost stories around a campfire with her friends. In my opinion this was the perfect way to introduce Del, The Potato Girl, who had become her own ghost story thirty years after her murder. It threw me into this small town and the people who lived there. I have a hatred for prologues because I think they're unnecessary and not as arty as people think but this time it was used as an excellent tool. Why can't all prologues be like this?
When Kate took over the narrative in first person I had so many questions about Del and about who killed her that I turned pages and pages, eager for any scrap of information. It's safe to say I got sucked into this book at chapter one.
I don't have much else to say other than I was obsessed with this book for the short number of days I was reading it. If I wasn't reading it, I wanted to or was thinking about it. And for a girl who doesn't like mysteries, I think that's a win for McMahon and says a lot about her skill. The whole thing was so masterfully done and kept me guessing right until the end.
The only possible critique I can give is that it took a few chapters to want to follow Kate, the protagonist. To say she was likeable would be a push but after a while I certainly wanted to follow her story. But to make up for this, I was fascinated by Del and that kept me reading at the beginning.
Evaluation
Overall 9/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. I was totally surprised by the complexity of this book.
Would I look up the author? Yes. There are a lot of similar stories based on murders and such that I may or may not get round to reading considering this isn't my favourite genre.
Promise Not To Tell was masterfully crafted and kept me guessing right until the end.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
April 7, 2015
100th Post!
Wait. 100? You must be mistaken. This can't be my 100th blog post. That would mean I'd committed to writing a blog for more than five minutes one day. I'll be dammed. Here were are. Post 100.
I never thought I'd last a year, let alone 100 posts. But something's happened to me since I started this blog. I was only going to write the occasional book review. Now I've reviewed 55 books and can't read a book without writing one.Ìý
Updating this blog has become part of my life and I'm not sure I can stop. I don't even care that my readership is even smaller than the people who read my books. Writing this is for my own enjoyment. Anyone who happens to find some fun in it too, whoever you are, are a bonus.
In preparation for this post, I went back to my first few posts back in June 2013. My online 'voice' was so different back then. It was clear I was trying too hard to be clever and it was getting in the way of being myself. It can only be a good thing for my novel writing that this's happened. That and I no longer sound like I'm terrified of my own blog!
I hope to keep this up as long as possible but as life gets busier and busier my posts might drop a bit. But fingers crossed you can still find me here when I've had a book published. Wouldn't that be amazing?
So thank you to everyone who's read my past posts and to all of you reading this right now. Here's to many more posts to come.
Molly LoobyBlogger / Author
[email protected]
I never thought I'd last a year, let alone 100 posts. But something's happened to me since I started this blog. I was only going to write the occasional book review. Now I've reviewed 55 books and can't read a book without writing one.Ìý
Updating this blog has become part of my life and I'm not sure I can stop. I don't even care that my readership is even smaller than the people who read my books. Writing this is for my own enjoyment. Anyone who happens to find some fun in it too, whoever you are, are a bonus.
In preparation for this post, I went back to my first few posts back in June 2013. My online 'voice' was so different back then. It was clear I was trying too hard to be clever and it was getting in the way of being myself. It can only be a good thing for my novel writing that this's happened. That and I no longer sound like I'm terrified of my own blog!
I hope to keep this up as long as possible but as life gets busier and busier my posts might drop a bit. But fingers crossed you can still find me here when I've had a book published. Wouldn't that be amazing?
So thank you to everyone who's read my past posts and to all of you reading this right now. Here's to many more posts to come.
Molly LoobyBlogger / Author
[email protected]
April 1, 2015
Everneath - Brodi Ashton
A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book
"Six months ago, Nikki Beckett vanished into an underworld known as the Everneath."
Now she's got only six months before she's pulled under again. For good.
My Review
I started off with high expectations of Everneath because in the first chapter it surprised me. The more teen fiction I read, the less I get surprised so I was giving it a huge thumbs up. There was a bit of action and a lot of mystery but it soon fizzled into nothing and I got incurably bored with this story.
I thought the counting down aspect could never fail. After all, it worked so tremendously in the GONE series by Michael Grant and in Looking for Alaska by John Green. But in Everneath it had no effect because I knew exactly what we were counting down to. It wasn't just that I worked it out early; we actually get told in the blurb which I summed up above.
The biggest issue I had with Everneath was that I'd heard it all before. It's a re-telling of the Persephone myth (which I'd never heard of until 2015 and now every book I pick up seems to mention it). A few books back I read Abandon by Meg Cabot which is essentially the same thing done in a slightly different way. So yes, I had in fact heard it all before. This took all suspense and fun out of reading it and I'm surprised I actually managed it to the end of the story.
