What has my heart racing this summer?

I'm not even going to entertain the idea of reviewing Emily Bronte. In fact, to do so would be nothing short of blasphemy. So instead I'm going to rave about the gorgeous cover art instead because lets face it, it is beyond beautiful!

I stumbled across this little gem in Waterstones a month or so ago while shopping, and straight away I knew I had to have it. At first glance I actually thought that it was a graphic novel adaptation of Bronte's stunning novel but when I realised it was in fact, an unabridged copy of Wuthering Heights, and I saw the gorgeous distressed paper inside it had stolen my heart. And my bank balance (ok, slight exaggeration, it wasn't that expensive but still). 

Its stunning cover art is part of a Penguin Classics Deluxe Collection, and they have employed the creative genius that is Ruben Toledo to re-design the covers of the classics in a multitude of different mediums - watercolour, pencil and ink to name but a few.

I'm about half way through at the moment, and this being my first time reading the timeless classic, I am thoroughly enjoying it. 
Normal service will resume shortly however, where I will be reviewing a brilliant summer beach read, stay tuned!

Requiem - Lauren Oliver

I had to mentally prepare myself for this one for a while. I knew after how devastated I was after Delirium, and a certain someone's return in Pandemonium that I would be needing a mansize box of tissues and an industrial supply of chocolate to get through this. 

It was what I can only describe as a fairly perfect ending to a wonderful trilogy, and one that will stay with me for a long while. Although perhaps not as resolved as I wish it could have been (I really wanted to know what happened with the whole Lena - Alex - Julian love triangle we had going on) it was an absolutely perfect tale of the human race combining together to overthrow the wrong decisions made for them by a government with entirely the wrong morals and ideas, and the show of solidarity was heartwarming and uplifting. 

We join Lena at the beginning of the story after she leaves New York with Julian, and Alex. This becomes difficult for all in the group as the tension between her and Alex, and subsequently the tension between her and Julian, and of course Julian and Alex, grows.

When they land themselves in trouble in the Wilds and have to flee from a group of regulators, they find themselves part of a large resistance headed back to Lena's original home, Portland.

Lena is then faced with the difficult decision, does she fight for what she believes in, at what cost none of them know. Or does she secrete herself further into the Wilds to live a solitary life of survival and supposed freedom?

I didn't actually cry this time (weird right? Especially as I didn't cry at City of Heavenly Fire either!!) but there were some incredibly emotional scenes, and Oliver gives the characters new depths which makes their relationships even more believable. I loved the return of Hana in the narrative, and especially enjoyed the chapters from her point of view, and seeing that the Cure really isn't everything the government thought it would be. Seeing her struggle with her reality, and what she knows her reality should be was a particularly deep section of the book, and I found it well represented the agony when you realise that your life isn't perhaps going in the direction you wished it to yet you don't know how to change it (something I'm currently going through myself). So overall I guess you could say this whole trilogy for me was a resounding success. It goes onto my Forever Pile, in other words its a trilogy I will read over and over again until I'm old and grey.

Being Binky - Binky Felstead

Firstly, please ignore the terrible picture, I really need to start getting decent cover images off the internet and perhaps looking at a new Blogger layout, but for the time being this method will have to do.

SO, where to begin? Well, first of all I'd say for anyone who isn't a fan of Made in Chelsea, or indeed Binky herself, this may be a slightly pointless read for you. Now that that's said, I can get on with a proper review!
 
I've previously reviewed 'Confessions of a Chelsea Boy' (see here) by Spencer Matthews, and although I enjoyed the read as a whole, I found the actual writing rather lacking, and was expecting something similar of Being Binky, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the writing actually very good. 

She drew me in, rather unexpectedly, from the very first page, and I actually whizzed through the book in just over a day. I loved hearing all about her childhood and her close relationship with her Mother, which we see quite a lot on the show, and as a huge Made in Chelsea fan I loved hearing about how she actually got on the show, and the real truth about her friendships off screen. 

I also loved that she included hair, beauty and lifestyle tips at the end of each chapter - and I found things like her anti bullying tips particularly relevant. I think it was a really nice touch, and it's something that will definitely help younger fans of the show who may be going through things like that themselves.

I actually found quite a lot of the book quite emotional, especially how up-front she is about the breakdown of her parents marriage and the bullying that she experienced at school.

It also gave me a whole new found respect for how hard Binky has worked in her life to overcome challenges, and how perhaps life in the glare of the cameras isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

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.

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

Apologies for how long this review has taken to appear, I finished the book weeks ago however I have been re-reading the last few books in The Mortal Instruments series in preparation for City of Heavenly Fire being released. (Seriously guys, omg. Buy it. Just, I can't.) 

I was so, so excited to read Pandemonium, anticipating that it would leave me an emotional wreck just like its predecessor, Delirium. I was slightly disappointed then, on finishing it, that I hadn't been drawn to tears. I did however thoroughly enjoy it.

I didn't really know what to expect from the story, only that it would take place in the Wilds, so the introduction of New York City as a new setting was both surprising and welcome. I really got behind the love interest in this sequel, although I will never get over Lena and Alex, I thought there was some really interesting progression in the relationship between her and Julian. I read someone on GoodReads making the point that Lena seems to take over the role of Alex in Pandemonium, and therefore Julian becomes Lena (based on relationship roles in Delirium) and I find this really interesting as it throws a whole new understanding to their relationship.

I absolutely cannot wait to read Requiem now, and it won't be too long before I devour it (I just have to read and recover from City of Heavenly Fire first) especially due to the beautiful and unexpected little twist at the very end of Pandemonium. 

I guess once again this is a book I would recommend to anyone and everyone!

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.

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.

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

 I first heard about Delirium after stumbling across a fan blog on Tumblr and was immediately engaged by the concept. I then stumbled across it in W H Smiths last weekend and it was the last copy and of course I determined that it was fate for me to bring it home. 

I then spent the next week in severe emotional trauma at the hands of Lauren Oliver. 

I haven't cried while reading a book since first reading The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices (Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones now available on Blu Ray and DVD) however I was up until the early hours of the morning several times this week with tears running down my face while reading this stunning story of love, freedom and determination to beat the odds.

I have heard rumours that Delirium has been commissioned for a TV series in the USA, and therefore I don't want to give too much of the story away, however I will give a brief synopsis for those wishing to read the book. 

Lena is a young girl growing up in the city of Portland, USA. The book is set in a future where love has been identified as a disease, fences surround cities to keep out the infected, while those inside undergo a procedure to cure themselves of love after their high school education is finished. They are then matched with a partner and sent off to begin their lives together. 

Until the cure, girls and boys remain segregated from one another, contact of any kind with an uncured is illegal, and love is punishable by death. Lena and her friend Hana live their lives within in the rules until the summer of their cure, when Lena meets Alex. 

I found the story both heartwarming and emotional. Lena and Alex were characters I could really get behind, their fight for freedom and what they believe in was inspiring and since finishing the book although I was a crying wreck for a while after putting it down it's left me in a weirdly positive mindset for the last few days. 

This is without doubt the best book I've read so far in 2014. I know we're only at the start of the year but I definitely think that it will be a hard one to top.

Oops...

So today I may have gotten a little carried away in WH Smiths and also on Amazon, but I think I probably speak for a lot of people when I say there is really nothing better than a new book day. Most people probably get like this over clothes (I kinda do as well, and don't get me started on buying new makeup) but nothing makes me happier than a massive stack of new books. To go with my other growing stack of new books. I'm pretty sure I could now open a library. 

1. Delirium - I will admit to being heavily influenced by other fiction enthusiasts when it comes to books. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly capable of finding new books by myself, but if I find someone obsessing over something on Tumblr, it definitely makes me very curious to try it myself, especially if there is a strong fanbase behind it. Delirium is one of these occasions, I was going to order it off Amazon last week but for some reason didn't, then I stumbled across it today and it was the last copy and of course I made some excuse involving fate just to justify spending more money. I am SO excited to read it. 

2. Vampire Academy series - I have a friend who I used to work with, with an almost identical taste in books to me. She has spent most of the last couple of weeks going crazy for these books, so when I saw the box set on sale I figured I'd be stupid to not buy them. I'm a little apprehensive that they may turn out a little 'Twilight-y' as they're centered around vampires but even if this is the case I will definitely give them a go. I cannot possibly leave a book unread, no matter how much it may or may not appeal to me once it's sat on my bookshelf. 

3. Fallen & Torment - These were two books that I picked up on a whim when I was in WH Smiths this afternoon. I almost bought the entire series but I had just spent £100 on makeup about 10 minutes earlier and figured I should probably try and restrain myself a little, so I settled for two instead. I thought that was a personal achievement for me as I was in the mood to buy the entire bookshop. From what I could gather from the blurb, these books focus around angels, a supernatural theme which I find hasn't been represented much in fiction in comparison to the vampires and werewolves that have taken over since the birth of Twilight. I have a feeling that I will have two new fictional characters to fall in love with and cry over now, and I am sure we will all bear the brunt of my emotional trauma over the next few weeks. 

I now have to make sure I don't buy any new books for a while. I literally have an entire desk and a whole shelf of my bookshelf full of unread books from as far back as 2012 to get through. I have an awful habit of just buying and buying books and not getting round to reading all the ones I already have, so the next few months will be a bit of a test for me.

I also need about 8 more bookshelves to store them. Or a whole room dedicated to them-the sooner I get my own place the better!

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. 

Confessions of a Chelsea Boy - Spencer Matthews

 Ok so, I have a (not so) secret obsession with Made in Chelsea, which for all of you who haven't had the pleasure of viewing it, is a scripted reality show following a group of young, wealthy individuals and their experiences living in our vibrant capital city.

Spencer Matthews is often portrayed as a Lothario, leaving a trail of heat break and chaos wherever he goes. He is ultimately one of my favourite characters on the show, and not only because of his dashing good looks, therefore I was quite keen to give this a read as I suspected that a lot of his character is wrongly represented on the programme.

I will take a minute to say that if you're wanting perfectly constructed sentences, spot on grammar and an engaging narrative then this really isn't the book for you, and you are definitely going to be disappointed! Equally, if you're not a
fan of the show or Spencer himself I can't imagine you wanting to purchase the autobiography, but for those who are, it is definitely worth the read. 

I think it goes a long way into helping you understand what actually goes on in Spencer's head to make him act the way he appears to with regards to relationships, and it certainly reveals more about his past than I expected, leaving me to wonder how much of his personality is just bravado to cover up experiences he hasn't dealt with. 

I was curious to find out why exactly somebody of his age and life experiences would feel the need to write an autobiography, being as he's only a few years older than myself and I definitely would not have anything of worth to write about. I did however, find myself thoroughly enjoying the read, which I'm not exactly sure is something I should be enthusiastic about as I supposedly somewhat of a literary enthusiast and I would not describe this as fine literature!

To summarise, Confessions of a Chelsea Boy was a quick and easy read, no literary genius and not particularly well written; however, as a fan of Spencer Matthews and Made in Chelsea as a whole, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to like minded readers
 

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.