Tag Archives: love

An Abundance of Katherines

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By John Green, published by Penguin.

An Abundance of Katherines

Anagram-loving, child prodigy Colin Singleton has a slightly different taste compared to any other boy when it comes to girls. In fact, he does not judge on looks or personality. He only dates Katherine’s. In fact, he’s dated nineteen of them to date. 

After Colin is dumped for the nineteenth time, he grabs his joker of a friend Hussan and sets off on a road-trip. The two boys find themselves in a lesser-known town called Gutshot, where they start whole new lives for the summer. Whilst staying there, Colin begins to work out a theorem to predict his future relationships. Will he ever get the right formula, and save himself from being dumped a twentieth time?

 

An Abundance of Katherines (Which I will from now on refer to as AAOK, because the title is long) was such a fun read. I absolutely fell in love with Colin’s personality right from the beginning, and loved his story so much. AAOK contained so much, in such a short amount of pages (213)- a rather hilarious teenage love story, and themes of friendship and hope. I didn’t really know where the plot was going to go at first, but it played out really well and I liked the outcome. 

Colin was one of the coolest protagonists In have ever read about, because of his nerdiness. He was a child prodigy who was reading at two, what’s not to love? I loved the way he would geek out and correct grammar or state random facts. It just made me smile, and I don’t quite know why. His background was really well explained thanks to the frequent flashbacks to important scenes with certain Katherines. I really liked those, as they provided a real insight into his Katherine-relationships- as he did not actually date a Katherine in the events of AAOK. My favourite supporting character has to be Hassan. He just made me laugh so much, with his joking personality. I also quite liked the character of Lindsey, because she was so kind to Colin and I really enjoyed their developing relationship throughout the book.

Overall, AAOK was really fun and entertaining read. It didn’t have the best beginning ever- I didn’t quite understand why Colin and Hassan had to go on a sudden road-trip out of the blue- but I think the characters were some of the most three-dimensional I have ever seen. John Greens writing was totally amazing: It conveyed emotion and humor really well. I can’t wait to read more from John, starting with Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which I bought a few days ago!

Paper Aeroplanes

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By Dawn O’Porter, published by Hot Key Books.

Paper Aeroplanes

Fifteen year olds Flo and Renée, high-school girls on Guernsey Island, were never really meant to cross paths. They’re totally different, and come from equally sad and harsh, but very different backgrounds. Flo lives with her mum who has separated from her father, and ends up looking after her baby sister instead of socializing all of the time, whereas Renée lives with her overly-strict grandparents and thirteen year old sister following her mother’s death years before. When they do meet,things will change for the both of them forever, as they form a friendship whilst experiencing the ups and downs of beings fifteen in 1994.

I was very curious about this debut, and didn’t really know what the events in it would be like. But, right from the first page, I was totally absorbed by this book and read pretty much all of it in one car journey. Renée and Flo’s voices both captured me from the start, and I really felt for them as the both went through some pretty traumatic times together. I really enjoyed the switching narratives between the protagonists- as it gave me a real insight into what one thought about the other. I though Paper Aeroplanes would be told from only one narrative, so that really surprised me… and it was pulled off really well, too. I loved both of the characters very much- their backgrounds were realistic and well-developed; as were their unique personalities. They were loveable, and easy to understand. I really loved reading their story and finding out how these two girls, Renée and Flo, form such a beautiful yet unlikely friendship, and also how they dealt with bullies like Sally!

The plot was really great; the events played out really well. there was always something really exciting happening in at least one of the girls’ lives, which made this book such a page-turning thrill ride. The story dealt with some really common themes in teenage life, not just in the nineties but today as well: exam stress, love, rebellion, peer pressure and home-life struggles. All of the events were realistic and understandable through the brilliant narratives. It was really sad, but at the same time the author has added in clever pinches of humor that liven it up.

Overall, this book was a totally stunning debut. It was powerful, thought provoking and emotional to me as a reader, and I think it will be like that to anyone who picks it up. Dawn O’Porter has captured teenage life expertly, and I wouldn’t have had this book any other way. It was a totally thrilling story, with so much emotion and drama packed into the pages- I didn’t believe it was a debut! A must for older teenagers and adults.

