Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I picked this book up on seeing so many people recommend and praise it. If it hadn't been for that then I probably wouldn't have given this book a second glance because the cover didn't really stand out to me as something that I should pick up. However, I'm really glad I did and I think it's taught me not to judge books by their covers.

This book was a refreshing change from a lot of the teen books which are purely focused on romance. Friendship is something that people deal with before they get to relationships and I like how this book fitted that pattern. At its heart, this book is about friends and it was such a nice and different thing to read about.

At the start of the book, I wasn't sure that I was fully comfortable with Emily as a character. She was so dependent on Sloane that it was almost depressing. I wanted to scream through the pages at Emily to get a grip and that she could survive for a little while without her best friend, but as the book progressed I grew to like her more as she became more independent. Looking back, I understand why Emily had to be like that at the start of the book and I'm glad she made the progression that she made.

The storyline in this book was beautiful. The concept of the list meant that the book had integral structure and that I always knew each chapter would have something exciting waiting for me in it. Even though each chapter title was a little giveaway to what would happen, it was still interesting because of how each thing on the list played out. This book made me want to write someone a list/get someone to write me a list and then I can go on a similar adventure.

I feel like I have to talk about the romance in this book, even though I said that the main focus was on friendship. At the start of the book I didn't expect there to be a romance between Emily and Frank and I didn't even realise that there would be one until about half way through the book. That was what I loved about the romance in this book. It didn't feel forced in any way. It felt like a natural progression from friendship to relationship and it made the book seem to be so much more realistic! As well as that, both Frank and Emily having been with someone before made it seem like it was real life because in real life you don't go out with one person and then stay with them forever as it is portrayed in some books. You meet many people in your lifetime and I felt like 'Since You've Been Gone' told the truth about this.

Throughout this book, I wasn't entirely sure what to think of Sloane. At first I thought she seemed really cool because of her fashion choices and the way she seemed to be so carefree and then I started to think she was an utter b*tch because of how she was acting while she was with Sam, but by the end of the novel, starting I suppose when she broke up with Sam and Emily developed her camera, I realised that she was just a girl who had had to live through ordinary struggles that teens go through and had to constantly worry that she would be judged for something that her parent did. I'm so happy with the ending of this book because of Emily and Sloane's friendship being reconciled and I think it was nice to find out about Sloane through flashbacks as we couldn't see her in real time.

In terms of how this book was written, I couldn't have been happier. I am a sucker for lengthy description and that is what this book gave to me. I felt like I was in the book with Emily and I could have easily stepped from my world to hers in a heartbeat. I especially liked the description of the characters as it meant that when their quirks played out I could understand them perfectly and it also meant that I felt their emotions more deeply. The writing in this book made me want to read more of Matson's work because if this book is an example of all her work, then I certainly want more.

My only criticism of this book would be the length of the chapters. I felt that when I was starting the book it was a bit too much to have long chapters when I wasn't really absorbed in the storyline and didn't really know the characters yet. Apart from that, I have no complaints at all.

Overall, this book is absolutely stunning and I would really recommend it to everyone, not matter what genre you normally read. This book is simply amazing.

(Goodreads parallel)

Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

I saw this book on the recommendation table at Waterstone's and was instantly drawn in by the cover and the blurb. Then at the counter the bookseller told me that they were currently reading it and really enjoying it, so I had high expectations. They were met exceedingly in this book.

I have to admit that the first fifty or so pages dragged while the characters were being introduced, but after that the book picked up speed. The first page/chapter really caught me out because I hadn't expected the author to be so blunt, but I'm glad that it was the way it was so that I could understand David better and know where she was in terms of discovering her gender.

I think I need to point this out now, but I am so sorry if I mis-gender the characters here. I personally am very happy if people are able to become who they really are and try very hard to not be disrespectful, but I do not understand everything and so I do sometimes make mistakes. I apologise in advance if I do say anything wrong.

Anyway, I think the book started to pick up for me when Leo came to the school. Seeing he and David interact was what started to bring the two perspectives together for me. Before I had been questioning Leo's role as the other person in the dual perspective, and obviously later in the novel it became even clearer, but at the point I could start to see why Williamson had chosen him to be the other main protagonist.

As someone who is not transgender and has never really questioned my gender, apart from complaining how much easier it would be to be a guy when on my period, I thought that it might be hard to understand Leo and David. In fact it was the opposite. I know that this book has been criticised for only showing characters who have known since childhood that they are the opposite gender, but to me having them already know that when the book started made it easier for me to understand where they were coming from because as teenagers around my age, it is easier to understand them trying to deal with things like bullies and telling people who they are than it is to try and get into the mindset of why they feel wrong in their biological gender.

