Stacking the Shelves | Amazing ARCs

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme from Tynga’s Reviews where you showcase the books you’ve received or purchased.

I’m back!

So, a couple of weeks ago I went on hiatus because I was starting my new job. Well, so far I’m reeeeeally enjoying it. I’m the Communications Officer for Leukaemia CARE, a British charity that supports people suffering from blood cancer. It’s my first full-time grad job and I’m able to make use of my English degree and love for writing. Plus, everyone in the office is really friendly and chill.

After the excitement of starting my job and trying to get my life together, I’ve finally found the time to sit down and write a quick post. My blog-hopping has been pretty much nonexistent for a while now so I’m really going to try and make the effort to catch up on people’s blogs. I’ve definitely missed reading everyone’s reviews and discussions!

Anyway, I suppose I should get started on this Stacking the Shelves post, and please excuse these pretty mediocre photos…

I’ve been lucky enough recently to receive two ARCs from the wonderful team at Books with Bite, as well as win another Maximum Pop! Books competition.

So, from Maximum Pop! Books, I won a signed copy of The Girl With All the Gifts, as well as the blu-ray of the film. I was extremely excited that I won because The Girl With All the Gifts is one of my favourite books, so to get my hands on a signed copy is amazing. I also saw the film at the cinema and it was very true to the book. You can read my review of the film adaptation here.

From Books with Bite, I received ARCs of two very different books that sound equally amazing.

I feel exceedingly lucky to grab a couple of ARCs as I’m not a huge blog, and I never request ARCs on NetGalley as I don’t read e-books. Physical ARCs (the more coveted kind of ARCs) are my only option and I feel really privileged whenever I manage to get one.

The two ARCs I received are The Memory Book by Lara Avery and Ariadnis by Josh Martin. One is YA contemporary, the other YA fantasy, and I’m unbelievably excited to start them.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Memory Book and I’m expecting it to make me sob like a baby.

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way–not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan.

So the Memory Book is born: Sammie’s notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It’s where she’ll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart–a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she’ll admit how much she’s missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship.

Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it’s not the life she planned.

Goodreads

Ariadnis is a YA Fantasy that sounds amazing. By the looks of it, it has a diverse cast too. I can’t wait to get lost in this one and I really hope it lives up to my expectations.

Joomia and Aula are Chosen. They will never be normal. They can never be free.

On the last island on Erthe, Chosen Ones are destined to enter Ariadnis on the day they turn eighteen. There, they must undertake a mysterious and deadly challenge. For Joomia and Aula, this means competing against each other, to end the war that has seethed between their cities for nine generations.

As the day draws nearer, all thoughts are on the trial ahead. There’s no space for friendship. No time for love. However much the girls might crave them.

But how you prepare for a task you know nothing certain about? Nothing, except that you must win, at whatever cost, or lose everything.

Goodreads

And there you have it! Have you read any of these books? Did you love them? Hate them? Do you want to read them? Let me know in the comments below!

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The Sunday Post #21

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer in which book bloggers recap their week and look at what’s to come.

I’m currently on a mini hiatus, as I mentioned before, so this is a scheduled post! I start my new job tomorrow, on Monday, and it’s my first full time job after graduating uni last summer. So, I’m going to be quite busy. But fear not, I should be back in a week or two, hopefully with my review of Morning Star.

Now, here are the posts from this week and the week before, as I haven’t done a Sunday Post in a while:

• Waiting On Wednesday: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• My Top 5 YA Books From My Early Teens
• Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
• Another Little Update (But a Happy One This Time)

On Monday I finished An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and you can find my review above. I really did enjoy it and I loved Elias and also Helene’s complexity. However, there were a few standout flaws, and whilst my enjoyment won out overall, I couldn’t ignore the problems. Still, I really look forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

Now, I’m onto Morning Star, the final book in the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown. I loved the first two books and they were pretty much faultless. Thankfully, Morning Star is turning out to be the same. Whilst I struggled to remember all the characters and everything that had happened at first, I’m now back into the flow of the story and I’m loving it. Seriously, this is one of the best mature YA series out there. Even if you’re not into Sci-Fi, I highly recommend you give this series a go as it’s so complex and really character driven, with an amazing plot to boot.

After that, I’m thinking of reading YA Contemporary How Not To Disappear. After the brutality of both An Ember in the Ashes and Morning Star, I think I’ll be needing something a little more lighthearted.

