Salvage is a book that has had many positive comments and quite a bit of excitement revolving around it, especially here in the United Kingdom, so I wSalvage is a book that has had many positive comments and quite a bit of excitement revolving around it, especially here in the United Kingdom, so I was very excited to receive a copy for review. Salvage is a young adult book with interesting subject matter, exploring an interesting story. I usually really enjoy books about real life issues, so I was really hoping that I'd love this one.
I really liked the idea behind this book. We are introduced to Cass, our female narrative, as her adopted family has started to break up. As her father is a well known politician, the story hits the newspapers, one including a photograph of Cass. This is when we're introduced to our male narrative, Aidan, who despite having not seen her for years, almost instantly recognises his long lost sister. As Aidan contacts her, a lot of his history unravels and we read through the complexities of both Cass and Aidan's lives and learn a bit more about their past. In Aidan's eyes, Cass received the best adoptive middle-class parents possible, whereas he himself had more problems, partially due to issues with his birth mother's partners and also with his own emotional/anger problems.
Cass was a reasonably likeable character, she wasn't anything special which worked to the novel's advantage, it's easy to imagine her as someone you know and it was great to see her as a regular daughter to her adoptive parents, rather than simply seeing her as an adopted child - it just seemed like a 'normal' family dynamic. I can't say that I loved Cass, because there wasn't anything about her that particularly enamoured me, but I found her simplicity to work well, especially when paired with perhaps the quirkiest member of her school, the desirable and individual Will. I really liked Will ask he did seem to have an edge to him - he didn't go out of his way to be different, he simply was and he was also a very loveable character and if he was real, I would definitely like to have a friend like him.
Aidan was a much more interesting character to me and he certainly had, or at least remembered, a much more unstable beginning, living with some abuse and also, understandably, going through periods of time where he found it difficult to control his own emotions. Aidan is now living with his girlfriend and her son, a family relationship which is explored in the story and possibly the most interesting exploration, in my opinion. It was interesting to see how Aidan coped when bringing his past and current life together, and seeing how he and Cass both differed yet bonded.
Overall, Salvage was a well written and easily to read book that I would recommend to teenagers and fans of realistic YA. I think that the book was written simply and modestly enough to attract young teens, but perhaps it's a little too simplistic or modest for those older young adult fans who prefer a little more complexity. The story is interesting enough to hold your attention throughout, though I admit that I did find it a little too predictable to enjoy the 'big reveals' towards the end. Nevertheless, I can see why this book has been given great praise as it is exactly what it offers, a page turner which will attract young adults who enjoy reading about gritty real life issues....more
The 5th Wave has undoubtedly been one of the most eagerly anticipated young adult books of 2013. There has been a lot of superb reviews for this book The 5th Wave has undoubtedly been one of the most eagerly anticipated young adult books of 2013. There has been a lot of superb reviews for this book and it's not surprising, it is certainly sure to please a lot of fans of popular books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent. I have true belief that this will become one of the next successful series, as it seems to have everything that a young adult novel needs.
The first thing that I noted about this book when I picked it up was that it was science-fiction, a genre that has certainly surprised me in the past, it's a genre that I usually enjoy more than I expect. Thankfully, this book was still very realistic and the sci-fi element was at a very understandable level. Yancey clearly has a good idea about the science in his world, how each wave happened and what is coming next, but thankfully he doesn't overindulge in descriptions and technicalities and we learn about it all at a natural pace. Even if you're not particularly confident with this genre, this would probably be a good starting place.
A main element of this book is aliens, so I was very curious to see how they were portrayed. The aliens in this book are called the Others and they're so very different from your stereotypical bug-eyed green men - they aren't all that different from your average human, in fact some of them are human and they can be very difficult to detect. I fully admit that I didn't have a clue as to who could be trusted in this book - as soon as you start to connect with one character, something happens which could totally turn you the other way from them.
The narrators are the book are very well written. I particularly liked reading about the relationship between Cassie, her younger brother and her father. As individual characters, they all stood as firm unique people but their relationship was, for me, the real strength of the book, even when they were separated. I was also very intrigued by Evan, a boy that we're not sure that we can trust. I found one of our narrators, Ben Parish, to be a little more difficult to connect with and would hope to find out more from him in the next book(s). The characters are the most important thing for me in any book and I was very pleased with the ones that Yancey conjured up for this series - they definitely have a lot of potential.
