Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) – Book Review

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen

Genre: YA, Dystopia

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 440

Goodreads Summary

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.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

-V

Every Day – Book Review

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!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

– V

Faceless – Book Review

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel

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 girl who 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.

I’d rate 3.5 stars!

(Just assume that the sparkles are a half star😀)

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

– V

Everything, Everything- Book Review

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

  
Blurb + Goodreads Summary

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

(There was no half star!)

– V

The Art of Being Normal – UKYA Book Review

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
  

 Blurb

Two boys. Two secrets.

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 things are 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!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

– V

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices #1)

Blurb

In a kingdom by the sea….

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 the Sunset 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 really killed 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

Carry On Book Review

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On, though a sequel to Fangirl, can just be read without you reading Fangirl. Also, if you didn’t like Fangirl for some bizarre reason, that by no way means you will dislike Carry On. If you have read Fangirl, you will remember that Cath enjoys writing fanfiction about Simon and Baz. Her most popular fanfiction, the one that she spends all her time writing, is called Carry On. This book is that fanfiction. Set in the world of mages (magicians), this book is brilliant, and is a must read for everyone, fan of Fangirl or not.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and enjoy his last year at Watford with his friend Penny. But things aren’t going to plan. For a start, his roommate Baz hasn’t come back to school. And Simon can’t even enjoy this break from his longtime nemesis because he can’t stop worrying about where he is. And then there’s the problem with Agatha, Simon’s girlfriend, which all started at the end of last year when Simon caught her and Baz holding hands. And then there’s the Old Families, who want to overthrow the Mage (the leader of magician world and headmaster of Watford). Oh, and you musn’t forget the Humdrum, an evil monster who sucks magic out of areas. It doesn’t help that Simon is the Chosen One, the one prophesied to defeat the Humdrum; Simon is the strongest magician in the world of mages, yet he can’t se his powers. Things aren’t looking good for his chances of enjoying his last year at Watford.

This book is inspired by Harry Potter, and is a must read for all potterheads (and TMI fans) as well as anyone else who enjoys that genre. It is a brilliant romance with comedy, adventure and mystery. The plot twists are incredible, the mystery is amazing, and this book is one of my favourites (I actually got it for free in Waterstones as they had a preview that they didn’t want (thanks Waterstones) and it was one of the best days of my life). When I got it, I instantly had three friends pestering me to lend it to them. Everyone who’s borrowed it (as well as me) has finished it in under two days, because you just cannot put it down. It’s one of the best books ever. I cannot express how amazing this book is, everyone should read it right now.

-M

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is a book based in a city where the society is divided into 5 factions. Abnegation, for the selfless. Dauntless, for the brave. Erudite, for the clever. Candor, for the honest. Amity, for the kind. 

Tris Prior has been in Abnegation since she was born, as that is the faction her parents are in. But now, she’s the age of someone who can choose which faction they go to, and Tris is faced with a hard decision. Should she stay in her faction to accompany her parents, or should she choose another faction which she finds more interesting? 

Tris makes her decision. After she has decided which faction she goes to, it turns out that it’s going to be a lot tougher than she thought it would be. What makes it even more dangerous is that she is something special but not in a good way.

I loved this book, it was written very well with a great storyline, idea, and characters. The book had some romance in as well, and quite a lot of action, making it a very exciting read. It’s the type of book which you just cannot put down, as there’s always so much more you want to know! Divergent is in a trilogy, made up of itself, Insurgent and Allegiant. There’s also an extra called Four. I highly recommend this trilogy!

– L

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Mikey, Mel, Jared and Henna are in their last year of high school. They’re going to graduate soon, but they want to graduate without any soul-eating ghosts or Gods destroying their school. Why? Because in their small town that nobody’s ever heard of, weird things attack the poor, heroic Indie kids with strange names and private friendships. It’s been happening for years – it happened to the previous generation and the generation before that.

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here is a really unique novel, that focusses on a town where strange fantastical creatures such as vampires attack. The Indie kids have to fight these beasts. 

Every book focusses on a main character, the character that saves the world from evil and restores the good and peace. However, The Rest Of Us Live Here isn’t like that. This novel focusses on those apart from the main characters, those who are in the background. Have you ever wondered how (sorry about this upcoming Harry Potter reference… 🙂 ) the normal Hufflepuffs, who weren’t tangled in Harry’s life, how they lead their lives? It wouldn’t have been as dramatic as Harry and his friends’. They would have still been affected by the changes of the world around them, but not as badly. This is what The Rest Of Us Just Live Here looks at. Those normal people, whose lives aren’t caught up in the mad things going on around them, how they lead their lives.

I absolutely loved this novel. It’s so rare, to see an author turn the spotlight away from the heroes of every situation, and onto the normal people. The book kind of mocks stories about zombie apocalypses, and is a really interesting read.
The author of the book is Patrick Ness – he wrote the bestselling book The Knife of Never Letting Go. This book is full of romance, humour and amazing ideas – it’s a book for everyone. 
-V

 

Playlist For The Dead

Playlist For The Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Sam woke up to find Hayden dead. The only clue left was a playlist and a note. But Sam doesn’t understand why Hayden committed suicide. He had a happy life, there was nothing wrong going on, there was no reason for him to commit suicide…so why did he?

Playlist For The Dead is one of my favourite books. I absolutely loved it. I loved to see how Sam not only uncovers the truth about Hayden, but also discovers more about himself. He finds himself and who he truly is, and if anything, Hayden’s death changed Sam for the good. As Sam tries to piece together why Hayden died, you being to wonder why he died yourself, you begin to piece together clues from what you already know.

Playlist for the Dead would be a mystery/romance. I think it’s a good book for anyone who likes YA books, so read it now!!!

-V