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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! 
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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.
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I’ve wanted to read Lobsters ever since hearing about it at the start of the year. I absolutely adore contemporaries (hence my blog name!) and so I think I’ve always known how much I would love Lobsters.
Hannah and Sam, both in the summer before university, have one thing in common: they have yet to lose their virginity. Their summers are filled with adventure, antics and a quest to find ‘The One.’
If I could describe Lobsters in one word I would label it ‘awkward’ in the best way possible. Teenage life is awkward, which makes it such an amazing portrayal of teenage life. Nothing in Lobsters is sugarcoated which means that Ellen and Ivison have written a book that reads very much like a memoir.
Lobsters is a ‘read it one sitting’ type of book that you won’t be able to put down. I know I couldn’t!
A funny and realistic take on a romantic teenage summer, Lobsters will make you want to squeal, scream in frustration and go out and find your own lobster.
Hannah and Sam were both extremely amazing characters who I felt so connected to. Told in dual narrative, it was a very rounded perspective of teenage life because we got both a male and female viewpoint. I also loved both equally, which is a nice change because I usually find that I prefer one to the other in dual narratives.
I loved Lobsters, which has quickly become a favourite summer read of mine! Highly, highly recommended!
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Do you know that feeling when you read a book and you’re a bit numb after reading it because you have no feelings on it at all? I hate that feeling. I hate pouring my time into a book, only for it not to deliver anything at all. Luckily, Starring Kitty made me feel the complete opposite.
Starring Kitty is pretty much one of the best books you could ever wish to read, and I don’t ever say that lightly. Instead of writing five pages worth of comments, I’ve decided to do a graphic to explain just how perfect Starring Kitty is.
In my head, I have a checklist of things that make a book absolutely perfect, and I know many people have something similar. Above is a not so cool version of the thing in my head.
Check one for Starring Kitty! Diverse characters is something I expect in all novels because we live in a world where THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF PERSON WALKING DOWN THE STREET. We have racially diverse characters, illness is portrayed perfectly, and even more that I’ll leave a surprise for you if you haven’t read it.
Yes, I totally just made that word up, but I’m hoping you understand what it means. For a book to become a favourite of mine and one I will love unconditionally, it has to be so loveable it feels like my own child. Check two for Starring Kitty! It has a quality that just makes it amazing, which I’ll discuss in further points.
It’s pretty much a given that if a book has a feminist character(s) then I will love it and rate it five billion stars. It’s something we still don’t see enough of and I really want that to change. It’s so important that young girls read books with characters that they can admire and aspire to be like, and feminist themes and characters are the best of the best.
Being a teenager myself, I often struggle to find books that feel like the things going on are actually happening to teenagers, and are realistic enough that you don’t have to think twice about them. I felt like Starring Kitty could happen to me – the school experiences were similar to my own, the friendships similar to my own. I’d even go so far as to say it is THE MOST realistic novel I’ve read about characters my own age.
This is one I don’t want to make too much fuss about because, you know what? It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to compare the romance in Starring Kitty to a non-LGBT one because that wouldn’t make any sense. I love how it felt normal, as it should do. It just felt right, and I loved that!
Starring Kitty can be read by absolutely anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, or usually read books like it. You will instantly fall in love with it, just as I did.
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It’s rather fitting that I read Water Born during summer, and an absolutely boiling British one too. Whilst The Drowning, the prelude to Water Born, dealt primarily with a dark side to water, the continuation gets darker still and tackles water and hot weather.
Set 17 years after the events of The Drowning, Nic is a passionate swimmer. In the manic clutches of a heat wave, Nicola starts to hear voices underwater, and then the drowning’s start to take place. Just what is happening, and what does it have to do with her dad’s irrational fear of the water?
It seems like so much happened in Water Born from start to finish, which made it so easy to read. Mostly, the reading experience was enjoyable. Then I became invested and towards the end I got rather emotional! The novel takes the word ‘thriller’ to a whole other level, and definitely leaves you on your toes.
Being set quite far in the future, 2030 to be precise, the one thing lacking for me was world-building hinting at a future society. I wasn’t expecting flying cars, just some indication that time had passed, other than the character ages.
Nic was wilful and vivid, which I found incredibly endearing. I’d like to see more characters like her that have depth and completeness, rather than just being known as ‘the kickass one.’ Her feelings and reactions were totally warranted throughout and she’s the type of person I think I’d like to know.
Need another reason to buy Water Born? It has the most gorgeous cover, and it’s SHINY. Paired with The Drowning, it will add total splendour to your bookcase.
Whilst I would recommend reading The Drowning before Water Born for extra comprehension, it’s not compulsory and the two can be read separately.
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I read many books every month and every year and whilst I love the majority of them, sometimes there are a few that really stand out. Winger, by far, is a massive contender for my favourite book of the year.