The reason why I didn't give this more stars is simply because I felt it was dragging out at points. I also find action scenes a bit tiring to keep up with and with the mixed narration, it was difficult to pick back up and remember who was narrating towards the end. Of course, as aforementioned, there were definitely a lot of positive aspects to the book and for the most part it was enjoyable. I'd definitely not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the YA genre and will most likely check out the next instalment in this series....more
I absolutely loved reading when I was very young, but when I went to high school things changed and I found myself rarely reading until the age of 18!I absolutely loved reading when I was very young, but when I went to high school things changed and I found myself rarely reading until the age of 18! However, there was one book during that period that I did read, one that was recommended to me by a teacher and it was a book that quickly became a favourite. That book was Junk by Melvin Burgess, a young adult story based around drugs. When I heard about The Hit, another book with a storyline based around drugs, I was full of excitement - could it possibly be better than Junk?
I absolutely loved the idea of this book. Burgess has created a fictional drug called, quite simply, Death. If you take Death, you will have a euphoric week, everything feels great, but at the end of this week, you will die. There is no antidote to the drug, so once you take it, there is no going back. The Hit is set in the future in the UK, it's not an unrealistic future but it is a dark and difficult time with people struggling to live well. After a very popular singer takes Death, the drug becomes popularised and is handed out to rioting crowds of people. Death is the most interesting concept in this book, making you ask yourself, would you take it? I wanted some morality, some gritty issues, something that could draw me in and make me want to know everything about this drug, but unfortunately, I didn't really get that.
This book isn't really about Death, it actually takes a bit of a back seat. Mostly, this is a book about Adam and Lizzie getting in trouble with a (Death) drug dealer - cue lots of chasing and violence. I'm sure there will be some suspense for some people, but frankly I didn't care enough about the characters to be sitting on the edge of my seat. The slightly more political side of this book, the group of protestors named The Zealots was slightly more interesting - I liked reading about them, but again, I'd have liked to have learned more about them.
The story revolves around our protagonist, Adam, who decides to take Death. I didn't particularly like Adam, I didn't like his 'bucket list' and found him to be somewhat selfish and superficial - lets just say that if he was a real person, I wouldn't want to be friends with him. His girlfriend, Lizzie, fell just as flat as Adam, I just found them both uninteresting. The story itself would've felt a lot stronger if the characters had stronger personalities. The only character that I felt vaguely interested in was Christian, a very powerful, but also very ill man. Christian was a brilliant villain, he was psychotic and fixated on damaging people's spinal cords, attempting to paralyse them if they don't do what he wants - it sounds extremely vicious and it was, but for me it was good to actually feel something (even this repulsion!) when reading this book.
Overall, The Hit was unfortunately a big disappointment for me. I did read the whole thing as I hoped for more information regarding Death and yes, I did want to find out the outcome. Mostly though, I read the whole book because I refuse to not finish a book I've started. I can't say that it was enjoyable, but it certainly wasn't the worst book I've read. The concept was brilliant and I just wish that the execution had been better. If you do want to read a good book by Burgess, just pick up a copy of Junk which is, in my opinion, far superior to The Hit....more
I don't really know where to begin with this book. Very rarely, I avoid reviewing certain books - I haven't reviewed a few of the big names in books (I don't really know where to begin with this book. Very rarely, I avoid reviewing certain books - I haven't reviewed a few of the big names in books (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games) as I find it very difficult to try and review such widely read and highly acclaimed books. I didn't know whether or not I'd review this one - J.K. Rowling is probably the biggest author out there at the moment and there will already be a lot of reviews for The Casual Vacancy. However, as a dedicated book blogger, I decided that I'd give reviewing this a go!
Despite the excitement surrounding The Casual Vacancy, I must admit that I wasn't really that excited about it. Sure, I love Harry Potter, but I knew that it would be something entirely different. On the release of the blurb of the book, I was underwhelmed - I thought that the story sounded quite dull and uninteresting. However, the fact that this was written by the Queen of today's literature, I still wanted to try it, at least. All that aside, when it was release day I had the need to get out and buy the book - I just had to have it (I actually ended up with two copies, one bought and one for review)!
Onto the book and the story itself... it's difficult to describe it, really, as I still have no idea how I feel about it - in one way I liked it, but at the same time I hated a lot of things about it. The thing about this book is that the main, interesting events happened in the first ten or so pages and the last fifty or so - this meant that the four hundred plus pages in between became tedious. The story revolves around around the fact that there is a Casual Vacancy in Pagford's council. I have to be honest and before reading this, I had no idea what a casual vacancy was and even after finding out, I don't know anyone who would care if there was a casual vacancy in our area. However, there was plenty of substance and the characters were certainly well developed, as expected. There was a definite history behind the village of Pagford and of the characters who lived there.
