Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Title: The Rose Society
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Books UK
Published: October 15th 2015
Page Number: 448
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Adelina Amouteru's heart is set on revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends at the Dagger Society want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

 

REVIEW

 

At this point of time what I'd most like to do is buy unlimited copies of this book and The Young Elites and hand them out to every person that passes me on the street, because the world is seriously missing out on one of the best YA series I have ever read.

 

After The Young Elites, I wasn't so sure if Marie Lu could get any darker but she certainly did. Adelina is without a doubt one of the most darkest character's you'll ever read in any book, give or take. Her powers know no boundaries and I'm actually scared to see where Marie will take them in the final book of the series, The Midnight Star. I'm honestly not prepared and I don't think I ever will be.

 

With one of my favourite character's being killed off in the Young Elites, I wasn't prepared to let Adelina back into my heart. But I couldn't not let her in, if you get what I mean. She may be an antagonist but it's impossible to not love her. She captures you attention full span and never lets go, you need to know what she's going to do next. You're anticipating it. But I didn't just fall in love with Adelina during this book, I'm pretty sure I grew in love with every darn character. And yes, that does mean Teren as well.

 

One of the new characters, Magiano really helps take the storyline to new places. The Rose Society is dark action to it's maximum capacity with sizzling romantic tension and a shit ton of OTP's to boot. There's just something about Marie Lu's world building and writing that keeps me reading. And just like The Young Elites, I ended up reading this book late way into the night.

 

I regret nothing. And neither will you if you pick this series up. Honestly do yourself a favour.

 

 

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🎧: Just Like Fire by P!nk

 

 

 

BOOKS I WILL NEVER, EVER READ!

So today I felt like talking about books that I will never read. And the reasons will all vary. Maybe I just don't like the author's writing style, or maybe I just think the author is overrated, but I'll leave you guys with my honest opinions. And don't forget, you haven't got to agree with me. We're all human and have difference preferences.


HOLDING UP THE UNIVERSE BY JENNIFER NIVEN

It may seem like I'm bashing the author since I wrote a harsh yet honest review of her debut novel, All the Bright Places. But the honest truth is that I just don't get the hype about Jennifer Niven. Her writing is mediocre at best, but what mainly left me not wanting to read this book was it's original - and highly offensive - synopsis. The original synopsis came across so offensive because it read that Fat people aren't human at all, they're freaks. Not only that it also came across as being skinny gets you places in life, like your weight defines you has a person. And then it comes down to the other main character who has Cognitive Disorder

. What should be described as a serious condition comes across as Jennifer not giving a shit about who reads her story and describes the character as broken. What I've found is that Jennifer likes to label her characters as one thing and nothing else, and it's irritating.

 

WAKE. THE. FUCK. UP. JENNIFER! 

 

 

 

LOOKING FOR ALASKA BY JOHN GREEN

 

I don't need to mention the fact that I happen to think John Green is incredibly overrated. Sure, TFIOS was a somewhat enjoyable read but every time I've tried to read another of his books I get the exact same vibe from them, almost like they characters are carbon copies with different names and looks. And while I guess I could have chosen Paper Towns, I really don't care. Because I won't be reading any of his books. Unless he decides to write something that sounds interesting but I doubt it since he's all about filming the book to movie adaptations of his novels, which sadly I've also not been a fan of. In fact I thought both TFIOS and Paper Towns were some of the worst movies ever, beating Insurgent to the mix (Which seems impossible, highly impossible).

 

 

 

ONE WITH YOU BY SYLVIA DAY

 

I don't understand why she continued this series past a trilogy. For me 3 books was enough of Eva and Gideon. Just like her other readers, I loved them loads but their lives aren't that interesting to be continued over another 2 books. But I also understand why she wrote them: Money. They sell more than well enough, they're incredibly popular and it's even been optioned for TV............Which makes zero sense. But, yeah.....I won't be reading this one either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What books will you never read?

Let me know in the comments!

Recommending Summer Reads | Top 5 Wednesday

So I'm back doing a Top 5 Wednesday post. As you all know I used to do these all the time and absolutely LOVED taking part since the topics were always so diverse. Now, I don't know if I'll be posting one every week, but if I see a topic that I really love then I certainly will. Since the last time I posted about T5W there has been a major change and that is that Lainey no longer hosts it. As most would know, Lainey created Top 5 Wednesday but has decided to take a break from hosting T5W and the hosting job has been handed over to Sam over at Thoughts on Tomes

TOPIC: SUMMER READS

 

 

ALONG FOR THE RIDE BY SARAH DESSEN

Sarah Dessen doesn't seem to be as well known in the UK as she is in the US, but I was so happy I got persuaded to read Along for the Ride, it's a fantastic contemporary book that deals with real life issues. Not only that but the romance was so adorable.


