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Book Review

REVIEW: Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

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I was reluctant to read Belzhar at first because I’d read very mixed reviews. However, I decided to finally read it on a whim, and I’m very glad I did!

Jam Gallahue has been sent to a school far away from her family in the hope to recover from a devastating disaster: her boyfriend dying. The Wooden Barn is a school for people just like her, so when she’s put into a special and exclusive English class called Special Topics, she doesn’t think much of it. It’s only when the class are given a special journal writing assignment that things start to change dramatically for her and her classmates.

At first glance, Belzhar is a contemporary novel dealing with the effects of grief and loss. It then takes a psychological turn that I loved because it added a whole new element to the book. I’m quite glad I didn’t pay too much attention to the synopsis!

I loved the closeness of the Special Topics group because it demonstrated that it’s possible to have a book that features strong friendships. Each character developed at a constant rate, each one seeming as familiar as the protagonist, Jam.

Jam herself was a good character, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to read about her further. I liked her for the duration of the novel, but I doubt that she’ll be memorable enough to think about again in the future. Her story has ended satisfactorily and so I’m content with leaving her as we left her at the ending.

A note for all you future readers of Belzhar: The title may not make sense right now, but it will do once you get deeper into the novel. I love the feeling of when a book title finally falls into place – it’s very magical!

I feel as if I should fully explain why I chose to rate Belzhar five stars because it definitely wasn’t a perfect book. Whilst Belzhar did exceed my expectations, it was the literary techniques used and shock ending that sealed the five star fate. I love books that break out of the regular mould, and Belzhar definitely did that.

It also deals with mental health in an approachable and understanding way; it was very easy to relate to.

I enjoyed Belzhar, especially its originality and ability to amaze. I would recommend it to people looking for something a bit different to read!

Book Review

REVIEW: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

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I’ve only ever read one other novel by Forman before – Just One Day – and I really enjoyed that. I didn’t have any expectations going into I Was Here because it sounded a lot grittier than your typical contemporary, so I was very pleasantly surprised.

Following the suicide of her best friend, Meg, Cody realises that something is a little bit suspicious. Meg never showed any outward signs that she was unhappy, but Cody feels guilty for not being there for her friend. Starting to investigate, she realises there was a side to Meg that she knew nothing about.

Forman has written an interesting and gripping start, with a distinct character voice. It felt as if I was Cody and experiencing the events through her eyes but with enough detachment to make it an intimate but comfortable reading experience.

Cody was such a whole character. By that I mean that we got to see every side of her. Her doubt at times was brilliant to see because it’s not often that we get to see such a mentality in characters.

I Was Here isn’t your conventional suicide contemporary novel and that was so, so refreshing. It also didn’t feel as if it was a book just there to fulfil a trend – it was completely genuine.

The romance was everything I look for in a brilliant contemporary book. It was slow burning and realistic. I can tell a good romance when I feel like I’m rooting for the characters and that is exactly what happened.

I really enjoyed I Was Here and will be seeking out more of Forman’s books that I haven’t yet read very soon. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good, mysterious contemporary novel that can be read very quickly. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was unputdownable!

Book Review

REVIEW: The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli

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I was intrigued the minute I read the premise of The Head of the Saint. It was rather vague, but in a good way because it meant that I wanted to read more and more to really consolidate my understanding of what was going on.

The women in Samuel’s family can tell when they’re going to die. Given three tasks to complete after his mother’s death, Samuel sets out on a journey to find his father and grandmother, leaving him starved and desperate. He then discovers that he can hear voices, voices of the women who are praying to a doomed saint in the hope of marriage.

Translated from Brazilian by Daniel Hahn, I found learning about the Brazilian culture through the eyes of a Brazilian person fascinating – it’s so much better than reading it from a foreign perspective. I felt like I was really witnessing the events, and it showed a side of Brazil I haven’t heard of before and isn’t depicted hugely in the media.

I have always found that translated fiction reads beautifully, with graceful prose and a fluidity that I can’t find in my native language. I could read The Head of the Saint purely for the lovely words, and Acioli has created vivid imagery that most writers would be envious of.

However, I did find that I couldn’t connect to the characters very well and they all blurred into one: they didn’t have any stand out characteristics or traits to differentiate them. This did detract from the overall story, although not by much. I still really enjoyed the plot.

I would recommend The Head of the Saint for a book that will resonate with you if you’re looking for something to read in an afternoon.

Book Review UKYA

REVIEW: Code Red Lipstick by Sarah Sky

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Distinctive and original, Code Red Lipstick is the outstanding debut novel of a future UKYA star. Sky is the UK equivalent of Ally Carter, with Code Red Lipstick exceeding the Gallagher Girls books in many ways.

Jessica Cole’s father is a former spy, having to turn into a private detective after developing MS. When he disappears, MI6 refuse to let Jessica help, so she takes matters into her own hands. On her own in Paris, Jessica’s investigation leads her to find out about Allegra Knight, former supermodel with a lethal side. Her new product, Teenosity, means the start of a nightmare for teens all over the world.