Before I read this book, I read that some people were criticising it due to the adult themes and the amount of swearing in the book - I thought that was ridiculous - why should a book aimed at adults be criticised for such things? After reading, I can understand why it bothered people. I still stand by my thoughts that an adult book should have adult themes - it's not exactly wrong. I can understand why people were uncomfortable by this book. All of us associate Rowling with Harry Potter and a lot of people see her as a gentle figure to look up to. I didn't think I'd be affected, but yes - I did feel weird reading some of the sexual references at first. Thankfully, it was easy to get over after a while and I got used to it.
However, I do feel as though Rowling was trying to put too many adult issues into the book. I enjoy reading about taboo subjects and serious issues, but I don't like to be overwhelmed by them. Amongst other things, abuse, death, substance abuse, mental health issues, self harm and suicide were all explored in this book. Although very emotive subjects, they didn't weigh me down and I didn't find them hard to read about - but sometimes that difficulty of reading about them is what makes them so effective. I was taken by one of the main characters, Krystal Weedon's case, but she was the only character I could really feel for - though the others were reasonably developed, I found it difficult to empathise with so many characters at once and the rest of them never seemed to grab me or strike me as someone important to listen to or to read about.
The Casual Vacancy is a very political books, but to be honest, 1. I don't want to get into politics in one of my book reviews and really and 2. this book didn't have a massive impact on me nor my thoughts. Actually, I am not entirely sure what the message of this book was as I battled through most of it. I do think that Rowling made a superb job of putting across the fact that some people are like Krystal and have to live her difficult life, but I don't think the book was very balanced. The Weedon's issues were interesting to read about, but I felt that they overshadowed some of the serious problems that the other characters also faced.
Overall, I don't think that this is a poorly written book but, for the most part, it bored me. There is so much thrown into this book, but for me, it was certainly not exciting nor particularly memorable. If someone told me that they wanted to read it, I wouldn't discourage them - I realise that there will be people who are into the deeper political messages of this book, but unfortunately I'm not one of those people. J.K. Rowling still stays in my mind as a phenomenal writer with a fantastic imagination and despite my difficulties with this book, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another of her books....more
The Raven Boys has probably been one of the most hyped up books this year. As it is being released this week, I thought I had better pick it up and seThe Raven Boys has probably been one of the most hyped up books this year. As it is being released this week, I thought I had better pick it up and see what the fuss was about! I must admit that I wasn't a fan of Shiver or Linger, though I haven't yet enjoyed any shapeshifter book. Due to the different storyline of this book, I decided to give it a go, despite my reservations.
The Raven Boys tells a story of Blue who lives with her psychic mother and aunts. Blue visits a graveyard on a special night where she can see all of the people who are going to pass over to the spirit world during the next year. There, Blue sees a boy, named Gansey and seems to have a special connection with him. She is told it is because she either murdered him, or he was her true love - she has been told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. The story sounded interesting enough - I am very interested in the paranormal and once I got into the book there was also a lot of talk about ley lines, something that I find fascinating.
I really liked the characters in this book. Our main character, Blue had just the right amount of sass about her - despite living in a psychic-dominated house, Blue knows who she is - she is certainly an individual, with her own thoughts and beliefs. She isn't close-minded which was great. The family around her are interesting and definitely individual too, with quite vibrant personalities. After seeing Gansey, a Raven Boy, at the graveyard, Blue wants to discover more about them.
The Raven Boys are a group of boys who attend Aglionby, a private school. In the beginning, I think that they were made out to be your stereotypical rich and somewhat snobby private school kids - to me, that didn't come across very well but then again I was a private school kid myself. As the book went on, it turned out that the Raven Boys aren't really that stereotypical which I was thankful for. I really come to love Gansey and Adam, I felt I understood them well. Actually, I really enjoyed reading about all of The Raven Boys - the group of boys were certainly likeable and all so very different. They absolutely made the story for me, I could read about them all day. They had history behind them and each had an interesting one at that, particularly Adam and Noah.
Even a few days after finishing this book, I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it. I certainly enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Shiver and Linger. The storyline is quite complex and it was vastly more impressive than The Wolves of Mercy Falls books. I enjoyed the idea, the twists and turns, but for me, Stiefvater's writing was not completely enjoyable. The book dragged on quite a lot and it was a bit confusing at points - though a lot of the detail was understandably necessary to contribute information to the story. Truly, I found things to be a little disjointed and distracting - it wasn't a book that I was eager to keep returning to and it did take me quite a while to read.
