Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

Are there any fictional characters whom you have emulated (or tried to)? Who and why?

There have been characters that I would like to have some traits of, for example Tris from Divergent's bravery, or Hazel from The Fault In Our Stars' intellect, or Willow from Angel's boyfiriend (Alex=best guy in book EVER!).  But I've never tried to really emulate them.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mira-Ink (16 Sep 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1848450400
• ISBN-13: 978-1848450400

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Cover:  I'm not normally a fan of the whole 'girl-in-a-dress-on-cover' thing, but I love this cover.  The Greek feel is beautiful and RELEVANT which I know I bang on about a lot but it just makes me appreciate the cover that little bit more. 

It has taken me a long time to get around to reading this book, but I thought with the upcoming UK release of book two, now was the time.  I have heard mixed things from other reviewers so was kinda wary about picking it up.

But I'm glad that I did.  I love Greek mythology, and if I'm honest have a soft spot for Hades. 

This was a great quick and light read.  I was heading towards a reading slump but this got me out of it!

I loved the re-working of the Hades and Persephone myth (my favourite re-telling remains Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast). The romance I really enjoyed but felt it suddenly sprung out of thin air, I wanted it to develop more but the actual characters I felt worked well.  And Henry, oh Henry, Henry, Henry.  Dark, brooding God of the Underworld...ahh yes he was my kinda guy.  I loved his character.

I give The Goddess Test 4/5 stars.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found it hard to put down.  I can't wait to see where it goes from here in Goddess Interrupted.  I do recommend this for fans of paranormal YA.  It's a light and simple read, and you don't have to have a in-depth knowledge of Greek Mythology to enjoy it, so I recommend picking it up. 

Book Haul/In My Mailbox 26/3/12

Heaven by Christoph Marzi

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Orchard (2 Feb 2012)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1408314665
ISBN-13: 978-1408314661

The night that Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood...

David Pettyfer is taking a shortcut over the dark rooftops of London's brooding houses, when he literally stumbles across Heaven: a strange, beautiful, distraught girl who says that bad men have stolen her heart. Yet she's still alive...

And so begins David and Heaven's wild, exciting and mysterious adventure - to find Heaven's heart, and to discover the incredible truth about her origins.

Part thriller, part love story and part fairy tale, this brilliantly original novel from a bestselling German author will take your breath away...


Cover: I think the cover is a great match for the plot but I'm not overly keen.  I just think compared to other YA book covers it's a little dull.


3/5 stars.  
I hadn't heard anything about this book and picked it up by chance when I saw it in the supermarket, simply because the incredibly brief blurb reminded me of the movie Stardust.
I have found it hard to write a review for Heaven, simply struggling with what I want to say and how I want to say it.  Maybe this is actually an indication that it didn't really have an impact on and that I was just indifferent.
I felt that the overall premise of the book was great!  The blurb really drew me in by how dark it was.  But I felt the plot didn't move enough and that the majority of the book felt like David and Heaven running all over the place.
The great thing about this book though is that it felt 'fresh', a new take on zombies and fairies.
I LOVED that it was in David's perspective as most YA novels are in the girl's POV.
I didn't enjoy the writing, I found myself not really taking it in and having to re-read sentences.  The writing, particularly descriptions, just weren't very gripping. 
My favourite aspect was the love interest but for me there wasn't enough of it to really enjoy this book.
Overall I liked the premise of the book but the writing and romance let it down for me.
I would recommend this if you are looking for a decent stand alone or want something a little different but not if you're searching for a good paranormal romance.

Wolf Whisperer vs. The Hunger Games - let the Book of the Month battles begin! -A Mills and Boon Blog Post

The wonderful Becky at MIRA Ink told me about their sister company Mills and Boon's Nocturne adult releases with ware-wolves, vampires and shape-shifters!  Of course I was intrigued, so if you are too be sure to check out this blog post!

Wolf Whisperer vs. The Hunger Games - let the Book of the Month battles begin!

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

Ever read a book you thought you could have written better yourself?

I wouldn''t go so far as to say that I could have written it better just little things that I would change.  For example I recently read Heaven by Christoph Marzi (review to come)  I would have had more romance and less running all over the place.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.






This week the book I'm waiting for is Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward.  The 10th book in her adult paranormal romance series The Black Dagger Brotherhood, which is one of my fav series of all time, and this is the long awaited book of Thorment which is released 27th March!

The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss

Received for review

• Hardcover: 82 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (20 Jan 2012)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 159474551X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594745515

When Evelyn Morgan walks into Thorne and Son, a bookstore in the Cornish village of Clews, she doesn't know that she's going to meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne sells her a medieval poem called "The Book of the Green Knight", he doesn't know that it will shape his future. After that first meeting, they don't see one another for years - and yet they never stop thinking about one another. It's as if they're the haunted lovers in the old book itself...



A huge thanks to Quirk Books for sending me this for review!


Cover:  This book has a seriously beautiful cover.  The book itself is a stunning and unique artifact that belongs in any book lovers collection.  I have never seen accordion book binding before, and I found it rather fascinating!

As you all know I am a huge sucker for romance, so this book really appealed to me.  I felt that the plot had so much premise but the characters seriously irritated me, Evelyn more so.  The way she kept running away frustrated me, and I felt like that they did both love each other but their stupid decisions ruined everything (whether this is the result of a real curse is unclear but still!).

However I did love the serendipitous moments of them meeting again, and the overall plot but I really didn't like the ending. I wanted a solid answer of will they be together, and while the ending is hopeful I don't know.

I loved that both characters told their story, which with the accordion binding was a genius idea!  You read the book from start to finish one way and it's Evelyn's perspective.  Turn it over, do the same and it's Brendan's story!

So for me I had to take a few points away for an irritating character, a disappointing end to an otherwise beautiful story, so for me it's a 3.5/5 stars.  I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something short, sweet and that little bit different.  Theodora Goss has written a beautiful story that readers will devour.

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.  

Have you ever used a book to instruct someone of something or is there anyone for whom you would like to do that? (I don’t mean a text book for a class, but a work of fiction or non-fiction that would get a certain message across either through plot or character). What is the book and what do you wish to impart?

I have to be honest and say that I haven't ever really done this.  I mean I make recommendations based on what I think people will like, or if I've been totally blown away by a book I won't shut up about it for weeks or months etc but I've never done it with a view of teaching someone something.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Dutton (12 Jan 2012)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0525478817
ISBN-13: 978-0525478812

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means) Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly, to her interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Cover: I'm a fan of this bright but simple cover.

Where to start with this review...

5/5 stars!

I have never been so emotionally shattered by a book in my life.  This is my first John Green read but it will not be my last.  I was completely blown away by The Fault In Our Stars.  I was skeptical that any book could make me laugh AND cry in equal measure, especially a cancer book, but this book did that and more.  I actually laughed out loud, bawled my eyes out -but was left with a feeling of total amazement and was a little overwhelmed by just how good it was.
When friends and family asked me 'what are you reading?' 'What's it about?' 'Is it good?'.  And I answered with, 'The Fault In Our Stars, teenagers with cancer that fall in love, it's amazing and hilarous!'  They just looked at me with horror.  '' HOW CAN THAT BE FUNNY?!?!'  Of course I tried to explain that it's not that they have cancer that's funny (obviously), it's them as characters, their wit and intelligence is phenomenal.  Of course cancer is part of them but it's not who they are.  And that is why John Green is a genius, and why I can't recommend this book enough.  I firmly believe everyone in the world should read this.
It's the most beautiful piece of literature I have ever read and I know that it will resonate with me for years to come, it made me proud to be a nerdfighter, a reader, and a human being.

My FIOS playlist:
The Fault is in our Stars by Meghan Tonjes
The Fault in our Stars by Bloom
Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips
I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie

My Hunger Games ID...What district are you?

So I finally went on to The Hunger Games Capitol Website and found out my district, and got my pass!  And here it is...

District 1- Luxury.  Ahhh.  Like I thought it would be anything else!

But of course I would liked to have been District 12 but what a runner up!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Received ARC for review

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Waiting on Wednesday

This week on Waiting-on-Wednesday I'm not waiting on books BUT it is still booky related so I'm counting it!


I am eagerly waiting for (and have been for ages now)....

Breaking Dawn Part 1 on dvd.  It was released a month ago in the US but I have had to wait :(

AND

Jane Eyre on dvd.  I desperately wanted to see it at the cinema but no one else wanted to see it, so I have had to wait since September to get to see it!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442421762

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.








Cover: This has to be one of my all time favourite covers.  I think it's beautifully romantic and intimate, and he's holding her protectively (remember I'm a romantic!) while they're surrounded by that murkiness and danger. *sigh*

I FINALLY got round to reading this.  When it was first released last year there was so much hype around this book, and I read and watched numerous mixed reviews.  People either seemed to love or hate it, so I wanted to wait until the hype died down a little so I wasn't influenced by either positive or negative reviews, and really able to judge it for myself.
And...I loved it!
I was definitely intrigued and the blurb doesn't give too much away.  It's a great cross between a paranormal novel and a psychological thriller, at times you don't know if Mara is really losing it or if something else is at work.  And the paranormal element doesn't really become apparent until late in the book, and as a result sets a lot up for book 2.
I love the dark vibe of this book but the higlight for me was the love interest.  The intelligent and sarcastic relationship between Mara and Noah made me laugh and was a pleasure to read, and felt very different to other YA romances.  I wasn't 100% about Noahs 'man-whore' characters, and I have a few unresolved questions about that but I'm sure these will be answered in the next book.  I also loved that both characters are somehow connected by this paranormal element (so difficult not to spoil here BUT i remain resolute!)
Also I love Mara's family dynamic, a trend in YA at the moment is the protagonists family have been killed etc etc but in this her parents and brothers are all very different and play an important part, which I found refreshing.
Overall I give this book 4/5 stars.  It wasn't perfect but there was so much that I enjoyed and the pacing was amazing, I couldn't put it down.
I can't wait to see what happens next in The Evolution of Mara Dyer, as it ends on a killer cliff-hanger.

Book Haul/In My Mailbox 3.3.12

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin

• Hardcover: 214 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press (20 Jan 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0593063589
• ISBN-13: 978-0593063583

In 2002, Larry Levin and his twin sons, Dan and Noah, took their terminally ill cat to the Ardmore Animal Hospital outside Philadelphia to have the beloved pet put to sleep. What would begin as a terrible day suddenly got brighter as the ugliest dog they had ever seen--one who was missing an ear and had half his face covered in scar tissue--ran up to them and captured their hearts. The dog had been used as bait for fighting dogs when he was just a few months old. He had been thrown in a cage and left to die until the police rescued him and the staff at Ardmore Animal Hospital saved his life. The Levins, whose sons are themselves adopted, were unable to resist Oogy's charms, and decided to take him home.

Heartwarming and redemptive, OOGY is the story of the people who were determined to rescue this dog against all odds, and of the family who took him home, named him "Oogy" (an affectionate derivative of ugly), and made him one of their own.

Cover: I think the cover is amazingly cute.

This book is wonderful.  It's a book by a dog lover, for dog lovers.  It's a heart warming tale of how a puppy that was treated so cruelly found his way to a family that love him so completely, and that despite how he was treated he miraculously survived and loves and trusts humans.  

I recommend this to everyone.  It's such a beautiful book with a message.  Everyone goes through bad times, sometimes horrific, but on the other side of that, there can be truly great things waiting for you.

I really enjoyed the photos in the book (just made me 'awww' outloud).

5/5 stars!

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.  




Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?

Ummm....yeah.  I fall in love with a lot of fictional characters.  

There's the usual Mr. Darcy, Frederick Wentworth and Mr. Rochester becayse they're swoon worthy gentleman of days gone by.

I can't help but love the 'prince-like' character, something left over from my childhood of disney princess movies (incidentally my favourite was Eric from The Little Mermaid).  

I tend fall for sarcastic and witty fictional characters.  Maybe it's because I'd like to BE with someone like that but let's face it, guys in books are just better.  I'm lucky if the guys I know talk about anything other that their you-know-what.

Plus I'm naturally quite a sarcastic and cutting person myself and so I'd like someone t really banter with (like I'm currently seeing in my read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer).