Book Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

    Title: Ruby Red
    Author: Kerstin Gier
    Publisher: Henry Holt
    Published: May 10th 2011
    Pages: 336
    Rating: 1 Star

Goodreads Synopsis:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! 

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

 

Before I delve into this review I first want to point something out - I should NEVER have picked up this book. Why you may ask? Well, because this does not even remotely sound like a book I would enjoy. The blurb alone would be evidence enough of that, two particular sentences stand out the most:

 "can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys."

 Oh and it gets worse...

"He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century..."

So, from this blurb you can easily gather that the romance is going to pretty central to the plot and if you have to happen to like that, that is great and you may well just enjoy this book. I, however, HATE plot lines driven by romance so I should have known better than to read this book, but guess what?...I didn't even read the synopsis. I purely bought this book due to all the hype surrounding it, something I did quite a lot when I described the book blogging/booktubing communities.

So that is just pretty much just a disclaimer to say that while I had strong feeling of dislike towards this book it is not because the book promised to be something more, I was just too silly to read the synopsis and know not to read it.

Now, onto the less than glowing review.

One of the worst things about this book, for me, was how it read. Words and sentences did not flow together like they should, their were several typos in the first page alone and it felt like I was reading a book aimed at children rather than young adults in the sheer simplicity of the language. Now, don't get me wrong sometimes simple language is a great deal better than the convoluted overly metaphorical language used by some authors but this was too simplistic. Now I feel a bit harsh commenting on the writing style and language as this is a translated book, so do bear that in mind if you plan on reading it.

It was not only the writing style that appeared to be aimed more towards pre-teens but the plot as well. The protagonist of the story Gwen was supposed to be a sixteen year old girl, but read more as a twelve year old. For example her discussion of "kissing boys"...

"Kissing, said Lesley, ought really to be taught as a school subject...We often discussed what the ideal kiss would be like, and there were any number of films we'd watched over and over again just because of the good kissing scenes in them."

 

 A twelve year old talking like that...okay fair enough but SIXTEEN...no. 

Not only is Gwen really immature but she also really dense. Okay harsh I know but she genuinely knows nothing, and can't even remember a password that she has heard like ten times, 

"The password?" Quark edit bisquitis. Or something like that. "Qua redit nescitis." Well, i'd had it almost right.". 

There are plenty more incidents just like this that make Gwen out to be a total ditz. My favourite line of all had to be this, 

"When we had come in, someone had risen from a chair at the desk , nodded to Mr. George, and left the room without a word. "Was that man mute?" I asked. It was the first thing that came into my head."

Oh, but of course he is mute because what other explanation could there possibly be...

   

 Gwen's best friend isn't much better(again, more twelve than sixteen), she was the most flat and pointless character. She had no personality except to be the friend who googled everything and finds out loads of information and is soooo excited for her friend. Booooring.

There was not one character in this story that I actually liked. Gideon was, of course, the most beautiful specimen to ever grace the earth and also a complete chauvinist along with every other male in the story. Every character was just so unoriginal - you had the crazy great aunt, the snobby aunt, the self-righteous cousin, the worried mother, the excited friend and the handsome love interest...need I say more.

Aside from all of that, the most annoying thing about this book was the complete and utter lack of a plot line. I mean, nothing happened...NOTHING. After 100 pages in I thought, okay something is going to happen now...nope...200...nope...then towards the end something happens...just nothing exciting.

I am not even going to discuss the romance...

I want to finish on a positive note so I will say I liked the idea of time-travel... 

I will not be continuing this series for very obvious reasons...

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

    Title: The Iron King
    Author: Julie Kagawa
    Publisher: Harlequin Teen
    Published: February 1st 2010
    Pages: 384
    Rating: 3.5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."

REVIEW

I was quite surprised by how much I liked this book. Prior to reading this book I had read Holly Black's Tithe. I love Holly Black but I was really disappointed with the book and it pretty much turned me off faery books. This was the first Fay story I had read in a long time, so instead of giving up on them I decided to pick up the only other Fay story on my shelf: The Iron King. I am really glad that I did as I found this to be an enjoyable read. This wouldn't be one of my favourite books but if you liked The Chronicles of Narnia stories, you should enjoy this book too.

There were two books that came to mind while I was reading this story, the first has already been mentioned, The Chronicles of Narnia, and also Alice in Wonderland. The character of Grimalkin the cat was very similar to the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. 