Delirium

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By Lauren Oliver, published by Hodder.

Delirium

Seventeen year old Lena lives in a dark vision of the future where love has been diagnosed as a deadly disease. Once you turn eighteen in this love-less version of America, you must under go The Procedure, which removes the part of the brain the ‘loves’- so that you can live a life without affection. Lena has always played by the rules, and never put her foot out of line in her strict society, but then she meets Alex. Alex has many dark secrets, and is strikingly beautiful. What will Lena do- run away into the wilds with him, or stay and have her mind swiped of love, which will wipe Alex from her memory?

I loved Delirium so much! It had a very original idea and was written beautifully. I thought that the world that Lauren Oliver has created was absolutely brilliant: a kind-of Big Brother Society (which is becoming pretty common and popular in teen fiction), but was still so much different from anything I have ever read before. The governments actions on events in the book totally shocked me- it was ruthless! Also, there was a ‘Matching’ procedure- very much like in the book Matched– which shook up the ending, a little, and I liked its effect on the characters and the plot. The whole idea of removing the love from a human being was really shocking and made me want to read on to find out why the government decided on doing it. It also interested me, scientifically. I would’ve liked to see a bit more scientific details as to how exactly the procedure worked, as it was pretty vague.

I loved the character Lena, the protagonist, so much. She developed a lot throughout the course of the book- from becoming the rule-abiding, good girl to to the rule-breaking, rebellious one. The gradual changes in her emotions and feelings towards her society were shown really well through the author’s writing. I really liked her relationship with her best friend Hana: this story was not only about breaking out of a strict, love-less society, but it was also about testing friendships, too. The decision the Hana made at the end broke my heart. I also really liked Alex, the love interest, right from his introduction to the story- when Lena found him during a (rather hilarious) protest against the procedure. He was a love-able character throughout,  probably mostly because of the things her did for Lena and his life-long rebelliousness towards the American government. I loved how he stuck with Lena through thick and thin… especially at the ending (Oh, gosh, the ending! It was on such a cliffhanger. Now I need to hurry up and read the sequel!!).

My only problem with the story, in total, was the romance. As much as I liked the character’s secret, forbidden and undying love for each-other, I think that there could’ve been some more great plot twists if one was to accidentally betray the other, or something along those lines.

Overall, Delirium was a really fun read. I loved everything about it- from the genius and unique idea, to the well structured plot and the unforgettable characters- who were really realistic. Definitely recommended for YA’s- and I can’t wait to start the sequel- Pandemonium!

Finding Cherokee Brown

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By Siobhan Curham, published by Electric Monkey.

Claire Weeks is browsing the second-hand book tables on the Southbank when she pulls out a copy of ‘So you want to write a novel?’ by Agatha Weeks. Claire starts writing her own book about her life, and thinks she will have to exaggerate her own life to make it exciting, but she is so wrong. Enter Claire’s long lost father, the rock ‘n’ roll loving street-singer, who tells Claire that she is actually called Cherokee- Cherokee Brown. Cherokee starts a new life, full of adventure, where she finds out who she really is.

Ever since I saw that there was another book coming from Siobhan Curham, I’ve been an even bigger jumping-up-and-down-impatiently-waiting-and-extremely-excited fangirl than I usually am. When this came in the post, I was so excited to start it! In my opinion, this is probably the best piece of contemporary fiction I have read this year. I simply couldn’t stop reading, and finished it in a few hours! Cherokee was such an amazing protagonist, with a well developed, realistic personality and a big heart. I loved reading about her so much. Her narration was absolutely brilliant, and I especially liked the ‘notebook extracts’ in-between some chapters. They were very fun to read, and as they were character profile pieces that Cherokee had written about herself, Harrison, and her dad, they gave a really great insight into what Cherokee thought of the new men in her life, as well as herself. Also, I really loved the character of her Dad- a street singer, who dresses a bit like a hippy and drives around in his campervan. He was so unique and unlike any other fictional Dad I’ve encountered.  I loved the relationship that developed throughout the book between him and his daughter- there was a really strong bond between them even though they had only met about ten times. As well as that, I loved the connections to music in the story that he made (I haven’t listened to many of the rock songs that play a big part in his life, but I really want to now!).

The plot was very fun, and well structured. It dealt with lots of very common problems that teenagers face today- Bullying, Stepfamilies, and first love. Siobhan Curham’s writing made these events in Cherokees life really realistic and understandable, and I found myself sympathizing with the characters a lot. However, as well as dealing with some very sad themes, this story was upbeat and funny at parts too. I enjoyed this story of freedom and discovery so much. Despite the difficulties in Cherokee’s life, she had some great times finding out who she really was. I loved seeing her make the journey from being plain, dull Claire Weeks to becoming the cool and quirky Cherokee Brown.

In total, Finding Cherokee Brown is an unforgettable book that leaves you thinking about it way after you put it down.  It had some of the greatest characters I’ve seen in a while, and a well-thought-out plot with lots of great twists, and a satisfying ending. Recommended to fans of Annabel Pitcher- this book had lots of heart, humour, and tears. I can’t wait for a next book from this brilliant author!

Midwinterblood

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By Marcus Sedgwick, published by Indigo (Orion).

Midwinterblood

What would you sacrifice for someone you’ve loved forever?

Eric and Merle meet each-other on the strange, childless island of Blessed in 2073. As soon as Eric, avid newspaper journalist, sees the beautiful Merle for the first time, he is certain that they have met before in past lives… and he is right.  In fact, Eric and Merle have lived seven past lives, and in each one they have loved each other, whether they’re wife and husband or mother and child. Midwinterblood is a chilling tale told in seven riveting parts, one for each life and based around the times of seven different moons.

I’ve read this book before- just before it was released in 2011- but decided to re-read and re-review it as it has just been shortlisted for the Carnegie book award! It was as brilliant and as haunting as I remembered it. Marcus Sedgwick has written this brilliantly, and the connections between the different lives were spooky and clever. I especially loved how the seven stories were told backwards; starting in 2073, and working backwards to thousands of years before, as there was- for example- two bodies found by archaeologists in the 2011 part, then it revealed who the bodies were and how they got there a few stories later. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Well, it wasn’t. Marcus Sedgwick’s writing was very successful and made this complex, plot and novel structure understandable.

Eric and Merle’s characters were enjoyable. Their personalities didn’t really need to be visibly explained at all- their undying love was shown between the lines really well. I also thought it was a great twist that Tor, from the 2073 story, kept appearing in the backgrounds of the earlier ones. I would say he was the only antagonist of the story, as he seemed to be trying to draw Eric and Merle apart. Eric, Merle, and Tor, all had varying names throughout the stories- as an example, Eric’s- in the last story (the one furthest back in time) was Erikir. Still, like the complex plot, it was understandable.

In total, Midwinterblood was an amazing novel. I’ve never ever read anything quite like it before. It was beautifully written, and executed well- I don’t think any other author would’ve been able to pull off such a layered plot. I loved the unique layout and the undying love between the characters. It was a haunting story that will send shivers up your spine- It’s full of murder, betrayal and star-crossed lovers. I really hope this wins the Carnegie medal!

Stray

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By Monica Hesse, published by Hot Key Books.

Stray

Lona Sixteen-Always has spent all of her life in part of a unique virtual reality experiment called The Path, which claims that it will bring up orphans in better ways than foster homes. Lona spends twenty-three hours a day inside a ‘Pod’, re-living the childhood and teenage years of a boy called Julian, who lived fifty years ago and apparently had a perfect childhood. Lona is not allowed to be in love… but during the one-hour-a-day she getts ‘Off Path’, she falls for Fenn. A few months after he leaves for a real life adulthood, Lona is rescued from her virtual life by Fenn  and his rebellious, Stray friends.Upon beginning a new, dangerous life as a Stray from The Path, Lona discovers dark truths behind The Path, finds love again, and embarks on a journey to find out what it really means to live. Can Lona and her new group of friends, the Strays, spark a rebellion against The Path?

This book has to be one of the best debuts I’ve read in a while! The plot was thrilling, with great, unexpected twists and shocks. Monica’s writing was brilliant; her story structured expertly. I especially loved how every few chapters, the scene would switch back to who was, at the beginning, a minor character (Talia), and how Lona and Talia came together at the end to try to put a stop the The Path’s ways. The idea was just genius- it’s one I really wish I’d thought of! The author has generated a dark, technologically advanced possibility of a future America that I really loved and want to read more about. 

