Girls in Love – Jacqueline Wilson *Reading Challenge Recap*

Challenges – #13/691 Ultimate Teen Book Guide #13/782 Ultimate Teen Book Guide 2nd Edition.

Series – Girls

• Girls In Love
• Girls Under Pressure
• Girls Out Late
• Girls In Tears

Synopsis – Meet Ellie and her best friends Nadine and Magda, three teenage girls just starting Year Nine with a lot on their minds – mainly boys! Told in the bright, sparky and authentic voice of Ellie, Girls in Love is a funny, frank and revealing look at their friendships, problems and heartaches that older fans of bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson will adore.

My Thoughts – I read this book back when I was a pre-teen – over and over again. I really really enjoyed it at the time but I never realised that it was part of a series! I also really enjoyed the TV show that it was made into. This was a really good read for a pre-teen/young teenager and I’ve just added it to my wishlist to read again!

Rating – 4/5

Recommendations – Ultimate Teen Book Guide – Girls Under Pressure – Jacqueline Wilson, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging – Louise Rennison (Challenge Book), Mates, Dates . . . Series – Cathy Hopkins (Challenge Book), Notes From the Teenage Underground – Simmone Howells.

Ultimate Teen Book Guide 2nd Edition – Girls Under Pressure – Jacqueline Wilson, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging – Louise Rennison (Challenge Book), Ginger Snaps – Cathy Cassidy.

 

Eve of Man – Tom and Giovanna Fletcher * Book Review *

Synopsis – Eve is like any other teenage girl . . .

Except that the fate of the entire world lies on her shoulders.

She’s the first girl born in fifty years.

She’s the answer to their prayers.

She’s the final hope.

Which means she has one function alone . . .

At sixteen, Eve must face her destiny and make a choice.

She will choose a man, one out of three carefully selected suitors.

But what about Bram?

The future of the planet hangs on Eve making the right choice.

Will she?

COULD YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN LOVE, AND THE FUTURE OF THE HUMAN RACE?

My Thoughts – I am a massive fan of these two authors and when I heard that they were writing a young adult novel I just knew I would love it!

This book is the first in a trilogy and it centres on two characters, Bram and Eve. Eve is the first girl born on 50 years and so much has been put in place to protect her. Bram is a boy who works where Eve has been living for most of her life – the tower.

Eve is coming up to a crucial point in her life and is discovering that things maybe arent always what they seem.

I really enjoyed this book – it was a little bit simular to start with to Lauren Olivers Delirium book but it soon took its own way. I really enjoyed how the book went from the two characters perspective too. I was gutted though that the book ended on a cliffhanger – I wanted to read the next in the trilogy however its not out yet!

Rating – 5/5

Delirium Stories – Lauren Oliver * Book Review *

Format – Paperback Book

Synopsis -These four short stories are now available in one beautiful paperback edition and include an exclusive sneak peek at Lauren Oliver’s brand new novel Replica – coming soon!
All the stories expand upon and enrich the Delirium world, illuminating events and characters through different perspectives.
HANA adds nuance to the life-changing summer before best friends Lena and Hana are to be cured – a moment when the girls’ paths diverge and their futures are altered forever.

ANNABEL untangles the mysteries surrounding Lena’s mother, detailing her journey from teenage runaway to prisoner of the state.

RAVEN crackles with the intensity of its title character, the fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds who plays an integral role in the resistance.

And ALEX explains what happened to Lena’s first love after the events of DELIRIUM, as well as the dark past that he has tried to forget.

My Thoughts – This book was in the box set of the Delerium Trilogy that I read last month. I really enjoyed the trilogy however the ending for me ruined it as there was so many unanswered questions and I hoped that this collection of short stories would answer some of these questions.

This book tells the story from 4 other perspectives. Hana is Lenas best friend and this really explains a lot as to the Lena and Alex story line. Annabel is Lenas mother and again this was a really good story. The Raven story. Wow. Now this is a story that I wish was continued! And Alex – oh Alex you really feel for him in his story. How he survived in the crypts and all his emotions made for a very deep story.

I did enjoy this book however it still left lots of unanswered questions. I’ve even been googling if there are more stories – there are not 😦 and I really wish that there was a better ending to this series as it could have been so much better.

I would read more books by this author thouugh as I did enjoy her writing style.

 

Rating – 3/5

Differently Morphous – Yahtzee Croshaw * Book Review *

Format – Audiobook

Synopsis -A magical serial killer is on the loose, and gelatinous, otherworldly creatures are infesting the English countryside. Which is making life for the Ministry of Occultism difficult, because magic is supposed to be their best kept secret.

After centuries in the shadows, the Ministry is forced to unmask, exposing the country’s magical history – and magical citizens – to a brave new world of social media, government scrutiny, and public relations.

On the trail of the killer are the Ministry’s top agents: a junior operative with a photographic memory (and not much else), a couple of overgrown schoolboys with godlike powers, and a demonstrably insane magician.

But as they struggle for results, their superiors at HQ must face the greatest threat the Ministry has ever known: the forces of political correctness….

Differently Morphous is the latest and greatest tale to emerge from the mind of writer (and narrator) Yahtzee Croshaw.

My Thoughts – I brought this book on audible as it was the daily deal a couple of weeks ago and I thought that it would be the sort of book that would really appeal to me. I do enjoy magical/young adult type books however for me it wasnt as good as I was expecting.

I really struggled to get into the plot of this and I got a little bit confused with the different characters. I think the main issue for me is that it isnt a book that is to be taken too seriously and for me I struggle with the writing style and humour in this type of book.

The overall plot was good – a little like if the world found out that there was a Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter but I just struggled with the sub-plots.

The author does narrate this book so it was nice to hear the book read by the author – I always find this quite interesting and it seems like the author has written more books.

There are lots of positive reviews for this book on amazon so I think its probably just one that I couldnt agree with.

Rating – 2/5

Requiem – Lauren Oliver * Book Review *

Format – Paperback book

Series – Delirium #3 Thoughts on Delirium #1 and Delirium #2

Synopsis – An all-out uprising has been ignited and Lena Haloway is right at its centre.

But things have changed. The Wilds are no longer a safe haven for the rebels and pockets of resistance have opened throughout the country.

And when a face from her past reappears, Lena is faced with a devastating choice that could tear her and the revolution apart.

My Thoughts – I’ve absolutely adored this series over the last couple of weeks and as this was the last book in the trilogy I was really looking forward to some of the questions being answered.  This book flits between Lena who is in the wilds and Hana who is still in Portland and has had the cure and the differences in their lives.

Then there is the triangle between Lena, Julian and Alex and how that is resolved and so much more – I was really hoping for answers in this book. unfortunately there is a lot of loose ends that don’t get tied up in this book and for that I’m quite disappointed. I wish there was another book to the series so that some of these ends were tied up.

It was still a good book and I did enjoy the conclusion to the series – I’ve just started the short stories book so I’m hoping that it will be just as good and I’m definitely going to be reading more books by this author!

Rating – 3/5

 

 

Pandemonium – Lauren Oliver Book Review

Series – Delirium Trilogy #2

Format – Paperback

Synopsis – Lena Haloway’s been to the very edge. She’s questioned everything she’s ever been taught and fought for love and the life-changing and agonising emotions that come with it.

But now, while she may have escaped the tyranny of the government, she is headng into the heart of something that could be just as dangerous – a growing resistance movement where the sparks of a revolution are about to ignite…

Lena made her decision. But can she survive the consequences?

My thoughts on Delirium can her found here.

My Thoughts – I picked this up straight away after I had read the first in the Trilogy – Delirium as it ended on such a cliffhanger! This book is a bit different from the last, it jumps from the end of the last book to the present time where a while has passed and this enables the reader to really get a feel for what happened after the events of the last book.

It was very well written and really hooked me in again – I think I read 3/4 of the book in one sitting as it was just so good. It has themes of death, love, family, lies, truth all running through the pages which has made it a really good story.

This book also ended on a massive cliffhanger so I’ve already picked Requim (The final book in the trilogy) as my next read!

Rating – 4.5/5

Delirium – Lauren Oliver * Book Review *

Format – Paperback Book

Synopsis -They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now.

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

But now love has been declared a dangerous disease.

Everyone who turns eighteen must be immunised with a procedure called the Cure. Lena Haloway is looking forward to being able to live the safe, predictable life the government claims the cure will bring. But meeting Alex, an enigmatic boy from the Wilds, might just make her question everything she’s been raised to believe.

My Thoughts – I picked up this whole series in The Works a couple of weeks back as its a book series that I’ve wanted to read for a while.

This book is centred on Lena, a girl who is really close to getting ‘the cure’ who has believed a system for her whole life despite the fact that it meant that she lost her mother at a young age. She also meets Alex, who challenges everything that she has been taught and believed.

This was a really good young adult book – it was full of twists and turns that I didnt expect. It was also quite easy reading – I read 3/4 of the book in one sitting.  it reminded me a little of The Hunger Games Series – in a good way! I have already started to read the second book in the series – Pandemonium.

Rating – 4/5

Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy – Cassandra Clare

 

Synopsis – Ten illustrated stories following the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Simon has been a human and a vampire, but after the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, he isn’t sure who he is any more. When the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whoever this Simon might be… Join him on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray and Magnus Bane. The series features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices and the upcoming Last Hours series.

My Thoughts – The Shadowhunters universe has become one of my favourite fantasy places to escape to in recent years and I think Cassandra Clare is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Her writing style is so good and so full of plot twists that you just dont ever know where the story is going.

This book is made up of 10 short stories that I think were orginally e-books? but they work really well as the author has collaborated with others on each of the stories. This goes more into depth on Simon who was very prominant in the Mortal Instruments series and his life. The other characters do pop up every so often but its written from Simons point of view.

Although it is a very long book as its short stories you can keep dipping in and out – which is what I did. There are also characters from the Dark Artifacts series in this book – which I will confess that I hae only read the first book in the series as the others are currently in storage – but more about that in another post!

Overall this was a very good read – lots of things happen that you dont expect and and also it makes you revist the mortal instruments series all over again – I really must re-read this series soon!

Rating = 5/5

Replay – Keira Lea

Started – 13/1/13

Finished – 19/1/13

Format – Kindle e-book

Synopsis – Kelsee Lewis has a new school, a prima donna best friend, and one week to write a hit play. Throw in a self-obsessed mom and an absent executive dad, and it’s no wonder she has panic attacks—complete with time-warp special effects. When Kelsee meets comic book maven Quinn, she realizes the attacks give her the ability to rewind time.

Replaying life seems like the best way to erase mistakes. But will second chances leave Kelsee flailing in the orchestra pit alone?

My Thoughts – I downloaded this book from Amazon last year as it was free for a day and i really like young adult books with a bit of time travel thrown in.

 

This book is about Kelsee who attends a school and is involved in a writing programme. Along with the stresses of writing a play for the end of school production she has to deal with her parents divorce and new partners. She starts to have what she thinks are panic attacks but they soon turn out to be more strange and that she can stop time with this.

 

I did like this book but i felt that the element of the stopping time and rewinding could have been explored a bit better. There was a good bit about changing events will have a knock on effect on future events.

 

I did think this book was written well for teenage girls and that they would enjoy this but for an adult i didnt enjoy it overally.

 

Rating – 3/5

The Mind Readers – Lori Brighton

Started – 15/10/12

Finished – 21/10/12

Format – Kindle e-book

Series – Mind Readers #1

Synopsis – Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows the truth …that Cameron can read minds. For years Cameron has hidden behind a facade of normalcy, warned that there are those who would do her harm. When gorgeous and mysterious Lewis Douglas arrives he destroys everything Cameron has ever believed and tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a secret haven with Lewis; a place where she meets others like her, Mind Readers.

But as Cameron soon finds out some things are too good to be true. When the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs. Cameron suddenly finds herself involved in a war in which her idea of what is right and wrong is greatly tested. In the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that will not only threaten her relationship with Lewis, but her very life.

My Thoughts – I downloaded this book back in January as it was free on Amazon. I’ve just had another look and at the minute its still free.

This book is about a teenage girl called Cameron who has the ability to read other peoples minds. Along with her Grandma who also has the ability they keep having to move around in order to keep away from those that want to do people like them harm.

Then one day a new student starts at the school, Lewis, and as soon as he does Cameron seems drawn to him. She even wonders if he is like her and can read minds too. The two of them end up on an Island and its here that Cameron starts to question everything that she has ever known. Who can she trust and is her life in danger due to her powers.

I really enjoyed this Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Although there is a lot of books on the market now probably down to the success of Twilight this one was very good. To start with there was no mention of werewolves or vampires, something that i think has been overdone. Also the female lead character was very stong willed and a very good strong character.

The plot to this book was very good too. It was fast paced and full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. It was very well explained too.

The romance side of it was good too and although it was in there it wasnt too much and it didnt take it away from the actual story. I’m not a massive fan of romance novels and this can put me off in a book, but i really enjoyed this book!

There is two more books in this series so far, The Mind Thieves and also The Mind Games and i will be downloading the next book in the series a bit later on today.

This is a very good Young Adult Paranormal Romance book, if thats your sort of thing download it, its still free at the minute!

Rating – 4/5