The Fay in these stories are the darker more disturbing Faeries who play tricks and are devious and cold. The characters in this story are all well known Fay from faery legends such as Puck and Oberon. The research into Fay legend was really quite impressive and on point. I much prefer the more sinister Faeries of legends then the twinkling tinkerbell types.

The main female character in the story Meaghan was quite your typical YA character, she was unpopular, wore ugly clothes (why must all female YA characters wear combat trousers?) and had one friend. I thought I would really hate her character but as the book went on she started to grow on me. One thing that did really bother me about her is the fact that she jumps into danger without any thought for herself or those around her. Yes, ok, her brother is in danger and she is trying to help him, but there is no need to put everyone else in danger in order to save him. She puts herself into debt with a new faery every five minutes when she knows how bad this is. *Face-palm* every time she agreed to a deal.

My favourite character by far was Puck. One word for this guy is: hilarious. Sarcasm is my thing you see, I think it may be an Irish thing actually but sarcasm is how I communicate with my nearest and dearest. Puck is the definition of sarcasm. 

I also really like the character of Ash up until a certain part. This was the part where I fell in love with Ash:

 "War?...What will happen then?" Ash stepped closer. His fingers came up to brush the hair from my face, sending an electric shock through me from my spine to my toes. His cool breath tickled my ears as he leaned in."I'll kill you", he whispered...

But then of course there is a romance and he becomes all soppy. I liked him again at the end though so it's all good.

Seeming as I have just touched on the romance I may as well continue. Ugh, romance...if you don't know already, I am not a huge fan, especially not the kind of romance where the once brooding bad boy turns good for the totally plain and ordinary female main character. The romance was not completely like this and there is a slight love triangle but because the love story wasn't the focal point, I really didn't mind it too much, especially when the love interest says he will kill you, that makes things a little more interesting.

The plot itself wasn't anything too complicated or complex but it was enjoyable enough. This is a much lighter and fluffier read than Tithe which was quite dark, I think that may be what this was lacking, a little more dark and twisted goodness.

All-in-all this was an enjoyable read with some interesting characters and as I have heard that the books only get better in this series I will be continuing on with the second book.

Graphic Novel Review: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

    Title: Saga (Volume #1)
    Author: Brian K. Vaughan
    Publisher: Image Comics
    Published: October 23rd 2012
    Pages: 160
    Rating: 4.5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. 

From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults. 

This specially priced volume collects the first six issues of the smash-hit series The Onion A.V. Club calls "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make."

REVIEW

This is my first ever graphic novel and WOW. How have I not read a graphic novel before? I love art and I love reading, it is only logical that I would enjoy graphic novels. This is a really fun read. I particularly enjoyed the part where Alana says "This is what I get for marrying a vegetarian. Even the plants want to eat us". I happen to be a vegetarian so I got a good giggle out of this. This is the perfect read if you have been bogged down with some intense reads and just want something quick to read, but still fun and exciting. 

I adore Marko and think he is such a sweetheart. He also seems to be totally kick-ass, which is great. Both him and Alana have great banter and are incredibly sarcastic, which I love.

I also really enjoyed how the story was told. There was a mixture of Marko and Alana's dialogue, interwoven with Hazel's narration, the present and the future coming together.

And we can't possibly talk about this novel without discussing the art. Wow. It is amazing. I found myself just staring at the pages for ages trying to take it all in. 

I can't wait to get volume two and pick up where I left off.

Mini Review: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: March 1st 2006
Pages: 377

Goodreads Synopsis:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him.

When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea.

Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

This was a really fun read for me. I am so used to reading really heavy, intense stories so I really enjoyed this easy, fun, yet action packed read. I was quite worried that I would be really bored with this because 1. I had seen the film and really didn't like it all that much and 2. It is a book aimed at 9+ boys. Turns out I was very wrong. I had this book read in a couple of hours; I just couldn't put it down. This was a real fast paced story with back-to-back action scenes from beginning to end. The narrator, Percy, is a really likable character, he is loving, kind and a bit of a goofball. His side-kick Grover is even more hilarious and provides the perfect amount of comic relief. I am not Annabeth's biggest fan at the moment but I feel like she will grow on me as the series continues.

