Scarlet -Marissa Meyer
Upon seeing that this book was not focused on Cinder, I
became worried that we would leave her storyline completely and after the end
of the first book, I was utterly devastated and confused by that. Thankfully,
though this book did have focus on Scarlet, it also had focus on Cinder as
well.
This book picked up the story very soon after Cinder had
finished and that really reminded me of how little time this book actually
covers. The number of events and depth of this book makes it seems as if weeks
or months could have passed, but in reality it was only a few days.
The story of Scarlet I could instantly link to the fairytale
of Little Red Riding Hood from the disappearance of her grandmother and her red
hoodie. I do love how this series links into different fairytales and adapts
them so that they can fit in with a more complex universe. As a person, I liked
Scarlet for her passion and how she was not always wanting to rely on others.
However, I did feel that she started to trust Wolf too soon and that meant that
I wasn't totally on board with their relationship until she managed to stop him
from attacking her. As well as that, I
could tell that he hadn't betrayed her and actually had feelings for her when
they went into the old theatre from the way he was acting beforehand and though
that may have been part of Meyer's plan as an author, to me, I would have
preferred to be surprised and experience Scarlet's way of thinking.
Exploring Cinder's powers was something that I was hoping
would happen in this book. I think that the phrase 'power is addictive' fits in
well with what Cinder was struggling with and I am actually quite scared for
how it will influence her in the future. We have already seen her break down
because of her actions, but will the consequences in later books be more
severe? As well as that, learning what Kai was having to do to try and keep the
peace was also heartbreaking. It was good to hear that he was not repulsed by
Cinder being a cyborg because after the ending of the first book, I was willing
to cast him aside completely for what he had done. Finally the return of Iko
and introduction of Thorne was something that really drew me into the book; I
can't wait to see how their storylines will continue.
Overall this book was sublime and I can't wait to get my
hands on Cress!
I'll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book.
However, I was soon caught up in the parallel storylines that took place at
different times and fell in love with both of the twins for different reasons.
I liked Jude for her quirkiness and seeming rebellion from what she was
expected to be and act like. I loved how Noah would imagine situations as
paintings and how he wanted a life that he was never going to have because I
think that can be applied to a lot of people's lives.
Noah at thirteen was someone who I admired for his talent
and love of art and also someone who I felt sorry for as he couldn't express
himself as he really wanted to, especially with Brian. There was the
competition of sibling rivalry on top of that, which Jude experienced as well,
and wanting something so much that he focused so much of his time and effort
on. Then a few things started to change and I was very happy for Brian and
Noah, but I knew from Jude's perspective that something must have gone wrong,
which only made the end of their relationship more terrible.
Jude at sixteen was someone who was living with a lot of
regret and shame, who instead of sharing it, was letting it all pile up on her
shoulders when screaming it out would have probably been better for her mind
and soul. Carving her sculptures was a way for her to scream it out and her
relationship with Oscar was something that she was not prepared for because at
that point she hadn't yet learning to let go of the past. As a character, I
loved her immensely because I could feel the weight she carried as if it were
my own and I was pleased that she tried to make up for her past mistakes.
I especially loved this book because of how all the events
interlinked and how all the characters were involved in each other's lives. The
realisation of those connections really left me in a state and I can't thank my
friends enough so listening to my ramblings on this book that probably made no
sense because I was so emotionally invested in the story.
After reading this book, I would highly recommend it and I
think I will have to go on a search for more Jandy Nelson books as a result of
how this book made me feel.
Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins
I have been told by numerous people that Isla is their
favourite book in the series that started with Anna. I cannot agree with that
opinion and think that this is more a 4.5 star book, though I think I prefer it
to Lola.
Having the first small section of the book months before the
rest of it started was a really nice ease into the book as it introduced Isla
to us in a simple way and also let us in on her crush on Josh without taking
away from the aspect of her going back to school, which it would have done
otherwise.
As a character, I did quite like Isla. She was hard-working
and quite self-sufficient as she only really had one friend. That one friend,
Kurt, I ended up feeling quite sorry for because it became plain that as soon
as Josh started taking an interest in Isla that their relationship would
change. As well as that, the fact that he had autism reminded me that this book
was not supposed to be about perfect people living a perfect life. It didn't
overly restrict him, but it made the book feel more real.
Josh was a main character in Anna's book, though I have to
admit that I didn't pay as much attention to him as I should have. So, for me
it was really interesting to get a deeper look into his life, his love of art
and how he dealt with certain situations. All his friends had left the year
before and he was struggling with his school life, which I had got from the
first book, but I barely knew anything about Josh then - it was nice to see
more into who he really is in this book.
This book was different in its set up to the others. It
didn't focus on the characters getting together as much, but rather what
happened once they were together. It felt odd to have a teen romance book set
up in that way and though I am not against it (I liked how this book got to
focus on the actual relationship rather than some 'friendship' that could be
put into question), but to have Isla and Josh go on a trip to Barcelona to have
sex less than halfway through the book did feel a bit soon. I think that it
made me question their relationship more than I did the other couples, but also
made their relationship feel like it was closer to what would happen in real
life because not all couples spend ages pining after each other, they get together
and then things progress from there.
I was happy that we got to see the other characters again,
though in a way their introduction in this book did feel a bit like it was
pinned on the end. I think I preferred it to Anna's constant involvement in Lola's
book though as I want them to be able to be read as separate stories.
Overall this was a good read, but definitely not Perkins'
best. Maybe I set my expectations too high after hearing so many amazing things
about it.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han
Even though I have given this book five stars, I would say
that it is more accurately 4.5 stars. The concept of this book was something
totally different to romance books that I have read before and that really made
it so much more interesting. The idea of writing someone a love letter to get over
them is not something that I would have ever thought about before, but thinking
over it, it actually makes sense. This book was not based off something that
would never happen, just something that was unlikely to happen and that is what
made it special.
I also love that this book wasn't your typical 'white girl'
romance book. The infusion of slight differences in culture made this book
stand out as well and though we don't learn much about the girl's deceased
mother, her absence was felt throughout the whole book by the girl's having to
be a lot more mature than anyone would expect someone of their age to be.
In terms of the romance, I am left totally confused. We are
presented with two boys, one of whom Lara Jean thinks she fancies and the other
she used to fancy but no longer feels that way. Then there is the concept of
fake dating from which a true romance blossoms, but because of lasting ties and
other people's views, it is a romance that doesn't work out the way that both
parties would want it to. At the beginning, I was thinking that Josh had it in
the bag, but now I am utterly on Peter's side.
My criticisms of this book are that, for a nine year old,
Kitty seemed far to mature. I have a nine year old sister myself and feel like
sometimes the language she was using and way she was acting reminded me more of
an eleven or twelve year old. As well as that, the fact that Lara Jean was never questioning of her elder sister put
me on edge a bit. Real sisters never seem to me to be as perfect as they are
and it made the words on the page feel more like a story than I would have
liked.
Overall, I really liked this book and cannot wait for the
next book to come out! The cliff-hanger we're left on may not be as dramatic as
in some action novels, but it is raising my heart rate just as much.