Code Red Lipstick proves that you can have a kickass female protagonist with female features. Jessica is a model, has awesome makeup-disguised weapons, and is also extremely easy to like at the same time. Jessica is the type of person you can see as a friend, although one that will most often know more about you than you know about yourself.

Set in Paris, it was obvious that I was going to enjoy it because I love everything to do with France. I was pleased to see there weren’t any cliché French stereotypes so we see the city through the eyes of an English person spending time there. Most definitely not a tourist perspective, though…

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, which is out in early 2015. Code Red Lipstick was everything I wished for and more.

Book Review Uncategorized

REVIEW: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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Heir of Fire is an incredible book. The third in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

I’ve put together a review graphic because I cannot put my thoughts into coherent sentences. Basically: It’s AMAZING. Read it now! heiroffiregraphicreview

 

Blog Tour Book Review Uncategorized

10 DAYS TO GO: 5 Reasons to Read The Maze Runner

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With the looming release date of the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of The Maze Runner, here are five reasons you should read the book:

One

The Maze Runner is action packed and will keep you up reading until the early hours. With a unique premise, it’s easy to slip into the world created by Dashner.

Two

Reading the book before you watch the film will give you a major advantage over everyone else!

Three

The world is so original – it even has its own dialect! This book is no pile of klunk.

 Four

There are so many dystopia novels out there at the moment, but this novel is one of the best. It’s adventurous and mysterious, with characters that you grow attached to and learn to love.

Five

Once you’ve read The Maze Runner, you can read the rest in the series before those movies are released!

The Maze Runner is out now in paperback (£7.99) from Chicken House. 

Book Review

REVIEW: Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

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Seeing as though my blog is titled Queen of Contemporary, it may not come as a surprise when I say that I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t like Trial by Fire because, in fact, I loved it.

I’ve always had an affinity for fantasy novels that are set in medieval-type villages, towns or cities, and Trial by Fire mixes medieval with magic. It centres on the protagonist Lily who is very ill. After a humiliating event at a party, Lily then finds herself in an alternate Salem to the one she lives in, and magic rules. Lillian, the most powerful witch in The Citadel, rules this Salem and Lily’s alternate self. Lily is thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, where her weaknesses are what makes her powerful, and may also get her killed.

Often I read books that I forget about easily; I know that Trial by Fire will not be one of those books. Easily rivalling the likes of Throne of Glass, Trial by Fire will have you on the edge of your seat and invested from the start.

Lately I’ve kind of lost my ability to ship characters, which makes me an awful fangirl. I do think that Trial by Fire changed that though because I ship Lily and Rowan so hard. They absolutely must end up together!

The world building in Trial by Fire was spectacular and I think many authors could take a leaf out of Angelini’s book. I loved the idea of willstones. Carried around by each person, they give you the ability to perform certain magic. People who own the weaker willstones can only perform household tasks with theirs, whereas other willstones hold more power. They’re obtained in a way not unlike ‘the wand chooses the wizard.’

I felt very close to each character, learning the ins and outs of each one. The plot was fast-paced and spellbinding, hooking me until the very end, and now I cannot wait to read the sequel!

Trial by Fire now earns its place as one of my favourite fantasy novels of the year and I can’t wait until more people find out about this gem of a book.

 

You could win a copy of Trial by Fire, by filling out the Rafflecopter below. It’s UK only, so very sorry to all the International folks! You must be following via email or Bloglovin’ to be in with a chance of winning. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review

REVIEW: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

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What would you do if you could read the minds of the people around you? It sure would be handy when you’ve fallen out with someone and don’t know what you’ve done wrong, or need to tell if someone is lying. Don’t Even Think About It explores this in a fun and gripping way.

When Class 10B have their flu injections, things seem normal at first. Then they start to hear the voices. With all of their secrets laid bare, how will this group of students cope as they’re forced to cooperate by something completely out of their hands?

Although I’m sure there are many novels about telepathy out there, Mlynowski has taken on a very contemporary attitude in Don’t Even Think About It so, even if we take the telepathy out, it still stands on its own with other things going on that are equally as interesting to read about.

Don’t Even Think About It is unusual in the style it is written. Instead of your conventional first or third person, it is written in a collective third person, from the perspective of the group of students as a whole.

My favourite characters by far were Mackenzie and Cooper, who I wholeheartedly ship, no matter what happened during the novel.

Even though there are a lot of characters to get to know and get used to, you learn to love each one individually, despite the manner of the narrative. There’s betrayal and drama, but there’s also a sense of the cute and sweet side to contemporary fiction. It’s a perfect mix!

Whilst reading, I was constantly thinking: How would I act if I were in the same situation as the ESPies? I know I’d freak out big time!

I really, really, really can’t wait to read the next instalment from Mlynowski because I can already tell how much I’ll love it! If it’s half as good as Don’t Even Think About It, it will be amazing.