MY LIFE NEXT DOOR BY HUNTLEY FITSPATRICK

Recently published in the UK, I decided to reread the book and it's just as good as the first time I read it. Sam and Jace are one of my favourite book couple of all time and I love the family orientation in this novel. My Life Next Door is dramatic as much as it is romantic and funny.


DID I MENTION I LOVE YOU? BY ESTELLE MASKAME

Step-sibling romance is certainly not something I'm comfortable with, however, Estelle just knows how to craft a well done YA book. It may help that she happens to be a teenager herself. What's great is that she captures everything so well and leaves you wanting more. And the best thing about this? It's a 3 book series, so always more Tyler.


NOWHERE BUT HERE BY KATIE MCGARRY

Nowhere but Here is basically a YA version of 'Sons of Anarchy' but in book form and with a hot romance to boot. I love the grittiness of this series and I can't wait for book 3 to be published next year.

 

 

LORALI BY LAURA DOCKRILL

 

Lorali is one of the most beautiful, enigmatic novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It's deep and haunting and a complete summer read. A boy finds a naked girl on the beach who may not seem so human.

 

 

 

 

What books would you recommend for summer reading?

Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Title: The Crown
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: Harper Collins Kids
Published: May 19th 2016
Page Number: 278
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:
In The Heir, a new era dawned in the world of The Selection. Twenty years have passed since America Singer and Prince Maxon fell in love, and their daughter is the first princess to hold a Selection of her own.

Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and now Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.

REVIEW

It's bittersweet that this series has finally come to an end. As everyone knows, The Selection series was meant to have ended after 'The One' and I did mourn a little after that book. And then Kiera announced that there were going to be 2 more books to the series, which I'm not going to lie, made me happy. I love the world and the characters that Kiera creates because she does it so well.

The Heir wasn't my favourite book in the series, and Eadlyn certainly wasn't a favourite character but Kiera Cass ended the series in a way that shows so much character growth, not just as a teenage girl but also as a Queen. Getting to see her interact with the boys and fight between what she must do as Queen and her heart was special. Eadlyn is young and teenagers fall in love quickly. We're all in or nothing at all.

Who did Eadlyn end up with?

I'm not going to tell, I don't like posting spoiler reviews, especially when it comes to a series. All I will say is that I think everyone will be happy with the outcome. I know I certainly was. But that's the beauty of Kiera Cass, one of my absolute favourite thing about her as an author is how she creates male characters that you root for. You haven't got to like them all but in some crazy way you love them none the less.

For me it honestly felt like Kiera had written this book for us, her readers. She gave us everything that we already love about her series and added that extra bit of panache. I know that I for one will be excited to see what else Kiera has to write.

 

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Selling ARC's From BEA / BOOKCON | Discussion

So today I found a tweet on Twitter from a user who's come across a bunch of ARC's that were from BEA / Bookcon for sale on Ebay. And there's been a lot of comments on the topic. For me, I live in the UK and was unlucky not to be able to go due to insufficient funds. It's my dream to go to BEA / Bookcon. I love books and want to experience something like this, but when I see people going to get ARC's just so they can sell them, now that pisses me off.

BIG TIME!

Selling ARC's on Ebay is actually illegal, not only that but it shows massive disrespect to the authors who write their arses off and the publishers who work so hard to bring those books into our hands. And this isn't the first time that ARC's have been sold on Ebay after BEA / Bookcon. It happened last year and the year before that, and before long either BEA / Bookcon will stop handing out ARC's or publishers and authors will be very limited on handing them out and I wouldn't even blame them.

These people need to realise that they're not just ruining the experience for the authors and publishers, but also us readers. People haven't turned up just to get ARC's, they've also attended to talk to their favourite authors and meet the people they've been speaking to online. It's an event, one that brings people closer together and it just hurts me that some people only care about getting an ARC just for money. It's honestly pathetic and you need to get a life.




What are your thoughts on this topic?
Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Title: The Art of Being Normal
Author: Lisa Williamson
Genre: YA Contemporary / LGBT
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Published: January 7th 2016 (Paperback edition)
Page Number: 357
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Two Outsiders. Two secrets.

David longs to be a girl.

Leo wants to be invisible.