I think a lot of people will certainly enjoy this book - it does have positive points and I would like to read more of the series just to find out more about our Raven Boys. I am glad that I picked this one up as I've certainly seen a different, more impressive side to Stiefvater than I previously saw in her earlier books. Even if you haven't been pleased by her previous work, I would urge you to try this one out....more
Okay... I wasn't going to read this. After reading the first few chapters of the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, I told myself that I wouldn't contiOkay... I wasn't going to read this. After reading the first few chapters of the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, I told myself that I wouldn't continue the trilogy. Obviously I lied to myself - I went out and bought the second and third book only days after finishing the first. I'm not sure why, but I can't help but want more - maybe it's because I've never read anything like this before - it is something new.
At the beginning of this book, I was absolutely cringing. Not because of the sex scenes, but because of the writing. Some of the phrases used in this book are seriously cringe-inducing and I found myself grimacing when our main character, Ana, was talking about her 'inner goddess'. However, once I had adjusted to the writing and just concentrated on what was actually going on, I did find myself getting lost in the story again, flicking through pages at top speed. This book certainly had more of a plot than the first one - rather than just sex scene upon sex scene, there was actually an alright story behind it too. We get to learn a lot more about Christian's past in this book which was all quite predictable but still quite interesting. There were certainly more serious issues addressed in this book. There is actually so much packed into this one that it'd be hard to mention everything. I do think that some of the issues/situations should have been explored more as I felt a few felt casually dismissed.
I think that although the relationships and actions of the characters aren't entirely realistic, they are somewhat interesting. Once again, both Ana and Christian had their faults and certainly weren't totally likeable characters. Like many others, I do find Ana to be quite pathetic at points, her actions sometimes childish. To be honest, I can live with her though - she may be a pushover, but I'd imagine that a lot of people in her situation would react the same way. Christian is ...Christian. He's still charming, mysterious, seductive and attractive despite his sometimes scary attitude. He doesn't seem to be as controlled by his 'sadist' feelings, but they are clearly still there. I thought it was good to see him work through his psychological problems - it was nice to actually have more of a focus in this book rather than just all of the sex scenes. Of course there was plenty of steamy sex scenes again and more visits to Christian's playroom.
I am giving this two and a half stars because that's simply what I feel that it deserves overall. The writing is certainly not great and I'm not a fan of the whiny main character. Despite that, it has still managed to get me hooked. Some people will be charmed by Christian and some will find him simply abusive. Some people will find reading about a BDSM relationship uncomfortable. Like all books, some people will like it and some people just won't. I have mixed feelings yet I still want to read more... ...more
I was very excited to read Legend as I'm a huge fan of the ideas behind dystopian stories and this one has had rave reviews. I did enjoy it, but unforI was very excited to read Legend as I'm a huge fan of the ideas behind dystopian stories and this one has had rave reviews. I did enjoy it, but unfortunately not as much as I'd expected to. Saying that, the book was entertaining enough, had several good points to it and I would still like to read the sequel. I believe that the film rights to this book have been bought, and I do think that it has a very cinematic feel, maybe making this better off as a film.
Legend is set in the urban setting of futuristic Los Angeles and follows two protagonists, Day and June. There is a war in America and Day and June are on opposite sides. June is a prodigy, a soldier who works with the Republic. Day leans more towards the Patriot side, he is a Robin Hood character who steals from the rich to give to the poor. He is also the most wanted person in the Republic. There is a plague that is ravaging the country and has infected Day's family. There is a lot more to the plague than a simple virus outbreak though, and several people come to realise this throughout this book. Whilst attempting to steal a plague cure, Day is accused of killing June's brother. June then makes it her mission to capture Day.
The plot itself is interesting and there is a lot more to still be explored in the sequels to this book. I don't think that the plot was anything particularly new, at least not so far, but it'd be unfair to judge that just from the first instalment. There were quite a few similarities to other Dystopian books out there. The world building could've been stronger - The setting wasn't terribly clear and I would've liked to know more about the two sides at war and exactly why, but again, there is room for exploration of this. Lu does start to hint at some reasoning by the end of this book, which makes me anticipate the second book to really see what's going on.