I can't really say much more about this book as I did watch the movie before reading the book. While I did notice some differences between the two, I was spoiled for the plot twist so I can't really say if I would have seen it coming or not. In saying that, when watching the film I wasn't really expected it, so I can only assume it would have been the same for the book.  

Everyone and their mother seems to have read this series but I am really late on the bandwagon. I will definitely be continuing on with this series and highly recommend this series no matter what age you are (for reference I am 24!). One piece of advise I have is don't go into this expecting Harry Potter. I think the reason I enjoyed this one so much is that I really didn't have very high expectations for it.  

Book Review and Discussion: Red Rising by Pierce Brown *Spoiler-Free*

   

     Title: Red Rising

     Author: Pierce Brown

     Publisher: Del Ray (Random House)

     Published: January 28th 2014

     Pages: 380

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Earth is dying. Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it. The Reds are humanity's last hope.

Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie. That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought. 

Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside. But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.

How can one possibly describe in words the absolute genius of this book? No matter how hard I try I know this review will not do this book justice. I finished this book several days ago now and I still cannot stop thinking about it. I think this pretty much sums up my feelings about this book:

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be clever. This book is just so darn clever, I think Brown might actually be a genius. I have only ever really thought that about one other author, and that was Brandon Sanderson. If you know me, you know I love Sanderson but now I have found someone to rival him and that is Pierce Brown, a debut author no less. 

So, you are probably wondering what I thought was clever about this book. I am going to start with the world-building because well, it was out of this world (wow, I am so punny!). The world-building in this story is so original, exciting, vivid and also highly complex. At the beginning I felt a little too stupid to read this book because the world was so complex and there were a lot of words like terraforming and several other space-related activities and words that went right over my head. This had me mega confused for a while, I won't lie, but I soon got into it and started to understand the world a whole lot better. I wouldn't change this in the book as I really enjoy complex and well thought out worlds. This book is based in outer space but it is not like any other sci-fi book I have read. The explanation and reasoning behind every aspect of the world is quite clear and it doesn't take hundreds of pages to set up the world, like many high fantasy novel. Even though the world is technically not realistic, I couldn't help but feel that it could be. See what I mean by clever yet?

My favourite aspect about this book was the wonderful characters throughout the entire novel. The amount of unique, multi-dimensional and dynamic characters in this book is fantastic. The connection I felt with the characters surpass any that I have ever read before. A character who I may have only met for a couple of pages had me bawling like a baby and they were only a minor character...that really says it all. This story had a considerable amount of characters that all played an important role in the story. Brown's ability to create round, dynamic characters far surpasses any author that I have ever read. There was no character in this story that I met (and you meet a lot of characters in this story) that was stereotypical or flat, they all added something different to the plot line and I found myself rooting for so many of them. I was way too attached to a copious amount of these characters which had me on the edge of my seat for the whole book as I didn't know if any of them would live or die. I could not predict the plot twists which had me totally on edge, which is exactly what I look for in a book.

 Not only was there a wide range of characters in, but the character development of each one was incredible. The most obvious is, of course, the protaganist, Darrow, who goes from zero to hero. But what I really enjoyed about Darrow's character is that while he does become a "hero", he is not your typical hero. There are plenty of times in the book where I wanted to hit him, make him do more. He is far from perfect and that is the whole point. He is an impulsive and incredibly clever character, but he is also very real. Too often books involve heroes who would leap through fire and battle hundreds of soldiers alone to save people they don't even know, but is this realistic? Of course it is not. Darrow, a great deal of the time, is not the real hero type, he would have been happy out slaving away as a Red only that his wife wanted more. Darrow doesn't have the ambition that Eo had but throughout the novel Darrow's character grows, where he once simply followed others orders he now commands them. Darrow becomes a hero to some, but he is far from perfect.

 It is not only Darrow who grows throughout the novel but several more minor characters as well. I hated Tactus at first, he is a pretty despicable character, but I found myself having a respect for his talent and abilities, even though he is not the most pleasant of people. The closer Darrow came to these people the more I, as a reader, came to understand them. My favourite character by far though was Sevro. Maybe it was his connection with the wolves or perhaps his humour, Sevro could do no wrong in my eyes. Sevro is one of those characters that at the beginning you think you will never like, but he continued to surprise me throughout the book and I came to love him more and more as the story went on. I, also really enjoyed Pax. Pax was the comedy character but even in playing such a seemingly one-dimensional, supporting role, he was much more than that. I could talk forever about each character and their growth throughout the novel but I think you may already get the gist. The characters and the character development was spot on, with one exception: the female characters.

