So from now on I’m going to do a discussion thing about each chapter of Fairy Tail (I’m going to do this with One Piece and Attack On Titan too). I may also just do random predictions and theories too.
There will be spoilers!!!! Read at your own risk!!
Okay. So firstly.
Gajeel and Levy have become practically canon?? Gajeel has admitted that he ‘fell’ for Levy, and it’s been obvious that Levy has had a crush on Gajeel all this time, plus she stated she had only come to save him.
This alone has made any GaLe fangirls really excited, like me! I was spamming my friends about my excitement when I read the chapter.
However, is the ship going to die? From Zervis (one of my OTPS) that has been one of the only ships to actually be canon, there is always a possibility that GaLe will die as well. Maybe, like with Zervis, one of them is going to die. Or maybe both will die. Or maybe they will never get together. Honestly, Mashima, don’t make a ship canon and then kill it right afterwards!
The next chapter is called ‘The Two of Us Together, Forever and Always.’ I’m sure the next chapter is going to be about Gajeel and Levy again, so maybe they’re going to be completely canon and admit their love for each other?! But then I also think there’s a chance that they may end up in the Underworld together…
Another thing is that, after one of the long-awaited ships has finally become canon, it means Fairy Tail might be ending soon. I’m sure none of us want this to happen, but if GaLe is already pretty much canon, Nalu, Jerza, Gruvia (and other ships) will probably also become canon soon and then it will mean the end is drawing nearer.
Okay, that’s all I have to say about this chapter! I can’t wait until the next. If you have also read this chapter and have any thoughts on it, please comment!
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Quirk
Pages: 352
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Read if you like: Parallel universes, magical abilities, made-up creatures, different time zones
Goodreads Summary
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
Review
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar children was an interesting read… I’m always quite cautious of over-hyped books, as they tend to let me down quite often, and if I’m honest, this wasn’t as amazing as some reviews make it out to be. Needless to say I’m glad I read it and I will definitely try out the sequel, however there is a lot of criticism I have…
I think the first thing I will have to address is of course the unique format of the book. Ransom Riggs, the author, is a collector of old photographs, so he naturally incorporated some of the snapshots he found through his story. They were really interesting – unlike any other book with illustrations or pictures in it. It wasn’t one of those books which have illustrations just to make it more appealing – these photographs actually had a part in the story, they played a role in the novel just as much as the words did.
Another thing which I was worried about before I started the book was the ‘scary’ aspect of the book. I hate horror books and movies, I can get creeped out really easily, and this cover did give across the message that this would be a slightly frightening book, what with the black and white imagery and the focus on a creepy girl floating. Looks can be deceiving – this really wasn’t a frightening book at all. Sure, the characters did have some abnormal, fantastical powers but they weren’t ‘scary’. If I’m honest, I’m not sure why they chose that cover. Sure, the girl in the centre is a character in the book, but she isn’t a particularly major character who plays a meaningful role in the story. So basically – don’t judge this book by it’s cover. It’s not a very good cover for this book, they don’t fit each other too well.
I’m going to talk about the characters now. I didn’t really like any of them, if I’m honest. They were kinda flat and stereotypical – I didn’t really feel much personality coming from them. If I was asked to describe a character, for example Jacob, then I wouldn’t really have much to say except for what is stated in the book itself – that he was brave and selfless. But that’s what the author wants us to think of Jacob, and if I’m honest, I thought he was quite a weak character who relied more on others than himself. He came across as quite arrogant and self-pitying to me – being all whiney despite the fact that his parents were rich and provided pretty much everything to him. I just really didn’t like him. The only character who seemed moderately ‘okay’ was Emma, and even she wasn’t that great. She didn’t have too much personality either – other authors can make their characters so vivid and three-dimensional, which Ransom Riggs failed to deliver.
Another thing about the characters which I didn’t like was this – there were just too many! You know that feeling when an author introduces way too many characters all at once, and you struggle to know who is who? That’s exactly what happened here. And not only did you have to remember their names, but you also had to remember which person had which peculiar ability.
One thing that Ransom Riggs did manage to do well, which you don’t really find in YA books these days, was quite an advanced and sophisticated writing style. My friend, who reads classics more than any other genre, was complaining to me the other day about how YA books lack in any real writing ‘flair’. YA is my favourite genre, so of course I was quick to defend it, but I have to say I do agree with her a little. Some books have amazing plots and imaginative settings, yet the writing itself is quite simple and un-amazing. However, I really liked Ransom Riggs’ style – it was much more descriptive and detailed than most YA books, and that was something that kept me reading on.
The plot itself felt quite unplanned – everything seemed to just be written around a set of intriguing, old pictures – therefore making the plot quite random, if that makes any sense? And on top of that it was really slow. Nothing much happened in the first half of the book, except for Jacob discovering the Peculiar world. Only half way through the book did we learn about the hollowgasts and the wights, the ‘villains’ of the book, yet nothing much happened, except for the fact that Jacob learnt about them and their past, and saw some frightening pictures of them. So the real action of the story happened pretty late in the book, by which time I’m sure a lot of people probably just put the book down.