The last few months I’ve been listening to a lot of Novo Amor. It’s the moniker of a Welsh singer-songwriter and his music sounds quite similar to Bon Iver. So if you like slightly melancholic but melodic indie folk rock, then you’ll like this song: 

Another Little Update (But a Happy One This Time)

Whilst the last update I did back in November was a sad one, this one is much happier!

But you’re probably thinking, who’s this person? I’ve been behind on my blogging and I’ve really struggled to find time to blog-hop, and that’s likely to continue for a little while.

However, there’s a good reason why… I have a job! And not just any job, but my first proper full time job after graduating from university last summer.

It feels so good to have my foot in the door now and I really wanted this position. As a result, from Monday I’m probably going to be absent for a week or so, although I’ll try and comment on posts when I can. So if you don’t hear from me, I haven’t given up blogging or fallen into the abyss, I’m just immersed in my new job and trying to find that work/life balance. Oh, and car hunting.

I’ll see you all in a week or two, hopefully with my review of Morning Star!

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Publisher: Harper Voyager, 2016

My Rating: 

Synopsis: Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.

When Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.

But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant of Blackcliff, the Empire’s greatest military academy. Should she fail it’s more than her brother’s freedom at risk . . . Laia’s very life is at stake.

There, she meets Elias, the academy’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

I had heard so many good things about An Ember in the Ashes, and seen so much hype for A Torch Against the Night, that I couldn’t resist getting my hands on a copy. Fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed, however, there were a few flaws I’d like to address in this review. So buckle up, as I have a lot to discuss.

But let’s start with the good. Mainly, what I loved about it was how entertaining it was. The blurb doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the number of sub-plots that are weaved within the main arc of the story. The plot was complex and fleshed-out well and, whilst there were some things that grated on me, I was never not entertained or invested.

This especially includes the beginning. It was a fast-paced, action-packed opening that set up the story well. Whilst the action meant there was a fair bit of telling not showing when it came to the world-building and characters, I was still hooked.

Almost immediately, I found myself drawn to Elias’ chapters first. The story is told in alternating points of view from Laia, a Scholar hoping to free her captured brother, and Elias, a Martial trained to be a deadly fighter who wants nothing more than to abandon his post. I preferred Elias’ chapters to Laia’s and found him to be more engaging both in his personality and his situation. He was confident and passionate, but also struggling with his morality. As a result, he was much more enjoyable to learn about and had a stronger voice than Laia. I think I can definitely add him to my list of favourite characters.

However, Laia did display some good character development. When we first meet her, she is a meek and fearful girl. As the story progresses, she begins to find the strength she needs, although slowly. And whilst I really did enjoy having a heroine who wasn’t all badass and could kill a man with one well-time punch, Laia’s constant reminders to the reader of how weak she is did start to grate. Okay Laia, we know you’re a bit of a wet fish, we don’t need reminding; just get on with it.

Nevertheless, whilst Laia wasn’t your generic badass YA heroine, she did fall prey to another trope: the heroine who doesn’t notice just how beautiful she is and how all the men want her despite a number of blokes vying for her affections and everyone constantly telling her how pretty she is. I think I actually prefer the tough girl heroine to the ‘beautiful but doesn’t know it’ heroine.

And this leads on to probably my main issue. Rape is mentioned a lot in the book. Now, I wouldn’t usually mind that, except for the fact that rape was talked about constantly in a casual manner. This is partly where the book falls prey to telling not showing again, as we are often told of how the Martials rape Scholar slaves but never actually see anything. I know that this is a YA book and so scenes of rape may be deemed too distressing, but there are a few almost-rape scenes. However, they only really involve Laia. She is constantly threatened with rape because she’s just so beautiful and the Martial men will simply have to have her. Yet nothing truly happens. Except for the one time where it is about to be attempted by one of the antagonists, only for the hero to swoop in and save her and not actually add anything to the plot. And then when the suggestion of rape is used to stop an antagonist discovering Laia’s real whereabouts. It just felt like a plot device really and it was only ever an excuse for the hero to save the damsel in distress, or as a scapegoat, or to emphasise Laia’s beauty. I know that this is a brutal world, but I believe the display of brutality could have been handled better.

So yes, my main problems really lay around Laia’s characterisation and the flippancy with which rape was threatened. I’ve seen this mentioned in a few other reviews, but mainly it hasn’t been picked up on.

Nevertheless, like I said, I still really enjoyed the story. I loved Elias and greatly enjoyed many of the other characters.

