Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: April 23rd 2013
Page Number: 326
Rating: 3/5

Summary:

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Review:

To say I loved The Selection would be an understatement. I fell completely head over heels in love with it, not just the writing but the premise and the characters. Everyone was easily recognisable and courageous and that just isn't seen in Young Adult Dystopia.

However, this book fell short.

The storyline flowed nicely, but slowly and I'm not entirely sure if I loved it or not. It fitted in some scenes, but in others, I felt that it needed to be quicker. Not only that, I felt like the stubborn America had gone and been replaced by a hormone infested 14 year old, who wanted every guy she saw in her sights.

Maxon.
Aspen.
No, Maxon.
I need Aspen.
But Maxon makes me feel things.
I still love Aspen.
Wait! WAIT! It's Maxon...no. Aspen.
Shit! Who do I pick?!

I just couldn't keep up with her and her decisions. I understand that Maxon had to talk to the other girls because that is part of the show, America knows that, but it's like she only wanted him to spend time with her, while also spending alone time with Aspen. I also weren't fussed on that ending.

I had my predictions for the people who you can't trust and luckily for me I was completely right. I will say it's the quiet ones you've got to look out for.

Overall, I wasn't exactly satisfied with the book, but it was still great seeing the great characters being brought back onto the page.

Gift Ideas: What to buy your friends who love to read

So, the most normal and cliché gift to get your friends who love reading would be a book, but buying a book comes with a lot of stress.

1) What if they already own the book?
2) What if they've already read the book?
3) What if it's not their Genre?
4) What if they dislike the author?

Stress. Stress. Stress. Stress.

S T R E S S !

So here are 5 bookish gifts that your reading friends will love.


1. A Gift card -  It may be small and simple, but at least they get to pick the books they actually want. Plus, who doesn't love a gift card? I would suggest Amazon Gift cards, B&N Gift cards, WHSmith Gift Cards and Waterstones Gift cards.

2. Bookmarks - Another simple gift. All you have to do is choose a design that your friend/family member would like and then wrap them up. Plus, we all know that booknerds love super cute book marks that befriends our pages. I'd recommend you look at the ones designed and made by craftedvan on Etsy.

3. Bookish Art - These are a little more pricey, but they look amazing. What way to show off their love of a book then having their favourite quote hanging beautifully on their wall.

4. A book scented Candle - This is a weird gift, but it's also very thoughtful. Is book sniffers need to satisfy our needs and with this one, all you'd need to do is place it up to your nose and enjoy!

5. DVD's - Uh, DVD's. You sure? Yes, I am one hundred percent sure. 2014 was a great year for Books to movies/TV shows. The Fault in Our Stars came out, so did Divergent. But then there's also If I Stay and The Maze Runner releases this month. Also Amazon has a great deal on where both Hunger Games movies are £10. TV show wise, I'd recommend The 100, which became a huge hit and also Season 1 of Under the Dome (S2 was terrible)

I hope I've somewhat given you a few ideas on what to get and if you've already bought your book loving friends something, maybe this will help for next year.

Book Tag | Let it Snow

As it's December 1st I have decided that we need to kick the month off with a Christmas book tag. Let it Snow was the perfect one, and it was so quick and easy to write up. Anyway, I hope y'all have an amazing Christmas and I'll see you in 2015 (this is not my last post, lol).


1. What book gets you in the holiday spirit?
I've picked My True Love Gave to Me because it's a bunch of Christmas short stories and that'll get you into to Christmassy mood. Also, despite not having read it, I have won a copy of the book from Goodreads (MyKindaBooks) and I'm excited to start it!







2. It's a blizzard outside and you're snowed in, which character would you want to be stuck inside with?

I've chosen a character that no one else is going to pick: Mara Dyer from The Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. She's in no way a trust worthy character because she's insane, but I just absolutely love her. She's a quirky character who's completely likeable.






3. You're having a snow fight, which cold hearted character would you aim for first?
He's not a horrible character, but this character got on my nerves so so much. I wanted to punch him whenever he appeared and that's not how I should feel about a character, especially one that was a side character. Aspen may be a guard, but he's so childish. It's a pity he wasn't shot!







4. Which family would you like to spend the holidays with?

Easy. I'd want to spend the holidays at The London Institute with Charlotte Branwell and everyone else. Despite not being a real family by blood, they acted like one and everyone was welcome. Plus I happen to love the 19th century. The clothes, the mannerisms, everything! Also, I want to meet Sophie and Gideon and see them get married.





5. Who would you want to kiss under the mistletoe?

Jase from My Life Next Door. He's my ultimate book boyfriend, so it seems right for me and him to kiss under the Mistletoe. However, if he's not the best kisser than I have a few guys on standby. *Starts counting down on fingers* Ridge from Maybe Someday, Adam from Where She Went and Will from Slammed.





6. Which character was on the Naughty list, but made his/her way on to the nice list?

Warren from Maybe Not (Maybe Someday #1.5) He's always been a great character, but Maybe Not showed a whole new side to him. He was sexy and masculine, almost an alpha male. He just gave me all the good reasons for me to love him......and man does he have patience.






7. You're HOME ALONE, when two burglars come into your house. Which character would you want to help fight them off?

Since I'm not like any of the boys from Home Alone, I will definitely need help in fighting them off. I'd have Tris from Divergent because she is fearless. She's kick ass and even though she's not the most happy of characters, she could shank a bitch if need be. DAUNTLESS FOREVER!




8. The Hallmark channel is having a holiday movie marathon, what book has the cheesiest cover?

Every cover of The Lux Series by Jennifer L Armentrout. These are going to be the UK editions and I just.....msbojsbdkjfnsdjkbjks. They're so cheesy, but I will say this: There is nothing wrong with cheese. Especially Hallmark cheese.

Hallmark film recommendation: A Christmas Kiss, Let it Snow and Where Calls the Heart (It's a TV series, but it's soo good!)


9. Spread the holiday love, who do you tag?

*Grabs mic and sings* And you and you and you!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

"I couldn't put this book down, it was too trippy."

 

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: March 1st 2012
Page Number: 452

Rating: 4.25/5

 

Summary:

 

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger. She wakes from a coma in hospital with no memory of how she got there or of the bizarre accident that caused the deaths of her best friends and her boyfriend, yet left her mysteriously unharmed. The doctors suggest that starting over in a new city, a new school, would be good for her and just to let the memories gradually come back on their own.

But Mara’s new start is anything but comforting. She sees the faces of her dead friends everywhere, and when she suddenly begins to see other people’s deaths right before they happen, Mara wonders whether she’s going crazy! And if dealing with all this wasn’t enough, Noah Shaw, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen can’t seem to leave her alone… but as her life unravels around her, Mara can’t help but wonder if Noah has another agenda altogether…  

 

Review:

 

I've had The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer for the longest time but never got around to reading them because I weren't sure if they'd be my cup of tea, but if anything, they're my perfect match. It's dark, creepy and if you love American Horror Story then you will one hundred percent enjoy this.

 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer starts off with a little note to us readers from Mara Dyer, herself. And right from that I was entered this crazy story and just couldn't leave. I think it'd be a freaky thing if I said that I feel Michelle Hodkin really understood me as a person, but it's totally true. Mara Dyer is not a character like any other, but she's actually one of my most liked characters because I can relate to her on so much stuff. 

 

What I loved so much about this crazy-ass book is that it's not like any of paranormal book I've read before. It's like you're not actually yourself when you're reading it because Mara Dyer isn't a sane narrator. She's crazy. Some of the scenes made me think, WHAT. THE. HELL! because it was that darn weird. It's also so intelligently written that I could picture it all in my head, it'd make a brilliant TV show or Movie.

 

One of my favourite scenes in the book would have to be the rice-turning-into-maggots scene. It was shit bat crazy, but it also made sense. Everything from Mara's POV makes sense even though it shouldn't.

 

Santeria plays a huge role in the book as well, especially as we go into book two. Santeria is a Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs. And like most religions it has both good and bad sides. In fact in the late 19th century, early 20th century it was mostly known as a sacrificial religion, specifically in Brazil. People were coming down with diseases and converted to the religion in hopes of being cured. They'd sacrifice something important to them. Sometimes it was a chicken tongue, a snippet of their hair, loose teeth and in one case a woman chopped off her own thumb. They never got cured. (This was all information via myself. I love history.)

