One Day by David Nicholls

One Day by David Nicholls
First published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2009 (this edition by Hodder Paperbacks in 2010)

Description (from Goodreads)

'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.' He smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.' 15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY. 

My thoughts
One Day was a book that I had been seeing around quite a lot, especially since the trailer for the film (starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) came out. I had seen it in my local bookshop a couple of times, but it always disappeared before I got a chance to buy it for myself. Sometime later, I was talking to my Grandma and the subject of books and my blog came up. She said that she had a book that is very popular, but which she read and pretty much hated. And then she said the book was called One Day.

So, you can see that when I got round to reading it myself, I was preparing for the worst. My Grandma has quite good taste in books (though not always), and it was one of the few times that she has expressed strong (bad) feelings about a book to me. But I still wanted to try and read it for myself and it sounded like a nice book to read on the beach, so I did.

The story is told in a rather different way. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the 15th of July 1988, the night of their graduation. Each chapter in the book is focused on events on or surrounding the 15th of July in later years. So, essentially, you get to see one day of every year in the lives of Emma and Dexter over the span of 20 years.

The book started off as rather promising. Both Emma and Dexter were perfectly likeable (Emma a little more so) and the story was progressing in a nice way. But then something happened that caused Dexter to act like a major idiot and resulted in my not liking him at all. And wondering why Emma puts up with all that idiocy (and other nice words I'm not going to mention). Emma was likeable throughout the novel; she has a lovely personality, is genuinely nice and sweet and definitely brings out the best in Dexter. Dexter is mostly an obnoxious, arrogant and supremely irritating boy (and, yes, I do mean boy, as he pointedly refuses to grow up for the greater part of the book) and it because of him that I ended up not enjoying the novel as much as I hoped to.

One Day is by no means a bad book. It is a lovely love story and it is told in a rather different, interesting way. The fact that the author chooses one day in each year to tell you about all things Emma and Dexter works very well and, essentially, allowed him to span the story over so many years, without it getting too tiring (seeing as there wasn't much space to put unnecessary information in). And then, there was that ending. I was shocked; I was appalled; I am still trying to figure out what on EARTH possessed the author to finish the book like that. You'll know what I mean when you read it.

Rating: 6/10


Author:
David Nicholls is a British author, screenwriter and actor. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Bristol. After he graduated, he won a scholarship to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Upon returning to the UK in 1991, he worked as an actor, as well as a screenwriter and script-editor. Other books by David Nicholls:

Starter for Ten   |   The Understudy

You can find out more about David Nicholls from his official website.


Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Sister by Rosamund Lupton
First published by Piatkus in 2010 (this edition by Piatkus in 2011)


Description (from Goodreads)

Nothing can break the bond between sisters... 
When Beatrice gets a frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister, Tess, is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns about the circumstances surrounding her sister's disappearance, she is stunned to discover how little she actually knows of her sister's life - and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must now face. 
The police, Beatrice's fiance and even their mother accept they have lost Tess but Beatrice refuses to give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

My thoughts
Sister was not at all what I expected it to be. By that, I don't mean that I was expecting it to be a bright and light hearted read, but I definitely did not think it was going to be as it turned out to be (I am being purposely mysterious, because I don't know how else to phrase what I want to say and not spoil the book for you.)

The main character in Sister is Beatrice (or Bee). The whole book is actually a narration of the events that happened four months prior to the present time (of the book), with Beatrice telling the story from the beginning - when she gets a call from her Mother who tells her that her sister, Tess, has been missing for four days - as part of her testimony to Mr Wight, a lawyer who is keeping track of all the records and testimonials.

It is discovered quite early on that Tess is dead, something which was obvious from the first few pages of the novel. I found it rather weird that the author would choose to have the discovery of Tess' death so early on in the novel, but, since she did choose to, it became obvious that the book is not the story of Beatrice trying to find her sister alive, but rather of trying to find out exactly what happened to her, seeing as everyone else believes it to be a suicide.

The story is a very well written one, and though it kept me wanting to find out what happens in the end, it wasn't one that made me feel like I just had to read one more chapter; and then another; and then another. The characters were easy to relate to and down-to-earth, with a few cases of "worship" (you can't speak ill of the dead, can you?) and others of irritating/selfish/slap-worthy personalities. But what surprised me the most was the ending. Or maybe - to make myself more clear - the chapters leading up to the ending. Parts of them just seemed to come out of nowhere and they actually left me stunned (not the best word, but I couldn't find another one...)

All in all, Sister was a good book that is worth reading, even if you're not really into mystery/thriller/detective stories. It just wasn't one that I can say I absolutely loved. I really did like the author's writing style, so I will definitely be trying out her new book, Afterwards!

Rating: 6/10


Author:
Rosamund Lupton studied English Literature at Cambridge University. After she got her BA, she first worked as a freelance reviewer and copyeditor and then, went on to become a full-time screenwriter for BBC and independent film companies. Sister was her first novel and her second novel, Afterwards, just came out in the UK.

You can find more about Rosamund Lupton from her website.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
First published by Harlequin Teen in 2011 (this edition by Harlequin Teen in 2011)

Book #1 in the Spellbound series

Description (from Goodreads)

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?                                              Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.
But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

My thoughts
Spellbound was a book that I had seen around quite a bit on different blogs, but not one which I felt I had to read sometime (and the sooner that time came the better). I am sure that, had I not won this book in a giveaway, I would not have bought it for myself in the near future, as the whole story did not sound so original or so compelling. That blurb up there, which is the one I had read before I got my hands on a copy of this book, just makes it sound like yet another of those YA books where the main character fancies a boy who is the bad guy and ignores her and then things start going weird.

To be honest, the book isn't much more than that. But I did find myself enjoying Spellbound much more than I thought I would. Emma is a girl who has been through much in her rather short life: she has lost her mother and her twin brother and was made to live with her irresponsible stepfather for some time, until she finally decided to go and live with her aunt in New York City. There she attends a very high class private school and on her first day there, she manages to make an enemy. (Yep, pretty typical.) And she also manages to find a guy that she is "irresistably drawn to". (Yep, again, pretty typical.) And that, by some peculiar (or not) coincidence, they happen to be "soulmates". (... you know)

So, all in all, the storyline is not what you might call very original. Just from the blurb alone, this is not a book I think would cause someone to want to read it straight away, because of the fact that it follows a pretty predictable storyline. But, as I said before, I enjoyed Spellbound more than I thought I would, mainly because of the fact that the writing was rather good. It flowed naturally and, while I was reading it, did not make me feel as if I were reading the same old story, yet another time. What I enjoyed the most was the story behind the story. (I don't want to say more than that, so that I don't spoil the book) Suffice to say, that the explanation given for the "soulmate" theory, while a little cheesy, was sweet and I enjoyed reading the parts where it was explained.

The characters themselves were okay (what I can remember of them, at least). Emma, the main character, though she came from a rather tough background was not very much of a whinge-y person (at least to me) and I appreciated that. As for Brendan, he was rather cool, in an aloof, mind-your-own-business kind-of way and though in the beginning I was just okay with him, I ended up rather liking him. The whole romance between the two of them did feel a tad too instant-romance-y, but at least it wasn't an all-consuming type of romance (like the one that has come to get on my nerves a little in Alyson Noel's Immortals series). One of my favourite characters was Angelique, the school weird-witch. She really is just great.

To sum up, Spellbound is a book worth reading, if you feel that you're not sure about it (as I was). It's not THE most original thing in the world, but it is interesting and well written and will definitely account for some hours/days of enjoyable reading.

Rating: 6/10 (just because it's not a very original plot)

Author:
Cara Lynn Shultz obtained a degree from Fordham University and currently works as a senior editor at People.com. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines, including Teen People, InStyle and Us Weekly. Spellbound is her first novel and the sequel to it, Spellcaster, will be out in March 2012. You can keep up with her updates by following her blog.


Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 1st In A Series Challenge 2011

Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt

Fake Me A Match by Lauren Barnholdt
Expected publication in October 2011 by Aladdin (this edition is an e-Galley, courtesy of the S&S Galley Grab programme)


Description (from Goodreads)

Avery LaDuke is in the market for a new best friend. Her former BFF, Sophie Burns, dumped her to hang out with the popular crowd at school. But the good news Avery's getting a new sister who's bound to be her new BFF too! Blake is her age and she's from New York. How cool is that? But things don't go quite as smoothly as Avery hoped. And what's with Blake becoming BFFs with Sophie? Huh?? That wasn’t supposed to happen!When Avery gets put in charge of the eighth grade charity project, an on-line matchmaking service, she thinks she can use this project to get Blake back on her side. She decides to fix the matches so that Blake gets matched with Sam, the most popular boy in school, but when the matches come out something has gone seriously wrong! Not only is Avery matched with Sam, but the class advisor knows that someone tampered with the program. On top of that, Avery discovers that she actually kind of, sort of, likes Sam . . . and he likes her back. Torn between the guy she likes and her sister/best friend, Avery is left wondering: is there any possible way she can keep them both?

My thoughts
Fake Me A Match is a cute little book. And it's the first book I've read in ages that has that rather large font size that you get in children's books! Maybe because this is a children's book! Anyways, I am going off topic here.

I chose to read this book not because I had really been wanting to read it, but because I was participating in a readathon (and I was also reading The Historian at the time), so I decided that something short, cute and easy to read was just the thing to refresh my mind after too much historical information about Dracula,

Fake Me A Match is the story of Avery. Avery lives with her  mum, who is going to get married to a guy, who also has a daughter, Blake. So Avery is absolutely sure that she and Blake will end up being BFFs. But then Blake starts to get chummy with Avery's ex-BFF, Sophie, and she doesn't know what she's doing wrong. Avery is also on the student council and is put in charge of the eighth grade charity project, where they're going to raise money by playing matchmaker. Things start to get complicated when Avery, knowing that Blake fancies Sam, decides to tamper with the "matchmaking programme" and set the two of them up. But, of course, things go wrong and Avery ends up pairing herself with Sam. And then she realises that she actually likes Sam and that Sam also likes her back. It does get a little complicated, doesn't it??

This is a book that is aimed at younger readers and it shows. The language isn't dumbed down in any way, but it is a lot simple. Lauren Barnholdt really has done an excellent job of getting into the young teenager's mind and depicts their mannerisms, thoughts and worries in a lovely and very sweet way. Character development is okay, despite the fact that I really could not stand Avery. To me, she came of as a bit of a whiny little girl who is overenthusiastic about everything and ended up getting on my nerves. As for Blake, she wasn't really very nice for the most part of the book. Sam, on the other hand, was a lovely character. We first meet him through Avery's preconceptions about him, but through their charity project and their dog-training sessions, we get to see what he's really like. I love it when the boy in the book is a good boy!

All in all, Fake Me A Match is a great book for younger readers, but might not be very appealing to older ones. I suppose that what this book really is is a light fluffy read (just like chick lit) for young teenagers. Definitely a book to check out if you like that kind of thing! (I am definitely going to try reading one of her titles for older readers, because I really liked her writing style!)

Rating: 6/10 (I can't give it a higher rating because I just liked it - I didn't love it - but it is still a very good read)

Author:
Lauren Barnholdt seems to be a very secretive person and I can't find anything to write here. Some of her books include:

Two Way Street   |   Aces Up

The Witches of Santa Anna

You can find out more about her books from her Goodreads page as well as from her website. She also has a blog but it hasn't been updated in a while now.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

Angle of Incidence by Christy Hayes

Angle of Incidence by Christy Hayes
First published as a Kindle ebook in 2011 (an electronic copy was provided from the author for review)


Description (from Goodreads)

Gwen Perry has the picture perfect life. Her Washington D.C. based photography business is booming, her husband's law career is lucrative, and after years of trying, they're only months away from the birth of their first child. 
While a nasty turn of fate leaves Gwen devastated, angry, and on the verge of depression, her husband Rob walks a dangerous tight rope. He's hiding something from Gwen that could destroy their marriage. But even the deepest secrets won't stay buried forever.
When Rob's past is revealed, Gwen agrees to join her college friend at the artists' retreat he's leading in Colorado despite the consequences to her marriage. But Rob's not the only one keeping secrets from the past and her trip down memory lane could burn the bridge leading her back home.

My thoughts
Angle of Incidence was a book that I wasn't sure what to expect of. The description was informative enough to make me want to read it, but not much more than that. So, when I started reading it, I was pleasantly surprised by both the story and character development, as well as the writing. I have read a few self-published books and what is most prominent about them was their rather obvious lack of proper revisions. While the writing was not perfect, it was definitely a lot better than other self published books I've read.


The story itself is good, despite the fact that it is about a pretty popular issue; marital problems. In this case, we have Gwen and Rob, a couple who have been together for years and they are - at the beginning of the novel - expecting their first child. But then, something happens and Gwen loses the baby, leading her to become a shadow of her former self, who can't even open up to her husband and share a little of her pain and anger. And as if losing a baby wasn't enough, new secrets begin to come to light, leaving Gwen betrayed and hurt, despite the fact that she also has secrets of her own she's never told anyone about.


The characters in this story were very well developed, despite the fact that sometimes what they said or did, did sound a little over the top. Gwen, for example, is an ok character. She has a good heart and is capable and strong, but her grief over her lost child sounded a little too over the top to me (I do not mean that losing a child should be easy to get over, just that the choice of words to describe what Gwen was going through at the time needn't have been so strong). Another thing that annoyed me a little about Gwen was the fact that she went on and on about how Rob betrayed her (through not telling her his secret), but then again, she hadn't told him hers. So it made her sound a little selfish and cruel and two-faced. Rob was a little better. He was trying to make the most of a bad situation foisted upon him and has no idea what to do to help his wife get out of the pit of despair and denial she has pushed herself into.


All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. One thing I especially liked in this book were the little photography related definitions at the beginning of each chapter, each one of which was chosen specifically for a certain chapter because of what was going on in it. I thought that was a lovely touch, especially since Gwen is a professional photographer. (Though having said that, I did notice that a few of them kept being repeated. Maybe it would have been better if each definition was only used once.)


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Christy Hayes is an American author from Atlanta, Georgia. She writes women's romantic fiction. She has been writing seriously since 2004 and made the decision to publish her novels independently in 2011. Other than Angle of Incidence, she has also written:

Heart of Glass   |   Shoe Strings

Misconception

You can find out more about Christy Hayes and her books from her official website.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011






(Disclaimer: Anything stated in this review reflects my personal opinion of the book. Other than receiving a copy of the book for review purposes, I have not been compensated in any other way for what I have said.)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
First published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers in 2009 (this edition by Gollancz in 2010)


Book #1 in The Forest of Hands and Teeth series




Description (from Goodreads)
In Mary's world there are simple truths: 

The Sisterhood always knows best. 

The Guardians will protect and serve. 

The Unconsecrated will never relent. 

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. 

But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?


My thoughts
I know this book has been around blogs quite a bit as of late (though it is by no means a recent release), and I will admit to liking the cover and wanting to read it at some point or another. But the main reason I bought this book at the time I did was because of the fact that it was rather cheap by Greek standards (though I also found the same cover with the leafy thing on the black background and that cost more than 15euros - not worth it).


So, basically, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a book about zombies. Not that there is anything wrong with zombies as a theme for a book, just that a) I hadn't realised it before I got round to reading it that the Unconsecrated=Zombies and b) it was the first zombie book I have ever read. And I can say that it was rather interesting!


The main character is called Mary (which I don't think you find often in YA books - everyone seems to have some weird name or, at least, some weird spelling of a name) and she lives in a small village surrounded by a fence, which is there to protect the people who live in the village from the beings that reside in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, the Unconsecrated. The story starts off with an event that plays an important part throughout the book regarding the relationship between Mary and her brother, Jed. After that, Mary is sent to live with the Sisterhood, an sort-of organisation who run the village - meaning they're the authority figure. We also have the Guardians, a group of soldiers who patrol the fence daily to check for any breaks that could lead to the Unconsecrated infiltrating the village.


While she is with the Sisterhood, she gets to see things from a different perspective and realises that things are not how everyone thinks they are: the Sisterhood hides a lot of information from the villagers. Armed with that knowledge and because of a frightful event that occurs in her village, Mary decides to look for the ocean, a place she knows about only from her mother's stories.


As I said before, this is a book with zombies. The Unconsecrated came to be after a major event sometime in the past that infected people with a virus (??) and which caused them to not die, but rather, continue their existence as Unconsecrated. As a result, if you get scratched (or is it bitten?? - it has been ages since I read this book), you become infected and after a few hours/days become Unconsecrated yourself.


The actual story is very good. As I also mentioned before, this is the first book I have ever read that features zombies (and now I won't be avoiding them, as I had been in the past), but I did have a bit of a problem with Mary and some of the other main characters. Mary was a little boring, to put it mildly. She was always going on and on about the ocean (which I suppose is good, to have some hope), but she wanted everyone to follow her blindly on this mission, when even she had no idea where she was going or what she was going to encounter there. Then, there is the matter of the love interest. Early on in the book, we find out that Mary's love-of-her-life is Trevor. And that Trevor might also have feelings for her. But Trevor is going to become bound (engaged) to her best friend Cass. And then, we have Harry, who offers to marry her and also loves her, but Mary doesn't really, because she is full of love for Trevor. Oh my good God... I know it sounds as if it could make a good ''love square'', but I just couldn't see the attraction between Trevor and Mary. On the other hand, there was way more chemistry between Harry and her. Plus, Harry came off as a much nicer to me than Trevor. And to end this paragraph, I must say that Jed was an absolute ass. Well and truly. I can't even begin to think about what was going through his head when he cut off his sister just like that. To be fair, though, he does get a little better later on in the book.


As for the ending, it was actually rather good. I think I liked it more than most of the book, because it was something completely new and different. All in all, though the book was not one of my favourites, I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, The Dead-Tossed Waves, to see what that one is like.


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Carrie Ryan was born and raised in Greenville and holds a degree in Law Studies. She used to work as a litigator, but gave it up to work as a full-time writer. The Forest of Hands and Teeth was her first novel, followed by The Dead-Tossed Waves (Book #2) and The Dark and Hollow Places (Book #3).

You can find out more about Carrie Ryan and her books from her official website.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 1st In A Series Challenge

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
First published by Doubleday in 2010 (this edition by Anchor Books in 2011)








Description (from Goodreads)
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s  privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world. But there are some family secrets that even her cursed taste buds can’t discern.


My thoughts
I was browsing through the internet one day, looking for books to order from the Book Depository, when I suddenly came upon The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. For some reason or another, the title appealed to me and I went on to read the blurb and finally, buy the book. So it was really a random buy. Although I do thing the cover is pretty!!


The premise of this book is actually quite interesting. The main character, Rose, discovers quite suddenly, on the eve of her 9th birthday, that she can taste her mother's emotions in her lemon cake. As the days go buy, she discovers things about her mother that she wouldn't really have wanted to know, just by tasting the food she has been preparing. With the help of one of her brother's friends, she experiments a little and realises that she can taste whatever emotion the maker of the food had while he/she was actually in the process of making it.


The book started off quite well. It was rather interesting and engaging, and I found the writing to be very good. The chapters are also rather small, and they help the story flow. What I was a little surprised by, though, was the fact that the weird things that were happening to Rose with her tasting buds, were proven to be rather mild compared to the weird things that were happening to certain other people in the book. (I won't say names, as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who decides to read it) I can quite honestly say that, even now, nearly two weeks after I finished reading it (and have had time to think about it), I have no idea what was going on with said person.


I did enjoy reading it, though not as much towards the end (as I wasn't sure about what was going on), but I do know one thing: Aimee Bender has a rather distinctive (and very enjoyable) way of writing, so I think I might try another one of her books sometime in the future.


Rating: 6/10 (purely because of my BIG question marks)


Author:
Aimee Bender is an American author. She lives in Los Angeles and currently teaches creative writing at USC. Other than The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (which is her latest novel), she has written another three books:

The Girl In The Flammable Skirt   |   An Invisible Sign of My Own

Willful Creatures

You can find out more about Aimee Bender from her official website.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens

A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens
First published by Grove Creek Publishing in 2008 (this edition by Grove Creek Publishing in 2008)








Description (from Goodreads)
He's my teacher. I shouldn't be alone with him. But I can't help that he's irresistible.
I let the door silently close at my back. He stared at me, and a taut quiet stretched between us. "I like hearing you play," I said, moving toward him. He turned, in sync with my slow approach. He looked up at me but didn't say anything. I rested my clammy hand on the cold, slick body of the baby grand. "May I?" The muscles in his throat shifted, then he swallowed. "Eden." My knees weakened, like a soft tickling kiss had just been blown against the backs of them. "Is it okay?" I asked. His gaze held mine like two hands joined. He understood what I was really asking. "Let me stay," I said. "Please." "You're going to get me in trouble," he said.


My thoughts
I was planning on getting round to this book sometime soon, but the time came sooner rather than later as it is a rather short book and I wanted to finish another book during the Once Upon A Read-a-thon I participated in. It was a really easy book to read, very well written, the plot was easy to follow and each event came naturally after the previous one. However, I can't say I loved this book. I liked it well enough to want to read something else by Jennifer Laurens, but didn't really love it.


A Season of Eden deals with the rather taboo concept of a relationship between a teacher and a student. Something which is prohibited by law (if I am not mistaken), as usually, one half of the party is underage. Anyway, in this book we follow the story of Eden and James (also known as Mr. Christian), as the student and teacher respectively. Eden is 18 and James is 22, so the age gap is not so large. But the fact that James is Eden's music teacher poses a bit of a problem, as James could lose his position if he became involved in a relationship with a student. The thing is that even though you understand why it's wrong, you end up rooting for them and wanting them to be together!


Eden was not a character I could really relate to. She was a bit of a bitch, as well as quite a bit selfish. She has obviously had a tough time growing up, but throughout the book, she just comes of as a very spoilt rich girl, who is accustomed to getting what she wants, even if what she wants can get others into trouble. The good thing about her was that she did do a fair bit of growing up during the course of the story. James, on the other hand, was just plain dreamy! He is a musician (with a fair share of talent) and he's young and extra good-looking. But what I liked most was the fact that he tried to remain as level-headed as possible.


I was a little disappointed about how the story ended. I wanted to know more about the two characters. But I do understand why Jennifer Laurens chose to end it where she did. All in all, it was an ok story, with a mix of characters, but a lovely style of writing. I will definitely be picking up another one of Jennifer's books!


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Jennifer Laurens, also writing as J.M. Warwick, is the author of several YA romance books. She currently lives in Utah. Her books include:

Heavenly   |   Overprotected

Falling For Romeo

You can find out more about Jennifer Laurens and her books by visiting her website and her blog!

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Firs published by Harper Teen in 2008 (this edition by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2009)


Book #2 in the Wicked Lovely series






Description (from Goodreads)
To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel toWicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.


My thoughts
Having really enjoyed reading Wicked Lovely, I decided to buy Ink Exchange on my recent trip to Athens (and all those lovely bookstores that sell English books), and while I was at it, I also bought Fragile Eternity. I was quite surprised when I read the blurb on the back of Ink Exchange and realised that it featured completely new characters. Until I noticed the 'stand-alone' sequel part.


Anyway, I should get on with saying what I actually thought about the story, instead of just random thoughts about the blurb. Ink Exchange was rather enjoyable, but I found that I didn't really enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Wicked Lovely. The reason for that was not the fact that it featured different characters to the ones I had expected to read about. It was mainly because for approximately half the book, I was just waiting for something to happen and when it happened, everything seemed to pass in a long, long blur.


In the first few chapters, we are introduced to Leslie, one of the main characters in this book. Leslie comes from a rather rough household, where she has to look after her father and brother, since her mother has disappeared. Seeing as she spends so much time catering to their needs (and having to work so as to help pay the bills), she decides she wants to do something for herself, something that she believes will change her: get a tattoo. She looks and looks for the perfect tattoo to put onto her skin, until she finally finds it: ''inky-black eyes surrounded by wings like shadows coalescing''.


It takes half the book for Leslie to finally get the tattoo finished, during which time quite a few things happen, which cause her to wonder what on earth is going on. Especially concerning Ash (Aislinn, the main character from Wicked Lovely). What bothered me about the 'ages' part was the fact that the tattooist actually said that they could finish the tattoo off in a few days and then, it seemed to me as if the tattoo took a lot more than that to finish. (All this, while Leslie was absolutely hell-bent on getting the tattoo as quickly as possible.)


The most interesting part of this book was the introduction of yet another faerie realm, in addition to the Summer and Winter Courts we met in Wicked Lovely. The Dark Court, led by Irial, work in a completely different way to the other two courts. And it took my a while to understand exactly how they worked, for some reason. I didn't think it was clearly explained until rather late in the novel.


As for the second half of the book, it felt as if not much was going on. Everything was slow, slow, slow, when suddenly, Leslie decided to grow some backbone and make some decisions for herself. Then, the book picked up a little, but there were too few pages left. So, essentially, I found the book ended a little too hurriedly.


As for the characters, for some reason, I really disliked Irial. Even that seemingly selfless act at the end didn't redeem him in my eyes. On the other hand, I did like Niall! (I really like his name, too, which I suppose helps a little!) He came across as genuinely nice, despite having to fight the 'demons of his past'. Leslie was a bit of a 'meh' character. I wasn't too keen on her, but I didn't mind her either.


Despite the fact that I was a little disappointed by this book, I am not going to give up on the series. I really hope I enjoy the next installments more.


Rating: 6/10


Author:
You can find out more about Melissa Marr at the end of my review of Wicked Lovely.




Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 2nds Challenge

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough
First published by HarperCollins in 2008 (this edition by HarperCollins in 2009)


Description (from Goodreads):
Twenty years after Pride and Prejudice closes, the Bennet sisters have another remarkable story to tell.

Mary Bennet, of the atrocious voice and staid bent of mind, has been weighed down with family obligations. Her sisters have made lives of their own: Jane is happily married, Elizabeth finds being a Darcy brings unwelcome social pre-eminence, Lydia's still entranced by soldiers, and Kitty's a star of London's fashionable salons. But Mary has had to wait for her moment to claim her liberty.

Once she is free, Mary resolves to publish a book about the plight of England's poor. Plunging from one pedicament to another, she embarks upon a mission of investigation that eventually leads her into mortal danger. But having tasted independence, Mary resolves to keep it - and she will let nobody, whether family, suitor or enemy, take it away.

Warm, witty, tragic and eminently satisfying, The Independence of Mary Bennet is a novel for every woman who has yearned to make her mark upon the world, from a master story teller. 


My thoughts:
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet - as is obvious from the title - tells the story of the sister who is most reserved in the story of Pride and Prejudice. In this book, set 20 years after the events in P&P, we see a completely different story, where everything seems to be falling apart: Lydia has become a drunk and has been subjected to years of Wickham selling out her body for money; Lizzie is in a cold and distant marriage, as Fitz (that's Darcy) has reverted back to his cold and superior ways; Jane is tired out from having to endure one pregnancy after the other; Mary is stuck living with her mother in some corner of the country, where Darcy has hidden her away so as not to cause any embarrassment. On the other hand, Kitty seems to have made quite a good catch, by marrying a gentleman.


But then, Mrs Bennet dies, leaving Mary a free person. It is assumed that she will either stay with Jane or Lizzie (whose houses are a few miles apart), but Mary takes them all by surprise and decides to make her own way in the world, resolving to publish a book about the poor people of England. Somehow, though, she doesn't manage to get very far in her travels and lands into a bit of a predicament.


Though I really hate the cover of this book, it was the title that drew me to buy and read it. I really loved Pride and Prejudice and Mary was one of the most inconspicuous characters in it, so I was very interested to see what the author came up with to present as her story. At first, I absolutely hated the book. The only reason for that - and I know it's rather shallow - was the fact that Lizzie and Mr. Darcy (Fitz as he is known throughout the book) have not had a happy marriage, despite their lovely courtship in P&P. Talk about disappointing. But as the book progressed it became more interesting. It was obvious that the author made all the circumstances of the other Bennet sisters off-putting, so as for Mary to have an argument against marriage. Mary sets off on her grand journey, despite all warnings against it, and manages to end up having quite an adventure.


Mary's character is portrayed in a lovely way. It shows that she's not the same person she was 20 years ago; that she has grown to realise a bit more about the world. She is a wonderful, compassionate woman, who revels at being free (after nearly 20 years of being confined to care for her mother), and is smart and knowledgeable to boot.


I liked the fact that new characters entered the scene. It wasn't all about the characters we have already met and loved in Pride and Prejudice. My favourite would definitely have to be Charlie, Lizzie and Fitz's son.


Though I did enjoy this book, I can't say that it was one that I just have to keep on my shelves forever. Nearing the end, some of the things happening seemed to be dealt with in a very quick manner, to the point of me actually thinking that it was a rather quick change of heart.


Rating: 6/10


Author:
Colleen McCullough is an Australian author. She intended to study medicine at university, but a severe reaction of her skin to surgical soap led her to abandon her dream of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to neuroscience and has worked in many hospitals in Australia and England, before getting a teaching job at the Yale Medical School. She currently lives in Sydney.
Her other books include:

The Thorn Birds  |  The First Man In Rome (Masters of Rome #1)

The Ladies of Missalonghi

You can find out more about Colleen McCullough and her books HERE.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011

The Secret Lives Of Sisters

The Secret Lives of Sisters by Linda Kelsey
First published by Hodder and Stoughton in 2008 (this edition by Hodder Paperbacks in 2008)


  


Description: (from back cover)

She is your best friend. And your worst enemy.

Hannah has always felt in the shadow of her older sister, Cat. Cat is the flamboyant one, the one who can make everyone laugh. Hannah is so quiet that her parents often joke, 'Has Cat got your tongue?'

Now Hannah has a daughter of her own, who is about to get married. On the day of the wedding, Cat's caustic tongue is once again let loose with devastating consequences.

As Hannah is compelled to examine her past and try to make sense of her complicated relationship with her sister, she begins to unravel the secrets and lies on which her seemingly normal family was built.

While the truth has the potential to finally unite the sisters, it also has the power to tear them apart for good.

My thoughts:

I have had this book for over a year (if I am not mistaken), but I never really wanted to pick it up and read it. It was actually a present and not a book I chose, and I'm not sure if I would have chosen this book for myself had I seen it in a bookshop. I only decided to read it because I am participating in the British Books Challenge and I had it on the initial list I had compiled when I signed up for the challenge. Even though I have already read more than the 12 books needed to complete the challenge, I decided to give it a try.

First and foremost, I must say that it was definitely not what I expected. I thought it was going to be one of those typical chick-lit novels, with women fighting over men, or falling head over heels in love with them and trying to snag them for themselves. If there is one thing this book isn't, it's that. This one was a lot darker and sinister than I thought it would be.

This book takes place both in the past and in the present. It starts off with the wedding. There, because of various things happening, it triggers the telling of the story of the past, of how the two sisters came to be the way they were. The story has quite a few things going on that are so very sad, it makes you want to sympathise with some of the characters for all the things that have happened to them.

The characters were rather well developed. I did like Hannah a lot, Cat a little less, but by the end of the book, I actually understood why Cat acted the way she did. A character I really did not like, even though she is portrayed as being one of the good characters, was Mavis. We do learn something as to why she acts the way she does, but I still didn't feel as if that justified part of her behaviour in the book.

One thing I really didn't like about this book was the end. I can't say much about it without spoiling the end, but I found it a little too rushed and that parts of it were unnecessary. It was as if the reaction was a little over the top. I might not make sense now... Sorry. All in all, a good story, that is not what it initially seems to be.

Rating: 6/10

Author:

Linda Kelsey is a British journalist and author. She has worked for a number of magazines, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and SHE. She now works as a freelance journalist, writing for a number of different magazines as well as newspapers and has also published three novels. She currently lives in London.

Her two other books (other than The Secret Lives of Sisters) are:

Fifty Is Not A Four-Letter Word   /   The Twenty Year Itch

You can find out more about Linda Kelsey and her books by visiting her website, LindaKelsey.com

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

Rockoholic

Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse
First published by Chicken House in 2011 (this edition by Chicken House in 2011)








Description: (from back cover)
Jody loves Jackson Gatlin. At his only UK rock concert, she’s right at the front. But when she's caught in the crush and carried back stage she has more than concussion to contend with. Throw in a menacing manager, a super-wired super-star, and a curly-wurly, and she finds herself taking home more than just a poster. It’s the accidental kidnapping of the decade. But what happens if you’ve a rock-god in your garage who doesn’t want to leave? Jody’s stuck between a rock-idol and a hard place!


My thoughts:
I picked this one up because I was in the mood for something light, girly and a little romance-y and I have to say it didn't disappoint! Rockoholic tells the story of Jody, a hardcore fan of the singer of The Regulators, Jackson Gatlin. She goes to the concert, only to find herself kidnapping him and taking him back to her home town of Nuffing-on-the-Wold. (The first time I saw the name, I actually thought it was a joke. But no, it's the actual name the author gave Jody's home town.) So, she hides him in her grandfather's garage


This book is funny, but it's also true. The whole point of the book (in my opinion) was to capture the hysteria you see quite often with teenagers (though it's not limited only to them) where they end up worshipping a certain idol (either from the music or film industry). They become blind-sided and try to imitate their idols, to the point of doing completely stupid things. This book does a great job of showing us exactly what happens when people are famous (which kind-of explains why so many musicians and actors are frequently admitted to rehab clinics to deal with all the palavah (is that the right spelling??) that comes with fame) and how it's completely different to what the fans think it is.


I thought that all the characters were rather well developed. You knew enough about them to understand why they acted in the way they did. I especially liked Mac (though his name is really bad - Mackenzie Lawless??). Jody was ok from the beginning of the book and Jackson grew on me after a while. Cree was an absolute pleasure and if you read the book, you'll know why! I could just imagine a little child like her in front of me! I have to say though, I had guessed a part of the story when I was only a few pages in, but it didn't spoil the book for me! I wanted to see how things went, so I had to finish it!


A fun read that tries to make rather meaningful point at the end of the story.


Rating: 6/10


Author:
C. J. (Claire Joanna) Skuse is a British author. She holds a First Class degree in Creative Studies in English, as well as an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. She has published two books (Pretty Bad Things and Rockoholic) and is currently working on her third stand-alone novel for teenagers.

Goodreads  |  Amazon.co.uk

You can find C.J Skuse on Goodreads and on Tumblr.

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, British Books Challenge 2011

(Won from Sammee over at I Want To Read That)

Night Star (The Immortals #5)

Night Star by Alyson Noel
First published by St. Martin's Press in 2010 (this edition by Macmillan Children's Books in 2010)

Book #5 in The Immortals series


Description: (from back cover)

Love and heartbreak belong together...

There are some secrets you're better off not knowing. But once Ever Bloom is given a glimpse of what Damen keeps hiding from her, she has to find out more - whatever the cost.

Their past together is not what she thinks - and only he remembers everything. Until now, when a vengeful friend lets her in on his secret. And it may just push Ever into someone else's arms . . .

My thoughts:
As you might know, if you've read my review of Dark Flame (which you can find here), I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was rather tiring. I felt as if the author was just trying to make a full story out of the very little that happened in the book. It picked up towards the end, but it was not enough for me to say I enjoyed it. I had already bought the fifth book before reading the fourth (as I found it on offer while on holiday), but just got round to reading it. As it's the fifth book in the series, it will have some spoiler-y stuff, if you haven't read the previous books in the series.

I have to say I liked this one a little more. It was not as good as the 1st and 2nd books in the series, but it was a lot better than Dark Flame. Yes, the focus is still on the problem that Ever and Damen have (that they can't touch properly) - which is getting a little tiring, in my opinion -, but it was not the only thing that was happening in the book. There was quite a bit of Haven in this book (who has turned out to be an absolute bitch now she is immortal and refuses to see reason), though I thought that the author depicted Haven in such a way that the only thing you could do is hate her. And hate her I did... There were quite a few revelations about Ever and Damen's past in this book. (Though again I must say I expected them to be a lot worse from the way the author led up to them...)

One thing that really annoyed me in this book (and which is probably in the previous books, too, but I probably just didn't notice it) was the constant use of words in italics. I get that the author was trying to emphasise some specific words and make it seem as if it was like a proper conversation, but after a point it just stood out - too much. To the point that I actually rolled my eyes when another word in italics came up.

All in all, I enjoyed this one more than the previous book and I am looking forward to reading the next and last book in the series, Everlasting (expected publication date: 7th June 2011 or 1st July 2011 in the UK).

US  |  UK

Rating: 6/10


Author:
You can find out more about Alyson Noel at the end of my review of Dark Flame HERE.

Counts as Book #37 in the 100 Books In A Year Challenge.