However when action DID happen, it was pretty good, and I liked it. I like the whole concept of hollowgasts and wights wanting to finish off what they started, with only some inexperienced 80-something-year old children to defeat them. It seems like one of those stories where the ‘good’ side is bound to lose, when all of a sudden the author will pull something out of the hat and shock all the readers. Considering what happened so far in the book, and how slow it was, something REALLY amazing needs to happen in order to shock me as a reader, but I’ll wait and see, I’m intrigued to see the fate of the peculiars.
Finally before I finish I want to quickly talk about the romance in the book. There wasn’t really much in it – and if I’m honest the little romance there was didn’t really seem very necessary – it was kinda just ~there~. However, it was a very weird romance. Jacob, 16, falls in love with Emma, who is 88 (?). Okay, I get that Emma looks Jacob’s age on the outside but is that not really weird? And to top it all of, Emma fell in love with and dated Jacob’s own grandfather, which to me is just really weird. I don’t know, it just didn’t seem very necessary – and it’s not even like the romance added to the plot or anything, I’m sure things would have turned out just the same if Emma and Jacob were friends.
So that was a pretty negative review, but I did enjoy the book – I just found many, many flaws with it. I think I’ll give Hollow City a try, and if I don’t enjoy that, I’ll just drop the series.
Here’s the movie trailer for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar children which is going to be directed by Tim Burton. It’s coming out some time September, and I think I will watch it whether I finish the series or not, because movie adaptations are always fun to be happy about (if they’re good) or annoyed at (if they are bad).
Cursed Child
On a happier note – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have released the photos of the cast in character!!!! I am so, so excited!! Although I haven’t got tickets to see the play (Mia has 😡😡) I am still trying to convince my mum, and I’m sure there’ll be more performances after 2017 so it’s all okay.
But ahhhh the cast is perfect!! At first I was pretty annoyed at Harry’s casting – it just didn’t work for me. I like it though, now! You can actually tell that Jamie Parker is Harry Potter – it works! Of course, Daniel Radcliffe will always be the true Harry, but this is good too!
Sam Clemmett, i.e Albus Severus is great too! I’m not sure if it’s how I imagined, but I like it!
However, I’m not sure if I really like Poppy Miller as Ginny…I mean, we know Ginny is a Quidditch player, but this Ginny looks more like a Molly Weasley kind, stay-at-home mum, nothing like the Ginny we know.
Also notice the new Hogwarts robes? What do you think?
One thing I’m really hoping I’ll get out of Cursed Child is for Scorose (Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley) to be canon. Draco and Hermione are one of my OTPs and J.K Rowling herself admitted that Draco loved Hermione. So if Dramione is never going to be canon, Scorose is the next best thing!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the review and my fangirling on Cursed Child! Comment below to tell me what you think about the book, and the cast of HP & the CC!!
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favour.
But Apollo has many enemies – gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood. Book Review
Oh. My. Gods. AMAZING. Okay okay before I start the review I’m gonna give you two warnings. Warning 1 – Beware, there’ll probably be a bunch of spoilers for the Percy Jackson series, Heroes of Olympus series, and Magnus Chase. Warning 2 – This post is going to be full, I repeat FULL, of fangirling. A LOT of fangirling.
I’m going to start off with what I first noticed, right on the first page – and that’s the haikus. Yes, haikus. The story is told in the POV of the God Apollo (as you may already know) – and if you’ve read the rest of Rick Riordan’s Greek mythology books, you’ll know that Apollo has a slight obsession with writing really bad haikus. And guess what each chapter starts off with. Yup, you guessed it. Really bad haikus. AND IT IS JUST SO PERFECT ljnfskejnnsfekjnsfdjknsdfk. I told you there’d be loads of fangirling.
” You’ve got to be kid-
Well, crud, what just happened there?
I ran out of syl-“
I think that was one of my favourite bad haikus in the book. But each haiku is basically a short, humorous summary (and spoiler-free) of the upcoming chapter, which I thought was a pretty awesome and Apollo-y take on a normal, bland chapter title.
Another thing I liked was how Apollo’s character and personality is portrayed through the book. So, we all know how arrogant Apollo is, and how self-centered he is. And that was shown so well throughout the book. When the demigods are facing a true problem, Apollo gets frustrated because they aren’t focussing on HIM, and his petty little problems. I’ll admit, I found Apollo super annoying, especially seeing as the whole story is told through his eyes, but that’s good – Apollo is MEANT to be seen as annoying.
Going back on the point on the book’s POV, I really enjoyed the way the story was told through a God’s eyes. The whole Percy Jackson series was told through Percy’s eyes, and in Heroes of Olympus widened out a little and was told through the Seven and some other characters’ eyes. But we’ve never, ever had a God’s point of view. And it was really interesting. I liked how they showed how insignificant the demigods were to a God like Apollo, yet he had to rely on the demigods to fight the monsters. I liked how he realised that he should probably pay more attention to his children, and how he seemed to be thinking about getting other Gods to do that too.
I’m gonna move onto a certain ship now, before I explode from excitement and feels. This is pretty much the fangirl central of this post, it’s gonna be crammed with feels. Okay, so Solangelo. Solangelo is, apart from Percabeth, one of the most loved ships in the FanDam. And I don’t know about you, but before I started The Hidden Oracle, I read a couple of posts and book reviews on people who’d already (amazingly) finished the book, on the day it came out (one of my friends did that too, wow). And I discovered that Solangelo was canon. Yes. CANON. I couldn’t breathe, I was so excited, I was crying. Don’t judge, but Solangelo is SO PERFECT. asdfGhjlKL.
“Will put his hand on Nico’s shoulder. ‘Nico, we need to have another talk about your people skills.’
‘Hey, I’m just stating the obvious. If this IS Apollo, and he dies, we’re all in trouble.’
Will turned to me. ‘I apologize for my boyfriend.’
Nico rolled his eyes. ‘Could you not-‘
‘Would you prefer SPECIAL GUY?’ Will asked. ‘Or significant other?’
‘Significant ANNOYANCE, in your case,’ Nico grumbled.”
*jumps of cliff*. Such. Perfection.
Okay I’d better forcefully move myself away from the amazingness that is Solangelo, and onto the new character introduced – Meg McCaffrey. I’m not sure about Meg. She’s one of those characters you either hate or love, and I think I hate her. Sure, she has her good bits – she’s funny, sassy and sarcastic; she’s brave and determined – but I just found her annoying! I’m not too sure WHY I found her annoying, I just did. Every time she appeared in the book, I kinda got really frustrated and willed her to leave, go away. Yes, she’s very funny, and I guess I can bear her presence in the rest of the series, but I’m kinda hoping Rick Riordan will kill her off. *hold hands up in surrender* I’m sorry, really, but it’s true!
“‘Nuh-uh,’ She showed me her rings, ‘I always use two swords. Plus, I need a free hand for slapping when you act stupid.’
I had the uncomfortable sense she was serious.”
Wait I just remembered something. Quick mention before I continue the review but – Percy is in a SWIM TEAM!! *squeals* How awesome is that!!
Okayyy moving on, Percabeth – there was no Percabeth in the book *sobs*. Sure, there were mentions, but we didn’t ever get to see them together! I think the book was set during Magnus Chase time, as Percy mentioned that Annabeth was over in Boston, as she was during Magnus Chase. So I guess that both the plots are sort of, occuring together. Since both Magnus Chase and Trials of Apollo are ongoing at the same time, how awesome would it be if the stories merged some point further on? Think Norse mythology meeting Roman and Greek mythology – it’ll be awesome and action-packed.
I realised I haven’t yet spoken about the actual plot and storyline itself – and I’ll admit, it wasn’t the best plot Rick Riordan has ever conjured up. I think Rick Riordan is really beginning milk the cow – he’s trying to keep the Percy Jackson universe going (not that I’m complaining 🙂 ), when maybe he’s starting to run out of ideas. I love his books, and I’m not saying he should stop writing them – but maybe Uncle Rick should say goodbye to Percy Jackson and it’s characters. I noticed that in Magnus Chase as well – Magnus Chase could’ve been a really amazing individual novel on Norse Mythology, but then he had to drag the Percy Jackson references and characters in, and it just didn’t work for me. What do you think about this whole situation? And don’t punish me for being a traitorous fangirl 😂! I love Percy Jackson, really!
All in all, I really liked The Hidden Oracle. I’ll read the rest of the series, but only because I want to see if the the characters and how they’re getting on – not because of the plot. I’m sorry to say that, because Rick Riordan is really amazing, but it’s true.
I’d recommend the book to anyone who loves reading MGs, YAs, fantasies, and anybody interested in reading about Greek Mythology. I’m gonna rate the book 4/5 – but like I said before, the majority of the rating is probably based on my biased and overexcited fangirl’s mind.
If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.
Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.
The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.
But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.
Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?
The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul. Review
Oh my gosh, I LOVED this book. Amazing, it was so much better than Red Queen. Gahh, it was perfection. Well, not quite perfection, but wow. I was hooked right from the beginning, I just wanted to find out what would happen to Mare and Cal! Oh, and warning – this review will probably contain spoilers for Red Queen, so if you haven’t read Red Queen then you should probably not continue (you can read our review for Red Queen here).
As I was saying, the beginning was so gripping. Some sequels often start off at a different time to when the previous book ended. It may be a couple of days or so. What I liked about Glass Sword was that it started pretty much where it left off, so you weren’t confused or anything, all your questions were immediately being answered.
So I finished Red Queen only a couple of days before starting Glass Sword, and even those few days were so painful – I just wanted to find out what happened to everybody after that stupid plot twist! Therefore I can’t imagine how it must have felt for the people who had to wait a whole year to read Glass Sword. But, never fear, your questions about Maven will be tended to.
I’d like to talk about the love triangle…or rather love square. In Red Queen, Maven and Cal loved Mare, and Kilorn showed hints of admiration but it wasn’t canon yet. Well, in Glass Sword our love triangle has morphed into a love square – yes, Maven still loves Mare after what he did. Ok, normally I hate love triangles, so a love square would probably be a bit too much for me…but you know what, I think it works! I feel like Mare is destined to be with Cal, but then again, I felt like Mare was destined to be with Maven in Red Queen and we all know how that turned out.