 

I just love this book so much, I'm currently reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer. My review of that should be up by next Friday. Hopefully. Despite myself loving this book there were also a few small problems. The beginning was quite slow and I couldn't really get into it until after 120 pages. I also found the writing to become a little iffy three quarters of the way through. But other than that everything was great.

 

Top 5 Wednesday: Books Over 500 Pages

Top 5 Wednesday was set up by Lainey over at GingerReadsLainey. Every week you have a new topic and you pick your top 5 choices for each topic. This is done in Vlogs, but I think it will be great for Bloggers to do as well. Today's topic is Big Books Don't Lie. Well, now I'm lying. It's Favourite books over 500 pages long!

Christmas time is the perfect time for big books because we get more time to ourselves, that is if you've already finished your shopping, like me.

 

A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin - I haven't read this series, but I know everyone either loves the books or the TV show, so I know it'd be perfect to recommend and take my 5th place. It's a high fantasy with a lot of death. Enjoy!

 

50 Shades of Grey by E. L James - This isn't the best written trilogy ever, but it's a very quick read. I read all three books in three days and really enjoyed them. Plus I've met E L James and she's super nice! Also you get to read them before the movie comes out. (I'm going to see it with some friends)

 

The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs -  I officially read three chapters on Wattpad, but bought the book when it came out. This book is an amazing, sexy novel about kidnappings and Vampires. It's brilliant!

 

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - This Dystopian is incredible. I loved the movie, but when I read the book I was blown away. It was...unique. Great writing, great editing and an amazing storyline. It is over 600 pages long, but totally worth it.

 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness -  This is my all time favourite series and the first book clocks up an epic 680 pages long. It's an adult fantasy that includes Witches, Vampires and Daemons. I was 14/15 when I read this and even faked that I was ill to finish reading it!

 

 

What are some of your favourite books that are over 500 pages long?

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

"A magical quick read that will have you hooked from beginning, middle and end."

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: April 24th 2012
Page Number: 336

Summary:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review:

I should have reviewed this book after I had finished it a little over a year ago, but I never did. But now I've decided that I am going to be reviewing the whole Trilogy. My review of The Elite will go live next Monday and The One will go live the Monday after that.

America Singer lives in a world that is divided into Castes, each Caste goes along in numbers 1 - 8. Being a One is being the King, Queen, Prince and (soon to be) Princess. And being an Eight means you have a terrible life. No food, no home. You are most likely to become a Rebel.

What I loved about this book was that despite it being a Dystopian novel it was also very light and fluffy. It was a face-paced, action-packed quick read. The whole world isn't too intricate, but it's also interesting because you'd think that it'd be a pretty perfect world.

It is not.

Maxon's life isn't what you all expected. He may be a Prince, but his Father is harsh on him and every once in a while, the Castle is attacked by Rebels. The Northern Rebels are less affective because they NEVER kill, while the Southern Rebels WILL kill. It's a hard life, but for Maxon it all changes when he meets America.

The change is his personality made him my favourite character, not once did I ever dislike him. My only dislike was Aspen and if I was writing the book I would have him killed in the beginning. He was a character who liked to hold out on things and never let them go.

Overall, I really did love this book. I read it within a few hours and couldn't wait until the sequel (I read it a year on). 5/5 Stars! This book deserves every star rating I gave it because it was that good.

Review: The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris Riddell

Title: The Sleeper and the Spindle
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fairy-tale Retelling
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: October 23rd 2014
Page Number: 68

Summary:

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.

 

Review:

I've not really read an actual Neil Gaiman book before, but I have read Coraline the graphic novel. I enjoyed it, but it was quite boring compared to the movie. When I got this in the post I literally couldn't stop touching it. It's beautiful.

 

The book is a mixed retelling of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a lot of creepiness and incredible, beautiful writing. The story was thrilling and enjoyable, and I just couldn't put it down. (It's not a long book and could be read within an hour.) I felt such a connection with the story and in a way it was both confusing and similar at the same time. I could see the original stories, but also the retellings.

 

 

One of the scenes that really made me smile was when both queens kissed. It wasn't a romantic kiss, it was just a kiss. The kiss of life. It was a nice surprise because I'm gay and I definitely didn't expect to see it in a children's book.

 

 

I wouldn't say the story blew me away, but I did enjoy it. 4/5 stars!

 

I received this book from the publishers for an honest opinion.