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

One of my blogger friends, Kayleigh recommended The Art of Being Normal to me. I knew the premise was something I was certainly interested but due to it being out in hardback I had to wait until the paperback release. And Kayleigh was right.

This book was so good.

Gender Identity is super important for me, I don't class myself as either male or female because I don't feel like I honestly am. I'm just myself. So it was really refreshing seeing a book deal with Gender Identity so well. Not only that but The Art of Being Normal is one of the most important books of our time. A lot of people could learn from this, not just children or teenagers. But parents and grandparents alike.

For a YA Contemporary book I was super happy that it was set in the UK, mainly because it was refreshing as most are set in the US on beach costal towns, which is fun sometimes, but sometimes I just want a good book set in the UK. Being completely honest though, The Art of Being Normal was also nostalgic for me, it took me back to the times when I was 9 and 10 years old strutting my stuff around the house in my self-made dress constructed out of my bed sheets, scarves and towels.

Right now I just want to raid a bookstore and hand everyone a copy of this beautiful, brilliant novel. Just. Pick. It. Up!

 

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🎧: U Wear it Well by RuPaul

BOOKS EVERYONE LOVES THAT I HATE!

We all have different preferences when it comes to reading, and while I love a lot of books I also hate a lot of them as well. Of course for me most of these books on my list come from the fact that Booktubers hyped them up and they all pretty much fell flat on its spine.

Side note before going ahead: If you don't like my opinions then you know what they say: "Opinions are like arseholes, we all have one."


1. ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES BY JENNIFER NIVEN

If you've read my recent review then you would know that despite what a lot of people said, I disliked this book. I just felt like the whole point of the book just to have characters with a mental illness. Not only that it lacked on trying to be original. I'm just honestly over these carbon copies that aren't done well. But like I've said, each to their own when it comes to what you like and dislike.








2. THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE BY JANDY NELSON

Yeah......I'm not a fan of a girl getting together with her recently dead sister's Fiancé. It honestly disgusts me and I don't get why anyone would want to read about that. I love romance as much as anyone else but this crosses every line going.







3. WE WERE LIARS BY E. LOCKHART

We Were Boring.
We Were Predictable.
We Were Hyped.

I honestly don't need to say anything else, the whole book was a big mess.









4. THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER


Another one that Booktubers hyped up and I honestly don't see why. Nothing happens for at least 250 - 300 pages and I am not the one to continue when nothing happens. I went into this one expecting a lot of action, mystery and Welsh mythology. Instead what I action got was nothing but a big fat fail in renaming a Welsh King. Not acceptable (It maybe to you guys but I'm Welsh, so.....)






5. LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD BY AVA DELLAIRA

I actually threw my copy out of my window and onto the land that lays behind my house once I finished this one. I honestly don't know how it was published. It's awful, not only that but it has the worst representation of a Lesbian-Friends relationship as well as the fact that it's biasedly quoted by Stephen Chbosky. Garbage needs to remain in the garbage.











What do you think of my choices?
Let me know in the comments!

Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Title: All The Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Genre: YA Contemporary / Mental Health
Publisher: Penguin Books UK
Published: January 8th 2015
Page Number: 388
Rating: 1/5

Summary:

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

REVIEW

All The Bright Places was described as 'Eleanor and Park' meets 'The Fault in Our Stars', which is problematic in itself. While I LOVE 'Eleanor and Park' I actually disliked 'The Fault in Our Stars' and saw so many problems with it, especially the romance. And to be compared to such huge, well known authors is a statement, a statement that I disagreed with.

I so badly wanted to enjoy this book, especially since it's about Mental Health but I couldn't help but feel disconnected from the characters and their offish personalities. I couldn't see Theodore and Violet as real people because they had no personality, instead they became their illness, walking zombies in the midst of life. And in some aspects I understand it, but I found myself hating them both.

Depression, self-harm and suicide is something I'm very well known with, in fact I'd say we were best friends at one point. I was so depressed back in 2013-2014 that I scarred my arms for life, tried to overdose on medication and also tried to hang myself. Twice. I was in a dark place with no hope of seeing light, and while I'm aware that no depression story is the same, I just felt like Jennifer created the characters for the sake of having a story with mentally ill characters.

And to be honest, All the Bright Places is just another over-hyped book that fails on anything original. Mental Illness is not a trend, it's a serious problem and I just wished Jennifer Niven could have given it a more realistic portrayal.

 

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🎧: 'We Won't by Jaymes Young & Phoebe Ryan