Having to contrasting worlds in this book was also a good thing to have because it shows that being transgender does not depend on your upbringing or family, it depends on who you are as a person. It was also interesting to catch a small glimpse on what treatments are available for people who are experiencing what David and Leo experienced. It is something that you're not taught about in school and if it wasn't for people I know really wanting to share the knowledge they have on the LGBTQ  community then I fear that I would have acted in the same way that characters like Harry acted, which is not a good thing. I think this book expresses the need for more education in this subject area perfectly.

I have two little criticisms of this book. The first, which is in no way a major thing, is the constant references to what year group people were in. Having the numbers in the text is just not aesthetically appealing to me and often when you're in school you don't know what year people are in just by looking at them. (I thought that some current year ten's were in the year above me until they didn't leave last year.)

Secondly, I did feel like the trip to Kent was unrealistic, though I know how necessary it was for the characters to develop. If only we could all skip some school to go to the seaside for the weekend, but it just doesn't happen.

Overall this book gave me a great insight into the lives of people like Leo and David. I know that by no means do they represent everyone, but I also know that this book is an important step forward in terms of people being more knowledgeable and respectful.

(Goodreads parallel) 

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Being very truthful, even though I have given this book five stars, I would actually say that it is more at a four and a half level, though I like it too much to put it down to four stars. This book was enthralling and brilliant and I wish I had discovered it earlier.

When this book started, I was confused as to exactly what was going on, but as the book went on I learnt that that was entirely the right way to introduce this book as that is how I imagine Nikki felt after having spent the equivalent of one hundred years in a cavern with only one person for company. That confusion meant that I could better place myself in Nikki's shoes as it were and I think it was an extremely good way of starting a novel in which you feel like you are constantly being left with questions.

As well as that, the parallel storylines in the book worked really well. Each one was slotted in in a place that would link to what was going on at that moment, or at a point where it would help me as the reader understand part of the plot which we had just reached. It was also interesting to be able to contrast the Nikki that we knew in the present day with the girl that she had become after her time in the Everneath. I often prefer chronologically linear narratives, but in this book the structure worked perfectly.

I liked Nikki as a character and I think that is very important when reading a novel. Having connecting points with a character is also a nice bonus and I felt that I could connect with Nikki. She was a strong individual who wanted to come back to see her family and Jack again and she tried her best to ignore the people who were talking behind her back and so on. To me, she represents what a female protagonist should be. Yes, there is the whole love story aspect, but I think that her wanting to be a better sister and daughter was also important. It's a well-rounded character like that who won't give in that is what I like to find.

If we are going to talk about preferences romantically then I have to admit that I personally favour Cole. He's not a particularly nice character, but then sometimes you need a bit of bad to spice up the action. Throughout the course of the book I could see that Nikki had changed him personality wise and that influence I feel will be his redemption. Another reason for me rooting for Nikki and Cole is that I personally feel that the high school romance that Nikki and Jack have will never truly work out. High school crushes are for high school, but I feel that what Nikki and Cole have is much more than that.

This book obviously isn't just about romance. The mythology in this book captured my imagination greatly. I personally love mythology of any sort and to see Ashton explore this deeper was just amazing. I was left wanting to learn more, though I understand that for the purposes of this novel that that would not be the best move; it is important that Nikki doesn't know everything. In the next books I hope that we get an expansion on what we have already learnt.

The other characters also played an important part in this novel. Will and Mary/Meredith were an integral part of this novel and they really added to the storyline. Mrs Stone was another character who you knew would have some role to play in the latter parts of the novel, but you didn't know how fully they would fit in. Even though they had lesser roles, they were still really important in the construction of the novel and I didn't feel like they were left of the sidelines too much for them not to be necessary.

I guess the reason for me not thinking that this is a full five star book is just because it didn't have that little bit extra to push me further to it. It is hard to explain feelings as words, but I personally feel that this book needed something more to make it five stars, something that I hope I can find in the next book.

Overall this book is amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in this series. I really want to know what's going to happen!

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Review: Switched by Amanda Hocking

I picked up this book at the library because I saw that a lot of people thought highly of it and I can see why many people would thoroughly enjoy it, but I am not part of that group. Don't get me wrong, I don't completely dislike this book, I just don't overly like it.

The idea of trolls is something completely new to me as a young adult novel reader. When we normally think of trolls it's all about their green skin, ugly warts and affinity with little goats trying to cross bridges. These trolls were completely different and I loved how Hocking turned the fairytale so it would suit the angle that she wanted to approach it at. If anything, they reminded me of witches, but the hierarchy within their own group seemed to be a lot more complicated. It was so interesting and intriguing to read about this new form of creatures.