But saying this, I still felt like it could've been written in a way to draw me in, even though I've practically read this book before turning a single page. I needed a kick-arse main character and Nikki just wan't that in any way shape or form. Not one single arse got kicked. Because at the beginning of the book Nikki is left without the ability to feel, everything felt dull. I need my protagonists lively. I need a reason to follow them through the rest of the book after all. But I was given no real reason to read or even care about Nikki.
I don't know whether it was Nikki, a lack of action, or that I knew where it was going but it felt like it took a long time to get anywhere. In fact, I'm not sure it did go anywhere. 150 pages in I started skimming. I have felt the need to do this only once before and that was reading the terrible Vampire Diaries book one. But even skimming was painful, I wasn't connected to the book at all. Like I said, I don't know how I finished it.
Evaluation
Overall 4/10
Would I recommend it? No. It was so predictable I could hardly finish it.
Would I look up the author? No. I didn't really get on with Ashton's writing style at all.
Everneath was dull, predictable and bland.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
"Six months ago, Nikki Beckett vanished into an underworld known as the Everneath."
Now she's got only six months before she's pulled under again. For good.
My Review
I started off with high expectations of Everneath because in the first chapter it surprised me. The more teen fiction I read, the less I get surprised so I was giving it a huge thumbs up. There was a bit of action and a lot of mystery but it soon fizzled into nothing and I got incurably bored with this story.
I thought the counting down aspect could never fail. After all, it worked so tremendously in the GONE series by Michael Grant and in Looking for Alaska by John Green. But in Everneath it had no effect because I knew exactly what we were counting down to. It wasn't just that I worked it out early; we actually get told in the blurb which I summed up above.
The biggest issue I had with Everneath was that I'd heard it all before. It's a re-telling of the Persephone myth (which I'd never heard of until 2015 and now every book I pick up seems to mention it). A few books back I read Abandon by Meg Cabot which is essentially the same thing done in a slightly different way. So yes, I had in fact heard it all before. This took all suspense and fun out of reading it and I'm surprised I actually managed it to the end of the story.
But saying this, I still felt like it could've been written in a way to draw me in, even though I've practically read this book before turning a single page. I needed a kick-arse main character and Nikki just wan't that in any way shape or form. Not one single arse got kicked. Because at the beginning of the book Nikki is left without the ability to feel, everything felt dull. I need my protagonists lively. I need a reason to follow them through the rest of the book after all. But I was given no real reason to read or even care about Nikki.
I don't know whether it was Nikki, a lack of action, or that I knew where it was going but it felt like it took a long time to get anywhere. In fact, I'm not sure it did go anywhere. 150 pages in I started skimming. I have felt the need to do this only once before and that was reading the terrible Vampire Diaries book one. But even skimming was painful, I wasn't connected to the book at all. Like I said, I don't know how I finished it.
Evaluation
Overall 4/10
Would I recommend it? No. It was so predictable I could hardly finish it.
Would I look up the author? No. I didn't really get on with Ashton's writing style at all.
Everneath was dull, predictable and bland.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
March 24, 2015
Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake
Blurb
Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts dead people.
People like Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna has killed everyone who's ever dared to enter her spooky house.
Everyone, that is, except Cas . . .Ìý
Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story.
My Review
I feel like I should warn you that this is going to be one of those reviews where I just gush about how much I enjoyed every page. So if you want to you should get out now!
Anna Dressed in Blood truly was incredible. I don't have a single negative thing to say about it! I couldn't think of anything.
I was thrust into the story immediately with a brilliant throw-you-in first chapter that had me reading for a lot longer in one sitting than I had planned for. The bright easy narrative had me falling straight into this story which I think was mostly due to Cas's narration, which I enjoyed from the off.
The pace was perfect. I was intruiged the entire way through, given enough to be curious but not too much to get bored. In fact there was no info dumping whatsoever. Everything was fed to me at the exact right time and at the exact right speed, meaning I didn't get lost or confused.
50 pages in I was sold on this story and having a blast. It really was a pleasure to read and I was sad I read it so quickly. This can be added to the ever growing list of books I've read in less than a week because I just couldn't put it down.
I never used to like high school scenes, but now I'm no longer in school I seem to love them. Cas's view on high school and the people in it made me smile and I enjoyed his evaluation. As well as the high school scenes, I also enjoyed the descriptive gore that's missed out of a lot of teen fiction books. This story needed it and gave it the depth and reality it needed. Never before have I imagined a ghost being 'killed' but it was a lot of fun!