The characters were great; I really loved Lona and Fenn. Although I didn’t know anything about their pasts, or their real names (Lona Sixteen-Always and Fenn Eighteen- are Path-Generated names), I really connected with them and enjoyed reading their adventure. I liked the character of Talia, too, and how she came from being a normal Path Staff-member who I guessed would be a bad guy to playing a totally unpredictable part in the start the rising up against The Path!

Overall, I seriously enjoyed this. It’s got to be one of the best Debuts of the year, and I really really really want a sequel. Keep writing, Monica Hesse!

Mila 2.0

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By Debra Driza, published by Harper Collins

MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1)

Mila has just moved to a new, quaint town after a house fire which killed her father. She’s lost her memory, and is still trying to recover it. However, upon falling out of a car and cutting herself, she discovers wires instead of veins in her arm… and finds out that she is not like any other people. In fact, she never had a father, or lived in a house before the one in the quiet town in Minnesota- those memories were programmed by her mother in order to keep Mila from learning the truth… that she was a part of a confidential military experiment, and that her mother saved her from further experiments and termination. Now Mila knows the truth about herself, no place is safe. The military want her back, and they will stop at nothing to retrieve her and drag her back to the laboratory she came from. Mila and her mother embark on a terrifying journey, and Mila loves, loses, and realises what it truly means to be human.

WOW. Just wow. I loved this so much! Debut novels really don’t get more exhilarating than this. From the front cover and the blurb, this looked truly amazing, and it lived up to my expectations. It was gritty, fast-paced, terrifying, and crammed with action. Mila was a brilliant main character- I really connected with her and her story was an epic one. I think Mila made a solid, great protagonist, and the story of her discovering who she really is, is a really interesting one to read.  All of the characters, from the love interest to the evil military generals, were extremely brilliant! I  loved every second of Mila 2.0, as it was a real thrill ride to compete with I am Number Four and similar to Unremembered. The plot was brilliant; with a brilliant, strong narration. Some parts were edge-of-your-seat action scenes, others were tear-jerkingly-sad. I couldn’t stop reading… this book is a must for any YA book lover, and now I’m (rather impatiently) waiting for the sequel!

 

The School for Good and Evil

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By Soman Chianani, published by HarperCollins.

The School for Good and Evil

“Sophie had waited all of her life to be kidnapped…”

Sophie is one of the prettiest girls in her village; and she has waited all of her life to get kidnapped by the rumored ‘schoolmaster’ in the hopes of being taken away to the Good part of the fantastical ‘School for Good and Evil’. She makes a friend, Agatha, the quiet, dark haired, pale girl who lives in the graveyard. When both are kidnapped and taken away to the special fairy-tale school, they expect that Sophie will be put into Good, and Agatha into Evil. But when they arrive, they are put into the opposite schools! Agatha is taught lessons for princesses, and Sophie taught how to be ugly- as the school is designed to train up the good and the evil to become fairy tale characters. Desperate to escape the castle of princesses, Agatha tries to escape along with the Evil-School placed Sophie who has fallen for a Good prince. But they cannot escape, unless they solve a riddle. A riddle that, in solving, will cause havoc in the school!

Will Agatha and Sophie escape, or will they become merely characters in another fairy tale? Read The School for Good and Evil to find out!

Judging by the covers I’d seen online, this book looked awesome. So I was absolutely over the moon when this book arrived! It was absolutely brilliant- a twisted tale for girls who likes their fairy tales with a bit more action.

Sophie was, really, a mean, stuck up girl who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. She made a really great character, just like Agatha- who was in fact the kind, pure-hearted one. They were both very different girls will well developed personalities and backgrounds, and I loved reading their story. The moral of this story was ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’- as Sophie and Agatha looked very different to the normal Good and Evil pupils.

