Reviews

May 5, 2015 by Bianca 4 Comments

Review: Suspected by Rori Shay

Yesterday, I posted my review for “Elected,” by Rori Shay which is the first book in this series. Here is my review of the brand new sequel, for your enjoyment.

Title: Suspected
Series: The Elected Series
Book Number: #1
Author/s: Rori Shay

Publication Date: April 22nd, 2015
Publisher: Silence in the Library Publishing

Pages: 270

Purchase: Amazon | Kobo Books | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Silence in the Library

Synopsis
East Country upheld the laws. Mid destroyed them.

In the year 2185 Earth is rebuilding after a global eco-crisis. Countries maintain complete isolation so there’s no warfare over scarce resources. One Elected family is chosen to lead each country for one hundred years to ensure stability. Women aren’t allowed to take office and must reproduce at all costs. Technology is banned to preserve what’s left of the environment.

Yet, I’m my country’s Elected. I’ve just sanctioned technology use to ready us for war. I’m about to cross the border to spy on our neighbor. And…I’m a girl. Shhhhhh…..

I received this eBook as a part of a book tour, hosted by Lola’s Book Tours.

As soon as I finished the wonder that was Elected, I flipped to Suspected and couldn’t stop reading. Elected filled me with fear, laughs and a sense that something was not right. Suspected backed this up.

Thanks to Red Queen, I now have a chronic Don’t-Trust-Any-Characters illness and it definitely had a presence whilst reading Rori Shay’s books. The Technology Faction was too calm, Vienne was too perfect and Mid Country was too advanced.

Suspected left me longing for Perfected, the not-yet-released finale to Shay’s touching trilogy. That cliffhanger was uncalled for.

Throughout Elected and Suspected, I enjoyed the confusion and self doubt running through Aloy’s head at every moment. She was always scared that what she did wouldn’t be good for the greater mass of her people, yet she refused to allow the minorities to continue being silent. In Suspected, she was presented with Mid Country’s awful to-be leader, Calix, which created contrast and something for Aloy to compare herself to. This boosted her sense of righteousness and created a stronger leader out of a person whom was denied the right to leadership because of her gender.

Aloy’s relationships with Vienne and Griffin were unique. On one hand, Vienne was literally made for Aloy however Griffin was meant to be her enemy. From the moment I met Griffin until the moment I die, I will ship Aliffin to Pluto and back again.

Suspected was the opposite of Elected in the sense that Aloy did not see herself and the Elected family as the enemy – but as the hero and voice of the people they ruled. I personally thought it was interesting reading about a girl who overcame her self esteem ‘issues’ (I say that in the lightest sense) and turned into a woman who came to understand that her presence prevented the real evil from murdering thousands of innocent civilians.

In certain parts of Suspected, I felt like the writing was just average, and all I wanted to do was skim through the tedious descriptions. It almost created, yet another, reading slump for me, but then it picked up again towards the end.

In conclusion, I cannot wait to read Perfected, and I would love it for you to share your thoughts and opinions on Rori Shay’s works with me via the comments below!

May 4, 2015 by Bianca 2 Comments

Review: Elected by Rori Shay

Hello! A few weeks ago, I signed up for a book tour for Rori Shay’s new book, “Suspected.” It’s the sequel to this book and it going to be released very soon! This is my review of the first novel, “Elected,” so I hope you enjoy.

Cover Title: Elected

Series: The Elected Series
Book Number: #1
Author/s: Rori Shay

Publication Date: April 8th, 2014
Publisher: Silence in the Library Publishing

Pages: 270

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository| Booktopia

Synopsis

It’s the year 2185, and in two weeks, Aloy will turn eighteen and take her father’s place as president of the country. But to do so, she must masquerade as a boy to avoid violating the Eco-Accords, four treaties designed to bring the world back from the brink of environmental extinction. Aloy hopes to govern like her father, but she is inheriting a different country. The long concealed Technology Faction is stepping out of the shadows, and as turmoil grows within her country, cryptic threats also arrive from beyond their borders.

As she struggles to lead, Aloy maintains her cover by marrying a woman, meanwhile battling feelings for the boy who knows her secret—the boy who is somehow connected to her country’s recent upheaval. When assassination attempts add to the turmoil, Aloy doesn’t know whom to trust. She understood leadership required sacrifice. She just didn’t realize the sacrifice might be her life.

I received this eBook as a part of a book tour, hosted by Lola’s Book Tours.

As soon as I received Elected, I rushed to open it up and begin reading. I was so eager to read a book that dealt with today’s issues in the future and I was definitely impressed.

Rori Shay created a world which had been destroyed by climate change, ruled by sexism and left for dead by disease. She created characters that played with your trust – twisting it in some places, and warmly embracing it in others. In this aspect, I regarded Elected as a Red-Queen-Kinda-Novel, and then there was this:

Screen Shot 2015-04-18 at 3.01.33 pm

For any readers that have read the above post, or something along those lines, and really want to read a book written from the perspective such a person, Elected is the perfect book for you.

Aloy sincerely believes that the Technology Faction – a group of people rooting for the use of technology, once again – is bred out of pure evil. However, in their own eyes, Aloy is the real enemy and you have no idea who to trust…

Despite having loved the plot of Elected to Pluto and back, I felt like the execution was merely average, which is disappointing.

Screen Shot 2015-04-18 at 3.25.21 pm

I guess that sums it up. The “eventfulness” of Elected was just bleh. I felt like too much time passed and too little happened. Regardless of whether or not that’s what would happen in reality, the novel could have scored itself another ice cream if I jumping up and down, scared for the characters throughout the entire story – rather than in bits and pieces of it.

I loved the plot and characters*, the writing was above average – 3 1/2 ice creams – and the eventfulness was average. I would recommend this book to lovers of Red Queen, Branded, Divergent, The Hunger Games and Graceling.

*Griffin

Would you buy Elected, if you saw it in a shop? Or have you read it already, if so, how was it?

April 12, 2015 by Bianca 2 Comments

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

First of all, I’m writing this review five minutes after having read the book, so if, when reading, it feels like every word has been written with overwhelming amounts of emotion, you’re right!

Cover Title: Red Queen

Series: Red Queen Series
Book Number: #1
Author/s: Victoria Aveyard

Publication Date: February the 10th, 2015
Publisher: Hachette

Pages: 299

Purchase Links: Amazon | The Book Depository| Booktopia | iTunes

Synopsis

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.
But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Recently, it seems as if every reader on the internet has read Red Queen, because of the amount of hype it has received, and along with that, the praise.

At first, I thought that this book was going to be a fantasy-themed-story, with hints of royal blood here and there. I wasn’t exactly expecting what came, but I won’t hesitate to say that I’m not happy with it.

Red Queen was a sad book, full of betrayal and plot twists hiding around every corner. It’s one of those books that have to be physically pulled out of your hands to stop you from reading, and I loved it for that, however, the amount of plot twists was crazy!

Throughout the novel, I found it hard to know which characters to trust. Little hints were given by Victoria, trying to make you think that a certain character was not to be feared, but, as a reader, I disregarded them and kept going until I got to yet another plot twist that incorporated every hint and created a story which said, quite blatantly: IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO TRUST THAT CHARACTER!

I thought that the plot was quite unique, despite the fact that it reminded me of Divergent more than once, and Victoria’s execution was brilliant. The creation of the characters was, however, just above average, as I believed that – while they were fantastic – they took the default personalities of dystopian characters {e.g. Prince Charming, female character that wants change, male friend who goes a bit beyond what she wants, nice turned evil guy and psychotic step mother}.

**MINOR SPOILER** In saying this, I did enjoy Farley, as a character. She was the leader of a very big rebellion, but she was still human. Still afraid of what may come her way.**END OF SPOILER**

One part of Red Queen that I absolutely loved was the fact that the protagonist, Mare Barrow, felt like she didn’t really fit into her Red community, or her family. She was always independent, and didn’t rely on the help of her companions – however helpful they may have been.

In conclusion, I thought that Red Queen, despite a limited number of flaws, was a fabulous book and deserves to be put on my “Sweetest Books” list.

Have you heard of or read Red Queen? What do you think of the cover design?

April 5, 2015 by Bianca 1 Comment

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

First of all, Happy Easter! I hope that you’re having a spectacular day, eating chocolate and reading your favourite books… Today, I have decided to review Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Fangirl’, since it’s a nice sweet story, perfect for sitting down on a beanbag, close to the heater, and indulging.

Title: Fangirl
Author/s: Rainbow Rowell

Publication Date: September the 10th, 2013
Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 453

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository| Booktopia | iTunes

Synopsis

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

If I was asked to describe this book in one word, the first word to come to my head would be ‘cute’, because that is exactly what Fangirl is; a cute, perfect, romantic novel of which has become a bible-like book for fangirls everywhere.

If you’re searching for action, adventure or fantasy, I wouldn’t recommend coming near this book. It speaks the story of a young, quirky university student obsessed with a book series about a mage named Simon Snow, as she travels the world of love, school and fan-fiction.

Personally, I felt that Fangirl was a bit repetitive, especially during the middle of the book. Cath would go to school, write fan-fiction, sleep, talk to Levi and the cycle didn’t stop for a while. This made the novel a bit slow, and therefore not one of my favourites – as I prefer fast flowing, action packed stories, regardless of whether they’re romantic or not.

Rainbow Rowell created a beautiful ending, but a lot of us (readers) wanted more. I guess that happens with the majority of books, though. We readers can’t resist the idea of having an infinite number of books written in one world.

As Rachel (from Beauty and the Bookshelf) said in her review, one of the best aspects of Rowell’s novel is the fact that all of the characters – from Cath to her professor – felt real, which is always a fantastic thing! A few of them were boring, but it made sense, since the book was Cath’s book and Cath didn’t get to know each and every one of the people she met.

Overall, I felt that, despite Fangirl being a brilliant and unique book, it didn’t sit on my personal favourites. The plot was great, however the execution was merely above average. I would hesitate to read it again, but not go out of my way to do so.

What did you think of Fangirl, if you’ve read it? Who was your favourite character?

March 31, 2015 by Bianca 8 Comments

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars

Series: The Starbound Trilogy
Book Number: #1
Author/s: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Publication Date: December the 10th, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 374

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository| Booktopia | iTunes

Synopsis

It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver finda strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

As I flipped through the final chapters of this book, I felt so many strong emotions flow through my system, it was crazy! The story had come alive within my head, and that’s one aspect of this novel that I adored.

If I wrote a list consisting of every single ending in books that I have fell in love with, These Broken Stars would be close behind Delirium (my absolute favourite).

The.BookClub ’s collective review on Instagram proved my theory that Amie and Meagan wrote a fabulous book. They pointed out all of the elements that I admired, such as Tarver (a well-written decorated war hero whom Lilac got stranded on the planet with) and thought that the idea of having these alien beings living on energy were a very unique idea.

The book demonstrated themes that visited the harsh reality that even with all of the fame, fortune and public admiration of a wealthy man’s daughter, your life can still be lifeless.

I personally enjoyed the topic of two parties, with no immediate similarities, joining forces and discovering that love has no limits – despite how cliche it sounds, this was executed very well in the pair’s novel.

I almost forgot to mention the perspectives in which These Broken Stars was written. Usually, I don’t tend to get into books written from multiple angles, which was why I was a little bit hesitant to pick up this book. However, when I began reading, I realised that Kaufman and Spooner had it all planned out, and made the plot even deeper with both Tarver and Lilac sharing their ideas, planting seeds of doubt in your head every time something happens.

I will not hesitate to pick up ‘This Night So Dark’ (the short story, connecting the first and second book in the Starbound trilogy) or ‘This Shattered World’ (the second book), in fact, I cannot wait any longer! If you’re a fan of romance, action, adventure, The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game and/or Branded (by Abi Ketner and Missi Kalicicki), I am sure of the fact that you will be captivated by this thrilling story.

More fantastic news; the two authors and Eric Balfour are currently planning a TV series for These Broken Stars, do you know how excited I am???

It’s not very often that I give a book five stars, but when I do, it means that the book was extraordinarily amazing. I strongly believe that this book deserved five stars, because within it’s pages was a unique plot, executed by the authors in a brilliant fashion. Each character was carefully built, to provide depth to the story. Not once was I bored, thanks to the constant action and suspense.

If you have read TBS, which character do you think portrays you the best, and why? If you haven’t read it yet, run to the bookshop and buy it now! It’d be a crime not to!