 The female characters really let this book down big time. I did not feel the same connection with the female characters as I did with the male characters. The only exception of this is Eo. Eo is the beginning, middle and end for Darrow. She is the reason he grows from a man willing to slave under others to a man who fights for freedom. Eo is strong and brave where Darrow is weak and unambitious. She is by far my favourite female character in the book and I just wish there were more like her.

 While I feel like Brown gave me so many male characters to love (even ones that I probably shouldn't love), he really let me down when it came to the female characters. I found that the majority of them fit into two main categories: strong, evil bitches OR weak, pathetic girls, with a few exceptions.

 Gold's in Red Rising are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and the ones that have gotten passed the passage are pretty much at the apex of these extraordinary beings. This would make you think that there were a hell of a lot of bad ass women to root for in this story...there wasn't. There, in fact, were very, very few. Antonia, Cassandra, Mustang, Lilath and the Howlers Thistle and Pebble are the only ones I can really think of. That sounds like a substantial amount of bad-ass female characters in one 380 page book, however, for every one of these characters there was another five who were weak and, often times, soft. This didn't make sense to me as these were meant to be fierce competitors but throughout the story Brown details women being conquered by men. One such example is the rapings. If these were incredibly strong women, why could they not defend themselves? Another example is during a duel where Roque feels the need to take Lea and Quinn away as they are openly upset. Am...sorry, but how are you going to be a Peerless Scarred if you are that soft and emotional? Then there are the women who are actually quite capable fighters. These women are in complete contrast to Lea, Quinn and the others; they are shown to be cold-hearted and down right evil. This in a way is what Darrow and other revolutionaries think Golds to be, but while the male Gold's who are quite horrible are given a more human face, the women are not. I did quite like the Howlers, but more so as a group rather than individually. 

 I did  feel a really strong connection with a great deal of the male characters like Sevro, Pax, Roque, even Cassius and Tactus (is that weird that I cared about them?), but I just did not have that same connection with the female characters. Mustang, was a far more dimensional female character, but even then I wasn't particularly fond of her character.If there was one thing I wish Brown had done differently it would be his female characters, and in fact, it was the only problem I really had with this story.

When I say a book gave me all the feels, I usually just mean that the book made me cry. This book though, IT GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS. Like, all of them. I was crying, I was laughing, I was cheering, I was cursing...I was all over the place. Not even joking, I put this book down so many times to just bask in the awesomeness of the story.

I understand how this story is compared to the likes of the Hunger Games, there was one point in the story that I really saw some similarities between the two. I would argue, however, that Red Rising is a far superior book and that is coming from a huge Hunger Games fan. I also really enjoyed the allusion to Greek mythology as I find this to be a fascinating subject.

This book took me quite a long time read even though it was only 380 pages long. Now I did happen to be on holiday in Edinburgh for a time while reading this and that seriously cut down my reading time. However, the main reason it took so long was due to the intensity of the book. This book is INTENSE. Oh and quite violent. If you don't like intense, complex books which are filled with action-packed, graphic violence then....WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? - okay, I kid (kind of), but you will more then likely really not like this book. However, if you are all about non-stop action, mind -blowing plot twists, clever battle strategies, unique, complex world-building and incredible multi-dimensional and dynamic characters then READ THIS BOOK NOW.

Wow. I raved quite a bit there didn't I?...Sorry about that.

Unsurprisingly, I give this book:

Book Review: Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Title: Defiance

Author: C.J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: August 28th 2012
Pages: 403

Goodreads Synopsis:

While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.

When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. 

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

70 Pages into the book I had to look up the reviews. I do this when I am seriously hating on a book to see if it is just a lost cause. When I saw all the glowing reviews I was like:

This book had so many glowing reviews and was just sitting there resisting the urge to throw the book out the window. I was going to DNF this one, I even put the book on my "I don't really care about" bookshelf but all those reviews had my like "I gotta read this and see what happens". I also read a review which had me thinking that the romance was going to get a lot more bearable. So that is where I will start, with the romance, as the first 200 pages are about pretty much nothing else. In this world women are not allowed to go anywhere outside without their protector, and for Rachel, this was always her father, but when he goes missing, presumed dead, Rachel is transferred to the care of Logan, who happens to be only three years older and dashingly handsome of course. Oh, and I forgot to mention she was madly in love with him at one point and he turned her down so there is all this animosity between them (don't worry you find out all of this straight away). Of course there is animosity between them though because they couldn't just be friends and fall in love, they obviously have to have an obstacle to overcome. Now, the romance is almost a slow burner, well at least I think that is what the author meant it to be, but they both spend most of the story obsessing over each other, with quotes such as this: 

"My gaze wanders to her lips, and I can't see anything but a thin trail of water gliding over her skin, gathering at the corner of her mouth, and then slowly drifting toward her neck. She raises one shaky hand and presses her fingers against her lips. Her breath catches, a tiny sound that makes me realise how close I am standing to her"

Or this:

"He laughs, and the sound makes my skin tingle. I'm suddenly aware of his shoulders full his cloak. How his hair glows like honey in the morning sunlight"

Ensue some serious eye-rolling on my part. 

This I could have handled if I had actually liked the two main characters narrating the story, sadly I did not. Rachel is such a typical YA female character it hurts. Good fighter? Check! Smarter and more independent than the other females in the story who only care about dresses and weddings? Check! Loses all sense of independence once she falls in love? Check. Rachel is fierce, more independent than most females in the city she grew up in thanks to her father's teachings but she is also a total IDIOT!

Ya I said it.

 I smacked my face so many times thanks to Rachel's stupidity it hurt. Like A LOT. Just like most YA female characters she would do ANYTHING for the ones she loves, which usually means she thinks through absolutely nothing, is terribly stubborn and ends up getting herself and several other characters in whole pile of trouble. Well done Rachel. There was one deeming sentence that came from Rachel:

"I never thought it was fair that anatomy decide what my brain is fit for"

Oh, but then she had to ruin it later by saying this:

"And I need Logan because he would understand that something inside me is broken. Something I have no idea how to mend. He'd understand, and if he didn't know how to fix it, he'd dedicate himself to learning how"

*SMACKS FACE HARD*

The girl goes on and on about how she does want a protector nor need one because she is so independent - GIRL why do you need a man to fix you? Fix your damn self! Ugh  the author went to so much trouble to show us how differnet Rachel was to the other girls in the town who relied on the men to take them places and were happy to be married off, only then to make the character wholly reliable on the love interest. EVERY DAMN TIME. (Caelena anyone?)

Oh and let's not even go into this:

"I know you won't let me buy you pretty frilly things"...Rachel responds with "That's because I don't like pretty frilly things".

Ok I said I wouldn't go into but why, oh why, do authors think that girls can't be independent, bad'ass fighters but also like "pretty frilly things" which by the way is such a demeaning way of putting it. Why does a girl have to show her equality to men by renouncing her femininity? Can a girl not be feminine and equal? Rant over.

Ok, ok so I had some problems with Rachel, I must have liked Logan right because how could a person read a 400 and something page book and hate the two lead characters?  Sheer will and determination people, that's how. Yes, I also didn't like Logan, BUT I liked him somewhat more than Rachel. Rachel I didn't like even when there was no love interest, Logan, however, I did. Logan is the kind of guy that, quite unrealistically, seems to be good at EVERYTHING (inventor, tracker, fighter, protector, you name it he can do it). But no, that is not why I liked him at the beginning, I liked him because of his logic, he is the complete opposite of Rachel. He thinks everything through, weighs every option and assess the risk (this did get annoying after awhile as there was a constant option 1: everything goes great, Option 2: I die, Option 3: Blah, this occurred every couple of pages with Logan and it get old FAST!). However, yet again the male character turns into a soppy fool once he falls in love. I am doomed to keep reading the same characters over and over in every book I read.

So now I have you thinking, why in the name of all that is holy did she give this book 3 stars when she clearly hated it...Am I right? Well that's because after suffering through 200 pages I really started enjoying the book. The action was fantastic and the book went in a completely different direction then I thought I would. After ranting about what I hated for so long I wish I could talk about why I liked the second half so much but that would completely spoil the whole book for everyone so I am not going to do that. Just know that the action was fantastic, the twists and turns were great and certain characters went a bit cray-cray. I also really loved a lot of the new characters that were brought into the story, especially Willow, she was so fun and upfront and seems like a really spunky character. I am really hoping to see more of her and her brother along with Nola who seems like she could be a great female character also.