You’re also probably wondering who I ship Mare with the most. Well if you read my review for Red Queen, you’d know that I was Team Maven – and believe me, I still am. I think that Mare can get around Maven, talk some sense into him, get the boy who Mare thought he was back. However, I’ll also have to admit, I think I’m also Team Cal now. If Maven is now a lost hope, I honestly wouldn’t mind if Mare ends up with Cal! Although I would mind if she ends up with Kilorn – that’s just not right, like why! Who would ship Mare Barrow with Kilorn!
The romance in Glass Sword is so cute! Of course, there’s Mare, Cal, Kilorn and Maven, but some more love is sparking, and it was just adorable!
The humour is also great, Mare is just as sassy as ever. However, I did find Mare’s character more infuriating and annoying, and I really dislike her. She just comes across as so self-centred and narcissistic, even though I KNOW she’s anything but. It’s just frustrated me so much how although she does think about others…she doesn’t..if that makes any sense? Her character is so whiny! I’m not sure if it was intentional or not for Victoria Aveyard to make her protagonist like this, it may just be something to portray how much stress Mare is going through.
The general plot of this book is also pretty awesome. Different from Red Queen, and different from the next book as well I’m guessing, the plot of Glass Sword was to basically gather all the ‘newbloods’ as they are called (using Julian Jacos’ list) and raise an army of those with Red blood and Silver abilities, to defeat Maven and his people. It was really entertaining, although I felt some bits were a little slow and unnecessary. All the same, I enjoyed it, in general.
Like Red Queen, the ending of Glass Sword does not fail to impress. It’s shocking and unexpected, and I’d suggest keeping a box of tissues by you when you’re around half way through. It seems as though Victoria Aveyard is the queen of plot twists, as her endings are just so surprising!
Okay I had bits of criticism dotted around throughout the post – but here’s my main complaint. Will I remember this book? Will I remember the plot and its characters? The third book in the series will come out next year, the fourth the year after that. Right now, at this moment in time, I want to read those books. I want to finish of the series, now, quick. But in all honesty, I doubt I’ll remember any of what happened this time next year. Mare would have probably been erased from my mind, I’d probably only remember traces of the plot. I just don’t think the writing is very memorable at all. Sure, you’ll remember it a couple of weeks after reading it, but otherwise it isn’t really that special, a book that stands out from the crowd and sticks to your mind for years to come. As great as it was, it wasn’t THAT great.
My overall opinions on this book was – well, good! I liked it, I enjoyed reading it and I definitely want to read on. Whether I’ll be able to or not, we’ll see next year, but I do want to finish the series. It had its flaws like all books, but it was good! I’d recommend this book to any YA fantasy dystopia readers, especially fans of The Lunar Chronicles and The Hunger Games.
All in all, I’d give this book a 4 star rating…or maybe 3.5. I’m torn between the two, so let’s just say it 3.75 stars! (I can’t do 3/4 stars, but you know.)
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart…
Review
Wow, well what can I say? What an amazing book! It had its flaws, of course it did, but it was a fantastic read, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Glass Sword. I didn’t really expect the book to be too great – usually overhyped books like Red Queen are made out to be ‘absolutely flawless’, so when you actually read it, your hopes kinda come crashing down. However, Red Queen picked my hopes up and brought it right back up high, because it really was very good.
I’ve said this a couple of times previously, but I really wasn’t that keen on the beginning of the book. It was really slow-going, and seemed annoyingly similar to The Hunger Games. I can see why some people, my friend included, stopped reading halfway through the book – because the starting just doesn’t hook you on! I’m gonna tell you right now that if you feel the temptation to stop reading Red Queen, do resist, as the book does not fail to impress.
“Anyone can betray anyone.”
Usually I’m not a big fan of love triangles, but the love triangle in Red Queen is amazing. I shipped both characters so hard! The only other time when I’ve loved a love triangle THIS much, was in The Infernal Devices, and who didn’t love that triangle?! I loved the Cal x Mare ship, but I think I’m leaning more towards the Maven x Mare ship. They’re just so perfect *squeals*! No matter what hardships they went through, no matter how much they hated each other (at points) and loved each other (at other points), I will probably always think Maven and Mare are meant to be. People who’ve read Red Queen are probably giving me a really judgemental look right now, wondering why on earth I ship Mare and Maven so hard, especially as —— —– ——- happens (SPOILERS 😀 – oh dear, I can’t seem to keep these spoilers in can I…)
“Make no mistake, my girl. You are playing the game as someone’s pawn.”
I’m going to talk about the plot twist at the end now, without giving away too much. As I’ve said in some previous reviews, I LOVE plot twists. I LIVE for plot twists. And the plot twist in Red Queen completely threw me off my track. I just wasn’t expecting it! Yeah, I guess that’s the point of plot twists, but the YA world is so full of poorly written plot twists, that it was nice to see a well-written one. It was so thought out, it was one of those plot twists that made you stop, put your book down and stare at the wall for 5 minutes. That makes me sound weird. Am I the only person who stares at walls to think about amazing books?