As the novel went on, it felt familiar and I think that's because it had feelings of Stephen King's 'Carrie' and 'I am Not a Serial Killer' by Dan Wells. This was a good thing as it helped me sink into the story without it feeling like Blake had copied these ideas, far from it. But I wouldn't be surprised if either had given her inspiration. It was brilliant that Anna Dressed in Blood evoked the same feelings in me as these fantastic books.
Also, Kendare Blake replied to my tweets so I love her even more now!
Evaluation
Overall 10/10 I can't fault it!
Would I recommend it? Yes. I have not a single bad thing to say about this excellent book!
Would I look up the author? Yes. Done and done. The sequel, Girl of Nightmares is on my to-read list!
Anna Dressed in Blood was a perfect read in every way. It's my favourite book I've read so far this year!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts dead people.
People like Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna has killed everyone who's ever dared to enter her spooky house.
Everyone, that is, except Cas . . .Ìý
Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story.
My Review
I feel like I should warn you that this is going to be one of those reviews where I just gush about how much I enjoyed every page. So if you want to you should get out now!
Anna Dressed in Blood truly was incredible. I don't have a single negative thing to say about it! I couldn't think of anything.
I was thrust into the story immediately with a brilliant throw-you-in first chapter that had me reading for a lot longer in one sitting than I had planned for. The bright easy narrative had me falling straight into this story which I think was mostly due to Cas's narration, which I enjoyed from the off.
The pace was perfect. I was intruiged the entire way through, given enough to be curious but not too much to get bored. In fact there was no info dumping whatsoever. Everything was fed to me at the exact right time and at the exact right speed, meaning I didn't get lost or confused.
50 pages in I was sold on this story and having a blast. It really was a pleasure to read and I was sad I read it so quickly. This can be added to the ever growing list of books I've read in less than a week because I just couldn't put it down.
I never used to like high school scenes, but now I'm no longer in school I seem to love them. Cas's view on high school and the people in it made me smile and I enjoyed his evaluation. As well as the high school scenes, I also enjoyed the descriptive gore that's missed out of a lot of teen fiction books. This story needed it and gave it the depth and reality it needed. Never before have I imagined a ghost being 'killed' but it was a lot of fun!
As the novel went on, it felt familiar and I think that's because it had feelings of Stephen King's 'Carrie' and 'I am Not a Serial Killer' by Dan Wells. This was a good thing as it helped me sink into the story without it feeling like Blake had copied these ideas, far from it. But I wouldn't be surprised if either had given her inspiration. It was brilliant that Anna Dressed in Blood evoked the same feelings in me as these fantastic books.
Also, Kendare Blake replied to my tweets so I love her even more now!
Evaluation
Overall 10/10 I can't fault it!
Would I recommend it? Yes. I have not a single bad thing to say about this excellent book!
Would I look up the author? Yes. Done and done. The sequel, Girl of Nightmares is on my to-read list!
Anna Dressed in Blood was a perfect read in every way. It's my favourite book I've read so far this year!
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
March 17, 2015
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
A Spoiler Free Bit About the Book
Jane Austen's most famous and beloved novel tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a witty, intelligent and sometimes sharp-tongued middle-classed girl in early 1800s Britain. A comedy of manners focusing on first impressions, friendship, snobbery and of course pride and prejudice.
My Review
I don't feel like I can or should criticise this excellent novel in any way. All the things I found difficult about it were the language and era it was written in which soon began to fascinate me. I've always loved history and it didn't take me as long as I imagined to fall into the 1800s and live there for an hour or so every day. It amazed me that over 200 years later the characters are still relatable even though their day-to-day lives are nothing like our own in the 21st century.
What struck me most about the way this was written was the complex sentences. Sentences went on for lines and lines and there were hardly any instances at all of a short sentence. I love short sentences but my eyes have been opened to how beautiful a long sentence can be. Because of this, there were more semi-colons than I've ever seen in one go before. No wonder people don't know how to use them these days, they've practically fallen out of use. But like Austen, I love a good semi-colon in writing.
The amount of words in italic also surprised me. There's more of it than I've ever seen in one book and it's not quite used in the same way as it is today. If anything was exaggerated even in a small way it was in italics. Like I said before, I was fascinated not only by the plot and characters but by the way it was written.
I have nothing else to say as Pride and Prejudice was crafted with such mastery I feel like I'm not able to criticise. Why would I want to speak ill of one of the greatest authors of all time?
But through all this, I'm still a Wuthering Heights girl. Sorry Austen!