Set in an American boarding school, Ryan Dean Smith is a normal teenage boy who is a winger, hence the title, on the school rugby team and happens to be in love with his best friend, Annie. Winger tells the story of his year in Opportunity Hall, the building that houses the school’s resident troublemakers.
Before reading, I was a little bit nervous. Although I’d heard really good things about it, I hadn’t read or watched any specific reviews so I went into it with a completely open mind. Meaning to read only a few pages, I couldn’t help but read chapter after chapter, and found myself totally immersed.
As a teenager myself, one of the things that really bothers me is when the protagonist in a YA novel feels forced and doesn’t reflect an actual teenager living in today’s day and age. Fortunately, Smith has created an incredibly well rounded and credible teenager in Ryan Dean, who is the epitome of adolescence.
Winger is a book that will attract many teenagers because of its relevance to real issues that every youth has to face – from attracting your crush to dealing with fights and arguments. I also think Smith has portrayed the hormonal and lust-driven teenager well in Ryan Dean. From the first page it is obvious that Smith hasn’t bothered to sugar coat the details. In fact, the novel opens with Ryan Dean trying to save himself from having his head shoved down a toilet. Definitely an opening worth remembering!
Included in Winger are comic strips and illustrations that added familiarity and humour. Although Winger isn’t the shortest book, it’s fast-paced and an easy read. It leaves the reader with many thoughts and feelings; it’s not a book you put down without it leaving its mark.
No matter who you are – male or female, adult or teenager – I think Winger is the perfect book for you. I cannot stop recommending it and I just know that it’s worth your time to buy and read.
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What can I say about Solitaire that will convey my thoughts on just how perfect it is? I’ve been eagerly anticipating reading it for months now and so I started it as soon as I opened the parcel containing it.
Solitaire tells the story of Victoria Spring, whose hobbies include sleeping, blogging and drinking diet lemonade. Tori is a pessimist and prefers her own company to spending time with others. Things used to be different: she had friends and her brother, Charlie, was okay, but now things are different. When things start happening around the school, harmless pranks which then turn into something bigger, Tori is left wondering who’s behind it – who are Solitaire, and what are they trying to achieve? – and also trying to live with her own inner struggles.
Solitaire is a gorgeous and breath-taking debut novel, which, in my opinion, rivals the likes of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Seeing as though Catcher is one of my all time favourite novels, it’s no surprise that Solitaire is now also a part of that list.
Filled with fandom references and incredibly realistic to teenage life, Solitaire is a book that every teenager will relate to and a book many adults will also love because of its realism and ability to just understand life on so many levels.
One of the reasons I loved this novel so much was that I felt as if I was the person in Tori’s head. It scared me in a way because so many of my own feelings were reflected in the writing. Tori, the protagonist, gets me and that made it so special to read.
Tori is juxtaposed to Michael Holden, the male protagonist in Solitaire. Before you think it, Solitaire is by no means a love story. Solitaire is a life story, and by that I mean that Solitaire captures life perfectly – life isn’t a love story, is it? Life is so much more than meeting someone and madly falling in love with him or her. I loved that about Solitaire and it’s what sets it apart from your typical YA novel.
Written from the heart, I believe Solitaire will be one of the biggest debut novels of 2014. You certainly won’t want to miss out on reading it!
Book in a Tweet: If you’re a teenager, or have ever been a teenager, this book has been written just for you: You’re not alone.
John Green – love The Fault in Our Stars? Mad about Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns? Solitaire easily rivals it!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Full of fandom references that will put a big smile on your face, Solitaire deals with the same feelings as Fangirl but is possibly even better!
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The Year of the Rat is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that discusses themes of grief and dealing with the death of a parent and how one goes about leading a normal life after that.
After hearing Furniss talk at an event, and hearing part of The Year of the Rat being read, I couldn’t wait to start it. I didn’t know an awful lot about it, but I had an inkling that I would love it, and I really did.
Losing somebody close to you must be one of the worst feelings in the world. For Pearl there is the added factor of a baby sister to look after, a sister who reminds her of her mother who died in pregnancy with ‘The Rat.’
The Year of the Rat is going to be a book I recommend to a lot of people because of it’s emotional depth and ability to hook the reader into Pearl’s story. There are psychological themes within The Year of the Rat – the reader unsure whether Pearl is actually seeing her mother’s ghost or if she is fabricating her to deal with the grief she is going through. The emotional depth really makes the novel stand out because it all felt so real; it was as if Pearl was living inside me and voicing the thoughts I’ve had in the past.
I feel as if there isn’t anything quite like The Year of the Rat released at the moment so if you’re looking for originality this is definitely for you.
Pearl isn’t always a likeable character and I often found myself questioning why she did particular things, but this is what makes the book so magic and, if this even makes sense, makes Pearl even easier to like.
The Year of the Rat is such a good book, and Furniss an author you really need to watch out for. If her debut is this stunning, I can’t wait to read her future novels.