I am really glad that I stuck with this story because I was totally glued to it from page 200 onwards, but due to the fact that I hated the first 200 pages and the two main characters I can only give this one a three star rating, which might even be a bit generous but due to all the bashing I just did I feel like it deserves it.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski in Review

   

     Title: The Winner's Curse

     Author: Marie Rutkoski

     Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

     Published: March 4th 2014

     Pages: 355

Goodreads Synopsis:

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

This book has received so much hype in the book world that I just had to pick it up and check it out for myself. I guess you could put this book into the fantasy category, kind of, but meh for me I would just put it down as a romance. I have really high standards when it comes to fantasy stories, thanks in part to Brandon Sanderson's epic books, so fantasy books have a LOT to live up to. Recently, the YA fantasy I have been reading has just been so BLAH. Often times far too focused on the romance leaving the plot, well, non-existent really. Unfortunately, this book is lumped right in there with those such as Falling Kingdoms, Throne of Glass series and Shadow and Bone, all below average stories which focus more on the romance than an actually plot.

My main problem with this story is the lack of action. This book is a real slow burner, it took a REALLY long time to build up to the action which was all squashed into the last third of the book. When it did pick up, eventually, it was really good, but there just wasn't enough of it. I love the action scenes and wish there had been more throughout the story. What really ruined the plot for me though was the romance, which really was the focal point for this story. I find it hard to label this story fantasy as there is no magic, no fantastical elements to it whatsoever, I would be more inclined to label it a historical romance. Far more effort is put into setting up the romance between the two main characters Arin and Kestrel. The romance was a slow burner which is good right, because who links insta-love?

 When the romance reached its peak, however, it did so pretty much completely out of the blue. There was no point where I thought, oh ya they are really falling in love here, there was absolutely no reason why they should. It just wasn't very believable, especially when Kestrel is the LEAST lovable person EVER. 

Kestrel, ugh, so much HATE for her character. I really don't think you are meant to like her character though, after all she did buy a human being to keep as a slave, and, while she doesn't believe in the mistreatment of slaves, she is by no means a revolutionary. She is happy out to live her beautiful villa which once belonged to the Herrani who now must bow to her every whim. YA characters all have to have one attribute that they just excel at beyond everyone else and Kestrel is no exception to this. While I like that she wasn't the perfect fighter even though she has been trained to fight, she is an exceptional musician, something which is used to make her stand out from the other Valorians as they do not find music important. This is the aspect that was also used to tie Kestrel and Arin together, they both like music. So it's okay that Kestrel BOUGHT HIM, as long as she plays music all is forgiven.

My eyes will never truely be the same after this book with the amount of eye-rolling I did. I loved Arin's character at the beginning and that was what really pushed me through the first slow part of the story but the more he liked Kestrel the more pathetic he got. I say this in nearly every review now, but I am going to say it again...why oh why must the guy become a TOTAL IDIOT when he falls in love with the girl. I have said enough already, if you read the story you will know what I mean. Goodbye awesome, bad-ass Arin, hello soppy, idiot!

Now because I hate to end on such a sour note I will speak a bit about the aspects I liked in the book:

1. The world - now this was not the best world-building I have ever read but I did really enjoy the setting, think Ancient Greece with beautiful sprawling villas, horse drawn carriages and high-society parties. 

2. The writing - Rutkoski is a really great writer when she isn't lengthily described Arin noting Kestrels opinions of him (this guy has to be an empath). This is one of the reason I want to pick up the second book. 

3. Like I mentioned already, when the action got going it was really good and I did find myself devouring those pages, the problem here was that it just didn't last long enough and the ending was eye-roll worthy and far too rushed. Oops, I was meant to finish on a positive note.

What I will say is that I am not a lover of romance and lately I have realised that most YA fantasy stories are far more focused on the romance then building an action packed plot. This book has PLENTY of glowing reviews and I feel like the only one who was left disappointed by this book. On a happier not I have heard that the Winner's Crime is much better so I will continue on with this series and hopefully like the second book a lot more.

If you have read this book leave your thoughts in the comments below as I would love to know if I am the only one who didn't like this book.

Book Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: November 4th 2014
Pages: 470

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told. There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead. She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance. She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

The third and final book in a trilogy is always my least favourite and this is still true for this series, however, it is probably one of my favourite final books, plot wise. I just love the story, its so unique and so different to the usual superhero stories. I never felt bored by the story as it was action packed throughout. However, I did have quite a few problems with this book, which really affected the rating I gave it. 

One problem I had with this book was the new P.O.V near the end of the book.For the majority of the book there is only one P.O.V. which is Mara's, however, towards the conclusion a second P.O.V. is incorporated, a male voice.  I found it really hard to differentiate between the two and kept having to go back to the start of each chapter to figure out which character was speaking. I wouldn't have had a problem with the new P.O.V. if it was effective, but I did not find the voice of the male character to be very believable as it was much too similar to Mara's. This was only a minor problem I had with the book and it didn't take too much from the story.

My main problem with this book, however, was the fact that this was not a satisfying conclusion. So many questions were left unanswered. For example, one character who was present for the majority of the book, just upped and left at one stage and there was no follow up or any other mention of the character. I don't understand the point of this character in the story. Why have this character the whole way through the story, have her dramatically leave, with no explanation of where she is going, and then not follow up on what happened her? I was sure that something awful would happen her but she just disappeared from the story as if Hodkin forgot all about her. The role of Abel Lukumi in this book was also questionable. There was some explanation of the Abel from Mara's grandmothers time but no real explanation as to what he was. He had no role at all in the present in this story except for a brief sighting by Mara. There were several hints to him but no real firm conclusion to his character. Everything felt a little unfinished. There was, also, no indication as to what the characters were going to do after the ending of the story. It was all left very open and I was sure there must be another book in the series only to find it this was only a trilogy.

While I did love the story I just wish everything was wrapped up a bit better. This book just left me with more questions than answers and that's why it received 3.5 stars.

I would still highly recommend this series as it is by far one of my favourites.

Book Review: Cinder by Melissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: January 3rd 2012
Pages: 387

Goodreads Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

If you haven't guessed already I am a huge fan of re-tellings. This stems from my University days when I studied Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber", which is basically a re-telling of fairytales and legends such as Little Red Riding Hood, Puss-in-Boots, Bluebeard and Beauty and the Beast. It is more suited towards adults as it is quite dark and violent. Cinder is one of those books that you hear about EVERYWHERE, and when I heard it was a re-telling of Cinderella with cyborgs I was incredibly intrigued. I was looking for something that was different and not your everyday YA book and Cinder did not disappoint me there.

Lately, I have been disliking the female protagonists in the books I have been reading. They are usually far too reliant on male characters or are spoilt/pathetic/shallow etc. Thankfully Cinder was none of these things. I really liked the character of Cinder as she was strong and independent. She wasn't the usual YA protagonist that swoons every time she sees her crush. When she first meets him, she is shocked and clearly really excited (not only is he her crush but he also happens to be famous, well a Prince). Cinder sticks to her guns and her motivations are not selfish. Her actions do not revolve around Prince Kai but more so what she knows is the right thing to do. She makes level headed decisions and doesn't lose her mind because of her crush on the Prince.

This brings me on to the romance. Being a YA book and a re-telling of Cinder there is obviously going to be a romance, however, this one thankfully did not overshadow the plot line of the story. THANKFULLY. Now, the romance was a little rushed but it was not the be all and end all and, in fact, even though the feelings Cinder and Kai had for each other progressed very quickly, the romance itself didn't. Hallelujah, extra points for that.

Now, while I really enjoyed the character of Cinder I was not too fond of Prince Kai. Now don't get me wrong he seems like a nice guy but I guess that is the problem, he seemed too nice. A Prince who has no notions of grandeur, thinks only of his people, etc. seems too good to be true. He was a little too boring for my liking. I loved the character of Iko. She was quirky and fun and basically the perfect sidekick for Cinder, who is far too serious. The Lunars were also incredibly interesting characters with the Queen of the Lunars playing the perfect antagonist. 

One tiny little aspect I had a problem with was the setting. This story was set in New Beijing, which I was excited for as not many books are set in such locations. Unfortunately, this book, literally, could have been anywhere. To be honest I kept imagining the place like an American city (why American? Probably because most of the books I read and tv series I watch are set in America). It was only when the words New Beijing were mentioned would I remember that this was actually meant to be an Asian city - so quite different to what I was imagining. There was only the odd reference to Asian like buildings. I would have liked this book to have been more firmly rooted in Asian culture, so Asian clothing, buildings, streets, customs etc. However, this wasn't really a major problem for me, but if you are looking for an Asian setting, this book will probably not be for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line and found it so refreshing from what I usually read. This is my first cyborg read and I would definitely pick up more after reading this. This was a really enjoyable read for me and so I give it:

Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenille
Published: Febuary 7th 2012
Pages: 330

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave. Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.