Helene is a character who seems to either be loved or hated by readers. Personally, I neither loved nor hated her. I really liked her, but it was more her complexities that interested me. She really was the most complex character in the book and I applaud Tahir for her excellent writing of Helene. I never quite knew what Helene was going to do in any given situation (but not in a bad way) and, as a result, I looked forward to any scene she would be in. Her relationship with Elias was gripping and there was one scene in particular that I thought was really well written:

*SPOILER ALERT* 

 

 

When she confesses her love to Elias. That was a great scene and had me on the edge of my seat.

 

 

*SPOILER OVER*

I thought the romances (yes, plural) were kind of up and down in how I favoured them. There were a couple that didn’t interest me, including the main one that we’re obviously supposed to be rooting for, and then there’s one I definitely root for, but I won’t say which as I don’t want to spoil it. However, none of them were instalove! 

As for the antagonists, whilst I could take or leave Marcus, I thought the Commandant, Keris, was brutal. Cold, calculating, sadistic, she was an excellent villain, but she still had the complexity that the villain needs, the idea that there was once some good in her but circumstances snuffed it out. Whenever she was around, I worried for the safety of the characters.

Keenan was a secondary character that I thought was fine. Interesting enough and I felt a little sorry for him towards the end. Izzy I also liked, for the sense of purpose she found and her determination.

The writing was also fine. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read and I didn’t really read any lines thinking ‘wow’, but it kept the pace moving well and did its job. However, one small problem I had was that the language sometimes sounded much too modern and American. When I first read the word ‘jackass’, it really threw me as I wasn’t expecting such an Americanism in a Fantasy setting. And yes, whilst it is Fantasy and not a real world, ‘jackass’ is such an American word and not really used anywhere else in the world that it felt quite jarring.

Which I suppose leads me onto the world-building. I really liked the setting overall and thought it was unique, especially with the Roman inspirations. However, I think it did need more fleshing-out. I’m still unsure as to what the Scholar race are really like. At first I was imagining them as being inspired by a South Asian or Middle Eastern setting, due to Laia’s dark hair and golden eyes, but then the constant references to the Scholar’s thirst for knowledge and philosophy made me think that maybe there were Ancient Greek influences, which would go along with the Roman theme. I was just really quite unsure as to what the Scholars were like and right now I can’t think of any way to describe their culture except for their desire to read and write and learn. I’m hoping that the world-building around the Scholars will be improved upon in the sequel.

So after nit-picking a lot of things, you’d probably think I’d give less than 4 stars. But all in all, I really did enjoy it. I loved Elias, really liked Helene, and I was totally caught up in the story itself. So, whilst there were a few faults, the fact that I enjoyed it so much is why I’ve given it 4 stars.

Overall, Tahir has crafted a good, complex story with a few standout characters, and I look forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

Have you read An Ember in the Ashes? Did you enjoy it? Or do you want to read it? Let me know in the comments below!

 

My Top 5 YA Books From My Early Teens

Recently, I’ve been redecorating my room, and in the process I’ve found a lot of old books. Books I read and re-read numerous times in my early teens, when ‘YA’  wasn’t quite yet the booming market that it is today.

The books I loved in my early teens, from about 12-15, seem to have been forgotten about as YA became such a ‘big thing’ and new books flooded the market. The only few books from the 90s and early 00s that seem to have hung on have been Harry Potter and The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. So, I’m here to showcase some of my favourite YA books from my early teens, and why they shouldn’t just be swept under the carpet.

It’s ten years since the terrible war in the cities that took Kat and Tanka’s parents. A new life in the New Frontier beckons them, far from bullet holes and bomb craters. New Frontier people are building a fresh, liberal society, without the genetic classification and discrimination that led to the war. Kat and Tanka have a beautiful new home, Cherry Heaven, and everything promises them peace and happiness. But Cherry Heaven carries haunting marks of the past, bubbling to the surface in mysterious and frightening ways. 

Cherry Heaven came out whilst I was halfway through Year 8, so when I was almost 13. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was actually the second in a series. However, it read like a standalone and I never really felt confused.

I think I probably picked this one up because I liked the cover, but I’m fairly certain it might just have kick-started my love for all things dystopian. It was a really gripping and exciting read, with complex yet mysterious world-building. I’m not sure why I’ve never picked up the first book or the sequels – maybe because I was young and not too bothered about reading things in order or finishing series – but perhaps that’s something I’ll do now I’m older and at least a little more organised.

For fans of: dystopian thrillers.

Jessica Allendon is bored and Googles her name. Weirdly, she finds another girl, same age, same name, also living in London. They arrange to meet. At the designated time and place, Jess sees the girl, shock registering on both their faces as they realise they look identical. They shake hands and in that instant are catapulted into each other’s worlds. Jessica finds herself somewhere which looks like the London of 50 years ago, but the year is still 2008. In this parallel London, the history is different, key war memorials are missing, and the Jessica whose life she now inhabits was involved in a dark and sinister conspiracy. Jess must convince everyone she is the same girl, at all costs, if she wants to get back to her London – alive.

This is another published in February 2008, and I kept re-reading this all the way until I was 16, I enjoyed it that much. I suppose this is another dystopian-ish YA novel but, just like Cherry Heaven, it’s also a great thriller with some interesting and funny characters.

I can actually still remember much of this book and can still envisage particular scenes, which goes to show how much I enjoyed this one because I can’t even remember what I read two years ago.

For fans of: alternate history thrillers and a witty protagonist.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true.

Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions.

Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions “for a bit of fun” and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the “others” and rebuild the Order.

To say I worshipped this series would be an understatement.

My dad actually chose the first book in this series for me. For someone who doesn’t read fiction, he’s strangely good at choosing books.

I can still partly remember the last page of the final book, The Sweet Far Thing, because it was so bittersweet and profound. Not only does this series have great writing, but it has intriguing characters, magical realism and a great romance. Also, this is probably the only book/series on my list that I still see mentioned today in the bookish community.

For fans of: historical fantasy and romance.

The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve are dead days, when spirits roam and magic shifts restlessly just beneath the surface of our lives.

A magician called Valerian must save his own life within those few days or pay the price for the pact he made with evil so many years ago. But alchemy and sorcery are no match against the demonic power pursuing him. Helping him is his servant, Boy, a child with no name and no past. The quick-witted orphan girl, Willow, is with them as they dig in death fields at midnight, and as they are swept into the sprawling blackness of a subterranean city on a journey from which there is no escape.

I was a big fan of Marcus Sedgwick when I was younger. In fact, practically my whole family was. Me, my mum and my sister all read the Book of Dead Days series. I liked to try and read the same things as my mum and sister when I was younger, which is how I found out about my favourite YA series, Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series, when I overheard my mum and sister chatting about it and wanted to be involved. The same happened for The Book of Dead Days and Sedgwick quickly became one of my go-to authors in my early teens.

This duology is quite sinister and dark for a YA series, but it’s one reason why I loved it. Not to mention the covers were made of this mottled kind of card and so they even felt creepy. Also, an honorary mention to one of Sedgwick’s other novels, My Swordhand is Singing, for being extremely creepy and helping to kickstart by zombie obsession.

For fans of: creepy historical horror and dark magic.

Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships.

Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

Even just thinking about this series gets me pumped up. This trilogy was action-packed and didn’t pull punches. Plus it had POC and biracial main characters, discussed issues like teen pregnancy and drugs, and looked at how the British government can fail young people from poorer areas. Not to mention it featured superpowers, of course.

For fans of: dystopian thrillers (again. Maybe my dystopian obsession did start earlier than I thought) and gritty, raw characters.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What books did you enjoy when you were younger? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Waiting On Wednesday: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine where you showcase which books you’re looking forward to being released.

Hello! So I haven’t done a Waiting on Wednesday in a while and I thought it’s time I updated you on one of the books I’m eagerly awaiting.

Recently, I’ve been trying to find more diverse and #ownvoices books, and the novel I’ve picked for this week definitely hits both targets: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.

UK Release Date: 30th May 2017

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the Ideal Indian Husband. Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him wherein he’ll have to woo her he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this suggested arrangement so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

I think this sounds like such an interesting book. In the Western world, the idea of an ‘arranged marriage’ sounds archaic and controlling to most. However, we have to understand that other cultures do things differently; and just because it’s different it doesn’t mean it’s inherently wrong. After all, we were arranging marriages not that long ago in the 1800s.

It’s also a subject I’d love to educate myself more on. I remember when I was younger, I had a friend called Kavita who was Sikh. Her parents’ marriage had been arranged and at first that totally baffled me as a 10 year old. But it had worked out great for them – they got on really well and clearly loved each other, so I remember learning about Kavita’s culture in a really positive light.

