Book Review: Goddess by Laura Powell

Book Name: Goddess
Author: Laura Powell
UK Release Date: 2014
UK Publishers: Bloomsbury
Summary:

Strikes. Starvation. Riots. Britain is at breaking-point and Aura is blind to it all.

The Cult of Artemis is the only home she’s ever known. Enclosed in its luxury lifestyle, the unrest gripping the country seems to belong to a distant world. Her dream is to serve the Goddess and taking a vow of chastity and obedience seems a small price to pay. But days before Aura is due to be initiated as a Priestess, she meets Aiden, the rebellious son of a cult insider, whose radical ideas and unsettling charm force Aura to question everything – and everyone – she knows.

Review:

I received a copy off Bloomsbury to review. That does not affect what I think AT all!

I'm going to start off and say that I did not like this book at all. I got kind of confused of it's genre. It's a Greek Mythology/Fantasy, but I kind of thought it was trying too hard to be a Dystopian and that confused me. It got lost about half way through, and it was obvious Laura Powell couldn't recover it!

The book also kind of led me on a bit. The summary suggests a lot of riots and so I thought there would be a lot of rebelisation. There was some, not enough though. The book lacked in it and it could've done a lot with the whole premise. Characters could've caused problems. Secrets could've been exposed. Some were, but they weren't shocking!!

I kind of got lost with the writing as well. It never really flowed and kind of hit a dead end for me. I got about Seventy Percent through and gave up because I could not force myself to carry on. I really wanted to like this book, I really did. I just guess me and Greek Mythology does not work.

Overall I gave this a 2/5 Stars!

Book Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Book Name: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
UK Release Date: 2013
UK Publishers: Definitions (Random House)
Summary:
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Praise for Gayle Forman:

'Read it and weep.' Daily Mail

'Moving and heartwarming.' Guardian

'A book that makes you feel truly grateful to be alive.' Irish Independent

Review:

 

I seriously did not think I was going to enjoy this book because it's based on adventures across Europe, but I actually really did. In fact I didn't even like it. I loved it!

The writing in this book is brilliant! I never felt like there was anything wrong with the writing, it flowed, showed off the emotions of Allyson and the descriptions of each place she went; England, Paris, New York, Boston, Amsterdam was so clear and wonderful that you almost felt that you were there. Until you realise you're not there and then you're left disappointed.

The whole idea of just getting on a train to Paris is crazy, but it worked in this book. It gave me a thrill and seeing Willem and Allyson, or LuLu as he calls her together was like watching Christmas lights being turned on at Christmas, seeing fireworks on bonfire night. It was beautiful and magical. I just kind of wished that they worked it out because they are special when they're together, and I know she see's him at the end, but they need to be together NOW!

My only problem with this book was actually nothing to do with the writing or the characters or anything that included Gayle Forman. The main problem was the editing. You can clearly tell that the editor hadn't done a good job on this book. There were so many mistakes, such as words being the wrong way round, words missing like 'to' and 'the' and there was even an extra " after the person had finished speaking, and it did get on my nerves. But I tried not to think about it too much.

Overall, I give this book a 4.5 Stars! It's definitely one of my favourite contemporaries that I've read, and I was so sure it was going to get the full 5 Stars which is why I wanted it to succeed because only two contemporary books have 5 Stars. I knocked this down by .5 Stars because of the editing. However, I would highly recommend this book. Beautifully written.

Quote:

'Moving and explosive. Your emotions will be all over the place.' Bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk

Book Review: Breathe by Abbi Glines

    Book Name: Breathe
    Author: Abbi Glines
    UK Release Date: 2013
    UK Publishers: Simon and Schuster
    Summary:

Sadie White doesn't get to spend her summer on the beach like most kids. Her mother can't keep a job, so Sadie is forced to work during the break at one of the mansions nearby instead.

Then Sadie discovers that Jax Stone, the hottest teenage rockstar around, owns the house, and things get a lot more interesting. Jax is adored by teenage girls everywhere - except for Sadie, that is -  but the fact she's not impressed by his reputation is exactly what he finds fascinating about her. As the summer passes, Jax and Sadie find themselves drawn to each other, even though their different worlds want to keep them apart. They're about to discover that love can be suffocating, until you find a way to breathe...

Praise for Abbi Glines:

'Every time I read one of Abbi's books, I declare it my new favourite.' Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed

'Abbi Glines really knows how to write hot male characters; she really does make you swoon.' Serendipity Reviews

Review:

Since being in a reading slump I really needed something that was either A) Set on or around a beach or B) Based around music. And this book was perfect because its both of those things.

Now I've been dying to read an Abbi Glines book for a while, and I finally caved. The outcome: I loved it!

Abbi Glines knows how to write great characters that you just swoon over, male or female, you'll soon find yourself in love with them because they're so elegantly developed. Sadie, the main female protagonist, is too kind. She won't stand up to her mother, she'll do anything for anyone and she'll even go as far as dating a rockstar and getting upset over fake girlfriend publicity. However, for me, Sadie was a bit immature for a seventeen year old. I thought I was reading about a fifteen year old, and then automatically she'd mature. But then again I still liked her character.

Jax Stone really confused me. Through out the book he was a great character: Flirty, cocky and jealous. But with a kind side to him. But there were a few scenes where I felt his character voice completely changed to something new and those were in the sexy scenes. He aged by like ten years and turned into something like Christian Grey. Only younger and a lot less experienced.

However, the story did grip my attention. The premise worked very well and I felt so many different things towards the characters and their personal stories. You can very much tell that this is Abbi's first book, and I know from this that her writing has so much promise and potential. And I really look forward to reading the rest of the Sea Breaze series. As well as her other intertwining series.

Overall, I gave this book a rating of 3.75/5 Stars because I couldn't decide between 4 stars and 3.5 stars, so I went for the middle of them.

Quote:

'Abbi certainly knows how to write great sensual escaping stories.' Bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk