Author: Ally Condie
Edition: Razorbill, Penguin Paperback
Released: 30th November 2012
Series: Matched Trilogy #3
Pages: 512 approx.

**Synopsis contains spoilers for the previous two books but review is spoiler free.**

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

MY REVIEW:

Well, well, well. That’s it. That’s the trilogy all over. And even though, in all honesty, I haven’t been the biggest fan of these books, it still saddens me to think there will be no more tales following the lives of Cassia, Ky and Xander. Surprisingly, I think I will miss them. :(

With the previous two books, most of my problems lay with the pacing. I always found the novels too slow most of the time - my attention always started to wander as some parts just dragged on and on... But I stuck by this book more than I did the others. I just so badly wanted to see how everything turned out so much so that I refused to let myself put the book down.

Unlike Matched or Crossed, I found this book pretty emotional. It was mostly toward the end, however, so I suppose that's quite normal with any last book in a series. It did surprise me just how emotional I found it though! I was near tearing up! :3

Unlike the previous two books, in Reached there are chapters in Xander's point of view - as well as Ky and Cassia, of course. And I have finally come to the conclusion that he is my favourite character out of the whole series. I don't know why exactly - it's more complicated than you would think... I liked him in the first book. Ky in the second. And now I'm back to him again. So, yeah, I suppose you could say I'm Team Xander! ;) I just loved his personality! Above all, he always stuck by Cassia. He was caring, trust worthy, generous and an overall nice person and I can’t believe it’s taken me the whole series just to see how amazing he truly is! He’s developed as the trilogy has progressed and it’s been an honour to have witnessed it. Cassia’s development too. She’s went from a do-as-you’re-told Society girl to a fighting, confident, rebellious girl. She really has come a long way and I know I’ll miss Xander and her - followed closely by Bram and Eli – the most. However. And this is where I’ll probably be upsetting some of you (and I apologize in advance)! ... *smiles sheepishly* I didn’t really like Ky in this book. Once I’d figured I preferred Xander to Ky, I must have just thought: Oh, well if I prefer Xander, then I must not like Ky! Which I know is unfair... but that’s usually what ends up happening with me if there’s even the slightest of a love triangle involved. :3

Yet again, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Condie’s writing style. On one hand I admire it as it is rather poetic and beautiful in a way, but on the other hand, I find that (for me) it could drag on sometimes or get a little confusing. But I know some people out there would just adore this writing style – I’m quite sure of it. ;)

Anyway. Overall, I found this series good. Not great, or amazing, but still likeable all the same. The characters did affect me enough that I do feel quite sad that their story is over and, on some level, I must have found this series worth noting since I have read all the books. I know that there will be loads of people out there that would love it (and for those of you out there that like the sound of it, I do say give it a go!), but for me, it didn’t quite stand out enough that it made it into my favourites!

THREE/THREE AND A HALF STARS! :)

A big thank you to Penguin for sending me out this book to review!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

 

PS: As this book was given to me so as I could post a review up on Spinebreakers (Penguin's website), I also wrote some creative content to go with it! It's a poem I wrote based on the first book when Cassia started to fall in love. It's not too long so I'd love it if you could check it out and maybe leave a little comment? Just click HERE to read it! :D

I'M BACK! {Plus; My Review Haul For December}

Yay, yay, YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! My prelims are finished!
... Some went well, some went terribly (ahem, maths and admin, ahem) but I am SO, SO, SO happy they're over! :) Comeeeeee on, Christmas! xD But of course I'm not just going to have a post stating my return, I've got a book haul for you all! Basically, the following books have all been given to me for review and I am hoping to read and review all of them over the Christmas holidays! I do have some more on the way too - I thought that since it was Christmas and that I'd have sat my Prelims by then, I deserved to indulge myself in review books... so that's what I did! ;)

Silent Saturday by Helen Grant (Proof/ARC) - I hadn't really heard of this book before I received it from Random House but, after reading the synopsis, it sounded so good I was surprised that I hadn't come across it on any other blogs. I think it's a murder mystery thriller - so I'm really excited to get on to it! :D

Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie - I'm currently reading this one but not really that into it yet. The previous two books in this series - Matched and Crossed - weren't really that great so I'm hoping that this one finishes off the series with a bang! I actually got this book from Penguin to review on their website, Spinebreakers but I'll most likely post it up here too! :)

How to Fall by Jane Casey (Proof/ARC) - This is another review book from Random House that came around the same time as Silent Saturday did. Again, I hadn't really heard much of this author but this book sounds fantastic (another thriller!) so I'm super excited for it!

Code (Virals #3) by Kathy (and Brendan) Reichs (Early Copy) - Eeeeek! I have absolutely LOVED this series so far and can not thank Random House enough for giving me an early copy! I can not wait to get on to this - it'll probably be one of the first I'll review!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - This is another book I've received for review for Penguin's Spinebreakers and to tell you the truth, it's never really appealed to me. But I'm willing to give it a go and see how I feel about it - I have heard good things about it after all! :)

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna (Early Copy) - Another huge, huge, HUGE thank you to Random House for this book too! It's been on my wishlist for a while and I can not wait to start reading it because it sounds AMAZING - so unusual! :D

So that's all so far. I'll make sure to include the other review books I receive in my usual hauls every Sunday. So, yep. Bye, bye for now!

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

Not Long Now!

Just a little post to tell you all I'll be back soon! Like, real soon! Next Tuesday to be exact! ;D

Can't wait until all these prelims are over... missing you all! :(
- Rachel xoxo

PS: Big shout-out to Zoe and Cliona as both their blogs have now turned two! Can't believe our blogs' birthdays are all really close and that I've known you both for two years now! Whattt?! :O

Book Review: Mystic City

Author: Theo  Lawrence

Edition: Corgi Paperback

Released: October 9th 2012

Series: Mystic City #1

Pages: 397

 

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

I actually got this book out for review over a month ago now (before it's release date, can you believe it?!) and since I've been wanting to write up at least one book review before I practically disappear from the blogosphere for a week or two due to a truck-load of studying, I felt it should most definietly be for this book. So, here we go. When I first came across Mystic City by Theo Lawrence, if I'm totally honest, it didn't really jump out at me. Sure, it appealed to me in some respects but it just didn't jump out at me like, for example, Divergent did. But I'm extremely happy I agreed to review this book as it turned out to be a pretty great read. :)

No need to bore you with the whole 'I ♥ Dystopian' speech again so I'll just get straight to it. One of the aspects I loved about this book was the fact that the author played the world building more toward the whole global warming situation. I've not read any other dystopian books that've done this so it was really interesting and straight away gave the book something unique and intriguing. Overall I was rather impressed with the futuristic city Lawrence created - yet again another haunting vision of the future! ;) - and can't wait to see what he comes up with in the next book! He also portrayed the main character, Aria through the use of first person which I was glad about. If I haven't already said before; I prefer first person to third in most cases. ;D

Speaking of Aria, she was a really likeable heroine who was strong, clever, brave and overall a nice character to lead the story. Straight away she enticed me into her story and bound me to it. Another character I loved was Hunter. He fascinated me right from the get go. Not only was he strong and valiant, he also has a really loveable and sweet side to him as well. He was sort-of hard not to get along with really. ;) However, whereas I got along with both Aria and Hunter, Aria's family and friends were a different matter. Bennie and Kiki - the friends - came across as really naive and stuck up which I didn't like one bit. And Aria's parents were just too infuriating. But I'm glad to say that Aria's character development throughout the story helped me over look that. :)

To conclude, Mystic City by Theo Lawrence is a great debut which he should be proud of as it certainly scored a well-deserved rating from me (and I'm sure many others)! It brought something fresh to the dystopian genre and a main character who's development just helped add that little bit more to the story. It also holds a few twists and turns which I admired - that kept getting better and better toward the end! - and a romance that, though a little soppy for my taste at times, was really sweet. I definietly recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian with a side order of cute romance! ;D

FOUR STARS! x)

A big thank you to Random House for sending me out a copy of this book to review!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

 

PS: See you in a couple of weeks! :)

PPS: Y'know, it would just be such a nice Christmas present if when I came back I had 400 followers... Just sayin'. ;) But seriously. If you do follow, thanks a billion! And if you have a blog, don't hesitate to put your url in a comment below so as I can hop through when I come back! (:

I have some free time... Book Haul? ;D

Hey guys!

Long time, no see! :( It's practically tearing me apart being away from the book blogosphere! I love blogging and hate when I have to take a break from it because of my school life! Urgghhhh.
Oh, well. No point on dwelling on that (or the dreaded exams). Less than three weeks to go now. Sidenote: I'm literally terrified so I would love it if you could give me some advice about how to get through it, whether it be about studying, managing time/emotions etc. Any and all help is greatly appreciated and, in return, you will receive a virtual hug and cupcake! ^.^
On a more cheerier note, guess who just turned 15 years old last Wednesday? Yup, you got it! Me! Yay, I can officially get into 15 rated movies without needing to make sure I have enough make up on to look old enough! :D
Anywho. On to za book haul! Since it's been a while, I thought I'd show you the books that have been steadily adding to my collection. Also, if I'm not able to post any of the reviews for these books until December/January time, I at least want to give each a shout out. Wanna see? ;)

*I've blurred out one of the books as I'm not sure I'm allowed to show it yet - it's not on Goodreads or even the author's website so just to be on the safe side, haha.

Noughts and Crosses & Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman

Vampire Diaries Volume One (The Awakening and The Struggle) by L.J. Smith

Silent Saturday (ARC) by Helen Grant

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

How to Fall (ARC) by Jane Casey

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Slated (e-copy) by Terri Terry

The Selection (e-copy) by Kiera Cass

 

If any have caught your interest then make sure to look them up on Goodreads - I've read most and the ratings for them can be found on my own Goodreads (just click on the button in the sidebar to go to mine).

 

Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later. But until then...

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

 

PS: You should go enter THIS over at Spinebreakers. I already have! It's the NaNoWriMo thing they have where you continue on the story. You'll find mine near the bottom of the page I think... (:





Happy (Belated) Birthday, Booktastic Reviews!

Ohmygosh, my blog is now two whole years old!

Life has just been so hectic these days that it made me forget all about posting on the special day! :( I'm super proud of this blog and it pains me to have to take a break from it! But I don't want to sound all doom and gloom - especially when I should be rambling on and on about this special blog of mine since it just reached the two years mark! ;)

This blog was created on October 13th 2010 so as I could have a place to talk about one of my favourite things; books! It's been a great achievement for me and I have so many people to thank for getting it this far! I never thought my blog would turn out to be as successful as it is! I've interviewed great authors, read and reviewed some amazing books from amazing publishers, made loads of book-loving friends... There's so much I've done, and it's all down to this blog! I'm just so super happy with it! ^.^

A huge shout out to my followers, those that comment and read my blog regularly, all the authors/publishers that have been generous enough to send me out their book to review - this blog wouldn't be where it's at without you!

I hope to see you all again soon - if my schoolwork allows me some free time anyway! ;(

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

Author Interview with Beth Revis!

Hey all, today I've got an interview with the amazing author of the Across The Universe series, Beth Revis! Ahhh! How amazing, right?! She's one of my fav authors! If you haven't read this series yet, then you're missing out BIG time! :D
But I won't continue blabbing... Just check out her books on Goodreads and my reviews of both books can be found on the 'Previous Reviews' tab. :) Now on to the interview!

1) Did you always want to write a book set on a spaceship? How did this idea come to you?
No, I didn't! It was a total surprise to me--I always wrote fantasy before! But I had an idea that required cyrogenic sleeping, and that required a sci fi setting. Everything spun out from that idea.

2) If you were in Amy's situation, having known Earth and all that was in it, what do you think you would miss the most about it? And hate the most about the spaceship?
There's a scene in the second book where Amy thinks about how much she misses driving in cars with the windows down. It's weird, but I think I might miss that the most. There's so much possibility on Earth. You *can* just get in a car and go. You can disappear into the world, you can explore all over. But on the spaceship, you're trapped. Earth is almost limitless--it truly would take a lifetime to discover everything it has to offer, and there would still be more. But on the ship, you can see it all in a few months.

3) Do you have a favourite character? Any that have similar traits?
My fave is probably Harley. I really like the way he turned out, and there's a lot about his backstory that I love. I put a little of myself in both Amy and Elder. Amy's fear at being alone and without her parents mirrors myself when I went to college--I didn't have a car or money, and my parents lived 200 miles away. And Elder very much wants to be good enough, and worries that he isn't and that's similar to my own attitude about writing.

4) If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Time travel! I need it just to read all the books in my TBR stack!

5) If you could time travel back to any era, would you? Or would you go into the future?
I would love to see Medieval Europe--but only to visit. I'm very attached to clean hygiene and women's rights, so I don't want to stay there at all. I'd also love to visit Heian Era Japan, but again, only to visit. I'd love to see what the court life was like, and see the beautiful kimonos in real life.

6) If you could live in any fictional world, who's would it be and where?
I'd move to Hogwarts...perhaps during the Marauders' era. I don't want to fight Voldemort, I just want a wand :)

7) And finally, do you have any current projects going on? Any you can tell us a little about?
I do! I'm working on a fantasy right now, that was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Quick-Fire!

Cats or dogs? Dogs
Pen or keyboard? Keyboard
Rain or Snow? Either
Contemporary or Dystopian? Dystopian
Print books or ebooks? Either

Thanks so much for letting me interview you!
Thank you!

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

PS: I'm super sorry but I don't have any more time to comment on all those fantastic blogs of yours! Ahhhh, I HATE studying so much! :(((