Yet again, this is another book I have chosen because of it's popularity in the booksphere. I was particularly excited for this one, not only because I had been wanting to read a witch book for awhile, but also because of the time period it is set in. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this book is an alternate history story. This story is set in the late 1800s, nearing the start of the early twentieth century. Putting it in context with our real history this book would be set in a time soon after the Salem witch trials as Cate states that in her grandmother's time witches were burned at the stake. As I had wanted to read a book about witches and magic for so long I had high expectations for this one, which were unfortunately not met.

The aspect that disappointed me the most in this story was, in fact, the magic, or should I say the lack of magic. For a story about witches this book has very little actual magic in it, apart from a scene near the end of the book. I would even describe the magic as quite boring - the most interesting thing to happen being a garden blooming to life or Cate moving an object through the air with difficulty. There is also very little explanation behind the magic and it appears that only women have these gifts.

So, the magic wasn't the main attribute focused on in this story, what was?...The romance (I know right, shocking!). When I picked up this book I wanted to read a book full of witchy goodness not a book about a love triangle, which happened to be the most boring "love story" I had ever read. I was not particularly enamoured with either of the love interests, one of them was purposefully made out to be a little bit sketchy and just plain boring, while the other was made out to be the nicest guy you have ever read about but again, boring.

The plot was incredibly predictable which isn't the worst thing when reading YA fiction. However, the lack of originality was the problem for me. It followed the usual plot of YA stories: female protagonist must fight against the oppressive system in order to save those she cares about. Parents are MIA, mother is dead and father is always away. The main character is involved in a love triangle, and ultimately cannot be with the one she loves because of the oppressive society she lives in and so we wait to find out what happens in the next two books to resolve this. OK, I loved Delirium and it followed a similar plot line to this, along with several other books I have enjoyed but there has always been some saving grace, such as the characters or the world-building, that has redeemed the book in my eyes. The characters in this book did not do that for me.

The three sisters are each stereotyped into one role that they play throughout the novel, leaving absolutely no room for character growth which is something I love to read about. Tess, the youngest, is the genius of the family, who is good at, literally, everything. Not only is she the most intelligent, musically gifted and the best at magic, she is also able to read people and understand their true intentions. Then we have the middle sister Maura, and being the middle sister she, of course, is the rebellious one. She is a character who is impossible to like because she causes most of the problems in the story and she is a complete and utter spoiled brat. Finally, we have Cate, the eldest, so naturally she plays the protective older sister role. She is your typical YA female protagonist who does not understand how beautiful/talented she really is. She puts everyone else in front of herself, and is the martyr of the story.

Now, before I bash this story altogether (which was not my intention but I tend to go off on rants), there was one aspect to this book that I did enjoy and that was the issue that was tackled. I love when a book, especially in YA because I feel it is quite rare, tackles serious issues. This book deals with the issues of inequality between men and women. This story is set in a time where (in real history) women lived in a patriarchal society; the women were completely controlled by men and their place was seen to be in the home. At the time the main objective of a woman was to find a husband and to be a good wife and mother. These are all aspects that feature in this story. Cate's impending intention ceremony is one such example. Cate must either have a marriage proposal or chose the Sisterhood (basically similar to the nuns) before her seventeenth birthday or the Brotherhood will chose a husband for her. Women are not allowed to run businesses and are looked upon unfavorably if they do, e.g. Finn's mother. The fear men had of women is excellently portrayed in the book. Not only were the Brotherhood afraid of the real witches they also feared women who didn't rely on men, such as women who had relationships with other women, women who ran their own business' and woman who acted too mush like men "aping" their clothing and what not. Women who "refused to submit to man's authority" were punished (quote from Maura on p.38, line 20-23). Another interesting aspect was how Spotswood refers to the Arab women as the free women of society, allowed to run businesses and wear trousers, a clear role reversal as strict Muslim women do not run business nor wear trousers and must cover up from head to toe.

While I did not love the story, and found the plot and characters unoriginal I loved the discussion on the role of women in this story and that is why I give this book a rating of: