Okay, so I am FINALLY getting around to reviewing these books. So saying, I have only been meaning to read and review these books for about a year now. *groans* Thanks to Lucy's UKYA readathon, I was finally given the motivation I needed to jump right in so, today, I have two mini reviews to share with you all.

Author: Helen Grant
Edition: Bodley Head Proof
Released: 4th April 2013
Series: Forbidden Spaces Trilogy #1
Pages: 408 approx.
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!

Seventeen-year-old Veerle is frustrated with life in suburban Brussels. But a chance encounter with a hidden society, whose members illegally break into unoccupied buildings around the city, soon opens up a whole new world of excitement - and danger.

When one of the society's founding members disappears, Veerle suspects foul play. But nothing can prepare her for the horror that is about to unfold when an old foe emerges from the shadows... No one is safe, and The Hunter will strike again...

I'm really not too sure about how to express my feelings for this book. It really isn't the typical sort-of book I'd pick up, but neither is it like anything else I've ever read. It's one of those novels that you can appreciate. The writing has an almost beautiful quality to it and I found myself unable to put the book down, even though the plot line wasn't as strong as I would've hoped. The storyline differed from what I was expecting and I didn't really get the reason behind what drove the Koekoeken (the 'hidden society') to do what they did. I just couldn't help but feel it was unjustified. I also wasn't too sure of the romance. It didn't feel genuine to me but, at the same time, it didn't bother me. To put it simply, Silent Saturday was an entertaining read, just not one of my favourites.

THREE TOADSTOOLS TO SILENT SATURDAY! :)

 

Author: Natasha Ngan

Edition: Hot Key Books Proof

Released: 5th September 2013

Series: No, standalone

Pages: 368 approx.

Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!

Hundreds of years into the future, wars, riots, resource crises and rising sea-levels have destroyed the old civilisations. Only one city has survived: Neo-Babel, a city full of cultures – and racial tension.

Fifteen-year-old Silver is an Elite, a citizen of Neo-Babel chosen to guard the city due to her superior DNA. She’d never dream of leaving – but then she fails to prevent the assassination of Neo Babel’s president, setting off a chain of events more shocking and devastating than she could ever have imagined. Forced to flee the city with her best friend Butterfly (a boy with genetically-enhanced wings), Silver will have to fight to find her family, uncover the truth about Neo-Babel and come to terms with her complicated feelings for Butterfly.

So I started this one last year and ended up putting it down. It's been so long now that I can't even remember why. But I am so glad I can finally say I've read this. I found it to be an enjoyable read, all things considered. The world building was certainly my favourite aspect of the whole book. It was so incredibly unique and thought out. I felt like I was inside the world during the time I was reading it. I was completely immersed in Neo-Babel, I was a citizen. I actually can't applaud Ngan enough for the fantastic world, it blew me away. I will admit, though, Silver annoyed me. Just the way she acted and the things she said... It just irritated me like nothing else. Especially her reaction and following actions after that thing that happened to Butterfly. I just ended up not really liking her, which did affect my overall enjoyment of the novel, unfortunately. Butterfly was a likeable enough character but it was the incredible world building that ended up being the reason I enjoyed this book.

 

 THREE AND A HALF TOADSTOOLS TO THE ELITES! :)

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

April Round Up + Survey!

So April hasn't been the best month for me reading and blogging wise. I managed to do more than I have previous months but still not nearly as much as I would have liked. For one, I didn't manage to comment on a lot of blogs over the course of the month, too distracted by up and coming exams (which started today!) and studying and stressing over them! Anyway... I hope you all had a fantastic month and a very happy Easter!


• I started the month off with The Maze Runner by James Dashner. It was a good book. I didn't love it but it was still enjoyable. You can read my full review for it HERE.

• Next came the 5th installment in the Mortal Instruments series, City of Lost Souls. In all honesty, this series has just been going on too long for me, I reckon. I'm not as connected to it as I once was.

• I also finished reading The Great Gatsby. It was the text I was studying for prose in school and I finally managed to finish it this month. FINALLY. It wasn't that it was a bad book, it was just a lot of work cause there was a lot to analyse. I will say though, studying it actually made me appreciate the novel a whole lot more than I would have just by reading it. However, I sat my English exam today and didn't even use the text in an essay! *sighs* ;P

• Afterward, on a whim, I bought and read My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris. It was a fun, light, fluffy read so gave me a little breather from all the heavier novels.

• As part of the UKYA readathon, I then went on to read Silent Saturday by Helen Grant and Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. Silent Saturday was a good read, though not as exciting as I hoped it would be while I absolutely ADORED The Screaming Staircase. My 4.5 star review of it can be found HERE.

• I also finally managed to read The Elites by Natasha Ngan (I've only been meaning to read it for a year)! It was such a unique book and the world was just... wow.

I am planning on doing a post where I'll do mini reviews of both Silent Saturday and The Elites but if you would like me to dedicate a post to a certain book or books from the ones I've mentioned above, please let me know in the comments!

April was also the month where my friend, Cat, and I decided to host (a very impromptu) Divergent Week! It was a whole lot of fun and I am very grateful to the people who got involved! I also wrote a post on book-to-movie adaptations where I hadn't read the book but watched the move which you can read HERE - I'm weirdly proud of this post for some reason... Other posts I've loved this month from other bloggers can be found here, here, here, here, here and here. Muhahaha, now you must click on all those links to find out who's behind what! ;P

I've also put together a little survey which I'd be VERY grateful if you filled out below, just to see what you all think of this little blog here and if there's anything I could do to improve it. Constructive criticism is welcome! You fill out the survey anonymously so no need to feel uncomfortable! You also don't need to answer every question - nothing is necessary. If you fill out the survey, thank you so much! :)


Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

I've watched that movie! Not read the book though...

One thing you may as well all know about me is that I'm impatient. Even if I know a certain movie has been adapted from a book, if that movie looks good and I have access to it, I will watch it. Even without having read the book beforehand. *cringes* Let me stress, however, that I am getting BETTER. To prove this: I bought and read both The Maze Runner and The Fault in Our Stars earlier this year because I knew they were being adapted into films and actually wanted to have read the book beforehand! Forgive me? Thought so! ;)

So today I thought I'd share some book-to-movie adaptions where I've only watched the movie and not read the book. I figure you may get mad when you see some of the books I've not read so just remember... I love you! ;P

 

First up, Twilight. Believe it or not, I don't actually hate this movie. Sure, it's not my favourite movie, but I don't necessarily dislike it. Kirsten Stewart's acting may be a little... strange at times but it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movie as much as it does others. Twilight is one of those movies where I sometimes just, unexplainably, crave it. No pun intended. ;) I do actually want to read this book though. Not because I want to trash the author or anything, I simply want to read it just because of how much fuss there is over it. I want to know whether I, personally, will love it or hate it. Simple as that.

Yes, I know, another Stephenie Meyer book. What can I say, I'm curious about her books! I rather enjoyed The Host movie. It was a breath of fresh air to me at the time I watched it. It was an alien movie that wasn't a crude comedy and I just really appreciated the uniqueness of it all. The setting really drew me in too. I also really want to read this novel (even though the size is quite daunting)! I did at one point take it out of the library a couple years back so I do regret never actually giving it a good ol' go.

My gosh, I haven't seen this movie for YEARS! Such a shame too because I adore it! It's just so unique and unlike any other movie I've seen, which makes me think how unusual the book could be. I'm always hearing good things about the book series from a few booktubers and so every time it's brought up now, I cry a little inside because I want it that much. It looks freaking fantastic!

Again, another unique movie which I kind-of adored. I can actually defend myself with this one though because when I watched the movie of this, I had no idea it was a book! Then, when I did find out, I remembered my mum having had a copy of this (with the cover above!) somewhere around the house but, when I'd asked, she'd had no idea where she'd put it. I am hopefully one day going to manage to find my own copy and get started on it because I'm desperate to!

Okay, so everyone has got to have seen The Princess Diaries, right?! It's like every pre-teen girl's fave chick-lit! ;) I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the 'watched the movie, not read the book' department for this one! ...Imma right? *crosses fingers* This movie can easily cheer me up because it never fails to take me back to my younger years. *sighs happily* Believe it or not, though, I'm not sure if I even want to read this book. I don't know if it's too fluffy for me. I may end up reading it out of guilt. I have read and adored one of Cabot's books before though - Avalon High - so I don't know why I'm so hesitant!

I don't know what sort-of reaction I'm going to get when I tell you I actually like the Percy Jackson movie. Maybe this is because I haven't read the book but... Yeah, I like it. I'm quite the Logan Lermen fan, truthfully, but still. The movie's unique - ALL THESE MOVIES ARE UNIQUE, K?! - and action-packed, just my cup of tea! I am planning on reading the book series of this though. This is definitely one of the ones I'm embarrassed about having not read. *hides face*

Not my favourite movie but not too shabby y'know. It certainly had it's comical moments ('Don't be creepy, don't be creepy...')! Like with The Princess Diaries, I'm not actually too fussed about reading this. It doesn't look like my type of thing but, again, I may pick it up one day just so I can compare the two.

I don't have such a good excuse for not reading the book beforehand for this one. *facepalm* I watched this only a few months ago and knew, just before it started, I could easily, first and foremost, read this book. And I didn't. My curiosity got the best of me and I watched it. Would it help if I said it was really good? The cinematography was rather incredible? ... I WILL pick this one up. Probably. Maybe.

Yes. I haven't read this. *cries* The movie was beautiful, sweet, heart-warming, cute and I haven't read this book. I blame the fact that Logan Lermen and Emma Watson were in it! They were the reason I watched it in the first place! I BLAME THEM! So, yes, wasn't my fault I hadn't read this book beforehand. I'm sure I'll get on to it someday. Hopefully.

Ack! This is probably the book I want to read most out of all the above! Luckily, I do have it on my bookshelf! I just need to find time to read it. Again this was a movie I adored in my younger years. I loved the feeling of adventure and I was easily thrown into the fantastical world on screen. I'm hoping I find the same escape in the book! When I finally do get on to reading it. *scowls at school and every other distraction*

Wow. I didn't know this post was going to turn out so long. If you read it all, I applaud you. I hope you aren't *too* mad at some of the books I haven't read... I'll be getting on them soon! Most likely.

And you? Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? Have you watched the movie too? How did the two compare? Are you like me and have seen the movie but not read the book? Or had you read the book then watched the movie? Comment below!

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

Review: The Screaming Staircase

Author: Jonathan Stroud
Edition: Doubleday ARC/Proof
Released: 29th August 2013
Series: Lockwood & Co. #1
Pages: 440 approx.
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

I am ashamed. So deeply, deeply ashamed. This book (or should I say, proof copy of this book) came through the post to me sometime last year. It was completely unexpected, a complete surprise and I hadn't given it much thought. I hadn't heard too much about it nor did it instantly appeal to me. Last night I picked it up on a whim, more or less due to the UKYA readathon and all I can say is that I'm very glad I ended up doing so, because it was rather incredible - I adored it.

It wasn't what I was expecting. At all. I didn't know I was in for a story that would complete transport me into another world. Nor did I imagine I would fall head over heels in love with the characters. It was just such a unique, refreshing and completely unexpected gem of a book. I seriously hadn't realised how much I was craving something different until I read it. It was a real adventure that locked me in and kept me hooked.

The world. That was the thing I was probably the most surprised about. I was expecting some world-building, not the exceptionally well-developed world I got. I'm not complaining though, it's probably one of my favourites in terms of setting development. I easily got lost in the sinister London Stroud had created and didn't want to leave. The world-building is extremely admirable and definitely worthy of applause (or a good cup of tea and a sugary doughnut - whatever floats your boat).

The characters, oh my, the characters. At first I thought Lucy (our narrator) was going to be slightly pretentious and overly mature but, luckily, this didn't turn out to be the case. She ended up being a relatable teenager, someone strong who could handle herself but someone you would want to look out for anyway. Her relationship with George was entertaining and definitely lightened up some gloomy situations in the book - when they were together I couldn't help but smile. Lockwood, well, he's another story. He's sure as heck different from any other male character I've ever come across before. He's eccentric, unusual, deviously charming and maybe a little impulsive and I'm just a little bit in love with him. He's nothing like the male leads I usually fall for yet... I just couldn't help but fall for him in this book.

To conclude, The Screaming Staircase ended up being a great read and definitely one of the best UKYA books I've ever read. It was different and intriguing and I ended up adoring it. A lot. A whole lot. If anything, I would say that at some points, and these were few and rare, I questioned the solidity of the plotline and the mystery but this book ended up shaming me because I had cast it aside so quickly without giving it a chance. It really was a brilliant read and I recommend it if you're looking for something different and exciting. The world building and diverse array of characters make it one you'll be sorry you missed out on!

FOUR AND A HALF TOADSTOOLS FOR THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE!

Huge thanks to Random House for sending me out a copy of this book!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

 

PS: I'm even more ashamed that I never realised the talented author had signed my proof and there was a letter (addressed to me, with my name and everything!) inside from Mr Lockwood himself. Not only that, but after I downloaded the Totally Random Book app and pointed the camera at the cover of the book and a photo of the author on the back, both came to life! I will now treasure these precious gifts and profusely thank the author and Random House! 

Review: The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Edition: Chicken House Paperback
Released: July 2010
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Pages: 371 approx.
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book!

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze.

Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there, or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything to find out.

 

I pretty much bought this book a couple days after the movie trailer was released. After watching the trailer for the first time and being blown away by it, I decided then and there that I was going to have to read The Maze Runner before the film's release. And I did. Though I didn't love it, I'm still glad I read it and can go into the movie knowing more of the backstory behind it!

 

First of all, let me stress how hard it is for me to get along with a male lead. I don't know why, maybe it's because I'm female and have no first-hand experience of the male brain but, incredibly, I didn't want to break Thomas in two. I actually got along with him. *gasps* This is a big deal for me - you may see me reviewing more books with male narrators now! Even though Thomas wasn't the best character, he was smart, reliable and possessed a number of qualities you'd look for in an admirable leader. I never didn't understand something he'd do - I could always see the reason behind why he was doing it and could admire him for it. There are very few characters you can point at and say they'd make a great leader, Thomas is one of them.

 

The actual plotline of the story wasn't as complex as I would have liked. It was slightly underwhelming. However, this made the book more of a light read - which I know a lot of people enjoy when all they've been doing is reading heavier novels. I can say though, with almost complete assurance, the ending of this book (I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!) has set up a more complex storyline for the sequel, The Scorch Trials. There were points in this book that, admittedly, I did find slow-going and, at one point, I did sit the book down and leave it there for a few days but the build up to the ending was more fast-paced and thrilling and I found myself flicking to the last page much sooner than I'd expected because I was so hooked.

 

To conclude, The Maze Runner is a novel I enjoyed and am glad to have read. Although it wasn't complex plot-wise and sometimes slow-going, there were redeeming qualities - the main character and the unforeseen plot twists. I'll probably pick up the sequel, The Scorch Trials, at one point or another but I'm not making it a priority. I do recommend you pick The Maze Runner up if you enjoy action/adventure stories and if you're interested in going to see the movie when it comes out!

 

THREE TOADSTOOLS TO THE MAZE RUNNER!



Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo

PS: If you were planning on buying The Maze Runner but are now a little discouraged, go check out Sunny's glowing, five-star review HERE! :)

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading.

This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations. 

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon.

Excerpt

 

PROLOGUE

Back Where The Entire Adventure Began

As soon as the engine began to sputter, I knew that I was in real trouble. Up until then, I had somehow managed to convince myself that there was just something wrong with the fuel gauges. After all, how could I possibly have burnt through my remaining fuel as quickly as the gauges seemed to indicate? It simply wasn't possible. But with the engine choking and gasping, clinging to life on the last fumes of aviation fuel, it was clear that when the fuel gauges read, "Empty," they weren't kidding around.

The lightning strike that took out my radio and direction-finding gear hadn't worried me all that much. (Okay, I admit it worried me a little bit.) It wasn't the first time that this had happened to me, and besides, I still had my compasses to direct me to where I was going. But I did get a little bit concerned when I found nothing but open ocean as far my eyes could see at precisely the location where I fully expected to find tiny Howland Island—and its supply of fuel for the next leg of my journey—waiting for me. The rapidly descending needles on my fuel gauges made me even more nervous as I continued to scout for the island, but only when the engine began to die did I realize that I really had a serious problem on my hands.

The mystery of the disappearing fuel.

The enigma of the missing island.

The conundrum of what do I do now?

"Exactly," the little voice inside my head said to me in one of those annoying 'I-told-you-so' kind of voices. "What do you do now?"

"First, I am going to stay calm," I replied. "And think this through."

"You'd better think fast," the little voice said, and I could almost hear it tapping on the face of a tiny wristwatch somewhere up there in my psyche. "If you want to make it to your twentieth birthday, that is.  Don't forget that you're almost out of fuel."

"Thanks a lot," I replied. "You're a big help."

Easing forward with the control wheel I pushed my trusty De Havilland Beaver into a nosedive. Residual fuel from the custom-made fuel tanks at the back of the passenger cabin dutifully followed the laws of gravity and spilled forward, accumulating at the front and allowing the fuel pumps to transfer the last remaining drops of fuel into the main forward belly tank. This maneuver breathed life back into the engine and bought me a few more precious minutes to ponder my situation.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday," I said, keying my radio transmitter as I leveled my flight path out again. "This is aircraft Charlie Foxtrot Kilo Tango Yankee, calling any ground station or vessel hearing this message, over."

I keyed the mic off and listened intently for a reply. Any reply. Please? But there was nothing. There was barely even static. My radio was definitely fried.

It was hard to believe that it would all come down to this. After the months of preparation and training. After all the adventures that I'd had, the friends I'd made, the beauty I'd experienced, the differences and similarities I'd discovered from one culture to the next and from one human being to the next. All of this in the course of my epic flight around the entire world.

Or I should say, "my epic flight almost around the entire world," in light of my current situation.

And the irony of it was absolutely incredible. Three-quarters of a century earlier the most famous female pilot of them all had disappeared over this exact same endless patch of Pacific Ocean on her own quest to circle the globe. And she had disappeared while searching for precisely the same island that was also eluding me as I scanned the horizon with increasing desperation.

"Okay," I thought to myself. "Just be cool and take this one step at a time to think the situation through." I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, slowing it down and reining in the impulse to panic. Inside my head, I quickly and methodically replayed every flight that I'd ever flown. Every emergency I'd ever faced. Every grain of experience that I had accumulated along the long road that had led me to this very moment. Somewhere in there was a detail that was the solution to my current predicament. I was sure of it. And all I had to do was find it.

Maybe the answer to my current situation lay somewhere among the ancient temples of Angkor in Cambodia? Or in the steamy jungles of east Africa? Or inside the towering pyramids of Giza? Or among the soaring minarets of Sarajevo? Or on the emerald rolling hills and cliffs of western Ireland? Or on the harsh and rocky lava fields of Iceland?

Wherever the answer was, it was going to have to materialize quickly, or another female pilot (me) would run the risk of being as well-known throughout the world as Amelia Earhart. And for exactly the same reason.

"It's been a good run at least," the little voice inside my head observed, turning oddly philosophical as the fuel supplies ran critically low. "You've had more experiences on this journey around the world than some people do in their entire lifetime."

"That's it!" I thought.

Maybe the answer to all this lies even further back in time? All the way back to the summer that had inspired me to undertake this epic journey in the first place. All the way back to where North America meets the Pacific Ocean—the islands and glaciers and whales of Alaska.

All the way back to where this entire adventure began. 

Giveaway

 

Now on to the exciting part! If this book has caught your eye, you can enter to win one kindle version of it. The giveaway will be open from 8th April until the 16th April at 00:00AM. Anyone can enter because it's an e-book copy, just make sure if you're under 14 years old, you have parents permission. Also take into account that I will have to pass on your email address to the publishers so they can send you a gift copy through Amazon. If all this is okay with you, then all you need to do is enter via Rafflecopter below! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Good luck!

 

Happy Reading,

Rachel xoxo

Something to make you think...

Okay, so a thought has just struck and, while it's fresh in my mind, I need to blog about it.

The primary role of a book blogger is to review books. We all know this, of course. It's not exactly a theory. But, if you think about it, book bloggers, though they can enhance a reading experience, can also taint it.

Once you've read a review of a book, parts of it automatically go into your subconscious. You may not realise it but, during the time you're reading that particular book, you're picking up on the little things bloggers spoke of in their reviews. Whether good or bad. Small things which you might not have picked up on otherwise. Sometimes you can be grateful for it - it may make you appreciate the novel in a different way or help you understand a particular plot twist - but, horrifyingly enough, sometimes it can affect the way people enjoy the book.

It was rather slow paced to begin with.
This character got rather irritating after a while.
I didn't get the instant attraction.

I have more or less said these things - as well as numerous other comments - in my reviews at one point or another. Does that mean that I'm responsible if, after reading my review, that person also found the start of the story slow-paced or thought the romance was too much like insta-love? Maybe. Maybe not.

We all know about the hype monster. When the blogosphere just blows up over a particular book. Everyone raving here, there and everywhere. This book's incredible. This book's AMAZING. This book's perfection! Those of us who haven't yet picked up this 'fantastic' book instantly have high expectations. More often than not, for me, personally, anyway - and I'm sure for a lot of other people as well - the book falls short. You simply expected too much from it.

Quickly flash-back to when you didn't blog or when internet wasn't as popular. You opened up a book with no expectations. Nothing. And you loved it. You loved it a lot. You loved it because you, and you alone, read it through untainted eyes. You perceived it the way you did. There was nothing niggling away in your subconscious. Sometimes I miss that feeling. Knowing you really did love it, it wasn't because someone said this or someone said that. It was all you.

I don't quite know where I'm going with this post. This isn't an indirect way of telling you I'm not reviewing anymore. I will continue to review books because I love doing it. This also isn't a dig at book bloggers - I will also continue to read other book blogger's reviews. It just strikes me as interesting that a community such as our own can truly affect readers in different ways.

What do YOU think of all this?

Happy Reading,
Rachel xoxo