I really loved the story line- It was clever, with lots of unexpected plot twists that kept me hooked. It was predictable how the two girls would be forced to become enemies in their own fairy tale story, but I really loved how the author played it out. There were lots of witty bits, and many of the arguments between the characters made me crack up. There was also an essence of True Love, as Sophie was determined to get the handsome prince, Tedros, but Agatha ended up with him as she was the real princess. The ending was brilliant, and fast paced, but I think the part where they found out who the schoolmaster was and what his purpose was with Sophie was a little too rushed. In think it could have been explained a bit more. Apart from that, I really loved this, and hope there a sequel, or another tale from Soman Chianani soon!

The Fault in Our Stars

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By John Green, published by Penguin.

The Fault in Our Stars

Hazel was diagnosed at thirteen with the incurable Stage IV thyroid cancer, and was ready to die at fourteen. However, a medical miracle that only works in 30 percent of people shrunk the tumors in her lungs, leaving her with more years to live, and an oxygen tank to help her breathe. When she takes part for the first time in a cancer support group at her local church, she meets the handsome boy Augustus Waters, who had his leg amputated to get rid of his sickness. Hazel reminds Augustus of his sadly passed away girlfriend, and the two soon develop a relationship which will change both of their lives forever…

I’ve seen this book everywhere. Literally, everywhere. I wanted to see what The Fault In Our Stars was about, and why it had won so many awards, so I bought a copy, and it literally blew me away. It’s one of the most emotional, and one of the most witty books that I have ever read; many points made me laugh or cry. The story is heartbreaking… and heartwarming at the same time.

Hazel made a great protagonist. She was haunted by the chance of death, yet her spirits were high and she cracked lots of jokes. Her story was a really sad one which really makes you think about how hard it must be for other people suffering with terminal illnesses. So was Augustus’s story, that pulled at my heartstrings too. They both came together in the most coincidental way, and their love story was a roller coaster ride, and extremely well written. It was a real test of true love.

The ending was one of the saddest endings I have ever read in a book – it was powerful, brought tears to my eyes, and all too realistic. It was thought-provoking and unexpected for me, although I knew something horrible would happen to either lover.

All in all, this was a great introduction for me to john Green’s award winning writing. The Fault In our Stars is definitely now in my top-five-best-books-EVER. It is a thrilling read full of humor and tragedy, for YA’s and adults alike. I can’t wait to read another book by this author!

The Quietness

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By Alison Rattle, published by Hot Key Books.

The Quietness

The eldest child of a poor family living in the slums of London, Queenie, dreams of a better life with more money. When she finds an advertisement for a job working at the house of two sisters, Mrs Waters and Miss Ellis, she runs away from home to begin work as a carer for the many babies that the two sisters own. The babies came from women who had no husbands and did not want to be looked down upon in society, so hid away for months in the Waters and Ellis house, gave birth, then carried on with their lives leaving the child behind. All the while, babies are slowly disappearing, with Miss Waters claiming that they have been adopted. But Queenie is getting suspicious, and is determined to track down the truth of the baby farm.

In a higher-class part of London, a girl of the same age as Queenie called Ellen is living a lonely life inside of a house in which nobody cares about her. When her handsome cousin Jacob comes to stay after the death of his mother, Ellen begins to feel less lonely. But after a huge betrayal from Jacob, Ellen is about to fall into Queenie’s life in the strangest way, and together they will solve the crime behind the ‘baby farming’, become the greatest of friends, and discover something that will change their whole lives forever…

***WARNING: SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW BELOW!!***

I really enjoyed this! I wasn’t sure I’d really get into the story; I don’t read historical fiction much; but I really got hooked on it, and couldn’t stop reading. I liked the switching of the narratives every other chapter, and how the two girls come together and discover they are related under coincidental circumstances. Both teenagers came from very different, very interesting… at points frightful backgrounds, and I loved reading about them. I think that, after reading the authors note, the story became so much more real. Alison Rattle said that she had stumbled across the characters of Miss Waters and Miss Ellis and their crimes of Baby Farming whilst researching for something else. It was really shocking to hear that the events in this book were actually based on something that had really happened before!

The whole crime conspiracy building throughout the book kept me guessing about the ending, and when it came to the final pages I was shocked at the unpredictable closing paragraphs. It really tugged at my heartstrings- the unfortunate death of my favorite character (I’m not saying any names!).

Overall, The Quietness made for a really riveting, well written read. Highly recommended for YA’s and Adults alike!