For me, the strongest aspect of this book were both Day and June. They both seemed to be strong characters and well formed. Day was loyal, brave and compassionate and June was a brave, self-determined character. I thought that they were both very likeable. Despite both having different views and upbringings, they were morally quite similar. They were also both logical and clever, though I think that they jumped to conclusions too often. I felt that the way that they worked things out so quickly and without much evidence sometimes weakened the book. Whilst we didn't learn all that much about other characters, including Tess (Day's friend), Matias (June's Brother) and Day's family, I thought that they were very solid and intriguing.
What I didn't like about Day and June was the insta-love. As soon as they met, they seemed to fall in love, which seemed unrealistic and felt a little 'lazy'. There was certainly potential for chemistry between the two characters, and I did see some as they interacted. I do like the two characters though, and together they did work well. The fact that their relationship was forbidden added to the suspense. I do look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses later on.
Legend is an action packed and reasonably fast paced book that I think the majority of young adults will enjoy. If you like a lot of action and perhaps a 'thriller' feel to your reads, you will probably enjoy it. Although this wasn't one of the best dystopian books that I've read, it was decent enough and I would like to see how the rest of the series pans out....more
As soon as I heard that there was going to be a book called Adorkable, I jumped at the chance to read it! I mean really - a title that includes the woAs soon as I heard that there was going to be a book called Adorkable, I jumped at the chance to read it! I mean really - a title that includes the word 'dork' just has to be good, doesn't it? The premise sounded pretty cool too - the story is about a self-proclaimed dork called Jeane and her ever-changing relationship with the 'cool' guy at school, Michael. I've not read anything else by Sarra Manning, so I wasn't sure what to expect but this one looked like a fun read.
Every review I've read for this book so far have been raving 4 or 5 stars and I do feel bad that I've not managed to rate this one higher, but I think I must've missed something. I'm all for dorkiness and I'd definitely call myself a nerd. Like Jeane, I am not afraid to speak my mind or opinion (something that's gotten me into trouble a couple of times) and I'm not afraid to express myself in the way I want, whether it's through my clothing, music or art. I am also, as you may be able to tell, pretty much addicted to blogging and twitter. So yes, you could say I'm a lot like Jeane Smith, however, I still just couldn't connect with her. At points, I just felt that she was trying so hard to be different or 'out-there' that it started to annoy me and I felt as though she was a little bit hypocritical at times. Jeane often began criticising other people for what they wore, watched or listened to, even though that may have just been what they liked which I found to be a bit unnecessary - she might like being 'different', but she didn't need to force her opinions on others. At times, I felt she was slightly inconsiderate and making a big deal over nothing. Jeane was also meant to be an international online celebrity which had potential to be really great, but due to her slight arrogance, I couldn't get away with it. I don't know though - maybe I do see a bit of myself in her and I don't like it.
I did enjoy reading about the more personal, quiet side to Jeane though, and that seemed to come out more when she interacted with Michael Lee, the boy who seemed to have it all - looks, popularity and good grades. I didn't dislike Michael until he started to become ashamed of being seen with Jeane which just seemed ridiculous. I did find it interesting to see how his opinions changed and it was good to see them both exploring different aspects of how the other one lived. The more 'hidden' and quiet side of Jeane was probably the most intriguing part of the book for me - I mush preferred the second half of the book as we got to learn more about the real feelings of the characters and it seemed a lot more eventful.
I think that the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I could have was because it just didn't ring true to me. I may be living in my own little bubble, but at least where I am, I'd like to think you're not completely excluded because of the way you dress - I actually like to think the diversity in dress is something that's becoming more popular. It's true that Jeane also wasn't very popular due to her attitude, but it didn't really seem that way. I did like the use of fun, teenage language and phrases. There were a lot of popular culture references, and that was enjoyable, but I think the book could age easily. The writing itself was fine - I can't complain about that.
With my inability to really love the characters and my quite high expectations, this book didn't really satisfy me as much as it could have. I think that a lot of people will love the outspoken Jeane and the trials and tribulations of her friendship with Michael. I am certainly not put off the author from this book - I have given this book 3 stars and I think that's actually pretty good. It certainly wasn't painful to read and the writing was new, fresh. Unfortunately, I just couldn't bring myself to really care for the characters, which was disappointing....more
3.5 stars. Reading the authors note probably earned this the extra half a star, just because I found it to be moving to know that this book helped her3.5 stars. Reading the authors note probably earned this the extra half a star, just because I found it to be moving to know that this book helped her through the sudden death of her best friend - that's definitely a touching sentiment. I admit that I was expecting more from this book as it seems to be quite popular. Unfortunately, this one just didn't hold anything special to me. I like a book that makes me think about broader things and makes me feel emotions for the characters, whether it is happy, sad, excited, scared - but honestly, I just didn't feel very connected to them. To me, everything felt a little too flat. Liesl and Po had certainly had a charming quality, but they weren't especially distinctive or unique - I think that if their personalities were built more, it could've been more effective. The idea that Liesl is coping with loss definitely had potential to be emotive or to teach something, but I've come away from the book not feeling as though I've gained anything. For a children's book it is a good, easy read. The story is easy to follow, the plot isn't boring and the illustrations throughout are lovely. It's entertaining but nothing more. I certainly don't regret reading this as it wasn't bad, just nothing outstanding. ...more
This was a really easy read and I'd have probably enjoyed it more when I was younger but I found it to be quite mediocre now, what with the larger selThis was a really easy read and I'd have probably enjoyed it more when I was younger but I found it to be quite mediocre now, what with the larger selection of books that are available in the paranormal genre. It was very basic but the plot and characters were decent and I found that the protagonist was a pretty strong, likeable one - I think Susannah's group of friends, especially Cee Cee sounded intriguing too and I'd like to learn more about them. It'll be interesting to see what the next book in the series holds and I'm hoping it'll be a bit deeper than this one....more
This was definitely a well written book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I'd give it around 2.5 stars for my enjoyment, but it does deserve moThis was definitely a well written book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I'd give it around 2.5 stars for my enjoyment, but it does deserve more. It's not that this was a bad or boring book, I just couldn't connect with it like I would've liked to. The story is based around metal scavenging, ship breaking and I just couldn't get interested. The world building is good and I could see a clear picture in my head or both the setting and the characters. I couldn't connect with any of the characters as they didn't really feel like they had much emotion. Sure, they do have to go through some morality issues - whether they want to survive, get rich or save someone else's life, but I just couldn't feel it. I'm glad that there wasn't any over-the-top romance like in most YA novels, but the lack of feeling wasn't enjoyable for me - this book was certainly more action-packed and adventure orientated. A very well written book but not for me. ...more
I think that this book does deserve the praise that it's getting. However, it didn't *completely* work for me throughout and I found it a little confuI think that this book does deserve the praise that it's getting. However, it didn't *completely* work for me throughout and I found it a little confusing at parts due to the amount of characters there was. Some sections I loved. I absolutely adored the first chapter and the slideshow chapter - they were fantastic, very intriguing. Sasha is one of the most interesting and strong characters that I have read about and I would love to read more about her. This book is undoubtedly well written. Each character is well formed and described throughout the book and each chapter has the potential to evolve into a whole new book of its own. I did love the idea of A Visit From the Goon Squad and I was very impressed. Due to the brilliance of the idea of the whole book, the characters and the writing, I would certainly recommend this....more
Blood Red Road is a book that I've been meaning to get around to for a while. Seeing as the second instalment of the series is being released soon, I Blood Red Road is a book that I've been meaning to get around to for a while. Seeing as the second instalment of the series is being released soon, I thought that it was about time that I gave it a go! I have seen nothing but glowing reviews for this dystopian book and I had high expectations. Thankfully, the book was very impressive and definitely had an individual edge to it.
This is described as a dystopian book. It centres around a girl called Saba and her desperation to find her kidnapped brother, Lugh. We don't know much about anything at the start, and have no idea why Lugh has been kidnapped, but as we go on an adventure with Saba to find her brother, the story develops and we get to learn more about the disappearance.
What I really loved most about this book was the writing style - I had heard that the dialect was a little 'strange' in this book and I was worried that I wouldn't 'get it' or get used to it - however, I thought it was fantastic! It was not difficult to read at all - after only a few pages I was absorbed into the writing style and had a firm grip of Saba in my mind. The dialect was endearing and undoubtedly added to both Saba's character and the building of the world around her. Her phrasing was ideal for her character and simply felt so authentic.
Saba herself is not perfect and not entirely confident, but she is who she is. She is a very strong, determined character who knows what she wants and needs to do. I loved that Saba never seemed to let things get her down, though she did, naturally, still react to them. I will admit that I did go on a sort-of roller coaster with Saba though, as at points I did sometimes feel a little angered by her, particularly by her actions/feelings towards her sister. Throughout her journey through the Dustlands on her search for answers, we also meet several other characters, most of them being necessary but some also felt a little 'throw-away'. However, for the most part it was interesting to see who and why she met certain people. There is a bit of romance in this book and though I didn't particularly dislike it, it was a little bit strange for me - it didn't flow well. I can see the slight connection between Saba and the daredevil boy she meets, Jack, but I just didn't feel it very strongly.
Even after a week of finishing this first book, I am still struggling with knowing how to rate this one. I have decided to go with 3.5 stars, which to me is a very respectable rating. However, I do think that this book is deserving of more stars just for the way it was written - although most elements of the book were fantastic and the author, Young, is obviously talented, there was still something that this book lacked for me... I can't pinpoint it, but for some reason it wasn't a book that I was absolutely hooked to. I do, however, agree that it should be (it is) an award winning book. I did feel as though the book dragged a little and I was disappointed by the twists and turns in the second half of the book as I was expecting something a little more intriguing, more surprising.
As I've mentioned, I think that Moira Young has a wonderful talent for writing and this is a book that stands out of the young-adult dystopian crowd. It is different and impressive. I can totally understand why there are so many positive reviews of this book, though it was slightly lacking for me. I do look forward to reading Rebel Heart, which is coming out soon, and despite some reservations, I would recommend this to adventure-loving young adults....more
I'd been looking forward to reading this book but I can't say that I loved it all that much. The premise was fantastic, the plot was decent, the execuI'd been looking forward to reading this book but I can't say that I loved it all that much. The premise was fantastic, the plot was decent, the execution just wasn't impressive. The writing was simple and pretty easy to follow. The protagonist, Oscar, wasn't complex enough and very uninteresting - I just couldn't connect with him. His relationships were unbelievable too and not just because he was living in Candor. The only character I could feel anything for was Nia, and that was only slight. Perhaps my problem with the connection with the other characters was because they were meant to be brainwashed but I can't enjoy a story without connecting with or liking any of the characters. I think a lot of this story could've been elaborated upon - with more structure and deeper detail, Candor could've been a much more exciting novel. This wasn't bad as such but it was all a bit too 'basic'. The ideas are there for a fantastic 'dystopian' city, but it just didn't quite work out....more
Boy Meets Boy has been sitting on my to-read list for years now and it has always been one of those books that I felt like every one had read, apart fBoy Meets Boy has been sitting on my to-read list for years now and it has always been one of those books that I felt like every one had read, apart from me. I have read and enjoyed several books written by Levithan, and as this book, his first novel, has been re-released in the UK with bright new colours, I thought that it was finally time to read the book that brought David Levithan his fame.
Boy Meets Boy is the story of Paul, an openly gay teenager, and of the people around him. As expected by Levithan, there is colourful host of different characters in this book, many of which dealing with LGBT issues. Our protagonist is openly gay (he came out aged 5) and very much accepted in the community. Paul's best friend, Tony, is struggling to be accepted by his very religious parents. Infinite Darlene, a six-foot drag queen and the star quarterback (though that's definitely no problem). Kyle is Paul's ex-boyfriend who frankly has no idea what he wants. Then there is also Noah - the new guy and Paul's romantic interest.
In the other books I have read, I have always admired Levithan's ability to portray LGBT characters as plainly as most people write about more commonly written heterosexual characters, not having to emphasise that they are different in any way, but rather simply just accepting them as who they are. I have to admit that I was a little torn in how I felt about acceptance in this book. At some points, I just didn't really feel as though these characters, or their situations were very real. Levithan has created a realistic setting of a school and a town, but for the most part, things seem a little utopian for the LGBT community - it was perhaps a world that many of us, myself included, dream of existing in the future. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I feel as though in the real world, this wouldn't be the case. Perhaps this Utopia was deliberately created as a positive place, a happy place, and if I knew this before reading the book, I would have been in a different mind-set, not expecting complete realism.
There were two things that really stood out in this book. One of these things was the relationship between Paul and Noah. A lot of this book was about relationships and friendships, about people interacting, and the chemistry between these two really built up as the book progressed. I really loved getting to know about Noah through Paul. I also found Tony's parent's denial or fear of his sexuality to be something that stood out to me as there weren't really many huge issues or problems in this book apart from this one. Tony's household seemed like the anomaly of the book - Tony was the one character that hadn't been accepted. Tony was possibly the character that I liked most in this book and I felt a real sense of pride for his courage. There most likely could be a link made between Tony's struggle and this other utopian world, if you want to look more deeply into this novel.
As aforementioned, I have read several of Levithan's other books and have really enjoyed them. The book that I read before this book was his latest UK release, Every Day which I absolutely loved and rated very highly. Due to this and the large popularity surrounding Boy Meets Boy, I had very high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, I think that because of these very high expectations, I was a little less enthusiastic about this book than many others have been. That's not to say that the book was in any way poor, but rather it was nothing that struck me as amazing. I would not discourage anybody to pick up this books, as there are so many people who have loved it. Personally, I'd definitely recommend the author, but perhaps not this specific title....more
From the tone at the beginning of the book, I feared that I wouldn't be able to get into this book, but I did and it was fantastic. The book had a greFrom the tone at the beginning of the book, I feared that I wouldn't be able to get into this book, but I did and it was fantastic. The book had a great setting - the time period that it was set in was extremely interesting (postwar America), allowing the book to explore issues such as sexism, homophobia and anti-semitism. There was a strong sense of atmosphere and the clothing, make-up and mannerisms of the characters really added to a sense of 'nostalgia'. From the half-way point, I was absolutely hooked on this book and I couldn't put it down. The story was gripping, full of twists and I just kept wanting to read more and to know what truly happened. It was a page-turner and it read fluidly. A really superb novel....more
I just don't know how i feel about this one. I do believe that Alex was date-raped but this was after a lot of uncertainty. Alex was obviously very drI just don't know how i feel about this one. I do believe that Alex was date-raped but this was after a lot of uncertainty. Alex was obviously very drunk and no, she shouldn't have had sex when so inebriated, but the thing is, for more than half of the novel she can't remember the night completely and so I just couldn't tell myself that she was definitely raped. Before Alex hazily remembers anything, she is still claiming that she's been raped and I just found this a bit unfair - she was drunk and couldn't remember anything, so the chances are that he (Carter) could have been the same and they could've both just made a regrettable decision. Rape is a serious accusation to make and even though the author experienced it herself, I just don't feel like it was taken seriously enough. I know that they're central to the book, but I thought it was ridiculous that a rapist was on trial to a bunch of schoolkids. Yes, it's great that the students are sticking together and standing up for what they believe in, but sometimes things need to go further - like to the police, which was barely encouraged. Yes, I liked the idea of the Mockingbirds and how they modelled themselves upon Boo Radley and Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird's ideas, but I don't think such a serious issue should've been handled by them. Some of this book was effective and it at least gets the message out there - stand up for yourself and do try and speak out. I just don't think that this was message was put out in the right way. Quite flawed and could've been better....more
I'm torn between giving this two and three stars. At the start, I didn't like this book at all - I found the whole beastiality thing just completely wI'm torn between giving this two and three stars. At the start, I didn't like this book at all - I found the whole beastiality thing just completely weird and I wasn't keen on the stereotypical characters. It was so basic and uninteresting to me. However, as I progressed through the book, I didn't mind it all that much. The more I read, the more I found myself enjoying the book because it was a simple, easy read. The last quarter of the book was definitely the most interesting to me and the part that I enjoyed most. As I feel that I began to enjoy the book the more the story progressed, I feel that the next book will have a lot more potential....more
I can't say that I really enjoyed this one. It was slow and it got pretty boring at points. Grace is boring, Sam is still incredibly melodramatic. IsaI can't say that I really enjoyed this one. It was slow and it got pretty boring at points. Grace is boring, Sam is still incredibly melodramatic. Isabel has more of a sense of humour, but Cole just does not reach his potential. I also found the brief 'relationship' of Isabel and Cole to be somewhat pointless. It lasted for a few chapters and then it was like it never happened. I read this straight after Shiver and maybe that increased the feeling, but it just felt like such a drag. I have no idea how it took everyone so long to find out who Cole was - If NARKOTICA was as famous as everyone was making out, how did nobody know who he was until they were told? I thought this book would've stepped up a notch and improve the series but unfortunately it made me dislike it more....more
I thought this could have a little potential but the writing didn't impress me at all. I thought that the plot was interesting enough. It had some twiI thought this could have a little potential but the writing didn't impress me at all. I thought that the plot was interesting enough. It had some twists and turns that were interesting and I didn't get insanely bored. The characters are likeable - if they had been more developed, I think that they could have been great. What put me off this book was the writing - it was messy and it just didnt ever seem to flow for me. I felt as though the author was just jumping from point to point and I found it quite difficult to give my full attention at some points because of this. I found the obscenities at the beginning uncalled for - they weren't necessary - but thankfully that died off. Unfortunately I didn't warm to the relationships of the characters, either. Overall, I think the basics are good but they need a lot of development and the book could be vastly improved upon. The fae realm should also be described more clearly. I'm keen to read the next book to gain more insight into Black's faerie realm but this one could've done with a near rewrite. ...more
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