I have to admit that I didn't like Wendy at the start of the novel. To me she seemed to be arrogant and bossy and they are not qualities that I would look for in the main character role. However, over the course of the novel she progressed and I understand that it must have been hard to introduce troll qualities at the start of the novel without giving away what she was or making her act like a b*tch. Maybe it was just the fact that when she was with the Trylle, they were even worse so made her seem better by comparison.

The powers that the Trylle have is another thing that I really liked about this novel and the driving idea that if the royalty could be bothered to use what they had been given then the whole community would be better off, I feel was a great thing to introduce in this novel as I imagine it will play an important role in the books to come in the series after this one. Even if I were a royal, I would be using my powers just to show off to everyone else that I had them.

I do have quite a few reasons for only giving this book three stars though. Firstly, I didn't really like the description of the other Trylle. 'Beautiful' is a word that gets very old very fast and as everyone's idea of beauty is different it meant that I was left feeling a bit unclear about what some of the characters actually looked like. I would have liked it if Hocking had gone into more detail with her descriptions instead of leaving me not really knowing the characters that I was spending the book with. I know that the Trylle are supposed to be very good looking and that that is part of their charm, but it is not enough to say that about every Trylle that Wendy meets.

Secondly, I think that the romance between Finn and Wendy was slightly unrealistic (and yes I know that is an odd thing to say when writing a review on a fantasy novel). In some books the romance is not introduced slowly enough, meaning that the reader is confused as to whether the characters actually like each other, but in this book it was the opposite problem. The feelings that Wendy felt towards Finn were a bit too strong considering that they had only recently met and even though they weren't supposed to be together romantically, they went out of their way to try to be. I know from personal experience that when you fancy someone the feelings you have for them can be strong, but I would have liked it more if Wendy had spent less of the novel pining for Finn.

Finally, I was waiting for the exciting, edge-of-your-seat, climax of this book, but I feel like it never really came. Yes, the scene in the ballroom was dramatic and everyone was in relative danger, but it wasn't enough danger for me to worry for the main characters and it was so painstakingly obvious that Finn wasn't going to die that I personally felt I could have skipped a few pages and still know exactly what was going on. With this book, I was waiting for a climax that never came so I was left feeling a bit disappointed after so much of a build up.

Overall, this novel was definitely not bad, it just wasn't particularly good either. From the raving reviews I expected more and maybe that was part of the problem. If I see the sequel in the library I might take it out, but if I am being honest, I do not care about the characters enough to actively seek the book out.

(Goodreads parallel)

Perfection

Perfection is impossible to find in any aspect of life. Some people like to strive for perfection, but I instead like to strive for what I know I can do best. This afternoon I went to see my sister perform in her first dance show and though all the acts were amazing, none of them were exactly perfect and that's okay.

I feel the same way about books. No book is perfect, no matter whether we give it five out of five stars or if we say that a book is 'perfection'. It is just not possible.

I'm not here to criticise books not being perfect, however. In fact, I like it when books are not perfect because the flaws in them make them more relatable. If a book is perfect then I think it would become a bore because you could not make yourself feel more clever when realising that there is a grammar mistake or you couldn't re-imagine how you would have wanted a particular chapter or ending of a book to go.

The whole point of me writing this was to get across the point that being perfect should not be the aim, enjoying things for what they are should be.

-E

Review: Love Reborn by Yvonne Woon

I have to admit that I was not anticipating this book. I had bought the first one a few years ago when the cover caught my eye and read the second one after I saw it in the library, as I did with this book. However, having said that, I really liked this book! I would have to re-read the previous two, but if they are to the same standards as this one, then I'm left questioning why I didn't anticipate this one because with each new word I was more and more eager to find out what the ending would be for my beloved characters.

This book started at a high pace and continued that way. We were thrown straight into the action with Renée and Dante being on the run and that meant that from the first page I was chest deep in the action and ready to not put the book down to leave it for fear that if I left them, something terrible would happen to them.

I have to admit that I was surprised that Woon introduced such an influential main character in the final book of the trilogy, but I'm sure glad she did. Theo was instantly painted as this bad boy character with a hidden past and I am a total sucker for characters like that. Also, even though some of his traits were less favourable, they did come in handy at key points in the novel and hinting at factors within a character that will later become useful is a really good thing to have in a book for me.

Characters reappearing from previous novels really helps to draw me deeper into a book because they are a point that I can focus on and they bring things into perspective from the story outside the novel. Anya is someone that I found to be weird, yet quirky in 'Life Eternal', but I really liked having her back in this book and it was so nice to see Eleanor again because it reminded me of how far Renée had come. (Also, how can I not love a character that I share a name with?)

The storyline itself was intriguing. Having the novel written from Renée's perspective meant that we only saw things as she saw them, but this book was part of something much bigger than the ones prior to it. I have a soft spot for crime thrillers and I liked how this book drew on that when they had to figure out different clues and follow them until they reached their end goal. As well as that, losing the senses was something that I found scary in a way. We go by day by day only knowing how everything looks, hears, feels, tastes and smells to us and the idea of all of those being stripped back is odd to think about. Having us travelling through Renée's memories as each one was taken away was another thing that I liked. It meant  that I could look back over the previous books in the series without getting so in depth that it was drawing away from the book I was reading at that moment.

I feel like I cannot talk about this book without talking about couples. Personally, I am more a fan of Noah than of Dante. I find Dante to be overwhelming and overpowering, whereas Noah, at least when he was alive, was like a cool breeze on a summer's day. I think that in order to get the pairing of Renée and Dante at the end of the book, Woon had to try and bring down Noah's character, which I was not for. I just completely want to write out the scenes in the church because to me, they do not fit with the character of Noah and who he is. Anyway, as Renée has not chosen him, it leaves me free to pick up the pieces of his broken heart ... oh wait. This is why I don't like that some characters are fictional.

My other reason for not giving this book a five star rating is because I feel that Anya's heart disease was not  introduced right. I believe that it would have been more realistic to have more hints in the previous book, so that it built up more steadily, rather than making it blatantly obvious to me as the reader that something was wrong with her and she was on the trip to save her own life in this book. Having said that, I think that Theo's reasons were revealed in a way that pulled at my heartstrings and really made me feel pity for him; that is how it should be done.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I will definitely be looking out for more books by Yvonne Woon in the future.  

(Goodreads parallel) 

Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Before reading this book, I read the summary of 'I Am Number Four' online so I could remember where the storyline had got to and I'm really glad I did because this book seemed to flow seamlessly from the first book in the series. It picked up with John/Four not long after we had left him in the first book, which was really good in terms of the consistency of the storyline - I felt like I didn't miss out on anything as the reader.

I really liked having this book from the perspective of Marina/Seven as well as John/Four because with the first book being only from John/Four's perspective, it limited my knowledge as the reader to what was happening. However, learning about Marina/Seven's life and her past through having her story told by her was a real bonus to this book because, to me, Marina/Seven's life in Spain was more interesting than John/Four's life when he was living in Paradise. It interested me to hear about the people she knew at the orphanage and how her Cêpan had given up on them ever finding their way back to Lorien and how much danger that put them both in. Even though it was less action packed than the other perspective in this book, it had me just as gripped.

If I am being totally honest, I did not like Four/John much in this book. In the previous one, I found his romance with Sarah unrealistic because of who they both were and their shared interests (to me it seemed that he only liked her for her looks by how he described her) and in this one when he turned and contradicted what he had said about Sarah being his 'only love' made me think of him as a bit of a d*ck. Not only that, but him liking Six and trying to move things forward in their relationship when firstly, he was still with Sarah and secondly, Sam had said that he liked Six added to my distaste. It made me dislike him as a character because of his romantic actions and if I were Six, Sarah or Sam, I would throw him in the dust for that.

The storyline in this book was good, there is no doubting that. There was the constant threat of attack, making the book have high tension levels, but then contrasting that the friendship between Marina/Seven and Ella/Ten was a nice relief and something good that stemmed from the bad. Also, learning about Six's back-story was heart wrenching, though I was fully interested in it as well. It really made me feel for Six and all that she had had to go through, not just her losing her Cêpan, but the fact that she then had to face the harshness of the world alone at such a young age with so little guidance.

Something that really caught me with this book was the development of the different Legacies. In the first book we only saw Four/John's trouble with developing them and a brief glimpse of what Six was capable of, but in this book we got to see many different ones in the form of Marina/Seven's abilities, the breathing underwater one I found to be especially cool, and more about Six's powers that we didn't get to see before. Then, we also got a taste of what Ella/Ten would be able to do in terms of how much because of the power she already possessed to change her age. (I'm sure a lot of people I know would love to have that ability.)

In this book we were able to find out a bit more about the main villain and more about the history of the Lorien, for example the why they ended up on Earth and how they had been going there for much longer than that. I found that bit most interesting because I am a real fan of finding out more about the history and story before the story starts in a series like this where there is so much potential to learn and discover more things out.

The reason I did not rate this book higher was because of Four/John's romantic actions as I found them to be tedious and also because I felt like, if anything, there was too much action in this book and the constant battles seemed to be never ending.

Overall though, this was a great sequel and I can't wait to find out more about Nine, Ella/Ten and Setrákus Ra in the next book!

(Goodreads parallel)