And oh my gosh, the characters! I loved Mare’s personality, she kinda had that Will Herondale style sarcasm and wit to her, which made me laugh out loud. She’s also such a strong female protagonist, which was great. Out of the two princes, I liked Maven best. Maven just comes across as such a caring friend to Mare, there by her side whenever she needs him (cough, cough – those who’ve read Red Queen will know why I’m having a cough attack 😏 – Although it’s true, he IS very caring to Mare). I wasn’t too sure about Cal, I don’t know, I just got so easily annoyed by his character. To me, personally, he came across as a really selfish, arrogant character, I much preferred Maven to him (*receives more judgemental looks from Red Queen readers, in the light of certain events occurring at the end of the book*). I think I’m giving away a tad too much…I hope I don’t give anything away to non Red Queen readers!
One problem I had was that in general, the book was so unoriginal. I’m not talking about all the little details like the characters and setting, which I loved, I’m talking about the generalised plot. A book about rebellions and justice, set in a dystopian world. Isn’t every YA Dystopia like that these days? I don’t know, I think it would just be quite refreshing if there was a dystopian novel that wasn’t always based around revolutions, there are so many other things you can write about, in a dystopian setting.
One more thing that slightly annoyed me was the fact that Mare could be a little bit selfish at times. It just really frustrated me, how she was willing to run away with Kilorn to avoid conscription. What about her family? Wouldn’t they be worried about her? Mare was also saved by others on countless occasions throughout the book, and she barely acknowledged it. Nonetheless, I still liked her character, and it’s good that Victoria Aveyard ensured her characters had flaws. At least it isn’t an unrealistically perfect protagonist.
All in all, I loved the book. It had a bit of a slow start, but picked up it’s pace as it progressed, and soon enough I just couldn’t put the book down. The blurb states that Red Queen is a perfect book for fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Selection and Graceling. Although I haven’t read The Selection or Graceling, I agree that if you have read The Hunger Games or Divergent, then Red Queen is definitely a book for you.
I would rate this book 4 stars, simply because as amazing as it was, it did have it’s flaws. I rarely rate books 5 stars, I don’t believe in 5 star books, because every book has it’s flaws, there’s no ‘perfect’ book. Harry Potter, of course, is an exception to this life rule of mine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hope you enjoyed that review! Please do comment below to tell me what you thought of the book – were your views similar to mine? Also, if you’ve read Glass Sword, I’d love to find out what your views on that were – although please no spoilers! I’ll try and write a spoiler review/discussion on Red Queen, but it all really on how my revision goes.
Every Day by David Levithan
Blurb + Goodreads Summary
Every day I am someone else. I am myself – I know I am myself – but I am also someone else. It has always been like this.
Each morning, A wakes up in a different body. There’s never any warning about who it will be, but A is used to that. Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
And that’s fine – until A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with – every day…
That was the blurb, this is the Goodreads summary.
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
Review
I liked this book. It was different, but a good different. Of course, it was not perfect, there were details that annoyed me, but it was good!
It’s about a sixteen year old boy, called A, who wakes up in a different body every day. However, his inside, his mind and soul stays the same, it’s only the body that changes. A knows that he changes body every day, therefore he knows he shouldn’t get too close to friends, lovers, family or pets, because he will lose them the next day. However, one day, he meets a girl called Rhiannon, and like that, all the rules he made for himself vanish.
I should warn you, the first few pages can be a little confusing. I don’t think A’s whole…’situation’ is explained very well. It gets slightly clearer later on in the book, but it’s still pretty confusing, so don’t expect it all to be explained in the first chapter. In fact, the first chapter was so confusing that I kinda just wanted to stop reading right there and then, because it the lack of explanation means the book doesn’t really hook you in. However, I decided to read on, hoping it would get better as the book progressed.
I liked the characters. A was an interesting character, and I don’t know why, but right from the start I kinda just got the feeling that A was a boy. I mean, the book never really specified his gender, but I just thought he would be a boy – just by his personality and the way he spoke. So, for the rest of this review I’m gonna refer to him as a he, because I’m just too lazy to go ‘he/she’ every time A’s mentioned 😂. I thought Rhiannon was a great character, too. I mean, in real life, she’s not the kind of person I’d be friends with, but I liked her, she was interesting! Different, and a lot of other people may think of her character as weak, not a strong female protagonist, but I don’t. She wasn’t weak, even though it may have seemed like it. And I thought that she was in fact very strong, for fighting against Justin, in the end. All she needed really was some encouragement from A, someone who would help to open her mind a bit more.
However, I want to talk some more about A’s character…you see, I’m kind of confused about whether I absolutely hate his character, or not. Because I understand how tough it must be for him, seeing as he can basically never have a life of his own. He needs to do what the body he’s in has to do, otherwise it’ll just end in terrible consequences for that person. However, I really don’t like him. It’s sooo selfish, how the minute he met Rhiannon he just went a little crazy, bunked off school, missed exams, dates and even holidays. Okay, I know it must be really hard for him to control his feelings, seeing as on the inside, A is really just a normal person, but it just annoyed me so much, because he basically ruined everyone else’s life. So I’m confused, because I know what he did is wrong, but I also think it’s right….and I kind of like that. David Levithan has made the characters so deep and three-dimensional, that you have to make up your own mind about them. It’s no ‘good or bad’ like a normal book would have, a set character, it’s kinda down to you. There are so many sides to the character, it’s your decision what you think about them, it isn’t just decided by the author. The confusion was one of the reasons that I finally decided to pick up the sequel, Another Day.
You may have read my review on Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, where I expressed my dislike for ‘love at first sight’ stories. Well, same goes here! Here’s A, who has an unusual life that could potentially be put to use for a bad cause – he could use the body to do terrible things, like murder, and easily get away with it. However, he is good, and lives by a certain set of rules to ensure nothing like that happens. Then he meets Rhiannon, and everything he’s worked towards all his life has been thrown out of the window. Not just the rules, but the secrecy. It’s just ridiculous, because he falls in love with her in a day, and bam. Everything changes. I know some people do like to read books where ‘love at first sight’ occurs, but I’m not one of those people.
Also, there were so many unanswered questions! I mean, usually I’m all for unanswered questions, it makes you think about what might have happened, let you create the rest of the story, but honestly? There were wayy to many unanswered questions. And the lack of answers, like I said earlier, just made it so confusing and annoying. It really needed an extra chapter or too.
Let’s talk about the ending. No spoilers, I promise. I just want to warn you – I thought the ending was a complete let-down. It’s like, say the book was a graph. The chapters would be a line escalating and getting higher and higher, because it’s so amazing, it’s getting better, the reader is enjoying it more. Then it reaches the last page, and that line comes crashing right down. It felt exactly like that. I was completely hooked into the last book, I didn’t even realise that I was nearing the end. I turned the page, and bam. The acknowledgments. No more left. It just….ended. Wayy to abruptly. Like an amazing build-up, all for a disappointing finish. I think it needed some more, another chapter, even just a few pages more. It was just sooooo disappointing, because the book was amazing, I was expecting and incredible ending, where everything pulls itself together, or causes an unexpected turn. But no, it just stopped! Aaargh!
So that was my review! I realise it was much longer than my usual reviews…way longer than my other reviews…whoops! Anyways, if you like David Levithan’s other books (he’s written a lot) then you should definitely try this one out, although I didn’t think it was as…’David Levithan’ compared his other works, if that made any sense. Therefore don’t use this book to judge the rest of his books, as it was very different to how he usually writes. Also, if you like John Green, Jennifer Niven, or any other contemporary YA authors, then this book is definitely for you.
I’d rate it 3 stars…because I liked it…and yet I didn’t. However, I am swaying more towards the ‘like’ side, so 3 stars it is!
This review is slightly longer than my usual reviews, as my opinion was quite mixed about it.
Blurb + Goodreads Summary
When Maisie is burnt in a terrible accident her face is partially destroyed. She’s lucky enough to get a face transplant, but how do you live when you can’t even recognise yourself anymore? As Maisie discovers how much her look shaped her relationship to the world, she has to redefine her own identity, and figure out what ‘lucky’ really means.
That was the blurb, this is the Goodreads Summary.
When Maisie Winters wakes up, she’s in the hospital.
The last thing she remembers is running through the hills of her neighbourhood one misty morning. Slowly, she puts the pieces together. Before she could make it home, a storm gathered. Lightning hit a power line and sparks rained down, the hot-burning electrical fire consuming her. Destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and chin used to be, now there is…nothing.
Maisie’s lucky enough to qualify for a rare medical treatment: a face transplant. At least, everyone says she’s lucky. But with someone else’s features staring back at her in the mirror, Maisie looks—and feels—like a stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she knew who she was—a regular girlwho ran track and got good grades, who loved her boyfriend and her best friend. Now, she can’t even recognise herself.
New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel has created a gripping and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing yourself and the long, hard fight to find your way back.
Review
I enjoyed this book! I wouldn’t say it was amazing or anything, it did have some problems, but it was good! There have been several people comparing this book to If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, but personally, I thought the two books weren’t very similar at all. It may just be the fact that I read If I Stay 2 years ago, but the only similarity I found between the two books was the fact that the protagonist suffers a life threatening injury and goes into coma. Even this, is different, as in If I Stay, the main character, Mia, is in coma throughout the whole book, whereas in Faceless, we only see Maisie before and after the coma, which lasts less than a chapter. Both If I Stay and Faceless are both great books and are both different, nothing like each other.
To start off, let’s talk about what happened to Maisie. Maisie basically lost half her face in an electrical fire accident. As she put it herself, her face ‘just melted off. She’s lucky enough to get a face transplant, a rare occurrence, to heal her face. I like that the author Alyssa Sheinmel wrote about face transplants. It’s a surgery that not many people know about. Before reading this book, I didn’t even think face transplants were possible, let alone that they existed!
I really liked the message it was giving out too. It showed just how much appearances affect how society acts around us. The book’s basically saying that we’d probably be more likely to be accepted if we were pretty, or didn’t have any obvious injuries like Maisie did. And that’s probably true, and we need to change that.
The main ‘plot’ is on Maisie’s journey to loving herself, no matter what obstacles are in the way. It’s a nice, inspirational message, especially today when everything is about looks. Maisie basically tells you that you must love yourself no matter what and embrace changes. I think there should have been more to it, though, than just being accepted by her classmates and herself.
