Frostbite - Richelle Mead

Ok so, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of Frostbite. I've previously reviewed the first in the 'Vampire Academy' series named, well, Vampire Academy, and I wasn't impressed (you can read my review for that here) so I was pretty dubious that the sequel would be any good at all.

How wrong I was. Admittedly, I read the first chapter and all I could think was 'this reminds me of one of those last time on.... spiels you get at the start of TV shows' but it was quite good to get a recap of what happened to Rose and Lissa in the last book, and went a long way to reminding you of close character relationships.

In Frostbite, we see Rose about to be tested as part of her guardian training, by one of the most legendary guardians alive, however she turns up to the house she's to be tested at with Dimitri to find the guardian and his Moroi family murdered by what appears to be a marauding band of Strigoi. It becomes even more alarming when they discover that humans are working alongside the Strigoi in an attempt to annihilate the Moroi royal families for good.

It's almost Christmas, and the Moroi world is in uproar with families scared to leave their children at the Academy, but knowing they all need to stick together - so the students of the Academy and their parents head to a remote ski resort owned by a particularly wealthy Moroi royal family for a winter vacation none of them will forget. 

I really enjoyed this book - it drew me in much quicker than its predecessor, and although I really, really hate the names 'Moroi' and 'Strigoi' (they just sound too, made up I guess. Which they are but yeah, it bothers me) the quality of writing had improved much more as well, which all clubbed together to draw me into the fabulous world of the Academy.

I began to really care what happened to these characters - I wouldn't go as far to say that I was emotionally involved with them yet, but the events with Mason saddened me somewhat and I'm keen to see how Adrian brings some drama to the group. I also like that Mia has begun to mellow, and I feel like her and Rose are going to have a particularly interesting relationship as the series progresses.

I made a comment in my last review that I hoped Richelle's writing would mature with the series, and so far it definitely has done. I'm actually really looking forward to reading the next installment now, and I'm also quite excited to see the film eventually.

City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare

First of all I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible, however there are a few little ones here and there so if you have not read the book yet please read no further!! Unless that is, you're a glutton for punishment like I was whilst reading Game of Thrones when I could just not help myself looking at the GOT tag on Tumblr and ended up ruining half the series for myself...

Anyway, I literally do not know where to start with this book! It's been the main focus of my thoughts for months now, and after Cassandra Clare announced that there would be six known character deaths I have been in a constant state of anxiety. I had such problems actually getting my hands on a copy of the book to begin with, with my Amazon delivery being delayed by weeks and all book shops in my area selling out within hours (who new Chester had such a strong shadowhunter presence?) so I was about a week later than everyone else actually getting to read it, but it was so worth the wait. Even if it did mean I had to avoid Tumblr and Twitter like the plague. 

So, as I said in my intro, there will be a few small spoilers and I really don't want to ruin this book for anyone so seriously guys if you don't want any snippets of CoHF gossip yet then I really suggest you stop reading now because I'm about to let slip the first little nugget of information...

The prologue. Oh by the Angel, the prologue. Possibly one of the most heart wrenchingly (is that even a word?!) introductions to any book I have ever read, introduced me to what may possibly be one of my favourite characters ever. Emma Carstairs leaves me greatly excited for what Cassie has planned for us in The Dark Artifices (WHY IS IT NOT 2015 YET!?) but then I have always been partial to the Carstairs family (Jem *swoon* <3) Speaking of Jem, his involvement the whole way through City of Heavenly Fire made me almost vibrate with glee, I do so love that boy. 

I was slightly disappointed that Cassandra had announced further Shadowhunter Chronicles after The Mortal Instruments as it gave you, as you read the book, an indication of the way things were going to pan out so I felt like I was less emotionally invested in the events and less anxious for the characters than I would have been had I been unaware there were more shadowhunter stories to come. I do however feel like it was possibly the best written of all the Mortal Instruments books, but it just wasn't as emotional as I'd expected. I mean, it's probably a good thing that I haven't been a weeping wreck for days, and of course I'm devastated that the series is over and I did find certain parts of the book very emotional, but I didn't cry.

I felt like she could have made a little more of the battle as well, obviously the main protagonists were in Edom at the time but I think there was an opportunity missed there for some really engaging combat action, and more could have been made of the scene with Julian Blackthorn and his father in Alicante. All in all though it was a fabulous conclusion to a series that has touched my heart unlike any other (aside from Harry Potter of course!). The snippet of TDA at the end of the book has left me excited for more and I'm already on countdown to next Autumn and my next shadowhunter fix.

So I'm now going to crawl into a pit of despair and lick the wounds caused by an absence of Jace Herondale and Jem Carstairs in my life, and eagerly shout 'DEMON POX' and random passers by until TDA is released and my life is filled with magic again.

Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

Ok, so I'm not too sure where to start with this one. I actually finished reading it weeks ago and meant to update with a review straight away but then life got in the way like it has a habit of doing, and now I've sat down to write it and honestly, I can't think of one defining thing about the book to talk about. 

