Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout

Title: Obsidian
Author: Jennifer L Armentrout
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen (Soon to be Hodder and Stoughton in UK)
Published: May 8th 2012
Page Number: 335

Summary:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Review:

 

"I know what I want for my birthday this year and it's not an object. It's actually an Alien. Daemon Black, please."

 

I'm definitely not known for reading Paranormal/Romance books, so when I decided to pop open this book and delve into it for the third time I knew I had to be prepared. I had my chocolate biscuits, my favourite tea in my favourite mug and I had my blanket. What more could I want? Nothing that's what.

 

People have told me over and over that this book reminds them so much of Twilight (I have not read it, but maybe I will one day.) and I can definitely see why. (I have watched the Movie.) Daemon's friends are very much like Edwards family in personality wise. Ash reminded me so much of Rosalie Hale. Pretty, sharp cut and just a clear bitch. Also the scene where Daemon tells Katy that he is in fact an Alien is very much like Twilight. The only difference is that he tells her by a lake and Daemon's an Alien, not some fake pale skin vampire. However, I really liked that because Daemon and Katy slay Bella and Edward. No competition. Ever!

 

Katy's character is definitely relatable. Moving to a new town you are going to be a bit scared and somewhat awkward, but she came out of her shell pretty quickly. That scene where she stands up for herself against Ash and Daemon was the perfect way for herself to show the school that she's not someone to mess with. Katy was also a bit immature at times, which did get on my nerves a little, but I embraced it and kept looking forward to her and Daemon's cut throat conversations.

 

I'm giving everyone a warning here. Daemon is mine. End of.

 

Daemon is definitely one of my favourite characters. He's hot and cold in attitude, but while I'm impatiently awaiting the next Cassandra Clare book, Daemon definitely gave me my fill of male characters who have zero idea what they want, but while searching they like to have a little fun. And act like a dick. Lets not forget that. What I loved most about him was how he cared for Dee. He knew she was capable, but she was his life. Their brother is gone and she's all he has left. It was sweet and while Katy had this bad word for him, it made you fall in love with him all the more.

 

While this book is a Paranormal/Romance I sometimes felt like I was reading a contemporary with a unique character and a lot of sexual tension - which we all know Jennifer is a queen at writing. Overall, I really enjoyed the start to this five book series. I cannot wait to see what the others have in store. 4/5 Stars!

ARC Review: This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Title: This Book is Gay
Author: Juno Dawson
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: September 4th 2014
Page Number: 279

Summary:

THIS BOOK IS GAY offers a guide to answer all the questions you were afraid to ask, alongside testimonials from people across the gender and sexual spectrums. This frank, funny, fully inclusive book explores subjects from sex to politics, how to pull, stereotypes, how to come-out and more.

 

 

 

 

 

Review:

"A book that every school should be handing out to their students. Intelligently written, educational and humorous. A perfect book for every sort of human." bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk

When I saw this book on Goodreads I was dying to have it. Being gay myself I wanted to see what other people thought about the whole topics, plus it was kind of like a self-help book, so when Hot Key Books emailed me and asked if I wanted it, I jumped for joy and replied straight away.

There aren't many books that I've stayed up until three am to finish reading, but this was one of the books. Every page was educational, but it wasn't hard for the brain. The comical touches made the information so much easier to soak up, plus it came with awesome illustrations.

This book is Gay looks at different topics, such as coming out, how to meet people like you, and to deal with haters. It also tells you some popular gay icons and has true opinions and stories from other people, which I specifically loved.

Coming out for me was both a good and bad experience. I was 15 and came out on the Thursday to my friend and my parents. By Monday everyone had found out. People were okay with it at first, but three weeks after everyone turned on me. I suffered homophobic abuse every day and suffered from a few slurs off teachers who thought it was funny. However, it hurt me really bad.

Today I am a very open person. I wear my depression like a badge and I want people to know that if they are struggling to never give up. Every time I feel like I'm about to cry I say my quote over and over 'My tears are like diamonds; they're too expensive to waste.' and it is true. Why cry over people who mean nothing to you. You live your life the way you want to and don't let anyone change that.

This Book is Gay is going to so helpful to a lot of people. Gay or straight. One of the thing James touches upon is that not every school teaches their pupils about gay relationships and sex. My school was the exact same. It was always straight sex and I felt out of place. This book is one that every school could read with their students or even hand it out to them and let them really sink the information in.

Every topic was amazing and I can't wait for it to hit the selves, because it's going to be HUGE. And of course I gave this book a freakin' 5 STARS! Absolute perfection! Ps, sorry about this messy review. It's hard to review something in perfect detail when words won't describe how good the book really was.

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Definitions
Published: September 4th 2014 (Movie Tie-in Edition)
Page Number: 210

Summary:

For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope.

But life can change in an instant.

A cold February morning . . . a snowy road . . . and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one.

As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

Review:

"The quote from The Fault in Our Stars suits my love for this book. I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. It was that good!" bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk

 

I've read only one other book by Gayle Forman and that was Just One Day, despite the editing issues I fell in love with it. The writing grips you and Allyson was a great protagonist. I admit that I had high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint.

 

This book - turned movie - is nothing that I'd read. An out of body experience makes it almost cynical to believe, but I'm so happy I picked it up! I had just finished reading a high fantasy book and needed something that I could fly through, but also something that captured my attention. From page 1 I was hooked. The writing was full of gorgeous pro's and you really felt every emotion that Mia was feeling. To her family before the accident, her boyfriend, Juilliard and after everything happened.

 

The thing with this book that made me love it all the more was that even though it was quite a serious topic there were still a few jokes or humorous part in there. I did, of course, smile a lot as well which is easy to do when you read one of her books.

 

The ending really didn't end.

 

It ended abruptly, but I liked that because I knew there was a sequel (I need to buy) and I felt that the ended fitted well. Once again the only problem I suffered was the editing. Definitions is one of the worst publishers EVER!!! If I Stay and Just One Day was full of editing issues; grammar mistakes, mixed words and the flow of the sentences were sometimes cut off.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed it. 4.5 STARS!

Bout Of Books 11.0 TBR!

Here are the books I plan to read for the Bout-of-Books 11.0 Read-a-thon. The read-a-thon is held to inspire people to read more and achieve their goals for each day. Your goals could be to read 150 pages per day, they could be to read the book and then watch the movie adaptation, or they could also be to read 3 book during the read-a-thon. The goals are up to you.

Obsidian and Half-Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout.

 

 

 

Shatter me by Taherah Mafi and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

 

 

 

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

 

 

 

 

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

 

 

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

 

 

 

ARC Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

Title: The Book of Life
Author: Deborah Harkness
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Headline
Published: July 15th 2014
Page Number: 592

Summary:

 

After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.

 

I met Deborah:

 

The lovely, Caitlin from Headline Publicity was nice enough to invite me to attend the Publication event for The Book of Life. It was on the 4th July. I had such a great time at the even. I fangirled with other bloggers about the book and we all got a bit tipsy (Some didn't.) Then we had a Q&A with Deborah where she answered some great questions and to end the night there was a raffle with some awesome prizes. Everyone that attended took home a Glamour gift bag and a signed copy of The Book of Life.

 

 

 

 

Review:

 

I must say this is going to be one of the hardest reviews to write, because this is the conclusion to the trilogy. However, there will be spoilers in the spoilers section.

 

Now if anyone knows me, A Discovery of Witches, which is the first book in this trilogy is one of my all time favourite books. This is one of my all time favourite series. It's addictive. However, this one wasn't my favourite of all three books. And that's why my star rating is undecided because I can't decide between a 4 Stars or a 5 Stars.

 

Like always, I loved most things about this book. The characters are some of my favourite and there was also some characters who appeared and shocked me. It gave me nostalgia feelings, like I was meeting them all over again. Which I kind of was, only they were older. Diana and Mathew are so perfect for each other, but I wanted a bit more Marcus and Phoebe in this book. We got a little, but not enough.

 

As a conclusion, I thought it was done very well. Not every trilogy can end as good as this one. Look at The Hunger Games, that ending was a hot mess. However, Deborah really gave the readers what they wanted and I feel like I can place it away and feel happy with it. But I still want something more from this series. It can't end just yet. I'd like some novellas or something in other characters POV's. Talking about POV's those were very annoying in this book. It constantly changed and I got confused who I was actually reading from until a two of three pages of their POV starting.

 

Another thing I didn't like about this book was the action. Some of the fighting scenes were great and kept my attention. Not all of them did. Especially the last action scene. I kind of got bored with it and felt like Deborah killed specific people off, just because.....

 

However, I still loved it.

 

 

 



 

Mini Reviews

 

 

Low Expectations by Elizabeth Aaron

 

I have to admit that once I saw this book I had to request this from the publishers. In September I'm going to be starting Magazine Journalism at University, but my main topic is Fashion. I love it!

 

This book is definitely one that people need to pick up and devour. It's a quick read, but it's also very witty. The characters and their situations are very realistic and up-to-date with everyone in their early 20's. I found myself laughing at specific situations that, I, myself had been in. Some people have compared Elizabeth's writing to Louise Rennison and I completely agree.

 

I gave this a solid 4/5 Stars.

 

 

Don't Tell the Boss by Anna Bell

 

I've heard of Anna Bell through Wattpad where she uploaded her very popular book Don't Tell the Groom. I found that to be very witty and I weren't sure this one was going to be as great. It was. The book was a great carry on and I actually preferred this one to the first. The character felt more developed and so did the storyline.

 

However, the one problem I had was the few spelling mistakes I noticed on most pages. Some were little, some were big and it took away from the pleasure of reading this book. But I couldn't fault it too harshly.

 

3.5/5 Stars!



Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Title: Ugly Love
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: August 5th 2014
Page Number: 323

Summary:

An unforgettable love story that breaks all the rules.

When Tate Collins finds airline pilot Miles Archer passed out in front of her apartment door, it is definitely not love at first sight. In fact, they wouldn't even consider themselves friends. But what they do have is an undeniable mutual attraction.

He doesn't want love and she doesn't have time for a relationship, but their chemistry cannot be ignored. Once their desires are out in the open, they realise they have the perfect set-up, as long as Tate can stick to two rules - never ask about the past and don't expect a future.

Tate convinces herself she's ok with it, but soon realises that it's harder than she thought. Will she be able to say no to her sexy pilot when he lives just next door?

Review:

 

"Colleen Hoover is a sneaky woman. Without you knowing, she rips your heart out, bit by bit until you realise it's not there. Just beautiful." Bookbitchreviews

I've only read one other book by Colleen Hoover and that was Maybe Someday. That's story blew me away and instantly lodged itself in my heart, both the book and the characters. But just when I thought Colleen couldn't get any better she brought this book along. I captured my attention, took me on a journey of broken hearts and love and without myself knowing, ripped my heart out. There is no doubt that this is one of the best books of 2014.

The one thing that Colleen does so well is create characters that are not only realistic, but also characters that you grow to love. It's a very rare and special talent and one that should never be wasted and you can tell that these aren't just Colleen creations. They're like her adopted children. Only fictional.

Both Tate and Miles are great characters and from chapter one you are attracted to Miles because of his drunkenly behaviour. "I'm so sorry, Rachael." Who is Rachael? Why is he crying? and that made me want to read more and more and more and more.

I felt like I was drowning while reading this book.

D
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We all know that Miles has this secret and seeing his story from Six years before, was probably the best thing that could've happened in the book. I loved seeing his back life, while he was so recluse to Tate and it made you understand his actions. I have to say that what happened, I did not predict. I had two situations in my head that I thought was going to happen, but it wasn't any of them, it shocked me. My heart had died.

 

D

I

E

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The epilogue was the tear jerker for me. I shed a few little tears, but the whole story wrapped up beautifully and it made me realise that love is both beautiful and ugly. We should never take it for granted.

 

5/5 STARS!