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. The world of the 1800s fascinated me and Elizabeth entertained me so much more than I expected.
Would I look up the author? Yes, of course I would! I am rather interested in Sense and Sensibility as a friend told me years ago that it was better than Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice made me feel sophisticated while I was completely in awe.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
Jane Austen's most famous and beloved novel tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a witty, intelligent and sometimes sharp-tongued middle-classed girl in early 1800s Britain. A comedy of manners focusing on first impressions, friendship, snobbery and of course pride and prejudice.
My Review
I don't feel like I can or should criticise this excellent novel in any way. All the things I found difficult about it were the language and era it was written in which soon began to fascinate me. I've always loved history and it didn't take me as long as I imagined to fall into the 1800s and live there for an hour or so every day. It amazed me that over 200 years later the characters are still relatable even though their day-to-day lives are nothing like our own in the 21st century.
What struck me most about the way this was written was the complex sentences. Sentences went on for lines and lines and there were hardly any instances at all of a short sentence. I love short sentences but my eyes have been opened to how beautiful a long sentence can be. Because of this, there were more semi-colons than I've ever seen in one go before. No wonder people don't know how to use them these days, they've practically fallen out of use. But like Austen, I love a good semi-colon in writing.
The amount of words in italic also surprised me. There's more of it than I've ever seen in one book and it's not quite used in the same way as it is today. If anything was exaggerated even in a small way it was in italics. Like I said before, I was fascinated not only by the plot and characters but by the way it was written.
I have nothing else to say as Pride and Prejudice was crafted with such mastery I feel like I'm not able to criticise. Why would I want to speak ill of one of the greatest authors of all time?
But through all this, I'm still a Wuthering Heights girl. Sorry Austen!
Evaluation
Overall 8/10
Would I recommend it? Yes. The world of the 1800s fascinated me and Elizabeth entertained me so much more than I expected.
Would I look up the author? Yes, of course I would! I am rather interested in Sense and Sensibility as a friend told me years ago that it was better than Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice made me feel sophisticated while I was completely in awe.
Molly LoobyAuthor / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA [email protected]
March 8, 2015
International Women's Day 2015
Last year I celebrated this incredible day by posting a list of my favourite strong female characters to be proud of. You can read it
This year I thought I'd go for a different approach and list some of my favourite female authors. They're not in a ranked order, just alphabetical by last name.
1. Cecelia Ahern
2. Jane Austen
3. Emily Bronte
4. Suzanne Collins
5. Jenny Downham
6. Becca Fitzpatrick
7. Cynthia Hand
8. Stephenie Meyer
9. Lauren Oliver
10. Cat Patrick
11. Veronica Roth
12. J.K. Rowling
13. Carrie Ryan
14. Maggie Stiefvater
15. Paula Weston
16. Moira Young
I want to add myself but feel like that would be a little arrogant so I'll just say it down here. I'm also an awesome female author!
Keep up the good work ladies.
Molly Looby
Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready
This year I thought I'd go for a different approach and list some of my favourite female authors. They're not in a ranked order, just alphabetical by last name.
1. Cecelia Ahern
2. Jane Austen
3. Emily Bronte
4. Suzanne Collins
5. Jenny Downham
6. Becca Fitzpatrick
7. Cynthia Hand
8. Stephenie Meyer
9. Lauren Oliver
10. Cat Patrick
11. Veronica Roth
12. J.K. Rowling
13. Carrie Ryan
14. Maggie Stiefvater
15. Paula Weston
16. Moira Young
I want to add myself but feel like that would be a little arrogant so I'll just say it down here. I'm also an awesome female author!
Keep up the good work ladies.
Molly Looby
Author / Ghostwriter / Editor / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready
March 5, 2015
My YA Imaginary Literary Tea Party for World Book Day
Happy World Book Day everyone! Because I had so much fun making a list for WBD last year () I decided to do the same this year! Here are the five characters from YA books that I would invite to my imaginary tea party.
Saba - Dustlands Trilogy by Moira Young
Gaby - Rephiam Series by Paula Weston
Todd - Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness
Patch - Hush, Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Annah - The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Just so you know, picking just five is not easy! Who would you invite to your YA tea party?
Molly LoobyBookworm
[email protected]
Saba - Dustlands Trilogy by Moira Young
Gaby - Rephiam Series by Paula Weston
Todd - Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness
Patch - Hush, Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Annah - The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Just so you know, picking just five is not easy! Who would you invite to your YA tea party?
Molly LoobyBookworm
[email protected]