Also, Dimple Shah reminds me of my friend. She’s Indian but living abroad, her surname is Shah and she’s always moaning about how her mum wants her to find a nice Indian boy. I imagine Dimple is going to be a lot like my friend and I am determined to make her read this book and for this to be the first book she’ll actually finish and enjoy.

So yes, I’m pretty excited for When Dimple Met Rishi. 

Are you looking forward to this book? Any other diverse 2017 releases you can recommend? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle

Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle

Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary / Apocalyptic

Publisher: Hot Key Books

My Rating: 

Synopsis: Vivian Apple never believed in the Church of America – unlike her fanatical parents. And as for the so-called impending ‘Rapture’, she knew she’d believe that when she saw it. But then Vivian wakes one day to a New World, and all that’s left of her parents are two empty spaces. The Believers have been taken, it seems. And for those left behind, the world is a desolate and eerie place. All Vivian has now are her memories and her volatile friend Harp.

Faced with a society on the brink of collapse, Vivian and Harp embark on a journey across America, in search of any family they have left, and determined to expose the truth about the Rapture. Three thousand miles through floods, fog and heat waves, Harp and Vivian and a boy with the bluest eyes and the kindest heart are driving on to their future.

But will this be a coming-of-age road trip with no return?

I received this book from The Willoughby Book Club last year when I had a subscription for three months. I have to say, they’re really great at finding books that are right up your street. And whilst I’ve only given this book three stars, it’s definitely one that could have been five stars if it had only been executed better. It’s apocalyptic, after all, and we all know that’s my favourite.

The premise of Vivian Versus the Apocalypse is certainly an intriguing and original one. Despite my love for all things apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic, I haven’t read an apocalyptic novel revolving around religion before. The idea in this is, obviously, that the Armageddon is closing in and God will be taking all of his believers to Heaven and leaving everyone else to perish in fire and brimstone.

From the get go, Vivian is extremely sceptical of this ‘Rapture’, as it’s called. But then, the morning after ‘Rapture’s Eve’, she returns home to find her parents gone. What ensues is an America falling into disarray, environmental disasters and the law being taken into people’s own hands. Sounds like a great story, right?

Well, yes and no. As I said, this is an excellent idea, but there were quite a few flaws. Character inconsistencies, plot holes, okay writing and a dull romance bogged down the pace of an otherwise good idea.

So let’s start with the characters. Our heroine is Vivian Apple, your typical YA Contemporary Plain Jane with a weird name. A self-confessed goody-two-shoes, Vivian at least has a redeeming factor in that her intelligence wins out over her rule-following persona, meaning she doesn’t subscribe to the archaic and damaging views of the Church of America and its leader, Beaton Frick.

However, a part of me wonders if the story would have been more interesting if goody-two-shoes Vivian, who has never rebelled until going against her parents and being a Non-Believer, had actually been a Believer at the beginning of the book and forced to confront the harsh realities of her corrupt religion. I found it a little hard to believe that a girl so intent on ‘being good’ would go against her beloved parents and not follow their religion, at least out of a sense of duty rather than actually subscribing to it.

Vivian’s inconsistencies are why I struggled to connect with her right from the beginning. She spends much of the book going back and forth between differing views and I really couldn’t put my finger on who she was, other than being a bit boring. Normally a 1st person narrative makes it easier to connect to the character, but there was nothing special about Vivian’s voice. In addition, Vivian’s attempts to rebel seemed more like childish outbursts to me, not the signs of a girl growing into a strong woman.

Other characters include Vivian’s ‘best friend’ of a few months, Harp. Harp was annoying and selfish for much of the book. She redeemed herself somewhat towards the end (as did Vivian a little when she actually showed some real guts at one point, rather than throwing a childish fit), but I was still never enamoured with Harp. Which was a shame because she was the only POC in the book, along with her older brother Raj. However, we never saw much of Raj, who felt more like the token gay POC there to add a little diversity and further the plot (or rather, not really further it because he’s forgotten about pretty quick).

Then there’s Peter, ‘the boy with the bluest eyes and the kindest heart’, who was dull dull dull and nothing else.

The one character I did like, however, was Edie. She had much more personality than the other characters. She was kind, a little dippy, and genuinely interesting.

But after moaning about the characters and their lack of development, what about the plot? As I said before, it was a great idea, it just wasn’t executed well. There were quite a few plot holes and loose ends that were never tied up (although they may be tied up in the sequel). For example, after the Rapture, we learn that only a small proportion of Believers were actually Raptured. However, America seems to fall into chaos. Suddenly, the police don’t exist. People are vandalising and even murdering. It just didn’t add up.

Then there was the romance, which was pretty lacklustre and Vivian’s pining was a bit annoying when she should be focussing on more pressing stuff like where the hell have her parents actually gone?! I felt the romance was unnecessary to the plot, but thankfully there was no instalove.

However, the plot and pace were redeemed somewhat by some reasonably good twists in the latter portion of the novel. A few I didn’t really see coming and, though they weren’t totally shocking, they were still an interesting surprise.

Yet after all this moaning, there were some other positives. For starters, the novel raised some interesting questions around religion and religious extremism that I thought were refreshing and thought-provoking. It definitely held up a mirror to some of America’s archaic Christian values and showed just how backwards these views can look to the rest of the world.

The novel also addressed the issue of family and how you don’t have to love someone just because they’re blood, as well as the idea that whilst your parents may not have anything inherently wrong with them, like suffering with addiction or being abusive, they can still fail you. I think this is something that isn’t addressed much in YA. Normally the parents are loving but conveniently on the sidelines of the story to allow the protagonist to do crazy things.

Also, the writing was okay. It wasn’t anything special, and it could be quite corny at times, especially with some dialogue, but it was perfectly reasonable and got the main points across. In addition, the novel was an interesting mix of Contemporary and Apocalyptic Thriller. The story kept me engaged enough to want to keep reading. It felt like it was trying to be the next How I Live Now but Coyle didn’t have the same finesse as Rosoff to pull it off.

Overall, it was definitely an interesting idea, but it was let down by plot holes and relatively bland characters. I know there’s a sequel, and I think I will pick it up in the future to see where the story goes, but not anytime soon. I have to say though, I do seem to be in the minority here with my mixed feelings on the novel. The vast majority of people seem to have enjoyed this book, so I think it’s still worth a go if you’re interested in it.

Have you read Vivian Versus the Apocalypse? Did you enjoy it or not? Do you want to read it? Let me know in the comments below!

Let’s Wrap: 2016

So the strange year that was 2016 has been and gone. A plethora of much-loved celebrities died, the UK voted to leave the EU (terrible decision) and the US voted into office a businessman with no political experience and who is named after a fart (even more terrible decision).

For me personally, 2016 was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. It started with the passing away of my Nan, which was a pretty awful beginning. Then I began this blog (getting a bit better); I came off antidepressants and can honestly say I beat depression (still battling the anxiety though, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was); I managed to get my grades up in third year after a disaster of a second year and graduated with a 2:1 degree in BA Hons English (yay!); my short story was shortlisted for the HG Wells Short Story Competition and published (more yay!); then my hamster Cookie passed away, but not after helping me beat depression; and then, finally, we adopted a cat, Willow, who had been neglected but is on the way to being much happier.

So yes, that was pretty much the main highs and lows, but throughout it all I’ve had this blog and chatted to some amazing people here in the book blogosphere. Thanks to you all for keeping me sane!

In terms of my blog, I’m really proud of how far I’ve come since I started in March. I might not have as many followers as some who started the same time as me (honestly, I don’t know how you do it) but I’m so grateful to everyone who keeps up with this little blog of mine, all 276 of you, so thanks again!

Anyway, what about books? I won’t recap all of my posts since last March because looooong but I will have a look at some of my favourite and least favourite books of 2016 (starting from March because I can’t remember what I read before I started my blog). So, here goes.

None!

So, those are (almost) all of the books I read in 2016. You can find reviews for all of them here on my blog.

I was quite lucky this year in that I enjoyed the vast majority of the books I read. I’m very picky though and I’ll normally read reviews before I buy a book, which helps to wheedle out any bad ones or ones that just aren’t my sort of thing.

I have quite a big TBR at the moment so there are lots of books for me to get through this 2017. At the moment, I’m reading Vivian Versus the Apocalypse. I have mixed feelings about this one so stay tuned for my review.

After that, I’m thinking maybe An Ember in the Ashes, or change it up completely and read one of my WWII fiction novels: Where My Heart Used to Beat or All For Nothing. I think I’ll save my Christmas books for a little while to get through the backlog of books I already have.

Alternatively, I might try and finish the Red Rising trilogy as I adored the first two books when I read them last year.

As for what will be happening on my blog, I’m going to try and start posting more. I was doing well for most of 2016, but then it started getting quite busy towards the end of the year and my blog had to go on the back burner. I’ll definitely try and upload more discussion posts, and I have a few other posts planned, so stick around!

How was your 2016? Did you read any of these books last year? Did you love them? Hate them? Let me know in the comments below!

Christmas Book Haul

Hello again! I hope you all had a good Christmas. It’s been a quiet yet busy one for me, so I hope to catch up on everyone’s blog posts over the festive period when things calm down in the New Year.

But anyway, I thought I’d showcase the additions to my TBR this Christmas. I pretty much spent all of my Christmas money on books so there are quite a few here. It’s gonna take me a while to get through all of these, especially because my TBR before Christmas was already about 15 books long. But I think this is the first time I’ve ever had a TBR pile so big and trust me it feels good.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

I’ve heard so many good things about this series so I am really excited to get stuck into it. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of WWII literature, so this sounds great as a spin on that genre.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Another series I’ve heard a lot about, albeit mixed things. I really like the premise so I’m willing to put aside any of the negative reviews I’ve seen and make my own judgements.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

I really enjoyed Marie Lu’s debut dystopian series, and you can find my review of Champion, the final book, here. I’m hoping this new series lives up to my expectations. I’ve read great things about it, especially with its diversity.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Now, I haven’t really had a good track record with Stiefvater. I bought Shiver when it was first released and, whilst I loved how bleak the opening and setting was, the book quickly jumped into instalove and it really put me off. It was too similar to Twilight to really hold my interest so soon after that phenomenon, so I decided that Stiefvater wasn’t for me.

However, I’ve seen everyone raving about this new series of hers so I’ve finally decided to give it a go. I’m a little hesitant, especially as I really don’t like the cover, it looks very kiddy, but all the rave reviews have persuaded me to give Stiefvater another chance.

Slade House by David Mitchell

I’ve mentioned before on this blog how big a fan I am of David Mitchell. Cloud Atlas is one of my favourite books, and you can find my review for The Bone Clocks here. This one sounds creepier than his usual stuff so I’m very excited for it.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I’m not the biggest YA contemporary fan in the world, but if one of them is getting good reviews then I listen. This is definitely one I’ve been excited to get my hands on for quite a while.

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne

This YA contemporary series sounds like it’s the new Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, which is hands down one of the funniest YA contemporary series to ever be written and is a staple in any British girl’s teenage years.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I read Six of Crows not that long ago (review here) and I really enjoyed it, although I did think that there was so much hype I was expecting some kind of masterpiece and of course it was never going to live up to that. But anyway, it was still amazing and I’m excited to finish the series.

The Call by Peadar O’Guilin

This sounds unbelievably good. Creepy Irish YA horror? Count me in.

The Trees by Ali Shaw

This book is described as “does for trees what Hitchcock did for birds”. This is a apocalyptic novel (my favourite) about trees (…um?). Yes, you heard that right, but it’s received a lot of praise and I’m down for anything that’s apocalyptic.

SS-GB by Len Deighton

This is another alternate WWII history novel and it’s regarded as a classic. The BBC are also adapting it for TV so that should be good, especially after the success of The Man in the High Castle as a TV adaptation.

In a Land of Paper Gods by Rebecca Mackenzie

Every year my parents buy me and my sister a surprise book each for Christmas and this was mine. It’s set in China during WWII and sounds like it’s going to be a profound yet fantastical read.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

This is another I’ve heard a lot about and I’ve been after it for quite a while. It sounds amazing and I love the cover.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

I’ve also been after this for quite a while too. I’ve seen a few mixed things, I think that mainly the prose was too purple for some, but I don’t really mind purple prose as long as it’s effective and benefits the plot. I’m sure this will live up to my expectations.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

I’ve been extremely excited for this because it’s supposed to be Sabriel crossed with Romeo and Juliet and if you follow my blog then you’ll know Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series is my favourite. I’m hoping this is as amazing as it sounds.

Have you read any of these books? Did you love or loathe them? Or do you want to read them? Did you get any books for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Gemina (Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina (Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Genre: Sci-Fi / Young Adult

Publisher: Rock the Boat

My Rating: 

Synopsis: Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

My Review

If you’re new to the Illuminae Files, then please give yourself a late Christmas present and get started on this series ASAP because wooooow is it good. You can check out my review of Illuminae here.

So how did Gemina compare to Illuminae? Well, just like Illuminae, I’ve given Gemina five stars. Once again the epistolary form really benefits the novel’s storytelling and character development. The plot jumps between the different formats and characters seamlessly, weaving a web of intrigue and questions. I was worried that a new cast might put me off a little, but actually I really enjoyed them, and Kaufman and Kristoff drop enough hints about the impending arrival of the Hypatia to keep you interested, as well as throwing a fair few spanners into the works.

This novel focuses on the main characters of Hanna Donnelly and Niklas Malikov fighting for their lives. I have to say that, whilst I really liked both of them, I think I prefer Kady and Ezra as protagonists, but only just. This is mainly because I struggled to put my finger on who Hanna exactly was – she felt a little like a watered-down version of Kady. Nik I preferred to Hanna; he was funny and crude, but once again he did share a lot of similarities with Ezra (and Ezra’s complexity was something I really loved and felt to be truly unique and captivating when it came to his character development).

That being said, I still really liked them. Maybe I was just trying to compare them to Kady and Ezra because I loved reading about them so much, but I at least thought Nik had a really interesting backstory. However, there was definitely one standout character for me in the form of Nik’s cousin Ella Malikova. She actually annoyed me ever-so-slightly at the beginning, but Nik makes a comment about Ella being full on and how it’s just her and, after that, I accepted her personality a lot more and came to enjoy any scenes involving her. She was witty, intelligent, crude like Nik, but also a realist and I liked that about her. And in addition to this (VERY MINOR SPOILER ALERT) she’s great disability rep. She doesn’t let anything stand in her way.

The rest of the cast consisted mainly of adults, same as Illuminae, which is why I think this is such an accessible series and definitely a crossover between YA and adult. There weren’t as many ‘big players’ in the adult cast as in Illuminae and I didn’t really become attached to any of them like I did with James McNulty, Winifred McCall and Byron Zhang, but it was still a large and interesting cast. Saying this, I probably didn’t become attached to any of the secondary characters as much simply because the majority of them here were the villains. But they were definitely compelling villains.

As for the plot, it was the strong point of the novel. Another complicated story with a myriad of sub-plots, I never got bored of it and couldn’t wait till everything collided for the big finale. Nevertheless, I do have a few critiques.

As you’ve already seen, I critiqued Hanna and Nik, feeling they weren’t quite as well-rounded as Kady and Ezra and how they felt too similar. Yet still I’ve given this book five stars. That’s because these critiques didn’t really effect my overall enjoyment of the novel. I still think it’s a pretty much flawless and incredibly unique series, and is 100% one of my favourites of all time. However, this is an honest review, and if I feel some things didn’t quite hit the mark, then I’m obviously going to point them out.

Anyway, after that ramble, my critique for the plotting is this: I felt that Kaufman and Kristoff tried to pull the same shock tactics as they did in Illuminae. Because of the similarities, these ‘shocks’ didn’t affect me. Something huge would happen and instead of my heart pounding or me actually sobbing for a good portion of the book (as happened with Illuminae) I actually just thought “nah, it’s fine, he/she will get out of this/hasn’t actually done that/won’t die”. And lo and behold, I was right. These big shocks that worked so well in Illuminae fell a little flat in Gemina because they were recycled. If you’ve read Gemina, you’ll probably know what I’m referring to.

And this leads to the fact that Gemina didn’t hit me quite as hard as Illuminae did. However, I think that’s down to the fact that Illuminae was just so new and different and daring. Once that’s been done, it’s hard to compete or improve upon it. Gemina did have lots of fresh ideas to contribute, I just wish there had been even more. Yet maybe if they had tried to push the boundaries even further than in Illuminae, the book might have become too unrealistic, which would have been even worse.

Overall, the new ideas that Gemina contributed (there were some big ‘uns) definitely outweighed the slight con of some recycled ideas. I wish this series won’t end and I’m going to be devastated when I’ve finished the final book. The entire thing is a whirlwind of action, humour, and emotion and, like I said in my Illuminae review, I don’t really know how Kaufman and Kristoff have pulled it all off.

I hope that my critiques haven’t deterred anyone because this is seriously one amazing series and I cannot recommend it enough; there were just a few very minor things I picked up on that I thought could have been tweaked. But all in all, Gemina was an excellent sequel; I think the wait for book 3 might just kill me.

Have you read Gemina? What did you think of it? Do you agree with my review? Are you planning on reading it? Let me know in the comments below!