It took me forever to get into to begin with, and I really didn't enjoy Mead's writing style. Although if you asked me to explain why, I would have a serious problem trying to put it into words. 

Admittedly as it went on it did get better, and towards the end of the book I did begin to get sucked into the narrative, I just didn't care about the characters which I think is so important for me with books. I like to get so totally sucked in by them that I'm reading until the early hours of the morning every morning because I really just need to know what happens right now. And that didn't happen with Vampire Academy. 

If I'm honest, I wouldn't bother reading the rest of the series if I hadn't bought them as a box set from Amazon. I'm hoping that as the series progresses, I get more into the narrative, and perhaps start to enjoy Mead's style of writing. 

I know that the 'long anticipated' film is coming out at some point this year, and no doubt I'll end up going to see that too as I always do like to check out book-film adaptations. Maybe I've been a little harsh in this review, here's hoping I'm surprised by the next installment.

Delivery Day!

So, I have been rather quiet recently, and for that I should apologise. I have been mainly re-reading my favourite series of books (aside from Harry Potter) The Mortal Instruments, as the final book (City of Heavenly Fire) is to be released at the end of the month. 

I have however kept up with my near incessant purchase of books. I'm actually at the stage now where my To Be Read pile has grown that dramatically that I'm not sure I need to buy any more books this year, of course that won't stop me, much to my parents' dismay. 

I have also been working more on my debut novel, fine tuning the first few chapters and working out where everything is going to happen later in the book. I have trouble usually with the middle sections of stories in the sense that I know what's going to happen, and I know how it happens (roughly) but I never know exactly how to pad it out, so I have bought Ready, Set, Novel! in the hopes that it can help me work out more about my book as I work through it. This is going to be my summer project, ready to start work on it this autumn. I have also signed up to study a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing at the Open University starting in October, so I will be a very busy bee.

The next book on my list to read is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I have been looking for something a little more light hearted than my recent foray into the supernatural YA novels for which I have a penchant. This one has had my eye for months now, so I eventually caved and bought it. I'm incredibly excited to get reading. I also have the sequel to Delirium (my number one book of the year so far) Pandemonium ready to read afterwards which I know already is going to emotionally destroy me. Requiem (of the same series) is in the pile along with The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer, an impulse buy one day recently in Tesco. I also found the most beautiful copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte which I couldn't help but buy today, so of course, that will be devoured in due course.

Finally, my best friends know me better than anyone else, and for my (belated) birthday present, one of them bought me the box set of the Mistborn trilogy to sink my teeth into-as you can imagine I'm very excited for this, particularly as fantasy is one of my absolute favourite genres. This is however, the very tip of the iceberg where my To Be Read list is concerned, and I'm looking forward into delving further into it with you all at my side.

Expect to hear much more of me in the next few months!

Fallen - Lauren Kate

I had mixed feelings about this book. I was excited to buy it and to start it, however I then read so many people on Twitter and Tumblr saying how they were bored by the series and disappointed that I started to worry that I may have wasted my money. 

I'm glad to report however that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I found the concept quite different in comparison to the usual 'dark fantasy' novels I have read, with a completely different take on the guardian angel theme. 

I was initially drawn to the book due to reviewers claiming they had found it both 'scary' and 'unsettling'. Unfortunately this is something I can't agree with, although it did have me hooked from start to finish, and there were some unexpected twists.

Kate managed to create characters who were more than your usual nondescript female who falls in love with the dark brooding male. Admittedly, there is a dark brooding male (insert tongue out emoticon here) however the character is a lot more than your typical two dimensional male protagonist, and that is where I got drawn in. 

I'm not one for writing hugely long and in depth reviews, mainly due to not wanting to give out too many spoilers, but I'd definitely recommend readers giving this a go if they haven't done before. Whether or not you're initially drawn to the book, I think it has a lot more to offer than meets the eye and I'm excited to read the rest of the series.

This has not been my best review. I am ashamed.

Paper Towns - John Green

I had been mulling over whether or not to read this book for a while. I'd been so enchanted with previous novels of Green's that I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this quite as much. I like to think of John green as an author who, in many years to come, will be considered an iconic author of our time simply for his ability to make every single character he writes completely identifiable, even if you have absolutely nothing in common with them; for example, Hazel in The Fault in our Stars.

The book did have a slow start in my opinion, and I spent the first few chapters idly wondering whether it was going to take off at all or if I was going to have to struggle through to the end. I am pleased to announce however that it did pick up, although it didn't have me truly gripped until the last few chapters.

As with most John Green books, the action of finishing the book, closing it and laying it down next to me brought about such an intense feeling of satisfaction. I seem to get this with each of his novels-although I can't quite put my finger on what the feeling truly is. I say satisfaction, but in reality it is so much more. I feel happy, content, accomplished, relaxed-the list goes on, and I think it's so brilliant that one author has the power to make you feel so at one with the world, despite the ending of his novel not necessarily being a happy one. 

Green manages to perfectly capture the awkward late teenage years when you're trying to discover who you truly are and show the world that you've got it all figured out, whereas in reality you're a hormone addled wreck who can only think of sex and relationships and when that homework assignment was actually due in. Reading his novels makes me so nostalgic for my own teenage years, but because he doesn't paint these years as perfection with happy endings and everything working out in the end, it makes me feel so much better about my own mistakes, and I think this is the true beauty. 

John Green really does portray the world we live in with complete, brutal honesty and this is something that should be applauded and encouraged.

(I realised this has become less of a review than a massive fan post dedicated to John Green so, for want of coming across as a completely embarrassing super fan, go read the book it's good. I promise.) 

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Divergent has been all over my Twitter and Tumblr feeds for a long time. So much so, that I was debating avoiding everything to do with it as I really did not need to become emotionally invested in more fictional characters, however, with a much anticipated movie adaptation taking to the big screen this year, I thought it would do me no harm to see what all the fuss was about. 

I was wrong. It was a bad idea, because now not only do I have to worry about the impending final installment of The Mortal Instruments hitting shelves this spring, I also have to worry about how they will portray my new favourites Tris and Four, and whether or not I will hate

the actor doomed to play Peter as much as I hate the poor guy who plays Joffery in Game of Thrones (I'm sure in reality he's a lovely guy but seriously, Joffery is the worst). 

Anyway, I digress. Divergent was always for me going to be one of those books which either lives up to the hype and possibly even exceeds it, leaving me in a weeping mess in the corner of my room after the final page has been turned and possibly screaming to the sky whilst mascara runs dramatically down my face, OR I could be incredibly disappointed, wondering why on earth the money has been spent adapting this movie when we still haven't had City of Angels news yet. Luckily (or unluckily where my social life is concerned) it was very much the former for me. 

I spent perhaps the first chapter feeling slightly confused and wondering what all the fuss was about.  If I'm honest, I think this was more to do with beginning the book during my lunch hour at work than the actual novel itself, as once I got home, got comfy and actually settled to read it, I was completely hooked. 

Veronica Roth has achieved something quite remarkable here, with a very believable take on a Dystopian future along with characters who are both charming and relatable. I am a big advocate for alternate universes, supernatural characters, magic and all the rest of it, but I am always left with a sense of disappointment when I've read the books, knowing that no matter how much I've enjoyed the story, it is physically impossible for a world like that to ever exist (I'm 22 and I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter). Although I wouldn't want to live in a society so divided as in Divergent, it is refreshing to read something that is plausible to an extent, and it's intriguing to get a new take on the possible future our society could face. 

With the move coming out soon, I'm not going to go too in depth as I don't want to reveal any spoilers! I will say however, that the film will definitely be worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of The Hunger Games or Battle Royale. If you are like me, and prefer to read the book before the adaptation arrives in cinemas, I would again recommend this without hesitation. 

The Hit - David Baldacci

The Hit - David Baldacci

One thing that you will come to realise over the course of reading this blog (if you make reading this blog a habit, which of course I hope that you do) is that my taste in books s nothing if not eclectic. Who wants to be predictable, however?

Crime/thriller fiction is definitely one of my favourite genres, I get so tied into the story and the characters and become obsessed with trying to solve the crime, which probably says more about my personality than I'd like to admit. Due to this, it is not uncommon to find me grabbing any crime thriller that catches my eye in the local bookshop/supermarket. This was one such time.

From reading the blurb, I have to say I had high expectations for this book, and whilst it did not disappoint completely, I definitely did not have the reading experience that I had anticipated, which greatly saddened me. I'm still looking for the book that can top 'I am Pilgrim' which I can safely say is the best thriller I have ever read, and is definitely up there in my top 20 of all time.

I found that I didn't get sucked into the story quick enough for my liking. I will admit here that I have never read any of David Baldacci's other novels, and didn't realise at the time of purchase that this was part of a series, and therefore when I began reading the characters and their relationships with one another had already been long established-this of course was something I then had to figure out for myself, which while not un-enjoyable, was certainly not ideal.

The writing itself was certainly good, I am one of those readers who will get driven to near insanity whilst reading a book written by an author whose grasp of the English language is lesser than my own, and despite the slow start I did find myself enjoying the narrative towards the end, however this was my main disappointment. The real 'nitty-gritty' action didn't start to hot up until the book came to a close, and I think this is really what let it down. I think this is also reflected in the time it took me to read the novel itself-a surprising 7 days, which is unheard of for me-the girl who can read several books a week on a regular basis.

To summarise, I did enjoy the book in my own way, however it took too long to ensnare me in the story and even towards the end I didn't care much for the characters. There were no essential plot twists that I didn't see coming a mile off, and although I did enjoy it I don't think I would read more of this series.

6/10.