Okayyy now from the criticisms…I have a lot…
I was kinda shocked about the way people treated Maisie. After her face transplant, she went to school, and of course she didn’t look like she did before. On her first day back she was treated by people staring at her in the halls, laughing or just gaping at her with their mouths hanging open. Does this sort of thing really happen in real life? I highly doubt that people would treat classmates like that, it just seems slightly over-exaggerated. Sure, there will be a few people who’d treat Maisie like that – but the whole school? I don’t think so.
I also thought that the characters were slightly stereotypical. There’s Maisie, a pretty girl, sporty, on the school track team. She’s clever, a straight-A student. Her boyfriend Chirag is ‘perfect’, everyone likes him. He’s also clever, calm, likeable, kind. Best friend Serena’s been friends with Maisie since they were little, she’s funny, excitable, pretty. This all seems pretty unimaginative to me. The characters needed more personality than just that. Sure, they were likeable characters, but they were sooooo stereotypical!
I found the actual style of writing quite bland and simple. It wasn’t particularly exciting. I don’t know if the author Alyssa Sheinmel intended it to be like that – seeing as it is in the POV of Maisie – or if that’s just the way Alyssa Sheinmel writes, but I didn’t like it. It could’ve been a bit more “wow”, there was nothing great about it, that would make you remember the book.
To be honest, I found Maisie, the main character, really annoying. I understand that being on medication must have made her tired and angry, but it just made me really frustrated on how ungrateful she seemed to be to her doctors, friends and parents! Despite being in a life threatening injury, and partially losing her face, all she seemed to moan about was how her boyfriend didn’t accept her! It just made me really frustrated…but I guess that’s just my opinion on her character!
There were a lot of unanswered questions, but I won’t talk about them as most of them are spoilers. I just think that there could have been an epilogue, or an extra chapter, as several things just went unanswered.
So overall, I thought this book was OK. It was neither good nor bad. If you’d like to read a book that will make you cry and laugh, then you should certainly go ahead and read this, especially if you like to read dramatic, real-life books. It’s definitely a book that once you start you cannot put down, until you have finished it.
Live life in a bubble? Or risk everything for love?
Maddy is allergic to the world. She hasn’t left her house in seventeen years.
Olly is the boy next door. He’s determined to find a way to reach her.
The blurb was pretty short so here’s the Goodreads summary.
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.
Review
Wow. This book was just, wow. You know how on the cover, other authors quote something about the book? Well, for this book, Jennifer Niven (who wrote All The Bright Places – great book) said: ‘Heart-wrenching…I devoured it in one sitting.’
I completely agree with her. I couldn’t put it down. Also can I just comment on how beautiful the cover is? It’s so colourful and vibrant, you just cannot tear your eyes away from it. There’s so much to see, it’s gorgeous.
“I’ve read many more books than you. It doesn’t matter how many you’ve read. I’ve read more. Believe me.”
Anyways, onto the actual review…When I began reading, I was slightly taken aback by the fact that there were illustrations and diagrams in the book. Generally, I’m not really a big fan of illustrations in fiction novels, I prefer a novel with just words throughout. However, for this book, it was different. The pictures made it all the more funny and engaging, so don’t be put off by the fact that there are drawings in the book!
“I am not lonely. I am alone. Those are different things.”
It’s told in the POV of Madeleine, who is an 18yo diagnosed with SCID, an extremely rare disease which means that, to put it simply, she’s allergic to the world. Therefore, she is locked up in her house, unable to leave it. Anyone who enters needs to go through intense decontamination that can last up to an hour. The only entertainment she has are books, the television and her nurse Carla. She’s unlikely to ever meet anyone, to ever fall in love – or even have any friends. That is, until she meets Olly, and her life turns upside down.
Yeah, I thought that bit was slightly clichéd, too. I get that she’s alone, but the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing didn’t really work, in my opinion. Well…it wasn’t really ‘love’ at first sight, more of a ‘Oh no! I don’t know how I feel!’ at first sight. I just think that maybe it should have been left until later, rather than the moment they first saw each other through a window. But maybe that’s just me…😀
“What are you talking about?”
“The humuhumunukunukuapuaa.”
“What is a humu-whatever?”
“The state fish of Hawaii”
His smile broadens. “Of course it is.”
It was really funny, too. Especially during their emails and messages. The smallest, stupidest things they say to each other made you smile, just because they are so cute!
A problem I had with the book was that the plot was unnecessarily delayed. The real “plot” plot – if that makes any sense – only really happened in the later half of the book, and everything in the first half was just…the “other” bit. Yes, the “other” was just as important to read, and the build up to the plot, but maybe it could have been shortened.
A final thing I should mention – if you love plot twists, definitely read this book. Because woah, the plot twist in this was VERY unpredictable. It completely took me by surprise. It’s one of those books where all along you think that you know exactly what’s going to happen in the end. But no. Nicola Yoon completely twists everything until you’re left with your mouth hanging open, wondering how on earth everything (,everything -hahaha, yes, I did just do that) changed this way.
I’m still not quite sure why title is called “Everything, Everything” – but oh well! If you like John Green, or The Fault In Our Stars, then definitely read this book – do I need to explain why? It’s a teenage romance also revolving around a life threatening illness, that’s why! Also, if you enjoy contemporary romances, and are in need of a book that will make you laugh, cry, feel angry and annoyed, then this book is perfect for you!
I’ll give this book 4.5 stars – it’s close to a 5, because I really loved it, but there were some flaws in it, so it’s not quite a 5.
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl.
On the first day of school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in Year 11 is definitely not part of the plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But thingsare about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long…
Review
This was such an amazing book – I sped through it in a day, I just couldn’t put it down. It absolutely hooks you in, and the fact that it’s written in 2 perspectives makes it all the more amazing (get to that later).
So the book is set in England, and follows to boys, David and Leo. The book starts of with a prologue about David, and it’s one of those paragraphs which start off normal, and then all of a sudden – bam. One line just twists everything upside down. The first few chapters were a little confusing, which made it slightly harder to read as you kept wondering what on earth was happening, but it did pull itself together further on in the book.
I said earlier about how the book had 2 POVs. I really enjoyed reading from both Leo and David’s perspective, and it was soooo infuriating when the author ended the chapter on a cliffhanger, and you couldn’t continue on because it was a new POV! It’s easy to read and follow, as each POV is marked with a different font. I really appreciated the change of fonts, as I’ve come across books (*cough* Allegiant *cough*) which have nothing to show that it’s a new perspective, except for a tiny header underneath the chapter title, which you’re certain to miss.
Another thing I really enjoyed about the POVs is how well positioned they were in the storyline. The author really thought about which character it would be better to hear the story through. For example, one of the bullying chapters is told through the eyes of David, as he is the victim, rather than Leo, the onlooker. Therefore, this evokes emotions in you, which David feels – the embarrassment, fear and anger. When Leo is brought into this scene, the POV stays in David’s perspective, which I liked as you don’t know why he’s doing what he does. I realise that last bit made no sense whatsoever, but I was trying not to give away too much!
I really liked the different topics the author brought into the story. Apart from David’s struggles in being transgender, there is also lots of bullying and problems with family relationships. David also finds it hard to be in school. He only has 2 friends, Essie and Felix – and to most of the other students in school, he’s known as ‘Freak Show’. It’s great that one book has managed to carry so many important topics, and it’s amazing how the author Lisa Williamson wrote in first person, in the shoes of 2 boys who are struggling so much.
Right, that was the positives of the book… now it’s time for some of the problems I had.
I think that the author should’ve given Leo a bit more purpose and reason for being in the book. He should have had his own ‘big’ problem to fight, rather than just the smaller problems such as bullies and relationships. I realise he helps David a lot, but apart from that, I think he should have had his own personal problem, that links in with the rest of the book, rather than just finding his dad. In a book about transgender issues and bullies, I just thought that David’s dad was slightly random!
Another problem I had was with Leo’s family. It was slightly unnecessary, it didn’t really play a very important part in the book…the family was just kind of…there. It’s not like they really helped him – except for Amber, but even that was just words of ‘Oh, go make some friends, you’re too lonely.’. They were just unhelpful, with discouraging clichés like – ‘Life’s never fair.’
However, it is Lisa Williamson’s debut novel, and despite the flaws, it was definitely worth reading. If you want a break from YA novels set in America, then definitely read this (set in the UK). Also, if you enjoy David Levithan, John Green, etc. authors, then this book is perfect for you.
We haven’t done star ratings for our book reviews before – but I’ll do a rating for this book. I’d give this book 4 stars!
In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word. A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other – but they can never fall in love.
Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter. She lives for battle. Alongside her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols Los Angeles, where vampires party on theSunset Strip, and faeries – the most powerful of supernatural creatures – teeter on the edge of war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries are found murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge, and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held by the faerie courts. All they have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.
Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who reallykilled her parents – and can she bear to know the truth?
Review
I absolutely loved this new addition to the Shadowhunter chronicles! The book mainly focuses on Emma and the Blackthorns, but there are tiny mentions of the characters from the TMI series – and some surprising bits and pieces that tells us on what they’re up to five years after the Dark War. The Infernal Devices was definitely my favourite of the Shadowhunter chronicles so of course I fangirled over Jem and Tessa’s mentions in the book!
Emma and Julian are parabatai – both of them orphans who lost their family during the Dark War. Julian is the oldest of the Blackthorns, so he has to look after Dru, Tavvy and the twins Ty and Livvy. Helen and Mark, their half-faerie siblings, were exiled from the Institute after the Dark War’s nasty turn of events. Now however Emma finds these bodies that resemble that of her parents’, so she gets to work, find out who murdered them.
It’s full of plot twists and surprising bits, I could not put it down! With every single chapter something new happens, you uncover another secret, it’s absolutely impossible to stop reading!
I would definitely recommend reading it! If you haven’t read Cassandra Clare’s other series, you may find it slightly more difficult to understand everything, but she does try to explain what’s happening, so I guess you could read Lady Midnight without reading the other books. I did find that some bits droned on a little, but it only SOME bits, so don’t let that stop you from reading it!
Definitely go and read Lady Midnight, and if you haven’t already, read The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices and The Bane Chronicles – amazing, amazing books – GO READ THEM!!!
*spoiler ahead*
Was it just me, or did Emma remind you of Will Herondale? The way she tried not to break the Parabatai Law at the end to protect Julian, reminded me of Will protecting Tessa from his fake curse…?
– V
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Geeky Fangirls 